Fansided

2018 BIG3 season preview: Analysis, projections and picks

By John Hugar

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 12: Trilogy team co-captain Rashad McCants during the BIG3 2018 Player Draft at Fox Sports Studio on April 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashad McCants
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 12: Trilogy team co-captain Rashad McCants during the BIG3 2018 Player Draft at Fox Sports Studio on April 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashad McCants /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 8
Next
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 20: (L-R) Social influencer ‘Kosher Guru’ Gabe Boxer poses for photos with Basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire during “Stoudemire Wines” launch reception with the Jewish National Fund at Ronald S. Lauder JNF House on February 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Stoudemire Wines)
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 20: (L-R) Social influencer ‘Kosher Guru’ Gabe Boxer poses for photos with Basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire during “Stoudemire Wines” launch reception with the Jewish National Fund at Ronald S. Lauder JNF House on February 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Stoudemire Wines) /

2. Tri-State (2017 Record: 3-5)

They added Amar’e Stoudemire. Maybe I’m being too simplistic here, but on the other hand…they added Amar’e Stoudemire. Yes, he’s well past his prime, but this is a league designed for players who are passed their prime, and while the conversation about Stoudemire’s last few NBA seasons generally focuses on how weak his defense had gotten, the truth is, even during those runs with the Mavericks and the Heat, he could still get buckets pretty much whenever he wanted to. The defense made him barely playable (same with Boozer), but we shouldn’t forget that Stoudemire was a brilliant inside scorer even as his other skills diminished, and depending how much he’s kept with conditioning, he might immediately be the best player in the league.

Elsewhere, Jermaine O’Neal gives Tri-State another quality big man. It’ll be interesting to see if they play them together and form a twin towers or rotate them in and out to prevent either one of them from getting tired. Either way, having two former All-Star bigs is a luxury that no other team can boast. In the backcourt, Nate Robinson is intriguing presence; we all remember what an electrifying NBA player he was, but we also remember how quickly his skills fell off towards the end of his career. Like many others, he’s out to prove he’s still got it, and he’s been given a great situation to show that he does. If the BIG3 format is what Kryptonate needs to get his groove back, this could be one of the most exciting teams in the league, as well as one of the best. Plus, Robinson and Stoudemire just barely missed out on being teammates with the Knicks, so we finally get to see what that would have looked like.