BBNBA: Keldon Johnson. Keldon Johnson. Keldon Johnson
[caption id="attachment_309516" align="aligncenter" width="779"] ( Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)[/caption]
Good morning, folks. Keldon Johnson. Let's talk NBA Bubble.
( Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)[/caption]
Good morning, folks. Keldon Johnson. Let's talk NBA Bubble.
RECAP
Keldon Johnson's career outing
I am going to continue beating this poor dead horse into the ground until the rest of the world wises up: Keldon Johnson is a rising star in this league. On Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, Johnson played his best game as a professional. The 20-year old rookie dropped a career-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting (just one day after setting his previous career-high of 15 points), making both of his three-point shots along the way. He also added six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and zero turnovers in 26 minutes played. While his San Antonio Spurs lost a tight one, 132-126, Johnson continues to announce himself to the rest of the NBA world. Here are Johnson's averages after four seeding games in the Bubble: 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.3 turnovers per game while shooting 62.1 percent from the floor, 66.7 percent from long range, and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. What really entices me about Johnson is the apparent confidence he has playing within Gregg Popovich's system. He's been given a wide-ranging role off the bench that allows endless opportunities to make an impact. It starts with his motor, which doesn't seem to have an identifiable off switch. Johnson is constantly moving on the floor, putting himself in a position to cut in for an easy layup or sneak in for offensive rebounds. His finishing at the rim has been particularly impressive down in Orlando, and he's shown the ability to convert even with heavy contact. Then there's his outside jumper, which has been as smooth as butter through four seeding games, impressing his coach in the process https://twitter.com/PaulGarciaNBA/status/1291143512373841920 This is all without mentioning his defense, which still looks to be his greatest strength right now. I've previously mentioned how the Spurs don't look for Johnson to create his own shot, but whenever he receives the ball near the top of the key and a slight head start, he makes a beeline for the bucket. His slashing tendencies combined with a strong frame and a tight handle on the ball make him a threat to take any defender off the dribble. Johnson will outwork and outhustle 99 percent of the players on the floor if there is even a whiff that he might be able to secure a loose ball. The Spurs have found themselves a gem and I'm going to make sure everyone knows about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bQ_fyvB1uY San Antonio kicked off the Bubble with back-to-back wins against the Kings and Grizzlies, quietly moving them up in the Western Conference standings. However, they've dropped their two most recent outings against the 76ers and Nuggets in hard-fought battles. Denver is still without starting point guard Jamal Murray due to a tight hamstring and there's a chance he could sit out again on Thursday when the Nuggets take on the Portland Trail Blazers.Davis and SGA struggle as OKC cruises past Lakers
The Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers by a final score of 105-86 with the Kentucky stars struggling throughout. For L.A., Anthony Davis was anything but himself after a 42-point performance the other night. He scored just nine points on 3-11 shooting in addition to his eight rebounds and five assists. From the jump, Davis and the Lakers looked off-balance; the team as a whole shot a season-worst 5-37 from three. OKC wasn't much better in that area, going just 5-24, but they shot 32-36 from the charity stripe and held the Lakers to just 35.2 percent overall shooting. OKC led the entire game, as well. But even with the win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never found his rhythm for the Thunder. Like Davis, he shot just 3-11 from the floor to make up his 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. SGA was clanking shots at the rim that he normally makes with ease. Hamidou Diallo and Nerlens Noel found consistent minutes off the bench, with the former shining in the absence of Terrance Ferguson (injured) and Dennis Schröder (birth of his child). Diallo recorded seven points, six rebounds, and two assists on a 3-4 shooting clip for OKC. Noel wasn't as productive, registering zero points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block in 18 minutes of action.Other notes from the Bubble
- Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter didn't need more than four minutes of playing time before he dropped seven points in a massive 149-115 win over the hobbled Brooklyn Nets.
- LeBron James dismisses President Trump's thoughts on players kneeling for the national anthem: "The game will go on without his eyes on it."
- Injuries continue to pile up across the league: Aaron Gordon (ORL) and Ben Simmons (PHI) both left their respective games with injuries.
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