First Impressions of Day 1 NBA Scrimmages
Today we finally got to see some real NBA action…sorta as Day 1 of NBA scrimmages kicked off today in Orlando.
Coming into today there were lots to be made of what the games were going to look like in the bubble, the play from the players, and how COVID and social distancing rules would impact the setup. Well, today we got the first glimpse of that. And we may have even seen a secret weapon for a team that could be deadly in the playoffs. Here are my first impressions of the Day 1 scrimmages.
The Set-Up
Since there will be no fans in the bubble, the NBA had to set up a unique experience not just for the players but for all the fans watching at home as well. There was much talk about the players being mic’d up to hear all the trash talk that will go down on the court. Players even joked that there should a “beep” ready to cover all the cuss words that will come out. As far as we know there is no plan for that to happen but here is what we do know about the setup.
The first thing that caught my eyes was the big Black Lives Matter text written on the court. It wasn’t just in small text somewhere in the corner but it’s in big black letters that cover both sides of the court. It was great to see the NBA hold their promise and show their efforts for the social justice movement that is sweeping the country.
The next thing I noticed was the plexiglass/digital screen around the court that showed different images from a team’s motto and arena chants to advertisements. Hopefully, the NBA will use this technology to continue spreading their messages about the social justice movement with some phrases and hashtags that we have seen on social media and even the NBA’s approved social justice messages that will be on player’s jerseys. We got to see a glimpse of the plexiglass also be used to show virtual fans sorta as the NFL did on their draft night as you can see below.
You didn’t really hear much from the players on the court as far as them talking as we thought we were going to hear so hopefully having virtual fans will bring some life into the building other than the players and coaches on the bench.
Lastly, speaking of the bench, it seems as players and coaches will be spaced out from one another as a precaution against the virus. It’s welcoming to see the NBA try to do something against the virus even though the nation will be seeing 10 players on the court constantly coming in contact with one another.
The Play
As we finally got to see players take the court and compete against other teams we got to see how rusty the players were and how the style of play would be for teams. For the most part, we saw a lot of sloppy play from bad shots to missed layups at the rim. And to be fair, this was expected from the players as they haven’t competed for nearly five months.
My only worry from what I have seen is will players have enough time to get into a rhythm and game shape before the playoffs. They only have eight games and despite what people think, these eight games are actually important and not just some warm-up games for the players.
In the West, the second through sixth seed is only separated by four games so by the end of these eight games we could be seeing a whole different playoff picture on that side. Teams like the Lakers and Clippers probably don’t care too much about that as they are favorites to come out the West but for the other teams, it’s about playing against the best matchup for your team so we will have to watch out for how hard players will go to jock for position in the standings after this long layoff. And the same thing can be said for the East as you have sleeper teams that can threaten you if you’re a top contender playing against the wrong matchup.
Not to mention the bottom teams in the West will practically have a playoff game every night they step on the floor as they will be playing for their playoff lives. The last thing we all want to see is an injury from a player because they are playing hard after the long break with no real-time to get into playing shape.
Breakout Star
Photo per Yahoo Sports
My lasting impression from these NBA games today was none other than watching the emergence of Denver Nuggets’ big man Bol Bol.
In his NBA Bubble debut, he dropped 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks while also making two three-pointers. This is the first time we’ve seen Bol Bol on the court in an NBA game as he spent the majority of the season recovering from his foot injury. But what he did in his debut game was shown me that the Nuggets possibly have a secret weapon they’ve been waiting to unleash and it’s not MPJ.
Bol has an incredible reach that will impact shots in the paint if he can stay healthy and get stronger. To match that he has a nice touch around the rim and he also showed us he is not afraid of taking outside shots as he put up eight three-pointer attempts. Staying healthy is the key for him as he is a talented player to match that height. He probably won’t be logging heavy minutes in this restart but don’t be surprised if coach Mike Malone throws in a playoff game or two to see what impact he can have on the floor. Next season is when Bol will really shine and put the NBA on notice.
More NBA scrimmage games are scheduled tomorrow. God does it feel good to see some NBA action again.
