April 2, 2025 • 39 mins
Jason answers NBA fan mailbag questions on topics ranging from the Los Angeles Lakers’ upside with Jaxson Hayes at center to pair with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who the Los Angeles Clippers should want in the first round of the NBA playoffs, whether the Heat should trade Bam Adebayo after sending Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, and much more.
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(01:51):
All right, welcome to hoo tonight. You're at the volume
heavy Wednesday, everybody. I'll all if you guys are having
a great week. Today is mailbag Day this week, bunch,
you guys drop some really good questions in the you
two comments. Make sure if you want to get questions
in the mail bag, drop them in the YouTube comments
under our full episodes with mail bag and a cull.
And that's a signifier that makes it easy for me
to find them in the mix of all the comments.
Make sure you get your comments in there for next
(02:13):
week's mail bag. You guys know the joke before we
get started. Subscribe to Hoops Tonight YouTube channel so you
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Facebook where Jackson's been doing some incredible work. Make sure
you guys follow us there and then, last but not least,
(02:35):
like I mentioned off the top, keep dropping those mail
bag questions in the YouTube comments. All right, let's talk
some basketball. First question, Hey, Jason, love to show it.
I think any questions about the Lakers offense are misguided. However,
with the defense, I think the uniqueness of it with
no real big in the middle poses a problem. That
(02:55):
being said, I can't recall a modern team winning the
title with a defense where there isn't a center. Sure,
we've seen lineups such as the twenty seventeen Warriors with
their death lineup. That team always started either JaVale McGee
or Zaza. I'd also argue Draymond Green functionally as a
center on defense. Do you think a team can win
a title in the NBA without a true starting caliber
defensive center. Thanks and please keep doing this show. We
(03:18):
have no intentions of stopping. Thank you for the thank
you for the support over the years. A couple things, so,
you know, focusing on the idea of like that this
has never been done before thing. There's just so many
examples in recent NBA history of new trends kind of
taking a foothold and having real success. So a recent example,
(03:41):
for instance, I talked a lot before the twenty twenty
three title, the Denver Nuggets title. I talked a lot
about how in NBA history there's never been a team
that's had a not in recent NBA history, there had
not been a team that had a weak defensive front
court that won the time. If you go back before
twenty twenty three, every year I will list them all now,
(04:04):
but every team had either a dominant defensive four and
a dominant defensive five, or at least a dominant defensive five,
and so in a weird way, like Denver bucked those
trends and set a new standard for a way to
succeed in the NBA through, you know, just doing the
best you can defensively and being an excellent defensive rebounding team,
(04:26):
and then just being this surgical offensive team in the
half court. They proved it was possible a lot of
going further back, a lot of you guys might remember
Charles Barkley and many others talking about how the Warriors
rely too much on jump shooting, and a lot of
people there conveniently glossed over the fact that they were
the best defense in the league for most of that
(04:48):
early phase of that era. And you know, what Steph
does offensively opens up so many things in the paint,
as we saw in the twenty fifteen finals when Steph
got robbed of his Finals MVP because no one understood
what a blitz was or what was happening to the defense.
So the thing is is that there's a certain amount
of reticence I have involving the Lakers simply because of
(05:11):
the fact that they are a kind of a prototypical
type of team that has never had success in the
NBA before real big picture Larry O'Brien type of success.
That doesn't mean it's impossible, though. One of the things
that I've been keeping an eye on is, you know,
what do you worry about without a center? Defense and
(05:31):
rebounding right and defensively, they've demonstrated extensively since Anthony Davis
was traded away, or since he got hurt, I should say,
since he heard his groin, they've demonstrated extensively in a
very large sample that they can still play good defense
without Anthony Davis. Can they play you know, top three
OKC style of defense, No, but they can get into
(05:53):
the top ten as a defense without a real center.
They've demonstrated that. And then I've been really key in
on the rebounding and I've continually gone to check the numbers,
and they've just in the Luca Era consistently been in
that like ten to fifteen range, which is fine. And
then I watched them against like a matchup like Houston
last night that's bringing a bunch of giant centers, a
(06:15):
guy like Steven Adams that is so just physically imposing
underneath the basket, who has the highest offensive rebound rate
in the history of basketball, like there's a huge mismatch
that they presented there, and the Lakers held up well
on the glass. One of the reasons why they rebound
pretty well despite not having a center is that aggregate
size on the perimeter that we talk about. So like
(06:37):
all these six' eight sixty nine, guys and where that
helps you in rebounding is like crackdown. Rebounding so for,
instance if you're trying to box Out Steven adams and
your groundbound and you're sitting in a, squat you got
your arms. Out you're making it so That Steven adams can't.
Jump that's the important part about a box. Out it
basically removes jumping from the. Equation Because Steven adams jumps
(07:01):
as you're trying to box him, out he could get
like his legs taken out from under. Him it's just
too dangerous of a. Play so you keep the big
groundbound from. There though he has a huge size. Advantage
he's gonna reach over the top and he's gonna grab it.
Right that's where you need those other six to nine
guys to come flying in from the perimeter and tap
the ball. Out you guys might remember a few examples
from last Night Ruy hatchamura come and flying in at
A Steven adams or An Alburn shangun and knocking the
(07:22):
ball away when someone else was battling those guys on the.
Ground and, so, honestly, like The lakers do not have
an elite defensive rebounding type of, look but they have
a decent defensive rebounding type of, look and they have
a good defensive look even though they don't have a.
Center so that to me kind of falls into the
(07:43):
category of like what we saw With, denver where if
they can reach a point of being truly surgical in
the half court, offensively then they absolutely can get this thing. Done,
now the question, is and this is one of the
big reasons Why i'm not as high on The lakers
right now compared to what their potential is next year
(08:04):
after making tweaks to the roster and bringing in a
better center look and getting more continuity a full training,
camp and like next Year's lakers TEAM i think is
going to be a top tier contender right out the.
Gates but this year there's a certain amount OF i,
like like you said in your, QUESTION i Think. Lakers
questions about The lakers' offense are. MISGUIDED i agree in
(08:24):
the big, picture like there's just no way That, Austin
lebron And luca with all of that play finishing talent
don't figure out how to score a million. Points, LIKE
i know those guys are going to eventually figure it.
Out it's been a little clunky, though because it's, new
because all of the geometry on the court is just
presenting all these like different situations For lebron And, austin
(08:46):
and so they're kind of acclimating themselves to. It and
all these guys are getting more catch and shoot looks than.
Ever The lakers got thirty eight catch and shoot looks last.
Night that was their second highest total of this entire.
Season so like there's a certain amount of adjustment around the,
board and so so much of whether or not The
lakers can actually get it done this year comes down
to can they get their offense into peak form in
(09:09):
time for a Late april Early may series with one
of the better teams in The Western. Conference AND i
think that that's a question mark at this. Point that
doesn't MEAN i don't believe that this time next year
The lakers won't be a well oiled. MACHINE i believe they,
will but these things take. Time basketball chemistry takes time
to build, out AND i just think there's a little
bit of like a risk in the short term this
(09:31):
year that they won't have it ready in. Time next.
Question in The, west seeds two through four are separated
by two, losses and five through eight are all separated
by one, loss so matchups are very up in the air.
Currently what's the best case scenario first round matchup for
The clippers and how far do you think they could
go with How kawhi And zoo are playing at the.
(09:53):
Moment IF i was The, Clippers i'd Want. Houston there's
a couple of specific reasons why Shang goun kicks ass
against the opposing centers in the league at, large for
the same reason That jokic kicks ass against the centers
of the league at, large except For shangun is not
(10:14):
as big As. Jokic so every TIME i See shangoun
run into other really big centers that can hold up
in the ground battle Against shangoun as long as they're
not so damn slow that they have no chance to guard.
Him And zubach is much more mobile and a much
better rim protector than people give him credit FOR i
Think zubach can Guard shangun and hold up better in
(10:35):
a playoff series there than a lot of the centers
in The Western. Conference and Then houston has a certain
amount of physical size on the. Perimeter we're gonna talk
about this in juxtaposed With okay see soon in another,
question but they have so much perimeter size that having
a guy Like, kawhi who is kind of a unique
case in the MODERN, nba is a guy who kind
(10:56):
of holds up super well in those sorts of. SITUATIONS
i think they just match up pretty. Well they're zer
and three Against houston this, year But quiet didn't play
in any of the, games so obviously that fundamentally changes.
IT i just look at it as as a type
of matchup where they hold up well, physically AND i
Think houston in general is a high risk for an
upset in the first, round regardless of who they, play
(11:17):
just because of how playoff basketball. Changes houston Is we're
going to dominate The margins type of. Team it's all, defense, transition, offensive,
rebounding physical, dominance and The clippers should be able to
hold up under. That and every team in THE nba
holds up better under that when they get into the,
postseason as they start to leverage their athletic tools more,
SO i would Want houston IF i was The. Clippers
(11:42):
why do you think the media coverage of THE nba
has changed so much over the last forty? Years looking
at old Nineties bulls, broadcasts they're almost always speaking glowingly
about the players and coaches and x'es and. O's now
it teams way more negative, driven way more narrative driven and.
Negative thanks love your, show the BEST nba comment tur
in the. Media thank you so much for the kind
(12:02):
words since for supporting the. Show SO i think it's
a combination of a couple. THINGS i think a big
part of it IS i would say like the vast
majority of it comes down to. Jealousy it's really easy
to be supportive and appreciative when you look at the
(12:23):
the people that you're praising as experiencing more or less
the same thing that you. Experienced but if you were
a professional player and you had a certain experience as
AN nba, player you've made some good, money you had
some cool, experiences but nothing. Extravagant and then you see
guys Like Jalen brown signing a seventy million dollar year
(12:46):
a year. Deal there's a certain amount, of, LIKE i
think these guys look at the younger generation and they
just get jealous and they're, like these guys don't work
as hard as. Us AND i think there's a certain
amount of that, like get off my lawn type of
attitude that we all have from every generation towards the younger.
GENERATION i think that's just a fundamental part of the human.
Experience but, LIKE i think they look at those guys
(13:07):
and they, go they're not doing as much as we,
did and they're flying fancy and getting all this high
tech equipment and care and making all this, money and
we didn't get any of those. Opportunities AND i think
it just breeds, bitterness AND i think it just manifests
in the way that they talk about the. GAME i
think the second part of it is is that like in,
general our players are just so much better now and
(13:30):
the skill development is so much. BETTER i was talking
about this With colin the other. Day but like you
notice when you go back and you look like at
a nineteen sixties or nineteen SEVENTIES nba, game even into the,
eighties all the jump shots looked. Weird and part of
the reason for that is is, that like everyone kind
of had to teach themselves at a shooter jump shot based,
on you, know whatever they perceived at the time to
(13:51):
be the best way to get the ball in the.
Hoop we've optimized. That now you can go on YouTube
and watch footage of you, know five of the greatest
shooters IN nba, history and everybody's jump shot looks more
or less the same now because of the fact that
we just have, better you, know sample data to look
at and sample, information sample examples of jump, shots and
(14:13):
we're able to convert that into a pretty well proven.
Form you, know where you put your guide hand and
how you follow, through and how to limit motion and
unnecessary motion and all that kind of. Stuff it's all
kind of streamlined at this. Point and SO i think
there's a certain amount of when they watch guys shooting
lots of threes and the skill development, PIECE i think
there's just a general amount of jealousy that we see
(14:35):
from the older. GENERATION i also think it's worth mentioning
this is a weird industry in the sense that you
are incentivized to generate, traction AND i don't ever judge
for that because at the end of the, day we're
paying our, bills like it's a, job and SO i
(14:56):
think there's a certain amount of like if you're not
playing the game a little, bit then you're you, know
doing a disservice to your, family who you're financially responsible.
For but at the same, time like there's a certain
amount of negativity cells and negativity gets, clicks AND i
think that there's some of that that you'll see from
parts of media that lean exclusively into, that and it's
(15:18):
a bad product in my. Opinion but at the same,
time like that's just a pathway towards some amount of
success in the. Media SO i think all of that
comes together into making a UNEVEN nba media. Experience that,
SAID i don't get anywhere near as negative about it
as everyone else, does BECAUSE i think the reality is
is if you go back ten fifteen years and you
(15:40):
look at the amount OF nba coverage that was out,
there there's a there was very little in the form
of like detailed quality, analysis and what has happened is
the sheer amount of content has skyrocketed and now there's
thousands of, options and, yeah that means there's a lot
more dog shit out, there but that also means there's
(16:00):
a lot more quality content out. There and the truth
is is that there's half dozen dozen guys nationally who
do a great job covering the league and focus on
the basketball and stay away from the junk and just
do an excellent. Job there are probably somewhere between sixty
and ninety team specific pods of guys that focus on
(16:23):
their FAVORITE nba team and do incredible work covering the,
league getting in the, weeds helping educate their fans on
what their team does on both ends of the. Floor
and SO i look at it as like there's never
been a better time to be AN nba, fan and
there's never been a better time for you to FIND
nba content for your team or for the league at.
(16:44):
Large there's more of it than. Ever it's better than,
ever that we're all smarter about it than. Ever the
video elements of it are better than. Ever i'm generally
bullish on THE nba media who would be the perfect
starting for The lakers in the off, season as well
as how much Would Nikkeil Alexander walker improve The lakers
(17:05):
this summer if they were able to get him on
a tax payer mid level. Exception Nikkeile Alexander walker would
be an amazing get at THE mL because he can,
Guard he's specifically good at guarding, guards and he's really
turned himself into a good spot up, shooter which is
obviously very valuable in the context Of Luka. DANCIC i
think he's a decent driving kick player. TOO i think
thinkil would be. Perfect it's just kind of a pipe
(17:28):
dream at this. Point there's also the question of whether
or not they should use that mly on a, center
or if they should target it through the trade. Market
the guys That i've looked at is starting caliber. Centers
What i'm looking at there is like reasonably. Affordable you
don't want to have to give up depth on a
team that doesn't have a ton of, depth but also
needs to have some scheme, versatility need to have the
(17:49):
size and athleticism. Piece BUT Jj redick likes to, switch
so there's a certain amount of, like this has got
to be a guy who can guard on the perimeter
a little. BIT i really like the idea of like
A Nick. CLAXTON i think he would be just a
dream fit lob threat guy that can be that vertical
spacer next To Luca, scheme, versatility can switch and can
(18:11):
run drop. Coverage not the best rebounder at his, position but,
again he's a. Center he gives you some more athletic
in position at that. Spot Nick clackson would be a
Dream yakapertle is a guy That i've always liked a good,
amount ALTHOUGH i don't think he's as good of a
fit As Nick. Claxton there's also a version of this
where like if The lakers look at it and they're, like,
(18:31):
man would we rather have a mediocre center at an
mL e or in the trade, market or do we
really lean into player development and bet on a guy
Like Christian coloco Alongside Jackson hayes and use THE mle
or a trade to bring in a higher level perimeter,
(18:52):
option like just a really good three AND d? Player
what would be better a really good three AND d
player or a mediocre. Center that's where it gets, tricky
and so like a lot of it is Like i'd
almost come down to it where it's, like IF i
could Get Nick claxton at a reasonable, price like let's do.
It but if it's expensive or if it's a lesser,
(19:12):
PLAYER i think you can make a strong case that
The lakers would be better off making a talent play
versus a position specific. PLAY a lot of it will
depend on you, Know Christian cloco has a lot of
room to, improve and he had THAT i think it
was a blood cloud issue IF i remember, correctly but
he you, know has been away from basketball for a.
(19:34):
While it's The Brownie james. Thing so, like even what
you've seen From christian this year is not close to
what his ultimate potential, is and so there is some
player development opportunity. THERE i couldn't help but watch that
game Against houston and feel like The lakers have zero
chance Against. Okac imagine that level of defense against The
lakers with a top three player in a high level.
Offense first of, ALL i said last night that The
(19:56):
lakers would have to play better if they were to
be able to handle this type of matchup in the.
Postseason AND i specifically called The rockets a better version Of,
houston or excuse, me The thunder a better version Of.
Houston there is a big. Difference Though houston is bigger
on the, perimeter they have a lot more of, that
like strength and size Guarding luca And lebron Than okase
(20:21):
can put on them With. Oka, see there's Lou dort
who is shorter than A Dylan brooks and has Caused
lucas some, problems AND i think there's some reality. There
but once you get Past, dort like your next biggest
guy Is jada as a perimeter athlete type of, player
or An Aaron, wiggins AND i just there's a lot
(20:45):
of Like Casson wallace And Alex cruso is like six'
six has, some size but like there's considerable size advantages
down the board on the perimeter For. The lakers there's
gonna be Like A lebron Luca and ruey are, out
there and you're gonna Put a Adort on luca and
you're gonna put a J dub On. Onto lebron but,
(21:10):
after that, It's, like Okay is Chet guarding rui because
now We're pulling chet out of. Rim, protection Okay Is
isaiah Hartenstein guarding Ruey because ruey can put the ball
on the floor a. Little bit there's a certain amount
OF like i Think the lakers have some advantages on
the perimeter in. THAT matchup i want to be clear
about THIS because I had i had someone say something
to Me on twitter about it. THIS morning i don't
(21:31):
Know who i'm gonna pick In A thunder. LAKERS series
i am inclined as an older veteran team against a
very young team and a team that has some you
know some there's some concern, with them and they're young
players knocking down open catch and shoot jump shots in.
(21:53):
The postseason we saw that last year versus this older
team and those specific, SIZE advantages I haven't i am
tempted to Pick the lakers To, beat okay see if
they should play in a series, THAT said i have
a very healthy Fear. Of. OKA see i am firmly
aware of what they are, capable OF and i absolutely
(22:13):
think they can beat everybody and potentially hoist. The trophy
so we'll SEE how i feel when we get closer to.
The Postseason the lakers are still a work in progress
in a lot. Of ways they've what if they played
four Games with lebron back in, the lineup or, five
games whatever, it is They the lakers could potentially be
much Better on may first than they Are on, April
first And so i'm not gonna make a pick Between
(22:34):
the lakers And the thunder until we get to a
series Between the lakers And, the thunder and we'll SEE
how i feel at. That point if we get There
and lebron still doesn't trust his jump shot and the
defense has been bad for a month and they just
haven't looked, as Imposing then i'm gonna Probably. Pick. Oka
see but if it comes together and they're defending really
Well and Lebron and Luca and austin are all clicking
(22:55):
at the, same time and they kick the shit out
of somebody in the first round and it turns into
an Okay see lakers second round or third, round SERIES
like i might be more tempted to Pick. The lakers
and so a lot of it depends on like here's
Where the, thunder, are now here's Where the. Lakers are
there's a theoretical range For the lakers that potentially extends
Above the thunder depending on how this goes over the
(23:16):
course of the next, Couple weeks and we'll see how we
feel when we. Get there love, the Show but houston
not playing their second Best Player, jalen green at the
end Of The lakers rockets game. Is inexcusable how can
you agree to that saying that's the. Right move that's
Like the lakers Not playing Austin or luca at the end.
Of GAMES so i just disagree. With this there's a
(23:36):
certain Thing With jalen green where there's a higher upside
in terms of, you know like he was able to
get to the rim in a way last Night that
Fred van. Vliek couldn't he was able to hit some
pull up jump shots last night in a Way that
Fred van. Vliek COULDN'T but i thought it really came
down To emy udoka Didn't Trust jalen green to take
(23:58):
good shots down. The stretch there were a couple of
ugly possessions towards the end of that game before he,
got benched including that one where he randomly tried To
iso austin and. Got STRIPPED and i think the way
He may udoka looked at it was. Pretty simple Gotta
have shanegun. Out there he's the biggest. Matchup problem he's
the guy who's consistently bringing two to. The, ball okay
(24:18):
Gotta Have dylan brooks. Out there he's the guy Who's
making Lebron and. Luca Uncomfortable jabari smith was hitting threes
in playing defense functionally in the in the in the
offense and, on defense he's, playing well he's rebound he's getting.
Offensive Rebounds jabar smith was playing. Super well hit a
huge shot in, the lane that little elbow jumper on the,
left elbow that three along the Right Wing jabar smith.
(24:40):
WAS playing I Think javarr smith was the right. Call
there and then you're looking at It As, aman thompson
who's Torching the lakers all over, the floor on the
glass and along, the baseline and so then you need.
One guard AND so i think the way that He
may udoka looked at it was we're gonna be Playing Through,
shane GOON and I trust Fred van vliet to make
(25:03):
the right reads in. These Situations and Fred van vliet
is a better defensive Player Than, jalen green AND so
i think the way He may udoka looked at it,
was LIKE if I put jalen, out, there yeah he
might take a bunch of stupid shots and they might.
Go in but if he goes, out there he could
also co opt, the offense shoot us out of the
game and not be as. Good defensively AND so i
think he just made a call right there in. THAT
(25:24):
moment i Think If jabari smith wasn't having as good of.
A game He Sits jabari Smith And jalen green ends
up getting. Those minutes but in, that situation with the
Way That jabari smith was playing with How Good dylan brooks,
was defensively With How amen thompson was wrecking them on
both ends of, the Floor And shane gun consistently bringing
two to, THE ball i think he just Looked at
Fred van vliet as the higher floor option for him
(25:47):
on Both For emi udoka on both ends of the
floor to give them the best chance to win. That,
Game Hey, jason love the show has always been following
for years and the interests of spreading more positivity IN the.
Nba media what do you think would be the most
fun finals? To watch, for me it would be Either
the Warriors versus Warriors or lakers versus Either the calves Or.
THE celtics i think the storylines would be. Really fun
(26:09):
lebron Facing the caves and the finals would. Be crazy
lakers Versus the celtics is an. OBVIOUS One A warriors
celtics rematch Or A calvest warriors finals for old. Time,
Sakes yeah lebron Versus the calves would be. REALLY Fun
A warrior celtics rematch would be. Really fun it would
kind of remind me of the dynamic Between the Lakers
and nuggets Of When anthony davis was. There where it's
(26:30):
Like when lebron, was younger, you know he was best
player in. The world he Beats, the nuggets But then lebron.
Ages out Here comes Jokic and murray. Getting revenge similar
kind of thing could happen. There where It's like steph
Is The elder statesman at peak of his powers in twenty,
twenty two Beats some tatum's not quite, ready yet but
Then suddenly tatum shows that. HE'S ready i would be
(26:52):
really really excited To see Okac. Versus boston i've talked
a lot ABOUT how i Think the lakers Can Beat
okay see that based. ON matchups i have a equal
and opposite Fear of boston as a terrible matchup For.
The Lakers So oka see, to me is the TEAM
(27:13):
that i think has the real potential To make boston
uncomfortable on offense for the entirety of. The series and
so THERE'S a i think there's a certain element like
basketball fans at large should be very excited about A
potential Okc versus boston series just because there'd be an
absurd amount of talent on the floor and it'd be
a really really. INTERESTING matchup i would like To see
(27:36):
Lakers versus boston As a. Lakers, FAN also i think
there are some fun storylines There with lebron playing in
the finals again at age forty that you can't beat something,
Like that luca getting a redemption opportunity after he was
kind of Embarrassed by boston, last year, You know boston
having an opportunity to get another like win Against the
(27:57):
lakers in this. HISTORIC rivalry i think that'd. Be fun
BUT ultimately I think Okc versus boston would be the
most COMPETITIVE finals i think Right now i'm still Leaning
towards boston would Beat the lakers if they faced them in.
A series love the show and thank you for the
time you put. INTO it i have a fun hypothetical.
For you if you could pick one team to replace
any starting player, with yourself which team from this year would?
(28:20):
You pick and? Why so on a really, basic LEVEL
if i wanted for any, of us if we wanted
our best opportunity to have any success IN, THE nba
i think it would be playing alongside Like a luca Or,
a jokich because there's A certain i talked about the
(28:41):
concept of king of the court and like offensive success
when a defender sprinting at you versus when you have
a defender squared up in front. OF you i like
my chances to score AT the nba level playing with
a huge advantage MORE than i view any sort of
potential without that sort. Of Advantage. Like luca, LAST night
(29:01):
i was watching, him BECAUSE like, i like the pick
and pop is a basically an unguardable action if you
have a big that stays on the ball and there's
a certain amount of like you can just dribble off
the screen and just throw behind the back pass and
the guy's gonna be open every. Single time but one
of the Things that luca does that's so insane, is
like and it's a thing that we as coaches literally
(29:23):
coach every kid to, not do is he, Over penetrates
like the guy will, be open but instead of throwing
the pass, right away he'll like take two or three
extra dribbles into the lane and like really collapse the
defense before he somehow finds some absurd passing angle that's
why you. Don't overpenetrate the passing angles are, so difficult
that's where guys turn the. Ball Over but luca just
(29:44):
has this superpower where he can find these bizarre passing
angles and all this traffic and throw these. Kickout passes
and he'll do that specifically so that Instead Of Dorian
phinney smith having to hit a shot against a ten foot,
close Out Now Dorian phinney smith is hitting a sh
against like a seventeen or eighteen foot. Close out he's
buying him an extra second to really stare down. The
(30:05):
shot and, SO like i like my chances to hit
wide open catch and shoot threes Playing Alongside. Luka DODCI
so I think i think that that would be the
type of role THAT if i had to put myself INTO,
the nba THAT'S where i. Would, go obviously though. The
obligatory i'm NOT an. NBA player i have too much
RESPECT for. Nba players we don't get to just say
that we'd go in the league and. HAVE success i
(30:26):
was wondering what your thoughts are On beam atabio To
The chicago bulls. This offseason vouch needs to go and
we need to Capitalize In kobe Madas And josh gitty
seemingly clicking. AND cooking i think he'd be the clear
cut top dog and would anchor the defense. As well
he's not a player that needs the ball in, his
hands so he won't hinder our young. Players, development however
you can get his and brings, winning experience or is
(30:49):
a better space or slash shooter. Needed instead thanks for
all the hard work you guys. Put in it's the bet.
Show around thanks for. Supporting us so there's. A LET'S
as i said, last night we should be allowed to have, some.
Fun right SO do I think miami is just going
to dump A bam At a bio without taking back
Someone like Manas Or. Kobe, WHITE no i don't think.
(31:09):
They would but let's set that aside for a second
and just Imagine bam At a bio as a option
alongside those. Three Guys as JACKSON and i were talking
about In The late show mail, bag yesterday the ultimate
defensive floor for your team is a guy that can
both protect the reymen to, drop coverage but also can
defend in a. Switching scheme that scheme versatility is what
(31:32):
gives you the best opportunity to win from matchup, to
matchup and so that type of player would be, the
dream especially a Guy like bam who's demonstrated a little
bit more of ability to shoot from the perimeter as,
of LATE and i do think that he'll continue to
trend towards being a little bit better as a shooter.
Each year, that said it's like one of, those things
(31:52):
where's that type? Of player acquiring that type of player
given the type of talent on the roster, right now
and keeping all of that talent just seems like a
little bit of a. Pipe DREAM so i think it's
worth at least acknowledging, that part. All right three, More
one since you always talk about energy transfer in, jump
shots does the type of jump? Shot matter, For Example
(32:13):
Karl anthony twents has a quick set shot versus Someone,
Like tatum and is there a type of jump shot
that's more immune? To disruption so set shots have less
motion in the first two phases of. The shots so
like as we always, talk about there's the, the base there's,
the gather and then there's. The release a set shot
(32:34):
takes less off the base in the gather and puts
most of the power of the shot on. The release
and what that does is it makes it so that
the energy transfer process is. Very simple and a lot
of the set shooters in the league are very good
when they're. Wide open not Just Kat tyrese halliburton's an
example of a guy, like that where when, he's open
it just feels like it's going in every. Single time
(32:57):
but those are the types of jump shots that are
easiest to disu because there is so much on the
upper part of. The shot and that Means that so
think of it, Like THIS if i jump into a three,
point shot get a, good lift the top of the
shot is very light flip of, the wrist VERSUS if
(33:19):
i shoot a, set shot there's much more Power that
i'm trying to drive out of that out of that
follow through at the very top of, the, Shot right
So if i'm Disrupted and i'm, leaning fading my base,
is off whatever, it is there's just so much on
the top of the shot that all of, a sudden
there's just so much more likelihood, for air, you know
(33:41):
one of your fingers being in the, wrong spot your
follow through not being, as crisp just so much opportunity
for that to get. Messed up when you're a shooter
that shoots with a lot of work from. Your base
that's what allows you to shoot on, the move shoot,
in traffic shoot on, step backs shoot, on spins whatever,
it is because you're doing so much work with your
lower body that the top of the shot is just
(34:02):
this light, and easy breezy flip of. The wrist so
what's so amazing when you watch like a when you
watch Like Old michael jordan fadeaway jump shots over his
left and. Right shoulder any of you guys who have
ever played and have relied on a turnaround fade away
from about fifteen feet knows that that's a tough shot
to get to. The rim you need to get a lot,
(34:25):
of lyft and it feels like you're shooting a twenty
five footer when you're fading away from the basket from,
you know sixteen. Seventeen feet and that was what was
so amazing About Watching MJ's he was just so incredibly
like spry off the ground when he would make those
turnaround fade moves that he'd just get fantastic lift and
you just see, this, light easy breezy flip of the
(34:46):
wrist at the top and it would go in what's
going On? In memphis why would they fire their coach
with two weeks left in the season when they could
have waited to. THE offseason i get that it could
be a locker room issue or a, rotation issue but
they are the five seed in A tough. WESTERN conference
i do not see a championship in, this team probably
a first or second. Round exit so why not just
fire him at the end of. The season love, the
show keep up the, Good. WORK jason i did some
(35:10):
digging behind, the scenes couldn't get any. Real answers nobody
really understands why specifically it happened when. IT happened, i
mean there. IS truth i talked about This With frank
vogel when he got fired From. The lakers there's truth
to the idea that like sometimes the team just tunes the,
guy out and when he when the team tuns the,
guy out you got to make, A change like it's
(35:30):
just what you have, to do even if the guy's a.
Good coach and all indications Are That taylor jenkins is
going to get. Another opportunity i've never been A Big
taylor jenkins GUY because i think his defensive strategy, is
foolish like is way too aggressive on, the ball way
too aggressive packing. THE paint i just don't think it
works in THE. Modern nba, that, said like they're under
no circumstances for a team that's above the plane In The.
(35:52):
Western conference should you be making this dramatic of a
coaching change this close to the end of. The SEASON
so i don't know what's going on behind, the scenes
but it doesn't make a ton of sense to me
as far as the team and the way. THEY'RE spiraling
i think injuries have played. A role their defense and
them conceding all these open shots has. Burned them their
defense is falling apart in the seven. GAME span i
think there is a little bit of a lack. Of
belief some of this. Is schedule they've run into a
(36:15):
bunch of really tough teams in. A row, It's, like
okay you gotta Play. The, lakers okay you Gotta. Play
boston Here Comes golden state to. Town NEXT the nba
schedule is brutal and it can beat the shit out
of you and wipe away. Your CONFIDENCE and i think
in a lot of ways that's. What's happened memphis does
not seem to, Have that just like attitude that they used.
To have, last question there's a lot of Rumors about
(36:36):
booker To the, pistons recently and this has quietly been
a Thing On piston's twitter for like three or four.
Years now my first question would be do you think
the trade? Is possible and how would he fit Next? To,
kaid second if that, isn't possible what superstar do you
think fits Best with kid to maximize his skills? Moving,
forward Look the pistons have plenty of. Draft compensation they
(36:59):
could include a Guy like Jade and ivy and that type.
Of deal And If i'm Phoenix and I'm getting Jade
and ivy in a bunch of, Draft picks i'm going
to seriously consider that type of Deal For. Devin booker
so that's absolutely. A POSSIBILITY do i think he's a
good fit Next? To kid you bet. Your ass he's
like perfect fit Next, to kate a decent point of attack,
(37:20):
defender who next To, sar thompson can guard the second
best perimeter players, just, basically like Imagine What malik beasley's done,
this year which is not just aggressive spot, up shooting
but really. Aggressive Scoring malik beasley's been a bucket getter
For the pistons. This Year devin booker brings all of
that at, a higher more resilient rate while also being.
(37:42):
A guy Although the devin struggled to shoot the three,
This YEAR but i think there's a little bit of
an aberration there and all of that alongside the ability
as well to bring two to the ball and be,
a playmaker like a real second side, shot creator a
guy who can take a load Off. Of, kate, SO
like i think that'd be an. AMAZING fit i think
it's also fits that concept we talked About, with wemby
where it's like the timeline and whether or not it
(38:03):
actually makes sense to Wait for Jade and ivy's development
or Wait For stefan Cassel Or devin vessel's development to
match With a wemby Or, A kaid like there's a
certain amount Of like, caid's, ready Now the pistons. Are
ready now you got to. Do something the question is
do you feel like cashing. That in do you feel
like cashing that in all those draft picks on a Guy,
like booker or do you want to take it as
(38:24):
a more. Patient APPROACH and I think i think this
year's playoff run will give us some data on just
how far or close they are to where they want
to get and if, they're close you can Advocate. For
booker if they're, not close you can advocate. For patients, all,
right guys it's all had. For today, as always a
sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting me and suporting. The
show we'll be back tomorrow morning breaking down The packed wednesday.
(38:44):
Night slate i'll see you. Guys then, what, So guys,
AS always i appreciate you for listening to AND supporting.
Oops tonight it would actually be really helpful for us
if you guys would take a second and leave a
rating and. A review, AS always i appreciate you guys,
supporting us but if you could take a minute to,
DO that i really. Appreciate it the volume m
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(01:51):
All right, welcome to hoo tonight. You're at the volume
heavy Wednesday, everybody. I'll all if you guys are having
a great week. Today is mailbag Day this week, bunch,
you guys drop some really good questions in the you
two comments. Make sure if you want to get questions
in the mail bag, drop them in the YouTube comments
under our full episodes with mail bag and a cull.
And that's a signifier that makes it easy for me
to find them in the mix of all the comments.
Make sure you get your comments in there for next
(02:13):
week's mail bag. You guys know the joke before we
get started. Subscribe to Hoops Tonight YouTube channel so you
don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on
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forget about a podcast feed wherever you get your podcast
on Hoops Tonight. It's also super helpful if you leave
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Facebook where Jackson's been doing some incredible work. Make sure
you guys follow us there and then, last but not least,
(02:35):
like I mentioned off the top, keep dropping those mail
bag questions in the YouTube comments. All right, let's talk
some basketball. First question, Hey, Jason, love to show it.
I think any questions about the Lakers offense are misguided. However,
with the defense, I think the uniqueness of it with
no real big in the middle poses a problem. That
(02:55):
being said, I can't recall a modern team winning the
title with a defense where there isn't a center. Sure,
we've seen lineups such as the twenty seventeen Warriors with
their death lineup. That team always started either JaVale McGee
or Zaza. I'd also argue Draymond Green functionally as a
center on defense. Do you think a team can win
a title in the NBA without a true starting caliber
defensive center. Thanks and please keep doing this show. We
(03:18):
have no intentions of stopping. Thank you for the thank
you for the support over the years. A couple things, so,
you know, focusing on the idea of like that this
has never been done before thing. There's just so many
examples in recent NBA history of new trends kind of
taking a foothold and having real success. So a recent example,
(03:41):
for instance, I talked a lot before the twenty twenty
three title, the Denver Nuggets title. I talked a lot
about how in NBA history there's never been a team
that's had a not in recent NBA history, there had
not been a team that had a weak defensive front
court that won the time. If you go back before
twenty twenty three, every year I will list them all now,
(04:04):
but every team had either a dominant defensive four and
a dominant defensive five, or at least a dominant defensive five,
and so in a weird way, like Denver bucked those
trends and set a new standard for a way to
succeed in the NBA through, you know, just doing the
best you can defensively and being an excellent defensive rebounding team,
(04:26):
and then just being this surgical offensive team in the
half court. They proved it was possible a lot of
going further back, a lot of you guys might remember
Charles Barkley and many others talking about how the Warriors
rely too much on jump shooting, and a lot of
people there conveniently glossed over the fact that they were
the best defense in the league for most of that
(04:48):
early phase of that era. And you know, what Steph
does offensively opens up so many things in the paint,
as we saw in the twenty fifteen finals when Steph
got robbed of his Finals MVP because no one understood
what a blitz was or what was happening to the defense.
So the thing is is that there's a certain amount
of reticence I have involving the Lakers simply because of
(05:11):
the fact that they are a kind of a prototypical
type of team that has never had success in the
NBA before real big picture Larry O'Brien type of success.
That doesn't mean it's impossible, though. One of the things
that I've been keeping an eye on is, you know,
what do you worry about without a center? Defense and
(05:31):
rebounding right and defensively, they've demonstrated extensively since Anthony Davis
was traded away, or since he got hurt, I should say,
since he heard his groin, they've demonstrated extensively in a
very large sample that they can still play good defense
without Anthony Davis. Can they play you know, top three
OKC style of defense, No, but they can get into
(05:53):
the top ten as a defense without a real center.
They've demonstrated that. And then I've been really key in
on the rebounding and I've continually gone to check the numbers,
and they've just in the Luca Era consistently been in
that like ten to fifteen range, which is fine. And
then I watched them against like a matchup like Houston
last night that's bringing a bunch of giant centers, a
(06:15):
guy like Steven Adams that is so just physically imposing
underneath the basket, who has the highest offensive rebound rate
in the history of basketball, like there's a huge mismatch
that they presented there, and the Lakers held up well
on the glass. One of the reasons why they rebound
pretty well despite not having a center is that aggregate
size on the perimeter that we talk about. So like
(06:37):
all these six' eight sixty nine, guys and where that
helps you in rebounding is like crackdown. Rebounding so for,
instance if you're trying to box Out Steven adams and
your groundbound and you're sitting in a, squat you got
your arms. Out you're making it so That Steven adams can't.
Jump that's the important part about a box. Out it
basically removes jumping from the. Equation Because Steven adams jumps
(07:01):
as you're trying to box him, out he could get
like his legs taken out from under. Him it's just
too dangerous of a. Play so you keep the big
groundbound from. There though he has a huge size. Advantage
he's gonna reach over the top and he's gonna grab it.
Right that's where you need those other six to nine
guys to come flying in from the perimeter and tap
the ball. Out you guys might remember a few examples
from last Night Ruy hatchamura come and flying in at
A Steven adams or An Alburn shangun and knocking the
(07:22):
ball away when someone else was battling those guys on the.
Ground and, so, honestly, like The lakers do not have
an elite defensive rebounding type of, look but they have
a decent defensive rebounding type of, look and they have
a good defensive look even though they don't have a.
Center so that to me kind of falls into the
(07:43):
category of like what we saw With, denver where if
they can reach a point of being truly surgical in
the half court, offensively then they absolutely can get this thing. Done,
now the question, is and this is one of the
big reasons Why i'm not as high on The lakers
right now compared to what their potential is next year
(08:04):
after making tweaks to the roster and bringing in a
better center look and getting more continuity a full training,
camp and like next Year's lakers TEAM i think is
going to be a top tier contender right out the.
Gates but this year there's a certain amount OF i,
like like you said in your, QUESTION i Think. Lakers
questions about The lakers' offense are. MISGUIDED i agree in
(08:24):
the big, picture like there's just no way That, Austin
lebron And luca with all of that play finishing talent
don't figure out how to score a million. Points, LIKE
i know those guys are going to eventually figure it.
Out it's been a little clunky, though because it's, new
because all of the geometry on the court is just
presenting all these like different situations For lebron And, austin
(08:46):
and so they're kind of acclimating themselves to. It and
all these guys are getting more catch and shoot looks than.
Ever The lakers got thirty eight catch and shoot looks last.
Night that was their second highest total of this entire.
Season so like there's a certain amount of adjustment around the,
board and so so much of whether or not The
lakers can actually get it done this year comes down
to can they get their offense into peak form in
(09:09):
time for a Late april Early may series with one
of the better teams in The Western. Conference AND i
think that that's a question mark at this. Point that
doesn't MEAN i don't believe that this time next year
The lakers won't be a well oiled. MACHINE i believe they,
will but these things take. Time basketball chemistry takes time
to build, out AND i just think there's a little
bit of like a risk in the short term this
(09:31):
year that they won't have it ready in. Time next.
Question in The, west seeds two through four are separated
by two, losses and five through eight are all separated
by one, loss so matchups are very up in the air.
Currently what's the best case scenario first round matchup for
The clippers and how far do you think they could
go with How kawhi And zoo are playing at the.
(09:53):
Moment IF i was The, Clippers i'd Want. Houston there's
a couple of specific reasons why Shang goun kicks ass
against the opposing centers in the league at, large for
the same reason That jokic kicks ass against the centers
of the league at, large except For shangun is not
(10:14):
as big As. Jokic so every TIME i See shangoun
run into other really big centers that can hold up
in the ground battle Against shangoun as long as they're
not so damn slow that they have no chance to guard.
Him And zubach is much more mobile and a much
better rim protector than people give him credit FOR i
Think zubach can Guard shangun and hold up better in
(10:35):
a playoff series there than a lot of the centers
in The Western. Conference and Then houston has a certain
amount of physical size on the. Perimeter we're gonna talk
about this in juxtaposed With okay see soon in another,
question but they have so much perimeter size that having
a guy Like, kawhi who is kind of a unique
case in the MODERN, nba is a guy who kind
(10:56):
of holds up super well in those sorts of. SITUATIONS
i think they just match up pretty. Well they're zer
and three Against houston this, year But quiet didn't play
in any of the, games so obviously that fundamentally changes.
IT i just look at it as as a type
of matchup where they hold up well, physically AND i
Think houston in general is a high risk for an
upset in the first, round regardless of who they, play
(11:17):
just because of how playoff basketball. Changes houston Is we're
going to dominate The margins type of. Team it's all, defense, transition, offensive,
rebounding physical, dominance and The clippers should be able to
hold up under. That and every team in THE nba
holds up better under that when they get into the,
postseason as they start to leverage their athletic tools more,
SO i would Want houston IF i was The. Clippers
(11:42):
why do you think the media coverage of THE nba
has changed so much over the last forty? Years looking
at old Nineties bulls, broadcasts they're almost always speaking glowingly
about the players and coaches and x'es and. O's now
it teams way more negative, driven way more narrative driven and.
Negative thanks love your, show the BEST nba comment tur
in the. Media thank you so much for the kind
(12:02):
words since for supporting the. Show SO i think it's
a combination of a couple. THINGS i think a big
part of it IS i would say like the vast
majority of it comes down to. Jealousy it's really easy
to be supportive and appreciative when you look at the
(12:23):
the people that you're praising as experiencing more or less
the same thing that you. Experienced but if you were
a professional player and you had a certain experience as
AN nba, player you've made some good, money you had
some cool, experiences but nothing. Extravagant and then you see
guys Like Jalen brown signing a seventy million dollar year
(12:46):
a year. Deal there's a certain amount, of, LIKE i
think these guys look at the younger generation and they
just get jealous and they're, like these guys don't work
as hard as. Us AND i think there's a certain
amount of that, like get off my lawn type of
attitude that we all have from every generation towards the younger.
GENERATION i think that's just a fundamental part of the human.
Experience but, LIKE i think they look at those guys
(13:07):
and they, go they're not doing as much as we,
did and they're flying fancy and getting all this high
tech equipment and care and making all this, money and
we didn't get any of those. Opportunities AND i think
it just breeds, bitterness AND i think it just manifests
in the way that they talk about the. GAME i
think the second part of it is is that like in,
general our players are just so much better now and
(13:30):
the skill development is so much. BETTER i was talking
about this With colin the other. Day but like you
notice when you go back and you look like at
a nineteen sixties or nineteen SEVENTIES nba, game even into the,
eighties all the jump shots looked. Weird and part of
the reason for that is is, that like everyone kind
of had to teach themselves at a shooter jump shot based,
on you, know whatever they perceived at the time to
(13:51):
be the best way to get the ball in the.
Hoop we've optimized. That now you can go on YouTube
and watch footage of you, know five of the greatest
shooters IN nba, history and everybody's jump shot looks more
or less the same now because of the fact that
we just have, better you, know sample data to look
at and sample, information sample examples of jump, shots and
(14:13):
we're able to convert that into a pretty well proven.
Form you, know where you put your guide hand and
how you follow, through and how to limit motion and
unnecessary motion and all that kind of. Stuff it's all
kind of streamlined at this. Point and SO i think
there's a certain amount of when they watch guys shooting
lots of threes and the skill development, PIECE i think
there's just a general amount of jealousy that we see
(14:35):
from the older. GENERATION i also think it's worth mentioning
this is a weird industry in the sense that you
are incentivized to generate, traction AND i don't ever judge
for that because at the end of the, day we're
paying our, bills like it's a, job and SO i
(14:56):
think there's a certain amount of like if you're not
playing the game a little, bit then you're you, know
doing a disservice to your, family who you're financially responsible.
For but at the same, time like there's a certain
amount of negativity cells and negativity gets, clicks AND i
think that there's some of that that you'll see from
parts of media that lean exclusively into, that and it's
(15:18):
a bad product in my. Opinion but at the same,
time like that's just a pathway towards some amount of
success in the. Media SO i think all of that
comes together into making a UNEVEN nba media. Experience that,
SAID i don't get anywhere near as negative about it
as everyone else, does BECAUSE i think the reality is
is if you go back ten fifteen years and you
(15:40):
look at the amount OF nba coverage that was out,
there there's a there was very little in the form
of like detailed quality, analysis and what has happened is
the sheer amount of content has skyrocketed and now there's
thousands of, options and, yeah that means there's a lot
more dog shit out, there but that also means there's
(16:00):
a lot more quality content out. There and the truth
is is that there's half dozen dozen guys nationally who
do a great job covering the league and focus on
the basketball and stay away from the junk and just
do an excellent. Job there are probably somewhere between sixty
and ninety team specific pods of guys that focus on
(16:23):
their FAVORITE nba team and do incredible work covering the,
league getting in the, weeds helping educate their fans on
what their team does on both ends of the. Floor
and SO i look at it as like there's never
been a better time to be AN nba, fan and
there's never been a better time for you to FIND
nba content for your team or for the league at.
(16:44):
Large there's more of it than. Ever it's better than,
ever that we're all smarter about it than. Ever the
video elements of it are better than. Ever i'm generally
bullish on THE nba media who would be the perfect
starting for The lakers in the off, season as well
as how much Would Nikkeil Alexander walker improve The lakers
(17:05):
this summer if they were able to get him on
a tax payer mid level. Exception Nikkeile Alexander walker would
be an amazing get at THE mL because he can,
Guard he's specifically good at guarding, guards and he's really
turned himself into a good spot up, shooter which is
obviously very valuable in the context Of Luka. DANCIC i
think he's a decent driving kick player. TOO i think
thinkil would be. Perfect it's just kind of a pipe
(17:28):
dream at this. Point there's also the question of whether
or not they should use that mly on a, center
or if they should target it through the trade. Market
the guys That i've looked at is starting caliber. Centers
What i'm looking at there is like reasonably. Affordable you
don't want to have to give up depth on a
team that doesn't have a ton of, depth but also
needs to have some scheme, versatility need to have the
(17:49):
size and athleticism. Piece BUT Jj redick likes to, switch
so there's a certain amount of, like this has got
to be a guy who can guard on the perimeter
a little. BIT i really like the idea of like
A Nick. CLAXTON i think he would be just a
dream fit lob threat guy that can be that vertical
spacer next To Luca, scheme, versatility can switch and can
(18:11):
run drop. Coverage not the best rebounder at his, position but,
again he's a. Center he gives you some more athletic
in position at that. Spot Nick clackson would be a
Dream yakapertle is a guy That i've always liked a good,
amount ALTHOUGH i don't think he's as good of a
fit As Nick. Claxton there's also a version of this
where like if The lakers look at it and they're, like,
(18:31):
man would we rather have a mediocre center at an
mL e or in the trade, market or do we
really lean into player development and bet on a guy
Like Christian coloco Alongside Jackson hayes and use THE mle
or a trade to bring in a higher level perimeter,
(18:52):
option like just a really good three AND d? Player
what would be better a really good three AND d
player or a mediocre. Center that's where it gets, tricky
and so like a lot of it is Like i'd
almost come down to it where it's, like IF i
could Get Nick claxton at a reasonable, price like let's do.
It but if it's expensive or if it's a lesser,
(19:12):
PLAYER i think you can make a strong case that
The lakers would be better off making a talent play
versus a position specific. PLAY a lot of it will
depend on you, Know Christian cloco has a lot of
room to, improve and he had THAT i think it
was a blood cloud issue IF i remember, correctly but
he you, know has been away from basketball for a.
(19:34):
While it's The Brownie james. Thing so, like even what
you've seen From christian this year is not close to
what his ultimate potential, is and so there is some
player development opportunity. THERE i couldn't help but watch that
game Against houston and feel like The lakers have zero
chance Against. Okac imagine that level of defense against The
lakers with a top three player in a high level.
Offense first of, ALL i said last night that The
(19:56):
lakers would have to play better if they were to
be able to handle this type of matchup in the.
Postseason AND i specifically called The rockets a better version Of,
houston or excuse, me The thunder a better version Of.
Houston there is a big. Difference Though houston is bigger
on the, perimeter they have a lot more of, that
like strength and size Guarding luca And lebron Than okase
(20:21):
can put on them With. Oka, see there's Lou dort
who is shorter than A Dylan brooks and has Caused
lucas some, problems AND i think there's some reality. There
but once you get Past, dort like your next biggest
guy Is jada as a perimeter athlete type of, player
or An Aaron, wiggins AND i just there's a lot
(20:45):
of Like Casson wallace And Alex cruso is like six'
six has, some size but like there's considerable size advantages
down the board on the perimeter For. The lakers there's
gonna be Like A lebron Luca and ruey are, out
there and you're gonna Put a Adort on luca and
you're gonna put a J dub On. Onto lebron but,
(21:10):
after that, It's, like Okay is Chet guarding rui because
now We're pulling chet out of. Rim, protection Okay Is
isaiah Hartenstein guarding Ruey because ruey can put the ball
on the floor a. Little bit there's a certain amount
OF like i Think the lakers have some advantages on
the perimeter in. THAT matchup i want to be clear
about THIS because I had i had someone say something
to Me on twitter about it. THIS morning i don't
(21:31):
Know who i'm gonna pick In A thunder. LAKERS series
i am inclined as an older veteran team against a
very young team and a team that has some you
know some there's some concern, with them and they're young
players knocking down open catch and shoot jump shots in.
(21:53):
The postseason we saw that last year versus this older
team and those specific, SIZE advantages I haven't i am
tempted to Pick the lakers To, beat okay see if
they should play in a series, THAT said i have
a very healthy Fear. Of. OKA see i am firmly
aware of what they are, capable OF and i absolutely
(22:13):
think they can beat everybody and potentially hoist. The trophy
so we'll SEE how i feel when we get closer to.
The Postseason the lakers are still a work in progress
in a lot. Of ways they've what if they played
four Games with lebron back in, the lineup or, five
games whatever, it is They the lakers could potentially be
much Better on may first than they Are on, April
first And so i'm not gonna make a pick Between
(22:34):
the lakers And the thunder until we get to a
series Between the lakers And, the thunder and we'll SEE
how i feel at. That point if we get There
and lebron still doesn't trust his jump shot and the
defense has been bad for a month and they just
haven't looked, as Imposing then i'm gonna Probably. Pick. Oka
see but if it comes together and they're defending really
Well and Lebron and Luca and austin are all clicking
(22:55):
at the, same time and they kick the shit out
of somebody in the first round and it turns into
an Okay see lakers second round or third, round SERIES
like i might be more tempted to Pick. The lakers
and so a lot of it depends on like here's
Where the, thunder, are now here's Where the. Lakers are
there's a theoretical range For the lakers that potentially extends
Above the thunder depending on how this goes over the
(23:16):
course of the next, Couple weeks and we'll see how we
feel when we. Get there love, the Show but houston
not playing their second Best Player, jalen green at the
end Of The lakers rockets game. Is inexcusable how can
you agree to that saying that's the. Right move that's
Like the lakers Not playing Austin or luca at the end.
Of GAMES so i just disagree. With this there's a
(23:36):
certain Thing With jalen green where there's a higher upside
in terms of, you know like he was able to
get to the rim in a way last Night that
Fred van. Vliek couldn't he was able to hit some
pull up jump shots last night in a Way that
Fred van. Vliek COULDN'T but i thought it really came
down To emy udoka Didn't Trust jalen green to take
(23:58):
good shots down. The stretch there were a couple of
ugly possessions towards the end of that game before he,
got benched including that one where he randomly tried To
iso austin and. Got STRIPPED and i think the way
He may udoka looked at it was. Pretty simple Gotta
have shanegun. Out there he's the biggest. Matchup problem he's
the guy who's consistently bringing two to. The, ball okay
(24:18):
Gotta Have dylan brooks. Out there he's the guy Who's
making Lebron and. Luca Uncomfortable jabari smith was hitting threes
in playing defense functionally in the in the in the
offense and, on defense he's, playing well he's rebound he's getting.
Offensive Rebounds jabar smith was playing. Super well hit a
huge shot in, the lane that little elbow jumper on the,
left elbow that three along the Right Wing jabar smith.
(24:40):
WAS playing I Think javarr smith was the right. Call
there and then you're looking at It As, aman thompson
who's Torching the lakers all over, the floor on the
glass and along, the baseline and so then you need.
One guard AND so i think the way that He
may udoka looked at it was we're gonna be Playing Through,
shane GOON and I trust Fred van vliet to make
(25:03):
the right reads in. These Situations and Fred van vliet
is a better defensive Player Than, jalen green AND so
i think the way He may udoka looked at it,
was LIKE if I put jalen, out, there yeah he
might take a bunch of stupid shots and they might.
Go in but if he goes, out there he could
also co opt, the offense shoot us out of the
game and not be as. Good defensively AND so i
think he just made a call right there in. THAT
(25:24):
moment i Think If jabari smith wasn't having as good of.
A game He Sits jabari Smith And jalen green ends
up getting. Those minutes but in, that situation with the
Way That jabari smith was playing with How Good dylan brooks,
was defensively With How amen thompson was wrecking them on
both ends of, the Floor And shane gun consistently bringing
two to, THE ball i think he just Looked at
Fred van vliet as the higher floor option for him
(25:47):
on Both For emi udoka on both ends of the
floor to give them the best chance to win. That,
Game Hey, jason love the show has always been following
for years and the interests of spreading more positivity IN the.
Nba media what do you think would be the most
fun finals? To watch, for me it would be Either
the Warriors versus Warriors or lakers versus Either the calves Or.
THE celtics i think the storylines would be. Really fun
(26:09):
lebron Facing the caves and the finals would. Be crazy
lakers Versus the celtics is an. OBVIOUS One A warriors
celtics rematch Or A calvest warriors finals for old. Time,
Sakes yeah lebron Versus the calves would be. REALLY Fun
A warrior celtics rematch would be. Really fun it would
kind of remind me of the dynamic Between the Lakers
and nuggets Of When anthony davis was. There where it's
(26:30):
Like when lebron, was younger, you know he was best
player in. The world he Beats, the nuggets But then lebron.
Ages out Here comes Jokic and murray. Getting revenge similar
kind of thing could happen. There where It's like steph
Is The elder statesman at peak of his powers in twenty,
twenty two Beats some tatum's not quite, ready yet but
Then suddenly tatum shows that. HE'S ready i would be
(26:52):
really really excited To see Okac. Versus boston i've talked
a lot ABOUT how i Think the lakers Can Beat
okay see that based. ON matchups i have a equal
and opposite Fear of boston as a terrible matchup For.
The Lakers So oka see, to me is the TEAM
(27:13):
that i think has the real potential To make boston
uncomfortable on offense for the entirety of. The series and
so THERE'S a i think there's a certain element like
basketball fans at large should be very excited about A
potential Okc versus boston series just because there'd be an
absurd amount of talent on the floor and it'd be
a really really. INTERESTING matchup i would like To see
(27:36):
Lakers versus boston As a. Lakers, FAN also i think
there are some fun storylines There with lebron playing in
the finals again at age forty that you can't beat something,
Like that luca getting a redemption opportunity after he was
kind of Embarrassed by boston, last year, You know boston
having an opportunity to get another like win Against the
(27:57):
lakers in this. HISTORIC rivalry i think that'd. Be fun
BUT ultimately I think Okc versus boston would be the
most COMPETITIVE finals i think Right now i'm still Leaning
towards boston would Beat the lakers if they faced them in.
A series love the show and thank you for the
time you put. INTO it i have a fun hypothetical.
For you if you could pick one team to replace
any starting player, with yourself which team from this year would?
(28:20):
You pick and? Why so on a really, basic LEVEL
if i wanted for any, of us if we wanted
our best opportunity to have any success IN, THE nba
i think it would be playing alongside Like a luca Or,
a jokich because there's A certain i talked about the
(28:41):
concept of king of the court and like offensive success
when a defender sprinting at you versus when you have
a defender squared up in front. OF you i like
my chances to score AT the nba level playing with
a huge advantage MORE than i view any sort of
potential without that sort. Of Advantage. Like luca, LAST night
(29:01):
i was watching, him BECAUSE like, i like the pick
and pop is a basically an unguardable action if you
have a big that stays on the ball and there's
a certain amount of like you can just dribble off
the screen and just throw behind the back pass and
the guy's gonna be open every. Single time but one
of the Things that luca does that's so insane, is
like and it's a thing that we as coaches literally
(29:23):
coach every kid to, not do is he, Over penetrates
like the guy will, be open but instead of throwing
the pass, right away he'll like take two or three
extra dribbles into the lane and like really collapse the
defense before he somehow finds some absurd passing angle that's
why you. Don't overpenetrate the passing angles are, so difficult
that's where guys turn the. Ball Over but luca just
(29:44):
has this superpower where he can find these bizarre passing
angles and all this traffic and throw these. Kickout passes
and he'll do that specifically so that Instead Of Dorian
phinney smith having to hit a shot against a ten foot,
close Out Now Dorian phinney smith is hitting a sh
against like a seventeen or eighteen foot. Close out he's
buying him an extra second to really stare down. The
(30:05):
shot and, SO like i like my chances to hit
wide open catch and shoot threes Playing Alongside. Luka DODCI
so I think i think that that would be the
type of role THAT if i had to put myself INTO,
the nba THAT'S where i. Would, go obviously though. The
obligatory i'm NOT an. NBA player i have too much
RESPECT for. Nba players we don't get to just say
that we'd go in the league and. HAVE success i
(30:26):
was wondering what your thoughts are On beam atabio To
The chicago bulls. This offseason vouch needs to go and
we need to Capitalize In kobe Madas And josh gitty
seemingly clicking. AND cooking i think he'd be the clear
cut top dog and would anchor the defense. As well
he's not a player that needs the ball in, his
hands so he won't hinder our young. Players, development however
you can get his and brings, winning experience or is
(30:49):
a better space or slash shooter. Needed instead thanks for
all the hard work you guys. Put in it's the bet.
Show around thanks for. Supporting us so there's. A LET'S
as i said, last night we should be allowed to have, some.
Fun right SO do I think miami is just going
to dump A bam At a bio without taking back
Someone like Manas Or. Kobe, WHITE no i don't think.
(31:09):
They would but let's set that aside for a second
and just Imagine bam At a bio as a option
alongside those. Three Guys as JACKSON and i were talking
about In The late show mail, bag yesterday the ultimate
defensive floor for your team is a guy that can
both protect the reymen to, drop coverage but also can
defend in a. Switching scheme that scheme versatility is what
(31:32):
gives you the best opportunity to win from matchup, to
matchup and so that type of player would be, the
dream especially a Guy like bam who's demonstrated a little
bit more of ability to shoot from the perimeter as,
of LATE and i do think that he'll continue to
trend towards being a little bit better as a shooter.
Each year, that said it's like one of, those things
(31:52):
where's that type? Of player acquiring that type of player
given the type of talent on the roster, right now
and keeping all of that talent just seems like a
little bit of a. Pipe DREAM so i think it's
worth at least acknowledging, that part. All right three, More
one since you always talk about energy transfer in, jump
shots does the type of jump? Shot matter, For Example
(32:13):
Karl anthony twents has a quick set shot versus Someone,
Like tatum and is there a type of jump shot
that's more immune? To disruption so set shots have less
motion in the first two phases of. The shots so
like as we always, talk about there's the, the base there's,
the gather and then there's. The release a set shot
(32:34):
takes less off the base in the gather and puts
most of the power of the shot on. The release
and what that does is it makes it so that
the energy transfer process is. Very simple and a lot
of the set shooters in the league are very good
when they're. Wide open not Just Kat tyrese halliburton's an
example of a guy, like that where when, he's open
it just feels like it's going in every. Single time
(32:57):
but those are the types of jump shots that are
easiest to disu because there is so much on the
upper part of. The shot and that Means that so
think of it, Like THIS if i jump into a three,
point shot get a, good lift the top of the
shot is very light flip of, the wrist VERSUS if
(33:19):
i shoot a, set shot there's much more Power that
i'm trying to drive out of that out of that
follow through at the very top of, the, Shot right
So if i'm Disrupted and i'm, leaning fading my base,
is off whatever, it is there's just so much on
the top of the shot that all of, a sudden
there's just so much more likelihood, for air, you know
(33:41):
one of your fingers being in the, wrong spot your
follow through not being, as crisp just so much opportunity
for that to get. Messed up when you're a shooter
that shoots with a lot of work from. Your base
that's what allows you to shoot on, the move shoot,
in traffic shoot on, step backs shoot, on spins whatever,
it is because you're doing so much work with your
lower body that the top of the shot is just
(34:02):
this light, and easy breezy flip of. The wrist so
what's so amazing when you watch like a when you
watch Like Old michael jordan fadeaway jump shots over his
left and. Right shoulder any of you guys who have
ever played and have relied on a turnaround fade away
from about fifteen feet knows that that's a tough shot
to get to. The rim you need to get a lot,
(34:25):
of lyft and it feels like you're shooting a twenty
five footer when you're fading away from the basket from,
you know sixteen. Seventeen feet and that was what was
so amazing About Watching MJ's he was just so incredibly
like spry off the ground when he would make those
turnaround fade moves that he'd just get fantastic lift and
you just see, this, light easy breezy flip of the
(34:46):
wrist at the top and it would go in what's
going On? In memphis why would they fire their coach
with two weeks left in the season when they could
have waited to. THE offseason i get that it could
be a locker room issue or a, rotation issue but
they are the five seed in A tough. WESTERN conference
i do not see a championship in, this team probably
a first or second. Round exit so why not just
fire him at the end of. The season love, the
show keep up the, Good. WORK jason i did some
(35:10):
digging behind, the scenes couldn't get any. Real answers nobody
really understands why specifically it happened when. IT happened, i
mean there. IS truth i talked about This With frank
vogel when he got fired From. The lakers there's truth
to the idea that like sometimes the team just tunes the,
guy out and when he when the team tuns the,
guy out you got to make, A change like it's
(35:30):
just what you have, to do even if the guy's a.
Good coach and all indications Are That taylor jenkins is
going to get. Another opportunity i've never been A Big
taylor jenkins GUY because i think his defensive strategy, is
foolish like is way too aggressive on, the ball way
too aggressive packing. THE paint i just don't think it
works in THE. Modern nba, that, said like they're under
no circumstances for a team that's above the plane In The.
(35:52):
Western conference should you be making this dramatic of a
coaching change this close to the end of. The SEASON
so i don't know what's going on behind, the scenes
but it doesn't make a ton of sense to me
as far as the team and the way. THEY'RE spiraling
i think injuries have played. A role their defense and
them conceding all these open shots has. Burned them their
defense is falling apart in the seven. GAME span i
think there is a little bit of a lack. Of
belief some of this. Is schedule they've run into a
(36:15):
bunch of really tough teams in. A row, It's, like
okay you gotta Play. The, lakers okay you Gotta. Play
boston Here Comes golden state to. Town NEXT the nba
schedule is brutal and it can beat the shit out
of you and wipe away. Your CONFIDENCE and i think
in a lot of ways that's. What's happened memphis does
not seem to, Have that just like attitude that they used.
To have, last question there's a lot of Rumors about
(36:36):
booker To the, pistons recently and this has quietly been
a Thing On piston's twitter for like three or four.
Years now my first question would be do you think
the trade? Is possible and how would he fit Next? To,
kaid second if that, isn't possible what superstar do you
think fits Best with kid to maximize his skills? Moving,
forward Look the pistons have plenty of. Draft compensation they
(36:59):
could include a Guy like Jade and ivy and that type.
Of deal And If i'm Phoenix and I'm getting Jade
and ivy in a bunch of, Draft picks i'm going
to seriously consider that type of Deal For. Devin booker
so that's absolutely. A POSSIBILITY do i think he's a
good fit Next? To kid you bet. Your ass he's
like perfect fit Next, to kate a decent point of attack,
(37:20):
defender who next To, sar thompson can guard the second
best perimeter players, just, basically like Imagine What malik beasley's done,
this year which is not just aggressive spot, up shooting
but really. Aggressive Scoring malik beasley's been a bucket getter
For the pistons. This Year devin booker brings all of
that at, a higher more resilient rate while also being.
(37:42):
A guy Although the devin struggled to shoot the three,
This YEAR but i think there's a little bit of
an aberration there and all of that alongside the ability
as well to bring two to the ball and be,
a playmaker like a real second side, shot creator a
guy who can take a load Off. Of, kate, SO
like i think that'd be an. AMAZING fit i think
it's also fits that concept we talked About, with wemby
where it's like the timeline and whether or not it
(38:03):
actually makes sense to Wait for Jade and ivy's development
or Wait For stefan Cassel Or devin vessel's development to
match With a wemby Or, A kaid like there's a
certain amount Of like, caid's, ready Now the pistons. Are
ready now you got to. Do something the question is
do you feel like cashing. That in do you feel
like cashing that in all those draft picks on a Guy,
like booker or do you want to take it as
(38:24):
a more. Patient APPROACH and I think i think this
year's playoff run will give us some data on just
how far or close they are to where they want
to get and if, they're close you can Advocate. For
booker if they're, not close you can advocate. For patients, all,
right guys it's all had. For today, as always a
sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting me and suporting. The
show we'll be back tomorrow morning breaking down The packed wednesday.
(38:44):
Night slate i'll see you. Guys then, what, So guys,
AS always i appreciate you for listening to AND supporting.
Oops tonight it would actually be really helpful for us
if you guys would take a second and leave a
rating and. A review, AS always i appreciate you guys,
supporting us but if you could take a minute to,
DO that i really. Appreciate it the volume m
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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