Jason answers mailbag questions on topics including whether Victor Wembanyama will lead the San Antonio Spurs to a spot in the NBA playoffs, why the Washington Wizards might surprise some people after drafting Tre Johnson, how the Dallas Mavericks can be contenders with Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving, why Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are going to be towards the top of the West, what the Los Angeles Lakers outlook is after LeBron James eventually retires, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the volume.
Happy Monday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are having
a great start to your week. Got a really fun
mail bag today, lots of really interesting questions from you guys.
We're gonna have an opportunity to hit several teams that
we haven't hit yet this summer. We've got nine questions,
lots of really interesting stuff, lots of fun stuff to
get to. Let's get started. You guys know the drill.
Before we get started. Subscribe to Hoops and I YouTube channels.
(00:30):
You don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me
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doing a great work on our social media feeds Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook and TikTok. Make sure you guys follow us over
there for more content throughout the year. And then, last
not least, if you want to get mail bag questions
into the mail bag. Occasionally I'll tweet out ask them
(00:52):
for mail bag questions, but I also grab them from
the YouTube comments. Remember underneath our full episodes right mail
bag with a colon, and then write your question. We'll
get to them in our weekly mail bags throughout the
rest of the year. All right, let's talk some basketball. First, question,
Every year a young team has a major win totals
jump the Rockets last season. Okay, see in twenty twenty four,
(01:13):
Sacramento in twenty twenty three, Memphis in twenty twenty two,
the Sons in twenty twenty one, the MAVs in twenty twenty,
the Nuggets in twenty nineteen, et cetera. So why is
nobody super high on the Spurs? This feels like the
most obvious prediction ever to me. A roster that goes
twelve deep with awesome talent and awesome defense. I struggle
(01:34):
to see on paper the argument for either LA team
or the Warriors having a better record than them this season.
So let's take into this a little bit deeper. I
still think, even though those teams have their flaws, the
LA teams Golden State, some of these teams have their
flaws in the playoff context, the top of the West
is still ridiculously awesome. Oklahoma City won the title last
(01:57):
year and is the prohibited favorite to win the title
again next year. Houston was the two seed last year
and added Kevin Durant. Denver I would argue has the
most talented roster they've had in the Jokic era. So
a definitive top three and then after that, these are good.
These are flawed teams. They had their issues. It may
prevent them from winning the title, but these are really
(02:19):
good teams that are gonna be tough to beat on
any given night in the regular season. The Lakers Luka
Doncic in a revenge campaign a pissed off Lebron Austin Reeves.
They added DeAndre Ayton to their weakest position group. The Clippers,
if they signed Bradley Beal, they'll be better than they
were last year because they bolstered their frontcre depth with
Brook Lopez and John Collins. The Timberwolves, they've literally made
(02:43):
the conference finals twice in a row and Anthony Edwards
is improving dramatically every single year. The Warriors looked amazing
post Jimmy Butler trade until Steph got hurt. They add
Al Horford. They're an improved team. They haven't done anything
else yet, but they are still very good. Good Dallas,
Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, a ton of talent i'llbeat a
(03:05):
little imbalanced. If Kyrie Irving returns at any point next season,
they'll be super tough to beat. And I saw a
video of him on the court shooting basketball the other day.
He's making progress. If he returns around you know, March
or April, that's a tough team to beat. That is
eight really dangerous teams that will all go into the
season thinking they can win the title. Now the Spurs
(03:28):
will be really good too. Obviously, Victor Wimbenyama could be
a top five player this year potentially right Darren Fox
made my top twenty five players last summer when we
did our player rankings. They added a legit backup center
in Luke Cornett, and there's a ton of young talent
on this roster. Obviously, Dylan Harper has All Star potential.
We've seen Carter Bryant look like. They're kind of like
(03:49):
most versatile perimeter defender at the three spots, something they
didn't have on the roster before this. They have a
young core already in place, with guys like Jeremy Sohan,
Devin Vessel, and Stefan Castle. That's a lot of talent,
but all of those guys are super young, and there's
a lot of variance in the potential outcomes there, not
just for how each individual player plays because they're young,
(04:12):
but how well they all fit together as a basketball team.
And I'd argue there's even variance with Wemby. He could
be the fifth best player in the league next year,
but he could also be somewhere around the tenth or
eleventh best if be you know, if a skill development
doesn't take a leap, or he struggles with health throughout
the year. The point is, with a lot of these
teams in the West, we know what they're gonna look
(04:32):
like because there's some continuity there, but we don't really
know what the Spurs are going to look like. I
actually think, and by the way, this is the Western Conference.
There are a lot of good teams that end up
in the play in Tournament. I actually think it's more
likely than not that San Antonio ends up in the
play in tournament than them being a top four seat
for example. That doesn't mean I don't believe in san
(04:53):
Antonio's core or that I don't believe in Victor Wemanyama.
It just means that the top of the West is
a bloodbath, and it's this really hard in terms of
racking up win totals. It's gonna be hard for any
team to rack up win totals, let alone a young
team with a bunch of young players that have a
wide variety of potential outcomes this year, as far as
like Houston, because obviously we're looking at Houston last year
(05:15):
as an example. Well, Jason, they're young too, right. Well,
first of all, they had several vets in their rotation.
Fred Van Vliet is a VET who's won a championship.
Dylan Brooks is a veteran who has become a really stable,
solid starting three in this league. Steven Adams is a VET.
And they had an elite unit. Their depth of perimeter
defense talent was so off the charts that it caused
(05:36):
nightly problems for every team on their schedule. I think
Victor Wemenyam is certainly capable of anchoring an elite defense,
but I don't think the roster as currently constructed is
an elite defensive roster just yet. It's a lot of
young players, a lot of theoretical guys that could fill
certain roles, but I don't think they're quite yet the
(05:57):
top five type of defensive roster that Houston was, and
I think they're a middle of the pack offense at best. Right,
these things take time, and a play in appearance in
the West again, is nothing to make light of. The
Warriors were a playing team last year. I viewed them
as a legitimate championship contender until Steph got hurt. Right,
the West play in bracket has pretty good teams in
(06:18):
it every single year. That's the nature of the conference.
So yeah, does that mean I think they're gonna finish
you ten twelve games below all those guys. No, but
I could see them finishing three four games below the
top four seeds and end up in the play in
bracket because that's just the nature of the Western Conference.
It has nothing to do with what san Antonio is
capable of or the value that I see in their core.
(06:39):
It's just the West as a blood bath, man, and
it's just difficult to just step in there and start
kicking everyone's ass. Next question, what are the chances percentage
wise that the Wizards can be a playoff team this
upcoming season? I personally love what they've done this offseason.
This continuation of the question, I personally love what they've
(06:59):
done this offseason. They have a nice mixture of intriguing
young prospects and established veterans like Middleton, McCollum, and Smart.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Are they a sneaky eight seat?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
I think there's a pretty solid chance that the Wizards
make the play in bracket this year, and just by
being there, that gives them a solid chance of getting
one of the eight playoff spots.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I said before the draft that Trey Johnson was my
favorite prospect, not that he was the best prospect. I
don't think he's the type of prospect that Cooper Flag is,
just that he was my favorite to watch because his
skill set of being able to shoot off the move,
going in every direction, but also off the dribble scoring.
I think that's Taylor made for an NBA offense, and
(07:40):
he is, by the way, completely demonstrated that in his
first couple of Summer League games through two games in Vegas,
thirty nine points, fourteen for twenty four from the field,
and five for eleven from three, all of it on
display too, like shooting coming off of screens, shooting out
spot up situations, some high level off the dribble scoring.
(08:02):
I was really impressed by his ability to dribble into
contact and like kind of get his shoulder into players
and bump them off and rise up for that little floater.
He's shown some really soft touch. He's shooting a very
high and soft ball in Summer League, in both his
jump shots and with his floaters. I just think there's
always a spot in the NBA for a guy who
can score out of the actions that NBA teams run,
(08:23):
and Trey is already good at that stuff and it's
only going to get better. Alex Sar blocked eight shots yesterday,
was given Drew Timmy Fitz. He's a problem. Bub Carrington
had moments towards the end of last season as a
primary creator after Jordan Poole got traded. Billocka Lobali is
like the perfect three man to put that group together. Defensively,
they brought in Cam Whitmore for more depth at forward,
(08:45):
which is a position group where they were a little thin.
They have a well balanced roster with like exciting young
talent but also older vets like Marcus Smarts, TJ. McCollum,
and Chris Middleton that can either be kept around as
mentors and guys that fill smaller roles, or guys that
you can move at some point for additional asset return.
The big thing that makes me excited about Washington is
(09:07):
I think their young core has the potential to be
great on defense too, which again is a prerequisite to
consistent success.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
In the NBA.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Like when you're looking at young cores, you want to
know why Oklahoma City is so successful as young core
because Chet is an amazing defender, Jalen Williams is a
very very good defender, and Shake Gildess Alexander is a
plus defender, and so it just gives them a really
strong foundation to put little role players in in smaller
roles around them. I think that this Wizard's Core, with Blockulabali,
(09:38):
with alex Star protecting the rim, they have the potential
to be a great defense too. And you ditched Kyle
Kuzman Jordan Poole, the two guys that could have disrupted
the winning culture with their kind of general unserious behavior.
I think the key for this team is going to
be offensive organization. This is a team that if you
(09:59):
can generate cour quality roleman touches, quality pop touches for
Alex Sar, quality opportunities coming off of action for Trey Johnson,
a sophisticated five out offense. If they can get that established,
that gives them a high floor on the offensive bend,
because Alex Sar has that potential, because Trey Johnson has
(10:19):
that natural skill set, because bub Carrington can score in
those actions, they have the pieces with which, if they
can be organized properly to be a successful offense, the
team is on a fun trajectory. I'm actually really really
looking forward to watching.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
The Wizards this year.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Like I said, Trey Johnson is one of my favorite
prospects that I've evaluated in the last couple of years.
So it just looks like a fun, exciting team that
in a way that they have not been in previous years.
Next question, if you had to choose someone non flag
to win.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Rookie of the Year, who would you pick?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
By the way, saw you after Summer League waiting for
an uber but didn't want to bother you. Keep up
the great work. First of all, never hesitate to come
up and say hello. It's a big part of why
we're out there. I live in Tucson, I don't get
much opportunity to connect with our fans, so I want
you guys to come up and say hello whenever you
are out there in Vegas. But secondly, if I had
to pick, by the way, I do think Cooper Flag
will win Rookie of the Year. I think he's the
best player in the class, and I think he's gonna
(11:12):
have a big role on a winning team right away.
But if I had to pick, it would be Trey Johnson.
I think that he is going to get a lot
of looks in NBA offense that he's already capable of
making for a fun, exciting young team. I think there's
a chance that he could put up some decent statistical
production this year, which could put him in the mix
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Speaker 2 (13:03):
Next question.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
With Lebron James potentially entering the final year with the
Lakers next season, how do you envision the Lakers identity
evolving not just in terms of play style, but also
in terms of leadership in marketing once Lebron eventually steps away.
I just imagine the season to season urgency shifting because
Lebron was so old, and you know, he's entering into
(13:26):
his twenty third season, but like even when he was
in like his nineteenth twentieth season, like there was this
feeling that's like this is going to end soon, right,
Like he's gonna slow down soon, right, Like none of
us predicted that in year twenty two he'd definitively still
be one of the ten best players in the NBA.
That was like, I think even the most strident Lebron
fans would be like, this is kind of crazy, right,
Like it's just it was difficult to predict. But the
(13:49):
feeling that, the feeling, the perception as though there was
this very tight window to work with, and obviously with
the player that has the pedigree that Lebron has and
all the pressure and expectation that comes with that, it
just felt like every year was the last chance.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Right.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
I've said it on the show. Every time that they
would talk about stuff, I'd be like, Oh, you're gonna wait,
so you want to figure it out the year that
Lebron turns forty in the playoff run, like that, that
doesn't seem like a good idea. Why don't we try
to be more aggressive in the short term?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Like that was the cloud that was hanging over the
team all the time. It just felt like the finish
line could appear at any time. Like it was like
you're driving on a foggy road and you're gonna run
into a wall at any time and you don't know
where it is, and so we haven't hit the wall
yet and we're just still driving through the fog. But
it just felt like that wall was coming at any minute,
and it just it just made it difficult, right, And
(14:41):
with Luca being twenty six years old, it makes it
so that it's less foggy, and you're pretty sure you're
not gonna run.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Into a wall anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And so as a result of that, there's much more
of a long term approach to everything you can see now,
like it being a situation where there's no urge and
c to make everything happen in this particular season. Now,
all of a sudden, all your asset moves need to
be moved, for all the moves in which you include
(15:10):
assets need to be geared around getting assets in return
that are not diminishing, assets that are not declining or
depreciating assets. Right, if you're going to move a draft
pick and you want to get a player back in
their mid to late twenties that you can count on
being good for at least five years, right, that you
could see playing alongside Luca for a long time. The entire,
the entire identity of the team has shifted because of that.
(15:32):
You don't make a move for Jake Larevia and let
Dorian Phinney Smith walk if Lebron is forty and Anthony
Davis is on the roster and you feel like this
is you feel like you're about to run into the
wall at any point you're trying to maximize that talent.
By the way, they made the Dorian Phinney Smith trade
before they knew Luka Doncic was coming. It's just a very,
(15:53):
very different situation. Now the Lakers can actually invest in
long term basketball culture and try to invest in some continuity.
I think Lebron is the best player to ever touch basketball,
but he just applied a lot of pressure to the situation,
and that pressure will be relieved when he's out of
the picture. You mentioned rooting for Lebron James several times
(16:13):
over the years. With his retirement likely approaching, who do
you see stepping into that role for you?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
And why? Asking as a.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Fellow Lebron fan, love the show. The depth of analysis
and passion for the game really stand out. Thank you
so much for the kind of words and for supporting
the show. I don't think that I'll ever have a
sentimental attachment to a player the way I did with Lebron.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Ever.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Again, I've told this story before, but I grew up
in a family that was very baseball and football focused.
Both my brothers played college football. It was just it
was much more of like a at home at night, we'd
have the Arizona Diamondbacks on TV. We were always watching
NFL games on the weekend. It just was not a
basketball household. And I actually just kind of organically ran
(16:55):
into Cleveland Cavaliers games in the you know, two thousand
and six and seven era, and you know, as a
fifteen year old kid, that was.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
How I fell in love with basketball.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So Lebron for me, is is attached to my love
of the game because he was the guy that got
me to fall in love with the game, and so
that will lead to a certain amount of sentimental attachment
for me that I'll I'll never have for another player.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Now, I'm a grown ass man. This is what I
do for a living. And like I was, I was
actually scrolling through just like literally the list of all
the leading scorers in the NBA, and I was like,
is there another player that I could see myself liking?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And it's just not.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
There's just nowhere even close to that because it's just
not the same type of emotional experience it was for
me when I was fifteen years old. Right, But obviously
I watched basketball and there are players that I really
like and players that I don't like as much. The
guys that I would say, are my three favorite players
after Lebron retires are Nikole Jokich, Steph Curry, and Anthony Edwards.
(17:53):
Nicolejokicch and Steph I just think the way that they
play offensive basketball is straight up beautiful. Even as a
big of a Lebron fan as I am, I find
Jokic and Steph to play a more aesthetically appealing style
of offensive basketball, and I just really enjoy watching them play.
I just think it's really fun to watch. I was
thinking about this with Tyrese Haliburton too, Like, you want
(18:14):
to know why the Pacers were so much fun to watch.
You want to know why the Pacers are such a
ratings draw, why the Warriors are such a ratings draw,
why the Nuggets have such a powerful core of fans
despite being in a small market. It's because when you
turn on the TV and you watch the Denver Nuggets
play basketball, and you watch the Indiana Pacers play basketball,
and you watch the Golden State Oarriors play basketball, it's
(18:34):
very fun to watch because there's so much ball in
player movement, everyone's involved and invested. It's just a beautiful
brand of basketball, right and the Antheony Edwards to me,
it just kind of ties into the old school, you know,
two guard that all of us have always loved. He
brings the vertical element that a lot of the two
guards in the league don't bring right now. He brings
the shit talkey attitude element that a lot of guys
(18:57):
in the league don't bring right now. An't is just
likable sense. But I just love basketball, So even with
the players that I don't particularly like, I can find
parts of their game that I really like. Like Guys
like Luka Doncic and shake Yeald Justs Alexander are two
high volume offensive players at the top of the league
that over the years I haven't liked watching them as much.
And even with them, it's like there are elements to
(19:19):
ball handling with Luca that I personally apply and practice
in my game because I think it's beautiful ball handling
and it's beautiful footwork. And similar with shake yal Just Alexander.
For both of those guys, it's like contact dribbling. There's
a step back move that Shakekals Alexander uses that like
that I have tried to add to my game because
(19:40):
I think it's such a useful move. It's kind of
like an off the dribble step back where youre kind
of get in that left hand high hesitation and just
throw a quick like kind of jab step in and
out dribble to get that separation for that pull up three.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Like, there are.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Things that I will find in players games that I
really like, even if I don't necessarily like that player. Right,
next question, the Timberwolves basically have the same roster as
last year minus Nikhil Alexander Walker. How much do you
think one a year of chemistry with Randal and Dante
DiVincenzo and two development from young players like Terrence Shannon Junior,
(20:13):
Jalen Clark and Rob Dillingham could improve the team from
last year or willo be negated by Mike Conley getting older. So,
first of all, this is just the reality of how
the NBA works. When the Wolves made the Western Conference
Finals the first year, the year they lost to Dallas,
So two years ago, Anthony Edwards was making less than
fifteen million. We were talking about the Wizards earlier. Alex
(20:34):
sar Biloculbally bub Carrington and Trey Johnson will combine next
year to make thirty two million. Just Chris Middleton a
Chris Middleton, Marcus s Martin, c J. McCollum will make
eighty five million next year. That's just the reality of
rookie contracts and veteran contracts. Right now, Antzon his rookie extension,
He's on year two of making a lot more money
(20:55):
in this coming season. That comes with realities and roster construction.
It will be similar issues for Oklahoma City in the future.
Right Like the they just resigned both Jalen Williams and
Chet Holmgren to long term deals. Shay's already on a
he signed another super max extension. Like those guys now
(21:16):
are going to make so much money in a couple
of years that it's gonna be a lot of rookie
contract role players that are surrounding them all.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Of a sudden.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
The individual development of Jalen Williams, the individual development of
Chet Holmgren will determine whether or not they can keep winning.
Same thing goes for Minnesota. Yeah, it's the young players.
It's Terrence Shannon, it's Jalen Clark, is Rob dilling game,
but also Anthony Edwards himself. Sga looks like a considerably
better basketball player than him right now, like a tier above, like,
(21:44):
it looks like you get to those four guys at
the top, you know, Luca and Jokic and Shae and Giannis,
and then it seems like there's a gap, and it
might be as high as five or as low as
seven or eight, but that gap between four and five
is pretty substantial. Shae demonstrated him himself to be a
considerably better player in the Minnesota series in the Conference finals.
(22:04):
We talked about it in the gap in Shay's ability
to generate consistent offense against elite defense. That's packing the
paint because he can get to that short to mid
range shot making that's so reliable, and how Anthony Edwards
basically abandoned to that last year for high variants pull
up three point shooting, which abandoned him when he needed
(22:25):
it in the series. If he can't change that dynamic,
if can't close the gap with Shay, I'm not gonna
sit here and look at Oh, well, they let Nikil
Alexander Walker go. That's why they can't beat Oklahoma City.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
No, like that is normal.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
That's like part of the process of the trajectory of
NBA teams is they have to pay young players and
everything just becomes more expensive.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Do I think Anthony Edwards can improve individually enough to
compensate for the loss of Anekil Alexander Walker.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
It's gonna look different, and he's entering into a phase
of his development where his improvement will be less in
the form of box score production. It'll be more in
like situational execution, end of games, playoff situation, stuff like that. Right,
Like last year Anthony Edwards averaged twenty eight six and
five on sixty percent true shooting. You're not gonna do
(23:19):
a whole lot better than that. He's probably at his peak,
like when he's twenty seven twenty eight, he's probably like
a thirty six and six on like sixty two percent
true shooting kind of guy. Like that's better than where
he's at right now, but not dramatically. It'll be his
situational execution, how resilient he is in the playoffs. That'll
(23:41):
be what determines how good Anthony Ewards becomes and how
much the Timberwolves win while he's in that jersey. Next question,
to fix the regular season and prevent stars from getting
injured in the playoffs, do you think changing the amount
of teams that make the playoffs to four per conference
would make it difference for the league. Regular season matters
(24:02):
more and less playoff minutes with one less round, So
I would go the other direction. I think the playoffs
are the best product that the NBA offers. I love
the NBA regular season. We have fun covering it here,
but you guys know how it gets. It's like the
first two weeks in October, we're all super invested as
we learn about the teams, and then we all kind
(24:22):
of like tune out. Now we can us die hards.
We still pay attention. Obviously, I do it for a living,
so we still cover the league, but it's like it's
not like we're all as invested in November NBA basketball.
Then suddenly we all circle back and it's like, oh,
in season tournament, let's watch these eight teams play in
the single elimination.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
This is kind of fun.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
And then when it's done, it's like, all right, time
to go into late December. Okay, let's all tune in
for Christmas Day. This is okay, let's take a break.
And then it's like mid January, we're like we all
start talking trades and in different things before the deadline,
and then after the deadline, there's like a two to
three week span where we all are super excited to
watch the teams that made trades, and then we're in
(24:59):
late f February and it's like, Okay, we're kind of
just in a holding pattern for the playoffs, and all
the teams that are down in the play in bracket
are like playing super hard every night, but like everyone
at the top is starting to put together some confusing
losses that are mostly geared around effort.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
And then what happens.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
We get to April, and from mid April to mid June,
it's just crazy good basketball every single night. Jackson and
I were talking over dinner in Vegas, like it was
like every single night in the playoffs there was a
great game. It's like, oh, tonight we have Denver versus
the Clippers. Tonight, we have this awesome Warriors Rockets game seven.
Tonight we have this really fun game between the Knicks
(25:39):
and the Celtics. Like it was like every single night
there was headline matchups. That's the peak of of the
NBA basketball products. So I wouldn't mess with that in
terms of volume. If I did anything to mess with
the playoffs, I would just make the schedule less screwing.
And so I think the answer is stretching the season
in general with fewer games over the same span. So
(26:03):
still start in you know, training camp in early October,
Still finish with the finals in mid June. But drop
the regular season to sixty six games.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Keep the n.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Season tournament, keep the playing tournament, keep four seven game
series rounds. But if you stretch, if you shorten the
regular season to sixty six games and space everything out,
you can have no back to backs in the regular
season and a few more days in the postseason where
there's no double days off or where there's more double
days off. So like, I like every travel day in
(26:35):
the NBA playoffs should be an additional day off. So
if you're gonna have teams play, you know, on like
a Monday and a Wednesday, have them be in the
same city, and then if they're gonna travel to the
other city, give them two days off. Like, make it
just so that even in the conference finals, even in
the second round, those the second round of conference finals
are kind of where everything gets like every other night,
and that's just a lot to ask and it wears
(26:56):
bodies down. And guys start getting hurt. So, like, if
you shorten the regular season and you make it so
that there are no back to backs and there's more
days off in the postseason, more people will be healthy,
more teams will play at the best of their ability.
One of the problems the NBA has now is radical
swings and effort, like, oh, blow out here and then
a blowout the other way because everyone's so damn tired
(27:17):
that like the team that's playing in front of their
home crowd with urgency just dog walks the other team
because they're beating their legs are shot. Like, you'll have
more competitive games when everybody's just healthy and more rested.
But I wouldn't shorten the playoffs. I think that's the
best product that the NBA has to offer right now.
All right, two more questions. You've spoken of how since
(27:39):
the Jimmy trade, especially in the playoffs, Steph's volume and
efficiency went went back up because we had talked about
how you'd struggled earlier in the season. Do you think
it'll carry into next season and be sustainable? And also,
did you change your mind about the other Warriors being
second tier contenders based on last episode? I do think
Steph will be great statistically next season. I think that
(28:00):
Jimmy Butler does enough to lighten his workload, and I
think that Steph has a belief in this roster, a
belief that he didn't have in years past. So I
think it's more likely that he plays closer to his
typical efficiency and scoring volume that he had, you know,
in the more distant pass like in twenty twenty one
and twenty twenty two. Right, as for joining the top tier,
(28:22):
signing Horford helps, I think you know, we've talked about it.
I think it just gives you this preposterously high IQ
defensive front court. I think he gives you the best
of both worlds, right, a Quinton Post esque stretch five
that's probably a little bit more reliable just in terms
of his overall decision making. But it also gives you
a guy who can compete defensively in a way that Quinton.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Post could not write.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
But if they don't add a reliable perimeter score, I
don't think I could put them in that top tier
with Denver, with Okay, see with Houston, and so that
may not happen till the deadline. I don't think it's
gonna be Jonathan Minga. I saw another report that it's
possible that Jonathan Kminga just returns to the Warriors next year.
Do I think Jk'll be a little bit better than
he was last year? Sure, but I still think he's
(29:07):
a super clunky fit on this roster. And so if
they don't turn something in that roster into a more
reliable version of Buddy Heel, a reliable perimeter score, I
don't think they can enter into that top tier of contention.
But again, that's not an insult that those teams are
all good in that second tier in the West. Clippers
are good, the Lakers are good, the Warriors are good,
(29:28):
the Timberwolves are good. That is a really talented group
of teams. It's just that's the best roster Jokich has
ever had, and he's the best player in the world.
Houston was the two seed and they added Kevin Durant
and O Case. He just won the title. Like, we're
talking about a very very high level group of teams
there that you have to substantially improve your roster in
order to enter into that list.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Last question, what.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Do you think a Kuzma plus AJ Green plus first
round pick could get the Bucks. Would the return be
enough to put them into the top tier in the East.
They're obviously not there as of now.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Huge fan of the show. I've been watching since the beginning. Again,
thank you for the support.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
So kuzmaan Aj Green gets you into the low twenties
and millions in order for salary matching, So that kind
of keeps you out of some of the bigger fish
that you could go after. But I do think it
could potentially get them a more reliable ball handler, which
is what they need. So they got Cole Anthony, and
Cole Anthony is fine. I think he's fine as a
backup guard. He struggled in the postseason really with turnovers.
(30:25):
He turned the ball over more. He had more like
a time and a half as many turnovers as assists.
A lot of like really sloppy stuff in the Boston series. So,
like I mean, Cole Anthony's fine, I just don't I
don't think he's going to answer the bell for He's
closer to Kevin Porter Junior as just another kind of
like high variance, low floor type of guard that that
(30:46):
will on some nights shoot the ball well and look
like a guy that could make this work. But often
will just be inconsistent and not be able to reach
that level. Here are some guys that are like somewhat realistic, Okay,
Tyler Harrow if things go south in Miami, CJ. McCollum
out of Washington, Tamar DeRozan at a Sacramento, Jordan Poole
out of New Orleans, Kobe White out of Chicago, andforty
(31:07):
Simon's out of Boston. These guys that are in that
like twenty to thirty million dollar range that are not
what we would consider to be super super high level guards,
but that are not what we would consider to be
untouchable by their respective teams as well. Those are the
kinds of guys that I'd be making calls on. But
like I'm gonna be honest, even if you got any
of those guys, I'm not sure that it's enough to
(31:28):
make the Bucks a Tier one contender. I admire the
hell out of the Bucks for trying, and they tried
some crazy shit, but it's just such a deep hole
to climb out of. And the teams at the top
of the NBA are just so good and you look
at like just think like the Knicks have their issues,
they're more talented than the Bucks. The Cavs have their issues,
(31:49):
they're more talented than the Bucks. I'm not even sure
if they're more talented. If the Bucks are more talented
than Orlando, it's currently constructed. They feel like a firm
second tier team out in the Eastern Conference in maybe
even a third tier team in the NBA overall, even
if they were to make that kind of move. Again,
I admire the effort, I just think they have too
(32:09):
deep of a hole to get out of it. And
it's nobody's fault, you know, Like Damian Lillard aged out
and got hurt right after you went after him, and
he was He's a fifty million dollars asset that's just
really difficult to recoup. Re turn on the Waven stretches
like the most radical way to try to make use
of him, And again, like I admire the effort, but
(32:30):
I just I just don't think it's going to be
enough to turn them into a serious contender. All right, guys,
It's all I have for today is always a sincerely
appreciate you guys supporting me and supporting the show. We're
gonna take a couple days off now because I'm getting
ready to move to Denver. We're actually making our first
trip tomorrow. I would imagine we'll have something coming out
later this week, before the weekend, either on Thursday or Friday,
so just keep an eye on my Twitter feed. I'll
(32:50):
make an announcement when the time comes. But again, as always,
I appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show,
and I'll see you later this week.
All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the volume.
Happy Monday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are having
a great start to your week. Got a really fun
mail bag today, lots of really interesting questions from you guys.
We're gonna have an opportunity to hit several teams that
we haven't hit yet this summer. We've got nine questions,
lots of really interesting stuff, lots of fun stuff to
get to. Let's get started. You guys know the drill.
Before we get started. Subscribe to Hoops and I YouTube channels.
(00:30):
You don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me
on Twitter, underscore, jcnlts, you guys don't misshow announcements. Don't
forget about a podcast feed wherever you get your podcast
on our Hoops Tonight. It's also super helpful if you
leave a rating and review on that front. Jackson is
doing a great work on our social media feeds Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook and TikTok. Make sure you guys follow us over
there for more content throughout the year. And then, last
not least, if you want to get mail bag questions
into the mail bag. Occasionally I'll tweet out ask them
(00:52):
for mail bag questions, but I also grab them from
the YouTube comments. Remember underneath our full episodes right mail
bag with a colon, and then write your question. We'll
get to them in our weekly mail bags throughout the
rest of the year. All right, let's talk some basketball. First, question,
Every year a young team has a major win totals
jump the Rockets last season. Okay, see in twenty twenty four,
(01:13):
Sacramento in twenty twenty three, Memphis in twenty twenty two,
the Sons in twenty twenty one, the MAVs in twenty twenty,
the Nuggets in twenty nineteen, et cetera. So why is
nobody super high on the Spurs? This feels like the
most obvious prediction ever to me. A roster that goes
twelve deep with awesome talent and awesome defense. I struggle
(01:34):
to see on paper the argument for either LA team
or the Warriors having a better record than them this season.
So let's take into this a little bit deeper. I
still think, even though those teams have their flaws, the
LA teams Golden State, some of these teams have their
flaws in the playoff context, the top of the West
is still ridiculously awesome. Oklahoma City won the title last
(01:57):
year and is the prohibited favorite to win the title
again next year. Houston was the two seed last year
and added Kevin Durant. Denver I would argue has the
most talented roster they've had in the Jokic era. So
a definitive top three and then after that, these are good.
These are flawed teams. They had their issues. It may
prevent them from winning the title, but these are really
(02:19):
good teams that are gonna be tough to beat on
any given night in the regular season. The Lakers Luka
Doncic in a revenge campaign a pissed off Lebron Austin Reeves.
They added DeAndre Ayton to their weakest position group. The Clippers,
if they signed Bradley Beal, they'll be better than they
were last year because they bolstered their frontcre depth with
Brook Lopez and John Collins. The Timberwolves, they've literally made
(02:43):
the conference finals twice in a row and Anthony Edwards
is improving dramatically every single year. The Warriors looked amazing
post Jimmy Butler trade until Steph got hurt. They add
Al Horford. They're an improved team. They haven't done anything
else yet, but they are still very good. Good Dallas,
Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, a ton of talent i'llbeat a
(03:05):
little imbalanced. If Kyrie Irving returns at any point next season,
they'll be super tough to beat. And I saw a
video of him on the court shooting basketball the other day.
He's making progress. If he returns around you know, March
or April, that's a tough team to beat. That is
eight really dangerous teams that will all go into the
season thinking they can win the title. Now the Spurs
(03:28):
will be really good too. Obviously, Victor Wimbenyama could be
a top five player this year potentially right Darren Fox
made my top twenty five players last summer when we
did our player rankings. They added a legit backup center
in Luke Cornett, and there's a ton of young talent
on this roster. Obviously, Dylan Harper has All Star potential.
We've seen Carter Bryant look like. They're kind of like
(03:49):
most versatile perimeter defender at the three spots, something they
didn't have on the roster before this. They have a
young core already in place, with guys like Jeremy Sohan,
Devin Vessel, and Stefan Castle. That's a lot of talent,
but all of those guys are super young, and there's
a lot of variance in the potential outcomes there, not
just for how each individual player plays because they're young,
(04:12):
but how well they all fit together as a basketball team.
And I'd argue there's even variance with Wemby. He could
be the fifth best player in the league next year,
but he could also be somewhere around the tenth or
eleventh best if be you know, if a skill development
doesn't take a leap, or he struggles with health throughout
the year. The point is, with a lot of these
teams in the West, we know what they're gonna look
(04:32):
like because there's some continuity there, but we don't really
know what the Spurs are going to look like. I
actually think, and by the way, this is the Western Conference.
There are a lot of good teams that end up
in the play in Tournament. I actually think it's more
likely than not that San Antonio ends up in the
play in tournament than them being a top four seat
for example. That doesn't mean I don't believe in san
(04:53):
Antonio's core or that I don't believe in Victor Wemanyama.
It just means that the top of the West is
a bloodbath, and it's this really hard in terms of
racking up win totals. It's gonna be hard for any
team to rack up win totals, let alone a young
team with a bunch of young players that have a
wide variety of potential outcomes this year, as far as
like Houston, because obviously we're looking at Houston last year
(05:15):
as an example. Well, Jason, they're young too, right. Well,
first of all, they had several vets in their rotation.
Fred Van Vliet is a VET who's won a championship.
Dylan Brooks is a veteran who has become a really stable,
solid starting three in this league. Steven Adams is a VET.
And they had an elite unit. Their depth of perimeter
defense talent was so off the charts that it caused
(05:36):
nightly problems for every team on their schedule. I think
Victor Wemenyam is certainly capable of anchoring an elite defense,
but I don't think the roster as currently constructed is
an elite defensive roster just yet. It's a lot of
young players, a lot of theoretical guys that could fill
certain roles, but I don't think they're quite yet the
(05:57):
top five type of defensive roster that Houston was, and
I think they're a middle of the pack offense at best. Right,
these things take time, and a play in appearance in
the West again, is nothing to make light of. The
Warriors were a playing team last year. I viewed them
as a legitimate championship contender until Steph got hurt. Right,
the West play in bracket has pretty good teams in
(06:18):
it every single year. That's the nature of the conference.
So yeah, does that mean I think they're gonna finish
you ten twelve games below all those guys. No, but
I could see them finishing three four games below the
top four seeds and end up in the play in
bracket because that's just the nature of the Western Conference.
It has nothing to do with what san Antonio is
capable of or the value that I see in their core.
(06:39):
It's just the West as a blood bath, man, and
it's just difficult to just step in there and start
kicking everyone's ass. Next question, what are the chances percentage
wise that the Wizards can be a playoff team this
upcoming season? I personally love what they've done this offseason.
This continuation of the question, I personally love what they've
(06:59):
done this offseason. They have a nice mixture of intriguing
young prospects and established veterans like Middleton, McCollum, and Smart.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Are they a sneaky eight seat?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
I think there's a pretty solid chance that the Wizards
make the play in bracket this year, and just by
being there, that gives them a solid chance of getting
one of the eight playoff spots.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I said before the draft that Trey Johnson was my
favorite prospect, not that he was the best prospect. I
don't think he's the type of prospect that Cooper Flag is,
just that he was my favorite to watch because his
skill set of being able to shoot off the move,
going in every direction, but also off the dribble scoring.
I think that's Taylor made for an NBA offense, and
(07:40):
he is, by the way, completely demonstrated that in his
first couple of Summer League games through two games in Vegas,
thirty nine points, fourteen for twenty four from the field,
and five for eleven from three, all of it on
display too, like shooting coming off of screens, shooting out
spot up situations, some high level off the dribble scoring.
(08:02):
I was really impressed by his ability to dribble into
contact and like kind of get his shoulder into players
and bump them off and rise up for that little floater.
He's shown some really soft touch. He's shooting a very
high and soft ball in Summer League, in both his
jump shots and with his floaters. I just think there's
always a spot in the NBA for a guy who
can score out of the actions that NBA teams run,
(08:23):
and Trey is already good at that stuff and it's
only going to get better. Alex Sar blocked eight shots yesterday,
was given Drew Timmy Fitz. He's a problem. Bub Carrington
had moments towards the end of last season as a
primary creator after Jordan Poole got traded. Billocka Lobali is
like the perfect three man to put that group together. Defensively,
they brought in Cam Whitmore for more depth at forward,
(08:45):
which is a position group where they were a little thin.
They have a well balanced roster with like exciting young
talent but also older vets like Marcus Smarts, TJ. McCollum,
and Chris Middleton that can either be kept around as
mentors and guys that fill smaller roles, or guys that
you can move at some point for additional asset return.
The big thing that makes me excited about Washington is
(09:07):
I think their young core has the potential to be
great on defense too, which again is a prerequisite to
consistent success.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
In the NBA.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Like when you're looking at young cores, you want to
know why Oklahoma City is so successful as young core
because Chet is an amazing defender, Jalen Williams is a
very very good defender, and Shake Gildess Alexander is a
plus defender, and so it just gives them a really
strong foundation to put little role players in in smaller
roles around them. I think that this Wizard's Core, with Blockulabali,
(09:38):
with alex Star protecting the rim, they have the potential
to be a great defense too. And you ditched Kyle
Kuzman Jordan Poole, the two guys that could have disrupted
the winning culture with their kind of general unserious behavior.
I think the key for this team is going to
be offensive organization. This is a team that if you
(09:59):
can generate cour quality roleman touches, quality pop touches for
Alex Sar, quality opportunities coming off of action for Trey Johnson,
a sophisticated five out offense. If they can get that established,
that gives them a high floor on the offensive bend,
because Alex Sar has that potential, because Trey Johnson has
(10:19):
that natural skill set, because bub Carrington can score in
those actions, they have the pieces with which, if they
can be organized properly to be a successful offense, the
team is on a fun trajectory. I'm actually really really
looking forward to watching.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
The Wizards this year.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Like I said, Trey Johnson is one of my favorite
prospects that I've evaluated in the last couple of years.
So it just looks like a fun, exciting team that
in a way that they have not been in previous years.
Next question, if you had to choose someone non flag
to win.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Rookie of the Year, who would you pick?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
By the way, saw you after Summer League waiting for
an uber but didn't want to bother you. Keep up
the great work. First of all, never hesitate to come
up and say hello. It's a big part of why
we're out there. I live in Tucson, I don't get
much opportunity to connect with our fans, so I want
you guys to come up and say hello whenever you
are out there in Vegas. But secondly, if I had
to pick, by the way, I do think Cooper Flag
will win Rookie of the Year. I think he's the
best player in the class, and I think he's gonna
(11:12):
have a big role on a winning team right away.
But if I had to pick, it would be Trey Johnson.
I think that he is going to get a lot
of looks in NBA offense that he's already capable of
making for a fun, exciting young team. I think there's
a chance that he could put up some decent statistical
production this year, which could put him in the mix
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Speaker 2 (13:03):
Next question.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
With Lebron James potentially entering the final year with the
Lakers next season, how do you envision the Lakers identity
evolving not just in terms of play style, but also
in terms of leadership in marketing once Lebron eventually steps away.
I just imagine the season to season urgency shifting because
Lebron was so old, and you know, he's entering into
(13:26):
his twenty third season, but like even when he was
in like his nineteenth twentieth season, like there was this
feeling that's like this is going to end soon, right,
Like he's gonna slow down soon, right, Like none of
us predicted that in year twenty two he'd definitively still
be one of the ten best players in the NBA.
That was like, I think even the most strident Lebron
fans would be like, this is kind of crazy, right,
Like it's just it was difficult to predict. But the
(13:49):
feeling that, the feeling, the perception as though there was
this very tight window to work with, and obviously with
the player that has the pedigree that Lebron has and
all the pressure and expectation that comes with that, it
just felt like every year was the last chance.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Right.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
I've said it on the show. Every time that they
would talk about stuff, I'd be like, Oh, you're gonna wait,
so you want to figure it out the year that
Lebron turns forty in the playoff run, like that, that
doesn't seem like a good idea. Why don't we try
to be more aggressive in the short term?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Like that was the cloud that was hanging over the
team all the time. It just felt like the finish
line could appear at any time. Like it was like
you're driving on a foggy road and you're gonna run
into a wall at any time and you don't know
where it is, and so we haven't hit the wall
yet and we're just still driving through the fog. But
it just felt like that wall was coming at any minute,
and it just it just made it difficult, right, And
(14:41):
with Luca being twenty six years old, it makes it
so that it's less foggy, and you're pretty sure you're
not gonna run.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Into a wall anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
And so as a result of that, there's much more
of a long term approach to everything you can see now,
like it being a situation where there's no urge and
c to make everything happen in this particular season. Now,
all of a sudden, all your asset moves need to
be moved, for all the moves in which you include
(15:10):
assets need to be geared around getting assets in return
that are not diminishing, assets that are not declining or
depreciating assets. Right, if you're going to move a draft
pick and you want to get a player back in
their mid to late twenties that you can count on
being good for at least five years, right, that you
could see playing alongside Luca for a long time. The entire,
the entire identity of the team has shifted because of that.
(15:32):
You don't make a move for Jake Larevia and let
Dorian Phinney Smith walk if Lebron is forty and Anthony
Davis is on the roster and you feel like this
is you feel like you're about to run into the
wall at any point you're trying to maximize that talent.
By the way, they made the Dorian Phinney Smith trade
before they knew Luka Doncic was coming. It's just a very,
(15:53):
very different situation. Now the Lakers can actually invest in
long term basketball culture and try to invest in some continuity.
I think Lebron is the best player to ever touch basketball,
but he just applied a lot of pressure to the situation,
and that pressure will be relieved when he's out of
the picture. You mentioned rooting for Lebron James several times
(16:13):
over the years. With his retirement likely approaching, who do
you see stepping into that role for you?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
And why? Asking as a.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Fellow Lebron fan, love the show. The depth of analysis
and passion for the game really stand out. Thank you
so much for the kind of words and for supporting
the show. I don't think that I'll ever have a
sentimental attachment to a player the way I did with Lebron.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Ever.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Again, I've told this story before, but I grew up
in a family that was very baseball and football focused.
Both my brothers played college football. It was just it
was much more of like a at home at night, we'd
have the Arizona Diamondbacks on TV. We were always watching
NFL games on the weekend. It just was not a
basketball household. And I actually just kind of organically ran
(16:55):
into Cleveland Cavaliers games in the you know, two thousand
and six and seven era, and you know, as a
fifteen year old kid, that was.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
How I fell in love with basketball.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So Lebron for me, is is attached to my love
of the game because he was the guy that got
me to fall in love with the game, and so
that will lead to a certain amount of sentimental attachment
for me that I'll I'll never have for another player.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Now, I'm a grown ass man. This is what I
do for a living. And like I was, I was
actually scrolling through just like literally the list of all
the leading scorers in the NBA, and I was like,
is there another player that I could see myself liking?
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And it's just not.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
There's just nowhere even close to that because it's just
not the same type of emotional experience it was for
me when I was fifteen years old. Right, But obviously
I watched basketball and there are players that I really
like and players that I don't like as much. The
guys that I would say, are my three favorite players
after Lebron retires are Nikole Jokich, Steph Curry, and Anthony Edwards.
(17:53):
Nicolejokicch and Steph I just think the way that they
play offensive basketball is straight up beautiful. Even as a
big of a Lebron fan as I am, I find
Jokic and Steph to play a more aesthetically appealing style
of offensive basketball, and I just really enjoy watching them play.
I just think it's really fun to watch. I was
thinking about this with Tyrese Haliburton too, Like, you want
(18:14):
to know why the Pacers were so much fun to watch.
You want to know why the Pacers are such a
ratings draw, why the Warriors are such a ratings draw,
why the Nuggets have such a powerful core of fans
despite being in a small market. It's because when you
turn on the TV and you watch the Denver Nuggets
play basketball, and you watch the Indiana Pacers play basketball,
and you watch the Golden State Oarriors play basketball, it's
(18:34):
very fun to watch because there's so much ball in
player movement, everyone's involved and invested. It's just a beautiful
brand of basketball, right and the Antheony Edwards to me,
it just kind of ties into the old school, you know,
two guard that all of us have always loved. He
brings the vertical element that a lot of the two
guards in the league don't bring right now. He brings
the shit talkey attitude element that a lot of guys
(18:57):
in the league don't bring right now. An't is just
likable sense. But I just love basketball, So even with
the players that I don't particularly like, I can find
parts of their game that I really like. Like Guys
like Luka Doncic and shake Yeald Justs Alexander are two
high volume offensive players at the top of the league
that over the years I haven't liked watching them as much.
And even with them, it's like there are elements to
(19:19):
ball handling with Luca that I personally apply and practice
in my game because I think it's beautiful ball handling
and it's beautiful footwork. And similar with shake yal Just Alexander.
For both of those guys, it's like contact dribbling. There's
a step back move that Shakekals Alexander uses that like
that I have tried to add to my game because
(19:40):
I think it's such a useful move. It's kind of
like an off the dribble step back where youre kind
of get in that left hand high hesitation and just
throw a quick like kind of jab step in and
out dribble to get that separation for that pull up three.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Like, there are.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Things that I will find in players games that I
really like, even if I don't necessarily like that player. Right,
next question, the Timberwolves basically have the same roster as
last year minus Nikhil Alexander Walker. How much do you
think one a year of chemistry with Randal and Dante
DiVincenzo and two development from young players like Terrence Shannon Junior,
(20:13):
Jalen Clark and Rob Dillingham could improve the team from
last year or willo be negated by Mike Conley getting older. So,
first of all, this is just the reality of how
the NBA works. When the Wolves made the Western Conference
Finals the first year, the year they lost to Dallas,
So two years ago, Anthony Edwards was making less than
fifteen million. We were talking about the Wizards earlier. Alex
(20:34):
sar Biloculbally bub Carrington and Trey Johnson will combine next
year to make thirty two million. Just Chris Middleton a
Chris Middleton, Marcus s Martin, c J. McCollum will make
eighty five million next year. That's just the reality of
rookie contracts and veteran contracts. Right now, Antzon his rookie extension,
He's on year two of making a lot more money
(20:55):
in this coming season. That comes with realities and roster construction.
It will be similar issues for Oklahoma City in the future.
Right Like the they just resigned both Jalen Williams and
Chet Holmgren to long term deals. Shay's already on a
he signed another super max extension. Like those guys now
(21:16):
are going to make so much money in a couple
of years that it's gonna be a lot of rookie
contract role players that are surrounding them all.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Of a sudden.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
The individual development of Jalen Williams, the individual development of
Chet Holmgren will determine whether or not they can keep winning.
Same thing goes for Minnesota. Yeah, it's the young players.
It's Terrence Shannon, it's Jalen Clark, is Rob dilling game,
but also Anthony Edwards himself. Sga looks like a considerably
better basketball player than him right now, like a tier above, like,
(21:44):
it looks like you get to those four guys at
the top, you know, Luca and Jokic and Shae and Giannis,
and then it seems like there's a gap, and it
might be as high as five or as low as
seven or eight, but that gap between four and five
is pretty substantial. Shae demonstrated him himself to be a
considerably better player in the Minnesota series in the Conference finals.
(22:04):
We talked about it in the gap in Shay's ability
to generate consistent offense against elite defense. That's packing the
paint because he can get to that short to mid
range shot making that's so reliable, and how Anthony Edwards
basically abandoned to that last year for high variants pull
up three point shooting, which abandoned him when he needed
(22:25):
it in the series. If he can't change that dynamic,
if can't close the gap with Shay, I'm not gonna
sit here and look at Oh, well, they let Nikil
Alexander Walker go. That's why they can't beat Oklahoma City.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
No, like that is normal.
Speaker 1 (22:39):
That's like part of the process of the trajectory of
NBA teams is they have to pay young players and
everything just becomes more expensive.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Do I think Anthony Edwards can improve individually enough to
compensate for the loss of Anekil Alexander Walker.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
It's gonna look different, and he's entering into a phase
of his development where his improvement will be less in
the form of box score production. It'll be more in
like situational execution, end of games, playoff situation, stuff like that. Right,
Like last year Anthony Edwards averaged twenty eight six and
five on sixty percent true shooting. You're not gonna do
(23:19):
a whole lot better than that. He's probably at his peak,
like when he's twenty seven twenty eight, he's probably like
a thirty six and six on like sixty two percent
true shooting kind of guy. Like that's better than where
he's at right now, but not dramatically. It'll be his
situational execution, how resilient he is in the playoffs. That'll
(23:41):
be what determines how good Anthony Ewards becomes and how
much the Timberwolves win while he's in that jersey. Next question,
to fix the regular season and prevent stars from getting
injured in the playoffs, do you think changing the amount
of teams that make the playoffs to four per conference
would make it difference for the league. Regular season matters
(24:02):
more and less playoff minutes with one less round, So
I would go the other direction. I think the playoffs
are the best product that the NBA offers. I love
the NBA regular season. We have fun covering it here,
but you guys know how it gets. It's like the
first two weeks in October, we're all super invested as
we learn about the teams, and then we all kind
(24:22):
of like tune out. Now we can us die hards.
We still pay attention. Obviously, I do it for a living,
so we still cover the league, but it's like it's
not like we're all as invested in November NBA basketball.
Then suddenly we all circle back and it's like, oh,
in season tournament, let's watch these eight teams play in
the single elimination.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
This is kind of fun.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
And then when it's done, it's like, all right, time
to go into late December. Okay, let's all tune in
for Christmas Day. This is okay, let's take a break.
And then it's like mid January, we're like we all
start talking trades and in different things before the deadline,
and then after the deadline, there's like a two to
three week span where we all are super excited to
watch the teams that made trades, and then we're in
(24:59):
late f February and it's like, Okay, we're kind of
just in a holding pattern for the playoffs, and all
the teams that are down in the play in bracket
are like playing super hard every night, but like everyone
at the top is starting to put together some confusing
losses that are mostly geared around effort.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
And then what happens.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
We get to April, and from mid April to mid June,
it's just crazy good basketball every single night. Jackson and
I were talking over dinner in Vegas, like it was
like every single night in the playoffs there was a
great game. It's like, oh, tonight we have Denver versus
the Clippers. Tonight, we have this awesome Warriors Rockets game seven.
Tonight we have this really fun game between the Knicks
(25:39):
and the Celtics. Like it was like every single night
there was headline matchups. That's the peak of of the
NBA basketball products. So I wouldn't mess with that in
terms of volume. If I did anything to mess with
the playoffs, I would just make the schedule less screwing.
And so I think the answer is stretching the season
in general with fewer games over the same span. So
(26:03):
still start in you know, training camp in early October,
Still finish with the finals in mid June. But drop
the regular season to sixty six games.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Keep the n.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Season tournament, keep the playing tournament, keep four seven game
series rounds. But if you stretch, if you shorten the
regular season to sixty six games and space everything out,
you can have no back to backs in the regular
season and a few more days in the postseason where
there's no double days off or where there's more double
days off. So like, I like every travel day in
(26:35):
the NBA playoffs should be an additional day off. So
if you're gonna have teams play, you know, on like
a Monday and a Wednesday, have them be in the
same city, and then if they're gonna travel to the
other city, give them two days off. Like, make it
just so that even in the conference finals, even in
the second round, those the second round of conference finals
are kind of where everything gets like every other night,
and that's just a lot to ask and it wears
(26:56):
bodies down. And guys start getting hurt. So, like, if
you shorten the regular season and you make it so
that there are no back to backs and there's more
days off in the postseason, more people will be healthy,
more teams will play at the best of their ability.
One of the problems the NBA has now is radical
swings and effort, like, oh, blow out here and then
a blowout the other way because everyone's so damn tired
(27:17):
that like the team that's playing in front of their
home crowd with urgency just dog walks the other team
because they're beating their legs are shot. Like, you'll have
more competitive games when everybody's just healthy and more rested.
But I wouldn't shorten the playoffs. I think that's the
best product that the NBA has to offer right now.
All right, two more questions. You've spoken of how since
(27:39):
the Jimmy trade, especially in the playoffs, Steph's volume and
efficiency went went back up because we had talked about
how you'd struggled earlier in the season. Do you think
it'll carry into next season and be sustainable? And also,
did you change your mind about the other Warriors being
second tier contenders based on last episode? I do think
Steph will be great statistically next season. I think that
(28:00):
Jimmy Butler does enough to lighten his workload, and I
think that Steph has a belief in this roster, a
belief that he didn't have in years past. So I
think it's more likely that he plays closer to his
typical efficiency and scoring volume that he had, you know,
in the more distant pass like in twenty twenty one
and twenty twenty two. Right, as for joining the top tier,
(28:22):
signing Horford helps, I think you know, we've talked about it.
I think it just gives you this preposterously high IQ
defensive front court. I think he gives you the best
of both worlds, right, a Quinton Post esque stretch five
that's probably a little bit more reliable just in terms
of his overall decision making. But it also gives you
a guy who can compete defensively in a way that Quinton.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Post could not write.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
But if they don't add a reliable perimeter score, I
don't think I could put them in that top tier
with Denver, with Okay, see with Houston, and so that
may not happen till the deadline. I don't think it's
gonna be Jonathan Minga. I saw another report that it's
possible that Jonathan Kminga just returns to the Warriors next year.
Do I think Jk'll be a little bit better than
he was last year? Sure, but I still think he's
(29:07):
a super clunky fit on this roster. And so if
they don't turn something in that roster into a more
reliable version of Buddy Heel, a reliable perimeter score, I
don't think they can enter into that top tier of contention.
But again, that's not an insult that those teams are
all good in that second tier in the West. Clippers
are good, the Lakers are good, the Warriors are good,
(29:28):
the Timberwolves are good. That is a really talented group
of teams. It's just that's the best roster Jokich has
ever had, and he's the best player in the world.
Houston was the two seed and they added Kevin Durant
and O Case. He just won the title. Like, we're
talking about a very very high level group of teams
there that you have to substantially improve your roster in
order to enter into that list.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Last question, what.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Do you think a Kuzma plus AJ Green plus first
round pick could get the Bucks. Would the return be
enough to put them into the top tier in the East.
They're obviously not there as of now.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Huge fan of the show. I've been watching since the beginning. Again,
thank you for the support.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
So kuzmaan Aj Green gets you into the low twenties
and millions in order for salary matching, So that kind
of keeps you out of some of the bigger fish
that you could go after. But I do think it
could potentially get them a more reliable ball handler, which
is what they need. So they got Cole Anthony, and
Cole Anthony is fine. I think he's fine as a
backup guard. He struggled in the postseason really with turnovers.
(30:25):
He turned the ball over more. He had more like
a time and a half as many turnovers as assists.
A lot of like really sloppy stuff in the Boston series. So,
like I mean, Cole Anthony's fine, I just don't I
don't think he's going to answer the bell for He's
closer to Kevin Porter Junior as just another kind of
like high variance, low floor type of guard that that
(30:46):
will on some nights shoot the ball well and look
like a guy that could make this work. But often
will just be inconsistent and not be able to reach
that level. Here are some guys that are like somewhat realistic, Okay,
Tyler Harrow if things go south in Miami, CJ. McCollum
out of Washington, Tamar DeRozan at a Sacramento, Jordan Poole
out of New Orleans, Kobe White out of Chicago, andforty
(31:07):
Simon's out of Boston. These guys that are in that
like twenty to thirty million dollar range that are not
what we would consider to be super super high level guards,
but that are not what we would consider to be
untouchable by their respective teams as well. Those are the
kinds of guys that I'd be making calls on. But
like I'm gonna be honest, even if you got any
of those guys, I'm not sure that it's enough to
(31:28):
make the Bucks a Tier one contender. I admire the
hell out of the Bucks for trying, and they tried
some crazy shit, but it's just such a deep hole
to climb out of. And the teams at the top
of the NBA are just so good and you look
at like just think like the Knicks have their issues,
they're more talented than the Bucks. The Cavs have their issues,
(31:49):
they're more talented than the Bucks. I'm not even sure
if they're more talented. If the Bucks are more talented
than Orlando, it's currently constructed. They feel like a firm
second tier team out in the Eastern Conference in maybe
even a third tier team in the NBA overall, even
if they were to make that kind of move. Again,
I admire the effort, I just think they have too
(32:09):
deep of a hole to get out of it. And
it's nobody's fault, you know, Like Damian Lillard aged out
and got hurt right after you went after him, and
he was He's a fifty million dollars asset that's just
really difficult to recoup. Re turn on the Waven stretches
like the most radical way to try to make use
of him, And again, like I admire the effort, but
(32:30):
I just I just don't think it's going to be
enough to turn them into a serious contender. All right, guys,
It's all I have for today is always a sincerely
appreciate you guys supporting me and supporting the show. We're
gonna take a couple days off now because I'm getting
ready to move to Denver. We're actually making our first
trip tomorrow. I would imagine we'll have something coming out
later this week, before the weekend, either on Thursday or Friday,
so just keep an eye on my Twitter feed. I'll
(32:50):
make an announcement when the time comes. But again, as always,
I appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show,
and I'll see you later this week.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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