Wesley Matthews scores 64 points in Milwaukee Pro-Am

I know the Summer Pro-Am games are done and we have all moved on to NBA preseason action but a story came out yesterday from The Columbian about the very underrated Wesley Matthews that I thought was pretty interesting and a good excuse for me to drop the above vid of Wes dropping 64 during the Summer's Milwaukee Pro-am.

Here's an excerpt from the story about Wes - who thinks he is "the best two-way guard in the league."

Via The Columbian

Nicolas Batum said Matthews' defense against James Harden, who shot 37 percent against Portland in the six-game series, was "unbelievable," saying he was the "maybe the best defender in the NBA" during the series.

While Portland's shooting guard isn't focused on winning NBA honors like being selected to the All-Defensive team, he's certainly not bashful about his place in the league.

"I'm never going to be the type that gets gaudy numbers to make an All-Defensive team," said Matthews before getting to his case.

"Do I think I'm All-Defense? Absolutely. I think I'm the best two-way two-guard in the NBA. But I feel like we need to be a good defensive team within the scheme of the game. We're not out there gambling, trying to reach and get steals. That would put us in a bind if I don't get it," Matthews said.

As far as Matthews' case as the best two-way two-guard in the league, his case isn't too difficult to see from where he's standing coming off a career-best season in almost every way.

Either age and injury concerns (Kobe Bryant, Manu Ginobili, Dwyane Wade), on-court behavior (Lance Stephenson), or defensive focus issues (James Harden) are problems with many of the league's leading two-guards. And, in looking at some numbers, you can see that Matthews stands out in some ways amongst the league's best.

Ten players in the league have averaged over 14 points per game and shot 39 percent or better from the 3-point line over the last two seasons according to Basketball-Reference, which includes Matthews.

Among those 10, Matthews trails only Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in win-shares.

 

Personally, since me and him both have irregular heartbeat issues, I'm going to root for him no matter what he says. Do I think he's the "best?" Absolutely not. Do I think he should feel he's the best? Absolutely yes.

bil-wesley