Preseason play in the NBA can be hit or miss. Guys sit out games all the time as every coach and front office executive suddenly morphs into Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford and elects to rest their stars rather giving them more reps in a game-like situation.
The Rockets rested James Harden and Dwight Howard during last night’s game against the defending champs, but that shouldn’t totally discount the 16 minutes of fire and brimstone Steph rained down on them.
He was 6-of-7 in that brief amount of time, with only a single three-pointer to show for his 19 points. But the three-pointer was a doozy of a pull-up off the dribble — a Steph staple that’s impossible for mortals to mirror.
That three in the face of two Rockets defenders set the stage for his hesitation dribble on Brewer later in the game. Watch him pause for just a split-second at the top of the key, enough to get Brewer to commit before he takes it right to the iron for the easy lay-in.
Preseason can be a teasingly small amount of of NBA-level hoops as coaches juggle new lineups, players and schemes. But it’s also a brief look at what’s to come, and we’re pretty excited for Steph’s follow-up to his MVP. Hopefully for Dubs fans, the championship hangover won’t happen.
