Community Shootaround

Community Shootaround: NBA’s Undefeated Teams

October 24th, 2022 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Just six days into the 2022/23 NBA regular season, only four teams remain undefeated.

Two of those teams are in the Eastern Conference, where the Celtics are 3-0 and the Bucks are 2-0. Both teams have picked up nice victories in the early going, with Boston defeating the Sixers in the opener and then beating the Heat on the road. The Bucks also beat the 76ers in their own season opener, picking up a win in Philadelphia last Thursday.

Still, the Celtics and Bucks were both expected to be title contenders coming into the season. They’re likely pleased to be off to good starts while missing key players (Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari in Boston; Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton in Milwaukee), but their early success comes as no surprise.

In the West, on the other hand, you could’ve made very good money if you’d beat a week ago that the last two undefeated teams left standing would be the Trail Blazers (3-0) and Jazz (3-0).

Portland expected to be a playoff contender after revamping its roster in the offseason, most notably trading for veteran forward Jerami Grant. But the reviews on the Blazers’ summer moves were mixed, and most experts didn’t expect them to be better than a play-in team. So their start to the season – which includes road wins over the Kings and Lakers and a home victory over Phoenix – has come as a pleasant surprise.

It certainly hasn’t been more surprising, however, than what the Jazz have done in the first week of the season. After trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, Utah was viewed as a prime contender in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, but the team opened its season with a home win over Denver and then picked up road victories in Minnesota and New Orleans.

Newly acquired forward Lauri Markkanen has looked like a star so far, leading the way with 24.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.7 APG through three games, while Jordan Clarkson (19.0 PPG) and Kelly Olynyk (16.3 PPG; .750 3PT%) have provided secondary scoring.

The Jazz’s 3-0 start was so unexpected that it prompted Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune to write an article headlined, “What in the world is happening with this 3-0 Utah Jazz team? How are they doing this?” Larsen’s hypothesis is that the Jazz have been doing all the little stuff right and making terrific decisions, especially on offense.

The sample size is small, but we want to know whether your feelings about any of the NBA’s four undefeated teams – especially the two in the West – have changed based on their play so far.

Are you any more confident in the Blazers’ chance of making the playoffs than you were a week ago? Could the Jazz actually make a play-in push, or will their hot start be short-lived (either due to regression or more trades)? If you had any doubts about the Celtics or Bucks, have they begun to put them to rest?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Detroit Pistons

October 22nd, 2022 at 2:46pm CST by Rory Maher

After going 43-111 over the past two years, tied with the Magic for the second-worst record in the NBA over that span, the Pistons are one of the rebuilding teams hoping to take a step forward in 2022/23. General manager Troy Weaver has completely reshaped the roster since being hired on June 18, 2020, and the trade for Bojan Bogdanovic showed Detroit is serious about improving in both the short and long term.

The starting lineup features several recent first-round picks, including Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart (Bogdanovic is the fifth starter). The reserves include a couple more recent first-rounders in Killian Hayes and Jalen Duren, plus veterans Cory Joseph, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox and Rodney McGruder.

Marvin Bagley III (knee), Alec Burks (wrist) and Nerlens Noel (foot) are currently sidelined with injuries, but second-year forward Isaiah Livers (hip) has been removed from the team’s injury report and could make his debut in Saturday’s game against the Pacers, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Pistons have gotten off to a 1-1 start thus far, with a close victory over Orlando and then a blowout loss to the Knicks. Ivey and Duren, both lottery picks this year (No. 5 and No. 13) have been surprisingly effective for rookies in the early going. Ivey has averaged 18.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .519/.375/1.000 shooting (30.5 MPG), while Duren has put up 11.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 22 MPG.

There’s definitely talent on the roster, with Cunningham, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, headlining the group. Bogdanovic helps improve the team’s shooting, which has been a major weakness (the Pistons finished 29th in both two-point and three-point percentage last season).

Still, the East is stacked with strong teams, including (in no particular order) the Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, Raptors, Hawks, Cavs, Heat, Nets and Bulls. I liked the Knicks’ free agent additions of Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein, and the Wizards should be better than last season’s 35-win campaign if they’re healthy, so it seems like the Pistons might have a difficult time finishing better than 12th in the standings unless there is major internal development.

In our over/unders last month, 51.6% of our voters predicted the Pistons to finish with more than 28.5 wins (they finished 23-59 in ’21/22).

That brings us to our question of the day. What’s a reasonable goal for the Pistons this season? Do you think they have a shot at the play-in tournament if things go well, or is it a year too early? Would an incremental step forward, like winning 30 or so games, be considered a success?

Head to the comments section and let us know what you think.

Community Shootaround: Finals, MVP, Rookie Of Year Predictions

October 18th, 2022 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Another NBA season is upon us and there’s certainly no way to tell how this one might play out.

There are a host of legitimate contenders in both conferences while very few teams can be dismissed as lottery-bound clubs.

The Celtics enter the season as the lukewarm betting favorite but even they have significant questions to answer, most notably whether an interim coach can lead them to the promised land. The Nets looked to be breaking apart during the offseason but with Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving suiting up after all, they’re going to be a force. The Heat, Bucks and Sixers also have enough talent to make a serious run for Eastern Conference supremacy and the Cavaliers, Raptors and Hawks could contend if everything falls into place.

In the West, the championship runs through Golden State until someone knocks the Warriors from their perch. They have all of their top rotation players back, plus some young talent ready to contribute. The Clippers and Lakers have their dynamic duos, the Suns are only a year removed from a Finals appearance and the Timberwolves, with the addition of Rudy Gobert, are eager to join the elite. The same can be said for Grizzlies and Pelicans, while the Mavericks and healthier Nuggets are also knocking at the door.

Individually, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo know what it takes to win the Most Valuable Player award but Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid are actually the betting favorites to gain that distinction this season. Vets like Stephen Curry, Durant and LeBron James can’t easily be eliminated from that discussion.

The Rookie of the Year chase should also be spirited. Chet Holmgren won’t be able to compete due to injury but top pick Paolo Banchero and fellow top-five selections Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray and Jaden Ivey will have prominent roles on their teams. The sixth pick, Bennedict Mathurin, should also put up big numbers on a rebuilding team.

With all that mind, it’s time to make your picks: Which teams do you predict will represent their respective conferences in this season’s Finals? Who’s your top choice for the MVP award? And who do you believe will gain Rookie of the Year honors?

Please take to the comments section to give us your selections. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Best Potential Landing Spot For Wembanyama

October 5th, 2022 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

There were more than 200 NBA scouts and executives in attendance on Tuesday to watch the projected top two picks in the 2023 draft square off, as Victor Wembanyama and French club Metropolitans 92 faced Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Henderson, widely viewed as the second-best prospect in next year’s draft class, lived up to that billing, racking up 28 points to go along with nine assists and five rebounds. He led the Ignite to a 122-115 victory.

But it was Wembanyama who stole the show, even in a losing cause. The 7’3″ Frenchman poured in 37 points on just 20 field goal attempts, knocking down seven three-pointers and blocking five shots. According to Matt Williams of ESPN (Twitter link), only one player in NBA history has ever made seven threes and blocked five shots in a single game before — Danny Green did it in a triple-overtime game in 2014.

Wembanyama admitted after Tuesday’s game that the longer G League quarters affected his stamina, but his incredible performance showed why he’s considered one of the best NBA prospects in years.

“He was amazing,” Metropolitans 92 coach Vincent Collet said, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN. “What he can do with his size, his agility, mobility, not only his ability to shoot the three, moving very well. He even made a couple of very good passes. I think he (had) a real good game but he also will learn from the first half. He has to fight more because he knows to expect that kind of aggressive defense.”

As Jeremy Woo of SI.com writes, after Tuesday’s game, the idea of tanking for a shot at Wembanyama may look even more appealing to a handful of the NBA teams likely headed for a lottery spot this season.

As we outlined when we conducted our over/under polls last month, the Thunder, Pacers, Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, and Magic are projected to be the NBA’s bottom-feeders in 2022/23. But even the league’s very worst team will only have a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery, so a number of clubs will be in play for Wembanyama.

In the wake of Tuesday’s impressive showcase, we want to know what you think. Which lottery-bound team would be the best landing spot for Wembanyama?

You can interpret that question in any way you like — there are, of course, certain teams that might be more ideal for the big man’s development, while certain landing spots would just be flat-out entertaining. For instance, as Tom Ziller notes on his Substack, if the Lakers’ 2023 first-round pick lands at No. 1, the Pelicans would be able to swap their own first-round pick for it and pair Wembanyama with Zion Williamson.

Does that Pelicans scenario sound like one you’d want to play out? Or would you rather see Wembanyama join forces with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City; Jalen Green and Jabari Smith in Houston; Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in Orlando; Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren in Detroit; or Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin in Indiana?

Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Best Starting Lineup

September 18th, 2022 at 8:50pm CST by JD Shaw

As the NBA season nears, it’s fair to wonder which team will sport the best starting lineup this season. Of course, a team’s finishing group matters more than its starting group, but that can depend on which players are having a good game on a given night, as well as the opponent.

When it comes to the best projected starting lineup, the reigning-champion Warriors can make a. Golden State can start Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. The team can also go bigger and swap one of those players with Kevon Looney.

The Celtics, who lost to Golden State in the Finals, are bringing their defensive-minded group back: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III. They narrowly edged the Bucks in seven games last season, and Milwaukee figures to start Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

Besides those three teams, the Sixers, Nuggets, Nets, Suns, Bulls and Clippers can all make valid arguments for having the best projected group. The Grizzlies shocked the NBA by finishing with the second-best record at 56-26 last season, while the Hawks added Dejounte Murray to a star-studded lineup, so there are arguably other teams to consider depending on who improves the most.

We want to know what you think. Which team do you think has the best projected starting lineup? Was your pick mentioned, or do you believe another group deserves strong consideration? Take to the comment section below and voice your opinions!

Community Shootaround: Charlotte Hornets

September 14th, 2022 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

When I previewed the Hornets‘ offseason in May, I speculated that it would be a busy summer in Charlotte, with James Borrego‘s ouster as the team’s head coach representing the first of many personnel changes likely to occur off and on the court.

As I outlined at the time, the decision to dismiss Borrego suggested that Hornets leadership wasn’t satisfied with the team’s gradual improvement (from 23-42 to 33-39 to 43-39 over the last three seasons) and was preparing to take a big swing to ensure the club was closer to contention in 2022/23.

Instead, Charlotte has been one of the least active teams of the offseason.

The Hornets have inked just one veteran free agent to a standard contract, re-signing RFA forward Cody Martin. They made two trades, but neither brought back a veteran player. The only new player the club has added to its projected 15-man regular season roster so far is former Duke center Mark Williams, the No. 15 overall pick in the draft, who seems unlikely to play a huge role as a rookie.

There are a few possible explanations for the Hornets’ relative inactivity. One is that the club simply hasn’t found many opportunities it liked and continues to bide its time, waiting for an opportunity to make a splash on the trade market. Charlotte was, after all, one of the potential suitors linked to Donovan Mitchell before he was dealt to Cleveland.

Another explanation is that the Hornets aren’t prepared to make major changes to their roster before they see what new head coach Steve Clifford can get out of the current group. If the front office believes that Borrego simply wasn’t maximizing the talent on the roster, it makes sense not to do anything drastic until getting a sense of how the team looks under Clifford.

A third possible explanation is that the domestic violence charges levied against restricted free agent Miles Bridges forced the Hornets to rethink their entire approach to the offseason.

Bridges was one of Charlotte’s two most important players last season, along with LaMelo Ball. Now that his NBA future is up in the air as his legal case plays out, the Hornets may have simply decided that it’s not in their best interest to go all-in on their push for the playoffs, given the extent to which Bridges’ potential absence limits the team’s ceiling.

There’s still a good deal of talent on this Charlotte roster. Ball is a rising star; Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier are quality starters; Cody Martin, P.J. Washington, Kelly Oubre, and Mason Plumlee are solid rotation pieces; James Bouknight, Kai Jones, Jalen McDaniels, and Williams are among the intriguing youngsters who could prove capable of greater roles.

But Bridges will be a big loss if he doesn’t re-sign or if he misses most or all of the season, either on administrative leave or serving a suspension. On top of that, the Hornets are still missing an impact player in the frontcourt who is capable of anchoring the defense and being a pick-and-roll partner to Ball on offense — Williams has the potential to become that player, but the 20-year-old can’t be relied upon to be that guy right away.

We want to know what you think. What’s the next move in Charlotte? Has Bridges played his last game in a Hornets uniform? How can the team continue to make forward progress after making the play-in game in each of the last two seasons?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Top Remaining Free Agents

September 11th, 2022 at 5:32pm CST by JD Shaw

As the NBA offseason nears its end, several players who ended last season under contract with a team remain available in free agency. Training camps are set to open across the league later this month, so time is running out for those players ahead of the regular season.

Teams are also still rounding out their training camp rosters by signing players to Exhibit 10, two-way and non-guaranteed deals. As shown by our current list of free agents, Dennis Schröder, Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lamb, Lou Williams, Lance Stephenson, Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard are among the veterans still available.

Of course, many of those players are likely nearing the end of their careers, including Williams (36 next month), Anthony (38) and Howard (36). Iguodala, 38, still hasn’t decided whether he’ll be playing or retiring. The Warriors likely value his leadership and experience more than his production at this point in his career.

The rest of those players are all 33 years old or younger, but several young players are also available. Schröder has a case to be the best option, averaging 13.5 points in 28.7 minutes per game with Boston and Houston last season. Plenty of the others hold All-Star experience.

We want to know what you think. Among the remaining free agents, who do you think is the most valuable one? Who could help a specific team this season, even if they wind up signing later in the year? Which players on our current list of free agents interest you the most? Take to the comments section below and voice your opinions!

Community Shootaround: In-Season Tournament

September 10th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Details are still being worked out regarding a proposed in-season tournament, but the NBA appears to be targeting the 2023/24 season to implement it.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this week that the current framework has cup games being held throughout November with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination format that would be played in December. All the games would count toward the teams’ regular-season record, and the finalists would each have one extra game.

The tournament would have to be approved by the players union, and the two sides are continuing to sort through ideas. One important step will be deciding what incentives will be given to the final eight teams to make advancing worth the effort. Charania states that the Competition Committee discussed the tournament last September and considered prize money of $1MM per player for the winning team.

Commissioner Adam Silver has been a longtime proponent of the in-season tournament, believing it will eventually become as popular as a similar event in European soccer. Silver said in February that the players appear more receptive toward the idea after seeing the success of the play-in tournament that determines the final two playoff spots in each conference.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told NBA writer Marc Stein that he has changed his mind about the in-season tournament and is “actually open to it,” starting with next season (Twitter link). Cuban said the event “has a chance to build interest” for the league during the early part of its schedule.

Cuban also proposes expanding the draft from two to four rounds and giving the first pick in the two new rounds to the tournament winner (Twitter link). He would add the stipulation that those two picks cannot be traded. Like the tournament itself, any changes to the draft process would require NBPA approval.

We want to get your opinion. Do you believe an in-season tournament would cause more fans to pay attention to the NBA during the fall? And do you see merit in Cuban’s idea to expand the draft? Please leave your answers in the space below.

Community Shootaround: New York Knicks

September 9th, 2022 at 9:48pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the playoffs for seven straight years, the Knicks had a surprising turnaround during the 2020/21 season under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, finishing with a 41-31 record, the No. 4 seed in the East. They ultimately fell to the Hawks in the first round, but it was still a successful season, particularly given the notable contributions from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.

Randle was an All-Star for the first time, earned a berth on the All-NBA Second Team, and was voted Most Improved Player after averaging 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 6.0 APG on .456/.411/.811 shooting (.567 true shooting percentage). Barrett improved his numbers across the board, and his .441/.401/.746 (.535 true) shooting line was very encouraging for a player who had question marks about his jump shot.

New York had the NBA’s third-ranked defense in ’20/21, and its net rating was +2.4, ninth in the league. The team’s expected win total precisely matched its actual total, per Basketball-Reference.

Unfortunately, the Knicks had a disappointing follow-up season in ’21/22, finishing with a 37-45 record, the No. 11 seed in the East. Randle fell back to earth a bit and had several strange incidents both on and off the court, posting a disappointing .411/.308/.756 (.509 true) shooting line and lacking the same effort level defensively. Similarly, although his scoring average improved, Barrett’s efficiency got worse, posting a .408/.342/.714 (.511 true) shooting line.

The team’s offensive rating was nearly identical between the two seasons (110.6 vs. 110.4, both below average), but the defense fell to 11th in the league, with a -0.1 net rating. The Knicks’ actual win total was four less than expected, but even if they had won four more games, they still would’ve likely missed the play-in tournament (Atlanta and Charlotte both finished with 43 wins).

The Knicks’ front office recognized that they needed to make some changes and have had a busy offseason, trading away the No. 11 pick (Ousmane Dieng) to the Thunder to acquire three 2023 protected first-round picks, then flipping one (the Nuggets’ lottery-protected pick) and four second-rounders to the Hornets for the draft rights to No. 13 pick Jalen Duren.

New York then packaged Duren with Kemba Walker, receiving the Bucks’ 2025 top-four protected first-rounder from the Pistons in the deal. The Knicks also made a separate trade with Detroit, a salary dump move that sent Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, a second-rounder and $6MM in cash in exchange for a heavily-protected second-rounder.

All of those moves gave the Knicks the cap room to sign free agent guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104MM deal. They also signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16MM deal and re-signed center Mitchell Robinson to a four-year, $60MM contract.

Obviously, they were heavily involved in trade rumors for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who landed in Cleveland, but ultimately didn’t make the deal and I’m not going to get into that much since it’s been written about ad nauseam.

Even though the Knicks have had an active summer, former Knicks head coach and current ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t think the team has moved the needle much with its roster moves, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“The Knicks have good players, but you line it up against the competition in the East, and this roster is not on the same level,” Van Gundy told Berman in a phone interview. “They could shock the world and be a playoff team, but I look at the East and I’d have to say eight to 13 is where they should be predicted. They’re not even close to a lock for the play-in. A lot has to go right.”

According to Van Gundy, the Knicks lack the top-end talent to be considered a real threat. He suggests that a turnaround and play-in berth might hinge upon a bounce-back season from Randle.

That leads us to our question of the day. Do you agree with Van Gundy’s assessment that “a lot has to go right” for the Knicks to make the play-in tournament? Head to the comments section and let us know what you think.

Community Shootaround: Washington Wizards

September 5th, 2022 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards got off to one of the hottest starts of any NBA team in 2021/22, winning 10 of their first 13 games and claiming the No. 1 seed in the East after the first four weeks of the season.

Washington’s impressive run to open the season looked like a vindication of the team’s offseason moves, including its decision to hire Wes Unseld Jr. as head coach and trade Russell Westbrook for a package that included Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell. Head of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard received a promotion and an extension following the club’s 10-3 start.

Things took an unfortunate turn after that, however. The Wizards went just 25-44 the rest of the way, falling not just out of a playoff spot but out of the play-in picture too — they ultimately finished 12th in the Eastern Conference, eight games behind the 10th-place Hornets.

The Wizards’ poor finish to the 2021/22 season doesn’t mean the organization was wrong to hire Unseld, trade Westbrook, or extend Sheppard. After all, the slump could be attributed in large part due to an injury that sidelined star Bradley Beal for over half the season. Still, even when Beal was healthy, there wasn’t enough talent on the court to consider the Wizards a legitimate threat in the East.

It wouldn’t have been out of the question for the Wizards to take a hard look at the roster this offseason, acknowledge its flaws, and commit to a retooling or rebuilding project, the way the Jazz have done. But with Beal eligible for free agency, getting a huge return back in a sign-and-trade deal would have been challenging, and Washington didn’t have a ton of other valuable trade chips to cash in for future first-round picks.

Instead of blowing things up, the Wizards doubled down on the current group, signing Beal to a record-setting five-year contract that will pay him more than $50MM per year and includes a full no-trade clause. The club traded for Monte Morris and Will Barton, signed Delon Wright and Taj Gibson, and used its lottery pick to select guard Johnny Davis.

With those new additions, a healthy Beal, a full season of Kristaps Porzingis, and further development from recent first-rounders like Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, and Corey Kispert, it’s easy to envision the 2022/23 Wizards taking a step forward.

But there’s not a whole lot of margin for error — if Beal and/or Porzingis battle injuries again, there may not be enough firepower on the roster to make up for their absences. And if at least one of Hachimura, Avdija, or Kispert doesn’t take a significant step toward becoming a reliable starter, it’s hard to see where the internal growth is coming from.

We want to know what you think. Is this Wizards team headed in the right direction, or is still a borderline play-in contender that will be treading water until the franchise commits to a more drastic overhaul?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the outlook in Washington!

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