Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Bubble Power Rankings Preview: Looking at week one

By Corey Rausch

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 08: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers is fouled by Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 112-103 Lakers win at Staples Center on March 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 08: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers is fouled by Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 112-103 Lakers win at Staples Center on March 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 12
Next
Bol Bol, Denver Nuggets
(Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /

73. . 43-22. Previous: 8th. Denver Nuggets. 7. team

To say it is hard to take much out of the scrimmage Denver Nuggets is a bit of an understatement. Given the lack of available guards, the team started Nikola Jokic at point guard and he actually looked pretty good. Is this something we should expect more of? Probably not unless things continue to go very wrong for Denver’s guards.

The sooner the Nuggets have everyone available the sooner we will be able to take them seriously as a top contender in the Western Conference. Michael Porter, Jr. is en route and Gary Harris and Torrey Craig have cleared quarantine. More likely than not, the Nuggets will be closer to full strength when they meet Miami in the first real game.

This may bump the star of the first scrimmage out of the lineup so it is worth acknowledging him now. Bol Bol came in and was awesome. While this scrimmage carries about as much actual significance as a Summer League game, getting to see him flash that potential is exciting nonetheless.

In what was looked at as a redshirt season, anything from Bol this season is icing on the cake. He went off for 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against Washington and was able to showcase a long-range shot as well.

The Nuggets took risks drafting Porter and Bol due to their extensive injury histories. If both can get healthy and capitalize on their immense potential, that scrimmage is a preview of things to come.

Previous: 5th. Boston Celtics. 6. team. 18. . 43-21

As the Boston Celtics get closer to opening the season again, the news around Kemba Walker continues to be less than encouraging. He is sitting out scrimmages due to his still lingering knee issue and there is no telling what he will be able to give the team this summer.

The hype is building around Carson Edwards taking up some of this role, but I simply do not buy it. While I said last week that Brad Stevens has proven capable of getting the most out of any point guard in his system, this may be a step too far. The rookie point guard is only 5’11” while shooting 32.7 percent from the field on the main roster.

Ultimately this will come down to how well Marcus Smart can step in and just what kind of steps Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum may have taken during the layoff. The potential is there for them to capitalize on. Missing Walker for any period will limit their ceiling though, no matter the steps the young guys take.

And for the Celtics, things could not start any faster. Boston opens the restart with the Bucks, having split their two meetings. In the game that Boston won Walker was instrumental, going off for 32 points. Where the presumptive MVP was only limited to 22 points. This does not seem repeatable for this opening meeting, so when we get to the Bucks we will look into the other contest.