Who has impressed the most in the first three preseason games?<\/p>\n
Mark Barrington: Obviously, it has to be Wembanyama, doesn\u2019t it? He wasn\u2019t playing his best and had too many turnovers, but he\u2019s just on a different level than everybody else on the court, and in the third game it looked like he\u2019s putting it all together. I think Carter Bryant has shown that he\u2019s a lot more ready to make an impact than I thought from his limited play in Summer League. Small sample size, but Dylan Harper is really good and already has a polished game. But I think the best player of the preseason is probably Keldon Johnson, who knows how to use his strength and size to make things happen on both ends of the court.<\/p>\n
Devon Birdsong: Wemby\u2019s always had an abundance of talent, and you could see flashes of something monstrous, but it\u2019s the ease with which he\u2019s doing everything that\u2019s impressing me. Gifted though he is, his game has never seemed as effortless as it looks right now, and I think that\u2019s a sign that the mental side of the game has finally begun to fully integrate with the athleticism. There\u2019s virtually no hesitation in his decision-making, but not in a reckless manner \u2013 it feels perfectly calculated, and it\u2019s honestly reminding me of Jokic\u2019s fourth season in the league. That was the first season I can clearly remember seeing Jokic toy with opponents on the regular, and I distinctly remember having the thought that if he ever became a more consistent shooter\/scorer, he\u2019d be a beast. Crazy thing is, Wemby\u2019s already more of a scorer than Jokic was then. If he\u2019s able to start dictating things in a similar manner, the sky\u2019s the limit. And I\u2019m starting to think he might almost be there.<\/p>\n
Jeje Gomez: Julian Champagnie is 11-for-19 from beyond the arc for a team that needs shooting. Sure, he still can\u2019t really dribble, but that level of marksmanship, coupled with his solid defense, could get him a rotation spot. Preseason is all about proving you can contribute, and few others are filling a role as cleanly as the sharpshooting wing. A lot of those looks are assisted and from the corner, but that\u2019s exactly what a complementary player\u2019s shot profile would look like. Others might be getting more highlights, but Champagnie is making a case for minutes, which is impressive.
J.R. Wilco: I love what we\u2019ve seen from Bryant and Champers so far, but it\u2019s got to be Wemby for me. His aggression and decisiveness have stood out, as has his decision-making, but the biggest difference (and the most impressive thing from the preseason) has been how obvious it is that he now knows how to use his body. It\u2019s fun to be a fan of a player that defenders just seem to bounce off of, and over the summer it seems that Vic has become one of those guys. It\u2019s not merely about the weight he\u2019s added, it\u2019s the way he\u2019s moving and the timing of his moves that\u2019s been so eye-popping. Although it\u2019s just the preseason and the competition hasn\u2019t been the toughest, I look forward to seeing this version of Wemby going forward.<\/p>\n
Do you like what you see so far from Mitch Johnson\u2019s first year as head coach?<\/p>\n
Barrington: There\u2019s not a whole lot you can learn from preseason about coaching, in my opinion. Mitch was getting all of the guys out there and letting them play. The defensive rotations were sloppy, but that\u2019s to be expected with so many guys missing and young players on the court. I like the fact that he was calling timeouts whenever the team got a little out of sorts, but that\u2019s not exactly elite coaching; that\u2019s basic stuff. I expect Mitch to really do well this season, but preseason isn\u2019t really going to tell us much about his coaching style yet.<\/p>\n
Birdsong: This could just be wishful thinking, but I think Johnson looks a lot more relaxed on the sideline. Not in a way that doesn\u2019t scream fully engaged, but more in the sense that this is fully his show now. The figure of Gregg Popovich is no longer looming in the same way that it was last season (although, wait till the Spurs go on a losing streak), and Mitch just seems more comfortably authoritative. If the regular season Xs and Os match that attitude, we might find that he really is Pop\u2019s truest successor.<\/p>\n
Gomez: There hasn\u2019t been much to judge Johnson by, since so many guys have been out. The Wembanyama playmaking touches are fun. There are some set plays that are clever. But the jury is still definitely out on Mitch, which is to be expected for a rookie coach.<\/p>\n