Overreacting To The NBA Preseason (Part 1)
After a very long 3 month wait, NBA basketball is back. Sure, it’s just the preseason, but at least basketball is back from now until June. We are all saved.
We’ve already seen most teams play in the preseason and you know what that means? It’s time to overreact baby. Today will be a post about me overreacting to everything from the NBA preseason so far. Your teams’ feelings may or may not be hurt.
(Watch out for Sarcasm)
LA Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets
The first game back from the long hiatus of basketball was a potential Finals matchup, between the Lakers and Nets. Of course, most of the big-name players weren’t in action. Anthony Davis was the only one to see minutes out of the Big 6 in this game and even then he only played for 11 minutes.
This game has no meaning whatsoever and will be insignificant in the long run. That of course means, it’s time to overreact.
The Lakers Offense Is SO Bad
Lakers’ fans seriously think they’re better than the Nets? You shot 36% from the field against a team that supposedly doesn’t play defense. A rookie carved up your defense and you had no answers. You still managed to shoot just 31% from 3, proving that your spacing woes from last season will continue.
Lebron James didn’t play, proof that he is slowing down with age. Russell Westbrook didn’t play either, showing that he too is slowing down and can’t be relied upon as a third option. Only AD played and he only played 11 minutes before his entire body erupted into a pile of smoke. That Big 360° of yours doesn’t look that good right now.
Kent Bazemore? Wayne Ellington? Dwight Howard? Kendrick Nunn? Talen Horton-Tucker? Those guys shot a combined 15/43 from the field. I guess those new free agent signings didn’t work out. Sorry Pelinka, Nets in 1.5.
Cam Thomas > Michael Jordan
In the 2021 draft, the Nets took Cameron Thomas 27th overall. The LSU guard was seen as a good scorer, but we might have just seen the beginnings of another all-time great.
In the first game of his career, against a very competitive Lakers team that was throwing everything at him, Cameron Bouchea Thomas.
(Yes, that’s his middle name).
Thomas shot 7/14 from the field, 6/7 from the free-throw line, and finished with 21 points. Do you want to know what Michael Jordan did in his first-ever game?
Cam Thomas’ First Game
21 points on 50% shooting
Michael Jordan’s First Game;
18 points on 44% shooting
Cam Thomas > Michael Jordan. I have seen enough. We are watching the next GOAT in the NBA.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors
This is the first NBA game played in Scotia Bank Arena since February 28th, 2020. If you remember, the Raptors were playing the Charlotte Hornets and Jeremy Lamb hit a half-court shot to beat the buzzer. That half-court buzzer-beater was the last shot taken in that arena for almost two years, which is crazy to think about.
Great to have basketball up North and the Raptors stomping the 76ers is not a bad way to get back into the swing of things.
Andre Drummond Is The Best Player In The World
In the first half alone, the de facto-best player in the world Andre Drummond was dominating. While his teammates weren’t helping him, he was dominating down low.
Andre Drummond In The First Half;
17 points – 12 rebounds – 3 blocks – 71% FG – 7/8 FT
I don’t know what’s more surprising. Andre Drummond playing decent defense, Andre Drummond playing this well, or Andre Drummond becoming Steve Nash at the free-throw line. Any one of those three answers will suffice.
But I have seen enough. It is time we all kneel before our king. Joel Embiid? He needs to make way for the real MVP.
I Love The Toronto Raptors
From what I saw this offseason, most people didn’t have the Raptors as a playoff team, which was ridiculous for a lot of reasons. They added a lot of talent, they’re back home in Canada for the first time in two years, and they have elite coaching. You can win with that in the NBA and this game proved that.
Scottie Barnes’ rookie debut was enough to make Raptors’ fans drool;
13 points – 9 rebounds – 6 assists – 2 steals – 2 blocks – +/- of +19
There’s why the Raptors drafted Barnes 4th overall, over Jalen Suggs, who is still the better player as of right now. But this game showed what Barnes is capable of. Sure, the half-court scoring isn’t great and his jump shot needs a lot of work. But his defense and playmaking are already good and he’s going to be playing a significant role for this team. He showed he can be up to the task.
Barnes is so raw and talented and now he gets to develop with this coaching staff? They could be unleashing a monster to wreak havoc on the rest of the league and fast.
Not to mention the other guys. OG Anunoby had 21 points on 7/12 shooting. Precious Achiuwa had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Undraftd rookie Justin Champagnie had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
When Siakam comes back, along with VanVleet, Boucher, Khem Birch, and Gary Trent Jr.? This team will be deep and they should be ready for the playoffs. I know it’s just one preseason game, but this game kind of reinforced what I already thought about the Raptors.
We The North might be ready for a pleasant rebound season in 2022.
Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat (injury bowl)
This game was supposed to be good, and for the most part, it was. The Hawks and Heat are two of the better teams in the East and they are trying to play spoiler to teams like the Bucks and Nets. They have real title aspirations, but unfortunately, there was a lot more than just basketball in this game.
Why Is Trae Young Playing?
Look, I get the idea of playing your star player to try and get some of that rust off. But Trae Young suffered a right quad contusion. I just don’t get why you’re risking stuff like that during a meaningless game.
I would much rather have Trae Young start the season off rusty than dealing with injuries. Don’t expect a whole lot more of Trae Young during this preseason.
Why Is PJ Tucker Playing?
Same argument as before. Why is PJ Tucker, your new free-agent acquisition, your starting power forward, playing? Tucker is a veteran. He doesn’t exactly do all that much offensively. So why even risk playing him?
Tucker suffered a right groin strain and groin injuries are weird because coming back too early could spell disaster. Again, just don’t play him. Don’t expect too much from Mr. Shoes the rest of the preseason.
The Timberwolves Are My Dark Horse Team This Season
You know what? I said it. I was really high on the T-Wolves this offseason and I’m going all-in on them to make the play-in, at the very least. They just have so much talent and if luck falls their way for once, they could have a very promising season.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 7 rebounds in just 14 minutes. If he can stay on the floor, he’s one of the best offensive players in the NBA.
Anthony Edwards had 10 points and 2 steals. You still saw some of that rookie in him, taking a few bad shots here and there, but expect a lot more consistency from Edwards this season when he has the ball in his hands more, thanks to Chris Finch.
D’Angelo Russell had 19 points and 5 assists in just 16 minutes. His shooting looks superb and like Towns, if he can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit for the former All-Star.
Taurean Prince and Naz Reid looked good off the bench. Patrick Beverley gives this team some real toughness, an edge that they just didn’t have. Malik Beasley didn’t even play well and they still won this game pretty easily, although things did become a little bit too close for comfort in that 2nd half.
I think the T-Wolves have it all. I like what Chris Finch has done with the team. They have youth, scoring, some good depth, and I like where they’re going. I think they’re better than the Kings and Pelicans and hopefully, they’re in store for a big 2022.
Does it come to anybody’s surprise that Patrick Beverley also got a technical foul in this game? Also, D’Angelo Russell, that was cold, man.
Best Performances of the Night
I didn’t cover every single game, but these guys played well and they deserve a spotlight;
Tyler Herro
26 points on 75% shooting
I have a feeling Tyler Herro should bounce back in 2022. He’s a pure scorer and the Heat didn’t use him as such last year. I get the idea of turning him into a point guard, but just let the man score like he did in the bubble.
Also worth mentioning that Herro became a dad this offseason. Some extra fuel to the flame.
Jaylen Brown
25 points on 50% shooting
He’s an All-Star. Doesn’t seem like that wrist surgery from the end of last season is bothering him. Would have liked to see him keep the braids, though.
Cole Anthony
16 points – 6 rebounds – 6 assists – 50% shooting (bench)
Anthony was one of the few guys to stand out in this game for the Magic. It’s hard to do that with an Orlando team that is so crowded at guard, but Anthony looked really good in this game.
Other guys like Jalen Suggs and RJ Hampton were less impressive. Anthony’s one year of playing experience might pay dividence for him to get some more minutes this season.
James Bouknight (R)
20 points on 58% shooting (17 in 2nd half)
Bouknight, like Cameron Thomas from Brooklyn, can just score the ball. He’s taking over for Malik Monk and he’s going to get plenty of shots in this run and gun offense. Kelly Oubre Jr. also got hurt in this game, so Bounknight will get more of an opportunity to shine this preseason.
Josh Giddey (R)
18 points and 7 rebounds on 67% shooting
Giddey is a supersized point guard not exactly known for scoring, but he did a good job in his first-ever game. Hit a couple of 3’s and grabbed some rebounds. Promising start for the Australian native.
Joshua Primo (R)
17 points on 88% shooting from the field
Again, let’s not crucify draft picks before they even play. Primo might have been the worst received pick in 2021, going #12 overall when he was the youngest and most raw prospect in the draft. I saw it as a huge risk but the talent was there.
Primo is a really talented scorer and if this is an early indicator, he should show some flashes during his rookie season. Not to mention that he and the Spurs pummeled the Jazz. Thanks for that.
Jordan Poole
30 points – 5 rebounds – 5 assists – 59% FG – 7 3’s
Expect a bigger role from Poole in 2022. He proved to be a spark off the bench last year and is likely one of the few young guys that Steve Kerr can really depend on. After the win last night, Kerr said that the Warriors were “chasing wins,” while trying to explain a veteran-heavy rotation.
Lottery picks Kuminga and Moses Moody played just 20 minutes combined and James Wiseman wasn’t available, perhaps a sign of things to come this season for a Warriors team trying to get one last championship with their dynasty core.
Poole might be the only young player to get real minutes with this team as the Warriors push for the playoffs.
(Unfortunately My) Portland Trail Blazers
{Sigh} Let’s get this over with.
I have not been Chauncey Billups’ biggest supporter. I didn’t think he was the guy the Blazers should have hired with his limited experience, but I am going to try and keep and open mindset for as long as I can. My first impressions of the guy aren’t that great.
Billups preached defense, more ball movement, and an all-around more efficient team. You know when something sounds too good to be true? Billups’ preaching didn’t seem to work that well as we lost 121-107 to a Western Conference foe. Again, it’s the preseason, but I’m not being wowed by anything I’ve seen in limited action so far.
In the first half, most of the regulars were playing. If the score being tied at 60 at halftime was any indicator, the defense wasn’t slowing down the Warriors at all. Golden State shot 57% from the field in the 2nd quarter and made 12 3-pointers in the first half overall.
That first half was a snapshot of the last few seasons with Terry Stotts at the helm. Sure, the offense is dynamic and putting up 60 points is great. But when you’re giving up 60 points at the same time? It becomes hard to win games that way and as we’ve seen, it’s not a recipe for success in the postseason.
But enough with the negatives. Last year, in the first preseason game, Denver beat us 129-96. It could be worse and I did see some good things.
Jusuf Nurkic had a 15-10 double-double in just 22 minutes. Dame, CJ, and Powell all looked good in that first half. Offensively, I trust those four guys more than anybody. I’m not worried about them, but is reassuring knowing that they have established a rhythm together already.
Turnovers
I think that the turnovers were a major problem in this game. We had 26 in this game when we’ve consistently been near the top of the league in turnovers over the past few seasons. But I’m not going to blame anybody in particular for that, for a few reasons;
- New coach, new system, there will be rough patches. It will be frustrating, but it will just have to be labeled as growing pains for now.
I think that sums things up well. Hopefully the guys can adapt to all of this new stuff, these new systems and schemes that Chauncey Billups is implementing. We’ll see the real results after about 30-40 games when we start to really figure things out.
Biggest Disappointment/Surprisement
I was pretty disappointed in Nassir Little. I’m expecting big things from Little with the wing position freeing up. This could be his season to finally prove his first round draft selection back in 2019. But he was just 1/9 from the field with 5 turnovers. Another Portland draft bust? Sure looks like it.
Dennis Smith Jr. had 10 points in 12 minutes. Don’t know if he’s going to play with more experienced guys in front of him, but you never know. 2021 second round pick Greg Brown Jr. didn’t do much in 9 minutes of action.
Blessing In Disguise?
Cody Zeller broke his nose, because of course he did. Injuries continue to strike this team as our backup center is likely going to miss a few weeks to start the year. But maybe this is a good chance to see Larry Nance Jr, who didn’t do anything in this game, play some small-ball center.
Chauncey, I’m begging you, but him at center please.
Quotes
“Obviously, the Warriors are a difficult team to guard,” Billups said. “They actually play really fast. Not only that, their ball movement and their player movement make them extremely difficult. You can tell that they are focused on playing really fast and getting up plenty of threes.”
The Warriors shot 69 3’s in this game. The Western Conference is ruthless and this was just a taste of what’s to come. That defense better come together and fast Chauncey, because there are some better offenses than the Warriors out there.
“It was good to kind of get out here and play against somebody that wasn’t ourselves,” Billups said. “I thought we had some good moments in the first half with the way we played offensively and defensively.”
Good moments defensively? Are we watching the same game Chauncey?
Ok. Rant over. Again, it’s just one meaningless game in early October. Am I concerned? A little. But Chauncey needs a full season for me to fully judge him. I’m hoping I’m wrong about him, because another season with disappointing results might mean a sour end to the Damian Lillard era in Portland.
Cade Cunningham Is Hurt
For the love of god Detroit, don’t mess up Cade Cunningham. Please.
Cunningham suffered a mild ankle sprain, but I’m sure the Pistons are going to have him walking in bubble wrap until the season starts. He is their franchise cornerstone and likely going to be the main reason that winning basketball comes back to Detroit.
Don’t ruin him. Please?
What Are Some of Your Overreactions From The NBA Preseason? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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