Community Shootaround

Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoff Picture

November 21st, 2019 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Entering the 2019/20 season, eight teams were widely considered the frontrunners to claim the playoff spots in the Western Conference. Through the season’s first month, five of those clubs have delivered on their promise — the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, Nuggets, and Jazz look like pretty safe bets to make the postseason.

However, the other three clubs from that group have won just 13 games combined so far, and will have to dig themselves out of an early-season hole if they hope to make the playoffs.

With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out long-term due to injuries, and Draymond Green, D’Angelo Russell, and Kevon Looney also battling health issues, the Warriors‘ postseason chances appear all but dead. They have the worst record in the conference so far at 3-13, and there’s little reason to expect them to improve anytime soon.

The Trail Blazers and especially the Spurs haven’t been bitten by the injury bug to the same extent that Golden State has, but both clubs are off to disappointing starts too, with matching 5-10 records to date.

With those three presumed playoff teams near the bottom of the standings so far, the Mavericks (9-5), Suns (7-6), and Timberwolves (8-7) currently fill out the West’s top eight, and the Kings (6-7) are just one game out of the postseason picture. The Thunder, Grizzlies, and Pelicans (all 5-9) aren’t entirely out of the mix yet either.

It’s still very early, so there’s time for teams like Portland and San Antonio to bounce back and make a run. And it remains to be seen if clubs like Phoenix and Minnesota can sustain their early success. But it suddenly looks like there could be a pretty wide-open race for the last couple playoff seeds in the West — or for the last three spots, if you’re not fully in on Luka Doncic and the Mavs, or one of the conference’s other top teams.

What do you think? After what you’ve seen over the last month, are you ready to make any predictions on which upstarts might make the playoffs in the West? Are the Mavs for real? How about the Suns and Timberwolves? Of the Blazers and Spurs, which club has the better chance to rebound?

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

Community Shootaround: Next Notable Veteran FA To Sign?

November 18th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With Carmelo Anthony set to join the Trail Blazers, the NBA’s most notable veteran free agent is finally coming off the market. There aren’t many players still looking for work who have a résumé as decorated as Carmelo’s, which includes 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA nods, but there are still several intriguing veteran free agents available.

Longtime Sixth Man of the Year contender – and three-time winner – Jamal Crawford recently reiterated that he remains in the market for a new NBA home. Crawford is 39 years old, but he’s not ready to retire, and had a handful of big scoring nights in 2018/19, including a 51-point outburst in the final game of the season.

J.R. Smith is free to sign with any team after being exiled by the Cavaliers last season. The 34-year-old hasn’t played in over a year, but isn’t far removed from knocking down 37.5% of his three-point attempts in 80 games in 2017/18.

Much was made of Joe Johnson‘s NBA comeback this fall after he lit up Ice Cube’s BIG3 league in the summer, but the 38-year-old was beaten out by Christian Wood for the Pistons‘ final roster spot and hasn’t caught on with a new team since then.

Joakim Noah (age 34), Luc Mbah a Moute (33), Corey Brewer (33), and Jodie Meeks (32) are among the other 30-something free agents still out there. Marreese Speights (32), Amir Johnson (32), Dante Cunningham (32), Lance Thomas (31), Michael Beasley (30), and Jonathon Simmons (30) could be had as well. And as our list of current veteran free agents shows, there are several other options available for teams looking for reclamation projects.

What do you think? Are any of these unsigned veterans still capable of having a positive impact on an NBA playoff team this season? Which one(s) will be next to follow in Anthony’s footsteps and catch on with a new club?

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

Community Shootaround: The Future of Andrew Wiggins

November 16th, 2019 at 3:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Andrew Wiggins, The Artist Formerly Known As “Maple Jordan”, has been playing out of his mind for the Timberwolves thus far in 2019/20. His shot profile has modernized as he has prioritized three-pointers over inefficient long two-pointers. His passing has enjoyed a remarkable early turnaround. The team, too, has outperformed early prognostications. The Wolves currently sit 7-5, good for the seventh seed in a brutal West.

Wiggins famously signed a five-year, $147.7MM contract with the Timberwolves in 2017. The level of the deal and his middling play after inking it apparently contributed to Jimmy Butler‘s trade demands early in the 2018/19 season.

The 6’7″ swingman out of Kansas has shown flashes of his potential in seasons past. Those flashes were so few and far between that Minnesota struggled to move his expensive contract this past offseason, albeit not for lack of trying.

Despite being in the midst of his sixth NBA season, Wiggins is just 24 years old. There could be time for him to permanently break the bad habits that seem to have curbed his growth. It remains an open question as to whether or not second-year coach Ryan Saunders will be able to keep Wiggins on his current upward trajectory.

And how high will that trajectory take Wiggins, exactly? Is Wiggins becoming the legitimate long-term cornerstone that the Wolves have long needed him to be, a great wing compliment to established All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns? Can Wiggins sustain this performance consistently enough to finally become an All-Star? At the very least, is Wiggins’ contract still an albatross or could he finally net Minnesota positive trade value if the team did eventually want to move him?

I have my doubts about Wiggins’ All-NBA potential, but one or two career All-Star appearances feel well within reach if he can maintain his excellent play of late.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

Community Shootaround: Carmelo In Portland

November 15th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Many people were skeptical that another NBA team would take a chance on Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony and his representatives spoke openly about his desire to play again but it seemed as if he would be either forced into retirement or explore overseas options.

The call the longtime All-Star had been waiting for came from the Pacific Northwest. The Trail Blazers were suddenly thin at the power forward spot when Zach Collins suffered a shoulder injury that could sideline him the entire season. Barring a last-minute snag, Anthony is expected to sign with the Blazers this weekend and make his Portland debut next week.

Anthony struggled with the idea of being a role player last season with the Rockets and lasted just 10 games before a mutual parting. Now, he’s got another chance to show he can be an asset in the modern NBA game.

The fact that Anthony, 35, had to settle for a non-guaranteed deal reinforces the notion that this is likely his last chance to show he can blend in rather than being the star of the show.

The fact that journeyman Anthony Tolliver and Mario Hezonja have taken turns replacing Collins with limited results means that Anthony could quickly jump into the lineup. Meshing his offensive skills with high-scoring guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will be a work in progress.

Whether Anthony can defend his position and switch out on younger, quicker players is an even bigger mystery. But there’s no denying Melo can score in bunches when he gets on a roll.

That brings us to our question of the day: Do you think Carmelo Anthony will last the whole season with Portland or will he flame out quickly as he did in Houston?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Early Look At MVP Race

November 15th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Last spring, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden turned the 2018/19 MVP race into a two-man event, with Antetokounmpo’s two-way excellence ultimately outweighing Harden’s offensive dominance in the eyes of voters.

Several months later, both Antetokounmpo and Harden have seemingly picked up right where they left off, leading their teams to 8-3 records through 11 games.

After winning the NBA’s MVP award last year, Giannis has boosted his numbers in almost every major category, including PPG (30.5), RPG (14.5), APG (6.5), SPG (1.5), and 3PT% (.295). While his three-point percentage still isn’t at the level he’d like, he has developed into more of a threat beyond the arc, slowly adding a new dimension to his game to keep opponents up at night.

Harden, meanwhile, started the season in a bit of a shooting slump, which makes it all the more remarkable that he’s currently averaging an NBA-high 38.2 points per game. His staggering 15.3 free throw attempts per game have helped buoy his scoring average, and his assist numbers haven’t taken a hit with Russell Westbrook in the picture — he’s averaging 8.2 APG.

While Antetokounmpo and Harden are doing their best to make it a two-man MVP race again, they aren’t the only players emerging as early candidates.

The 9-2 Lakers have been led by LeBron James and his league-leading 11.1 assists per game. The Mavericks are in the playoff mix in the West thanks to Luka Doncic (28.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 9.3 APG). The same goes for the Suns and Devin Booker (25.5 PPG on .537/.500/.943 shooting), and the Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns (25.8 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 4.2 APG).

Over in the East, Kemba Walker (25.0 PPG, .444 3PT%) has led the Celtics to an NBA-best 9-1 record. Joel Embiid (23.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has been his usual dominant self for the 7-4 Sixers. And Pascal Siakam (27.2 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.8 APG) has become a No. 1 option for the 8-3 Raptors.

We didn’t even mention Kawhi Leonard or Anthony Davis, or stars like Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving, putting up huge numbers for teams off to slow starts. In other words, there are plenty of early contenders to watch in this year’s MVP race.

Still, Antetokounmpo and Harden look like the early frontrunners once again, which leads us to today’s discussion topic. Do you expect the Bucks and Rockets stars to repeat as the top two finishers in the MVP vote in 2019/20, or will another player as emerge as a top candidate, pushing Giannis or Harden out of the top two? And which player is your early pick to ultimately win the award?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your early thoughts on this season’s MVP race!

Community Shootaround: Could Siakam Repeat As Most Improved Player?

November 14th, 2019 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam was the runaway winner of the NBA’s 2018/19 Most Improved Player award, capturing 86 of 100 possible first-place votes, and he was certainly deserving of the honor. Siakam was one of the key contributors for the eventual NBA champions, guarding all five positions and increasing his numbers across the board – including a PPG bump from 7.3 to 16.9 – while scoring even more efficiently than he had before.

So far this season though, Siakam may have taken an even more significant step forward, as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. After increasing his scoring output by 9.6 points per game a year ago, Siakam has tacked on 10.3 more PPG this season, boosting that number to 27.2 PPG overall. His usage rate has jumped from 20.8 to 30.5, and while his overall field goal percentage has dipped a little, he’s become a more dangerous threat from outside, knocking down 2.3 threes per game at a 37.3% rate (up from 1.0 and 36.9%).

As Hollinger outlines, Siakam has made his latest strides by finding creative new ways to score. He’s a threat in the post, off the dribble, in the pick-and-roll, and from beyond the arc.

Last season, one of Siakam’s Achilles heels was his inability to make above-the-break threes. As ESPN’s Zach Lowe observes (via Twitter), the 25-year-old only attempted 29% of his three-pointers from above the break in 2018/19, making just 27% on those attempts. This year, 75% of his threes are coming from that area, and he has converted 42% of them.

Siakam isn’t Kawhi Leonard – even if his early-season numbers are remarkably similar to Kawhi’s full-season 2018/19 averages – but he has quickly become the Raptors’ new go-to offensive play-maker in Leonard’s absence this season. While his numbers through 11 games may not be sustainable, he looks like an All-Star lock, and if he can maintain anything close to this pace, he figures to be in the All-NBA conversation too. However, the most intriguing Siakam subplot this season may be whether he can win his second consecutive Most Improved Player award.

As Hollinger writes, no one has come close to being named MIP for two straight seasons. Of the last 10 winners, more than half have regressed a year after winning the award, and even the ones that have continued to improve have only taken modest steps forward. But the early returns on Siakam this season suggest he’ll have a case.

There were certainly be other good MIP candidates this season. Brandon Ingram, Luke Kennard, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are a few of the early contenders, though some voters shy away from second-year players, which could hurt Doncic, Young, and SGA. For that matter, some voters are reluctant to pick repeat award winners in general, but the novelty of doing so for an award like MIP that never has repeat winners might actually work in Siakam’s favor.

What do you think? Is it realistic to expect Siakam to be in the Most Improved Player conversation for a second consecutive year? Could he actually win the award again? If you’re not bullish on his chances, which candidate(s) do you like so far?

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

Community Shootaround: Is Isaiah Thomas “Back”?

November 13th, 2019 at 7:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As a short person, this author has enjoyed observing Isaiah Thomas‘s resurgence on the Wizards. Seeing IT survive and thrive in the NBA gives all of us undersized ballers hope. Thomas has been serviceable as a starter on one of the worst teams in the NBA. Can it last? And will he be able to collect some scratch for his efforts in the coming offseason?

After being drafted by the Kings with the 60th pick in 2011, Thomas put up impressive numbers for several bottom-feeding Sacramento teams. Thomas next inked a four-year, $27MM contract with the Suns in a 2014 sign-and-trade. The Suns, in the great point guard trade deadline bonanza of 2015, shipped Thomas to the Celtics. By his second full season in Boston, the 5’9″ point guard was the leader of the East’s 53-win No. 1 seed. He averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists and 2.7 boards. Then it all came crumbling down when a nagging hip injury knocked Thomas out of the playoffs. Boston GM Danny Ainge traded Thomas to the Cavaliers in a package for Kyrie Irving, and Thomas has never been the same.

Last season, Thomas disappointed on the 54-win Nuggets. He played just 12 games before coach Mike Malone excised him from the rotation, averaging 8.1 points per night at a paltry 34.3% field goal clip. He also shot just 27.9% from long range on 3.6 attempts. Even in those 12 games, Thomas was always a bench player, averaging only 15.1 minutes per contest.

This season, on a Wizards squad without John Wall for most or all of the season, Thomas has managed to scrap his way back into the starting five. As of this writing, he is averaging 13.2 points per game and 6.2 assists in just 22.7 minutes per contest. Thomas is also shooting a decent 42.9% from the floor and 36.4% from three-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.

So now we open this question up to the Hoops Rumors community. Is Isaiah truly “back?” First, it’s imperative to define what we mean by “back.” Thomas may never scale the heights of being an All-Star, let alone a legitimate MVP candidate. He finished fifth in 2017 MVP voting. But Thomas hasn’t even been able to sniff steady minutes on an NBA roster since the 2017/18 season, where he bounced between the Cavaliers and the Lakers.

After two straight years on veteran’s minimum contracts, will Thomas stay healthy long enough to parlay his play this season into a multi-year deal in 2020? That’s how I would quantify him being “back.” I think the answer to that question, by the way, is “Yes.” If Derrick Rose can extract a $15MM, two-year deal from the Pistons in 2019, Thomas should do something similar in 2020.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Community Shootaround: Which Rookie Will Have The Best Career?

November 10th, 2019 at 3:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pelicans rookie and consensus 2019 No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson is most likely out of commission through at least November as he recovers from his torn right meniscus. There has been bubbling chatter about whether or not the 6’6″, 285-pound Williamson’s fitness (or relative lack thereof) may be a longer-term problem for New Orleans.

Pelicans sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania that the team was unconcerned about Williamson’s frame having an adverse impact on his health moving forward. SB Nation writer Ricky O’Donnell observed that Williamson has suffered knee injuries in high school, college, Summer League, and now the NBA proper.

Though it felt obvious in the moment that Williamson would have the best NBA career among this year’s impressive rookie class, these recurrent knee issues have given this writer pause in determining just which 2019 rookie will be the best pro. Yes, Williamson’s ceiling feels astronomical. But his floor is spooky.

Meanwhile, No.2 pick Ja Morant has been impressive for the Grizzlies, averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. The point guard’s shooting numbers have been stellar, too: 49.2% from the field, 46.2% from three-point range (albeit on a somewhat-low 1.6 attempts), and 75% from the charity stripe.

Warriors rookie power forward Eric Paschall, the 41st pick out of Villanova, has been posting excellent numbers himself. His 79 points scored across his first three games were the most clocked by an NBA player in his first three starts since Jeremy Lin logged 89 with the Knicks in 2012.

Heat guards Kendrick Nunn (who went undrafted in 2018 but made his NBA debut this season) and Tyler Herro (the 13th pick) have scored in bunches, propelling the Jimmy Butler-led squad near the top of the East.

Power forward P.J. Washington, picked 12th by the Hornets, has outperformed his draft standing thus far. He is shooting 45.2% from deep on 3.4 three-point attempts. Williamson’s former Duke running mate, Knicks rookie wing R.J. Barrett, has been scoring in bunches too.

Other top picks include Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, Hawks forward DeAndre Hunter, Timberwolves guard Jarrett Culver, and Wizards forward Rui Hachimura.

Who among this starry 2019 rookie class do you think will have the best NBA career overall? Will it be someone beyond the players we’ve mentioned? A late-blooming second-round gem, perhaps (a la Nikola Jokic in 2014)?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Community Shootaround: Cavaliers’ Backcourt

November 8th, 2019 at 2:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers selected Darius Garland with the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft despite selecting a point guard the year prior in Collin Sexton. Cleveland insisted that the choice was not about a lack of faith in Sexton but rather a belief that the two point guards can play together and the team is testing its hypothesis early this season, as I wrote for NBAMath.

Sexton has spent nearly three-quarters of his 217 minutes next to Garland, while Garland has seen just 32 minutes without Sexton. The results haven’t been great, as the pair has a net rating of -10.2 and the team has pulled just two wins so far this season.

Seven games is not a large enough sample size to make long-term conclusions, but the two former top-10 picks seem like an awkward fit and the Cavs selected Sexton not knowing exactly what their long-term future would look like as they held out hope for LeBron James re-signing with the franchise.

For Cleveland, this season is about figuring out the fit between the two young guards, and the team will continue to roll out the pair with the hopes that they can click.

Do you believe the Cavaliers’ guards can coexist, or will they eventually need to trade one of the two? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Community Shootaround: Doncic Or Young?

November 1st, 2019 at 7:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The careers of the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Hawks’ Trae Young will be forever linked.

They were traded for each other, with the Hawks receiving an additional first-round pick in a draft-night deal that allowed Dallas to move up two notches.

Initially, the Mavericks looked like they had fleeced the Hawks. Doncic, who had been playing at the highest level of competition in Europe for years, made an immediate impact while Young struggled with his shooting and turnovers during the first half of last season.

Perceptions quickly changed when Young grew more comfortable with the NBA game. After averaging 16.9 PPG, 7.6 APG and 3.9 TPG while shooting 31.2% from long range, Young sliced up defenders after the All-Star break to the tune of 24.7 PPG, 9.2 APG and 34.8% shooting beyond the arc while reducing his turnovers (3.4).

Young came up short in the Rookie of the Year voting to Doncic but it was clear that both teams had franchise players on their hands.

During the early going this season, they have seemingly upped the ante. Now partnered with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, Doncic has averaged 25.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 6.8 APG and 2.0 SPG, an increase in each category from his final totals last season (21.4/7.9/6.0/1.1). Dallas is off to a 3-1 start and has the look of a playoff contender.

In Young’s first two games this season, he spoiled the Pistons’ home opener with a 39-point, seven-rebound, nine-assist performance, then posted nearly identical numbers against the Magic in another Hawks victory (38 points, seven rebounds, nine assists). He suffered a minor ankle sprain in the team’s fourth game but should be back soon.

Young’s speed, ankle-breaking moves and unlimited shooting range, a la Stephen Curry, make him a nightmare for defenders. Doncic’s guile, creativity and sneaky athleticism, a la James Harden, provide a different set of headaches for opponents.

Safe to say, both franchises are thrilled with the player they wound up with last June.

That brings us to our question of the day: If you were starting a franchise, which young floor leader would you choose — Luka Doncic and Trae Young — and why?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

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