Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
The NBA’s young, exciting faces have been perhaps the best thing to come out of this unusual postseason.
With Stephen Curry and the Warriors falling short in the play-in, and LeBron James and the Lakers taken down in the first round, there’s been more room to appreciate Ja Morant and Devin Booker, who’ve had dominant moments their first time on the big stage.