Darren Collison picks apart Frank Ntilikina and slams it home, reminding us that DC still got plenty left in the tank.
Monday night, the Indiana Pacers took care of the New York Knicks without much issue.
The Knicks, without their two leading scorers in Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., were down early and had been nearly buried midway through the second quarter, but still showed the occasional sign of fight throughout the rest of the game.
This, however, was not that fight.
Darren Collison is an athletic guy, but he’s still far from being known as a major in-game dunker. That likely won’t change in DC’s ninth NBA season, so it’s especially fun to see plays like this one.
DC, playing the role of a wily veteran, steals the ball after a midcourt miscommunication between rookie Frank Ntilikina and second-year man Willy Hernangomez. DC still has the speed at age thirty and quickly takes it to the rim. It wasn’t the only bad moment for Ntilikina on Monday, either.
On this play, DC’s vertical actually surprised me, though it shouldn’t have.
Check out this one from back during DC’s first stint in Indy
Pretty similar to Monday night, eh?
And another dunk by DC in a Pacers uniform (this time the royal blue throwbacks — the ones I still can’t decide whether I like or not).
When DC is in transition off a steal and wearing a Pacers uniform, he might be the greatest dunker of all time. Right? It’s possible?
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
DC hasn’t had the greatest stretch these past five games, but if you’re a Pacers fan, it’s hard not to be glad the franchise picked him up this past July. Currently tied with Stephen Curry at ninth in assists per game with 6.6, Collison has remained the Pacers’ best option at the point.
Last season with the Kings, DC brought up his career 38% three-point percentage up to nearly 42%, but this season we’ve seen more of a regression to the mean at 36%. But I suspect those numbers improve over the next few months.
Tonight the Pacers take on the lowly Chicago Bulls, and with Cory Joseph questionable with some shoulder soreness, DC looks to have a solid game.
Next: December usually tells us what to expect from the Pacers
C’mon, are you really gonna doubt this guy?