Three Teams I’m Excited About
And various other things
Personal updates (feel free to skip if you hate me)
As of late, I’ve been writing for a handful of YouTube channels: documentary scripts; top ten lists; biographies; etc. Unfortunately, no basketball channels so far. The prompts have ranged from the UFC to moray eels. It wasn’t until writing the following article that I realized how much EASIER basketball comes to me. Maybe (definitely, to a certain extent) it’s the base of knowledge that I have as a longtime NBA fan. Maybe it’s the fact that I enjoy basketball so it doesn’t feel like work to write about. Maybe I’ve just been writing nonstop and it’s becoming easier. Whatever the case — I’m excited to be writing about basketball, I’m excited for the upcoming season, and I’m excited about three teams in particular (besides the Bulls).
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have been really bad since that Chris Paul season. To the dismay of OKC fans, they’ve been leisurely hoarding draft picks and waiting for the right time to strike. You can smell it in the air — they finally have a blueprint.
Chet Holmgren
We’ve been seeing the Instagram clips for years.
“Did you see that skinny dude that blocked Steph Curry at his own camp?”
“That skinny dude has to gain some weight if he wants to make it in the NBA”
Well — the skinny dude was picked second overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chet looked great in Summer League: averaging 2.8 blocks over 5 games. I cite the blocks because we know he can score. I’m not worried about Holmgren getting 20+ points on any given night, especially with Giddey and SGA taking care of the ball. While we shouldn’t put too much stock in Summer League, it’s hard to deny Holmgren’s denials. The shot blocking seems like it might be a problem.
He’s looked great against every level of competition so far. I don’t want to speculate too much, so we’ll just have to wait and see with Chet. Rest assured, he will be the centerpiece of this young Thunder core.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA is an All-Star caliber combo guard that all 30 teams would love to have on their roster. He’s (as my uncle Chris would say) silky smooth. He breaks guys off the dribble, finishes at the rim, and jogs back on with a smile on his face. His passing has also improved a lot since entering the league.
As far as this upcoming season, I’d like to see his 3pt shooting regress to the mean. SGA shot 30% from behind the arch last season, but 41% the year prior (in fewer games, to be fair). If he could consistently be a fine 3pt shooter, it would be huge for the Thunder. Fine 3pt shooters are great. They’re not getting smothered beyond all hope (Duncan Robinson), but they stretch the floor because defenders have to respect their looks. Overall, I like where SGA is at.
Josh Giddey
Giddey is exciting. He’s another tall combo guard, but he’s already a better distributor than SGA (and most of the league, for that matter). He’s throwing crazy passes, grabbing boards, looking like a little boy, and having fun. His rookie season reminded me of Lonzo’s — tall, pass-first guard with tons of potential, but still a lot of question marks.
I’m curious to see how much his shooting and defense improve. He shot an abysmal 26% from 3 last season, but now’s the time to let it fly. Hopefully it looks better this year. He’s got the size and agility to be a good defender, but the pieces haven’t quite come together yet. Even if he can stay in front of someone, his team defense IQ needs in-game reps. The question isn’t if Giddey will improve in these areas, but by how much.
Other Guys
Poku is also in the mix. Maybe he can be Chet’s stunt double in Space Jam 3.
Lu Dort is here as well. Maybe he can get traded to a team that needs him more than OKC.
Minnesota Timberwolves
WHAT will Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns look like. . . together. . . on the same team. . . on the same court. . . at the same time. . . with impending superstar Anthony Edwards?
Rudy Gobert
If you read my piece Offense Wins Games, [Perimeter] Defense Wins Championships, you know vaguely how I feel about Rudy Gobert. Although he’s a great rim protector, he’s not great at many other things. Simple as that.
Oh — and he’s on a $205 million contract.
I’m all for players draining NBA executives for every penny. Athletes are the reason anyone cares about the league, and executives take a disgusting portion of the profits. BUT, if you want rim protection, you can get a better deal than Rudy Gobert. Sure, he raises the floor of your team, but at what cost? $205 million dollars, actually.
KAT (with Gobert)
Money aside, Rudy’s size and defensive abilities could allow KAT to play the 4, creating mismatches and highlighting KAT’s incredible offensive skillset. He’s one of the best shooters in the league, produces in the paint, and could do serious damage against other 4s. His defense has always been a weak point, hence the Gobert signing. I’m just worried about Gobert limiting KAT’s room to operate down low. The furthest Gobert comfortably travels from the rim is the dunker’s spot. When KAT tries to convert on a mismatch, Gobert might stink up the joint with his defender near the paint. This is all conjecture, and we’ll have to wait and see. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see how this pairing works out.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man. Father of Anthony Edwards Jr. (an adorable French Bulldog). Supporting actor in Netflix’s Hustle. I could go on and on. I love this guy.
He’s here too. And he’s here to stay.
Edwards improved in every category from his rookie season except turnovers. He’s skilled, explosive, and FUN to watch. KAT brings bigger guys out to the arch, allowing Edwards to launch to the rim for a poster. He’s shooting pretty well at a high clip (36% on 8.4 3PA). His on-ball defense is pretty good, but he has room to improve as a team defender. Overall, he’s on track to becoming a high impact, winning basketball player. The Gobert signing tells me that the Timberwolves agree. They’ll certainly win more games this year, and hopefully Edwards gets a taste of winning sooner rather than later. Ant-Man will be just fine, just give him some time.
Other Guys
I almost gave Jaden McDaniels his own blurb, but he’s an “Other Guy” for now. If you don’t know this kid, he’s 6'9", he can handle the ball, and he’s an incredible defender. He also makes the occasional 3, but I’d like to see some improvement there.
D’Angelo Russell is also here. I’m not a big D-Lo fan, but hopefully he can be somewhat efficient and facilitate for guys like KAT and Edwards.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics lost in the Finals this year: the furthest Tatum and Brown have made it in the playoffs. Tatum and Brown have been accompanied by many characters at this point: Kyrie, Hayward, Al Horford multiple times, Smart as a shooting guard, Smart as a point guard, Brad Stevens as a coach, Brad Stevens as an executive — the list goes on.
I’m not sure what happened to the Celtics around New Year’s this year, but they hit the gas and started WINNING. Making it all the way to the Finals, they were clearly outmatched by a healthy Golden State team. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be contenders again this season. With the addition of guys like Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari, I’m high on the Celtics’ running it back in the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum can be the best player on a championship team. He’s a lengthy wing that can score at all three levels and defend (when it matters). When Tatum is on, he’s the best player on the court. When Tatum is off, it’s pretty atrocious. Just look at game 1 of this year’s Finals: 12 points on 3/17 shooting.
Heads up — I’m about to quote myself. But I was right. Here’s what I said about Tatum in my May piece Giving Each NBA Playoff Series a Cool Band Name.
Game 3 in Milwaukee was ugly; Tatum went 4–19 from the floor, scoring 10 points in 41 minutes. His playmaking has improved this year, but he has a habit of reverting to his sticky-handed 2018 playstyle. This results in a lot of tough midranges.
When Tatum has the ball, he’s having fun. You know what they say; time flies when you’re having fun. Especially if there’s a 24-second limit that you’re not really paying attention to. Tatum’s sticky-handed tendencies are inexcusable against the best defenses in the league. Near the end of the shot clock, he relies on bailout shots from himself and teammates. He’s a capable enough passer, he just needs to let the game come to him. He ends up forcing a lot of offense when he really doesn’t have to.
He also needs to make his free throws. He shot 65.6% in the Finals.
I’m excited to see how he improves this season. He’s an elite player at only 24. However, Jaylen Brown outplayed him in the Finals, which cannot be the case if the Celtics want to win a championship.
Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown was recently included in a trade offer for Kevin Durant. This was followed by a simple but cogent tweet:
“Smh”
Assuming he stays in Boston, I don’t expect this to change anything on the court. I think he has some disdain for the front office, but not the team.
Jaylen Brown was the best Celtic in the Finals this year. He’s proved that he can be productive at every level of competition. All 30 teams would love to have him, and he can certainly be the #2 guy on a championship team. It’s hard to nitpick his Finals performance. If you didn’t tune in, I recommend you watch his 34-point Game 6 (included below).
Although Tatum has this issue too, Brown’s turnovers are frustrating. It’s more noticeable with Brown as his handle gets pretty sloppy sometimes. He could also work on his free throw shooting, but I’m nitpicking.
Jaylen Brown — keep doing your thing. I’m looking forward to this upcoming season.
Other Guys
Smart will continue to be Smart, Horford will (hopefully) continue to be Horford (at 36 years old), and Robert Williams will continue to foul everybody with a heartbeat. I do like Williams — he and JJJ just need to work on the fouls.
Brogdon was, at one point, a relatively high-volume 50–40–90 guy. If he can stay healthy and come close to that level of play, the Celtics got a good one. Danilo Gallinari is getting old, but he’s a versatile, bigger dude that can stretch the floor. That’s an important weapon in the postseason. I believe these pickups can push the Celtics over that last little hump.
