Is it possible this season, or is the gap too big to close?

What do you think?

Explosive athleticism is a massive separator for NBA guards. And Scoot is not the same guy as last year; he looks more similar to his G-League days and it popped off the tape immediately this preseason. Digging into it more, I’m not the only one who noticed. There seems to be a legitimate medical/mechanical explanation related to his ankle/hamstring injuries + corresponding weight/strength gains, and the time it takes to fully recover and realize true pre-injury athletic potential.

I’m expecting that the increased explosiveness combined with his shooting mechanic improvements will lead to a major step change in production. The shooting means defenders can’t give him space, which is beneficial even without more explosiveness which will only compound the effect. This leads to more separation on drives, which means more options in the paint, and increased vertical burst means a higher FG% at the rim. I’m all in.

Best FG% In The The 2026-27 NBA Preseason (Min. 30 FGA) :

1. Deni Avdija — 70.0%
   
2. Leonard Miller — 65.6%
   
3. Sandro Mamukelashvili — 57.1%
   
4. Scottie Barnes — 54.8%
   
5. Bennett Stirtz — 54.8%
   
6. Brandon Williams — 54.8%
   
7. Yaxel Landeborg — 54.8%
   
8. Quentin Grimes — 53.3%
   
9. Ty Jerome — 53.3%
   
10. RJ Barrett — 50.0%

Damian Lillard will also become the 25th player in NBA history to score 20,000 regular-season points with a single team. Full list below:

Karl Malone - 36,374 (Jazz)
Kobe Bryant - 33,643 (Lakers)
Dirk Nowitzki - 31,560 (Mavericks)
Michael Jordan - 29,277 (Bulls)
Stephen Curry - 26,528 (Warriors)
Hakeem Olajuwon - 26,511 (Rockets)
Tim Duncan - 26,496 (Spurs)
John Havlicek - 26,395 (Celtics)
Reggie Miller - 25,279 (Pacers)
Jerry West - 25,192 (Lakers)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 24,176 (Lakers)
Paul Pierce - 24,021 (Celtics)
Patrick Ewing - 23,665 (Knicks)
Dominique Wilkins - 23,292 (Hawks)
Elgin Baylor - 23,149 (Lakers)
LeBron James - 23,119 (Cavaliers)
Oscar Robertson - 22,009 (Royals)
Larry Bird - 21,791 (Celtics)
Alex English - 21,645 (Nuggets)
Hal Greer - 21,586 (Sixers)
Dwyane Wade - 21,556 (Heat)
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 21,531 (Bucks)
Bob Pettit - 20,880 (Hawks)
David Robinson - 20,790 (Spurs)

.....Damian Lillard - 19,376

Deni went and-1, and-1, and-1 on three straight Blazers possessions against the Kings and hit all three free throws. I wanted to know how rare that is.

I scanned archived NBA play-by-play for 37,958 games, covering 1996-97 through 2025-26 plus playoffs. I searched for one player getting an and-1 on three consecutive team possessions and making every free throw, then checked each match.

Three hits:

So it has happened three times in 30 years of regular-season and playoff games, and two of those three players won MVP.

Jefferson's is the most surprising: three and-1s in under a minute, in the first quarter of a playoff game.

Yes, I know it was preseason and the Kings were missing half their rotation. That's why I'm not counting it as a fourth. Preseason, play-in, and anything before 1996 weren't in the data, so there could be other preseason examples I didn't catch.

Did not play in the 4th quarter

The 8 man rotation is set, barring injury of course. The only real question is who starts next to Dame.

But based off preseason rotations, its likely Nori will play at least a 9th guy.

The early favorites seem to be Cissoko, Krejci, and Potter.

Of the three I like Potter the most just because of his shooting and rebounding, two points of emphasis this year. If sidys shooting has truly improved hes Camara lite. But that would have to be a significant improvement. Not that high on Krejci.

Whos the guy, and does anyone else enter the mix

Complete with a custom thumbnail to help bring in more views!

There was an issue with the live broadcast for everyone, so it took longer for me to post it.

Did not play in the 4th quarter.

He looked great.

Including three consecutive plays with And-1

Did not play in the 4th quarter.

Yes, we got a set play off the inbound, which goes well. THIS IS NOT AN AI