Author: Michael Chi

Before the season started, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starting lineup starred on the cover of Slam Magazine to signify to the league that this would be the year they announce themselves. After three years of being the league’s “black eye,” intentionally playing losing basketball to get higher draft picks, the Thunder had finally put together a young team ready to compete.

Was this presumptuous? Nope. OKC has gotten off to a blazing start to the season, with a 10-4 record and sitting at the second seed in the Western Conference.

Despite this, there’s a glaring hole in the team that will have to be addressed eventually. As a Thunder fan, I’ll be approaching this from my lens as a fan, not as a third-party watcher.

Josh Giddey needs to be traded.

Giddey’s first two years of his NBA career have been great, and the talks of trading him within the Thunder fanbase were pretty much nonexistent until this year and his slow start. Despite this, I’m not pushing for a Giddey trade just because his shots aren’t falling; the issues of roster construction with his skillset have always been apparent and questionable even when he was putting up good numbers.

Let’s start with Giddey as a player. As it is right now, he’s a bad shooter and mediocre defender, which itself isn’t exactly a recipe for success in today’s NBA. To go along with this, his handle is extremely loose and he struggles finishing at the rim, which makes the idea of him being a big guard that can bully smaller defenders and take them to the hoop a little moot. Even though what I described sounds like the worst player to ever pick up a basketball, Giddey still has star potential — he’s a generational passing talent, and that can’t be overlooked.

The question that makes itself more apparent everyday is whether or not this skillset is compatible with our team. This year, we’ve ran a pace and space offense built upon driving to the rim and generating open threes. This type of offense has been a godsend for us, as we’re currently the seventh-best offense in the league and the most efficient offense. Our pace and space offense is driven by having guys who can put the ball on the floor, drive to the rim, pass out, and hit open shots. As it is right now, Giddey can only do one of those things — pass. Defenses know this too, as help defenders are helping off Giddey, who poses almost no scoring threat. This only makes every other player’s life harder on offense, as they’ll see more defensive attention when defenders can pay less attention to a certain player.

For about three years, it’s been apparent that the best offense would be surrounding our superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who happens to be the best driver in the league who can bend defenses at his will, with shooters that can open up the lanes and capitalize off the looks he’s created. That’s been true this year, and that’s also why our best offenses are with Giddey off the floor and with a shooter like Isaiah Joe or Cason Wallace in his place. We’ve heard nonstop hype from the media that the future backcourt of this team would be SGA and Giddey, but both the eye test and statistics prove that our best backcourt is actually SGA and Isaiah Joe, a player we picked up off waivers last year that nobody thought would even break into the rotation. Giddey’s inability to shoot or score in general has led to him being completely outplayed by Joe, a waiver player, and Cason Wallace, a rookie.

Then there’s the problems on the defensive end. If we were evaluating Giddey in a vacuum, stripped of the context of the team, then we could come to the conclusion that he’s not a terrible defender and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. In the context of the team, we see that there are three potential candidates to take Giddey’s starting spot that are both better offensively and defensively (Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, and Kenrich Williams). In the case of Kenrich specifically, he is world’s better as a defender and a rebounder. Giddey isn’t a bad rebounder by any means, but we’re one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Giddey being the second best rebounder in our lineup isn’t exactly the best solution to our rebounding issue.

It’s been established that Giddey at this point in time is, to put it bluntly, detrimental to this team. The most common objection, however, is that he’s only 21. We should just be patient with his development right?

To this, I acknowledge that for me to act like Giddey won’t improve on his weaknesses would be idiotic. His shooting percentages will likely return to normal (which still isn’t that high) by the end of the season, and of course the handle and finishing will improve with time and experience. I raise one glaring issue to this argument — time isn’t unlimited. Sure, we’re still a young team and aren’t serious contenders this year, but I think too many Thunder fans have gotten accustomed to us being a horrible team that had the freedom to play players that weren’t conducive to immediate wins in the name of development. Now? We have a superstar entering the prime of his career, as well as a team full of productive players that is good enough to win against any team on any given night. Why would we not be trying our hardest to win games if it’s a possibility? On top of that, Shai has only three years left on his contract before he hits unrestricted free agency. As an organization, we need to show him how serious we are about winning before he decides to walk for nothing. If sacrificing Giddey’s development is necessary to convey that message, then that’s a tradeoff I would take seven days a week. Additionally, if we wanted to maximize Giddey’s development, we would be sacrificing the development of other players. Giddey is most effective with the ball in his hands, as is Shai, Jalen Williams, and even Chet Holmgren, and I’d much rather give the on-ball reps to those three.

On top of all of this, Giddey still has trade value. He’s a young player who just averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists a game last year. By all accounts, he’s a good player who just doesn’t fit on this Thunder team. In the interest of both parties, it’d be best to trade him and our historic arsenal of picks for a player that fits this team, like Lauri Markkanen or Pascal Siakam. We would become a much better team and in a position to compete while also getting better each year through the development of young players, while Giddey would get the on-ball reps and pressure-free environment he needs to blossom into a star and reach his potential.

As it is, I see two routes with Josh Giddey. We can keep him on our team and develop him at the cost of our immediate success and the development of our other young stars, or we can trade him, make our team better in both the short and long term, and let him develop into a star on a different team.

Thanks for reading.

At just sixteen years of age, Cooper Flagg already has had multiple posts dedicated to his AAU highlights by the NBA’s official social media accounts. To many, the idea of a professional league posting the highlights of a high school sophomore may be a bit presumptuous, but the NBA should feel confident in their decision to prepare their fans for the near arrival of the best prospect in the country: Cooper Flagg.

Hailing from Maine, a state that has produced only two NBA players throughout the league’s 77 year existence, the likelihood for a player with Flagg’s background to be in the national spotlight is extremely low. Nevertheless, his generational talent has transcended this glass ceiling and garnered the attention of various NBA superstars.

Player Profile

Standing at 6’8″ at 200 lbs, Flagg undoubtedly has an NBA ready body. He doesn’t have the most muscular build, but his wide torso makes it evident that there’s lots of potential to add it later on. Even then, he already has a strong frame that lets him bang down low with any person in his age bracket. Combined with his big strong frame, Flagg has a sort of unique fluidity in his movement that for his size, is reminiscent of a guy like Paolo Banchero.

This unique physical profile complements Flagg’s game on both ends of the court and allows him to excel on both the perimeter and near the rim. Flagg handles the ball like a prototypical wing; his ball handle is not as secure as a guard’s, but it is sufficiently tight enough to complement his fluidity and allow him to shift his weight and get to his spots. His strength and height help him dominate near the rim, as he gets most of his buckets finishing above the rim and playing physical with his defenders. He also is an incredibly skilled player; his ball handle is ahead of the curve for a guy his size, and he’s also a great passer that can make plays for his teammates. At Peach Jam, he flashed a budding ability to generate the bulk of his team’s offense with his combination of scoring and passing. His shot is not a particularly strong point in his game, but he’s not afraid to shoot the ball at all, whether that be off the catch or off his own dribble, which forces his defenders to respect his scoring presence from all areas of the court. He also showed off the ability to take and make difficult shots when needed to bail his team out. As previously mentioned, Flagg gets most of his buckets closer to the basket. He has a smooth back to the basket game, as well as a face up game, that makes me believe that creating his own shots will never be an issue for him. This isn’t the only way that he can score the ball though, as he excels finishing opportunities that his guards create for him. From scoring from different areas of the court to acting as an offensive initiator and play finisher, Flagg has an extremely versatile offensive game.

2 minutes of Cooper Flagg being absolutely unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/2qm1zN9l1X

— Overtime (@overtime) July 10, 2023

Flagg’s bread and butter is on the defensive end. As mentioned before, his unique body type that gives him both fluidity and strength/size meshes with his defensive skillset perfectly. He has the lateral quickness and coordination to be able to check guards on the perimeter. If he does get beat, Flagg is able to use his size and wingspan to recover quickly and contest shots. When it comes to deterring shots at the rim, Flagg is a different beast. He averaged an absurd 6.8 blocks per game against some of the country’s best talent at Peach Jam. Flagg essentially erases any shots at the rim thanks to his athleticism, wingspan, and defensive instincts. His impact on a defense is incredible, as it was evident that all the opposing players knew that the rim was on lock whenever Flagg was on the court. Protecting the rim, which is where the most efficient shots in basketball are taken, is perhaps the most impactful aspect of defense, and Flagg is a master at this. Watch the following video if you want to see a ten-second summary of his defensive abilities.

"IT'S HIS HOUSE!"

🚨 COOPER FLAGG'S 11TH BLOCK SECURES THE MAINE UNITED WIN AT PEACH JAM 🚨 pic.twitter.com/6RSlKD8p14

— NBA (@NBA) July 6, 2023

Flagg picks up the speedy guard well beyond the three-point line because he has the ability to guard players anywhere. He gets clipped on the screen, leading to his man getting what should be an easy layup to tie the game; instead, Flagg travels the distance between the half-court line to the rim in a few seconds and perfectly times his jump to swat the shot. Flagg’s defense is nothing short of generational; he doesn’t seem to have a single weakness. When he eventually enters the NBA, his defense will likely be the main aspect of his game that will convince a franchise that he can turn their team around.

With his eye-popping talent and high feel for the game, it’s no surprise that Flagg averaged 25.4 PPG, 13 RPG, 5.7 APG, and 6.8 BPG this Peach Jam session.

NBA Comparison: Kevin Garnett

Flagg is the first prospect that I have ever seen heavy shades of Kevin Garnett in. In fact, I think the similarity in their games is so prevalent that it’s almost uncanny. Both Flagg and KG have the type of bodies that allow them to move smoothly and with coordination on the perimeter while also giving them enough strength and size to play near the rim. Offensively, they have similar skillsets, as both players are viewed as “bigs” but possess a good amount of guard skills like dribbling the ball, running the offense, creating plays for others, and creating their own shots from the perimeter. Neither KG nor Flagg at this point were great shooters, but they both have the confidence to shoot the ball and make it a part of their scoring arsenal. They both dominate on offense mainly closer to the rim and have a sort of physical presence and athleticism that helps them consistently finish above the rim.

Defense is where the comparison may be more accurate. Garnett is widely known as one of the greatest defenders in league history, with some even considering him to be the best defender ever. I do not think comparing a player of his stature to Flagg on defense would be a stretch considering how similar they are. Both players excel guarding the perimeter and switching onto smaller players, and dominate the defensive side of the ball through their help defense and rim protection abilities.

Conclusion

Flagg just reclassed to be eligible for the 2025 NBA draft. While he’s already one of the most popular high school players in the country, I feel confident in saying that his name will be much more known in the time preceding the draft. Thanks for reading.

The NBA is currently filled with some of the most talented players to ever pick up a basketball. In this article, I’ll be ranking the five that I think stand above the rest of the pack.

1. Nikola Jokic

2023 stats: 24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APg, 70.1% TS

After ending the season as an NBA champion and Finals MVP, Jokic stands head and shoulders above the rest of the NBA.

Jokic has proven to be a historical offensive engine, capable of constantly generating quality looks for his teammates while being one of the most efficient volume scorers the game has ever seen. His ability to create for himself and others at the center position is rivaled by no player in the history of this game, and he will undoubtedly go down as one of the best offensive players in the history of the NBA. There wasn’t a single answer for him this year; Jokic made Anthony Davis, who was in the midst of one of the best defensive postseasons ever, look like a helpless backup when he tried to guard him. He’s an absolute wizard on offense, and just watching him play basketball for one minute will attest to that.

The one facet of his game that has limited him from being unanimously crowned as the best player in the association has been his defense. Narratives about him being a turnstile in the paint and exploitable in the pick-and-roll ruined his reputation on that end, but Jokic rose to the challenge in the playoffs and was a positive on defense, anchoring the Denver Nuggets on their way to becoming the eighth-best defense in the playoffs.

With offensive talent that has never been seen before as well as defense that is good enough on the highest stage, it’s hard to make an argument for Nikola Jokic to be ranked anywhere but first.

2. Stephen Curry

2023 stats: 29.4 ppg, 6.3 apg, 6.1 rpg, 65.6% Ts

Keeping with the theme of historically good offensive players, Stephen Curry is my second best player in the NBA.

Only one year removed from a championship and Finals MVP, Curry remains one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NBA. With the ball in his hands, he’s one of the best perimeter shot creators in the game, as well as a good floor general that can find the open man. Without the ball in his hands, Curry somehow becomes even more dominant due to his ability to constantly be moving off-ball and pulling defenders towards him. There’s a reason why he’s commonly associated with the term “gravity,” because the amount of defensive attention that he commands gives him a gravitational pull on the court. While not the same baby-faced assassin that terrorized defenses back in 2016, Curry’s game is well-adapted to fit his declining athleticism, and his numbers back that up. Even at age 35, Curry is still a blistering headache for opposing defenses.

As a side note, he’s also improved his defense, mainly by bulking up and adding muscle. While defense has never been a big factor in his game, he’s certainly at the peak of his defensive ability, and has become a slight positive on that end. This newfound defensive competence isn’t thrusting him to the top of the list, but it’s a nice development in his game.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

2023 stats: 31.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 60.5% TS

Giannis again stuffed the stat sheet as he proved to be the league’s best two-way player this year, a title he has held for a considerable amount of time.

There’s a lot to love about his offensive game, specifically his physical presence that allows him to dominate in the paint, combined with his great passing ability. Giannis has become one of the league’s best playmakers through this mixture of paint gravity and passing ability. Despite this, he remains a flawed offensive player. His flaws mostly stem from his lacking jumpshot. Giannis shoots below 36% on two-pointers outside the paint and just 28% from three. He’s also extremely reluctant to shoot beyond ten feet, and has issues converting free throws that lead to him having to avoid the ball in clutch situations this postseason. All this makes him a predictable player when it comes to scoring the ball, which usually does not affect him due to his ability to be in the paint, but can still occasionally severely limit his offensive impact. Even with these limitations, Giannis is an elite offensive player.

What brings Giannis ahead of so many players that are better offensively is his two-way impact. He’s a perennial All-Defensive recipient for a reason; his ability to roam off the ball, break up plays, and protect the rim have made him one of the best help defenders of all time. While he’s not some demigod that can guard all five positions like some believe him to be, Giannis is still one of the most impactful defenders in the game due to his presence as a help defender, which is honestly a more valuable type of defense than being a lockdown isolation player. Combining his elite offense and top-five level defense, Giannis cements his spot in the top three.

4. Joel Embiid

2023 stats: 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APg, 65.5% TS

Despite winning this year’s Most Valuable Player honors, Embiid being fourth is honestly a generous placement in the context of his embarrassing playoff run. Embiid has a history of dropping his play in the postseason, and this year was no outlier to the trend.

To me, ranking Embiid is an enigma. He has all the tools to be the best player in the league, yet he consistently fails to put it together in the postseason. Despite this, I still believe in Embiid as a player.

For starters, Embiid is one of the best scorers in the league, which should be evident from his stats and play. He displayed the ability to score at all three levels, and his offensive arsenal continues to amaze me. He dominates as the roller in pick-and-roll actions with James Harden, while also having a respectable catch-and-shoot game that allows him to space the floor. What’s most impressive is his ability to consistently create his own shots in the post and even away from the rim, occasionally looking like a heavier Kevin Durant with his mid-range step backs. He excels the best in the post, and his presence there attracts lots of defensive attention that he has gotten better at utilizing in order to create open looks for his teammates. Still, his playmaking is not where it needs to be, and is a part of the reason why his offense drops in the playoffs, where he sees significantly more complex defensive schemes. If Embiid was able to read the floor better and improve his passing, which he has been making progress in, many of his issues would be solved. Regardless, he is still one of the best scorers in the league and in my opinion, is one of the few players that could be the first option on a championship team.

Defensively, there should be no questions about Embiid. Behind Giannis, I believe he is easily the second best two-way player in the league. He’s one of the best defensive centers in the game, and even with his poor offensive play this postseason, he was still able to impact the game through his elite rim protection. The mere presence of Embiid under the rim deterred many attempts there, and this rim protection ability is why Embiid consistently anchors great defenses. If he could have combined this elite defensive ability with the offense that he displayed in the regular season, the Sixers would have likely been the recipients of the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy.

Embiid has all the tools to further climb this list, but it ultimately boils down to whether or not he can put them together. As it stands though, he is still one of the most talented centers of all time.

5. Luka Doncic

2023 stats: 32.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 8.0 apg, 60.9% ts

Luka once again cemented himself as an all-time offensive talent, but his play this year didn’t answer any questions people have had about his game.

A well-known fact about Luka is how good he is on offense. He can score in any way imaginable, whether that be using his 6’7″ frame to bully his defender and get to the rim (an area where he is one of the best finishers ever) or by hitting his defender with the slowest crossover imaginable and somehow getting a good look behind the arc. On top of all of this, Luka is one of the best passers to ever play the game, and in this department he stands above the rest of the league with Nikola Jokic. When his scoring and rim pressure consistently draws the attention of defenses, he will always hit the open man because of his elite vision and passing ability, making him arugably the best playmaker in the game. Simply put, Luka is a magician on offense, and he is one of the best on-ball offensive players of all time.

His main problem stems from the value, or lack thereof, he provides without the ball. Luka consistently leads the league in time spent holding the ball, which should logically make sense because of his ability to lead the offense, but history has not favored these sort of “heliocentric” styles of play. If Dallas decides to live by Luka, they will also die by Luka. The amount of offensive burden he has will lead to him quickly getting burnt out in deep playoff runs, and is also the leading contributor to him being too tired to give consistent effort on the defensive end, a facet of his game that also hurts his team. Unfortunately, this is a problem mostly created by Luka, as he is a below average off-ball player. Without the ball in his hands, Luka is prone to simply watching the ball and standing still instead of consistently relocating to free himself for an open look. If he can essentially be ignored without the ball, he creates a big issue for Dallas.

Hope is not lost for Luka, as he will get a full offseason to train with recent addition Kyrie Irving, who will hopefully give Luka reps off the ball. If he can become a proficient player without the ball and improve his defense, Luka will make a case to be higher on this list soon.

Conclusion

Thank you for your read.

The 2023 NBA draft is mere weeks away, and much of the hype has rightfully been around Victor Wembanyama, the generational French big who is all but guaranteed to be taken first overall by the San Antonio Spurs. Despite the hype around Victor, my favorite prospect in this draft class has always been Scoot Henderson. Henderson is a 6’2″ point guard who’s been on the pro radar since his high school years. Instead of continuing his basketball career through the collegiate route, Henderson opted to play for the NBA’s own talent farm, the G-League Ignite. Scoot has shown how remarkable of a player he is playing against pro talent these last few years, and in this article, I’ll be going over his game as a prospect.

Biggest Strengths

Athleticism

Henderson’s eye-popping attribute that is noticeable by anyone who watches him for a few minutes is his explosive athleticism. He’s able to fly up and down the court in just a few seconds in transition, making him a dangerous player on the fast break. We don’t know what his exact vertical jump is, but his tape shows his elite leaping ability that allows him to posterize any defender that has the gall to test him at the rim. Watching Scoot play is very reminiscent of uber-athletic point guards like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Ja Morant.

Rim Pressure

In my opinion, the ability to drive to the rim is the most impactful skill in the modern NBA. Henderson is elite at this, owing to his athletic gifts such as his quick first step, ability to easily change speed and direction (fast-twitch muscles), as well as his strong ball-handling capabilities. When Scoot has the ball on the perimeter, it’s basically a guarantee that he will be able to penetrate the defense and get to the paint. This ability allows him to collapse a defense at will and generate good offense for his teammates, which leads into his playmaking.

Playmaking

Playmaking is comprised of two basic components: the ability to draw defenders towards you by being a scoring threat, and the ability to make the right pass to an open teammate. Scoot excels in both of these departments, as he constantly draws defensive attention away from his teammates while he drives to the rim. Passing wise, it’s clear from his film that Scoot has a natural feel for the game. He’s very comfortable making the kick-out passes to the corner while he drives, as well as dump-off passes to the dunker spot. Henderson is a textbook playmaker who can control an offense, but also has the ability to add some flair to his passes and thread them through tight angles. Playmaking will likely be Scoot’s likely path to success in the NBA, and I think that he’s pretty much guaranteed to be elite in this aspect.

Mid-Range

Scoot is automatic from mid-range, especially off the dribble while he’s driving to the basket. His proficiency from this area is immensely beneficial to his overall game, as he would be too predictable if he could only score at the rim. Even if Scoot’s three ball never develops, he can still become a good scorer in the NBA through his ability to score inside the arc.

Physicals

With a relatively undersized height of 6’2″, it’s hard to imagine how Henderson’s physical attributes would be a strong point for him. Despite his stature, Scoot was still blessed with amazing measurements. For starters, he’s absolutely shredded; Henderson weighs 196 lbs. of pure muscle. This strength will be of great benefit to him in the league, mainly by making him absorb contact at the rim better, hold up on defense against bigger players, and overall improve his durability throughout his career. Besides his sheer strength, Scoot also has a massive 6’9″ wingspan, unusual for a player his height. Between his long wingspan and muscular build, I think it’s very realistic that Scoot can become a great on-ball defender, even as a shorter player. His wingspan will also help him shoot and finish over taller defenders.

Areas to Improve

Three-Point Shooting

The most obvious hole in Scoot’s game currently is his lackluster three-point shot. This season, he only shot 27.5% from distance. Scoot can be a great player without a consistent three ball, but without developing one, he will cap his own potential. Without a respectable three-point shot, defenders will not have to play up on Scoot when they guard him, and he will have a harder time penetrating the defense with his drives. Fortunately, Scoot has the potential to become a good three-point shooter. For starters, he has solid shooting mechanics, meaning his jumper does not need a massive rework to become serviceable. Furthermore, he’s a solid free throw shooter (76.4%), which is usually a big indicator of whether a player can develop a three-point shot. He also isn’t scared to take the shot. Scoot attempted 2.7 threes per game this past season, which forces defenders to stay honest while guarding him and prepare for the possibility of him taking the shot. The respectable shot volume also indicates that Scoot values the shot and wants to improve that aspect of his game, another great sign. Overall, Scoot isn’t where he needs to be in regards to shooting the ball, but he has a realistic path to get there.

Efficiency

Scoot didn’t have the most efficient season, shooting 42.9% from the field, 27.5% from three, and 76.4% from the line. Usually I don’t believe efficiency before entering the NBA should be a massive point of emphasis when evaluating a prospect, but Scoot’s efficiency issues may continue in the NBA. Historically, players like Scoot (small, athletic guards that take a large volume of shots inside the arc and have subpar three-point shots) have not been hyper-efficient players. Players like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Ja Morant usually hover around league average efficiency and can drop below that. However, just because this is the precedent doesn’t mean that Scoot is destined for this trajectory. Besides improving his three-point shot, Scoot can become more efficient by cleaning up his shot selection, something that he can surely learn under the right coah.

Player Comparison: Shades of Ja Morant

I see many similarities between Scoot and Ja. The obvious one is the rare amount of explosive athleticism both guards have, and both of their games are largely predicated on using their explosiveness to attack the rim, collapse defenses, and lead an offense. Another striking similarity between Ja and Scoot is their feel for the game and ability to make good passes. Both these players can leverage the attention they draw while driving to the paint and find an open teammate, making them effective lead guards. Furthermore, while both Scoot and Ja are subpar shooters from distance, neither are scared to constantly shoot jumpers to keep defenders on their toes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Scoot also becomes a better shooter than Ja, since Scoot has made a big jump in three-point shooting between his two years in the G-League.

Where I think Scoot has the advantage over Ja is in defensive potential. Ja is a lackluster defender, mainly because of his small frame, which can often be a liability in the Playoffs. Scoot, with his strength, wingspan, and athleticism, has all the tools to be a serviceable defender in the league. If Scoot can unlock his defensive potential and become a real two-way player, he may become a better version of an All-NBA player like Ja Morant.

Conclusion

Scoot may not be the crown jewel of this draft, but I think that he is well on his way to becoming a future superstar in the league. Moreover, I think that any team that passes on Scoot (besides San Antonio) will be making a decision that will end up being looked at as a colossal mistake.

The 2023 NBA Finals are set between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat, with Game 1 being set to take place on Thursday, June 1st. In this article, I’ll be giving an overview of this matchup, as well as my prediction/s for the series.

Who Will Win?

First and foremost, I believe the Denver Nuggets will win this series in six games. They have made easy work of their first three opponents (Minnesota, Phoenix, and the LA Lakers), for a total playoff record of 12-3 heading into the Finals. This success has been spearheaded by Nikola Jokic, who has all but solidified his case as the best player in the world. This postseason, Jokic is averaging 29.9 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, and dishing out 10.3 assists per game, all while shooting 54% from the field and 47.4% from three. Jokic has once again proven that he is one of the best offensive players to ever touch a basketball, and because of his abilities on that end of the floor, the Nuggets have been the best offense in the league this postseason, posting a 119.7 offensive rating. More importantly, Jokic has also held up on the defensive end. Many critics questioned whether his offensive output could atone for his subpar defense; however, Jokic has looked like a productive defender this postseason. Jokic has ended many narratives surrounding his game so far, and because of him, this Nuggets team has been so successful and is favored to win the championship.

Jokic is far from the only reason this Nuggets team has lit up the Playoffs. Pretty much every member of the roster has stepped up to the challenge of the postseason. Jamal Murray, averaging 27.7 points per game and 6.1 assists per game, has once again shown that he’s the type of player that rises in the playoffs. Murray has been playing like an All-NBA guard, but what may be the scariest part of his game is how well he plays off Jokic. The Jokic-Murray duo is arguably the best in the NBA, and offensively, there has been no answer to them. Outside their two stars, the Nuggets have also been successful. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon have both excelled this year. Porter Jr. is lighting up defenses, shooting 40.8% from three on 7 attempts per game. The mere presence of him on the court adds another threat to heat up at any given moment and also spaces the floor nicely for Jokic and Murray. Aaron Gordon has taken on the task of guarding the opposing team’s best forward, grabbing rebounds, as well as occasionally being an offensive threat. A special mention should also be given to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, who have played like prototypical role players that every NBA fan would love to have. Through a great roster top-to-down, the Nuggets have achieved a league-high 8.0 net rating.

Second in net rating is the Miami Heat at 4.6. The Heat have proved everybody wrong this postseason, including me. They have accomplished the rare feat of making the NBA Finals as the eighth seed, but I believe their run will come to an end this series. I believe the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics showed that Miami may be too over-reliant on their role players like Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin overperforming their expectations on offense. If they end up regressing to the mean this series, then Miami will be very limited on offense. However, I still believe that Miami will somehow find a way to win this series. I did not expect them to win their first-round matchup against the Bucks nor their series against the Celtics, but Jimmy Butler and company continuously came through. Despite me thinking that the Nuggets should logically win this series without much struggle, I now know better to bet against this Miami team. I expect them to take two games off Denver and show that they did not make the Finals by sheer luck.

Denver’s X-Factor: Aaron Gordon

It’s common knowledge that Denver’s success largely weighs on the shoulders of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Beyond those two, I believe Aaron Gordon will be a potential game changer this series. The obvious elephant in the room is the defensive matchup against Jimmy Butler. Gordon may just be the perfect matchup for Jimmy on defense, as he has both the size and strength to match Butler’s physical play, as well as the mobility to keep up with Butler on the perimeter. If Gordon can limit Jimmy Butler, then he would be able to single-handedly puncture a hole in Miami’s offensive plan.

Even with his big defensive task, I think Gordon may make his biggest impact on the other side of the ball. Miami’s limited options at the PF position will likely create a mismatch problem that Aaron Gordon can exploit. In their small-ball lineup, Gordon will be able to dominate his matchup in the post and on the glass. If they decide to throw Kevin Love in there for size, Gordon has the ability to attack in space and exploit Love’s slow footspeed.

On both sides of the ball, Aaron Gordon will likely end up being the unsung hero of this series.

Miami’s X-Factor: Bam Adebayo

Adebayo possess a unique skillset that may be as good of an answer as one can get to Nikola Jokic.

On defense, it’s well-known that Bam is one of the best in the NBA. He is arguably the most versatile defender in the league, which will be vital this series. His foot speed and mobility allows him to switch on to any position on the floor, which will be crucial when defending Jokic’s pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs. Jokic will be operating from both the perimeter and in the post, and luckily for Miami, Bam is well-equipped to sustain these types of attacks. Unfortunately, I’m not expecting Bam to be able to truly slow Jokic down despite his defensive brilliance, but I think he’ll be able to at least hold his own on defense.

On offense, Bam is a unique type of center. His offensive bag is questionable, but he absolutely has the ability to play on the perimeter and bring Jokic out of the paint. Jokic has been good defensively these Playoffs, but Bam may be able to give him some trouble by drawing him out and giving Miami’s perimeter players the ability to attack Jokic in space. Miami may take some inspiration from Denver and have Bam initiate offense from the perimeter in order to get Jokic into these uncomfortable defensive situations. He can also occasionally heat up and start creating his own shots off-the-dribble, which would give Jokic further problems.

Conclusion

Virtually nobody predicted this years Finals matchup to be Denver vs. Miami, but with the level of basketball these teams are playing, nobody should be complaining. This series will treat us to watching this year’s top two Playoff performs go head-to-head (Jokic and Butler), as well as a basketball chess match between two brilliant head coaches (Malone and Spoelstra).

Victor Wembanyama is the consensus number one pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The French 19-year-old stands at 7’4″, has an 8’0″ wingspan, can dribble the ball like a forward, and is ubiquitous on both ends of the floor. These generational attributes have led him to be dubbed as the most hyped basketball prospect since a phenom from Ohio named LeBron James entered the scene. The prize that is Wembanyama will be granted to whatever team wins the first overall pick during the May 16th draft lottery, something that he himself knows.

10 jours avant de connaître ma future équipe. C’est vraiment un truc de fou 🙏🏽

— Wemby (@wemby) May 6, 2023

Wembanyama may be the closest thing to a guaranteed star we’ve seen, but his potential and development would be better maximized with some teams than with others. In this article, I’ll be going over why Detroit would best maximize the potential of Victor Wembanyama.

Detroit is in a three-way tie for the best odds to land Victor, and for his sake, he should hope they come out on top. The Pistons have already built a foundation for their rebuild through Cade Cunningham, the number one pick in 2021 who is the current face of the franchise, and Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, two 2022 lottery picks. Due to the skillsets of these three, I believe that Victor would best be developed in Detroit.

On offense, Victor would be playing off of the Cunningham-Ivey backcourt. Cunningham and Ivey have both shown the ability to be great playmakers, especially Cunningham, who has a more natural ability to read the floor and create openings for his teammates. On the other hand, Ivey has serious potential to be an elite playmaker as a combo guard, as he possesses a rare combination of explosive burst and a nice passing ability that he uses to pressure defenses and get his teammates open. While Cunningham’s early-season injury didn’t allow us to see this backcourt fully mesh together, there’s no doubt in my mind that they will fit perfectly. By adding Victor to an elite playmaking backcourt, the Pistons would take off much of the offensive burden from him. This would enable Victor to play as a connector and play-finisher on offense, while occasionally getting the reps to hone his off-the-dribble skills at the NBA level. On offense, the Pistons are a perfect fit for Victor.

Defensively, the story is similar, mainly due to the presence of Jalen Duren. Duren is a special type of defender, having the grown-man strength that allows him to hold his own while being backed down by NBA centers, but also having the elite foot speed that helps him keep up with players on the perimeter. These skills would greatly benefit a player like Wembanyama, whose main impact on defense comes from being a weak-side rim protector and may struggle in the post against stronger centers. A front court of Duren and Wembanyama would have virtually no flaws on defense, being able to switch on the perimeter, bang down low, and erase shots at the rim.

Wembanyama’s main appeal for Detroit should be the fact that he would not hinder the development of any of their core pieces. Their centers currently are Jalen Duren, who could easily play PF next to Victor, along with James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III, neither of which have proven to be long-term member of the Detroit core. Wembanyama can easily slot in as the starting center from day one for a team that is already uncertain in that position. Additionally, his presence would only make the development of Detroit’s real core pieces, Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren, more efficient because of how well his game complements them.

Victor would be a seamless fit on both ends for Detroit, and if they come away with the number one pick, the rest of the league should be on notice.

The NBA Playoffs — the best part of the basketball season — have recently begun, with every team already having played at least one game. Today, I’ll be making my predictions for the outcome of the four first-round series currently taking place in the Western Conference.

(1) denver nuggets vs. (8) minnesota timberwolves: nuggets win in five games

The Denver Nuggets ended the regular season on a bit of a slump, but if game one of this series is anything to take note from, they clearly were saving their energy for the postseason. Denver dominated Minnesota in a 30-point blowout, but most notably, they were able to hold the Timberwolves to just 80 points. The offense of Denver, spearheaded by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, was never in question; however, many fans were skeptical of how their defense would hold up in the Playoffs while being anchored by Jokic, a subpar defender. While Minnesota will certainly never shoot 37% from the field again, the film shows them as the clearly inferior team. For even more optimism on Denver’s side, the Nuggets were dominant even without a standard Nikola Jokic performance, as he fouled out in under 30 minutes and only scored 13 points. However, Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns will likely be able to explode on offense and steal a game from Denver. With that being said, I expect the Nuggets to win this series in five games.

(2) Memphis grizzlies vs. (7) Los angeles lakers: lakers win in six games

This prediction is factoring in the elephant in the room, which is the unfortunate freak injury of Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant. With a healthy Morant, I originally believed that the Grizzlies would win the series in seven games. Assuming that Morant will miss most of the series, I’m changing my prediction to the Lakers winning in six games. Ja’s injury, however, does not take anything away from how good this Lakers team is. The Lakers aren’t your typical seventh seed, as shown by their dominance after they completely revamped their team at the trade deadline. Even with Ja being able to play most of game one, the Lakers won in decisive fashion, mostly thanks to heroic contributions from Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, who nearly combined for 60 points on Sunday.

What’s even scarier is that LeBron James looked to be playing passive on Monday, largely deferring to Anthony Davis, Rui, and Reaves while only adding 21 points and making sloppy turnovers. The fact that the Lakers were able to pull off a victory in spite of a subpar LeBron game is why I think they’ll be able to win the series, especially if LeBron ever starts to take control of the series like we usually expect him to do. Even with the Lakers being this scary, I still expect Memphis to be able to be a formidable opponent, even without Ja. They’re one of the deepest and well-coached teams in the league, and have guys like Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. who can lead the offense without Ja. Furthermore, Ja’s replacement, Tyus Jones, happen to be one of the best backups in the league. Memphis has shown many times that they are still an elite team without Ja, and they won’t let the Lakers win the series very easily.

(3) sACRAMENTO KINGS VS. (6) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: warriors win in six games

Similarly to the Lakers, the Warriors are not your typical sixth seed. They underperformed in the regular season, leading to them obtaining low seeding, but are still a strong contender to come out of the west. They’re lead by Stephen Curry, who might be the best player in the league, and are still the reigning champions who are running it back with an identical team. They’re full of championship experience, and are unlikely to be rattled by the rabid Sacramento crowd or being down 0-1 in the series. The Warriors have far more experience than the Kings, and are also the better defensive team, especially with the return of Andrew Wiggins. They also have the by far best player in the series in Curry, who should be able to take over games down the stretch.

However, tons of credit should be given to the Sacramento Kings. From the start, this team has been able to defy expectations, sealing the third seed when many thought they wouldn’t even make the Playoffs. Even after proving everyone wrong in the regular season, many thought they would be a weak third seed that wouldn’t even be able to take a game off the Warriors. Even with one of their stars, Domantas Sabonis, having a bad game, they were able to win game one behind De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk combining for almost 70 points. The Kings looked extremely composed, which surprised virtually everyone considering their overall lack of Playoff experience. However, the Kings have one fatal flaw, which is their lack of defense. They ranked in the bottom-third of the NBA in defensive rating throughout the regular season, and Golden State should be able to make the right adjustments to win the series. While I, along with everyone else who is not a Warriors fan, will be rooting for Sacramento, I believe Golden State will be able to take care of business this series.

(4) Phoenix suns vs. (5) los angeles clippers: suns win in six games

Many pundits touted the Phoenix Suns as the team to beat in the west, and while this is easy to get behind with the acquisition of Kevin Durant, I firmly disagree with this title. Regardless, I believe the Suns are still the far superior team. They lost game one due to questionable decisions by Monty Williams down the stretch, Kevin Durant being largely frozen out of the offense, and DeAndre Ayton looking heavily uninterested in basketball. All of these errors are easily to fix with a bit of film study, and I don’t think they’ll be a common occurrence this series. Either way, I simply believe that a team with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul is too offensively talented to not dominate the rest of this series, even with glaring flaws in the team.

The Clippers are still a great team, even with the absence of one of their stars, Paul George. Kawhi Leonard dropped 38 points in Game 1, reminding everyone that he’s still one of the league’s premier players and Playoff risers. Russell Westbrook had one of the most interesting games ever, shooting an abysmal 3-19 from the field, but still managing to be productive by playmaking and playing elite defense throughout the game. The Clippers are in no aspect a bad team, but they simply are too undermanned to compete with the arsenal of the Phoenix Suns.

Concluding Thoughts

The Western Conference is by far the most interesting side of the Playoff bracket at the moment, and there’s upset potential across the board. All these series will be entertaining and displaying some of the highest levels of basketball for the enjoyment of us fans.

I fully understand all the drawbacks of giving Nikola Jokic three straight MVP awards. He has not had significant playoff success, he is a lackluster defender, and it seems unfair to give Joel Embiid a second place award for the third straight year. On top of all of that, I do agree to an extent with the assertion that he has gotten favorable media treatment due to his race (Markieff Morris incident). However, none of those narratives change the meaning of the award — the player who was most valuable over the course of the regular season. Lack of playoff success, voters getting bored of voting for the same guy, and pity for another great player should not affect who gets the award, although it unfortunately has in the past and will likely happen again this year.

This doesn’t change the fact that Jokic is the deserving winner of the award in my eyes. For starters, he’s the best player on the best team in his conference, which while I believe is a lazy way to evaluate candidates, doesn’t exactly hurt his case. However, his strongest case lies in his stats. There are no advanced stats necessary to explain how good Jokic has been this year; he’s averaging 24.9 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 9.9 APG, all on a ridiculous true shooting of 70.4% (league average true shooting is at 58% this year).

These are not empty stats either; as stated, he’s led the Nuggets to the top seed in the Western Conference, and that’s without an All-Star caliber player on his squad. For comparison, the other serious MVP candidates, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antentokounmpo, both have had the privilege of playing alongside an All-Star sidekick this year in James Harden and Jrue Holiday, respectively. Jokic has not enjoyed this same privilege, with his second best player this year being Aaron Gordon. This is not intended to be a slight at Gordon; he’s about as good as a player can get without being considered a real star, and any team in the NBA would kill to have him on their squad, but he’s not on the same caliber as a guy like James Harden, who is still one of the best offensive players in the game and averaging 20 points and 10 assists a night, or Jrue Holiday, a near 20 PPG scorer, great playmaker, and touted by many players as the toughest defender in the NBA. I’m not arguing that Jokic has no help, because Denver has done a great job at reinforcing the team this past offseason, but the simple fact is that he’s been able to win as much as the other MVP candidates without a star sidekick.

I don’t think the voters will give Jokic his third straight MVP, but I firmly believe that if any other player in the NBA had the outrageous stats that Jokic has while leading his team to the top of their conference, they’d have already secured the MVP. However, because people are tired of giving it to the same guy, the award may not go to the Most Valuable Player this year.

As basketball fans, this year, we were treated to one of the most eventful and entertaining trade deadlines in NBA history. From blockbuster trades to underrated moves, Thursday, February 9th and the days leading up to it provided a plethroa of entertainment. Today, I’ll be going over the teams that I think dominated the deadline, as well as the teams that fell short.

Winner: Phoenix Suns

Getting the obvious one out of the way, the Phoenix Suns made the biggest move of the deadline when they acquired Kevin Durant at the expense of Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and a nice haul of draft capital. With the addition of the former MVP, Phoenix essentially propelled themselves to become the overwhelming favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the NBA Finals. While the “twins” Bridges and Johnson will be dearly missed in Phoenix, the new front office in Phoenix is unlikely to suffer any buyer’s remorse from deciding to make a push for the franchise’s first championship.

I still believe Phoenix has major issues in their roster. With the decline of Chris Paul, the team is far from a true superteam. They lack any players who could put pressure on the rim, as their star duo of Booker and KD make their money in the mid-range, which could hamper them in the Playoffs. They also don’t have many notable defenders on the squad and will have to hope their mediocre defense can slow down the other stars in the conference. As one would expect when trading depth for stars, they also lack a strong bench unit. Nonetheless, it would be willingly ignorant to act like Phoenix didn’t dominate the deadline with their move for Durant.

Loser: Portland Trail Blazers

There’s never been a better time for the Portland Trail Blazers to blow it up and begin rebuilding. After a red-hot start to the season, Portland is now at the 12th seed with a 27-29 record, a long way from the Playoffs. To be blunt, Portland has probably been the league’s most mediocre team, and that’s with Damian Lillard playing the best basketball of his career. Idealistically, Portland should have just traded Lillard for a haul and began their rebuild around Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. Instead, in a very confusing move, they traded Josh Hart, one of their best role players, for Cam Reddish, a wing that may have untapped potential but is still a long way from being able to contribute to a playoff team.

Portland and Damian Lillard have both reaffirmed their committment to each other and their desire to bring a championship to the Pacific Northwest, but they truly have no direction. With Lillard’s prime years running out, they must soon make the decision on whether to build a real contender or toss the hat in this offseason.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

After over a year of patience in the trade market, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka finally flipped the switch and decided to end the controversial Russell Westbrook era in LA and somehow acquired a haul of role players and a high-caliber point guard that turned the Lakers into contenders overnight. The Lakers acquired Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimura, Mo Bamba, and Jarred Vanderbilt, as well as D’Angelo Russell, who is in the middle of one of his best years and is the best point guard LeBron has played with since Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.

The Lakers went into this trade deadline with two positive assets, their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, and somehow managed to come out of it with a completely revamped team while still holding on to their 2029 first-rounder. Pelinka pulled off a deadline that many Lakers fans didn’t even imagine would be possible, and as a result, the Lakers championship hopes have been reignited.

Loser: Toronto Raptors

Toronto’s biggest acquisition this deadline was Jakob Poeltl from the Spurs. While I do believe that Poeltl is one of the best role players in the league, the Raptors fell short by missing their opportunity to blow up the team and rebuild. They currently hold the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference, and making a move like trading for Poeltl just seems like an attempt to push for mediocrity. The Raptors do not have a clear path to becoming championship contenders, but they do have many players with high trade value, namely Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and Fred VanVleet.

However, instead of trading their veterans with high value and receiving a haul of draft capital and young talent in return, the Raptors over-valued their players (reports are that they denied three first-round picks for OG Anunoby) and came out with a slightly improved team. At this rate, the Raptors will either have to go all in or move on from their current roster.

Winner: Brooklyn Nets

The Nets were forced to move on from their superstar duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, marking the end of one of the most disappointing sagas in NBA history. However, the Nets have managed to salvage their squad and get a haul of quality players and picks from Kyrie and KD. Brooklyn, who had mortgaged almost all their future picks to the Houston Rockets in the hopes of a ring, managed to acquire new first-rounders in their superstar trades. They’ve also built a team full of quality players without a true superstar, and they might just be the best defense in the NBA with a team full of versatile defenders like Nic Claxton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O’Neal.

Through their deadline deals, the Nets have put themselves in a favorable position. For starters, they could choose the OKC route and trade their entire roster for more draft picks (a team reportedly offered four firsts for Mikal Bridges). However, there is a more plausible plan that I believe the Nets will follow. They could potentially sit on their roster as it is, being a perennial playoff team, as they will not get a boost in draft odds from a bad record since most of their picks are coming from other teams. This means that for the time being, Brooklyn will be a hub of entertaining, selfless, basketball while they wait for their incoming picks to hit. In the midst of the Kyrie drama last year, owner Joe Tsai stated that he wanted to build a team he would have pride in owning, and this current Nets team may just fit that bill. Similar to the 2019 Nets team, this roster filled with high-caliber players that plays team basketball and has a strong culture may become many people’s favorite squad.

Loser: Golden State Warriors

The defending champions are in the midst of a disappointing season, currently holding the eigth-seed in the Western Conference with a .500 record. The Warriors have clear issues in their roster, such as a true secondary star and depth at the wing and center positions, and this trade deadline was their opportunity to make moves to boost their chances at defending the title.

However, Golden State made no major moves outside of bringing Gary Payton II, a valuable role player, home. Their core three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all declining, and the end of the window for the Warriors to win another championship with their dynasty core is strikingly close. On top of not making signifcant moves themselves, their competitors in the west dramatically improved, which may be rubbing salt in the wound for the Warriors. Realistically, the Warriors do not have a chance at contending this year, and the weak trade deadline may be an indication that the days of the dynasty are now past.