Baseline to Baseline: October 24th
- Lauri Markkanen impresses yet again.
Many had their questions about Markkanen and the Bulls’ faith to take him over Dennis Smith Jr. this past June. Will his game translate to the NBA defensively? Should he be a four or a five? Is he “soft?”
The jury is still out — three games is far from a thick enough sample size — but the Arizona product has been one of the best rookies to watch thus far. He has a compact stroke, capable of uncorking holy jumpers at speeds that make it difficult for a defender to hoist a proper contest.
And to go along with that, he is freaking seven feet tall, so even if you get you arms up in time as a defender, wreaking havoc is unlikely. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with his foot speed on defense — he is no defensive stopper, but he isn’t lost, and has enough length to cover any miscues if needed. And he has been even tough on the glass!
Good for the Bulls. They needed someone to make them watchable.
2. Jayson Tatum, doing it on both ends.
(That post fadeaway of his is saucy.)
Tatum has been a pleasure to watch on this young season, admirably filling the gap left open by the injury to Gordon Hayward. He plays beyond his years, and coaxes his wirey frame and wingspan to his advantage on both ends of the floor.
And this was likely the thought process for Danny Ainge when he traded down to nab Tatum instead of Markelle Fultz — malleable wings present more two-way value than a scoring lead guard. Good, young wings are seen as a premium around the league, and the Celtics somehow have two of them in Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
3. The full Blake Griffin experience!
With Chris Paul out of the picture, the Clippers are now fully under Griffin’s control, allowing him to push the boundaries on his capabilities as a playmaker and scorer. Griffin has always been a willingly gifted passer, but he must take some solace in shouldering the load as the undisputed number one option.
The game is in slow motion for Griffin, and he has his fingers all over a hefty portion of what the Clippers are doing on offense. Their dismantling of Utah last night was a good indicator that they could be a 47–50 win team after they played two relegation-level talents in the Suns and the Lakers to open the season.
Another strong indicator of future success? Griffin adding this to his game:
Good God.
4. Aaron Gordon’s lethal first step.
Are we finally seeing Gordon put it all together? Is he really going to be a Paul George-type player?
Gordon posted a measly 41 points and 14 rebounds on 14 of 18 shooting (including 5 of 5 from beyond the arc!) against the Nets, darting and coercing his way to wherever he pleased on the court. The key for him has always been his ability to hit a jumper, and if he can even garner a semblance of respect for his shot from a defense, he is going to be a problem.
Gordon has an underrated handle for his size (this drive was with his off-hand) and a first step that will get him a leg up on most defenders that try to take him on. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is no slouch, and Gordon blows by him to the tin without much restraint.
This outburst must be taken with a grain of salt — it was against the Nets and he is not going to shoot this efficiently each night — but man, I hope this is more of a trend than a blip.
