Victor Wembanyama is not a remixed version of another player, nor is he a combination of previously seen skills coming together in one person. He is something entirely new. Read more »
Micah Wimmer - Basketball Analysis
Victor Wembanyama Is Something Entirely New
Waiting For Zion
How does one project the Pelicans season with any sense of certainty? They are either a team with one of the brightest futures in the league or a team bound to be mired in mediocrity, taunted by unfulfilled hope and the too-frequent absence of its best player and cornerstone. Read more »
Jimmy Butler And Tom Thibodeau: Kindred Souls Turned Rivals
Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau remain linked. Not only because of their overlapping histories, but because of their shared approaches. Now they will do battle in an unexpected series. Read more »
James Harden's Purgatory
James Harden is having a year that only seems underwhelming when compared to his past self. But what we are seeing is not exactly a lessening of ability as much as it is a shift in priorities. Read more »
A Requiem For The Brooklyn Nets
Duality underpins practically everything about the brief existence of the KD, Harden and Kyrie Nets. They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. The reasons for their failure may have been inherent to the whole project. Read more »
The Nets And The Ambiguity Of Desire
The issue of whether the Nets made a mistake in giving too much control to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would almost certainly be a non-issue had they simply won more games. Read more »
Stephen Curry Is The Cosmos
How do you become more immortal than you already were? This title for Stephen Curry and the Warriors was both validation and valediction, a chance to postpone chatter, to stop debating about legacies, and simply savor something special. Read more »
How Do You Guard The Impossible?
While Golden State may have the higher ceiling than Boston, one never knows whether it will continue to rise or come crashing down. It comes down to what you value most: would you rather have reliable greatness or the ability to occasionally, and unpredictably, conjure magic? Read more »
Luka Doncic And His Indistinct Supporting Cast
Watching the Mavericks, everything seems to come down to one question: Will their role players make enough 3's to make up for the fact that they are a top heavy team lacking in stylistic diversity or flexibility? Read more »
James Harden Can No Longer Build His Own World
James Harden has long been the cosmos itself; what will it look like for him to be just another individual residing in a world he cannot fully shape? Read more »
Trae Young Can Exploit A Team's Flaws, Not Quite Ready To Create Them Out Of Thin Air
Some players grow by doubling down on their particularities; others have to sand down the rough edges. It is not yet clear which group Trae Young is a member of. Read more »
Markelle Fultz Is Finally In Position To Forge His Own Path
Markelle Fultz's career trajectory may not align with what was initially imagined, but is one that can still be electric and satisfying in its own distinct way. Read more »
Can One Of The Most Deliberate Players In NBA History Adapt To His New Superstar Teammate?
Both James Harden and Joel Embiid are worlds unto themselves, players who not only dictate the end result of a game, but define the parameters in which it is played. Read more »
Klay Thompson's Dispatch From A Simpler Time
Klay Thompson seems to embody the vibe that many NBA fans like to believe that they would have themselves... if only they were an athletically brilliant multi-millionaire. Read more »
The NBA Has Completely Changed Its Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 decision-making process currently seems arbitrary, like the league is just trying to plug leaks and bail out water as quickly as possible to keep the ship from sinking and get to Christmas in as good of shape as possible. Read more »
Not Everyone Can Create Their Own World
There was supposed to be freedom in Kevin Durant's exit from the Warriors to Brooklyn, but instead he has found himself besieged by bad luck that has him trapped in a new way. Read more »
The Rockets May Not Be Good For A While, But They're Already Fun
The Rockets are blending throwback ball-dominant scorers with modern big men. With few expectations, they are offering their young players the liberty to play instinctually, free to indulge every one of their gifts without restraint. Read more »
The Forgotten Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns' relative loss in prestige over the last few seasons speaks to how much context can shape how one is perceived, even at the expense of one's on-court performance. Read more »
The NBA Offseason Had A Lot Of Moves, But Not Much Change
If the offseason seemed like an anticlimactic change of pace, it speaks to how happy most of the contenders are with their current core and how the rebuilding teams are content to take their time. Read more »
Giannis And The Virtue Of Being Oneself
Giannis Antetokounmpo blends retro ideas of post dominance with conceptions of space and movement that could be revolutionary if only there was anyone else able to follow in his footsteps. Read more »
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