NBA scores 2016: The future of big men has arrived

Anthony Davis scored 50, and he wasn’t the only big man making a case on Wednesday.

Oct 27, 2016, 12:11 PM UTC

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The NBA is cyclical. Anyone familiar with the history of the league will tell you how trends come then fade away, and how certain types of players can dominate the league in waves. And anyone watching the first full night of NBA action will tell you the next cycle is 7-footers who play like guards.

This is a 20-year-old center.

This is a 7’2 man.

This is the new NBA, and 7-footers are doing things you never thought they could. Wednesday could not have gone better for the new class of big men — just read over these stat lines.

Anthony Davis: 50 points, 17-of-34 shooting, 16 rebounds, five assists, seven steals, four blocks
Myles Turner: 30 points, 13-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds, two steals, four blocks
Karl-Anthony Towns: 21 points, 9-of-20 shooting, four rebounds, five assists
Joel Embiid: 20 points, 6-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds, two blocks

The Brow’s performance shone brightest, of course — his 50 points were the most on Opening Day for any player since Michael Jordan. The Pelicans still lost, unbelievably. We’ve collectively moved on from our fascination with Davis after a down year and when new sensations arrived, but Wednesday was a reminder it’s way too early to do that. He’s a 23-year-old generational talent.

But Turner and Towns are both 20, which is even more terrifying. Turner wrecked the Mavericks, hitting a three in the final 30 seconds that could have stood as the game-winner as he scored from every area on the floor. Towns started with 16 points in the first half before growing significantly more quiet — but the skills he shows are terrifying, like this inbounds triple, and he might already be one of the NBA’s top 10 defenders.

Then there’s the 22-year-old Embiid — two years removed from being drafted, hopeful wunderkind for 76ers fans who had nothing else to root for, and finally a real, actual NBA player. His debut wasn’t good statistically, but it was incredible to watch. The things he can do with his body, a hulking 7’2 and 250 pounds, stand out just seeming him run down the floor.

This is the new NBA, where 7-footers have eschewed the low post and just bring the ball up the floor themselves. They shoot threes, switch onto guards, and toss assists in ways that their predecessors never would or could.

Basketball athletes have always been remarkable, and the arm’s race for 7-footer’s who can do the same thing players standing 6’8 used to do is the next dimension. KAT, Brow, Turner, Embiid — they’re the first wave of this new generation, but definitely not the last.

Top 5 performers from Wednesday

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo: It was a 31-point night for the Greek Freak, notching nine rebounds and five assists along the way. Milwaukee didn’t actually start him at point guard, tossing Matthew Dellavedova into the starting five, but Giannis was so good that perhaps they’ll consider it after the 11-point loss.

4. Myles Turner: Turner’s stat line alone doesn’t convey the impact he had on the game defensively. At one point, he closed out on Dirk Nowitzki so quickly he startled him into a shot that was long and wide.

3. DeMar DeRozan: The leading Raptor scored 40 points, and it honestly looked like the easiest thing in the world. DeRozan shot 17-of-27 and sat early in the fourth quarter due to Toronto blowout.

2. James Harden: Is this the league’s MVP? Houston lost, but Harden had 34 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 17 assists. Nine of those assists came in the first quarter, and Harden could have easily cracked 20 with a few more finished layups from his teammates. The statistics from the Mike D’Antoni Rockets era will be wild.

1. Anthony Davis: Hearing how sad Davis was after the game, after an other-worldly performance that still resulted in a loss, was heartbreaking.