3 encouraging trends to watch from preseason
No sacrifices in Golden State
The questioning began as soon as Kevin Durant announced his decision: Is there enough of the ball to go around in Golden State?
The Warriors, headlined by Klay Thompson's proclamation that he wouldn't be "sacrificing s---," insisted everyone was worrying needlessly. Given their blistering pace and altruistic willingness to share the rock, everyone would get their due touches.
Their 6-1 tear through preseason supports that stance. All three of Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are scoring and shooting on per-minute rates similar to last season.
| Statistic | Kevin Durant | Stephen Curry | Klay Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preseason Points | 29.8 | 29.4 | 26.7 |
| 2015-16 Points/36 | 28.3 | 31.7 | 23.9 |
| Preseason FGA/36 | 18.8 | 18.7 | 18.4 |
| 2015-16 FGA/36 | 19.3 | 21.3 | 18.7 |
The only Warrior who's taken a noticeable step back is Draymond Green, dropping from 14.5 points on 10.5 shots per 36 minutes last season to 8.6 points on 7.7 shots in preseason. But Green seems content to be the fourth (and sometimes fifth) option, as he also leads the team in assists.
Green has had some issues with usage in the past (most notably his "I'm not a robot" shouting spat with head coach Steve Kerr in February), so perhaps this issue crops back up later on.
Linsanity 2.0
Jeremy Lin knew what he was getting into when he signed a three-year pact with Brooklyn: He was going to lead the face of an ambitious rebuild, and wins would be hard to come by.
Brooklyn, unsurprisingly, went 1-5 in preseason while being outscored by over 10 points per game. Expect more of the same when the games count.
Unfazed by the ugliness, Lin has quietly thrived in his return to New York. In five games, Lin holds per-36 averages of 26.6 points and 8.7 assists through five starts with blistering true shooting of 77.3 percent.
His shot chart is positively picturesque.
The most encouraging sign for Lin early on is the accuracy of his jump shot. Lin's revamped shooting form led him to hit a sizzling 50 percent of his tries from deep - many of the pull-up variety - which, in turn, opened up his lethal slashing game.
Lin's shooting percentage will drop as the season goes on (he's shooting better than Curry at the moment), but he's apparently picked up right where he left off as he returns for a second bite out of the Big Apple.
Point Harden could break 44-year-old record
The last player to lead the league in both points and assists was Hall of Famer Tiny Archibald in 1973. That achievement has stood the test of time for over four decades, but a rejuvenated James Harden under Mike D'Antoni might at least come close.
Nobody scored more points than Harden over the last three seasons, so getting the scoring crown should be easy. The Bearded One has also proven remarkably durable and tops the league in minutes over the same span, which means he should have ample opportunity to produce.
What might change is the passing. As the newly appointed point guard in Houston's reincarnation of the "Seven Seconds or Less" offense, Harden leads the league in assists at 10.7 per contest - nearly three more than perpetual bridesmaid Chris Paul.
Houston knows it can't defend, so the Rockets have to outscore other teams. They've followed through on that plan by leading all teams in preseason in offensive rating (111.1) and 3-point attempts (37.9). With the bulk of that production flowing through Harden, don't be surprised to see him join Archibald in the record books.