https://youtu.be/J9BfZsrdL_Q
Anthony Edwards versus James Wiseman. The number 1 pick versus the number 2 pick. The player who was, by virtue of his draft placement, deemed to be the one most likely to succeed against the rigors of the NBA game versus just some random dude who was drafted only because the number 1 guy had already been selected. The stage is set.
Did it live up to the hype? Obviously, your answer will depend on many things. For me, personally, there was never any hype for this matchup to begin with, because I’m generally not super excited for the rookies who are actually supposed to be good. I want the mid-first-rounders, the second-rounders, the undrafteds, and the mysteriously old dudes from Europe who aren’t as good as all the Europeans told us they were. So I was definitely paying more attention to the less-hyped matchup of the 59th pick (Jalen Harris) versus the 60th pick (Sam Merrill), which happened at the same time when the Bucks and Raptors squared off. Neither of them got in the game, but you could tell there was a lot of tension between them as they stared at each other from the opposing benches.
But yeah, if you’re a total normie casual NBA fan, this Wiseman-Edwards bout was pretty good for you. 25 points for both, with Wiseman getting the not in the head-to-head match because his team won. Edwards took a few small steps to removing the “BUST” label that was once thought permanently attached to his forehead, and Wiseman continued showing why it’s sometimes good for a high overall pick to be on a team that doesn’t necessarily need him to be a ball-hogging chucker right away. He can definitely get his shots up, he’s not shy, but the Warriors have shown that they’re not just going to let him do whatever he wants (like the Timberwolves kinda are doing with Edwards).
As I said, I’m not passionate about these high overall picks like I am with most rookies, but I AM passionate about the various on-screen graphics that the various sports networks use while covering the NBA, and I must say, ESPN really dicked up this year. What the heck is going on here? Just cover up the whole bottom half of the screen with a gigantic blob of useless information and empty space? The scores are there, that’s good, but I don’t need something in a gajillion-point font screaming “NBA WEDNESDAY” at me. I know it’s Wednesday. And I know it’s the NBA. So frig off with that shizz. At least they have it slightly transparent now; at the beginning of the season you basically couldn’t tell what was going on if the ball went into the corner closest to the camera. What happened to minimalism? All I need is the scores, and the clock. I don’t want to see the regurgitated mess that some half-rate graphic design intern thought was a good idea. I want to see basketball.