A basketball fans perspective

Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Friday

The television eye

I’m unsure if it was the Wemby factor or something else, Game 1 of the NBA Finals set all kinds of viewership numbers. According to figures released nearly 17 million viewers were tuned in, it was the most watched Game 1 Finals since 2018 when LeBron James then with the Cavs faced Steph Curry and the Warriors. The number represents viewers in the U.S., the world-wide audience might be difficult to project. Perhaps it was more than The Alien being in the Finals it was the presence of the Knicks. For the first time since 1973 the Knicks were playing in the Finals.

I’m unsure how to accurately gauge a broadcast, it’s claimed the networks desire large television markets (i.e., New York, Los Angeles & Chicago). What occurs if its an Oklahoma City as it was last season and a San Antonio this season? There is no reliable method to prove my hypothesis however I believe NBA fans will arrange their schedule when possible to see the games. The NFL loves to brag about its numbers swamping those of the NBA and there is no disagreement from this corner. I could turn this television thing around and report there are more eyeballs worldwide on the NBA Finals than on the Super Bowl, notice I expressed around the world.  

A brief look

A continued survey of a few lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft. This athlete will likely be compared to his father which isn’t fair, that’s the fate of former Duke power forward Cameron Boozer. For those who might not be aware his father Carlos also played at Duke, dad was a 2002 draft pick and spent 13 years in the NBA. Most mock drafts project the 6-foot 9 255 pound Cameron between 3rd and 5th so that provides you an idea that most scouts project him so highly. Caleb Wilson who played at North Carolina is probably the most unknown lottery choice.

Wilson is 6-foot-10 and 210 pounds with tremendous leaping ability. He suffered a broken thumb in practice on February 10 and missed the rest of the season, but the injury is not expected to hurt his draft stock. Another projected lottery pick is Houston point guard Kingston Flemmings, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 185 pounds. Scouting reports say he affects the game at both ends of the floor and has drawn comparisons to De’Aaron Fox and Derrick Rose. Illinois’s Keaton Wagler will be covered individually in a forthcoming piece. That wraps up this brief look at several projected lottery picks. Could an unheralded player still move into the early lottery? That is certainly possible.

Help is on the way….maybe 

A number of players decided to return to college, based on that fact I decided to check the latest revised mock draft sites. Naturally, I hope to help my Lakers draft a post player, nbadraft.net introduced me (and maybe you) to an unfamiliar name. He’s 19-years old and his name is Luigi Suigo, measures at 7-feet 3 inches and 245 pounds. This past season was spent playing for KK Mega Basket in the ABA League. Suigo’s got a 7 foot 5 and ½ inch wingspan and a standing reach of nearly 10 feet.

Naturally, the YouTube video I could locate focused on the offensive side of his game. The negatives, perimeter defense, “He struggles with lateral quickness and burst, meaning he can get exposed when forced to switch out onto smaller, quicker guards and wings on the perimeter. He has a tendency to foul at a high rate (nearly 6 fouls per 36 minutes), largely due to positioning struggles against older, more physical pros.” After reading the scouting report is this a game changer regarding him being drafted in the first round. I don’t have an answer for that question, I do believe NBA coaching can address concerns raised in a scouting report. If an athlete on my radar is chosen ahead of the Laker pick so be it if they should pass over him that’s another matter to me. 

A portion of the schedule   

Mizzou has posted back-to-back winning seasons and earned NCAA tournament bids in both years, but many including me in Mizzou Nation—have questioned the strength of the nonconference schedule. I understand that coach Dennis Gates is trying to build a cohesive team, yet that part of the schedule has felt too light, with too few challenging opponents. In my view, there is little value in entering SEC play undefeated if the nonconference slate has not truly tested the team.

Kansas, on the other side of State Line Road, consistently schedules strong nonconference opponents. Mizzou’s schedule is not complete, but so far I think most fans will see an improvement. The teams have been scheduled however several of the dates have not been finalized. Based on this fact alone I am going to only list the teams, here are the opponents announced to this point: Buffalo, Saint Louis University, Marquette, Kansas, Nebraska, and Illinois. In the SEC/ACC Challenge, Pitt will travel to Columbia to face the Tigers. That’s not necessarily a knockout opposition lineup however in my view that is much improved over what was witnessed in past years.