Community Shootaround

Community Shootaround: 2017 Draft Class

November 13th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

This year’s top overall draft pick, Markelle Fultz, caught the Sixers’ injury bug at the start of his rookie campaign. Fultz is sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, continuing Philadelphia’s tough-luck run with lottery picks.

Despite Fultz’s injury, the 2017 draft class has quickly made its mark. Numerous first-round selections have made major impacts in just a few short weeks.

The second overall pick, Lonzo Ball, may have a broken jumper (31.4%) but he’s lived up to his billing as a prolific distributor (7.4 APG) and surprisingly strong rebounder (6.8 RPG). Ball’s teammate, power forward Kyle Kuzma, has already proven to be a steal with the No. 27 overall pick. Kuzma leads the draft class in scoring (15.2 PPG) and field-goal percentage (51.6%) while tying Ball for third in rebounding (6.8 RPG).

Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen took full advantage of additional playing time due to the Nikola Mirotic–Bobby Portis dust-up. He ranks third among 2017 draft picks in scoring (14.5 PPG) and first in rebounding (7.8 RPG).

The third overall pick, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, saw his role expand in the wake of Gordon Hayward‘s season-ending injury. He’s provided immediate help (13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG). The rebuilding Hawks have thrown power forward John Collins into the fire and he’s responded by ranking second to Markkanen in rebounding (7.3) and second in blocks (1.15) while also delivering double-digit scoring (1o.2 PPG).

Ball is far from the only guard in the draft class to show poise beyond his years. Jazz combo guard Donovan Mitchell (13.9 PPG) has earned a starting spot. Dennis Smith (14.8 PPG, 4.9 APG) has been one of the Mavericks’ few bright spots. The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox (11.9 PPG, 5.2 APG) looks like their long-term solution at the position.

Several others, such as the Suns’ Josh Jackson and the Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina, have shined at times.

This brings us to our question of the day: Which 2017 draft pick has impressed you the most during the first few weeks of the season? What has made him a standout?

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

Community Shootaround: Paul George And The Thunder

November 11th, 2017 at 11:29am CST by marksuleymanov

Paul George had his coming out party for the Thunder in Friday’s 120-111 victory over the Clippers. The former longtime Pacers standout dropped 42 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. After being largely absent from Oklahoma City’s late game plans during the team’s recent rough patch, George showed the scoring prowess that has made him one of the league’s premiere players.

George, 27, is set to hit the free agent market next year and it is no guarantee that he will re-sign with the Thunder. However, the team invested heavily into fielding a productive team this offseason, trading for George and Carmelo Anthony. With reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook in the fold, the expecation was that OKC would be a competitive threat to the defending champion Warriors.

Despite Friday’s win, the Thunder are still in 12th place in the Western Conference with an uninspiring 5-7 record. To his credit, George has not sounded the alarms about his new team’s slow start, telling Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post that OKC’s plan is to gradually acclimate as a unit.

“We have a whole year to figure it out,” George said. “We can’t really try to rush this. It’s something that’s step-by-step, day-by-day [and], at this point, game-by-game. We’ve got to slowly get on the same page.”

What do you think? Does George have a point? Are the Thunder still capable of developing stronger team chemistry and ultimately play like one of the Western Conference’s top teams? Or, do the Thunder have too many dominating personalities that will make it harder to form a cohesive unit?

Sound off in the comments below!

Community Shootaround: Best Fit For Greg Monroe

November 10th, 2017 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Greg Monroe, who continues to recover from a calf injury, reported to his new team on Thursday, but he admits he doesn’t know whether he’ll actually suit up for the Suns, per Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Monroe said yesterday that he – along with agent David Falk – spoke briefly to Ryan McDonough, acknowledging to the Suns’ general manager that he recognizes he may not fit into the team’s plans.

“I just told them I understand the plan they have in place and how they want to approach the season,” Monroe said. “I told them, ‘If you want me to play, I’ll always play. I’ll never be one not to want to play. If not, we’ll just work together and find the best option for everyone.’ But I’m more than happy to play here.”

Although Monroe says he was “blindsided” by the trade that sent him from Milwaukee to Phoenix in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, he’s unlikely to be caught off guard a second time. The Suns have a logjam at center and a report on the heels of this week’s trade indicated that the club likely won’t keep Monroe through the 2017/18 season.

Still, as I noted on Thursday, even though Monroe has an expiring contract, his $18MM salary won’t be easy to move, particularly if the Suns don’t want to take any future salary back. The Bucks had reportedly been exploring the trade market for Monroe off and on for the last year and hadn’t had much luck until this week, so there’s little reason to expect Phoenix to be able to find good value for the big man right away.

If the Suns don’t find a viable deal soon for Monroe, they’ll probably hang onto him for a little while rather than jumping right into buyout talks, but buying him out remains a possibility. In that event, Monroe would certainly clear waivers and then would be free to sign with any team except the Bucks.

What do you think? Is there a team out there that makes sense as a trade partner for the Suns in a Monroe deal? If he’s bought out, which club do you think would be the best fit for Monroe?

Jump into the comment section below to weigh in!

Community Shootaround: Bulls In 2020 All-Star Game

November 9th, 2017 at 10:52pm CST by Austin Kent

An announcement is expected to come on Friday saying that the city of Chicago will host the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. The occasion will mark the first time since 1988 that mid-season festivities were held in the Windy City. That year, of course, it was Michael Jordan who was named MVP of the contest (and dunk champion, for that matter).

The Bulls are in a considerably different position today than they were at the onset of Jordan’s heyday. So Tim Goldrick of NBC Sports Chicago asks if any of the Bulls’ current roster could conceivably be named All-Stars when the game unfolds in Illinois. While Goldrick goes through much of the roster on a case-by-case basis, there really are only a few individuals worth serious consideration given the track records.

The safest bets to be named to the squad, per Goldrick, are rookie Lauri Markkanen and guard Zach LaVine. The former has impressed over the course of his first month in the NBA averaging 15.8 points and 8.2 boards per contest.

By the time February 2020 roles along, Markkanen would be 22 years old and presumably an even larger part of the team’s offense so it’s not unreasonable to imagine him earning a genuine spot on the roster.

LaVine is a unique case given his popularity as a dunk contest legend. In February 2020, LaVine will be just 25 years old, a staggering realization considering that it feels as though he’s already been in the NBA forever (really it’s just been three seasons).

Will LaVine get enough of an opportunity to showcase himself as more than just a dunker in Chicago? The high flyer has yet to officially suit up in Bulls gear after coming over from the Timberwolves, so nobody can really say for sure what he’s capable of as an offensive focal point.

Beyond LaVine and Markkanen, there are a few dark horse candidates that could see their impacts rise significantly in the next two to three seasons, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic chief among them.

Do you agree with this assessment of the young assets on the Bulls roster? If you had to rank the top five Bulls players most likely to earn a spot in the game in 2020, how would you order them? Weigh in below.

Community Shootaround: Best Fit For Jahlil Okafor

November 8th, 2017 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

With Eric Bledsoe officially a Milwaukee Buck, one of two major early-season trade candidates is off the market, leaving Sixers center Jahlil Okafor as the other notable player seeking a change of scenery.

Okafor’s less-than-ideal situation in Philadelphia has been well documented, both on Hoops Rumors and elsewhere, but here’s the abridged version: Despite being the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, Okafor has fallen behind Joel Embiid, Richaun Holmes, and Amir Johnson on the Sixers’ depth chart, and rarely sees the court. Philadelphia also turned down the 21-year-old’s option for 2018/19, putting him on track to reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

With no role in Philadelphia, Okafor has confirmed he wants a trade or a buyout. However, the 76ers are in a tough spot. Now that they’ve declined the option on Okafor’s contract for next year, a team that acquires him in a trade can’t offer him more than $6.3MM as a starting salary in 2018.

At this point, Okafor seems unlikely to earn an offer that significant anyway, but what if he enjoys a breakout year after being traded? The better he plays for his new team, the less likely that team is to have the ability to re-sign him at season’s end. As such, clubs are unlikely to surrender much of value for him. Throw in the fact that the Sixers are uninterested in taking on salary for 2018/19 in any trade, and it’s not hard to see why finding a viable deal is tricky.

Still, Okafor was a third overall pick just over two years ago, and had a solid rookie season in 2015/16, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG. He’s not the sort of player Philadelphia wants to just give up for nothing, even if the club doesn’t have room for him its rotation. So buyout conversations aren’t happening right now, as the Sixers continue to explore trade possibilities.

The Celtics are one obvious suitor, with an $8.4MM disabled player exception available to use on Okafor, but the Sixers seem unenthusiastic about sending the big man to a division rival. The Bulls and Hawks have been mentioned as possible landing spots, and it makes sense that rebuilding teams like those would be willing to take a shot on a player with Okafor’s pedigree. The Suns – another rebuilding club – reportedly has some interest in Okafor too. And the Bucks look like an ideal fit — they just traded Greg Monroe, and they’re armed with a $5MM trade exception that is the perfect size for Okafor’s $4,995,120 salary.

What do you think? Which team would be the best fit for Okafor, in terms of his potential for on-court success? Which team would be the best fit for the Sixers as a potential trade partner? Where do you expect Okafor to ultimately end up?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Fast Start

November 6th, 2017 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver knows that the Pistons’ 7-3 start doesn’t mean much in the long run.

“It’s part of 82 games. We’ve got to keep doing it,” he said. “Just one game at a time and don’t get ahead of ourselves. Don’t get too confident, but also using this confidence knowing that whoever we play against we have a chance and we can win and we can beat anybody.”

Suffice to say, though, that no one predicted Detroit would lead the Cavaliers by three games in the standings at any point this season. The Pistons, who are off to their best 10-game beginning since 2008, have only qualified for the playoffs once in the last eight seasons. Cleveland will eventually get its act together but there are signs that the Pistons’ start is not a fluke.

They have posted some quality wins and shown the ability to erase double-digit deficits. That included a road triumph against the Warriors, even though the Pistons were playing the second end of a back-to-back.

Center Andre Drummond, their franchise player, has returned with a renewed focus and looks like an All-Star again after a subpar season. He’s even making his free throws (75%).

Point guard Reggie Jackson, slowed by a knee injury a year ago, looks healthy and is running the offense efficiently (3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Tobias Harris is shooting with confidence from the perimeter, averaging nearly 20 PPG, while Stanley Johnson has provided a defensive presence at small forward.

Detroit’s major offseason acquisition, Avery Bradley, has impacted the team at both ends. The shooting guard’s tenacious defense has rubbed off on his new teammates and his steady offensive output has been a major upgrade over the inconsistent player he replaced, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Coach Stan Van Gundy has so many solid bench options that he’s struggling to decide who should be in the rotation.

Of course, things could change in a hurry, as the Pistons don’t have the talent to beat many teams unless they’re at their best. They proved that with a road loss to the Lakers and a home loss to the Sixers.

They also have no viable options if Drummond suffers a significant injury. They lost Aron Baynes in free agency and are using power forward Jon Leuer and a summer-league addition, Eric Moreland, as his backups.

This brings us to our question of the day: Will the Pistons make the playoffs this season or is their quick start a mirage?

Please weigh in on this topic in the comments section. We look forward to what you have to say.

Community Shootaround: Regrading Offseason Deals

November 5th, 2017 at 10:50pm CST by Austin Kent

The solid play of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis has had many a sportswriter publishing stories about how the Pacers may have actually handled the Paul George saga pretty well, after all.

So far this season, the former has averaged 25.6 points per game while the latter has added an impressive 13.2 and 10.6 boards of his own.

Add in the fact that Oladipo is still just 25 years old and that Sabonis is merely 21 and it looks as though Indian’s president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard drew a more than reasonable yield for his disgruntled star.

Of course George isn’t the only star who was traded this offseason, we also saw Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler change teams.

Are there any other situations where the first three weeks of the NBA season have fans and writers reconsidering their hot takes from the summer? Do we, for example, give John Paxson and Gar Forman more credit for landing Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine for Butler than we did when the deal first went down?

Does the current state of the Cavs (or the Nets, for that matter) impact how we grade the Irving swap?

It’s important not to get carried away with the small sample size but the early returns are intriguing to say the least. What offseason transactions have you changed your tune about since the season began? Weigh in below!

Community Shootaround: Early-Season Surprises

November 2nd, 2017 at 10:30pm CST by Jeff Kasler

The NBA season is just over two weeks old, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t already been a few surprises. From the Magic’s success to the “Greek Freak’s” utter dominance to Ben Simmons‘ channeling of Magic Johnson, there has been no shortage of eyebrow-raising moments in the early going.

Frank Vogel has the Magic playing well above what anyone expected. ESPN’s preseason power rankings slotted Orlando at 24. To his credit, Vogel has strayed from the physical, grinding style that defined his best Pacers teams in favor of a fast-paced attack predicated on ball movement and good floor spacing. Perhaps that explains Aaron Gordon‘s newfound accuracy from long-range – in his first three NBA seasons, Gordon never cracked 30% from three-point range. This season, he’s hitting over 57% from deep. It is a guarantee that Gordon will regress, but will the same be true of the Magic?
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a star last season, averaging about 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per contest. But his performance through eight games this season has made those numbers look pedestrian. The “Greek Freak” is leading the league in scoring at 31.3 PPG, pulling down 10.6 RPG and handing out 5.1 APG. His superior athleticism is evident, but his efficiency – he is shooting 60% from the floor – is deadly. If these early season numbers hold, he’s a near lock to earn MVP honors.
Ben Simmons missed his entire rookie campaign due to injury. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, Simmons obviously had the talent to project greatness, but a year off from basketball can build up rust on even the greatest athlete (see: Jordan, Michael). This makes Simmons’ dominance through eight games a surprise. He is stuffing the stat sheet at 18.5 PPG, 9.6 RPG and 7.9 APG. Lonzo Ball garners a lot of attention for basketball and non-basketball reasons, but Simmons is the one with the dominant game reminiscent of Magic Johnson in style and stature.

We want to know what you think. Which early-season player or team performances have surprised and impressed you? Which are likely to last and which are a flash-in-the-pan? Please share your thoughts in the space below.

Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year Eligibility

November 1st, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ben Simmons entered this season as the odds-on favorite to be named Rookie of the Year, and he hasn’t disappointed.

The Sixers guard has been outstanding over the first two weeks of the season, averaging 18.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. He’s a tough matchup for opposing point guards at 6’10”, he’s versatile enough to defend multiple positions and he has a shooting touch that is better than advertised. But is he really a rookie?

Simmons was the first player picked in the 2016 draft as a highly touted prospect out of LSU, but he missed all of last season after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot during training camp. Although he didn’t play his first game until this season, Simmons had the advantage of learning the game in an NBA environment for an entire year.

Joel Embiid, Simmons’ teammate, was third in last year’s Rookie of the Year voting. His stats of 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per night dwarfed those of the top two finishers, but he only appeared in 31 games, which disqualified him in the eyes of many voters. Like Simmons, Embiid was technically a rookie, but he was in his third season since being drafted.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin is the only player to win the Rookie of the Year trophy after sitting out a season with an injury. Griffin suffered a broken left kneecap during the 2009 preseason and didn’t make his official debut until the following year.

Another aspect to this discussion is international players, such as Clippers guard Milos Teodosic, who is classified as a rookie even though he is 30 years old and has more than a decade of international experience. Is it fair for players in the prime of their careers to be competing with kids just out of college, many of whom are still in their teens?

We want to know what you think. Should the Rookie of the Year race be open to all first-year players, or does the NBA need to make a distinction for players who sat out with injuries or spent time overseas? Please share your thoughts in the space below.

Community Shootaround: Available Free Agents

October 26th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

One notable NBA free agent found a new home this week, as 12-year veteran Josh Smith agreed to terms with the Pelicans. While it’s good to see J-Smoove back on an NBA roster, there are a number of players still on the free agent market whose inability to find new deals has been unexpected.

[RELATED: Current NBA free agents]

For instance, despite the fact that clubs like the Suns, Clippers, Hornets, and Pelicans are all missing key point guards early in the season, former third overall pick Deron Williams has yet to find work. Williams’ disappointing showing in the NBA Finals against Golden State remains fresh in everyone’s mind, but the longtime star is still just 33 years old and had a solid 2016/17 campaign in Dallas and Cleveland before struggling the postseason.

Meanwhile, given the rate at which most NBA teams are bombing away from beyond the three-point line, it’s surprising that veteran sharpshooters like Anthony Morrow and Brandon Rush remain free agents. Instant-offense shooting guards such as Monta Ellis and Jordan Crawford are also available for clubs in need of scoring off the bench.

Up front, David Lee is still unsigned after a productive season in San Antonio, while fellow bigs like Kris Humphries, Spencer Hawes, Roy Hibbert, and Tiago Splitter remain on the open market too.

Our full list of current free agents primarily includes players who spent some or all of last season on an NBA roster, so veterans still hoping for another shot – like Kendrick Perkins and Emeka Okafor – aren’t listed. Still, the list is extensive, featuring a mix of young players such as Archie Goodwin, Semaj Christon, James Young, and Edy Tavares, as well as reliable vets like Matt Barnes, Mike Dunleavy, Leandro Barbosa, C.J. Watson, and more.

What do you think? Do any of these players jump out as guys who should be on NBA rosters, or does it seem about right that they’re still available? If you think any of these free agents should be signed, which team(s) could use them?

Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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