Though the NBA Preseason has just begun, and is without a doubt a totally different environment having a completely different vibe than the regular season, based on what I have seen so far, I have come up with a top five list of draft picks to watch for. In no order...
1. Taj Gibson. Obviously I'm a bit biased, due to the fact that I'm a Chitown girl and love my Bulls unconditionally, but I really think this guy is going to go far. Though tonight's Bulls game was a bit disappointing as they lost to the Bucks, he still racked up 12 points and held this ground, giving him a total of 41 points so far in the Bulls preseason. The only piece of advice I have for him is to not develop a bad habit of getting into foul trouble too early in the game. He has already fouled out of one game and has gotten extremely close to fouling out in the other two, and if he keeps this up, it will be hard to shake such a habit during the regular season, when we will need him around till the very last second. Overall though I have a good feeling about Taj and think he is going to have one hell of a rookie season.
2. As long as I'm on the Bulls, I may as well mention James Johnson. I realize I have been praising both him and Taj a good amount in my last few blog posts but I'm sincerely impressed with their talent and effort put into the games. He was the Bulls' lead scorer tonight with 14 points and made the winning buzzer-beater shot at the end of the last game. As long as he keeps up his passionate play, him and Taj should be an unbeatable combination for Chicago. And yes, this makes me very proud.
3. Stephen Curry. Though I have never been a huge fan of the Warriors, and rarely watch any of their games, seeing him play against the Suns tonight was impressive. Scoring 18 points, Curry was full of energy and seems to be a breath of fresh air for Golden State. Though to be honest I still don't see them as anywhere near a Playoff team, I think Curry will without a doubt boost their confidence and at the least cause their numbers to rise. The team as a whole might not be worth watching but this young player certainly is.
4. Earl Clark. To be honest, no matter how hard I try, I cannot remember him from the night of the draft. This might be because like the Warriors, I have little interest in the Suns and rarely watch their games, but this might change starting this season. Even though the Suns lost to the Warriors tonight, Earl showed some brave shot selections and totaled 10 points for the night. Being so young, he still has a lot to learn, but even from watching him only for one game, it is clear to me that he will eventually become quite a force to be reckoned with. The Suns may never find another Shaq but at least they found a good draft pick.
5. I may get yelled at for this one but my last guy to watch is Brandon Jennings. Despite his "bad boy" attitude, and poor choice of hair styles, I think this player is going to blow up and I admire his intense energy on the court. With 6 points and 5 assists in his game against the Bulls tonight, he played a fast-paced game and was a pleasure to watch, despite the fact that the Bucks are one of my least favorite NBA teams. It is clear he needs to work on his shot-selection, as some of them seemed outright ridiculous, but for the most part he seems well on his way to becoming a great player. As long as his attitude does not bring him down that is.
Obviously there are a lot of other great draft picks out there, and this list was not meant to exclude anyone, but from what I personally have witnessed thus far, I think these five guys are for sure ones to keep an eye on. However, it must be said that I also really look forward to see what others like Daye, Griffin, Thabeet and Hill (to name a few), are like as well. Keep up the great work everybody. Its about to be one hell of a season
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