amen thompson's euro floater
plus kawhi's handle and norm powell bouncing into transition threes
there's so much i could write about amen thompson. i think he's my favorite individual player to watch in the league right now.
i'm writing this after he and the houston rockets just held steph curry to 3 total points on 1/10 shooting. complete masterclass by them.
for the purposes of this post, i'm just going to highlight one of his go-to moves: the euro step floater. here's a compilation of it:
it’s crazy how explosive yet smooth it is. i particularly love how he (and his twin brother) always seem like they can float in the air for just a second longer than any other players around them.
like look how kyle filipowski is already on the floor again while amen is only preparing to release the ball:
and of course he used it to game the boston celtics a few months ago:
kawhi leonard is playing as well as he's ever played right now. i really hope he can stay healthy for this entire playoff run, because i think he and the los angeles clippers have a lot left in the tank.
the thing about kawhi that goes seriously underrated is his ball handling ability. it's something most casual fans don't appreciate enough from wing players in general. so much focus goes to shooting and passing, when in reality the glue that unlocks wing players offensively is their handle. the better you can dribble, the more comfortable you are displaying other areas of your game and playmaking when defenses help.
kawhi (after year 4) has one of the best handles of any wing player ever. the thing about his handle is he doesn't necessarily have a ton of wiggle. he just has such a rare combination of technique and force.
given how great of a shooter he is, the handle he uses to get to his spots, on balance, just makes him all the more extraordinary.
dude is a machine.
speaking of the clippers, norman powell has been a delight to watch this season.
one of my favorite things he does is bounce into transition threes. he always does this behind the back during a hop into a crossover into a jumper:
https://youtube.com/shorts/o7rsibi53q4?si=rlauHSiHEhwVh2I2
just a small thing that i've come to appreciate about his game.
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