Which Players Create a More Compelling NBA?
The Old Fashioned 3-Point Play
The Old-Fashioned 3-Point Play features commentary on two recent observations (The Bucket) from the world of sports, and some commentary on one event (The And 1) in American pop culture.
The Bucket
In Super Bowl XLI… No. 49 along with 4x Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, one-time SB winner Russell Wilson, and dominant TE Rob Gronkowski a Seattle Seahawks WR named Chris Matthews (4 rec. 109 yds. 1 TD) and unheralded rookie New England Patriots DB Malcolm Butler nabbed a walk-off interception at the goal line. The 49th Super Bowl also featured a bevy of household names including the boisterous Richard Sherman and his dreads, “Mr. I’m Just About That Action Boss” Marshawn Lynch and his skittles, Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork and Sherman’s Legion of Boom brethren. Heck, just about the entire Seahawks defense!
The Seahawks second leading WR was Ricardo Lockette who hauled in three receptions for 59 yards; in comparison Doug Baldwin had just a single catch – albeit a TD – for three yards.
In the NBA fans are seemingly force fed the game’s handful of elite players, and this becomes an even bigger eye sore in the Association’s post season. The constant superstar spotlight may originate from annual draft where the second round is typically barren regarding professional basketball talent, and in most years lottery picks become very skittish after slots 5-7. In fact, it’s not rare to see the lottery players be dominated by incoming Euros – often promising players who NBA teams opt to simply hold the rights to for a few years.
Thank you Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green! Both of these former collegiate upperclassmen shook hands with former NBA commish well outside of the highly coveted lottery slots as Butler went to the Chicago Bulls with the final selection (30th overall) of the first round in 2011, and in the subsequent year Green would hear his name called in the second round (35th overall) by the Golden State Warriors.
Butler’s rise has been a welcomed sight for fans of the entire NBA, and he’s come a long way since averaging 2.6 points in 42 games as a rookie for the Bulls. The 2012 season was a challenging one for all rookies as it was strike shortened, and Butler had a steep mountain to climb vying for minutes against Bulls starting lineup stalwart and proven wingman Luol Deng. Deng would earn his first of two consecutive trips to the NBA’s All Star Game in 2012.
However, things change quickly in the NBA and young prospects must convincing display their skills sets when opportunities present themselves. Butler was able to log some extended minutes in the absences created by the oft injured Derrick Rose as coach Tom Thibodeau adroitly tinkered with his first unit to keep his Bulls in the running for one of the top four spots in the Eastern Conference. Deng would leave for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, clearing the way for Butler’s emergence as a potential max deal performer.
Butler averaged 20.0 PPG in ’14-’15 nearly 6 boards while shooting over 45% according to NBA.com. He followed up that career-best season with numbers that placed him amongst the 10 best seasons by any NBA guard since 2011. Butler’s 22.4/4.3/.455 comes in one place behind former No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving, and Toronto Raptors G DeMar DeRozan is the lowest drafted player on that list at 9th overall in 2009. Not bad for a late first rounder.
| Per Game | Shooting | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | Tm | Lg | AST | PTS | FG% |
| 1 | James Harden | 2012-13 | 23 | HOU | NBA | 5.8 | 25.9 | .438 |
| 2 | James Harden | 2013-14 | 24 | HOU | NBA | 6.1 | 25.4 | .456 |
| 3 | Damian Lillard | 2015-16 | 25 | POR | NBA | 7.0 | 24.3 | .422 |
| 4 | Stephen Curry | 2013-14 | 25 | GSW | NBA | 8.5 | 24.0 | .471 |
| 5 | Russell Westbrook | 2011-12 | 23 | OKC | NBA | 5.5 | 23.6 | .457 |
| 6 | Russell Westbrook | 2012-13 | 24 | OKC | NBA | 7.4 | 23.2 | .438 |
| 7 | Stephen Curry | 2012-13 | 24 | GSW | NBA | 6.9 | 22.9 | .451 |
| 8 | DeMar DeRozan | 2013-14 | 24 | TOR | NBA | 4.0 | 22.7 | .429 |
| 9 | Kyrie Irving | 2012-13 | 20 | CLE | NBA | 5.9 | 22.5 | .452 |
| 10 | Jimmy Butler | 2015-16 | 26 | CHI | NBA | 4.3 | 22.4 | .455 |
| 11 | Derrick Rose | 2011-12 | 23 | CHI | NBA | 7.9 | 21.8 | .435 |
| 12 | Kyrie Irving | 2014-15 | 22 | CLE | NBA | 5.2 | 21.7 | .468 |
| 13 | Klay Thompson | 2014-15 | 24 | GSW | NBA | 2.9 | 21.7 | .463 |
| 14 | Isaiah Thomas | 2015-16 | 26 | BOS | NBA | 6.7 | 21.5 | .423 |
Draymond Green‘s basketball career is almost pristine. The 6’7″ forward from Saginaw, MI spent four years under the tutelage of Michigan State Spartan head coach Tom Izzo becoming a leader and a man. According to Sports Reference, Green went from averaging 3.3 PPG as a freshman to become the Big Ten Player of the Year and Consensus first team All-American as a senior in 2012. Green, or Day Day, may have failed to cut down the nets in the NCAA’s Big Dance, but in his final March Madness run in 2012 he joined fellow Spartan Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only college players to accomplish two triple doubles in a 89-67 victory against LIU Brooklyn – Green’s line was 24/12/10.
As I’ve said these types of player improvement stories are sorely needed for fans of the overall NBA product. The LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis career arcs are great and compelling but after watching the game for 20-something years I need some stories to grab me during the 82-game season. And, the growth exhibited by Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green is must-see stuff… Butler’s 53 points versus the hapless 76ers Jan. 15 marked an interesting twist to Chitown’s ongoing dispute regarding “Whose Bulls team is it?”
The And 1
But, there were these short paragraphs of each person’s grand accomplishments and/or contributions to the history of the United States of America, and then in two or three sentences there was this blurb about the uprising of slaves led by Nat Turner. To this day I know the gist of the story – a brother rebelled and some slave owners were killed.
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