Who Made The Best Debut With Their New Team?
With a plethora of new players in new homes, it’s time to ask; who made the strongest impression with their new team?
This NBA Trade Deadline season brought us a lot of change. With this much movement, we’ve seen some players in unusual situations. From Domantas Sabonis wearing black to CJ McCollum in the bayou, I’m still getting used to everybody being in different places. So, who had the best debut with their new team?
I understand that one game is not enough to make a judgment about these moves, but that’s not going to stop me from overreacting. I have broken all of these trades down already, so you know how I feel about them.
Without further ado, let’s overreact, shall we?
{Disclaimer: I don’t care about sample size. And neither should you}
Domantas Sabonis
The one caveat to the Haliburton trade for the Kings is acquiring Sabonis. He’s one of the most all-around forwards in the NBA. I have been a Sabonis fan for a while and wanted to see him contend, but the Kings got themselves a great player.
Sabonis’s fit with De’Aaron Fox is interesting, so say the least. But, their first test run against the T-Wolves a few nights ago was successful.
22 points / 14 rebounds / 5 assists / 53% FG
Let’s see what Sabonis did that was so effective.
The Many Avenues Of Sabonis PnR’s
As much as I love Richuan Holmes, the Kings get more with Sabonis in the pick-and-roll. He is an exquisite passer. His catch radius allows him to eat up space down low. The Kings can even experiment with him popping outside for a three-pointer every now and then. His bag of tricks is deep.
You saw all of those things on display during his debut.
Sabonis has next-level hands in traffic. He has the patience to wait for the exact moment to score.
You see how big Sabonis’s catch radius is. Fox’s new partner in these sets makes life so much easier.
You can toy with defenses if they give Sabonis room. Sabonis looks off Taurean Prince, leading to a wide-open Barnes three.
Losing Tyrese Haliburton will hurt this franchise for years to come. But, Sabonis provides them with a building block. His relationship with Fox is weird, but he’s no slouch.
With Sabonis, the Kings’ offense can still be movement-oriented. You saw a lot of cutting and moving when Sabonis was in the post, something that is so difficult to cover. Hell, you even saw Point-Sabonis during this game.
It’s weird, but I will still enjoy watching Domantas Sabonis play basketball. No matter where he is or what it took to get him there.
Caris Levert
Caris Levert’s first game with the Cavaliers wasn’t anything special. With just 11 points in 28 minutes, you knew he could do better. So he did.
In his second game as a Cav, coincidentally against the team that traded him, Levert proved his worth. Without Darius Garland, Levert had the ball in his hands. It’s safe to say things went well.
Levert was a scoring machine, especially down the stretch. The Pacers couldn’t stay in front of him, as he helped the Cavs recover from a 20-point deficit earlier on. I was excited about Levert’s addition to Cleveland before, but this game proves he was worth the move.
22 points / 5 assists / 3 steals / 53% FG
Getting Downhill
Levert was dominant when he got a running start. No matter if it was off a screen or off the dribble, he got to his spots with ease. He had four scores down the stretch of Cleveland’s latest win. His weapon of choice? Getting downhill.
The Cavs needed people who could do stuff off the dribble. Who didn’t need a well-timed pass from Darius Garland to score. Caris Levert fills that need.
Levert can save so many lost possessions for this team. If Garland gets stuck, you have a wing player who can do this. It’s a luxury the Cavs haven’t had this season.
Cedi Osman can’t do this.
This double-screen action is so hard to stop. Levert collapses the defense, making the easy pass to Allen for the score.
I know we haven’t seen the Levert/Garland duo yet, but there are a lot of reasons to be excited if you’re a Cavs fan. Levert gives them an offensive kick that they’ve needed since Sexton got injured.
He could be the reason the Cavs make a run in the playoffs. His ability to score is what this team needed. Look out for the Cavs over the next few months.
Norman Powell
Norman Powell was the first domino to fall from my Blazers. I get why we traded Powell, but I’m still mad. Joe Cronin can say the word flexibility as many times as he wants. We still traded Gary Trent Jr. for Eric Bledsoe. Nothing will ever change that.
Anyway, let’s talk about Powell. He’s the offensive kicker that the Clippers needed. With Paul George out for the time being, he helps them remain competitive.
Powell has shown no signs of slowing down. He was having a great season with us, and now he’s doing it with LA. His first two games have been a perfect example of what he’s going to do with this team.
21.0 points / 4.0 assists / 48% FG / 43% 3-PT / Damn you Olshey
CJ McCollum
After CJ McCollum made all Blazers fans cry with his Players Tribune farewell (shoutout to Jennifer), his debut with the Pelicans was…ok.
I compare his debut a lot to Caris Levert’s. Bucket-getters sometimes have a hard time getting going in a new situation. They need to have a set routine to be comfortable. CJ McCollum’s routine is completely different after nine years in Portland.
While he shot just 6/21 from the field, there were some positives from his first outing in the Bayou.
Screening Action
As a Blazers fan, I can tell you that CJ McCollum is a maestro off of screens. He gets almost parallel to the ground, crouching down like a superhero making a pose. He is a slippery ball-handler who loves to free himself using screens. You saw some of that in his Pelicans debut.
CJ’s first bucket as a Pelicans was off a screen. How poetic.
McCollum seems like a fish in water coming off a screen. It’s his comfort zone. All Garrett Temple has to do is hit the open shot, which he did.
Once McCollum gets settled in his new home, we’ll forget about his ugly debut. The Pelicans are trying to make a push for the play-in game, and McCollum is the ideal second option for them.
The next hurdle is getting Zion back on the floor. That one might be easier said than done.
Tyrese Haliburton
I may have slightly praised the Kings earlier in this blog, but this is a reminder as to why I shouldn’t do that. Haliburton was having a historically good sophomore season. With the ball in his hands more, he was blossoming.
He turned into one of the best playmakers in the NBA. His efficiency continued to be out of this world. Now that he’s free from the basketball equivalent of eternal damnation, he is free. He will now be the future of the Pacers, a team wise enough to realize what kind of player they have.
Haliburton’s debut with Indiana went just as expected. Seamlessly.
23 points / 6 assists / 3 steals / 60% FG / HOW IS THIS GUY A PACER???
Off The Dribble Artistry
As a rookie, I craved for Haliburton to evolve his offense. For the most part, he was a catch-and-shoot threat as a rookie. Fast forward to today, and he’s a whole new level of lethal.
Haliburton has not shied away from off-the-dribble opportunities. He’s been amazing at creating his own shot, something I questioned he would be able to do. Perhaps I should have never doubted my favorite 2020 draft class member.
(salivating)
(continues salivating)
I’m still trying to process how this guy isn’t a King anymore, but it’s clear the Pacers got their guy. Haliburton’s debut was a microcosm of everything he brings.
Energy, a winning mentality, a charisma that you can’t avoid. On top of that, he’s not too bad at playing basketball. Sacramento will regret this for years to come.
Assorted Role Players
Now that we’ve got the stars out of the way, what about the role players? Role players end up being (for the most part) the best trade deadline acquisitions. So, which ones have stood out the most thus far?
Derrick White
Derrick White is more connected with Boston than you’d think. His dad was a Celtics fan. Ime Udoka coached him while the two were on the Spurs. He has experience playing with Tatum, Brown, and Smart during the FIBA World Cup back in 2019.
Since he played for Gregg Popovich, that meant he was cool as a cucumber for his first outing in green and white. White did everything he was asked to do, including playing the final 17 minutes of a close game against Denver.
He hit shots, he spurred fastbreaks, and he played great defense. While most people weren’t a fan of this move, I loved it. And I was right.
15 points / 6 rebounds / 50% FG / +11 plus/minus
J-Rich and Romeo Langford couldn’t do this.
The Celtics got a keeper in White, that’s for sure.
Montrezl Harrell
The Hornets have needed a center since the dawn of time. That may be an exaggeration, but it sounds true.
Harrell isn’t the answer to all their problems down low, but he does help them. They get a great inside presence for Ball in the pick-and-rolls. Mason Plumlee is the better overall player, but Harrell gives them an edge.
For now, Harrell is a band-aid. He doesn’t solve their problems, but he makes them less noticeable. That’s a win in my books.
Who Has Made The Best Debut Thus Far?
Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. In my opinion, these players have had the best debuts with their new teams;
Stars: Tyrese Haliburton
Not only do I think Haliburton was the biggest steal of the deadline season, but he also had a marvelous debut.
Role Players: Derrick White
Derrick White had a superb debut. If you play the final 17 minutes of a close game after arriving there the morning of the game, you know you’re doing something right.
There have still been some debuts we have yet to see. Harden & Simmons both haven’t played with their new teams. An injured Kristaps Porzingis means we won’t see him for a bit.
There are still some debuts to break down, but as of right now, I am dead inside. Thank god the trade deadline is over.
Who Made The Strongest Debut With Their New Team? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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