I’m still coming down off the high of Trae Young’s 49-point game, but I’m going to try to write something coherent here for Lauri Markkanen, who had a very good game in his own right, AND got the victory (although, like Porter, he mostly disappeared during the overtime periods except for the fourth and final OT).
Well, I just sat here for five minutes without writing anything. I guess I’m still overwhelmed by all the overtimes. Give me a few more minutes while I dunk my head in a bucket of Gatorade (orange flavor, of course) and snort some Pop Tart crumbs. That usually gets me going when I’ve just been subjected to way too much basketball excitement.
Okay, I’m a bit perkier now. The Markksman took this opportunity to show the Hawks’ inferior stretch fives (sorry Dedmon I love you but you’re no Lauri Legend) how to be a real stretch five with a supremely pure shooting stroke. When you think of the young, jumpshooting big men who project to become All-Stars, the list starts and ends with the Finnisher. There’s not any other sophomores who fit those criteria except, like, Thomas Bryant sort of maybe kinda but not really. Even this most recent draft is thin on stretch-bigs unless you count Wendell Carter or Mo Wagner (LOL [lots of laughs]). You have to start including third players to get to Skal Labissiere, who is, in my opinion, primed to be a total beast, and is being held down by coaches who know there would be a locker-room revolt if Skal just went out there and started averaing 18/8/2/1/1 on 55% shooting.
So, yeah, the Suomi Swisher is in a class of his own right now.