The early returns are insanely far ahead of where I figured he'd be. His strength has fully translated to the NBA and it's the difference between him and other rookies that came in without an elite first step. I was concerned about hero ball at Duke, but his IQ is outstanding. He rarely forces his spots unless he has a mismatch or we're in a drought. I was sure his jumper would need time, but early on he's canning looks in space consistently (this one will need more time to prove itself). Then there's his defense, which I figured he'd struggle with against...nah...he's the best perimeter defender in our rotation and Elfrid Payton is solid. He's also the playmaker that showed up when Tyus Jones' little brother went down during the NCAA season, that wasn't an aberration. He can do that.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that our offense should be running through him right now. Randle is better getting the ball in motion and Payton doesn't have as much gravity with the ball in his hands. He'll have growing pains but he's well ahead of schedule. He's bound to hit a rookie wall playing the minutes he's at right now, but he looks like a 16, 5 and 3 rookie to me on efficient numbers with defensive upside. He's gonna be good enough to build around...the cornerstone we lost shipping KP out; I'm confident he can fill those shoes in time.