Doncic again best player against Charlotte. Not only because of stats, but the feeling you get when he is on the floor. The ball is moving and finding open man. It's a big difference between players who pass the ball just to get the assist (on current Dallas team: JJ Barea, Wes Matthews, and DSJ at times) and those who want the ball to get moving.
This pass didn't convert into a bucket, but look how much space Luka's creating for Dallas shooters. In three years when Ayton gets shut down in playoffs like KAT against Capela last year and exploited on switches every time he's on the court, Phoenix fans will know it was a mistake.
That was a really nice move. Doncic is legit. But as much as I didn't like Ayton getting drafted over Doncic, Ayton has looked very dominant in the preseason. He looks like the real deal as well. Bagley on the other hand...
Ayton is great and I like him a lot, don't get me wrong. But outside of Anthony Davies and Porzingis, which center doesn't get subbed out in small ball meta that is dominating the latest rounds of playoffs? Then again, that is just a small part of whole season, so...
I think it's too early to tell if Ayton is a liability against smallball. There's two ways to stay on the court against smallball lineups if you're a big - either defend very well or be a dominant offensive big (or both).
Embiid is a dominant offensive player. But I don't think he's that good defensively against smallball. While he has nice footwork, he's not quick enough on his feet to guard 6'5-6'8 guys on the perimeter.
Not saying anything other than there is probably nobody better right now that I can think of (other than Capela).......defensively maybe but if that player is no star, you gotta have stars available. Nobod is perfect.
My point to @Koperboy was that Ayton can definitely become someone who can stay on the floor vs smallball. Too early to make any conclusions.
I had serious reservations about Ayton's upside and still do but haven't watched him at all in the preseason. If Doncic can hit 3s in addition to everything else he does, he will get ROY.
Hmmm, what Houston center looked really good in the preseason, got a big contract, and never lived up to it?? Preseason is preseason. Lots of preseason wonders. Yes, he does look good...but good in preseason does NOT mean good in regular season. Some who look good in preseason don't even make their team's rotation.
He was hitting them consistently his last game...and still preseason. I think it is safe to say he will became a good 3 point shooter. Carlisle will force it (see: Jason Kidd). I do think he will likely win ROY. He's really been playing professionally for ... 4 years, and what we're seeing in preseason indicates his skilz will indeed translate. He may not have the most outlandish stats, and that might hurt him, but I think he'll look the most polished and contribute the most to his team.
Which was precisely my point... We don't know jack **** about him yet. So there's no point in making any conclusions one way or the other.
