A Few Good Plays is back, and we’re once again heading around the NBA to highlight a handful of snippets of good basketball. We had to do a bit of extra digging given the dearth of quality play in the preseason as compared to the regular season, but there was still plenty of competence to be found.
Jordan McLaughlin, Awfully Crafty
Jordan McLaughlin is absurdly athletic as compared to the general populous, but in the context of the NBA players he shares the court with, he probably rates out as below-average at best. He’s managed to carve out a role as a steady backup point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves regardless.
McLaughlin is smart and patient, and has a deep bag of tricks to make his game work against players that are frequently bigger, faster, and stronger than he is. He showed off a bit of his craftiness on the break in the Wolves preseason game against the Lakers.
With Juan Toscano-Anderson in hot pursuit, McLaughlin opted not to take a direct path to the bucket for a breakaway layup, but instead veered into JTA’s path unexpectedly before dropping in a beautiful twisting reverse. On its face the play simply looked like McLaughlin finished a simple layup on the break, but looking a little close you can see all the steps he had to take to keep from getting blocked.
His unconventional path forced Toscano-Anderson to stop short to ensure he didn’t commit a foul, leaving a window of space and time for McLaughlin to slip to the basket uncontested. It’s emblematic of the way McLaughlin has learned to survive in a league full of superhuman athletes.
When Bulls Fly
If you aren’t familiar with Javonte Green, you should be. He’s a smiley, bouncy athletic marvel. Observe in awe the leaping ability he displayed in the Chicago Bulls preseason showdown with the Toronto Raptors.
An Unexpected Transition Hesi
Grant Williams has added a ton of perimeter skill to his game since entering the league three years ago, but he still isn’t known for his ballhandling. The stoutly built big/sometimes wing busted out a hesitation to blow past Thad Young in transition in the Boston Celtics preseason tilt with the Toronto Raptors.
It would likely be unwise to expect many other highlights off the bounce from Williams this year, so let’s celebrate this one while we can.
The Pelicans Thread a Needle
I’m not certain if Jaxson Hayes could recreate this pass with any great frequency, or if Jose Alvarado could do the same with his acrobatic finish, but they both managed to pull off their respective feats in the New Orleans Pelicans preseason tilt with the Detroit Pistons. The net result was a thing of beauty.