The Bucks recently got their first glimpse of what the Giannis Antetokounmpo–Myles Turner pairing could yield, and in just over five minutes, they got to see something that should make them excited, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Nehm writes that despite Antetokounmpo’s somewhat pedestrian box score numbers, his presence opened up the floor for the team’s shooters. Most importantly, Turner’s instincts, not only as a spacer but also as a cutter, played perfectly alongside Antetokounmpo’s scoring gravity, creating wide-open looks for the Bucks’ guards.
“The most important thing about him is that he sacrifices,” Antetokounmpo said. “At times, he knows that he’s not going to get the ball and he’s going to create the open shot for his teammate.”
While the on-court stint may have been over quickly, Nehm feels it’s indicative of why pursuing Turner was the right choice for a team featuring Antetokounmpo. So far, the Bucks’ star seems to agree.
“It’s fun playing with him. Makes the game easier for me,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think I’ll try to make the game easier for him. When I draw a lot of attention, I think he’s gonna be able to create a lot of open shots … So he just makes the game easier not just for me, for the whole team.”
We have more notes from around the Central Division:
- Speaking of proving the value of an off-season pursuit, Lonzo Ball showed why the Cavaliers were right to prioritize him in trade talks during his most recent preseason game against the Pistons, writes Chris Fedor for Cleveland.com. Ball did a bit of everything in his 20 miuntes, with nine points, nine assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Coach Kenny Atkinson said that was exactly what he was envisioning Ball’s role to be. “He hasn’t disappointed,” Atkinson said. “Everything that we thought we were getting, we’re getting. He’s just got a great, great feel. I’m excited to coach any NBA player, but this is a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s kind of the ultimate system fit.” It appears only questions surrounding Ball’s tenure in Cleveland will be related to health, not skillset.
- Bennedict Mathurin is expected to command a large role for the Pacers this season with Tyrese Haliburton recovering from an Achilles tear. On Monday’s preseason matchup against the Spurs, he showed that he could not only create his own shot, but also play within the flow of the offense, writes Dustin Dopirak for the Indy Star. Mathurin ended the game with 31 points on 11-12 shooting. On the less encouraging side of things, the Pacers’ four centers, Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, James Wiseman, and Tony Bradley, scored three total points on 0-10 shooting. With the departure of Turner, figuring out how to survive the center rotation will be crucial for the Pacers to stay competitive.
- Alex Sarama, who spent the last 1.5 years as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, has been announced as the first head coach for the newly-christened Portland Fire WNBA team, writes Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Sarama worked with Fire general manager Vanja Cernivec during their time with the London Lions in the British Basketball League. Sarama was working for the Lions as director of methodology.
- Walker Russell Jr. has played for the Pistons, as did his father, Walter Russell Sr. He now returns to the Pistons organization as an assistant coach for their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, writes Omar Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. The Russells remain the only father-son duo to ever both play for the Pistons, and Sankofa adds that both father and son started and ended their playing career in Detroit. Russell Jr. is eager for the opportunity. “This right here is the best feeling I ever had, coming home,” he said. “I get to grind player development, I get to grind with the guys and tell my story, the good and the bad. The bad is what I really, really like to harp on because everybody talks about the good in this business. Nobody really talks about how you stay in this business.“