#theo is their level headed handler | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crowmagus · 2 years

Text

RANGER, Chapter 10

Beginning | Previous | Next

Algeria had experienced annihilation at a level second only to the United States, and those first weeks after starfall were indescribable. The terminology surrounding the warped reality of the star did not exist yet, and the poor soldiers could only guess at how they could provide any assistance to their countrymen. We’ll skip over this particular timeframe to avoid upsetting dear Aphid.

It was about two months in, when the foreigners arrived... there was no handing off of power, or explanation from the Algerian Government; the Europeans simply appeared and took control.

Suddenly, Aphid was part of a unit that belonged to a foreign power - and he was expected to follow their orders. The foreigners brought with them enough stability and funding that nobody asked any questions.

His handler was a French woman who spoke in hypnotizing bursts of dispassionate excitement. She was paradoxical in almost all her behaviors. She walked with a stumbling gait, but never, ever tripped. She was beautiful, yet repulsive. She never made eye-contact with anyone, but you could always feel her staring right at you.

She insisted on being called either Doctor, or Damage, but never Dr. Damage.

Aphid’s training was a well crafted regimen of both physical and mental training, which seemed bizarre to everyone except for those who had designed it.

In the mornings, he was introduced to the basics of Neo-Causiology - one of the many fields of science which had burst into existence after starfall. Neo-Causiology (or neo-causality) is not something you should bother trying to internalize besides for the following phrase, hammered into the heads of every trained Ranger:

“Everything happens for a reason, except when it does not.”

In the afternoons, “Materia Theos 101”.

This class described those impossible anomalous materials and effects found in the wake of Starfall. Early researchers named them Materia Theos - “God Material”. It had started out as an informal, mocking name, but like most temporary things it became permanent.

Materia Theos, MTs, or ‘Empties’ as Rangers would call them, came in a wide array of shapes and sizes. At this time, they outlined a few of the common ones they had encountered - a fraction of what we would discover in the coming years.

‘Goo’

Goo was, and is, the most common MT by volume. It’s often found on the surface in puddles or ponds of thick gray liquid. It is never initially found in direct sunlight, always in shade. It is a room temperature superconductor, and is used in all new technologies utilizing MT power sources, as it is the only material that can handle their power output.

‘Sparkler’

Sparklers are thumb sized gray-blue octahedrons covered in a prism-like fractal pattern in which a number of other octahedrons can be seen. They contain energy which can power a small city for up to 5 years, though this time estimate is growing as the field of MT Technologies evolves. There is no known method by which they can be recharged..

‘Halo Beads’

Marble sized golden spheres. Each sphere, when not in contact with organic matter, spins in a one-inch diameter circle aligned relative to gravity, generating enough force to move aside 3.6 kilograms / 8 pounds of matter. The beads connect to each other with a sort of magnetism - though they are easily unpaired. Each connected bead increases the diameter of the circle twofold, as well as the force they output.

‘Gleam’

A sort of tangible light which dances a few feet above the ground - similar in appearance to the Auroras. Gleam has a warm, stringy feeling to it. It has a wide array of medical uses, and is often paired with non-anomalous medicine to increase its effect.

There were more, but we’ll save them for later in that narrative so as to not bore you.

In the evenings, Aphid underwent ‘therapy’ with Damage. The therapy was exceedingly unusual, and took anywhere from 5 minutes to 6 hours.

The first time he met with her, he was asked to sit on the concrete floor with his legs crossed while she laid on a lounge couch across from him.

“What is your favorite food?” she asked.

After a few moments of consideration, and knowing better than to question her, he answered “Shakshouka”.

Half a second later, she shot back. “What if it was plain basmati rice? What kind of human would you be then?”

She then got up off of the couch, walked out of the door behind Aphid, and locked him inside.

He waited patiently like a good little soldier for 30 minutes, before standing up and attempting to leave the room. The door, of course, was locked, and not wanting to cause any problems he began wandering around the room. Besides for a plain gray carpet, and the lounge couch there was nothing, not even a window.

He laid down on the couch and stared at the drop ceiling. His initial reaction to Damage’s question had been, of course, confusion. However, after this confusion had passed, he had answered privately to himself that he would probably be a rather boring man if his most favorite food in the whole world was plain rice.

Then again, he thought, there’s something inherently unique about having plain rice be your favorite food. It would be a conversation starter for one thing, and anyone you told would surely want you to elaborate. No doubt it would be hard to forget the man who likes plain basmati more than anything else.

Not only that, but you could easily (and cheaply) make your favorite food. Hell, he could make a week's worth of food in minutes. It would be easy to pair the rice with meat, or vegetables to make it more nutritious.

No doubt that the Aphid-of-Basmati would be healthier, happier, and more popular with his peers.

With this conclusion, he heard the door unlock. But by the time he got up and opened it, there was nobody on the other side.

3 notes · View notes

enkelimagnus · 3 years

Text

Raised Jewish

Bucky Barnes Gen, 2709 words, rated M for Hydra shit

Jewish Bucky Barnes, pre TFATWS, post Endgame

Bucky's therapy session with Dr Raynor takes a turn for the worse when Raynor starts asking him about his identity.

TW: queer used as a slur, mention of Bucky's 1945 "death", Raynor being the worst therapist

Read on AO3

Part 5 of Making a Home - the Jewish Bucky series

--------------

Dr Raynor isn’t nice.

She’s not kind, or sweet. She doesn’t speak the way Sam does when he’s trying to figure out if Bucky’s okay. She’s harsher, more commanding. She seems more used to orders than to niceties, and so is he.

Yet, he can’t stand it.

He can’t stand her. He can’t stand the way she looks at him, with her notebook and her pencil clicking. He can’t stand her questions, and the fact she knows everything he’s talking about. She has access to all his files, the Hydra ones, the Army ones, everything. She knows everything about him.

Why is she asking all these questions? Why is she even pretending to give a fuck? She’s here for a paycheck, and he’s here because he has to be. He suffers through this shit because he doesn’t want to go back to prison.

He spent one month in the Raft after Stark’s funeral. They put him in custody the day after Steve left, and he was there until his trial. It was hell. Claustrophobic and silent and… he has to breathe in deeply whenever he thinks about the absolute despair of that month.

The whole prison smelled like seawater and cleaning products, there was a heavy, unmistakably nefarious bracelet around his left wrist, and the cell was too small. Way too small.

Bucky closes his eyes and inhales deeply, trying to chase the phantom of the Raft’s smell from his nostrils. He gets drying flowers and washed out perfume instead, coming from the vase on the table by Dr Raynor’s chair and from the woman herself. It’s not unpleasant, as far as smells go.

He’s stopped paying attention for a moment, and when his eyes refocus, she’s staring at him with that pinched look that says she’s expecting him to explain what he was thinking about, what pulled him from the session and made him lose focus. She hates when he’s not focused.

He sets his jaw and shifts his fingers in his gloves, hearing leather creak over his left knuckles, and stares right back at her, silent. He doesn’t like talking to her about the things in his head. He’s fought for them too long and too hard to give them to the first person he’s told to give them to.

She’s the closest to a handler he’s had since Colonel Helmut Zemo in Berlin. Or, as he introduced himself back then, Doctor Theo Broussard. What is it with Bucky and shrinks?

“I see our usual conversation isn’t enough to keep your attention, James,” she says. It feels like a reprimand. She says ‘James’ the way handlers said ‘Soldier’. Like it’s a threat.

He stays stubbornly silent. He’s always been the stubborn kind. Hard to get through, hard to break. Much stronger people than Dr Christina Raynor have attempted to break their way into his mind. They had to torture him to do so.

“Let’s change subjects then,” she nods, and pulls her notebook out. Bucky wants to scream. It’s not red, but it feels red.

“I think it’s time we dive deeper into your identity.”

Alarm bells go off in his mind and he freezes. Your identity . What is she referring to? What does she know? There are things that Bucky prays aren’t in the files. Things he never wants anyone to ever find out, especially her. Old instinctual fears of teenagehood suddenly rise and the leather creaks harder, the sound mixing with the wiring noises of the arm. It’s a quiet threat wrapped in a sound, like a wolf’s warning growl.

“Please remember to control yourself, James.”

She’s so very good at reminding him he’s only free because she wants him to be. The second he shows any sort of aggression, he’ll be put back in that tiny cell, with that bracelet and won’t see the sun for the rest of his overly long life. He knows it. He can feel it.

His obedience is part of the deal he made with the government. He has to comply with their demands. And that includes humoring Dr Raynor.

“What do you want to dive into?” He asks, letting his irritation obviously show. She can’t take that from him. He will comply, but fuck them if they believe he’ll do it without attitude.

If she starts asking about his relationships and Steve, he doesn’t know what he’ll do. He can’t escape. He’s trapped in this room, with this woman, until she decides that their session is over. This is the price of his freedom.

He can’t tell her, or anyone, about Steve. He can’t do that to him, to his name, to his legacy. He just can’t stain him this way. It’s the kind of secret that has to die with him. Captain America can’t be a queer.

He forces himself to stay still, to not let nervous motions betray his emotional state, and he just waits to see what Dr Raynor knows. The other shoe will drop. He’s just trying to prepare for it.

She drums her pencil against the side of the horrible notebook and exhales through her nose, obviously irritated by his attitude. He just stares back at her.

“I’ve read your files, James,” Dr Raynor starts, the way she does so often. “And you’ve mentioned the word shul some time ago. I’m guessing you did not use it to mean school. You don’t have German ancestry.”

Bucky relaxes a little at that. Alright, it’s not about Steve. He silently thanks anyone who might be listening.

“My mother spoke a little German,” he replies conversationally. From what he remembers, it was only bits and pieces, picked up from growing up in a large city. It was probably mostly Yiddish.

“You were raised Jewish.”

Bucky can’t help the full body shift at that. He bristles. It feels like an attack, like an accusation. It feels ugly and menacing coming from that woman who knows too much. It feels disgusting in her mouth.

What does she want him to answer to that? What does she want from him?

He knows he’s not much of a Jew anymore. He knows what he’s done is too much, too ugly, too against everything he was ever taught. He was taught to save lives even if it breaks religious rules, to take care of people, to be kind and helpful and make sure to do good in the world and all he’ll ever be remembered for is ugly disgusting acts of horror.

He knows all of what he was raised to be is gone. He’s pretty sure it was gone the instant his hand slid on the train railing and he felt himself pulled down by gravity.

That moment where he saw the horror and anguish written all over Steve’s beautiful face. That moment where he knew he’d never see his mother again. His sisters. That moment he screamed in fear but tried to drink in Steve’s face for the last time. As if it could make it less terrifying and painful and lonely.

There was too much time during the fall. Too much time for him to think and feel. I’m going to die alone. He’d wanted to die old with his loved ones or the Chevra Kadisha with him. No one’s supposed to die alone.

The pain had been blinding. Some nights, he can hear his own wails again. Life and death have that in common. The screams.

“James.” Dr Raynor’s voice snaps him back to the present and she still looks pissed at him.

Bucky exhales and his breath is shaky. Panic curls into his bones. He can feel something inside of him tremble and he looks at the window. He could jump through it. Escape it that way. There are no bars on the window, it’s just glass, and it’s only two levels high. It’s doable, easy even. It won’t hurt that badly. He inhales, deep. Ayo taught him that one. Breathing. Focus on your body rather than on the storm in your mind, White Wolf.

He focuses on his body, but mostly on Ayo. The memory of her is strong and firm in his mind, in the same way she talks and walks. Ayo’s eyes always have weight. The kind of weight - smothering or comforting - depend on how he behaves. He’s trying to be good. He’s trying to be good for Wakanda, for Ayo, and for Princess Shuri and for King T’Challa.

Dr Raynor should be the one helping him, not the memory of Ayo.

He calms down, eventually, and sighs deeply, closing his eyes for a second. There’s a clock ticking loudly. It’s a wonderful sort of noise for him in this moment. It’s rhythmic and predictable.

“I was,” Bucky replies to Raynor’s earlier comment. He was raised Jewish.

In all truth, he was born Jewish more than he was raised Jewish. At least that’s what his father would say. That he was born into a legacy, born into a community. Born to sing songs in age-old tongues. Born with knowledge and strength in his soul.

He hasn’t thought about those words in years.

“You don’t talk about it.”

Why would he? There’s nothing to say. Words and experiences that he’s half-forgotten over the time, that he doesn’t have anyone to share with anymore. Community and family were such important parts of every ritual, and now he’s alone. Completely and utterly alone.

“There’s nothing to say,” he says out loud.

Raynor crosses her legs and leans back in her seat, watching him. “I would expect there’s a lot. You worked for an organisation that was born from Hitler’s government. You spent seventy years furthering nazi ideology and agenda.”

Bucky wants to scream. It’s salt in an open wound. It’s violent. He closes his eyes and tries to keep his cool. He can’t lose it here. He has work to do still, amends to make still, in the free world, and he is so desperate to stay out of prison.

“I know,” he replies. His voice is so tight it might break any second.

He knows. He’s very intimately aware of what he did, what it meant, who he was for seventy godforsaken years. He’s aware that it means he can’t possibly claim that part of his life back. He can’t be a Jew anymore. Not after being a Nazi agent for so long.

Even if he wasn’t actually one, even if he had no choice. He killed people and said ‘Hail Hydra’ and made the world a worse place every day of his existence. His actions are why fascism has such a prominent place in today’s political landscape. He’s responsible for it, for putting people in power, for killing good people. It’s on him. It isn’t his fault. It’s still on him.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he tells Dr Raynor, and now his voice is quiet. “Not to you. Not to anyone. Ever.”

How can this part of his life possibly be of interest to the government? Do they think his jewish upbringing means he’s less likely to go back to Hydra and their neo-nazi friends? Do they see him reclaiming that part of his identity one more reason to keep him free? Is it a ploy? Is this going to be used against him, again? Can’t he have one thing in his life that isn’t used by someone else for their gain?

“It could be a way for you to form connections.” As if she gives a flying fuck if he has friends and family. As long as he doesn’t start killing people, comes to his appointments and does whatever the government tells him like a good fucking dog, he can pretty much go fuck himself.

He doesn’t know if he’s ever felt this angry with her before.

How dare she touch this part of his life? How dare she prod him about it, let him know she knows? How dare she take that one thing that no one has been able to touch before?

Even Hydra didn’t know.

They never asked, his dog tags had P on them, and there are a lot of other Americans that were circumcised. They didn’t know.

But she does. The US government does. And he can’t have it be his secret anymore.

“Stop,” he asks, louder than he expected. “Stop, I said no.”

As if that has ever stopped anyone. As if those words have ever brought him anything but renewed suffering.

He doesn’t see her anymore. His eyes are open but he can’t see anything, and he’s panicking and he wants to run so far away. He wants to leave Brooklyn, and leave the US, and disappear and never come back. Fuck his pardon, fuck Sam, fuck everything and everyone, and he can go back to living in Romania and having no name and no handlers and no one.

He stands up suddenly and she flinches. She’s scared of him. Of course she is.

“The session’s not over,” Raynor tells him quietly, calmly, despite her earlier flinch. “Sit back down.”

“No,” he bites back.

He’s trapped, and he can’t actually leave because they’ll put him in prison for it, and he can’t do anything but stand there and shake with barely controlled emotion and try to wait it out. But he doesn’t have to take her orders, and he doesn’t have to be happy about it, all he has to do is be here and answer with more than a grunt.

He can say no. She can’t make him sit down. She’s not strong enough. Physically, anyway.

It takes on average three expertly-trained soldiers to take him down, and that’s when he’s half-starved and in pain. He’s been eating well, he’s clear of any sedative, and he’s not in physical pain. There is no way she can take him down, unless she has a gun. But in this room, if she makes a move for a gun; he’ll snap her wrist before she manages to touch it. She can’t do shit.

“Alright then,” she nods.

He narrows his eyes. She should be mad at him.

She looks down at her notebook and back at him. He stares at her, glares at her, trying to convey that if she starts writing in that fucking book, shit is going to happen. So she doesn’t.

“Why is this upsetting to you?” She asks him, back to her bullshit questions, and it makes Bucky want to punch something, anything. But he can’t.

Everything he has is devoted to controlling himself. His gloves creak again, with the exertion of containing his fists. The prosthetic is loud in the silence, threatening. At least it’s loud to him.

“I said no.”

“So it’s all off limits?”

He nods. “Yes.”

Boundaries, that’s what they’re called. And that part of his identity is behind the line. He thought he was ready to talk about everything that’s in the files, but he was wrong. Not that. Never that.

Dr Raynor sighs heavily, looking away from him. He can tell she’s only pretending, trying to make him feel a little more at ease.

“I need to know about these things, James.”

He huffs. “I’m doing the work you want me to do. I have a quiet life.”

“You’ve told me about the shul already,” Dr Raynor points out.

“Yeah. I did.” And it was a mistake.

He just wants to be left alone. He wants to do his job and be left alone. And she doesn’t get that. She scoffs when he tells her he wants peace and serenity, she needles him about the things he’s not ready to say. He’s pretty sure she’s not a good therapist, and he literally doesn’t have any other experience.

Dr Raynor sighs heavily again, parading her irritation out to him. He doesn’t move.

“Well. We won’t get anywhere today. You’ve won. The session’s over, you can go home.”

You’ve won. He tastes something sour.

He shoves his hands in his pockets and nods at her. There’s no use in dignifying her with much of anything. He mumbles ‘goodbye’ because he was raised right by his ma and calls it a fucking day.

He’s pretty sure he finishes his pack of cigarettes by the time he gets home.

#jewish bucky series #bucky barnes #dr christina raynor #jewish bucky barnes #mine #fic #marvel

5 notes · View notes

actualmanedrasa · 6 years

Text

NEED SOME HELP IN THE COLI? WOULD LIKE A WARRIOR ON YOUR SIDE? DON’T HAVE OR NEED A LVL 25 DRAGON? LOOK NO FURTHER!

Rasa’s Level 25 Dragon Rentals!

I have got NINE level 25 fighting dragons, fully stoned, and willing to fight for you! All come with lore if you’re looking to have some stories woven for the once-a-year battle!

Pay a daily fee or a full fortnight fee!

Payment & Rules:

You can rent up to THREE dragons.

Must give me one of your dragons as a collateral in the crossroads so I know you’ll give my babies back.

Full payment up front OR half up front and half after OR pay daily.

10g or 10kt a Day per Dragon

120g or 120kt for the full festival per Dragon

(ex. for three dragons for the full festival would be 360g or 360kt)

I am always willing to haggle or do payment plants!

Under the cut for the Dragons that’ll fight for you and how to rent one!

The Dragons in Question:

Theo - Current leader of the Ventusians. Young, funny, pretty stressed. Interested in friends and possible alliances always. TAKEN!

Brion - Head Guard of the Ventusians. Not fully dragon. Silent, easy to work with, a human shield. Preference weapon is a bow. TAKEN!

Saga - Guard of the Ventusians. First and only Guardian of the clan. Big, loyal, strong. Preference weapon is a battle axe. TAKEN!

Auster - Perimeter Guard of the Ventusians. Fast, silent, pretty boy. Known for not being seen or heard until he is on his prey. Loves music. TAKEN!

Kohilo - Animal Handler of the Ventusians. Boisterous and impulsive, but she gets results. Preference weapon a butterfly net?

Var - Doctor of the Ventusians. Scary. That’s it, he’s downright scary. Best healer the clan knows.

Gizmo - Hunter of the Ventusians. Baby of the eUsbrod family. Doesn’t talk, angry, tenacious. Preference weapon is his sword that was made for him.

Weatherby - Head of the Ice Post. Ice Mage. Annoying, somewhat short, and followed by a flock of Storm Seekers. Preference weapon is his magic imbued staff. TAKEN!

Morgan (Sheep) - A traveler. Blind, talkative, Shade-touched. Always looking to do something, fighting it is! Preference weapon is a bow.

If you read the rules, when you contact me say Paper Lantern.

How to Contact me for a Rental:

Here on tumblr via messenger @ actualmanedrasa

My flightrising via mail @ Galaxial 72869

On Discord via messenger @ LordEvan #8056

If you wanna do some lore stuff, let me know!

#rasa rentals

35 notes · View notes

junker-town · 4 years

Text

Julius Randle has become the player he was always meant to be

How Julius Randle finally found the right situation to become an All-Star.

Julius Randle’s teammates blocked him from the microphone set up in Madison Square Garden to offer an opening statement on his behalf. Randle had just dropped 44 points on the Atlanta Hawks to carry his New York Knicks to their third straight victory, and his support cast had a message they wanted to share with the world before he began his post-game interview

“If this man’s not an All-Star, there’s a problem,” said Theo Pinson while surrounded by R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. They weren’t wrong.

In his seventh NBA season, Randle has blossomed into the leader of an alarmingly competent Knicks team during head coach Tom Thibodeau’s first season in charge. Randle is putting up career-best numbers in scoring (23.1 points per game), assists, and rebounding, where’s he’s top-10 in the league. He’s also second in the NBA in minutes per game.

A year after finishing 21-45 and being one of eight teams to miss the season restart in the bubble, the Knicks are one game under .500 and fighting for playoff position. If the season ended today, New York would be the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. A Knicks defense that finished No. 23 last year has jumped to No. 3 under Thibodeau, and young players like Barrett and Quickley have turned into dependable performers overnight. None of this would be possible without Randle’s star turn, though.

While he’s still only 26 years old, the thought of Randle putting together an All-Star season at this point in his career felt like a long shot. Not anymore. The talent Randle has shown from an early age has always been there, he just needed a team that could put him in the best position to succeed. It’s all coming together in his second season with the Knicks.

It wasn’t all that long ago when Randle was considered one of the brightest young basketball prospects in America. As a high school senior out of Prestonwood Christian in Plano, Texas, Randle was considered a consensus top-three prospect in the class of 2013 with Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. The 6’9 forward built his reputation bulldozing through overmatched teenagers, but his physicality wasn’t the only part of his game that made him such a tantalizing long-term prospect.

The vision of Randle as a future NBA star was on display as he arrived in Chicago for the 2013 McDonald’s All-American Game. In the practices leading up to the game, Randle’s talent jumped off the floor for his burgeoning skill level as much as his raw power. Yes, Randle looked like the strongest player on the floor, and one of the fastest too. He was also handling the ball in transition, making reads as a passer, blowing by defenders off the dribble, and bodying opposing players at the rim.

Randle wasn’t even supposed to be a McDonald’s All-American after a fractured right foot cost him almost all of his senior season. Instead, he returned for the final five games and led Prestonwood to its second-straight state championship. If he was only a late addition to the event because of his injury, he sure didn’t look like someone coming off crutches weeks earlier against his most talented peers from around the country.

Randle’s ability to flash guard skills in the body of a throwback power forward is always what made him so intriguing. In those days, Randle’s ball handling ability was at the top of his scouting report. “A very talented ball-handler, Randle has an excellent first step and an array of shot-creating skills he can utilize in the mid or high post,” wrote DraftExpress in their first analysis of Randle in Jan. of 2012 as a high school junior.

Randle would commit to Kentucky a couple of weeks before the game, becoming the crown jewel of a class that had a record six McDonald’s All-Americans. There was buzz about a perfect season for the Wildcats as Randle arrived on campus, but Big Blue Nation would have to wait another year until it almost came true with Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker. Instead, Randle’s ‘Cats struggled to live up to expectations. Kentucky had loads of size and talent, but it had no shooting, as seems to be the case every year in Lexington. After dropping a string of games in the second half of SEC play, Kentucky was given a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament before going on a Cinderella run to the national title game that ended with a loss to UConn.

Randle entered the draft as expected, but his stock had taken a small hit. Kentucky didn’t let him create much with the ball in his hands, and didn’t have the spacing required to maximize his brutalizing drives to the basket. He watched Wiggins and Parker go 1-2, and then he fell to the Lakers at No. 7. Only 14 minutes into the first game of his NBA career, Randle suffered a broken tibia in his right leg and would miss the rest of the season.

Randle played 81 games in his second season, but that year was all about Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour. He took steps forward as a scorer and rebounder the next two years, but didn’t exactly look like the future star he was promised to be out of high school. When LeBron James committed to the Lakers on the first day of free agency in the summer of 2018, Randle asked the franchise to allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. He would sign the Pelicans for a season playing in another crowded front court with Anthony Davis. Randle would enjoy the best season of his career in New Orleans, but he was on the move again in the summer.

Randle was a Knick, signing a three-year, $63 million with a team option for the third season only after the team watched Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving join their crosstown rivals in Brooklyn. No one counted on Randle to be the savior the Knicks were hoping to land in free agency, and in his first season, he looked like anything but that.

NBAE via Getty Images

Head coach David Fizdale talked about emphasizing Randle’s creation ability when he showed up in New York, but the Knicks couldn’t help but get in their own way. They spent all of their cap space on power forwards in free agency, signing Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, and Marcus Morris in addition to Randle. The season was a disaster from the opening tip-off. Fizdale was fired after a 4-18 start, and the season was essentially a wash from then on.

Both Randle and the Knicks had very little in the way of expectations coming into this year, but they did have Thibodeau on their side. While critics rolled their eyes at the hiring of another retread head coach that had long-standing ties to New York’s new front office, Thibodeau has immediately made the Knicks look more organized, disciplined, and professional. No one has benefitted more than Randle.

Thibodeau once reworked his offense with the Chicago Bulls to make Joakim Noah a ‘point-center’ in the absence of Derrick Rose to injury. He’s essentially done the same thing with Randle this year. If Randle isn’t dribbling the ball up the court after made baskets, he is the focal point of every offensive possession for New York. Thibodeau has helped simplify the game for Randle, getting him the ball in spots where he can make can make easy reads on when to attack and when to look for a teammate. Randle has made those actions even more effective by making shocking strides as a shooter.

This is how someone who wasn’t considered a top-100 player on multiple preseason lists suddenly transformed into a worthy All-Star candidate.

Randle is fully tapped into his creation skills

The playmaking boom Randle is experiencing this season hasn’t come from increased usage. His usage rate of 27.6 percent is almost identical to what it’s been the last two years. Meanwhile, his assist rate — which was exactly 15.8 percent the previous three seasons — has risen to a career-best 25.9 percent. He’s averaging two more assists per game than any of his teammates.

How is this happening? For one, Randle has the ball more than ever before even if he isn’t finishing plays. He ranks No. 6 in the league in touches this season and No. 15 in passes thrown per game, both numbers way up from last year. Randle is throwing as many passes as Draymond Green each night, and the only true bigs ahead of him are Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis.

It feels like Randle is making quicker reads with the ball. Would he make this pass last year?

Julius Randle is an all-star. RT if you agree. #NBAAllStar (via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/YPktmwQOua

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 14, 2021

Even during his big 44-point performance against the Hawks, Randle also finished with five assists. Earlier in his career he might have tried to draw a foul in this situation.

Now he can see the floor and make a pass for three points instead of two:

The Knicks run actions to get switches on Randle early in the shot clock where he tries to punish smaller defenders with his physicality. When that doesn’t work, he now has a Plan B. Randle has learned how the read the help and where to go with the ball when the defense collapses on him.

Even when it doesn’t look pretty, it can be effective:

Knicks Rook Immanuel Quickley goes for the DEEP 3 after a long pass from Julius Randle! pic.twitter.com/lTS2UBLm6q

— BenchWarmerPost (@BenchWarmerPost) February 16, 2021

As Randle’s playmaking numbers have jumped, he’s also lowered his turnover percentage from last season. Part of this is the maturity that comes with having six years of experience under your belt. Part of it is a new role in a new scheme. The final piece for Randle has been forcing defenses to respect him from new areas on the court, which has opened up the rest of his game.

Randle’s improved shooting has been remarkable

If Randle’s playmaking skills were always bubbling just below the surface, his shooting touch had to be built from scratch. After hitting only three three-pointers in his season at Kentucky, Randle made just 37 three-pointers in his next 237 games after recovering from the injury his rookie year.

Randle finally started hitting threes during his one season in New Orleans, making a remarkable jump to can 67 triples on 34.4 percent shooting. He made a similar number of threes last year with the Knicks, but saw his percentage drop to 27.7 percent. With plenty of free time on his hands after New York’s season ended in March, Randle dedicated himself to remaking his jump shot. He took up to 1,500 jumpers per day over the extended offseason, according to The Athletic. He changed his diet, stopped drinking alcohol, and got in better shape. It’s all paying off for him right now.

After going 7-for-13 from three-point range against the Hawks, Randle is now shooting 40.3 percent from behind the arc on the season on 4.4 attempts per game. He’s taking and making shots he could never dream of before.

THIS MAN IS AN #NBAALLSTAR @J30_RANDLE pic.twitter.com/mqrjBQL4pw

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 16, 2021

Randle hasn’t just improved as a three-point shooter, he’s improved as a shooter everywhere. He’s making 80.2 percent of his free throws after never hitting better than 73 percent before. He’s also taking and making way more long twos than ever before. A season ago, Randle took eight percent of his shots from between 16-feet and the three-point line and made 35.8 percent of them, per Basketball Reference. This year, he’s taking 13.6 percent of his shots from the same distance, while making a remarkable 47 percent of those attempts.

This is the look of a man who is confident shooting the ball:

Buckets. RT! #JuliusRandle x #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/ubIWaqVtxR

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 13, 2021

Randle is likely due for some regression, but it’s clear he’s put a serious amount of work into improving his shot from a variety of different situations. Play off Randle at your own risk now. He’s ready to burn you.

Julius Randle always had these skills. Now he’s turned into an All-Star

When Randle started his rise up the basketball word as a top-ranked high school player, the term ‘stretch four’ wasn’t yet widely accepted in the basketball lexicon. He entered the league just as it was seriously starting to evolve, with players at his position needing to adapt more than anyone else. It’s been a long road, but Randle has worked to fit his game into today’s league.

It’s clear that the game is slowing down for Randle in his seventh year. His ability to punish weaker defenders remains the foundation of his skill set, but there’s so much more where that came from. Randle won’t hesitate to take a jump shot with a few inches of space. Trap him and he’ll find the open teammate. He’s even playing a sizable role on a top-three defense in the league so far.

Randle isn’t just putting up numbers, he’s also helping his team win. He has a positive net rating for the first time in his career, per NBA.com.

Randle always had the ability to be an All-Star dating back his high school days when he was simply more dominant than any of his peers. He just needed the right system, right coach, and right development track. It’s all come together in his seventh season. The player powering the Knicks into playoff contention and turning into an All-Star before our eyes — this is who Julius Randle was always destined to be.

0 notes

derrickperegrine · 7 years

Photo

got a shotgun in my pocket.

a pansy drabble for @fortesques. happy birthday fran!

Night was a good time for London. Yellow street lamps burned blearily into the dark, illuminating the silent buildings in a greasy light that slid right off their rain-eaten exteriors; red buses ground loudly against the looping black streets, their wheels sounding so much rougher in the silence; and the faded black of sky felt soft and heavy, like something muffling and concealing, so thick and blurry that even the stars couldn’t shine through and spy upon the unsuspecting world.

Which suited Pansy perfectly. She was mindful not to step out of the sticky shadows looming by the street lamps’ stringy rays of light, and the noise of late night traffic masked the sound her shoes made upon the pavement. The air felt tacky against her skin, and Pansy hoped that it wouldn’t rain before she got to her target. Peregrine Derrick’s voice crackled over the legilimency link.

‘Quit worrying, Nightshade. You’re close.’

If she weren’t working with Derrick, Pansy would have strangled him in a heartbeat. But after the war, snakes must stick together and retreat back to their pits, never to rear their heads in Potter-worshipping society; they could only bare their fangs in the dark and spill their venom into the gutters. Some life.

Of course, many erased themselves, adopted new names, returned to the world shining and happy like the sun that rises from its grave in the horizon. Others fled, for being in this country -- where they lost and which they lost -- as disowned children was too painful of a memory, and a new chapter had to be written. Pansy despised these people, cowards who couldn’t live with their own words, couldn’t admit to the guilt of their own actions, couldn’t stay true to themselves. Lies masquerading as humans, cowards covering their jaundiced bellies with dazzling brocades and shadowy vestments alike.

Traitors who left their own to suffer, for fear of their own comfort.

Then there were those who were left to live through the pain. Those who accepted the burden of their actions, those who shouldered the curse of their reputation, those who accepted the truth of the world they were living in. Those who were like her friends, Draco, Theo, Blaise, Daphne, and Astoria. Life was hard for them, but they did not hide from it. They understood the rules -- you reap what you sow; and so they willingly ate their bitter fruits.

Then there were people like her. People like Peregrine Derrick, Millicent Bulstrode, Lucian Bole, Graham Montague, Adrian Pucey, and Cassius Warrington. There were the vengeful. To live a life of resignation, acceptance, or escape was not a life, they firmly agreed. A person must live their lives by their own terms; one must fight to claim what they had previously lost.

And they had lost a lot. Fame, family, friends, fortune, familiarity. What was once their birthright had been ripped from their hands by the war, and they knew exactly who was responsible. Pansy came up to the house she was assigned to target. Her hand hovered preparedly over her wand. They knew exactly who was responsible, and they were going to make them pay -- an eye for an eye.

‘Nightshade, do you have eyes on the target?’ Derrick’s voice palpitated through the connection.

Looking through the window, Pansy could see a figure rustling within the house. ‘Affirmative, Falcon.’

Pansy withdrew her wand, a sleek thing, a cold thing, and not the same thing she owned when she was in school. She was not the same thing. None of them were. Now Pansy was Nightshade, Peregrine -- Falcon, Cassius became Angel ... they were things stuck between human and shadow, existence and nonexistence. When she walked up the front doorsteps now, her shoes made no sound. Silently, she twirled the wand in her hand and traced the shape of an alohomora in her mouth. The lock clicked open. No, they were not human. They were ruination.

As she stepped through the door, Pansy considered almost amusedly how little effort this one had taken to break into; just a simple alohomora. The aurors could have gotten this one, if they were clever enough to find it. Derrick’s voice buzzed again. ‘Don’t let down your guard just yet, Nightshade.’

‘Do you have a location for me, Falcon?’ She scanned her surroundings and found them typical -- the room was only dimly lit by muggle lightbulbs, however the furniture was fanciful, familiar. The furniture was obviously dryad-work, with intricate nature motifs and the soft hum of forest magic that she could feel in her wand.

This was definitely a mark’s house. ‘He’s in the study,’ Derrick said.

‘Didn’t even bother to hide, huh?’

Derrick laughed, and it was a lightweight yet brassy sort of thing that Pansy never liked. ‘No, he never knew we were coming.’

How annoying, Pansy thought to herself, now he’ll get startled and put up a fight.

‘That’s half the fun,’ Derrick said, and Pansy was instantly reminded of why she didn’t like him. She found Pucey a more compatible handler -- he never uttered a single unnecessary letter, for one. But he was also on field duty tonight -- Footprint was following another target.

Pansy waved her wand in a casting motion, and a pale blue film fell onto the room before her, draping it in an almost eery glow. Some places glowed brighter than others -- warded and booby trapped. Pansy held out her wand as she moved forward.

The first impediment was the standard anti-intruder jinx, which Pansy removed with ease as instinctual as breathing. Its complicated layers of alarms, restraints, and jinxes used to frustrate her, but now it was the most predictable and commonplace of all spells. Pansy traced her way around it, disabling all of its protocols and functions, and it let her in as the house’s new mistress.

She effortlessly disabled a horn-tongue hex, an ear-shrivelling curse, and a jelly-legs curse. She couldn’t tell if her mark was being careless, overconfident, fearless, or if he’s simply given up. ‘It could also be a trap,’ Peregrine said, his voice suddenly serious. The brightness was gone from his demeanor and it made Pansy more alive for it. Finally, some gravity coming from Derrick.

With a flick of her wand, Pansy nullified the finger-removing jinx from the doorknob. She wrapped her hands around the spell-cooled metal, and turned.

Immediately Thorfinn Rowle cast an entrail-expelling curse towards her and Pansy nullified it with a confringo. She learned early on that casting a curse was more effective in blocking a spell than casting a protego. A trap, then. He raised his wand to cast again, but Pansy wasn’t here to fight tonight. She had other things to do. She was here to decimate.

‘Stop playing around,’ she said, and Rowle’s wand snapped cleanly in two. Incantations don’t matter, it’s intent that makes a spell, Millicent always said. Rowle looked at his broken wand in disbelief and, briefly, terror. He made a dash to burst out of the window to his left, but Pansy simply said, ‘You’re not going anywhere,’ and the ropes of an incarcerous bound themselves tightly against his thin frame.

The former Death Eater tripped and fell onto his face. Pansy walked over and turned him over with her shoe. He wore a fugitive’s face, thin and sallow, and his hair was long and heavy with neglect, pooling behind his head like an oil spill. Pansy felt disgust curl in her stomach like a slick snake. ‘What are you going to do to me?’ he asked, his voice weak and trembling like a candle flame in the dark.

‘I’m going to kill you,’ Pansy replied as she unhooked her knife from her belt.

They all had their different methods of going about it. Cassius, or Angel, was a merciful boy who simply used the Killing Curse. Millicent lived up to her name of Hellcat by stalking her marks and strangling or drowning them silently; she didn’t care to make a fuss. Graham, who was known as Cracker, hated to leave evidence so he usually blew up his marks. Like Millicent, Adrian, or Footprint, was a stalking sort of killer, who’d egg his marks into traps he’d set earlier -- he hated to dirty his hands. Peregrine, or Falcon, was a furious and messy sort of personality; he preferred to deal with his marks on a more personal level, with fists and boots and Quidditch bats. And Lumos -- Lucian -- was a sly person who enjoyed leaking out information about his mark into the public, bringing their whereabouts to light, until terrified of this omniscient force, his mark would reveal themselves to the aurors, to be arrested and taken to eternity in Azkaban, where he would be far, far away from the light and from Lucian.

Together they were known as the Last Meal. It wasn’t a glamourous name -- The Daily Prophet came up with it, the tawdry rag -- but they lived up to it. They were a group of anonymous assassins, hitmen, and bounty hunters who took out the remaining Death Eaters at large. They took care of it simply because as figures who were close to Death Eaters, they knew their habits, their information, their contacts; and as victims, they were by far the most forgotten and unavenged group.

For who remembered the sufferings of Slytherin children at the hands of Death Eaters? Who remembers the expectations imposed upon them, onerous in their ‘or else’s and repercussions? Who else remembers the mental and physical torture of having to live under such intense fear, to live in the very heart of darkness itself? And watch it engulf you, a hungry demon, and slowly melt your resolve in the acid of its stomach? Who else remembers the life left behind for them? The ‘future’ that both ‘revolutionary’ sides fought for? Peace and prosperity only for those who chose the side of Harry Potter, disdain and forgetting for those who chose otherwise.

No, no one wants to remember the silent little snakes who daren’t speak up against their parents for fear of an Unforgivable cast upon them, no one wants to remember the fucked up kids who didn’t know how to deal with this except to fake their loyalty to their families. No one wanted to avenge their suffering, and no one wanted to demand reparations for their wounds. And so they had to do it themselves.

They had to hunt down these wizards and witches, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Pain, humiliation, fear, anger, helplessness ... those hatchlings you stepped on have fangs too, they have venom too. And they remember you.

The Last Meal were more effective than the aurors -- they had insider information, and they didn’t care for the political and social repercussions of their actions. They burned with a thirst for retribution and justice that society wouldn’t give them, so fuck the Ministry of Magic. Utterly useless as always, no matter who was helming the bureaucratic machine. The Last Meal realised that, if you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself.

‘Please, spare me ... I’ll give you whatever you want ... I still have galleons, and you can have this house, too ...’ Rowle pleaded feebly beneath her. Pansy thought of the life she could have had. She and her friends living happily, all with the jobs they wanted, functioning members of society. She would see Draco and Theo smile again, and Daphne would shine radiantly beneath the sun instead of hiding in her house. Adrian and Terence would be playing Quidditch professionally like they deserve to, and Lucian would perhaps even join the aurors. Peregrine would be travelling the world instead of glaring holes at the walls all the time --

‘Stop wandering off and kill him already,’ Peregrine said through the connection, his voice dry and harsh with irritation. Pansy could imagine the expression on his face, as if he just had to witness something supremely stupid and beneath him.

‘Shut the fuck up,’ she said aloud, angry at Derrick’s dismissal. But he was right. There’s no point dwelling on what you can’t have. Dreams don’t come true for disgraced Slytherins.

‘Please ...’ came the voice from underneath her shoes.

Pansy looked back at Rowle, her black eyes empty and her hair curtained around her face like a grim reaper’s hood. She didn’t say a word as she dropped her knife on him, the knife falling directly above his heart.

It sank in with a disgustingly human sort of sound, soft and squelchy and somehow like a sigh, but Pansy was used to it at this point. She’d lost count of how many Death Eaters she’s killed. She didn’t care to count in the first place.

Rowle’s face went slack, and it was even softer and inhumanly shapeless in death, like a sheet of melting wax over a skeleton. This is what fear does to a person, Pansy thought to herself, I won’t let it control me again, like it did before. Blood pooled behind Rowle’s body, reaching out towards Pansy, as if looking for the culprit. She walked around his corpse and yanked her knife out. She wiped off the blood with a clean handkerchief, opened the study’s window, and whistled for a crow.

There was a rustling as the bird made its way over. Pansy handed the bloodied handkerchief to the bird, who took it and made off in the direction of the aurors. She then closed the window, and wiped her prints off of it.

She also wiped her prints off of the doorknobs on her way out. She closed the front door behind her with her wand. ‘Nicely done, Nightshade,’ Peregrine said.

‘I’ll be seeing you around, Falcon,’ she replied, and turned off their connection. She cast a tempus charm and saw that it was two in the morning. Although she should probably sleep if she were to wake up in time for tomorrow’s new assignment briefing, she was giddy with the high of the kill -- less the pure rush of power you have over a someone else, more the intense relief of having wiped out another name on your ledger -- and so she decided to grab something to drink as a celebration of sorts. Walking into the shadows, she apparated back to South London.

She popped into a 24 hours Tesco and purchased a bottle of gin. She fed Muggle money into the self-check out register, and left the store to return to her flat. It was a small one, but it was cozy and obviously lived in, not aloof and untouchable like the manor she grew up in.

As she opened the bottle and took a swig out of it -- what’s the point of using a glass if you were just going to drink alone -- her Muggle phone lit up. Did something turn up with the others? Was she being called as back up?

She picked it up and could barely believe the words being thrown into her face by the intense light of the gadget.

I know it’s you whose been taking them out. -- Harry P.

Fuck, fuck how did they find out? How did the aurors find out? Did Montague go overboard with the magic again and leave a magical signature? And how the fuck did they get her Muggle phone number --

Her phone flashed again.

I’m not angry.

She almost scoffed. Like she gave a fuck.

I want you to join us.

Pansy wanted to think that she couldn’t imagine that Harry Potter was offering her -- or perhaps, the entire gang of the Last Meal -- to join the Aurors. But this was a completely Potter thing to do.

Sod off, she typed back, and tossed the phone onto the table. She waved her wand and turned on the radio, and took another drink from the bottle.

There was a knock on the door that chilled Pansy to the bone.

I’m outside. Her phone read.

Pansy put down the bottle, and picked up her wand. She set up extra defenses around her flat and herself, and adopted a dueling stance. Just like Potter not to back down, she thought. But she wouldn’t be intimidated into joining his gang. She’s had enough of that sort of pressure.

Her phone flashed again.

At least let me join you.

#tw: murder #pansy parkinson #harry potter #peregrine derrick #hp fanfiction #hp edit #saladstuff #saladfic #saladedits #the last meal

90 notes · View notes

ramrodd · 5 years

Video

youtube

What Does "O Come All Ye Faithful" Mean? (Including the super-secret mystery verse)

COMMENTARY:

Matthew is the outlier of the 4 Gospels in that it is a polemic composed to support the Judaizers that oppose Paul. HIs version of Jesus before His bar mitzvah is heavily influenced by the qualities of kabbalah that emerge from the study of the Torah. The Magi connect the dots between Melchizedek and, and for, the author of Hebrews via the 7 kings of Rome and Socrates' cup of wrath, which is why it is included in the Roman canon.

The Roman canon is determined by a secret Christian society in the Praetoreon Guard. Apparently, it was dangerous to be associated with Christianity virtually from the get-go, that is, from the time Tiberius proposed Jesus as a legal deity as recorded by Tertullian. The author of Hewbrews is the authorized voice of this clandestine organization, probably the chairman of the intelligence committee that originally received the intelligence from Palestine regarding the Resurrection of Jesus as fast as any communication from Caesarea could get to Rome, probably no later than Pentacost if not before. Elements from the Gospel of Peter, with the angels and resurrected Jesus that stretched up to the sky that were part of the Q source. The Gospel of Mark is a follow-up report from Cornelius in Palestine during Caligula's reign based on the de-briefing of Peter in Acts 10.

Theophilus is Luke's connection to the Roman intelligence services, his handler, so to speak. Luke was already preparing a amicus brief while Paul was in custody and before Luke was introduced to Cornelius and was able to interview him and Peter regarding their interview. My inferrence from the two salutations in Luke and Acts is that Luke has a copy of both Mark and Matthew and he is specifically de-politicalizing Matthew's polemic of the Judaizing stuff and shaping the narrative to not offend Roman theo-political sensibilities, number one, and number two, capturing the existing oral tradition of the living memory of the Christian community around 60 in Jerusalem and Galilee. Cornelius makes the same cameo as Matthew in order to establish the context of Acts X in the narrative. Cornelius is very clearly the centurion in Luke 7 and the centurion in Luke 7 is very clearly the centurion in Matthew 8. And Matthew 8:10 and Luke 7:9 is the only time besides Genesis 15:6 when God justifies someone by faith.

Cornelius is not the centurion in Mark 15:39. Cornelius is a centurion at the climax phase of his career, a product of the Praetorian Guard's farm system for producing centurions for senior administrative position to support the diplomatic/executive track of the Praetorian Guard Pilate is on and where Julius Caesar got his start. The centurion in Mark 15:39 is at the entry level of the centuriate, the equivalent to the Sergeant First Class/Gunnery Sergeant/E-7 pay grade of the American NCO universe. Cornelius is like a Command Sergeant Major who has become elevated to a GS-15 level or even the Schedule C political executive to act as Pilate's COS/Adminsitrative Head. Both Pilate and Cornelius survive the Sajanus purges in 31 and, while the reasons for Pilate's recall are murky, I suspect he went to Capri to brief Tiberius on the whole Christian question and Tiberius died before Pilate could secure another patron to advance his career OR he went to ground because it was dangerous to be a Christian or associated with the Christians from the get-go due to resentment to Tiberius for the Sajanus purges or on general principles. Cornelius is careful to photoshop any Roman content out of the Gospel of Mark until Jesus is dumped into Pilate's lap by the Sanhedrin. Except for Mark 15:28, which is generally considered a scribes addition like Mark 16:9 - 20, there is no Jewish theology in any of the Passion accounts, but, particularly Mark's. And whatever Jewish theology is captured by Mark is coincidental to the narrative of His actions after being baptized, in contrast to Matthew, which connects all the dots Mark has included but is essentially ignorant. Cornelius was a God Fearer before Jesus appeared in his life and his introduction was through the president of the Caperium synagogue, Jairus, who provided the testimony of his own daughter as well as the woman with the chronic flow.

So, the Gospel of Mark was written by one of the faithful God Fearers in the Praetorian Guards (the Italian Cohort) to whom "O Come, Ye, All Faithful" refers and it reflects an effortless harmonizing of the Gospels in a genre far more expansive and relective of the nature of Christianity than history, History is a subordinate element of literature, generally, and narrative, in particular. Post modern deconstruction is designed to squeeze all the juice out of narrative in order to present an accurate post-mortem of the purely material elements of any given subject. The Jesus Seminar is an example of that agenda writ large, but it is basically Marxist epistemology, the product of the Dialectic Materialism. The difference between Matt's historical model, the Jesus Seminar and Richard Carrier's "Jesus as Myth" construct is one of degree and not of kind. They are all Marxist in aspect.

And "All Come, Ye, All Faithful" and Messiah aren't.

The difference between Matt's history and the narrative of the Gospel of Mark is the difference between the desert as a lifeless wasteland of T.S. Eliot and the desert as an ocean of T.E. Lawrence. In terms of his historical model, John Dominic Crossan is clearly an old school Marxist community organizer while Matt Wittman is the opposite side of the same coin as an Evangelical proponent of the Pro-Life heresy.

Here's an exercise you can do at home for yourself: when you read any pericope in the Gospels: what is the music that accompanies your experience of the scripture. Does this fit with the music of the Solo Scripture version of the same scripture? Is the music of the Solo Scriptura version the same as, similar to or antagonistic to your music?

As the Little Prince observed, "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye", a prospect that is anathema to the historical model of both Marx and Matt Wittman.

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years

Text

Why James Wiseman is the NBA draft’s most polarizing prospect

James Wiseman is out at Memphis and is ready to turn pro.

Wiseman’s college career is over at Memphis. Debate remains over how his game translates to the NBA.

James Wiseman was considered the No. 1 recruit in America as he headed to Memphis to begin his college basketball career. He was widely projected as the early front-runner for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, too. Wiseman’s college career is now over after only three games. Amid a suspension for an illegal NCAA benefit his family received while he was in high school, Wiseman has decided to forgo his remaining eligibility, hire an agent, and start preparing for the draft.

While many are using this as an occasion to eulogize the final years of the one-and-done era or take the NCAA to task for driving one of its most exciting talents away from the sport, the bigger question is how Wiseman fits into the NBA. The team that selects him in the lottery come June will mostly be doing it off his high school tape, his physical tools, and blind faith.

The truth is that Wiseman was likely going to be one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft even if he played the full season. While ESPN’s highly respected draft team pegged him as the early No. 1 pick, there are evaluators who were all over the map on his stock coming into college. SB Nation had him as the No. 9 pick in our June mock. Other outlets have had him as low as No. 24.

Wiseman has a chance to be a great long-term player, and the NBA will give him every opportunity to succeed. But as he exits college basketball, there are a few reasons why he’s likely to garner a variety of opinions from NBA front offices.

Wiseman’s physical tools are immediately evident

Wiseman grew into the consensus No. 1 recruit in the high school class of 2019 largely because he has the ideal build for an NBA center. At 7’1, 240 pounds, with a reported 7’6 wingspan and 9’3.5 standing reach, Wiseman has tremendous length and a frame he should add muscle to over time rather easily.

Wiseman projects into a clear NBA role as a rim protector on defense, and lob threat on offense. In a modern NBA that is built around skilled guards in the pick-and-roll, Wiseman should be effective as a screener in the two-man game who rolls hard into the lane and can finish with a simple dunk or layup. He is in many ways built like Dwight Howard, only he’s entering the league at a time when big men aren’t expected to be polished in the post because those attempts aren’t all that efficient on a league-wide basis.

Wiseman’s defense will have to be his calling card. The early returns in his three games at Memphis were promising: he blocked three shots vs. South Carolina State, five shots against Illinois-Chicago, and one shot against Oregon. His three blocks per game at the college level compares favorably to his production as a high school player on Nike’s EYBL circuit, where he averaged 1.9 blocks over 21 games.

Wiseman’s physicality also aids him on the glass, where he should be an instant impact rebounder in the NBA. Wiseman averaged 10.7 rebounds per game at the college level after pulling down 6.8 per game in the EYBL.

Wiseman has a long way to go on offense

Wiseman is going to put up points just on dunks and layups around the rim. Beyond that, how his offense scales up to the next level will be one of the biggest points of discussion about his draft stock. While Wiseman averaged an impressive 19.7 points per game in his three games at Memphis, there remain major questions about how he’s going to score in the NBA.

Some evaluators believe Wiseman has long-term potential as a shooter, but he hasn’t fully shown it yet. Wiseman attempted one three-pointer at Memphis and missed it. In the EYBL, he went 4-for-27 (14.8 percent) from three-point range as a rising senior. Free throw percentage is also seen a big indicator of future shooting potential. Wiseman hit just 55.4 percent of 101 free throw attempts on the EYBL, but was much better at Memphis. Wiseman knocked down 19-of-27 shots from the foul line for the Tigers, good for a respectable 70.4 percent.

There is more to offense than just shooting, of course. Wiseman’s ability to finish putbacks will also come under the microscope. While he is a good athlete and quality rebounder, he lacks the elite second jump of the NBA’s best putback scorers. Unlike a player like Kings forward Marvin Bagley III who flies off the ground quickly, Wiseman takes some time to load up for his jumps and finishes.

While he’s still massive NBA standards, he won’t have such a pronounced size advantage when he gets to the NBA. He’s going to have to learn to score in different ways. So far, that remains a work in progress.

Wiseman’s archetype isn’t as valuable as it used to be

It wasn’t long ago that a center who had Wiseman’s physicality would go No. 1 overall based on his frame alone. In the modern NBA, however, ball handlers and creators have more value than big men — especially big men who aren’t polished shooters and passers. The best recent evidence of this is the debate over Luka Doncic vs. Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III in the 2018 draft.

Ayton is an interesting comparison point for Wiseman because they are about the same size but have completely different games. While Ayton is a monster scorer, Wiseman is clearly superior as a defensive prospect. But even if Ayton maximizes his potential, he’ll never come close to having the same impact as Doncic. That’s because Doncic can initiate the offense, create for teammates, and score off the dribble. Ayton, like Wiseman, isn’t going to do any of those things as a traditional center.

There is no prospect even close to Doncic’s level in this draft. There are a lot of talented guards projected to go in the lottery, though. Most teams choosing at the top of the draft will likely prefer a ball handler and initiator who plays on the perimeter because those players tend to provide the most value. Centers have become marginalized in the modern NBA because good ones are available for cheap on the free agent market or later in the draft. Wiseman is a good-looking prospect, but it’s fair to wonder how much value a player in his archetype really has in today’s NBA.

Wiseman’s draft stock will benefit from a weak class

The worst kept secret among NBA evaluators right now is that the 2020 draft class isn’t that strong. In my opinion, this is the weakest class since 2013, which is the year I began covering the NBA draft for for SB Nation. That draft will be remembered for Anthony Bennett going No. 1, but it also had the best player in the game today, Giannis Antetokounmpo, hidden at No. 15.

Because there isn’t a super prospect like Doncic or Zion Williamson available, it’s possible scouts will see Wiseman as a safe bet to be a productive center and will worry less about his ultimate upside. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks who already have great offensive creators in the backcourt could take a look at him high in the lottery. Don’t discount the Cleveland Cavaliers or Washington Wizards, either.

Still, if guards in this class hit their upside, they will likely provide more NBA value than Wiseman even if Wiseman is a safer pick. Anthony Edwards has been my No. 1 prospect since the start of the process. North Carolina’s Cole Anthony has had a disappointing freshman year in many ways, but his game still translates well to the next level if he can regain his shot-making ability. Creators like Nico Mannion and LaMelo Ball will be intriguing for teams looking for playmakers. European prospects Theo Maledon, Killian Hayes, and Deni Avdija should also go in the lottery.

Wiseman didn’t move up or down the SB Nation board in his three games at Memphis — the back half of the top-10 still feels about right for a high floor player who doesn’t appear to have a ton of upside because of his positional archetype and limitations as a shooter and passer. For Wiseman to provide maximum value, he has to be elite on the defensive end. That’s a possibility, but the learning curve for young bigs in the NBA is so steep that it shouldn’t be counted on. There are also so many other ways to find a center that don’t involve using a top-three pick on one.

Wiseman is a talented prospect who deserves to go in the top-10. He will likely go in the top-five and might even go No. 1 in what isn’t considered a strong draft. But as he leaves Memphis, NBA scouts will wish they had more tape on him. As promising as his future is, he isn’t the no-brainer No. 1 pick that some project him to be.

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years

Text

Anthony Edwards is showing why he’s the NBA draft prospect with the highest ceiling

Anthony Edwards is going to have NBA GMs going wild after his breakout performance vs. Michigan State.

Edwards has more natural talent than any prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The start of Anthony Edwards’ college career at Georgia hasn’t been the grand coronation expected from a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick. The freshman shooting guard entered the Maui Invitational shooting only 41 percent from the field. When he arrived in Hawaii, he started with his journey with a clunker against Dayton, scoring only six points in a blowout loss.

Edwards had an opportunity to redeem himself the next day against preseason No. 1 Michigan State, but he was off to another rough start: Georgia found itself down as many as 28 points and Edwards had only scored four points at halftime. That’s when he went nuclear.

Edwards dropped 33 second half points, connected on seven threes, made multiple breathtaking defensive plays, and threw a transition bounce pass for an assist that might have been his most impressive highlight of the night. Georgia clawed all the way back to make it a two-point game, but would lose in the end. No matter: on national TV and in a gym packed with NBA scouts, Anthony Edwards announced his superlative talent to the world.

youtube

Edwards has been our No. 1 prospect since our first 2020 NBA mock draft in June. He’s remained in that position even before his breakthrough performance against the Spartans because he has the highest long-term ceiling of any player in the class. Edwards is just starting to learn how good he can be. The growing pains along the way only make the interspersed moments of greatness even more mesmerizing.

Edwards isn’t a household name like LaMelo Ball. He was never going to be a pantheon-level prospect like Zion Williamson. But amid a 2020 draft class that looks weaker than the last couple years, Edwards has a slight edge on North Carolina’s Cole Anthony for the best college hoops has to offer.

Edwards’ physical talent is undeniable

Edwards has two big things going for him as a prospect. The first one is youth: born August 5, 2001, he will be among the youngest prospects in the draft. The second is a physical canvas that will allow him to compete with the best players in the world when it reaches its final form.

Edwards has similar measurements to Donovan Mitchell with a chiseled body currently listed at 6’5, 225 pounds, with a 6’9 wingspan. Everything he does is powerful. That sentiment mostly applies to his ability to attack the rim, but Edwards also uses that power to get in and out of crossovers and step-backs. This was gorgeous.

What. A. Performance. pic.twitter.com/MwHp88G6zP

— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) November 26, 2019

Scouts wanted to see Edwards prove his shooting ability this year at Georgia. While it remains a work in progress, it’s clear he has a strong foundation to eventually become a dependable shooter. His mechanics are clean and consistent, his release is quick, and his footwork is already advanced for his age. Even if he’s never an elite shooter, he should be a capable one. Against Michigan State, Edwards’ shot-making display on some incredibly difficult looks was so impressive that it’s worth reconsidering just how high his ceiling is as a three-point shooter.

Edwards was too busy draining threes to show off his slashing ability against MSU, but he did put his physicality on display on the defensive end. Edwards ended the game with four steals and three blocks, leveraging his immense strength and athleticism to forcefully take the ball away from the Spartans. This is a rare play to make for any shooting guard, let alone one that’s 18 years old.

Monster rim rotation from Anthony Edwards then draws the foul. Wow. pic.twitter.com/wLQ8UyNtyD

— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) November 26, 2019

Edwards feels like a ball of clay right now. The Atlanta native chose to stay home and play for a non-traditional power in part because head coach Tom Crean helped develop Victor Oladipo and Dwyane Wade, two athletic, similarly-sized players whose games took off at the college level.

It’s unfair to compare anyone to Wade, who is arguably the second best shooting guard in NBA history (sorry Kobe stans). Oladipo was one of the 15 or 20 best players alive when he was fully healthy for the Pacers. Edwards doesn’t need to be the next Wade or even Oladipo to be a success, but it takes a special kind of strength, explosiveness, body control, and coordination just to be mentioned in the same breath. These are the stakes he’s working with as an 18-year-old with this level of physical talent.

Edwards still has a lot to learn

The physical component is only one part of what it takes to become a star in the NBA. There’s also a huge degree of mental acuity required: players have to process defensive coverages, makes reads as a cutter, screener, and passer, and know where to be on the defensive end before a play even develops. In addition to that, a player has to be programmed to play hard every possession and to play for the team instead of himself.

These abilities fall under the broad strokes of “feel for the game” and “motor” in the scouting world. These are the areas where Edwards needs to continue to improve.

Edwards only had one block total in the five games he played before his breakthrough vs. Michigan State. He has a tendency to settle for bad shots too often with his jumper instead of using his physicality to get to the rim. He isn’t always attentive on the defensive end, especially when tracking his man around screens off the ball. These are little areas that add up to make a big difference.

There’s a reason it was a bounce pass from Edwards that stood out even while he was unconscious from three-point range. The vision to see it and the touch to throw it hint at what he can one day become when his full skill set is flushed out. The degree of difficulty on this pass is wild, and the alternate angle might be even better.

Insane pass from Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/0xc32TvY1c

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) November 26, 2019

(Be sure to follow Max and Jackson for draft coverage and prospect highlight videos if you aren’t already)

Edwards has time grow in all of these areas. A season in the SEC playing for Crean under the national spotlight will only help him on the little stuff. When the little stuff is straightened out, it should add up to a big impact.

Why Anthony Edwards is our No. 1 NBA draft prospect

Edwards is 15 months younger than Cole Anthony. As a ball handler, he has the ability to impact the game as a lead offensive initiator in a way that Memphis’ James Wiseman can’t at center. Edwards is so much more explosive physically than Ball, he has higher defensive upside than Nico Mannion, he’s bigger than Tyrese Maxey, and he’s more capable as a scorer than international prospects Deni Avdija and Theo Maledon.

Edwards isn’t a flawless prospect, but he’s damn good. It takes a hell of a talent to put together a half like the one Edwards had against an opponent as good as Michigan State. We can’t wait to see where he takes his game from here.

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years

Text

Meet the NBA drafts prospects worth tracking

The 2020 NBA Draft should feature James Wiseman, Nico Mannion, and Cole Anthony as lottery picks.

These are the 2020 NBA Draft prospects to watch in college basketball.

So many of the top prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft are playing in leagues outside of the United States and far away from the NCAA. LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton are American teenagers who have taken their games to Australia and look the part of top-10 draft picks so far. French guards Killian Hayes and Theo Maledon are building similar reputations while playing in Europe. Israeli forward Deni Avdija is drawing top-five hype as a gifted passer and open-floor ball handler while playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The result of so much talent abroad has been a college basketball season that feels a little lackluster, at least at the start of it. Unlike a year ago when Zion Williamson reigned supreme, there remains no obvious No. 1 prospect. There also aren’t any freshmen super teams just yet (though Arizona and Memphis could get there), which means the talent is more spread out around the country.

While we wait for storylines to emerge and the prospect hierarchy to take shape, here are eight college basketball players NBA fans should keep an eye on as the season progresses. Also be sure to check out our first 2020 NBA mock draft, which was published in June the day after the 2019 draft.

Prospects rising into the lottery

8. Isaiah Joe, SG, Arkansas

Getty Images

Joe wasn’t considered a top-100 recruit when he entered Arkansas, but a strong freshman season and a useful skill set has put him on NBA radars at the beginning of his sophomore year. The lone non-freshman on this list, Joe makes the cut thanks to his beautiful shooting stroke. The 6’4 guard can hit threes with deep range and off movement, projecting an easy NBA fit for a team that wants a knockdown threat in the backcourt. He has taken nearly 10 three-point shots per game at the start of his sophomore season, and has knocked them down at a 41 percent clip.

Can Joe get to the rim? Right now, 65 percent of his field-goal attempts are threes. He hasn’t shown a consistent ability to get to the foul line, and was a pretty rudimentary passer last season. His defense will also be under the microscope as this season progresses.

7. Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC

Okongwu has perhaps been the biggest early season revelation for NBA scouts so far. The USC center is long and strong at 6’9, 245 pounds, with a quick second jump, impressive agility, and refined rim protecting instincts. He’s scored at least 20 points and/or grabbed double-digit rebounds in three of his first five games with the Trojans. Watch the highlights of his 33-point performance vs. Pepperdine here:

youtube

Okongwu has an obvious fit in the NBA as a bouncy dive man who dunks everything on offense and can block shots and rebound on defense. This isn’t the type of unicorn center NBA teams love right now, but he knows how to play and has a functional skill set.

Top-10 picks with high school hype

6. James Wiseman, C, Memphis

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Wiseman’s eligibility status at Memphis has become one of the biggest stories in sports (find out all the details here). We now know Wiseman will be suspended for 12 games and return Jan. 12. NBA scouts will be thrilled to get more tape on Wiseman because he feels like one of the more polarizing prospects in this class.

The No. 1 overall recruit has been hyped as the potential top pick in the draft, and it’s easy to see why some think that. He has broad shoulders, long arms, developing strength and finishing ability. He’s a good shot blocker and dependable rebounder. His face-up game is showing early signs of life. For most of NBA history, teams dreamed about finding 7-footers with this kind of physical profile.

The issue for Wiseman is one of both skill and feel so far. He doesn’t appear to have super quick reaction time defensively on his backline rotations. He’s found himself in trouble biting on pump fakes. His offensive game isn’t particularly developed yet, and he goes too many possessions without making a real impact. Wiseman remains a good prospect, but with centers in his mold becoming more deemphasized in the modern NBA, it feels like he’s better suited to be a mid-tier lottery pick than go No. 1. We had Wiseman at No. 9 overall in our first mock draft and that still feels about right.

5. Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

Jacob Snow-USA TODAY Sports

Mannion, the 6’3, red-headed point guard on Arizona, is going to be plastered all over ESPN this season. He’s already proven his scoring chops during his short time with the Wildcats, popping off for 23 points and nine assists against a quality Illinois team in his second game. The appeal with Mannion is all about his offense: he’s a skilled pull-up shooter, a crafty finisher near the rim (currently hitting 58 percent of his two-point attempts), and a polished floor general who knows how to run an offense and find teammates. His offensive skill set feels particularly tailored for the spread pick-and-roll era of the modern NBA.

The questions with Mannion will focus on his size and defensive impact. At 6’3, 190 pounds, Mannion will likely struggle to get to and finish at the rim. His early defense has been encouraging in that it isn’t a total train wreck, but his length and strength limitations do hold him back as a switch defender and against more powerful point guards. As long as Mannion continues to look like one of the most skilled offensive prospects in the class, his status as a top-10 pick should be safe.

2-way players with upside

4. Isaac Okoro, F, Auburn

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Pearl has already called Okoro the best defensive player he’s ever coached just a week into his college career. Don’t want to take his word for it? Take it from senior teammate Anfernee McLemore.

“He can guard anybody on the floor. He’s definitely going to be able to be a problem in the SEC,” McLemore said of Okoro before the start of the season. “He can guard centers. He can guard point guards. … He’s just an exceptional athlete. He’s one of those guys that can really play basketball.”

This is the type of hype typically reserved for the highest achieving McDonald’s All-Americans, not a dude who was ranked No. 36 overall in his class entering college. But while mainstream analysts slept on Okoro’s game, internet scouts like Mike Gribanov saw his high school tape and knew he was a high lottery pick. Through his first few games at Auburn, Okoro has been as impressive as his biggest fans could have hoped.

The 6’6, 225-pound wing will always be a defense-first prospect, but his offense is already showing signs of life. He’s hitting nearly 72 percent of his two-point attempts (on eight attempts per game) and has looked good slashing to the basket. His three-point shot is his biggest area of improvement and the shaky free-throw stroke he’s shown off thus far is more evidence that he has a ways to go as a shooter.

This remains far from a consensus ranking for Okoro, but the praise from his teammates and coaches and the early tape sure looks promising. It isn’t hard to think of the defense-first prospects to hit the draft in recent years whose offensive game has blossomed in the league. That will be the hope for whatever team takes Okoro.

3. Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Maxey started the season on the bench for Kentucky but established himself as the best player on the team from the first game. He scored 26 points to fuel an upset over No. 1 Michigan State in the Champions Classic and announce himself as a serious lottery prospect. While there’s nothing overwhelming about his tools, he is a smart guard who plays with contagious energy and never takes a possession off at either end.

Think of Maxey as a defensive-minded guard with scoring ability. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors as a rising senior on Nike’s EYBL circuit and has already showed quick hands and quicker reaction time during the start of his tenure with Kentucky. Offensively, Maxey uses great straight-line speed to force transition opportunities out of thin air. He’s already skilled with his floater and is gaining more confidence in his jumper after hitting three three-pointers vs. the Spartans.

Maxey feels like a safe bet to be a good NBA player, but it is fair to wonder if his theoretical upside is high enough for a spot this lofty. Is he long enough to also defend shooting guards? Will his jumper fully come around? Does he have the facilitating chops to be a full-time point guard? The last one he won’t have an opportunity to prove at the college level playing next to sophomore floor general Ashton Hagans.

Maxey is currently projected at No. 14 overall in ESPN’s mock draft, but internet scouts like Ross Homan have been preaching about his talent for a while. It’s starting to feel like Maxey has a chance to have star-level impact one day in the league, but even if he doesn’t, he should be a dependable player for a long time.

The contenders for the top pick

2. Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony is going to put up superhuman production all season at North Carolina. He dropped 36 points on Notre Dame in his college debut, a warning sign for future opponents that he’s the baddest freshman in the country. He already has a rare level of ownership over games, whether he’s thriving or struggling.

It is so easy for Anthony to create offense. He can burn defenders off the dribble with a quick first step, and has an advanced ability to operate in the pick-and-roll. He’s a threat going to the basket with tremendous vertical leaping ability and the touch to finish at the rim. He’s a threat to pull-up off the dribble as well with deep range and unfettered confidence in himself.

It’s fitting that Anthony followed up his star-studded debut by scoring only 20 points on 24 shots in his next game against UNC-Wilmington. This is the other side of Anthony’s game, with his unrelenting scoring mindset occasionally tricking him to try to take on the world by himself. Anthony is the type of point guard that’s going to shoot a lot. It’s going to be mesmerizing when it’s working but can be cringeworthy when it isn’t.

It’s worth noting Anthony is older than Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett from last year’s draft and a year older than many fellow freshmen in this class. Even still, he’s the safest bet in this draft to one day put up all-star caliber numbers in the NBA. He never stops attacking, for better or worse.

1. Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Edwards is going to be a long-term play for whoever takes him at or near the top of the draft. Nearly 15 months younger than Cole Anthony, Edwards was originally slated to graduate high school in 2020 and is going to be one of the youngest players available on draft night. While he doesn’t have the current polish of the UNC point guard, we’re giving him the slightest edge early in the season because of how tantalizing his talent can be once it’s fully realized.

Edwards is a 6’5, 225 pound ball of quick-twitch muscles. He’s a powerful downhill attacker who has a one-track mind to put pressure on the rim. He’s already strong enough to absorb and finish through contact in the paint but also has the body control for crafty finishes. He’s making a living at the foul line through his first four games at Georgia, and that shouldn’t change. He ultimately projects as the type of player who commands help defenders whenever he drives.

Edwards is still rough around the edges in both his shooting and decision-making. He needs to become a more consistent shooter on spot-ups to be a threat off the ball. He needs to continue to learn how to read the floor as he drives so he can best leverage his scoring ability to benefit his teammates. He’s racked up tons of steals defensively in his short time with the Bulldogs on sheer physicality. There will be learning curve on that end, as well.

Edwards is still growing into his game and his body, but the early signs are as intriguing as any player in this class. Playing for Tom Crean, the comparisons to Victor Oladipo and maybe even Dwyane Wade will be inevitable, but they hardly contextualize what Edwards currently is. He has so much to build on and plenty of time to do it.

0 notes