The "I Was Wrong" All-Stars

Step one is admitting ur dumb

You beautiful freaks really enjoyed my list of Guys and because I am a man of the people, I am back with another list of guys. But this is a list that required some self-reflection (boooo!) on my part. Below are the guys I was dead wrong about; simply, I thought they were bad. Turns out, to my surprise— and chagrin, because nothing satiates my rotten heart more than being right— all these players are good!

GUARD: Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic

How I Was Wrong: I was sucked into the trap of shooting splits and didn’t quite appreciate how disruptive Suggs is on the defensive end. I was blinded by the brutal true shooting percentage and assist to turnover ratio he posted in his rookie and sophomore seasons that I wholly discounted just how rugged and tenacious of a defender he is. Even while not being much of an offensive threat, Suggs was an impactful player. And now he’s turned into a very solid shooter to boot (38.6% from 3PT) and only once his shots started falling did I think to ask “has he always been this good defensively?” and everyone said “Yeah pretty much.” What a dummy this guy (me) is, right?

Suggs has always played the trickster, the enforcer, the bulldog (go Zags) at the same time. And now he’s playing those roles better than ever before, on a solid team, while shooting well from deep. Good player. Cool player.

GUARD: Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls

How I Was Wrong: Deciding whether an NBA player is good or if they’re just young-ish and on the Lakers is a tough task. I failed the task badly with Alex Caruso. I thought he was a big joke (and maybe he was at first) so when he actually became a viable guard defender and shooter I pretended not to see. Now he’s, without hyperbole, one of the best defenders in the league and might cost a team two first-round picks if it wants to acquire his services before next week’s trade deadline. That’s a little harder to ignore.

FORWARD: Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors

How I Was Wrong: This one hurts because up until, like, a month ago, I was still in on Kuminga. Maybe not all in, but in regardless. His seemingly bi-monthly scoring outbursts during his rookie year was enough to keep me hooked… then the great games stayed rare his sophomore year, and were still far from consistent to start this season—Kuminga’s third. So I kicked the habit; I was ready to admit that Kuminga’s ceiling is more “bench wing energy guy” than “consistent scoring threat who can create on his own.” And then…

What the hell! I know Kuminga’s whole thing has been teasing us all with short stretches of high-level play, but… that’s more than just a “few nice games.”

BIG: Mo Wagner, Orlando Magic

How I Was Wrong: Well I thought he was pretty much the worst player in the league, and now he’s providing genuinely helpful minutes for the Magic so… that was really wrong. Every time I watch Orlando, Wager does something beneficial for the team. That thing is rarely “blocking a shot” because Wagner—who is 6’11— has somehow failed to block a shot in 32 of the 46 games he’s played, but slas, I’ve changed my tune on him regardless. Wagner really does bust his ass the entire time he’s on the floor and that’s almost enough to endear me on its own— but he’s also a weirdly crafty scorer, and has learned how to fill space after looking just really, really confused for about four straight years to start his career.

BIG: Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies

How I Was Wrong: I always appreciated parts of Jackson’s game (rim protection) and was left unimpressed with other parts (everything else.) But he’s grown into a passable—and at times, very impressive— offensive creator, enough so for me to eat my hat and get on the Triple J train.

Most of Jackson’s efficiency numbers are down a bit from last season because I think the Memphis Grizzlies had a hammer party where they all just smashed each other with hammers— it's the only explanation I have for all the injuries— so Jackson’s been forced into a huge offensive role. He’s shooting more midrange jumpers than ever before (37% of his shot attempts) and being assisted on far fewer of his shots than ever before too— in short, he’s earning those 21.9 points per game.

That’s a nice take on a good defender.

JJJ still has shortcomings—GET A REBOUND MAN PLEASE YOU’RE SO TALL—but he’s a perennial All-Defense candidate on one end and can create his own shot relatively often on the other. That’s more than enough to sell me.

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What I’m Listening To: Brittany Howard

Apparently Brittany Howard has been releasing music and no one told me. Fake friends. Every last one of you!

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I Have a Quest for You

I have some big updates from my foray into birding… but they will have to wait for another day. I’m giving you some homework today (but it’s gonna be fun.)

Your homework is to go get a library card this week. There is precisely one public service the US gets 100% correct and that is the public library. But our beautiful libraries will only continue to exist if we actually use them. So, wherever you live, stroll over to your library—maybe even stop for a coffee along the way— and get a card. They’re free! And it takes about 18 seconds to get one!

If you already have one? First off, that’s hot. Now use it! Check out a book or a movie or rent a camera or whatever! Then let me know when you do. I’ll give you a prize. Not sure what yet. Perhaps just my appreciation. Maybe I’ll make your face the thumbnail for everything I write on this site going forward. We’ll figure something out. Ok, bye.