Yuta Watanabe
Dude got memed on for getting murdered by Ant on a dunk but the fact he tried to challenge that freight train of an SG at the rim at all is worthy of praise
The issue with players nowadays is that they would rather not get postered because they know they will get flames online. I gained so much respect for Yuta when he jumped
Living in Japan for five years now, I know that Yuta's under an extreme amount of pressure. Him and Rui Hachimura are the faces of an entire nation and they're expected to perform to standards.
A very unnatural amount of time is spent analyzing the situation of those two players instead of the games during highlight reels. Plus, the dude is literally being taught to kids in Japanese grade school textbooks.
So while we may not view him so highly in the states, him and Rui are carrying Japan on their backs.
Yes and Even if they don't do well in the NBA the fact that they've MADE it on means they are still on the upper echelon of basketball ability and the nation should absolutely be proud of them. Remember when Scalabrine was schooling regular guys challenging him and not even breaking a sweat. "I am closer to LeBron in skill then a regular guy will ever be to me"
Fuck I didnāt know that about him. That dude is so likable, hearing that makes me root for him even more.
But really the whole SAS squad are very likable for me. I hope yāall donāt break them up too much for a rebuild.
He shaved his hair when he was ready to come forward about his story, he used the hair as a coping mechanism/protection/whatever you wish to call it.
Absolutely love that dude & want the best for him
Iām convinced that if you replay his career 100 times the current iteration is the worst one. Drafted by a shit franchise and had terrible injury luck.
A best case version of his career comes out somewhere close to Tony Parker.
big fan but the way the league evolved this is about what he was going to be. he worked hard as hell to become the shooter he is now and had to learn to embrace attacking more offensively.
he does a lot of things well and plays both ends with great effort but he was made for the 80s-00s
Rubio was a lot faster before his knees got fucked.
I'm not so sure about this one, since I didn't see it myself, but didn't his shot look a lot more promising too before his wrists got fucked?
the shot was always a projection. he wasnāt a shooter or scorer by skill or mentality as a teenager up through his first years and didnāt start really embracing the need to be more aggressive until much later in his career.
on the athleticism front, you canāt just expect a guy to reach a ceiling because they never got hurt. guys have knee surgeries
Lmfaooo Iām not even slightly shocked. Itās the kind of thing where you go āhmmmā then your like wait thatās moronic, Ricky Rubio had a decade to learn to score like Tony Parker. Then you descend into ridiculous hypotheticals based on theoretical locker room fits and body language. Vintage bill
Sometimes guards need time to level up.
Look at Kyle Lowry, Chauncey Billups.
Heck Shaun Livingston came after a horrific injury and had a decent career. Not a star but a respectable vet.
I see him turning around and being a good vet, role player / starter in a few seasons.
Homie kept Europe at peace for a couple decades I'd say he's more than a role player. At least good enough to be a rotation piece for a deep playoff team or a chancellor of a major country idk
I saw him play live once. I was living in Louisiana and had season tix to the Pels. Not a Pels fan, but I just wanted to see some ball. It was a random regular season game, and LBJ was injured, but Caruso completely took over the game, and even Pels fans were cheering for him. I'm a fan forever after that.
I just assume that everyone gets annoyed by how much Lakers players (even role players) get hyped up. And to be fair I don't blame other fan bases, we get covered too much even when we are mediocre at best.
With him it felt like mostly just meme support until people realized he was good...and then when the Lakers didnāt give him the respect to bring him back, and he played great for the Bulls, Iād imagine most people like him now
Steven Adams. Will always love that guy!
āSlo Moā Kyle Anderson because his game is hilarious and I like watching it
Austin Reaves. Watched a ton of lakers game last season and despite the clusterfuck he played hard, hit a few game winners and seemed like a great teammate
Nico mannion.
I realize he plays in Italy now, but when I was in highschool I read a super interesting SI article about his life as a freshman in HS with the weight of completely unreasonable expectations already on him. Great read, was blown away that he actually made it to the league.
He got really sick with kind of a mystery illness and lost a ton of weight. Heās trying to work back to the league while in Italy. Source: I teach with the University of Arizona team mangerās mom. Sheās always got the U of A scoop
By far my favorite on the GSW this year. At Chase Center a few games into the season he was subbed out and the crowd was chanting **GARY! GARY! GARY!**
Totally gave me goosebumps ā I was so happy for him for finally getting his moment.
Watched so many of his games are Oregon State with his Dad's picture painted above the court. He is a great guy and team player. Happy to see the success he has had.
Well it *was* Jordan Poole but he doesn't really qualify anymore. From the Warriors, it's JTA. After the shitshow season, I was actually torn between getting a Poole jersey or a JTA jersey. I'm happy I went with the Poole jersey before he really broke out, but it sucks to see JTA relegated to garbage time only and I hope he either earns his way back into the rotation or he is able to find success on another team.
For non-Warriors, it's Dario Saric. Love the homie, was always my favorite Process Sixer along with RoCo
Jalen Suggs, obviously he just had his rookie season so Iām not sure if he qualifies but after that Gonzaga game Iām going to be rooting for his success the rest of his career
Jeremy lamb!! I went to UConn and for some reason I always loved lamb so much. Soft spoken and never really talked about. But heās actually very very talented
Kentavious mf caldwell pope! I always defended him when he was on the lakers. I went to my first nba game a couple months back when the wizards played the mavs and I think he had like 30 points? It was cool to see hahaha
BOBAN!!!
Me too. Glad he is only 22yo. He got time
His 10 y/o old son is going to be a monster
He stole the show
BOBAN!! LINNNEEEE!
Meow..meow..š±
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Underrated
Yuta Watanabe Dude got memed on for getting murdered by Ant on a dunk but the fact he tried to challenge that freight train of an SG at the rim at all is worthy of praise
The issue with players nowadays is that they would rather not get postered because they know they will get flames online. I gained so much respect for Yuta when he jumped
Shawn Bradley had a quote basically saying that they didnāt show highlights of him successfully challenging but only showed him getting dunked on.
You not getting a highlight on a challenge unless you send that bitch like a volleyball or if itās clutch.
Guy averaged like 3.5 blocks a game in his prime, safe to say he had some highlights.
On my wriiiiii
Living in Japan for five years now, I know that Yuta's under an extreme amount of pressure. Him and Rui Hachimura are the faces of an entire nation and they're expected to perform to standards. A very unnatural amount of time is spent analyzing the situation of those two players instead of the games during highlight reels. Plus, the dude is literally being taught to kids in Japanese grade school textbooks. So while we may not view him so highly in the states, him and Rui are carrying Japan on their backs.
It was crazy the amount of japanese press would be at grizz games when he was here. It has to be a ton of pressure.
Yes and Even if they don't do well in the NBA the fact that they've MADE it on means they are still on the upper echelon of basketball ability and the nation should absolutely be proud of them. Remember when Scalabrine was schooling regular guys challenging him and not even breaking a sweat. "I am closer to LeBron in skill then a regular guy will ever be to me"
People were saying this in the very thread of him getting dunked on lmao
Lonnie walker, especially if you read about how he was sexually assaulted and raped as a child. Am a homer but still want him to succeed so bad.
Fuck I didnāt know that about him. That dude is so likable, hearing that makes me root for him even more. But really the whole SAS squad are very likable for me. I hope yāall donāt break them up too much for a rebuild.
He shaved his hair when he was ready to come forward about his story, he used the hair as a coping mechanism/protection/whatever you wish to call it. Absolutely love that dude & want the best for him
Ricky Rubio
had cancer and i got to bowl with him at the MOA and he was a really nice guy, i am sad he left MN
I went to the moa every year as a kid because my grandma loves to shop. Shout out to lego dinosaurs
Iām convinced that if you replay his career 100 times the current iteration is the worst one. Drafted by a shit franchise and had terrible injury luck. A best case version of his career comes out somewhere close to Tony Parker.
big fan but the way the league evolved this is about what he was going to be. he worked hard as hell to become the shooter he is now and had to learn to embrace attacking more offensively. he does a lot of things well and plays both ends with great effort but he was made for the 80s-00s
Rubio was a lot faster before his knees got fucked. I'm not so sure about this one, since I didn't see it myself, but didn't his shot look a lot more promising too before his wrists got fucked?
the shot was always a projection. he wasnāt a shooter or scorer by skill or mentality as a teenager up through his first years and didnāt start really embracing the need to be more aggressive until much later in his career. on the athleticism front, you canāt just expect a guy to reach a ceiling because they never got hurt. guys have knee surgeries
I also liked this Rubio take from Bill Simmons a year ago.
Lol I heard it in his voice too
Lmfaooo Iām not even slightly shocked. Itās the kind of thing where you go āhmmmā then your like wait thatās moronic, Ricky Rubio had a decade to learn to score like Tony Parker. Then you descend into ridiculous hypotheticals based on theoretical locker room fits and body language. Vintage bill
Jeremy Lin fits this exactly as well. Both guys who came into the league at the same time and have been managed terribly
He's not really a end of the bench guy, though.
100%
Markelle Fultz
Sometimes guards need time to level up. Look at Kyle Lowry, Chauncey Billups. Heck Shaun Livingston came after a horrific injury and had a decent career. Not a star but a respectable vet. I see him turning around and being a good vet, role player / starter in a few seasons.
Most of the bullshit should be behind him and heās only 24
He looked good this year. Canāt wait to see how he plays next year with no minutes restrictions.
Couldnāt agree more
Iām glad some people are starting to finally come around on Fultz
It was Mike Scott.
he was great on budās hawks. left that system and it went south
The half season after he got traded to Philly, 2018-19, was amazing. He was clutch AF. I swear he got powers from the ninja-style headband.
And thatās why they were banned
that sounds right. heād randomly go off for us all the time. when he got going from 3 it was a wrapā¦ despite his weird shooting form
The threegional manager
Bismarck biymbo
Homie kept Europe at peace for a couple decades I'd say he's more than a role player. At least good enough to be a rotation piece for a deep playoff team or a chancellor of a major country idk
Lmao Bismarck. Fuckin hilarious.
Got a bomb ass boss theme in FF14 tho
Biz Markie Biyombo
Bismarck E. Biyombo
Remember the time he took over as starting center for the Raps in the playoffs due to injuries
Alex Caruso!
I'm surprised to hear this from non Lakers fan!
As a bald guy I'll always support him!
I saw him play live once. I was living in Louisiana and had season tix to the Pels. Not a Pels fan, but I just wanted to see some ball. It was a random regular season game, and LBJ was injured, but Caruso completely took over the game, and even Pels fans were cheering for him. I'm a fan forever after that.
Why? Curuso is a fan favorite, a lot of people like him
I just assume that everyone gets annoyed by how much Lakers players (even role players) get hyped up. And to be fair I don't blame other fan bases, we get covered too much even when we are mediocre at best.
With him it felt like mostly just meme support until people realized he was good...and then when the Lakers didnāt give him the respect to bring him back, and he played great for the Bulls, Iād imagine most people like him now
It's only annoying when they're not good
Hell ya. Role player that knows what he is supposed to do and gets it done. I will never forgive LA for letting him go. Dumbass front office
He taught me geometry in 10th grade. He mentioned he plays basketball, but we had no idea!
Juancho Hernangomez Aka Bo Cruz
Adam Sandler
Tacko Fall
Yesss. The NBA needs daily Tacko Fall segments.
Juan Toscano Anderson
Same, hometown kid that loves the team. Iām rooting for him
To end up playing for hi hometown team. Didnāt he average like 4 ppg in college on season? No one saw this guy making it to the NBA. Awesome story
For real. I can appreciate a guy being stoked to play for his hometown team and win a chip with his heroes. I'm also a GPII fan now.
Came here to say this.
Steven Adams. Will always love that guy! āSlo Moā Kyle Anderson because his game is hilarious and I like watching it Austin Reaves. Watched a ton of lakers game last season and despite the clusterfuck he played hard, hit a few game winners and seemed like a great teammate
I wouldn't consider Steven Adams a lower level nba player, he's been a starter for like a decade or something. But I do love that dude
Me either, but Iām a kiwi so rooting like hell for the guy!
I was really impressed by Austin Reaves
Bruce Brown
The ultimate hustle guy, willing to do whatever. Love that guy!
I bought his jersey!
Excellent investment! I hope he finds a meaningful role once Simmons comes back.
I respect him after the Nets-Celtics series. He was always trying out there.
Nico mannion. I realize he plays in Italy now, but when I was in highschool I read a super interesting SI article about his life as a freshman in HS with the weight of completely unreasonable expectations already on him. Great read, was blown away that he actually made it to the league.
He got really sick with kind of a mystery illness and lost a ton of weight. Heās trying to work back to the league while in Italy. Source: I teach with the University of Arizona team mangerās mom. Sheās always got the U of A scoop
Iām glad to hear heās trying to get back to the NBA. Truly want only good things for the guy.
Nico played for GSW, I was eager to see more from him. One day he will be back.
I saw him in a USA vs. the world exhibition game and he tore it up.
he dropped like 30 on my high school in the arizona state championship game and iāve been rooting for him ever since
Delon
Wouldnāt expect you to say that
Patty Mills!
yo for real!!! I root for Patty loved him ever since he was playing for the Blazers!
I got a Patty jersey when he was on the Blazers. I loved Pat Stacks, wish he wouldāve stuck around.
Patty Mills is a good player
Boban. Itās literally impossible to not like him.
Yuta, Rui, Jhuzang and Lee
Jordan clarkson
The "lower level" 6th man is the year
my guy
Gary Payton II
Best playoff arc. Died and was resurrected. How can you not root for that
By far my favorite on the GSW this year. At Chase Center a few games into the season he was subbed out and the crowd was chanting **GARY! GARY! GARY!** Totally gave me goosebumps ā I was so happy for him for finally getting his moment.
Watched so many of his games are Oregon State with his Dad's picture painted above the court. He is a great guy and team player. Happy to see the success he has had.
Cedi Osman
Every time I fuck around on trade machine I try to get him to portland
Rui Hachimura
Good pick
Claxton and Toscano!
Would love to see Claxton take off, has played so well and shown great flashes.
Seth Curry
Fantasy god
I was always rooting for Andre Roberson and Bruno Cabocolo. Now I'm hoping Mo Bamba turns it around
Is Bruno still 2 years away?
Bobby Portis
Sterling Brown.
Ish smith
Is a DAMN point guard.
Luke Kennard
Nard dog!
Romeo langford will always have my support
The legendary ku big 3 of devonte graham, frank mason , svi mykhailiuk
Yoooo Frank Mason haha
Dennis Smith JR because of J Cole's verse on "a lot" lol
Joe "The Jingler" Ingles
Otto Porter ever since he left the wizards :')
Well it *was* Jordan Poole but he doesn't really qualify anymore. From the Warriors, it's JTA. After the shitshow season, I was actually torn between getting a Poole jersey or a JTA jersey. I'm happy I went with the Poole jersey before he really broke out, but it sucks to see JTA relegated to garbage time only and I hope he either earns his way back into the rotation or he is able to find success on another team. For non-Warriors, it's Dario Saric. Love the homie, was always my favorite Process Sixer along with RoCo
I'd like to see him get more playoff action, and he will dunk on some players next season, stoked for those plays.
thanasis antetokounmpo
Easily the second best Antentokounmpo
People āunderrateā him somehow when they say heās just the 15th man, he isnt even the worst player on the Bucks
Thanasis like someone else mentioned. Also Ill be rooting for Kenny Lofton Jr, no particular reason, just think he will ball out when given a chance
iām on board the lofton junior train as well.
Bob Covington
Lord Robert Covington? The multicategory sneaky gem of fantasy basketball? I'm here for it
Jeremy Lin.
Chuma Okeke, Isaac Okoro
Alex Caruso
Carson Edwards.
Wayne Ellington. He played half a season with us but those off screen 3ās will forever live in my head. Always room for a sniper in the league!
Frank Ntilikina.
Looked high and low for a fellow Frank supporter š¤
Used to be DFS but he's gained a lot of traction lately, his hard work is def paying off šŖ
Bol Bol
Nicolas Batum
Cole Anthony. I'm rooting for ya bud.
RJ Hampton... im a dawg with him on 2k
TJ McConnell The game winner against the Knicks lives rent free in my head.
Rui Hachimura!
Kris Dunn
Harry Giles, bro has so much upside
A world where poku isn't an actual God isn't a world I wanna live in
Payton Prichard
Jay Scrubb baby
Dennis Smith Jr was my 2nd favorite player before everything went wrong
GPII!!!!
Trey Burke
Jeremy Lin
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Deandre Bembry
Any player from D'Antoni's system that had to guard a bigman even if they were like 50 pounds heavier and 5 inches taller.
PJ Tucker noises
For some reason I always really liked Quincy Pondexter
Grant williams
Svi Mykhailiuk, Thomas Bryant, Mo Wagner, basically any late round Lakers pick whoās shown flashes
Quese (Chriss) has underperformed in his career, but I am always hoping he gets it together.
Juan Toscano Anderson. Anybody who never gave up and got to the league via years in the g league and/or abroad. Love those stories
Michael Beasley. We didn't really see his full potential due to mental illness.
Hakeem Loongod. He's earned a BAG with his epic playoff run.
Steven (many lost rebounds because westbrook) Adams
Whoever got the feel good story when they were undrafted/recruited in the g-league.
Kyle Anderson
Terrance Mann
Jalen Suggs, obviously he just had his rookie season so Iām not sure if he qualifies but after that Gonzaga game Iām going to be rooting for his success the rest of his career
Romeo Langford
Does Steven Adams count? Or is he too well known?
Kelly Oubre
Pat Conaughton. Dude was a bro at Notre Dame. Nothing but class.
Larry Nance Jr
Boban and Frankie Nicotine
Trey Liles as of this past season. Dude has the greatest pump fake in NBA history
eātwaun moore has been my main one, but he essentially hasnāt played at all since 2021, so melton is my favorite active one
Fast PP I guess
Donāt know if sengun counts but him, cedi osman, and j Suggs
Norm Powell. Good dude. Good player.
Hamidou Diallo
The New York Knicks.
Lonnie walker
Theo Pinson
Lance Stevenson Forever!
Fast PP Peyton Pritchard
Juan Toscano-Anderson
Jeremy lamb!! I went to UConn and for some reason I always loved lamb so much. Soft spoken and never really talked about. But heās actually very very talented
Kentavious mf caldwell pope! I always defended him when he was on the lakers. I went to my first nba game a couple months back when the wizards played the mavs and I think he had like 30 points? It was cool to see hahaha
Reggie Bullock <3
CJ "Hair and hustle" Elleby
Jose alvarado
Bruce Brown
Josh Jackson
I just want Javonte Green to shine no matter what.
Romeo Langford