When players are traded midseason, the first game against their former team is rarely as hollow as the “just another game” cliché would indicate — at least not from the perspective of nuance. After all, familiarity works both ways. With a tight turnaround and few schematic changes, the traded player is likely to recognize most of what is being called by the opposition, just as the opposition, in what is arguably of greater impact, will also know the intricacies of that player’s game, including how to game-plan for their strengths.
For example, just look at the exaggerated way in which Davion Mitchell, being he of on-ball defense highlights, positioned his body against Tyrese Haliburton, purposefully forcing the player he once played with from using his pet play, the double drag, on his right.