They’ve done the bubble, they’ve done the draft, they’ve done the offseason, it’s now time to look at my top picks around the league one week into a historically shortened preseason.
Harden’s holdout ends
At last we saw the long awaited arrival of former MVP and strip club connoisseur on Tuesday as James Harden suited up for the first time this season against the San Antonio Spurs amidst a cloud of doubt regarding his Rockets future. It seems at least for now that Harden will fulfill his contractual obligations and play, but after a rough offensive performance that saw Harden make just 3 of his 10 field goal attempts and check out with 5:02 remaining in the third having missed his last 4 shots, his heart seems firmly fixed on a move elsewhere. Sentiment that seems to be shared by Rockets co-star (for now) John Wall who told media after the game:
“At the end of the day, he’s going to do what’s best for him, the organization is going to do what’s best for them also.”
That is not to say we didn’t see despite occasional flashes of brilliance that we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Harden in recent years but it was far from convincing. Wall on the other hand has continued to impress in the white and red after notching another 15 points to go along with 3 steals which will be music to the ears of hopeful Rockets fans. However, with Harden looking to exit stage right, and without any decent trade options currently on the table, the Rockets are looking at a season with little optimism.
Malachi outshines Melo
Masai Ujiri is no stranger to picking up incredible draft sleepers who end up making his Toronto Raptors better, Siakam at 27, OG at 23, VanVleet as an undrafted free agent pickup. What about Malachi Flynn? Hardly a household name in the league just yet Flynn has been making serious waves in his opening preseason. Up against the number three pick LaMelo ball’s Charlotte Hornets Flynn ended with 17 points shooting 7-12 from the field. Outplaying the presumptive ROY and even picked his pocket sparking an easy fastbreak bucket. Melo eventually ended with 12 points and probably a slightly damaged ego. Watch out for the kid this season, I know it’s only preseason but with sound defensive skills and a flamethrower from deep, Flynn set to make some real noise this season and may well have my early Rookie of The Year endorsement.
Steph is back
Curry is in a difficult situation a year on from his season ending hand injury following a hard fall against the Phoenix Suns. His fellow three time champion and elite backcourt dance partner Klay Thompson was ruled out early in the offseason due to a torn achilles so there is an astronomical load of Steph’s shoulders to create his own shot and often. His 3-10 shooting in the first night of preseason will have put a lot of doubt in the minds of Warriors fans. But Tuesday night was a different story, it wasn’t just vintage Steph, this was a whole new beast. Attacking the basket, finishing through the trees whilst still shooting 5-13 from deep, unfortunately, this is the type of production the Warriors are going to need out of Steph on a nightly basis without the much missed production of the other splash brother. Steph will be bringing the heat this season, the question remains however, whether the rest can pick up the slack.
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