You Can Always Take the Longest Path

If something gets people excited in the NBA it is young blood. Every year we see a bunch of talents enter the league coming from this or that college or even better from a remote and unknown European city we had never heard the name of. I loved the days the league were getting an extra influx of talent from High Schools, the days when little people like KG or Kobe or Dwight or even Ohio’s very own LeBron were able to jump straight from the numb to stardom, but shit happens, and so we were awarded an age-cap for the draft.

With a month already gone for this season and teams with between 18 and 14 games played prior to tonight’s matchups (is everybody ready for the Knicks v Hornets Part II, Kemba’s Revenge 3-Pointer Over Anthony On The Final Second?), it is time to start really thinking about who’s gonna make it and who’s gonna stumble in the Association. Let’s put some recapping notes together:

• No serious injuries for rookies except that of Ben Simmons in the preseason. God forbid any more.
• Brandon Ingram is as skinny as we expected him to be, and that is nice because he is also as good as we expected him to be and the Lakers look like something actually. Not in my wildest dreams would have I thought about a ’17 Lakers team making it this far (.471!) with the roster they have, though the promises they’re offering make me stick to League Pass night after night just to see them fool around.

• Side note: Speaking about LA and non-rookie-related, my brain can’t still process the position the Clippers are at. They are 14–3, battling a 14–2 Warriors team and they look like they can snatch the Pacific. How in the world have we arrived at this point and how is it possible that JJ Redick is doing what he is doing?
• New York always does something apparently stupid but ultimately clever during draft nights. They picked Iman Shumpert to all-world surprise a few years ago. Then they picked someone named Porzingis. Two summers ago they selected this summer’s Denver’s selection Hernangomez’s brother Hernangomez. And the thing is that he’s providing -somehow- quality minutes. I don’t think he’ll reach any greatness but he’s doing more than enough to make me like him. The good thing is that Denver’s Hernangomez is also putting up some interesting games. No Lopez or Gasol brothers here, but still.
• To my surprise, I have to admit that Jamal Murray is exceeding every expectation I had about him because I’m a Nuggets “fan” and I’ve seen it all and what I’ve seen during the past five years is not something I really like. The Nuggets are finally (or so it seems) picking right guys with some upside that is more or less turning into actual production. The results are not mind-blowing and we’re going to suck for a while but we’re progressing. Murray is hitting stuff from beyond the three-point line like I toss paper-balls to the trash can. Let him be.
• What the hell is wrong with Buddy Hield? Everybody was super high on him just three weeks ago but looking at his numbers he’s definitely the flop of the class. New Orleans is pretty much a mess and AD is the only piece sustaining the system (albeit Jrue’s mystic reappearance has been needed to change the course of the team).
• I hate the fact that Dallas had no first-round picks this year. They suck, plain and simple, and although they would have picked 16th they would have still some interesting products available. Think of them picking Siakam (starter in Toronto and manning the frontcourt in Biyombo’s absence after his departure), Deyonta Davis or Jake Layman. They would be getting a plethora of minutes in an already derailed team, and that would be great. Then again, shit happens, deal with it.