Last year heading into basketball season I did an initial list of 4 players in different phases of their career that I predicted to take their game to the next level. After pretty much hitting it right on the head I felt like doing a 2019 list. This list consist of a high school phenom, college freshman, NBA rookie, and a budding NBA player that's ready to take a quantum leap. Without further ado I present the 4 To Watch In 2019. First up we have Cole Anthony.
This 2nd generation player is the son of former NBA player and current CBS Sports analyst Greg Anthony. Right now he's the number 1 ranked point guard in the country and hasn't committed to any college. This year he will be playing for Oak Hill academy under the tutelage of Steve Smith as the nation awaits his college decision. Recently he narrowed his options down to 12 schools with Duke, UNC, Kentucky, and Villanova being amongst them. In May during the Nike EYBL stop in Hampton Virginia I finally got a chance to see this kid in person and impressed is an understatement. He controls the offense with the poise of a veteran. Every part of his game is elite and his athleticism is nonpareil. I absolutely think his playmaking ability is his strong point. He can shoot incredibly well and play lockdown defense but his ability to get buckets for himself and others is insane and will propel him to another level.
Cam Reddish is a player that can potentially be the most important piece to whatever success Duke University has this season. This Pennsylvania native has the perfect build for today's positionless style of basketball. A Paul George/Jayson Tatum type player with prime Joe Johnson's jumper is really the best way I can describe him. The step back and Euro-step are his offensive weapons of choice. While playing alongside Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett I don't expect him to put up nearly as many points as he's capable of per game but he'll be the one Coach K will depend on in big moments for a bucket. I'm a believer in players sticking around in college for longer than a year but some guys are ready after their freshman campaign. Cam will be one of those guys. Many casual fans might not be familiar with him yet because he didn't play during the Duke exhibitions in Canada but the world will be on notice soon. This All-American 2-way wing is projected to be a top 5 pick in the 2019 draft. Keep this kid on your radar. Great things are ahead for him.
Expect Wendell Carter Jr. to be a key piece to the Chicago Bulls young core instantly. He's coming in as pretty high profile player already but I don't expect him to look like a rookie for long. He's a product of the evolved big man that can handle the general power forward duties and stretch the floor as well. As great as he was in college he was overshadowed by Marvin Bagley. That won't be the case in Chicago. I believe he has a good chance of averaging a double double and being one of the better shot blockers in the league this upcoming season as a rookie. Aside from being a menace in the low post on both ends of the court he's actually a pretty good 3 point shooter. Last season at Duke he shot 41% from beyond the arch and I believe that will carry over in the NBA. As good as Jaren Jackson Jr. is I think Memphis will soon regret picking him and not Wendell Carter Jr.
Spencer Dinwiddie is a player that I believe will continue to incline but this year specifically I see him taking a big jump. He has a first step that some of the best in the league can only dream of. According to ESPN production researcher Matt Williams last season Dinwiddie recorded the 5th most blow-bys on drives in the NBA. I trust that he'll continue to keep that in his arsenal of go-to moves and become even better at it like James Harden. This reigning Skills Challenge champion had the 2nd best assist to turnover ratio last season and I expect him to continue this trend while becoming an even better passer this season. Due to the mire of the Brooklyn Nets franchise it's easy to go under the radar when the team simply isn't built to win and national TV time is minimal to nonexistent. Last season he was also one of the better clutch scorers with a few game winners on his resume. His fearlessness and poise under pressure along with precise passing is going to make him an interesting player to teams looking to make additions to their backcourt as he approaches free agency next summer. With that in mind heading into a contract year after being cut twice and starting a season in the G-league this is his first time to really get paid. Expect him to play his heart out on a nightly basis. I expect his shooting percentage to improve and his PPG to jump from 12.6 to the 15-18 point range while still being a low turnover player. Not all star caliber yet but a damn good player that can be a contributor to a winning team in the future.
As a big time Duke fan last night's exhibition in Toronto was an event I was waiting on. It was the first chance for me to check out my new look Blue Devils. It felt weird not seeing a Plumlee, Amile Jefferson, or Grayson Allen in uniform. Nonetheless I got the same vibe I get from every Duke game. Here's my quick take away from the 86-67 Duke victory.
As expected there were a few flaws in the chemistry but we saw glimpses of natural talent. It's August so we're a long way from what this team can potentially heading into March Madness. There's was a lot of hype heading into this Canadian tour being that RJ Barrett is from Canada but Duke had to go into this missing Cam Reddish and Tre Jones. Reddish has a groin injury and Jones has a hip injury. Neither will play on this Canada trip.
This game was the RJ and Zion show in the first half as the duo scored 37 of the first 40 points. Alex O’Connell who I expect big things from this season left the game early with an eye injury after taking an elbow to the face. His status for Friday's game in uncertain. The returning player that showed me the most was Javin DeLaurier as he put up 8 points and 11 rebounds. He was tough on defense in his 29 minutes on the floor. Jack White put up 9 points (all threes) and 7 boards. Jordan Goldwire who filled the starting point guard duties looked under control with more poise compared to his freshman campaign but had a rough shooting night. He'll be a very important part of this team this upcoming season. Now back to the stars of the night….. freshman Zion Williamson looked like a man possessed as he silenced the critics by hitting 3 of his 4 three point attempts. So much for the “all he can do is dunk” narrative. He finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. RJ Barrett put up 34 points on 40% shooting which is low by his standards but I'm sure will improve next game. It felt like RJ was trying to force his game early and after the half he played under control. I liked what I saw from this team considering we're months away from the actual season but Marquis Bolden remains the biggest question mark. I feel like he'll have to be a big factor for this team to achieve max success. I trust Coach K.
When it comes to sports opinions NBA draft night brings out the absolute worst. Everyone from draft experts, analyst, and common fans on social media will proclaim someone to be a bust and years later end up being completely wrong. I've taken it upon myself to avoid negative critique of a prospect simply because too often I've seen guys exceed expectations and become all star caliber players.
After maybe 4 years of playing at the highest level you can clearly have an idea of how good a player is, but trying to forecast someone's NBA career with the lowest floor imaginable because of a less than stellar March Madness performance is just dumb. Can you sell too high on a player? Absolutely. The difference is projecting a kid to be terrible when you don't know how hard they work, what new training they'll receive, and if they'll land on a team that will put them in a role that caters more to their strength is just foolish. Also in the era of one and done players most of them are only 19 years old on draft day. Imagine thinking someone won't get any better at their craft than they were at 19 while training at a more competitive level. I've seen people talk about rookies like they're the worst basketball players ever and I wonder do these people realize that the NBA is the highest level of basketball on Earth? Then there's the people that only look at points scored and assume all basketball players are supposed to put up 20+ a game from day 1 which just isn't reality and the guys that were able to pull that off are more than likely in the hall of fame. With all that being said….give the young players time to develop before you make a statement that could place you on the wrong side of history.
Best Shot is an American documentary web television 8 part series directed by Michael John Warren and starring Jay Williams. It premiered on July 18, 2018 on YouTube Premium. The series is executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, and Warren. Check it out!
The trickle down effect of one decision can have impact years later with people coming into contact with each other not knowing how they'll be linked down the line. Today I'm going to breakdown how the Chris Paul veto led to Steve Nash being the key to the Lakers rebuild.
It all started with the veto of the Chris Paul trade in 2011 that left the Lakers in desperate need of a point guard. The next summer the Lakers made a trade with the Suns for Steve Nash in exchange for first round draft picks in 2013 and 2015 as well as second round draft picks in 2013 and 2014. The Suns used the 2013 first round pick that turned out to be the 30th pick on Nemanja Nedovic who played only 24 games and the second round pick was Alex Oriakhi….not much to see here. In 2014 the Suns used the second round pick on Johnny O'Bryant III…. Nothing any Laker fan is regretting right now. In 2015 the pick was top 5 protected which put the Lakers in a position where if the pick landed in the top 5 in the lottery the Lakers got to keep it. Lakers had the 4th worst record and ended up with the 2nd pick and drafted D’Angelo Russell.
The pick transferred to the 2016 draft and became top 3 protected. The Lakers tanked for the 2nd worst record and got the 2nd pick again and drafted Brandon Ingram.
Prior to the draft the Suns traded that pick to the 76ers so if it fell outside of the top 3 it would have went to them. That caused the pick to transfer to the next draft. Once again the Lakers got the 2nd pick for the 3rd straight year and in 2017 and they drafted Lonzo Ball. A true pass first point guard they were looking for in the first place back in 2011.
Prior to the draft the Lakers used D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov as trade assets to create salary cap flexibility. In return the Lakers received Brook Lopez who was on an expiring contract and the 27th pick which was used on Kyle Kuzma.
That 2015 first round pick the Lakers traded to the Suns in 2012 now transferred to the 76ers who on Monday landed at the 10th pick...6 years later. At this point the Lakers have built a young core through the draft just like Golden State has while creating cap space to pursue star veterans in free agency and the Suns finally found luck and landed the number 1 pick in this upcoming draft. All of this was 6 years in the making.
As a 80’s baby that grew up on 90’s NBA basketball I can vividly remember how much more physical the game used to be. As fans we grew to love that aggressive competitive style of play. It sparked rivalries between stars and in a few cases actual brawls. Just like the average person with a pulse I was entertained by the madness and could never get enough. Now whenever there’s an on-court altercation that results in a technical foul or ejection someone somewhere in the world is saying or tweeting “the league soft now” or “I miss the old school NBA. Now these dudes wanna be friends.” Maybe I’m alone on this but, I don’t see a problem with the league heading in that direction.
You take two players like Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins for example. In the one and done era people lose track of how fast these guys go from being high school kids to the cornerstone of a franchise. In 2013 the 2 players were teammates on the World team in the Nike hoop summit then went on to become teammates at Kansas university the following year. After one season of playing college ball together they both went into the NBA draft where Wiggins was selected 1st by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Embiid was selected 3rd the the Philadelphia 76ers. This was the first time the duo were split up since meeting as teenagers. Fast forward to today. Both players have reached the final year of their rookie contracts and agreed to extensions. You can catch them liking and commenting on each others instagram post and laughing it up in the pre-game together when their teams meet up. Personally I like seeing these brothers in the NBA keep these bonds as the grow as men. What would be the purpose in them becoming enemies because they play for a different team when they were just kids dreaming of getting their names called on draft night? Do we really want to see them clotheslining each other like Kurt Rambis and Kevin McHale because they have a team rivalry? Players are past that silly way of thinking now. I mean look at the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry back then vs now.
Times have changed and there are a few factors in the reason why. First the age of the players. Generally they enter the league so young now that they aren’t even a full 2 years removed from playing together in AAU where they became childhood friends. Also guys have just gotten more wise. 7 billion people on the planet and less than 500 are active NBA players. Draymond Green’s post game speech after the 2017 Finals hit the nail on the head. Why should these guys rip into each other when the billionaire owners are having drinks together in their suites?
This era of NBA players treat the league like they still hooping in the hood. Everybody just trying to get a run and a little drama goes down over fouls from time to time but nobody is standing for a bunch of unnecessary drama because they protect each other. I’m all in on this era of treating the league like a brotherhood opposed to trying to paralyze someone because they play for a different team. It’s evolution. This is how these guys interact off the court.
Making it to the NBA is already a longshot within itself. Imagine being the son of a NBA player. Sure they’ve lived a life many can only dream of but, the unrealistic expectations would overwhelm many. It makes you wonder in the age of social media and unfiltered criticism coming your way how do these kids manage to keep their composure? There's many 2nd generation NBA players and many more on the way.
The most extreme case of scenario would be Shareef O’Neal trying to fill his father’s size 22’s en route to building his own legacy as a NBA player. The 6’9 high school senior who's currently committed to Arizona is ranked 29th on ESPN’s top 100 recruits of 2018. He has the chance to be the first 2nd generation NBA player of a top 20 all time scorer. Imagine what it has to be like wanting to just play but the shadow of your father's hall of fame resume is hanging over you while people measure you up to that. Although I think he's pretty much used to it by now put yourself in his position at his age. Some people will allow him time to grow as a player and be patient while many if not most will be ready to label him as a bust the very first time he has a bad game. Top recruits have it rough with the court of general opinion but to be a top recruit with a hall of fame father is just a whole different beast.
The other day I stumbled across a list of insane triple doubles and later saw this tweet from Bol Bol who's the son of the late Manute Bol and also one of Shareef’s former AAU teammates. He’s heading to Oregon next fall as the number 4 recruit. He too has extreme expectations but if anyone is expecting him to top this stat line they’re crazy.
I just found out My dad had 32points 29rebounds 31blocks in a game 🤯
I say all that to say this…. give these kids a fair shot and allow them to be themselves. Nobody measured Luke Walton up to his father Bill Walton but he was a solid role player and NBA champion nonetheless. Not everyone is going to exceed their father's career like Steph Curry has. On a planet with over 7 billion people only 469 are in the NBA. Just a handful are 2nd generation players. It's rare so as fans we should just appreciate seeing kids follow their father's footsteps instead of bashing them because they don't look like hall of famers in their first nationally televised game. Along with the quality of the sport the fans have to be better as well...
Recently in a discussion about who’s more athletic between Michael Jordan and LeBron James I felt compelled to derail the whole thing by mentioning Wilt Chamberlain but I fell back and watched everyone give their input. Times like this I hate that I wasn’t around to witness Wilt in prime years because what’s documented and the stories told by those who seen him in action are insane. We can agree that generally the game of basketball is just different compared to some of the old footage that we can find, but is the definition of athleticism remains the same.
If we breakdown athleticism by the 5 Biomotor abilities which are speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination Wilt is just completely off the charts. Let’s keep in mind that Wilt’s weight went from 250 lbs to 320 lbs throughout his career. While at Kansas Wilt joined the track team where he competed in multiple events. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.9 seconds, threw the shot put 56 ft, broad jumped 22ft, triple jumped over 50 ft, and won the high jump in the Big Eight track and field championships 3 straight years. He was hand timed in practice in the 40 yard dash at 4.41 seconds. To put that in perspective that’s as fast as Ezekiel Elliott and Odell Beckham Jr. Years later former Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram wrote in his book “They’re Playing My Game” that he was seriously trying to sign Wilt and had him try out. He clocked Wilt in the 40 yard dash barefoot in dress pants at 4.60 seconds. That’s faster than Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice and less than a tenth slower than Cam Newton. At this point Wilt was 28 years old and weighed 290 lbs.
In my research I’ve found many quotes from people saying that Wilt was the strongest man to ever play the game of basketball. Of those also included his former coach Alex Hannum. Arnold Schwarzenegger who did the film Conan The Destroyer with Wilt is on record saying that he saw Wilt bench press reps of 500 lbs. Keep in mind, that movie was released in 1984 when Wilt was 48 years old. At Shaq’s peak he was only able to bench press 450 and he’s easily considered the most physically dominant force in the modern era of basketball. Gary Pomerantz wrote a book called “Wilt, 1962” and stated that Chamberlain could deadlift 625 lbs. Gus Johnson who was 6’6 and weighed 230 lbs tried to drive on Wilt and was blocked and thrown to the ground so hard that he left on a stretcher with a dislocated shoulder.
Wilt’s endurance is like nothing we’ve ever seen in the modern era even with more resources, medical advancement, and technology designed to prolong careers and help athletes max their talents. Right now as I type this article the NBA leader in minutes per game is Giannis Antetokounmpo at 37.8 per game. In the 1961-1962 season Wilt Chamberlain played 48.5 minutes per game. I know you’re wondering how is that possible in a 48 minute game lol. Wilt played every minute of every game (including overtime) except 1 time where he was ejected and missed 8 minutes. So imagine how he would look at the guys now that complain about playing back to backs. All 14 seasons of Wilt’s career he averaged over 40 minutes per game. In his last season at 36 years old he played all 82 regular season games at 43.2 minutes per game. He played at least 80 games in 9 of his 14 seasons in the league. Michael Jordan played at least 80 regular season games 11 times but only touched 40 minutes per game 3 times. Lebron James has played at least 80 games twice and logged at least 40 minutes per game 4 times. Kobe Bryant played at least 80 games 6 times and logged at least 40 minutes per game 5 times. Some of the most fit and durable players don’t even compare.
I could have finished waaaaay sooner but these stories and docs that I’ve been checking out have been binge worthy. Wilt in the social media age would be the biggest star on Earth without a question. I don’t even have to pull his stats but just wrap your brain around this fact….Wilt Chamberlain has more rebounds than Dwyane Wade has points. Without a question he’s the most dominant and athletic player the sport of basketball has ever seen. A guy the size of Rudy Gobert but 50 lbs heavier that can run a 40 yard dash as fast as Antonio Brown with a vertical of Dennis Smith Jr and stronger than Shaq would have no problem being a force in today’s game that allows contact by the offensive player. Hope you enjoyed this post. Here’s some more rare photos and videos I found of Wilt.
