Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: Made You Look
Highlighting a trio of fantastic fakes
Hit the jump for this week’s edition of Three Things I Noticed on League Pass, starring from Jalen Johnson, Jalen Brunson, and Nikola Jokic.
Jalen Johnson, pumping and driving
It’s not every day that you see someone get Giannis Antetokounmpo like this.
Throw in the Eurostep that got A.J. Green off the ground and looking around, and this is one of the best fake sequences of the year to date.
Jalen Brunson, shaking and baking
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a really good defender — especially against smaller guards. But Brunson had him spinning in circles right here.
The first crossover didn’t quite shake KCP enough, so Brunson unleashed a second absolutely vicious one from right to left, veering away from the Karl-Anthony Towns screen and creating enough space to rip off the pull-up jumper.
Nikola Jokic, looking and cooking
Just your standard Joker no-look feeds, right?
The key here is not necessarily watching Jokic. It’s watching the defenders. Keep your eyes on Moses Moody (white headband, guarding Peyton Watson) in the first clip and Dean Wade (No. 32 in the North Carolina jersey) in the second. Jokic looks them off and they both watch his eyes and buy the fake hook, line, and sinker, opening up the true intended target of the pass for an easy look.
…then Jokic went and cried to the refs for the 734th time in the game. He would be so much more likable if he just turned around and ran down the court.