NBA Updates 9 — Charger Press

Mar 1

Mar 1 NBA Updates 9

Photo from NBA.

Adu Reghuram

The Giant From France

Is there such a thing as being too “tall” for basketball? Practically, ever since basketball was invented, height always felt as if it was a necessity. In the history of the NBA, there have only been 26 players who were 7’3” or taller. Of those 26 players, only three of them are in the present-day NBA (Kristaps Porzingis, Boban Marjanovic, and Tacko Fall). Tacko Fall may be an exception because he is playing in China right now, but we will still consider him. A statistic that surprises me is that only three players out of the 26 are Hall of Famers (Yao Ming, Ralph Sampson, and Arvydas Sabonis). Despite size and length being one of the most valuable assets in the sport of basketball, the answer to my question is yes. As hard as it is to believe, you can be too “tall.” Statistics and data have shown that anyone above 7’1” is bound to face injury at some point in their career due to their incredible height. Of the 26 players, only about seven of them went on to have promising careers. Of the seven players, five of them went on to miss entire seasons or had to retire due to injuries. It’s incredible to believe that the value in size cannot make up for the debilitating detriment of height.

Although I may be late to the Wembanyama news, we are looking at what analysts call a “unicorn.” A 7’2” point forward who can defend, playmake, and score on all three levels is a danger to the NBA. Not over 24 hours after the 2022 NBA draft, we have the media freaking out about the 2023 draft as they shift their attention to the prize. We have teams tanking for Victor as he continues to dominate in France. Though he is expected to compete and perform at the same level as LeBron, is he too tall? Chet Holgren - another 7’1” player - had gotten injured before his rookie season. Was he too “tall?” Though this is a controversial and relevant topic, let us keep our eyes up and hope for an exhilarating season next year for Victor Wembanyama!

Weekly Updates

Welcome back basketball fans to another weekly update in which I relay information regarding the National Basketball Association. Today, I will be talking about Antetokounmpo’s injury, Westbrook’s crazy debut, and conclude with matchups of the week.

Antetokounmpo’s Injury

Giannis Antetokounmpo left late in the first quarter of the Bucks games against the Miami Heat on Friday night after the Bucks said he knocked knees with an opponent. Antetokounmpo, who withstood a wrist injury to start the game, was on the court late in the first quarter when he passed the ball and immediately started motioning to the bench. The Bucks officially announced early in the second quarter that the two-time MVP wouldn’t return to the game because of what they said was a right knee issue. It was sad to see Antetokounmpo not perform in the All-Star game. Though he is recovering from a dismaying injury, we will expect to see him later in the season.

The Double Overtime Debut

Wow… What a crazy game we had witnessed. On February 24, 2023, the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history took place. With our jaws dropping, I feel as if I can speak for all of us when I say we were disappointed with the loss in Westbrook’s debut. Westbrook finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting along with 14 assists, seven turnovers, and five rebounds in 39 minutes. Although he performed fairly decently, we were all expecting a win from the former MVP. Does the NBA community have any exceeding expectations for Westbrook?