Due to the shortened offseason and Covid-19 and with no NBA Summer League, one of the best parts of this preseason is getting a first look at the rookies who are drafted less than a month ago. On Saturday, some strong performances are seen from players making their debuts, the second night of the NBA preseason.
The highest anticipated rookie debut came from guard LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets. He lived up to the hype as one of the most entertaining players in this year’s draft.
Another first-year player was Isaac Okoro of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won his first game with a late bucket. In addition to the young talent, veterans like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic also made their 2020-21 preseason debuts.
There has never been a more entertaining scoreless NBA preseason before than the one turned in by LaMelo Ball, on Saturday night. The No. 3 overall pick from November’s draft missed all five of his field-goal attempts but managed to gather 10 rebounds and dish out four assists for the Charlotte Hornets in an energetically delightful 16 minutes.
Ball threw some brilliant passes, highlighted by a full-speed, no-look behind-the-back dish to Miles Bridge for an and-one in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, for his first game in nine months, Stephen Curry donned a new hairstyle and headband. His smooth handles and silky shooting stroke have not changed at all. Being understandably rusty, he scored 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
Though the whole basketball world may be focused on his yet-to-be-signed extension on Milwaukee, it is unforgettable that Giannis Antetokounmpo is pretty decent at the game. On Saturday, he reminded us that after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face early in the game. This required him to move to the locker room to stop the bleeding.
Ja Morant lead a Grizzlies squad that suddenly has quite high expectations after almost making the playoffs last season. Coming off an incredible Rookie of the Year campaign, he looked dynamic in his preseason debut, putting up 20 points and 11 assists on 8-for-12 shooting in only 24 minutes.
Other than rookie LaMelo Ball, No. 5 overall pick Isaac Okoro scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and picked up three steals in the Cavaliers’ win against the Pacers on Saturday. He made the signing game shot, which something that most rookies can not do.
