Finally situated in his ideal role — No. 3 scorer and primary defender on a contender — Jerami Grant has trimmed the fat from his game and embraced what makes him so special. He’s lighting it up from 3, defending the everliving crap out of the league’s best players, and occasionally supplying points via straight-line drives.
Jamal Murray cleared accrued some rust in his year away from basketball. He’s not quite the zippy, net-scorching playmaker we last saw. Every now and then, however, we get brief glimpses of the old Murray. It’s not unreasonable to expect that, in time, he will return to his near All-Star form.
Tyrese Maxey might be the fastest player in the NBA, and he’s also (after struggling from deep in college) one of the best shooters in the NBA. He continues to diversify his shot profile, he’s much better at attacking the rim and embracing contact than he was a year ago, and we’re starting to see the passing creep toward respectability. Now, he just needs to get more stable on the defensive end.
Brook Lopez will not go away quietly. The veteran 7-footer is the current frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year in my book: a dominant shot-blocking presence with elite timing at the center of the NBA’s best defense. He’s also one of the best long-range shooters at his size.
Paolo Banchero has scored at a historic rookie rate for the Magic, immediately establishing himself as the Magic’s centerpiece and one of the most exciting young talents in the NBA. Not many 6-foot-10 forwards can create so dynamically off the dribble. As Banchero’s passing acumen expands he will only become more unstoppable.