O.G. Anunoby Will Be The Most Improved Player | Weekly-Roundup
Here are the most crucial NBA news (based on my opinion) from the week
Hey all,
Welcome to the Weekly Round-Up on the Old Man Game Newsletter, where I share with you the best and most crucial NBA stories from the week, plus some other cool stuff.
This issue, I want to kick things off with a bold prediction: the Toronto Raptors’ O.G. Anunoby is going to make big strides this season -so big in fact, that he will win the Most Improved Player award (he may even become an All-Star).
Why? Because he improved his game that much in the off-season.
During the 2020-21 NBA season, Anunoby averaged 15.9 points on 48 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Those were pretty big improvements from the 19-20 season already.
But he made those jumps in stats sans good ball-handling and the Raptor’s playbook didn’t really involve him on the offensive end.
This season, he upgraded his ability to break ankles. His team is also encouraging him to shoot more as well; they’re more running plays for him. His defence is still top-notch.
In addition to those, the team’s star player, Pascal SIakam, won’t be playing at the beginning of the season as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. This means that Anunoby will have more opportunities to shoot early on.
“He is getting a lot of chances to play a lot of one-on-one, some more post-ups, etc.,” [Nick] Nurse said in the middle of the pre-season. “I’m not so sure that’s the great rhythm of our offence that we’re going to see all the time but it is part of developing him now and using this time to do that.”
I predict that Anunoby is going to average 23 points per game, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
This should be enough to put him over the hump and be deemed the MIP of the 21-22 NBA season.
What are your thoughts on my prediction? If not him, then who do you think will win the Most Improved Player Award?
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We learned last week that the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving will not be playing this season until he is eligible to play in every game. Over the weekend, his teammate, Kevin Durant, commented by saying that there is no point in getting “upset” over this. The Nets, he says, just have to focus on making what they have (roster) work.
“Why am I not upset? Because we still get to do what we love to do every day. We still get the opportunity to play,” Durant said after Thursday’s preseason finale win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “This is not the ideal situation coming into the season, but some of this, it’s out of our control. So what we can do is come in and focus on our jobs every single day.
“What is being mad going to do? We are not going to change his mind, you know what I’m saying? We’ll let him figure out what he needs to do and the team figure out what they need to do. And us as players, when we are in that locker room, on that floor, we are going to work with each other.”
Giannis Vows To 'Keep Getting Better'
Can 2-time MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to improve his game? Apparently, he can -and the scary thing is he wants to. This should terrify much of the NBA, as with this mindset, who knows how much more dominant Giannis is going to be.
“‘We continue to say we feel like Giannis has got a lot of room for improvement, which is a lot of respect for how much he already does and how great a player and how impactful he is to winning,’ said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.”
The Chicago Sky Unlocks Achievement, Wins Their First WNBA Title
“I think the heartbreaks hurt, but this one is so sweet. Like to do it with this group, I love this group, I love this team,” said Parker. “To do it here at home, it's just like, all of those heartbreaks, it was just supposed to be today.”
The Undefeated interviewed former NBA All-Star Grant Hill and he revealed something that the majority of basketball fans didn’t know -he was mulling a return to the Detroit Pistons back in 2007. However, he ultimately decided to join the Phoenix Suns. His reasoning for his decision was that he didn’t want to be “a shell” of himself.
“I took less money to go to Phoenix and I think I really entertained it and really thought about it, but ultimately, I didn’t want to come back to a shell of myself. I wanted to stand on those Detroit years and I didn’t want to come back and not be the same player, and it was almost like I needed that for me. I needed to be able to hold onto those Detroit years, particularly after going through some real dark moments.”
Steve Nash's Resume And Impact On Basketball In Canada Made Him A Lock For NBA 75
In some rather unsurprising news, Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash has been deemed a basketball G.O.A.T. He was a 2-time MVP (back-to-back), 8-time NBA All-Star, 5-time Assists Leader, and 4-time 50-40-90 Club member. He also encouraged an entire country to play basketball.
“His standing on the NBA 75 was inevitable - not just because of his Hall of Fame-worthy resume, but also because of his imprint on the country that has the most representatives in the NBA today outside of the United States.”
Ex-NBA Star Stoudamire Hoping to Bring out Best PG in Smart
The 1996 Rookie of the Year, Damon Stoudamire, has been working with the Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart and believes that the All-Defensive player can still reach a higher level. Smart is a pest on D. He can guard any position and is willing to do so. But his offence can be improved. This is what Stoudamire hopes to achieve this season so that Smart can reach his full potential.
“I really believe that Marcus has a ceiling that he hasn’t reached yet, and now it’s just a matter of getting him there.”
Old Man Game ‘Da Week
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Final Thoughts
Well, that was, once again, a jam-packed week.
Anyway, hope you all have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you all again next week!
Nam
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