Basketball Intelligence For 10/24/23, PART ONE
Today's best NBA Reporting And Analysis
LEAGUE-WIDE STORIES
Rookie watch: Wembanyama vs. Holmgren, plus top guards, dark horse for ROY
Krysten Peek, Yahoo Sports
Anonymous coaches poll: Who are the league’s best defenders right now?
Jon Krawczynski/Josh Robbins, The Athletic
Each NBA team's top 2023-24 breakout candidate
Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
5 Sleeper sophomore breakout candidates for the 2023-24 NBA season
Dalton Sell, Hoops Habit
Projected win totals for all 30 NBA teams
David Thorpe, True Hoop
The first set of NBA Power Rankings for the 2023-24 season
Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
Power Rankings, 1-30
Marc Stein, The Stein Line
10 Bold NBA predictions
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
Wembanya’s length is brain-breaking. He's able to dig down and disrupt drivers at the free-throw area without leaving the 3-point line. He blocks 3-point shots. He stays with guards and wings off the dribble, and even when he doesn't, he can still recover to block or at least alter their shots from multiple feet behind.
We're talking about a 7-foot-4 human skyscraper with an eight-foot wingspan who moves like someone a foot shorter. Combine that with his elite instincts, and it changes offensive geometry in the way that Steph Curry changed defensive geometry. There is just so much more space an offense has to account for when gauging whether Wemby is within a reasonable range of impact.
The fact is, he can be on the other side of the court and you still have to worry about what he's doing, same as Curry on offense. It's going to create legitimate paranoia in the minds of would-be creators. Where the hell is Wemby at? And can I possibly get this shot off fast enough, or high enough, to avoid him? The answer: probably not.
50 reasons to be excited about the 2023-24 NBA season
Micah Wimmer, The Step Back
Wembanyama is the NBA’s next generational talent, and other story lines to watch this season
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe
Links to Team-Specific and Draft-Related stories follow below, for paid subscribers