🏀 Wemby vs Chet: Battle of the Wingspans

What a magical time of year the preseason is. We get to see new rosters in action and freaks of nature break basketball physics (thanks, Wemby and Chet), all without the stress of caring about wins and losses. Soak up the good vibes, people: everyone’s a champion for now.

One quick thing before we get started. If you’re on XBOX and haven’t copped the new 2K yet, we got you! We’re giving away a free copy to one person who…

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   AND

2. That friend becomes an active subscriber (opens the next newsletter)

Picking a winner on Friday, so make sure to get your friend set up quick!

Today’s Lineup

Battle of the Bigs 🔥 Chet and Wemby show out in their first NBA matchup

Dimer Hall of Fame ⛹🏾 Scoot Henderson put on a passing clinic in Portland

Changing History 📖 What happens when you rewrite the NBA rulebook?

Preseason’s Finest

A full week of NBA hoops! This can’t be real, right? We have a matchup between aliens, surprise breakout players, and more to discuss.

But before we get started, don’t forget the golden rule of the preseason. If your team wins, they’re automatically winning 60+ games. If they lose, none of this even counts anyway.

First off, we know we already talked about this game on Monday, but let’s take a moment to appreciate this stunning piece of work by the Pistons’ social media team. Basketball poetry in motion.

Now, onto the latest slate. Monday night brought us an epic duel between Cam Thomas (26 PTS) and Austin Reaves (18 PTS) in a narrow Lakers win over the Nets. Also, shout-out Ben Simmons! Good to see him healthy and hooping with confidence. And, fresh off a $30 million extension, Payton Pritchard (21 PTS, 5 AST) balled out for Boston, but it wasn’t enough to take down the Knicks in MSG. 

But let’s be real: we all know what you’re here to see. Two top picks, a boatload of hype, and roughly 150 feet in combined wingspan. Chet Holmgren vs. Victor Wembanyama is everything we could have asked for and more. Seriously, there are almost too many highlights to share.

The two dove deep into their bag to start their NBA careers, combing for 41 points in just 35 minutes. Chet seemed super comfortable with the ball in his hands all night, especially on this tough and-one bucket over Zach Collins. 💪

As for Wemby…let’s just say the basketball gods delivered. First came this absolutely ridiculous steal where he basically reached from the three-point line into the paint to snag the ball 🤯 but he didn’t slow down from there. This acrobatic left-hand scoop off the dribble had us rubbing our eyes in disbelief, and he capped off the night by going right over Chet for the tough finish (headbutt and all).

Moving on to yesterday’s action, Luka Doncic got a standing ovation in the city where he won EuroLeague MVP. It’s just too bad it inspired the wrong team, as Real Madrid rode the hot hand of Nuggets legend Facundo Campazzo to a 4th quarter comeback.

Over in the Big Easy, rumors of Zion’s downfall were greatly exaggerated, as the big man was downright dominant during his first on-court action in over nine months. We’re praying for a full season of dunks like this. 💪

And that wasn’t even the best slam of the quarter! Apparently, Paolo Banchero wants the title of best dunker out of Duke all to himself. Sheesh.

For Charlotte, Mark Williams (3 STLS, 2 BLKS) transcended the center position and turned into the human fly swatter. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Heat’s Cole Swider (17 PTS, 5-9 3PT) from catching fire in the 4th to give Miami the W.

In H-Town, our insider sources can confirm that Dillon Brooks is still an absolute menace to society after leaving Memphis. Luckily for him, Cam Whitmore (15 PTS, Game High +21) came with receipts after falling all the way to 20th in the draft, and Jalen Green was in his bag all night to lead the Rockets to a comfortable win over the Pacers.

And finally, we couldn’t spend multiple paragraphs talking about Wemby without giving Scoot some love. This year’s 3rd overall pick was looking like an elite playmaker in the Blazers’ win over the New Zealand Breakers. We have a feeling this two-man game with Deandre Ayton will feed families in Portland for years to come.

Elsewhere

• The Bucks sit their big three of Dame, Giannis, and Khris Middleton as Milwaukee comes up short against Desmond Bane (21 PTS, 5 AST) and Memphis

• Jordan Poole (18 PTS, 4-8 3PT) starts his Wizards career with a W over the NBL’s Cairns Taipans.

• Josh Okogie said “Give me that starting spot!” in an impressive performance against the Nuggets.

• The Clippers come out on top in a defensive slugfest against the Jazz

Frozen Moments

• JJ Redick isn’t having any of the hot takes 😤

• Michael Malone said, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” 🫰

• Maybe Austin Reaves is playing the wrong sport. 🏌️

• No shoe, no problem for Duop Reath 👟

What We’re Enjoying

Changing the NBA Rulebook: What would the NBA look like if you accepted every rule change for 40 years? The team over at Secret Base has long been a leader in innovative sports video content, and their latest project is looking to answer that question. Only episode one is out yet, but the rules are already absolutely insane. Check it out.

Signing Off

Thanks for reading, everyone! Remember, preseason is a time of positivity. Focus on the good moments, uplift the young guys, and get ready for a long season of Enjoying Basketball. 💙🏀

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is Ja Morant! He was a certified walking bucket for Memphis, dropping 93 points in just 104 minutes across four preseason games.

Before you go…