Community Shootaround

Community Shootaround: Utah Jazz

March 8th, 2021 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The team with the best record in the NBA gets precious little respect.

The Jazz reached the All-Star break ahead of the pack in the rugged Western Conference but no one seems to take them seriously. Back in January, TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal refused to give Donovan Mitchell the superstar label, claiming that Mitchell doesn’t impact the game beyond scoring.

When it came time to choose sides in the NBA All-Star draft last week, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were the last two picks by Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

“There’s no slander to the Utah Jazz,” James claimed. “You guys got to understand, just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah. Even as great as Karl Malone and John Stockton was, we would never pick those guys in video games. Never.”

Mitchell was not pleased by the perceived insult.

The best way for the Jazz to respond is to finish what they started. The Jazz have been a playoff team the last four seasons. They got knocked out in the first round the last two years after getting eliminated in the conference semifinals in back-to-back seasons.

Last season, Mitchell tried to will his team past Denver, averaging 36.3 PPG in an epic seven-game series, but the Jazz came up just short in Game 7.

Utah didn’t have Bojan Bogdanovic in that series due to a wrist injury. Otherwise, the Jazz have virtually the same rotation as they did at the end of last year. Their chemistry makes them tough to beat in the regular season but the postseason is a different animal, when the biggest stars shine.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Can the Jazz finally overcome their recent history and make a deep playoff run? Or is the team with the best record in the NBA destined for another early-round flameout?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Checking In On Eastern Playoff Race

March 5th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

When we checked in on the Western playoff race on Wednesday, we suggested that there were a few clear-cut tiers within the conference, including 10 teams that look like the top contenders to make the postseason or the play-in tournament.

The Eastern Conference playoff race is far more muddled, but there are at least three playoff locks and legit contenders at the top of the conference, where the Sixers (24-12) are hanging onto a half-game lead over the Nets (24-13) and a two-game lead over the Bucks (22-14).

Philadelphia is positioned to further upgrade its roster at the trade deadline, while Brooklyn and Milwaukee have played well despite lengthy absences for Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday, respectively. As long as all three teams stay relatively healthy in the second half, it seems pretty safe to assume they’ll secure home court advantage in round one.

After that top group, things get messy. The Celtics (19-17) currently hold the fourth seed, but they’re only separated from the 11th-seeded Hawks (16-20) by four games. In between those two teams, the Knicks (19-18), Heat (18-18), Hornets (17-18), Raptors (17-19), Bulls (16-18), and Pacers (16-19) are all jockeying for position — it wasn’t uncommon in recent days for a team to jump or fall four or five spots in the standings based on the outcome of a single night’s games.

Entering the season, the Celtics, Heat, Raptors, and Pacers were viewed as solid playoff contenders, with Atlanta expected to be in the mix as well. The Knicks, Hornets, and Bulls are the upstarts here, but career years from Julius Randle and Zach LaVine and a breakthrough performance from LaMelo Ball have helped make the case we should be taking them seriously.

With only five teams in the East above .500, most of the current lottery clubs realistically remain in the hunt for a play-in spot as well. The Wizards (14-20), Cavaliers (14-22), and Magic (13-23) don’t have good records, but Washington is within 1.5 games of the No. 10 seed, and even Orlando is only 3.5 games back.

With the All-Star break underway, we want to get your thoughts on the Eastern Conference playoff picture heading into the second half.

Which team will grab the top seed?
Which three teams will join the Sixers, Nets, and Bucks in the top six, assuring themselves of a guaranteed postseason spot?
Which four teams will finish in the 7-10 range and participate in the play-in tournament?
Will unexpected playoff contenders like the Knicks, Hornets, and Bulls wind up in the postseason?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your opinions on where things are headed in the East!

Community Shootaround: Checking In On Western Playoff Race

March 3rd, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Given the truncated nature of the NBA’s 72-game 2020/21 season, the standings in each conference figure to significantly fluctuate all year long, with any multi-game winning streak or losing streak more likely than ever to shake up the playoff picture.

Still, as we near the halfway point of the regular season, the Western Conference standings are – at least for the time being – easy enough to split into tiers.

The 27-8 Jazz are in a tier of their own at the top. Their 3.5-game lead over their next-closest competitor is the biggest margin between any two teams in the conference besides the gap between the 14th and 15th seeds. That cushion should allow Utah to have a bad week or two without necessarily falling out of the top spot in the West.

The next tier is currently made up of three Pacific teams, the Suns (23-11), Lakers (24-12), and Clippers (24-13). They’re all separated by a half-game and are at least three games ahead of any other team in the conference.

The two Los Angeles teams were expected to be here, and they comfortably hold top-four seeds despite having star players (Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George) miss some time due to injuries. Phoenix, on the other hand, is something of an upstart — expectations had increased for the Suns following their 8-0 run at last summer’s bubble and the offseason acquisition of Chris Paul, but few expected them to hold the No. 2 seed in the West with the All-Star break around the corner.

The Western Conference’s third tier consists of six teams bunched together within two games of each other, from the No. 5 Spurs (18-13) to the No. 10 Mavericks (17-16). Others in this group include the Trail Blazers (19-14), Nuggets (20-15), Warriors (19-16), and Grizzlies (16-15).

It remains to be seen whether the NBA’s new play-in format for the final two postseason spots in each conference will make this race more or less interesting. Having six clubs vie for four playoff berths would’ve been entertaining in its own right, but the play-in tournament adds a new wrinkle.

Assuming the Jazz, Suns, Lakers, and Clippers hang onto playoff spots, that will only leave two guaranteed postseason berths for the six “third-tier” clubs. The teams that finish in the 7-10 range would enter the play-in tournament, where the Nos. 7 and 8 teams would need to win one game to advance, while the Nos. 9 and 10 teams would have to win two.

Entering the season, the Mavs, Blazers, and Nuggets were viewed as the likeliest playoff teams from this group, but San Antonio and Memphis have substantially exceeded expectations, and Golden State has admirably overcome the loss of Klay Thompson. If pressed, I’d probably consider Denver and Portland the favorites to claim the fifth and sixth seeds, but this should be a fascinating race.

A few clubs further down in the standings have the potential to shake up the postseason picture too, but it’s hard to get too enthusiastic about the 7-28 Timberwolves or the 11-22 Rockets, both of whom are mired in horrible slumps, or the 14-20 Thunder, who are ostensibly rebuilding. The 13-21 Kings have also been hit hard by a recent cold streak and have a lot of ground to make up.

That leaves the Pelicans (15-19), who are the most intriguing wild card outside the Western Conference’s current top 10. All-Star forward Zion Williamson and 2020 All-Star Brandon Ingram give New Orleans a dangerous one-two punch on offense, but the club will need to tighten up its defense to make a run — the Pelicans’ 116.1 defensive rating ranks 29th in the NBA.

With the first half of the NBA season about to come to an end, we want to get your thoughts on where things stand in the Western Conference playoff race.

Will the Jazz finish the season as the No. 1 seed?
Will the Jazz, Suns, Lakers, or Clippers fall out of the top four?
Which teams do you view as the best bets to claim the top six seeds in the conference?
Which four clubs do you expect to take part in the play-in tournament?
Will the Pelicans or another team currently in the bottom five force their way into the top 10? If so, which team are they knocking out?

Head to the comment section below to share your two cents!

Community Shootaround: Top Draft Pick

March 2nd, 2021 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s help on the way for teams such as the Pistons and Timberwolves, who have the worst record in their respective conferences.

The 2021 NBA draft class is projected to be stronger than usual, particularly at the top where five players have emerged as potential All-Stars.

Most of the draft buzz has centered on Oklahoma State freshman guard Cade Cunningham. His college coach calls him a cross between Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway. He has also drawn comparisons to Luka Doncic.

Cunningham’s 40-point explosion against Oklahoma on Saturday further solidified his reputation as the draft’s top prospect (he only took eight shots and scored 15 points in a rematch on Monday). The 6’8’’ Cunningham is averaging 19.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG and could turn into a triple-double machine in the pros.

There are several other prospects who could legitimately argue they deserve to top the list. USC seven-footer Evan Mobley is averaging 16.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.9 BPG in his freshman season. Mobley is the prototype of a modern big man with elite rim protecting skills. Though the NBA has become an increasingly small-ball league, there’s always room for an athletic big man (Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis).

Gonzaga freshman guard Jalen Suggs hasn’t piled up the stats like Cunningham and Mobley but he’s got a good excuse – he’s surrounded by better players. The top prospect on the nation’s top-ranked team is averaging 13.9, PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.0 SPG. He could excel at either guard spot at the next level.

Then there’s the G League Ignite duo of Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. Green is averaging 17.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.7 APG and shooting 37.9% beyond the arc while facing experienced professionals. Green has the ability to be an explosive scorer in the Zach LaVine mold and can terrorize defenders in the open court.

Kuminga, a 6’8’’ forward, has been better than advertised while averaging 16.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.8 APG. He has the physical tools to step right into a starting lineup and create mismatches at either forward spot. He has shown superior shot-creating ability in the Orlando bubble.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Should Cade Cunningham be the No. 1 pick of the draft or do you feel Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green or Jonathan Kuminga will be an even better pro?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Eastern All-Stars

February 18th, 2021 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

Before the NBA announces its 2021 All-Star starters on Thursday night on TNT, we want to get your thoughts on which players deserve to make the All-Star teams this season. After focusing on the Western Conference on Wednesday, we’re turning our attention to the Eastern Conference today.

There likely won’t be much debate over the Eastern frontcourt starters, as Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are all playing like legitimate MVP candidates. Durant has been limited to just 19 games due to various health issues and COVID-19 protocols, but I think that’s enough — he has played big minutes (35.7 MPG) in those contests.

The Eastern backcourt starters are harder to nail down. You could make a legitimate argument for Nets guards James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Wizards guard Bradley Beal, and Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown. Beal is the NBA’s leading scorer and Irving isn’t far behind, but I actually favor Brown and Harden for the starting spots here.

Brown is the best defender of the group, and his scoring numbers (25.9 PPG on .506/.409/.768 shooting and a 31.4% usage rate) have been terrific. Harden, meanwhile, has been arguably the league’s best play-maker so far this season, averaging an eye-popping 11.8 assists per game to go along with his 24.3 PPG since arriving in Brooklyn.

All four guards belong in the game, so that leaves three frontcourt spots and two wild card slots to fill out the bench. I’d start with Tatum, a two-way star who is averaging career highs in PPG (25.8), RPG (7.0), and APG (4.7) to go along with his stout defense for the Celtics.

From here though, thinks get awfully tricky. Hawks guard Trae Young and Bulls guard Zach LaVine aren’t good defenders, but they’re enjoying elite offensive seasons. Young (26.5 PPG, 9.3 APG) has been the better play-maker, while LaVine has scored a little more, and has done so far more efficiently (28.5 PPG on .520/.437/.847 shooting). Both are strong candidates.

The fourth-seeded Pacers probably deserve to have a player in the game, and you could make a legitimate case for either Domantas Sabonis (21.5 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 5.7 APG) or Malcolm Brogdon (21.6 PPG and 6.6 APG).

Big men Bam Adebayo, Nikola Vucevic, and Julius Randle have been the most valuable players so far this season for the Heat, Magic, and Knicks, respectively. Adebayo anchors his team’s defense in a way the other two don’t, though his offensive numbers (19.9 PPG, 5.3 APG) don’t quite match Vucevic’s (23.4 PPG on .476/.414/.816 shooting) or Randle’s (23.2 PPG and 5.5 APG with a .407 3PT%).

Bucks forward Khris Middleton, Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, Pistons forward Jerami Grant, and Sixers guard Ben Simmons also deserve serious consideration as two-way impact players.

And while they probably won’t make the 12-man squad, Raptors guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet, Sixers forward Tobias Harris, Hawks big man Clint Capela, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Heat forward Jimmy Butler, and Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton each at least warrant a look and an honorable mention.

For now, my choices to fill out the Eastern squad would be LaVine, Young, Adebayo, and Middleton. LaVine is the East’s second-leading scorer; Young isn’t far behind him and his on/off-court numbers make a compelling case; Adebayo is one of the conference’s best interior defenders; and Middleton has been one of the NBA’s best shooters (.510/.442/.902).

Still, there are at least four or five other players whom I could comfortably sub into one of those spots and feel good about it. Leaving out guys like Randle, Grant, Simmons, and especially Sabonis (my last man out) is tough.

What do you think? Which 12 players would you pick for your Eastern Conference All-Star team? Which players would be the most difficult to omit?

Head to the comment section below to share your choices and your reasoning!

Community Shootaround: Western All-Stars

February 17th, 2021 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Voting for the NBA’s All-Star starters has now closed, and the league will reveal on TNT on Thursday night the 10 players who have been named starters for this year’s game, with an announcement on the All-Star reserves to follow next Tuesday.

Before that happens, we want to get your take on which 24 players deserve to make this year’s All-Star Game, starting today in the Western Conference.

This year’s Western Conference All-Stars, who will be represented by Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, have six clear frontrunners for the five starting spots.

Lakers star LeBron James, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard are the odds-on favorites to claim the three frontcourt openings, while Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will vie for the two backcourt spots.

While it remains to be seen which five players will earn starting spots, it’s safe to say that all six will safely make the team. That leaves six other spots up for grabs.

The general consensus among Marc Stein of The New York Times, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, and Josh Robbins of The Athletic – all of whom made their picks this week – is that four of those spots will be claimed by Anthony Davis, Paul George, and the Jazz duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, which would make sense, given those players’ importance to the top three clubs in the conference.

After that, there’s little consensus. Stein and Robbins have Jazz guard Mike Conley nabbing one of the last two spots, while Stein and O’Connor each penciled in Suns guard Chris Paul. O’Connor also has Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making his team, while Robbins opted for Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan.

Suns guard Devin Booker, Pelicans forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Rockets big man Christian Wood, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant all merited consideration and/or honorable mention from Stein, O’Connor, and Robbins. Beyond that, it’s hard to find legitimate candidates whose cases haven’t been hurt by injuries or COVID-19, as is the case for Blazers guard CJ McCollum, among others.

Following the format of four guards, six frontcourt players, and two wild cards, my picks would be Curry, Doncic, LeBron, Jokic, and Kawhi in the starting lineup, with Lillard, Mitchell, Davis, George, Gobert, Paul, and DeRozan on the bench. If Davis remains sidelined through the All-Star break due to his calf injury, picking a frontcourt player to replace him would be tricky, but for now I’d lean toward Williamson.

What do you think? Which 12 Western Conference players would be on your All-Star squad for the 2020/21 season?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Community Shootaround: Griffin, Drummond

February 15th, 2021 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Just two years ago, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond were the stars on a Pistons team that made the playoffs.

Griffin carried Detroit that season, averaging 24.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 5.4 APG, while his frontcourt partner averaged 17.3 PPG and a league-best 15.6 RPG.

Their careers remain on a parallel course but in a different way – both players have mutually agreed with their teams to sit out until a trade or a buyout can be arranged.

Griffin’s presence on the roster became an awkward situation for the Pistons, who are in full rebuild mode. Ideally, they’ll find a playoff contender willing to take Griffin off their hands. It will be an extremely tough sell, considering Griffin has lost his explosion after multiple knee surgeries and his max contract runs through next season, including a $39MM player option.

Most likely, the Pistons and Griffin will agree to a buyout and allow Griffin to hook onto a team that needs help at power forward.

Detroit practically gave Drummond away to the Cavaliers last season, rather than risk having him opt it and hamstring its rebuilding efforts.

Drummond will be headed to unrestricted free agency this offseason, making him somewhat easier to trade than Griffin.

When Cleveland acquired Jarrett Allen in the James Harden multi-team blockbuster, the four-time rebounding champion became a very expendable part. The key will be matching up salaries comparable to the $28.75MM that Drummond is making this season.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Where do you think Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond will wind up playing the remainder of the season?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in. We look forward to your input.

Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year Race

February 11th, 2021 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Widely considered a strong contender to be picked No. 1 overall leading up to the 2020 draft, LaMelo Ball ultimately fell to No. 3, where he was snatched up by the Hornets. Now, less than two months into his rookie year, he’s showing why picking him first overall may have been the right move.

Through his first 26 games, Ball is leading all NBA rookies in PPG (14.3), APG (6.1), and SPG (1.4), and his 5.8 RPG ranks second only to James Wiseman‘s 6.1. Ball has been even better as of late, pouring in 21.6 PPG on .488/.440/.900 shooting to go along with 6.8 APG and 5.4 RPG in his last eight games.

That hot streak included Ball’s first NBA start, on February 1, and John Hollinger of The Athletic suggests it’s hard to imagine the rookie ever coming off the bench again. The 19-year-old has already improved by “leaps and bounds” since even the start of the season, according to Hollinger, who says Ball may already be the best player on Charlotte’s roster and looks fully capable of destroying the narrative that the 2020 draft didn’t have a superstar-caliber at the top of the class.

So far, Ball’s full-season numbers aren’t as impressive as those put up by Luka Doncic in 2018/19 or Ja Morant in ’19/20, but he’s quickly emerging as the overwhelming favorite to join those players in earning Rookie of the Year honors. Few other players from the 2020 class have had a major impact on their respective teams so far, and not many are in position to enter a starting lineup and take another huge leap forward like Ball has.

For now, Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton and Warriors big man Wiseman look like Ball’s top challengers for the Rookie of the Year award. Haliburton is averaging 12.0 PPG and 5.3 APG with a .455 3PT% off the bench for Sacramento, while Wiseman, who began the season as Golden State’s starting center, has recorded 12.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.3 BPG.

However, it’s hard to imagine Haliburton taking on a much greater role this season than the one he already has (he’s averaging 29.4 minutes per game), while Wiseman figures to experience some ups and downs as he continues to adjust to the NBA on a veteran-led squad competing for a playoff spot.

We want to know what you think. Are you already penciling in Ball as the probable Rookie of the Year winner, barring an injury? Or is this race still very much up in the air, with Haliburton and Wiseman in the mix along with other potential challengers like Anthony Edwards, Cole Anthony, and Immanuel Quickley?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Do We Need An All-Star Game?

February 6th, 2021 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has a literal all-star team opposed to playing the All-Star Game this year.

Since an agreement was announced Thursday between the league and the players union to hold the game March 7 in Atlanta, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and De’Aaron Fox have all spoken out against it.

Their objections are obvious. Twenty-three games have already been postponed due to COVID-19, and players are required to submit to frequent testing and follow a regimented lifestyle to make sure they haven’t been exposed to the virus. League personnel are even being forbidden to gather outside of their homes to watch the Super Bowl. But the NBA is planning to bring players from all over the country into Atlanta for the game and possibly skills competitions as well.

Leonard offered the best explanation for why the league insists on going through with the event.

“We all know why we’re playing it,” he said Friday. “It’s money on the line; it’s an opportunity to make more money. Just putting money over health right now, pretty much. … We’re playing games now, and it’s still a pandemic, doing all these protocols and rules, so it doesn’t really surprise me.”

The NBA has a serious need for revenue after going through nearly an entire calendar year with no paying customers, apart from severely limited capacity in 11 arenas. One of those is in Atlanta, which is why the city was chosen to host this year in place of Indianapolis, which will be given the 2024 game.

NBPA president Chris Paul is among the strongest advocates for holding a game and hopes to have proceeds benefit historically Black colleges and universities and COVID-19 relief efforts, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Still, prominent players continue to express their opposition, and the league may have to rethink its position if the outcry grows strong enough. Opt-out clauses are believed to be part of the discussions, Wojnarowski reports, so no player would be forced to participate.

We want to get your opinion. Should the NBA hold an All-Star Game under the current conditions? Please leave your responses in the comments section.

Community Shootaround: Mavericks’ Outlook

February 3rd, 2021 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

A year ago, the Mavericks had one of the best offenses in NBA history, led by MVP candidate and First Team All-NBA guard Luka Doncic. Dallas led the league with a 115.9 offensive rating, and while the team was only the seventh seed in the West, there was a sense that it would build on its 43-32 record in 2020/21 and solidify itself as a contender.

Instead, the Mavs have gotten off to a disappointing start in ’20/21. Hampered by some health issues and additional absences related to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Dallas currently ranks 13th in the West with an 8-13 record, and is in the midst of a six-game losing streak.

The Mavericks’ defense is posting similar numbers to the ones it did a year ago, but the offense has taken a major step back. Dallas’ 109.0 offensive rating is 21st in the NBA, and the club has been the worst three-point shooting team in the league so far — its 32.8% mark from beyond the arc is dead last by a full percentage point.

Outside of Tim Hardaway Jr., who is converting 39.0% of his 7.7 three-point attempts per game, the Mavs’ top long-distance shooters simply aren’t making enough shots. Doncic (29.3%), Kristaps Porzingis (30.2%), Dorian Finney-Smith (32.3%), and Josh Richardson (28.6%) launch a combined 24 threes per game and are all making well below their career rates — all but Finney-Smith have posted career-worst percentages so far.

While it’s safe to assume that the Mavs’ fortunes will reverse to some extent if some of those shots start falling, there are still reasons to be concerned about the club. Porzingis, who is coming off another knee procedure, may not be capable of being the second star who can take some of the pressure off of Doncic, and the rest of the supporting cast is somewhat hit and miss.

As the Mavs look to break out of their slump against Atlanta tonight and Golden State tomorrow, we want to get your thoughts on their outlook. Is it just a matter of time until they regain the form that made them the NBA’s best offense a year ago? Are there any adjustments they need to make to their lineup, rotation, or game plan? Are roster changes necessary, or should the team wait until the offseason – when it will have a significant chunk of cap room open – to make any major moves?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your two cents on Dallas’ recent struggles and what they mean going forward!

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