-What The NBA Preseason Has Taught Us So Far….

The NBA season is just around the corner. It's officially starting on October 18th, and just like that, one of the most exciting seasons in a while is about to get underway, and I don't know about you, but I'm stoked. I don't want to waste any time here, and with that being said, let's get straight into what the NBA preseason has taught us so far. First off, I want to start talking about the Atlanta Hawks, and from what I've seen of them so far, they could be a lot better than I initially anticipated. The combination of DeJounte Murray, Trae Young, and a healthy John Collins might actually give some of the top teams a good run for their money. I mean, check out this play here. Here's Murray, and he's about to run a pick and roll with Collins. After using the screen, Murray rifles a pass to the big man who just throws it down with authority. Sheesh, guys. I'm not sure how y'all feel, but I'm excited to see Murray play with a team that made the Eastern Conference Finals just two short seasons ago. Here's another example. And here's Murray again, but this time in transition. He locates Trae running the floor, and uh, check this out. This is Drew Holiday, one of the best defensive guards in the league, and just take a look at how easily Trae gets by him. Like it's a Monday afternoon cone practice. Sheesh, guys. He made Drew Holiday look like he was on a holiday. Let's take another look. This time, Ice Trae is way outside the perimeter. His defender is once again Holiday, and uh, again, it looks pretty much like cone practice again for Young. I mean, a behind the back spin, the one dribble to the right to create just enough separation, and then he just lets it fly from like what, 30 feet? Like it ain't no thing? Oh my goodness, guys. Trae Young, for this specific game, dropped 31 points in the first half. The East is stacked, and although it's still hard to put the Hawks above any of the elite teams, they could very well pull off some amazing upsets in 2023. Next off, I want to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies, and uh, in specific, I want to talk about what may become one of the steals of the 2022 draft. I'm talking about Kenneth Lofton Jr. He was actually undrafted, so I'm not sure if you could call that a draft steal, but either way, have you guys seen this kid? I mean, look here, this is Kenneth, the person guarding him isn't a slouch, that's actually Serge Ibaka, a 6'10, 235 pound hunk of muscle, and uh, look at how easily Kenneth gets by him for the bucket. From the top of the key, the undrafted rookie takes one dribble, and gets all the way to the rim, and in the process, bumps Ibaka far enough to create the separation he needs for the soft lay-in. This dude is literally a less athletic version of Zion Williamson, but at the same time, he has a better shooting stroke than the 2019 No. 1 pick. I mean, look here, in the scramble, Kenneth gets the ball at the elbow, then without even hesitating, he sinks in a 15-foot jump shot with confidence. I hope this kid gets minutes because it's clear as day that he knows how to ball. Anyway, let's talk about his athletic counterpart for a quick second, because uh, Zion Williamson is back and ready to physically dominate. Look at Zion here, he has the ball on top, just right outside the 3-point line, and uh, he read the defense well, so that when they reacted to the potential dribble handoff, he blew right past them and… This guy defending him here is Isaiah Stewart, a 6'8, 250 pound beast that in most situations is unstoppable. If you're wondering what I mean, then look at this. The man pretty much ran through all his assistant coaches and referees, but yet, the Pelican star made him look like a lightweight. Zion Williamson is officially back, he's healthy, and most importantly, he looks ready to tear the league apart. Next off, I want to touch on the 76ers a bit. Everyone mainly talks about Embiid and Harden when it comes to Philly, but Tyrese Maxey might be one of the breakout players of the year. First off, if we turn the clocks back to the 2022 playoffs, the 6'2 guard averaged nearly 21 points a ballgame on shooting splits of 48, 38, and 94. Then in the 3 preseason games he's played so far, again, he's averaging about 20 points while shooting 64% from the field, 67% from beyond the arc, and 91% at the free throw line. If Harden plays at an All-NBA level with Embiid playing at an MVP level, then sheesh guys, the 76ers could really be legit. And speaking of legit, when Anthony Davis is healthy, the dude is a serious problem. In the preseason so far, he's shown that he's healthy, that his shooting stroke is back, and most of all, that he's motivated to win again. After winning the 2020 championship, I feel like he's sort of checked out mentally for two years, but from what I've seen of him so far in these limited games, he's checked himself back into the ballgame. I mean, whether it was a defensive play, a shot from the perimeter, or playing a two-way game and throwing in the lob, Anthony Davis looks sharp and looks ready to remind everyone who he is. If LeBron could play like how he usually plays and if Westbrook really buys into the team, this Lakers team could be surprising a lot of people. And speaking of surprises, the Orlando Magic could perhaps send shockwaves across the NBA world. I mean, against a Memphis Grizzlies team that had their key players playing over 30 minutes, the Magic pulled out a 109-105 win, and uh, they even gave John Moranth the worst plus minus of the game at minus 21. Their starting five looks like they could make some noise, I mean, look at this. Paulo Banqueiro was the 2022 number one overall pick. Franz Wagner was the number eight pick in 2021, who made the all-rookie first team. Wendell Carter Jr. was the seventh overall pick in 2018, who just came off a season where he averaged a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cole Anthony, when he was coming out of high school, was rated as the second best player in the class, and if it wasn't for an injury in college, he arguably could have been a top five pick in the 2020 draft. Jalen Suggs is a 6'5 combo guard who was the fifth pick in the 2021 draft. The Magic have filled up every position with lottery talent, and if they could somehow develop a winning culture over there in Orlando, then who knows how far their youth could take them. Next off, I know this game didn't take place in the NBA preseason, but I'm sure that for two days, all eyes were on Victor Wembenyama. He's the undisputed number one pick for 2023, and for good reasons. He could shoot almost from curry rage, he could shoot three-point shots off the dribble, he could block any shots in the paint, and he could dominate in the post, and the crazy thing is, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The dude scored 37 points in his first game against the G League Ignite, then followed that up with 36 points. Imagine once he gets into the NBA and goes through a proper development phase. He could very well be an NBA superstar the minute he steps on the court, and within a year, perhaps he could overtake Zion and Luka as the best player under 25 years old. I mean, he could be like Kevin Durant, but even taller. Just for comparison's sake, Chris Paul is 6 foot, and I'm sure that a 6 foot 6 DeMar DeRozan would have trouble shooting over the top of him. Well, Durant is like 6 foot 10, and I'm sure that he'd have no trouble at all shooting over DeMar. Well, Wenbinyama is 7 foot 4, and I'm sure he'd have no trouble shooting over Durant. I mean, just look at that 3 point shot off the dribble from earlier. The dude hopelessly trying to guard him is Marcus Graves, who stands at 6 foot 1, but man, Wenbinyama literally looks like he's twice his size. Anyways, last off here, from what I've seen from the preseason so far, the Golden State Warriors look like they're ready to repeat again in 2023. I know that as of now, the basketball world is still boiling over that Draymond incident, but the truth is, if we just talk basketball, the Warriors look dangerously good. I mean, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman is healthy, and is adding a new dimension that the 2022 championship team didn't have. Jordan Poole is looking like he's leveled up significantly, and speaking of which, did y'all see his move the other day when he faked out his initial defender with an in-and-out dribble, then lost his second defender with a behind-the-back move, then finished with a soft floater? Sheesh. Then on top of these two, Steph is still playing at an MVP level, Klay looks like he's returning back to his 2019 form, Kaminga and Moody look like they're making that second year leap, and the two newly acquired veterans in DiVincenzo and Jemichael Green look like they're integrating well and, uh, just overall, from top to bottom, everyone looks locked in and ready to go.