RETURN OF THE FRANKENBALLER:
Before this season started, I wrote an article about building the “perfect” BIG3 player by picking out the players who were the best in a particular area of the game. With the 2022 regular season done with, I feel it’s a good time to revisit this.
Rebounding:
Reggie Evans, the best rebounder in BIG3 history, missed this season with aninjury. That left the door open for someone else to take the title of the best rebounder in the BIG3. I’m going to go with Deshawn Stephens. Earl Clark had two more rebounds than Stephens did this season. However, the Aliens didn’t play Week 7 because they got a bye week, and I don’t think it’s right to punish Stephens for that.
Stephens’ ability to control the glass has been crucial for the Aliens this season. With Stephens in the lineup, Aliens coach Rick Mahorn has been able to go small and let the Aliens play their European-inspired brand of 3-on-3 without any worry of his team getting overpowered, and it’s worked.
Apologies go to Earl Clark, Royce White, and especially Franklin “Frank Nitty” Session, who finished the season 5th in rebounds despite the fact he’s a 6’2 point guard. He’s definitely the best pound-for-pound rebounder in the league, but there’s a reason they don’t have Canelo Alvarez fight Tyson Fury.
Shooting:
I’m giving this one to Dominique Johnson. He made 16 of the 32 3-pointers he took this season, meaning he made 50% of his shots from deep. He certainly got more open looks than some others because of Frank Nitty’s ability to draw the defense and kick it out, but his stroke is just so pure.
Apologies go to Jason Richardson, who led the league in 3-point makes with 18 and constantly moved to get an open look from beyond the arc, and Gerald Green, who could pull up and drain that beautiful shot of his at any time in any situation.
Deep Shooting:
Only Kevin Murphy and Michael Beasley really embraced the four-point shot this season, and the former made more four-pointers than Beasley and shot a higher percentage from four-point range. I really don’t have many apologies here, especially when you consider one of Murphy’s four-pointers was a game-winner.
All-Around Scoring:
With Joe Johnson having called it a career at mid-season, it looks like there was a fairly seamless passing of the torch from Iso-Joe to Kevin Murphy. Murphy has the inside track at the 2022 BIG3 MVP Award.
Even though the 3 Headed Monsters were granted a bye week in Week 7, Murphy still led the league in scoring with 181 points – Isaiah Briscoe came in second with 153 points. Murphy can score from anywhere on the floor. He can go inside, pull up for the mid-range jumper, shoot the three, and, as mentioned above, has no problem hitting the four-pointer. He also has an uncanny knack for getting to the line. He’s going to be a problem for the rest of the league for the next few years.
Ball Handling:
Isaiah Briscoe, whose build is something between a “big guard” and a “small Armored Personnel Carrier,” is absolutely unstoppable when he gets into the paint. Some players seek out contact in the hopes of drawing free throws. Others avoid contact in order to get themselves the best possible chance of converting the layup without having to deal with a defender all over them. Briscoe is strong and skilled enough to not have to choose – he goes straight into players, gets contact, and can still convert the shot as often as not.
Of course, Briscoe has to get into the paint somehow. Since he’s not the best outside shooter, it’s harder for him to open up lanes to the rim by getting defenders to run at him on the perimeter. So instead of shooting over defenders, Briscoe just goes around them with about as smooth a handle as you’ll see.
What makes his handle really special is that he can break out nifty moves, but he’s not looking to dance with his man and use his dribble to get some separation for a pull-up. Everything he does comes while he’s going downhill, and once he uses that handle to get past his initial defender, woe betide the help defender tasked with stopping him from getting a layup.
Apologies go to Franklin “Frank Nitty” Session here, but we’re about to talk about him.
Passing:
I’m a man of my word. Even though Dusan Bulut led the league in assists this season and actually broke the BIG3’s single-season record for assists, he made more risky passes than he should have. He led the league in turnovers per game, and averaged 1.64 assists for every turnover.
Frank Nitty, on the other hand, finished just one assist behind Bulut. Most importantly, he was much more cautious with the ball, and averaged 3.18 assists for every turnover.
Like Briscoe, Frank Nitty isn’t the best outside shooter, but constantly finds his way into the paint. He doesn’t have Briscoe’s ability to run through anyone challenging him at the rim, but he has great court vision and can deliver passes from every angle, which is extremely useful when you have shooters like the aforementioned Dominique Johnson to pass to.
Apologies here go to Royce White, who finished 3rd in the BIG3 in assists even though he’s a 6’8 forward who can brutalize defenders in the post but didn’t make a three all season. It’s hard to picture Coach Nancy Lieberman’s offense working without White’s combination of size and court vision.
Shot-Blocking:
With apologies to Isaiah Austin, who led the league in blocks, I’m going with Earl Clark here. Austin is certainly a fearsome shot-blocker, but the Enemies were so porous on the defensive end. I feel like part of the reason Austin was able to rack up blocks is that the Enemies’ perimeter players let players into the paint essentially at will.
Clark, meanwhile, is a much more sneaky shot-blocker than Briscoe. He can get vertical, but he also understands angles and has an incredible knack for getting blocks from odd angles without picking up a foul. Considering Clark set the BIG3 record for steals, I would call him the front-runner for the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Award right now.
Dunking:
There may be more athletic players in the league, and this man didn’t catch many bodies, but the most consistent source of highlight dunks this year was Jason Richardson. 41 years young, Richardson used veteran savvy to get himself opportunities to attack the rim, and when he got them the 2-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner threw down with authority.
Apologies go to Chris Johnson, whose blend of size and athleticism is silly, Gerald Green, who can still glide up to the rafters, and Elijah Stewart, who showed pogo-stick hops in the Week 2 game that earned him a spot on the New Orleans Pelicans’ Summer League Team.
So, to recap, the 2022 Frankenballer is:
Rebounding: Deshawn Stephens
Shooting: Dominique Johnson
Deep Shooting: Kevin Murphy
All-Around Scoring: Kevin Murphy
Ball Handling: Isaiah Briscoe
Passing: Franklin “Frank Nitty” Session
Shot-Blocking: Earl Clark
Dunking: Jason Richardson