🏀 The NBA Is Back! (sort of)

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For the first time in nearly four months, we have NBA basketball to discuss.

Is it a preseason game being played halfway across the world? Yes. Are we still gonna spend way too much time analyzing it? Of course.

One last thing before we get going: we dropped the Enthusiast Trucker Hat on Wednesday and it sold out faster than a De’Aaron Fox full-court sprint! Thank you to everyone who showed up and copped a hat—it’s amazing to have a dedicated community of Enjoyers who love our stuff. Stay tuned for more!

Today’s Lineup

Sound The Alarms 🚨: Breaking down the first game of NBA basketball in months (even though it felt like years).

Around The W ⭐️: Everything you need to know about the Finals matchup between New York and Las Vegas!

The United States of Embiid 🇺🇸: The reigning MVP is joining Team USA…

But first, a little trivia. Try your hand at this:

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The NBA Is Back

It’s finally here. We have an actual NBA game to dissect.

Two dark horse contenders (Minnesota and Dallas) matched up yesterday in Abu Dhabi, and the Timberwolves’ 111-99 victory gave us some early insights into what we can expect from these two teams this year. Check out the box score here, and read on to hear our four key takeaways from the game:

1. A healthy KAT is a happy KAT.

Yesterday was a good reminder that a healthy and motivated Karl Anthony-Towns is quite simply incredible. The former first overall pick was downright dominant in the first half (18 PTS, +16 +/-) and was the main catalyst for Minnesota’s insurmountable early lead.

After an injury-riddled season last year, Towns seems more aggressive with the ball in his hands and more comfortable playing in a two-big system (more on that later).

2. Luka is still that guy… duh.

We’re pleased to inform you that Luka Doncic did not, in fact, lose his basketball superpowers over the offseason.

The Mavericks continue to operate with Luka as their heliocentric offensive hub, and he rewarded them with 25 PTS and 5 REB in 17 minutes of action. This crazy scoop shot was an added bonus:

It does have to be mentioned that, as it stands now, last season’s offensive problems seem to be sticking around. Dallas doesn’t have a quality third option on the roster, so if Luka and/or Kyrie Irving are having an off night, the team’s offense might sputter.

3. Gobert and KAT might actually work?

The Timberwolves were absolutely dragged last season for running out janky two big lineups that never really seemed to work as intended. But things finally appear to be falling into place.

KAT and Rudy Gobert appear a lot more in sync with each other on the offensive end, which was especially evident in the pick-and-roll game. Minnesota kept the Dallas defense guessing by putting multiple PnR ball handlers on the court along with Towns and Gobert.

4. The ups and downs of Dallas’ young core…

If the Mavericks are to have a successful season, they’ll need their young guys to make an instant impact. Unfortunately, yesterday’s game left us with as many questions as answers on that front.

Let’s start with the positive. Jaden Hardy looks incredible. The second-year pro is turning into an excellent isolation scorer who’s more than capable of shooting the ball off the dribble. He’ll be a crucial cog of the offense while Kyrie and Luka rest.

As for the rookies, however, it was more of a mixed bag. 12th overall pick Dereck Lively II was brought in to be Dallas’ center of the future, and while he had a few nice defensive possessions, he got caught in the air way too many times. Four fouls in just 12 minutes! Yikes. But his lob connection with Luka did look promising:

24th overall pick Olivier Maxence-Prosper has a lot of people in Dallas hyped because of his defensive versatility, but outside of great hustle and athleticism he still seems to be getting up to speed at the NBA level.

Around the W With Crina

The WNBA Finals are finally upon us! Here’s everything you need to know about this series, which is sure to be an instant classic.

Who: New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces

What: The 27th Annual WNBA Finals! A matchup between the last two Commissioner’s Cup winners!! A heated clash between the best of the best in the W!!! (can you tell we’re excited?)

When: Game 1 is on Sunday, October 8 at 3 p.m. ET (ABC)

Where: Since the Aces finished first in the regular season, the series will start in Las Vegas for the first two games. Game 3 (and 4, if necessary) will then be held in New York. And if it all comes down to Game 5, we’ll be headed back to Sin City.

Why: When the Las Vegas Aces added Candace Parker and Alysha Clark and the New York Liberty added Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot, there was no doubt that superteams had found their way into the WNBA. And despite Parker’s injury, the Aces and the Liberty remained two of best teams in the WNBA this season.

New York and Las Vegas went 3-2 in their regular season series, including the Liberty’s win in the Commissioner’s Cup Final. Needless to say, this should be a good one.

Latest News

Team USA Adds (Another) MVP

Remember during the FIBA World Cup when everyone was talking about how the United States needed a legitimate center? Well, how about the reigning NBA MVP?!?

Joel Embiid has been at the center of one basketball’s biggest-ever recruiting campaigns, as Cameroon, France, and the USA have all been vying to secure the big man for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. And just yesterday, Embiid announced his commitment to the Americans.

And just like that, the United States’ 2024 Olympic team is turning into a Dream Team 2.0. Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard… our heads are spinning. We don’t want to jinx anything, but there’s no way these guys could lose, right? Right? Let us know what you think.

Frozen Moments

• The Nuggets are already in midseason form 🔥

• Chris Paul is doing this at 38?? 💪

• Robert Williams had just three words to say about his new teammate 😂

What We’re Enjoying

Yachty x Cole – The Secret Recipe: Southern hip-hop titans Lil Yachty and J. Cole teamed up on this hazy jazz-infused track produced by the Alchemist. No hooks, long verses, and some NBA-inspired bars—sign us up!

“Out here lookin' like Steph on the late contest. Wide open, shootin' they shot, don't even waste your breath”. TOUGH! 😤

Signing Off

That’s all we have for today! Remember the classic “8-3-1” rule: eight hours of sleep, three meals a day, and at least one comment to your friends about how your team is totally gonna win the title this year.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is Isiah Thomas! The Hall of Fame PG had perhaps the best debut in NBA history, dropping 31 and 11 against a Bucks team that won 60 games the year before.

A HUGE happy birthday to certified Enjoyers Jayden and Zain! 🥳 Thank you both for taking the time to read every newsletter, we really appreciate y’all!💙🏀

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