Nov
2
Filed Under NBA, Commentary
Both Highly-Anticipated Rookies Show Flashes Tonight!
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
Luis Scola and Kevin Durant, two of the more intriguing rookies in the NBA this season, were impressive tonight in different ways.
With the Houston Rockets trailing by double digits in the first quarter of a road game against the Utah Jazz, Scola came in and played with some toughness. Scola, Mike James and Tracy McGrady helped lead the Rockets during a 33-point second quarter that turned a four-point deficit at the end of one quarter into an eight-point lead at halftime.
A gold medal winner with Argentina in the 2004 Summer Olympics, Scola had seven points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes. However, Scola did a lot of things that don’t show up in the box score, such as his hustle.
While those numbers may not seem too gaudy, the fact is that the heady Scola makes Houston a much more dangerous player when he is on the court. With McGrady and Ming the 1-2 guys on this team, Scola will be that perfect complement who will infuse his toughness on this team and have the guts to take big shots and keep teams honest.
As for Durant, he looked much more comfortable during the Seattle SuperSonics’ 106-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
After scoring 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting during a road loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, Durant matched that total at halftime tonight and finished with 27 points on 11-for-23 shooting. While settling too often for the three-point shot in the Sonics’ season-opener, Durant took his game inside the arc, playing a nice in-between game.
While not yet physically strong enough down low, Durant attacked veteran Grant Hill several times and also showed his smooth fundamentals, hitting a beautiful pop-back jumper at the top of the key in the first half.
Durant started slowly in the second half with only four points mid-way through the fourth quarter. However, Durant then rattled off five quick points against one of the tougher defenders in the league in Raja Bell to keep Seattle in the game. However, Durant would be shut out the rest of the way as Phoenix’ experience showed against the youthful Sonics.
Durant and the Sonics have shown thus far that they will play teams strong. However, it’s going to be a learning experience for a team this young and a player like Durant, who had six turnovers tonight.
With that said, Durant has shown that he will get plenty of shots this year. Scola won’t, but will be a vital cog on a playoff team.
Durant gets the edge in style points tonight, but Scola does a lot of things under the radar and gets the victory in terms of substance.
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Both Highly-Anticipated Rookies Show Flashes Tonight!
