June 28, 2024 • 50 mins
Jason Timpf reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers selecting Bronny James during the NBA Draft to pair him with his father, LeBron James, ahead of the 2024 NBA season. Jason discusses why Bronny is better than people realize and breaks down what his role will be the Lakers. Later, Jason answers listener questions during an NBA Mailbag segment including his reaction the Celtics, Nuggets, and Suns selections in the NBA Draft. Should the Thunder go after Kevin Durant? And what did Jason think of JJ Redick's intro press conference with the Lakers?
5:00 - Bronny James to Lakers
8:30 - Will Bronny contribute to Lakers this season?
14:00 - Baylor Scheierman to Celtics
25:30 - Ryan Dunn to Suns
31:00 - Best foundation for NBA team
36:00 - Should Thunder trade for Kevin Durant
37:00 - DaRon Holmes to Nuggets
41:30 - Wizards-Trail Blazers trade
48:00 - Will JJ Redick run 5-out with Lakers?
49:00 - Is Julius Randle underrated?
52:00- What Thunder lineup will look like
54:30 - Are Knicks second best team in East?
55:30 - JJ Redick press conference
58:00 - Apology for Star Wars spoilers
59:00 - What happened to Jason's nose?
01:00:30 - Where to start watching Star Wars
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.
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See terms eligibility and responsible gaming resources at DKG dot
co slash MMA. All right, welcome to hoops tonight here
(01:47):
at the volume heavy Friday. Everybody, hope all if you
guys are having a great end to your week, well
as promise, we're gonna get deeper into the NBA Draft
today and we're just gonna do it mailbag style. I
had planned on doing a mailbag at the end of
this week anyway, and so many of you guys had
so much, so many questions related to the draft and
some of the trades that took place around the draft,
that I figured we'll just use that as the format
(02:08):
for today's show. So the main guys from the draft
that we're gonna be hitting today obviously Bronny Broughny to
the Lakers' biggest story in the league today, so we're
gonna be hitting that. Baylor Shireman to Boston, this was
a pick at the tail end of the first round
that we didn't have a chance to hit yesterday. Ryan
Dunn to the Phoenix Suns is another pick we're gonna
be taking a look at. And then day Ron Holmes
to the Denver Nuggets in their pursuit of finding a
(02:30):
backup center for Nicole Joki. So those are the main
draft prospects we're gonna hit today. But we're also gonna
bounce around the league with a bunch of your guys's
mail bag questions. So tons and tons of stuff to
get into. You guys know the drive before we get started.
Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channels. You don't miss
any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at
underscore json LTS, you guys don't miss you announcements, don't
forget about our podcast feed wherever you get your podcast
(02:51):
under Hoops Tonight, and then keep dropping mail bag questions
in the YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them
throughout the rest of the summer. And I sincerely appreciate
you all of you guys for participating in the We
had tons of questions to choose from. Obviously can't get
to all of them, but we're gonna get to a
bunch of them today. All Right, let's talk some basketball.
So we're gonna start with Bronnie our first mail bag question. Hey, Jason,
(03:12):
I appreciate the way you break down the game. Do
you think Bronni can meaningfully contribute to the Lakers this season?
Forget the fact that he is Lebron's son. Isn't Bronnie
the type of archetype that the Lakers are looking for.
He's an athletic guard who can defend on the perimeter
and has the potential to be a really good spot
up shooter and close out attacker. So rather than diving
(03:34):
right into his fit with the Lakers, I want to
kind of hit the story as a whole first, and
then we will get into that question, because that is true,
his archetype is exactly what the Lakers need. But the
question is whether or not Bronni is actually that type
of player at an NBA level at this point, which
is what we're gonna get into. So first of all,
the story is going to be centered around nepotism, right.
That's the main kind of point of contention in the
(03:57):
media space today and among all basketball fans today. And
I think it's unfair that it's even a topic, to
be honest with you, because this is just a thing
that is rampant around the league. As Adrian Woljnowski pointed
out yesterday on ESPN, he said, quote people talking about nepotism.
The NBA is full of nepotism, the ownership level, the
front offices, coaching. I don't want to hear about it
(04:20):
all of a sudden because Brownie James's father plays for
the Lakers. It is rampant in this league. And this
is something that I've personally learned just in my time
covering the league. There are many people that I talk
to around the league where I hear about this front
office has this guy that's in this major role, This
coaching staff has this guy that's in this major role.
We've all made fun of or had moments where we've
(04:41):
gotten some humor out of watching fanasas Antennakoumpo playing for
the Milwaukee Bucks. It is rampant. So if you're like
suddenly upset about it now, then it clearly has something
to do with the way you feel about Lebron, which
is a whole other topic, right that I don't have
any interest in getting into. So the nepotism thing just
it just doesn't matter to me. And then also just
(05:03):
to be honest, and this is something that this is
something that I try to generally do when I'm confronting
these types of situations, I try to just put myself
in that type of person's shoes. So like, for instance,
if I had a child, and I had the capability
to present my child with an opportunity that would give
them a better chance of success, even if it wasn't
necessarily the most fair thing in the world, would I
(05:26):
say no, Would I not give my kid that opportunity
out of some vain pursuit of fairness, or would I
try to take care of my kid? And I don't
have children yet, but like I have a feeling that
if I have that capability, if I have the ability
to give my child opportunities, I'm going to try to
write and I certainly, certainly am not going to be
(05:49):
critical of a parent for trying to give their children opportunities.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Like if the.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Discussion of whether or not it's fair totally different. That's
a totally different discussion fair and nepotism is whether it's
too rampant in our society. That is entirely different. However,
it is rampant and in our society, And I personally am
not gonna judge a parent for doing something like that
when I can't definitively say that I wouldn't do the
(06:15):
same thing if I was in that position. So just
put yourself in that headspace. Chances are you do anything
you can to help your kid. And that's exactly what
lebron James did. Right. So, now that we can move
back past the basic fact that, yes, Brownie James benefited
from nepotism. Yes, it's rampant throughout the league, and no,
none of us could actually say we wouldn't do the
same if we were in that position. Now, let's talk
(06:37):
about the basketball side of it. Bronnie is a lot
better than his numbers at USC would lead you to belief. Right,
he was shortly removed from heart surgery. Anytime you go
an extended amount of time not playing basketball and then
try to get back into playing basketball, there is a
ramp up phase. Any of you guys who have dealt
with an injury have felt this before. I personally, I
(07:01):
broke my foot in my in between my first and
second season playing in college, and I had to take
a couple of months off. I came back in the
first half of the season in non conference play, I
literally was so bad. My coach removed me from the
starting lineup and had like sit down meetings with me
about what was going on with my production. And I
was one of two full ride scholarships on that particular team,
(07:23):
so I just wasn't living up to what the investment
was from the coaching staff, and it was totally fair criticism.
And then in the second half of the season, I
played well enough to be an All conference selection. So like,
I was two completely different players, because when I came
back from that foot injury, I was just so distant
from the game even though I was there, even though
I was like back healthy, it took me forever just
(07:44):
to like get back up to basketball speed to even
look like myself. I was two completely different players. Several
months apart just because of that turnaround, and this what
Bronni went through beyond forget about just being disconnected from
the game, talk about the trauma and everything that comes
from that horrific situation that happened to him, But most importantly,
(08:06):
he was away from the game for a while, and
so stepping into Division one PAC twelve basketball from being
disconnected from the game like that is a challenge. So
I do believe that Bronni is a much better player
than what his numbers would have led you to believe
at USC. That said, I also don't think he's ready
to play in the NBA yet, right, And that's the
(08:26):
important kind of like sub context to the question. Right, Yes,
his archetype is exactly what the Lakers need, a super
athletic guard who can defend at the point of attack
and knock down threes and attack closeouts and all that
sort of stuff, Right, But he's too far away from
being able to do that at the level. He needs
to be a rotation player on a good NBA team,
(08:48):
and that's what the Lakers are. Yes, they are a
team that's perennially been in the play in but the
last year they made it to the two years ago
they made it to the conference finals. Last year they
have forty six to forty sive wins, but they were
every bit as good as the teams in the middle
of the pack in the West. That more has to
do with just how deep the West is with talent.
The Lakers are a good NBA team, and Bronnie is
(09:09):
not ready to be a rotation player on a good
NBA team, right, So the truth of the matter is
this is a developmental opportunity for Bronnie. This is just
an opportunity for him to learn how to play potentially
NBA basketball and to see if he's capable of it. Right.
I'm not sure if he's gonna get a roster spot
or if he's gonna get a two way spot, but
(09:29):
chances are the majority of his on court reps over
the next few years will either be in g league
games or in garbage time of NBA games, Like if
the Lakers actually need a young guy to play point
of attack defense and play off the ball offensively this year,
in meaningful minutes, it's gonna be Max Christie. It's not
(09:50):
gonna be Bronnie James. So this is he's not just
gonna get jammed into meaningful NBA basketball. If he does,
Bronnie ends up playing meaningful minutes this year and he
doesn't deserve it in the rotation, then we will have
a different conversation and I will come on the show
and talk about how this is now becoming a problem
(10:10):
because the nepotism is extending into affecting the Lakers' ability
to win basketball games. But that is not where I
expect this to go. I think he'll be in the
G league, and I think he'll play in garbage time
in the NBA. And if he does play meaningful minutes,
it will mean that we all were way off in
our evaluation of Bronnie and he's better at this point
than we expect it. I don't expect that to be
(10:32):
the case, but if we do see Bronnie play meaningful minutes,
it will be because he got better at basketball. But
the truth is he's gonna have to learn on the fly,
and he's gonna have a few years to do it.
And if he can convert his considerable athletic gifts into
a functional NBA role player, then he'll stay in the league.
And if he can't, and three years go by and
it's clear that he's still really far away. Then he'll
(10:54):
go play overseas or stay in the G League for
a while, or he'll retire and do something different. He's
gonna get his opportunity, right, And that's the thing. That's
what I mean when I say it's a developmental opportunity,
Like his opportunity has been gift wrapped for him, but
he's not gonna get real NBA minutes unless he earns it.
So I don't have any problem with it at all whatsoever.
(11:15):
Obviously it's cool that Lebron gets to play with his kid.
You'd be lying if you didn't say you were gonna
watch and see what happens. Like he's the first Summer
League game. It is gonna be him in Dalton connect
playing against Houston and Reed Shepard and like we're all
gonna be watching, right and so like it's interesting. I
don't have any problem with it. If you have a
(11:36):
problem with it, then you've conveniently looked the other way
with every other example of nepotism in the NBA over
the last forever. So it is what it is. It's
a developmental opportunity for Brownie. We're gonna find out if
he's an NBA player over the next few years within
the Lakers organization. Next question, wish you discussed the Celtics
selection of Baylor Shireman. Baylor seems to be one of
(11:58):
the more pro ready guys in the draft and fits
the current mold of what teams are looking for. Thought
that was a great pick. Well, you're right, we didn't
get a chance to hit him yesterday, so why don't
we hit him today. So here's my little quick scout
on Baylor shire Man. He's sixty six movement shooter, lefty
out of Creighton. His jump shooting numbers from last year
really good. Thirty nine percent on jumpers overall, thirty nine
(12:18):
percent on catch and shoot jumpers, twenty six percent when
he was guarded in forty nine percent when he was unguarded.
That wasn't surprising to me on tape because he's a
little bit of a ground bound shooter, a little bit
of a set shooter with a low release point, so
that means he needs more separation to get clean looks.
He was thirty nine percent on pull up jump shots,
hit a lot of pull up threes as well, so
(12:39):
he was up over a point per shot. Attempt He
was actually pretty successful on the ball at Creighton. He
shot fifty nine percent field goals fifty nine percent as
the shooter in ball screens overall, in ball screens including passes,
he was ninety eight percent tile in efficiency one point
three to three points per possession including passes. Albeit lowvall.
(12:59):
He was only one hundred and forty reps all season long,
so he was more of like a guy who's flying
off the screens off ball, but he did have some
on ball reps in ball screens. Not an ISO guy.
He only ran sixteen ISOs all season, But as we know,
within Boston's offense, he's not going to be used on
the ball. What I think of him as within Boston,
within the context of Boston's offense, is just a movement shooter,
(13:21):
and he was a good movement shooter. Last year. He
shot forty two percent coming off of screens. That was
fifty five percent in effective field goal percentage when you
weigh it for threes. Movement shooting in particular is very
valuable within the context of Boston's offense. And the reason
why is that's usually where you hide your weakest defender,
right you hide your weakest defender typically on a movement
(13:42):
shooter because they're not going to do as much stuff
on the ball, and asking a guy just to chase
and stay glued up to a shooter is probably the
easiest defensive responsibility among all of the many different things
that you can do at the NBA level. Aside from
guarding a complete non threat offensively, guarding a movement shooter
is the next easiest responsibility, right. So, like, that's where
(14:02):
you tuck your weakest defender, right, So if you're tucking
your weakest defender on, let's say Baylor Sirenman and you're
Jason Tatum, or're Jalen Brown, or you're Derek White, you're
trying to bring that weakest defender into the action. We
saw this a lot in the finals when the the
the Mavericks put when they put Luka Doncic onto Sam
Houser right, and we saw lots of spamming Jalen Brown
(14:26):
sam Houser two man game where Howser comes at the
screen and Luca would end up switched on to Jalen
Brown and then Jalen Brown would get downhill. And one
of the reasons why that works is Sam Houser is
a movement shooter, and so if Luca throws a hedge,
then Houser can slip out of it and shoot a three.
In Dallas, because Luca was so slow footed, they didn't
(14:48):
have him hedge very much. They would just switch, and
so as a result, that ended up with Luca on
Jalen Brown or on Jason Tatum so much he'd give
up dribble penetration and then their defense would fall apart.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
So, like, in order to punish a team for throwing
a hedge, or to force a team to switch an
action like that, the guy has to be able to
quickly slip out of the screen and knock down three
point shots.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
That's the thing. If Sam Hauser was not a good
movement shooter, then what Dallas would have done is either
blitzed those ball screens or had Luca throw a hard
hedge to cut off the driving lane and then recover
to Hauser. They could not do that because if they did,
they'd be giving wide open threes to Sam Hauser. That's
(15:31):
what I like about the concept of a movement shooter
within their offense. Right, teams are gonna tuck a weak
defender on Baylor Shiremen then the Celtics can bring that
defender into the action. They'll have no choice but to
either hedge or to switch. And if they hedge, you're
gonna be able to get Baylor wide open, catch and
shoot threes on the move. If they switch, then Jason
(15:53):
Tatum or Jaylen Brown can attack inferior individual defenders. That
is the thing. It's it's part of it's fastating because
it's clear that Brad Stevens has this like very clear
basketball philosophy, right, and this is something that I think
is important for a front office to have. You need
to have like a year over year consistent philosophy. It
tells me that you believe in something as a basketball mind.
(16:16):
And it's clear that Brad Stevens wants everybody to be
a threat. All eight rotation players for the Celtics last
year were a threat. Baylor Shireman is going to be
able to step onto an NBA floor immediately and take
advantage of the attention that the Jays get, the attention
that Derek White and Drew Holliday gets. He's going to
get clean looks. Really, it just comes down to what
(16:36):
he can do on the defensive end of the floor.
Can he follow the path of Peyton, Pritchard and Sam
Houser as lesser athletes who learn how to do well
enough defensively to be a functional player that can stay
on the floor. And I'd actually argue Pritchard and Howser
both did a good job last year on the defensive
end of the floor. Howser got multiple stops against Luca,
(16:57):
Pritchard got multiple stops against Kyrie. Those guys did great, right,
So the question is Cam Baylor shireman do that in
a similar way to what Pritchard and Houser did. But
I like it. It was just a It's a for
a late first round pick to get a guy that
can play rotation minutes in the NBA regular season and
just kind of be another functional piece of that Boston
five out attack. I really like the move.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
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Speaker 2 (18:20):
What do you make of Ryan Dune at twenty two
for Phoenix? His defensive tape is some of the best
I have ever seen. Dude looks like Draymond out there sometimes.
I had a lot of fun watching Ryan Dune this morning.
Unbelievable defensive prospect, has great tools, unbelievable ground coverage, which
is what we talked about a lot with Sam Vassini.
If you guys remember, like his ability just to get
(18:42):
from one part of the floor to the next is insane.
I was watching film of him this morning, multiple plays
one against Georgia Tech that I saw in one against
Duke where he blitzed a ball screen out like thirty
thirty five feet from the basket and then recovered. As
the blitz came, the guard made the over the top
pass to the short roll man. The short rollman came
(19:04):
down the lane and engaged the low man and dropped
it off to a cutter along the baseline. And on
both plays, Ryan Dunn literally came from the blitz thirty
thirty five feet away from the basket and recovered to
the rim to block the guy cutting along the baseline.
Imagine that like blitz, quick pass, over the top drop
off for a cutter, and he was throwing the blitz
(19:27):
and blocking the cutter at the rim multiple times in
my film session this morning. That is ground coverage. That
is the ability to be multiple places at once. He
has the ability to throw an aggressive coverage to force
a ball handler to get rid of the basketball and
be the same guy who cleans up the mess that
coverage produces on the back end. That is unbelievable defensive potential.
(19:52):
He had crazy closeouts. There's just play against wake Forest
where he got kind of caught. It was a cleared
corner on the right side and the shooter was kind
of relocating along the along the right wing and he
got caught a little bit high and the swing pass
was made and the offensive player caught it in the
corner and done was way up on the high side,
so there was an easy rip through move available. The
(20:15):
way forest player rips to the baseline and Ryan Dunn
closes out, chases him off the line, somehow manages to
funnel and push him behind the backboard. The player tries
to bully him back underneath the rim, Dune just swallows
it up and swats him out of there, like just
unbelievable ground coverage. He's a quick two foot jumper. He's
got great instincts to kind of snuff out plays. It
(20:36):
was just a lot of fun watching Ryan dun tape
this morning. But at this point he's a legitimately bad
offensive player. He was five for twenty seven on unguarded
jump shots last year. That's an issue. He was fifty
eight percent on layups. That's an issue for a player
as big as he is. He can't put the.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Ball on the floor.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
He can't make reads. So it's a developmental type of
move for Phoenix right that if you can turn Ryan
Dunn into a functional offensive player, then he suddenly becomes
a huge asset for you as someone who roots for
the Lakers. I can tell you have kind of had
a similar experience further along with Jared Vanderbilt. Right, like
Jared Vanderbilt when he's actually like healthy, is one of
(21:16):
the best perimeter defenders in the league, who's also an
excellent defensive rebounder, who also is an excellent help side defender.
He's this like Swiss army knife, do everything type of
athlete that can do so much, but it's just really
difficult to find a functional role for him. Two years
ago when they made the Western Conference Finals run, he
was such a bad corner three point shooter and he
(21:37):
kept getting those wide open corner threes that it became
an issue and the Lakers had to bench him. But
that was in a four out offense where he was
consistently spotting up beyond the three point line. Suddenly, in
the springtime this year, before Vanderbilt got hurt, the Lakers
actually managed to build a functional role for him as
a dribble, handoff and roll guy, kind of like as
a cutter. He was operating a lot more in movement
(21:59):
in the floor rather than standing still in the corner,
and he had a bunch of double figure scoring games
and became like legitimately a functional part of the Laker offense,
and that was when they were playing some of their
best basketball in that time period, Right, So, like, that's
what you've got to do with Ryan Dunn. You've just
got to find a way to make him useful offensively.
(22:21):
If you do, then he becomes this profoundly impactful player
because of what he can do on the defensive end
of the floor. But I just have a hard time
believing that within the short term they're gonna be able
to get enough out of him offensively for him to
be a guy who's like a significant rotation player for them.
But we will see, and Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and
Bradley be able to do bring in a lot of attention,
(22:42):
and so if there's anything in there for him in
terms of functional offensive ability, this is a situation where
he should be able to show that, But we will see.
I kind of view him as more of a long
term prospect for Phoenix. I'm gonna leave you, guys before
we go to the next question with this quote from
Sam Vassini. As you guys know, he's the guy that
I trust the most when it comes to the draft.
He said, quote, I cannot overemphasize Dunn's defensive level. He
(23:07):
is in the top tier among all wings I've evaluated
over the last decade and is on an All defense
candidate long term and is an all defense candidate long
term if his offense allows him to stay on the court.
I thought he was one of the two most disruptive
defenders in college basketball this season. That's quote from Sam Vassini.
By the way, guys, he's he's literally the best. Is
(23:31):
A draft guide that he has on the athletic is
unbelievably comprehensive as information on family background, tons of information
on strengths and weaknesses, extensive statistical history. It's just you
guys got to check it out. He also will bring
those guys on his show and go over tape on
his YouTube channel. Like I can't say enough about the
quality of Sam's content. You guys got to get over
(23:53):
there and check him out. Next question, this was an
interesting one. Which is the better foundation for a modern
NBA roster a star guard center combo like Chet and
Shake Kild justs Alexander or two star wings like Jalen
and Jason for starters. I don't want this to become
a debate about specific players. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum
(24:13):
at this point in their careers are a better duo
than shake Yieldess Alexander and chet Holmgren. They're older, they're
more experienced. They're just better basketball players right now. So
I'm not trying to make it an argument between those
two pairs.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Also, the Jays play alongside two thirty million dollar guards
and a thirty million dollar center, so they kind of
have that and the guard center combo, right, So, like
it's just not even remotely comparable. I don't even want
to get into that. So let's remove the names and
let's just talk about the gist of the question. Would
you rather have a guard center duo as a foundation
(24:46):
or a Ford ford duo as a foundation? And my
answer is pretty simple. It totally depends on the physical
build of the players. Is the guard a good point
of attack defender with size who can switch on to wings.
Is the center a legit rim protector, but one that
can also switch onto guards and slide his feet and
guard in space. If so, I want the guard in
(25:08):
the big and the reason why is they are more versatile.
A guard center duo can attack and defend in multiple ways.
On offense, they can run pick and roll, they can
run pick and pop, but they can also match up
Hunt with size and quickness. Right Like Chet in the
long run will be able to beat switches by just
(25:29):
shooting over the top and using his size. Shay gets
a big on a switch, he's gonna be able to
drive off of him or score with his like kind
of step back mid range game. Right. So like a
guard center combo can attack in traditional pick and roll,
traditional pick and pop, and in switch situations attack matchups right.
On defense, you can run a deep drop coverage right,
(25:50):
you can keep Chet holmgun buy the rim and a
drop right. You can play aggressive comfort coverages with him
using his length, and you can switch. You can have
Chet guard a guard on the Perimeter's got the length
and quickness to kind of handle that sort of thing, right, Like,
if you've got a guard that is also big enough
to switch onto forwards, into guard in space, and to
(26:11):
guard in the post and things along those lines. That
is the versatility element that comes from a guard center combo.
If you have wings, they're just a little bit more
focused in what they can do right right, Like they're
always going to be a switching look on defense. Can't
run a drop coverage with a forward. They're just not
tall enough to bother lob passes, right, So like you're
gonna be you're gonna be switching almost exclusively with that
(26:33):
type of kind of construction. And for the record, that's
what the Celtics do a lot of switching. And then
they run drop with chrisops porzingis right, who's their rim protector,
kind of fitting the mold of this question right. And
then on the on the offensive end of the floor,
if you don't have a versatile offensive center, then scoring
and pick and roll is harder. Just asking just just
(26:54):
just take a look at that Dallas Minnesota series, right,
like you've got you've got Rudy Gobert setting screens and
rolling into the lane. It's an issue, right, It's hard
to score that way. And so basically, like if you
have a four type of setup where you just have
a couple of scoring forwards, they're primarily gonna be hunting matchups.
(27:14):
It's uniquely Chet's ability, or let's just say a star
center's ability to function in multiple different ways offensively to
be a dribble handoff Fulkrum, to be a pick and
pop guy, to be a pick and roll guy, to
be a guy who can be a vertical spacer in
the dunker spot, like that dunk he had in Game
six that put the put the Thunder up one before
the final possession, just him sitting under the basket and
(27:36):
just being a release valve for a quick little lob
pass for a dunk. Like There's just a lot of
different ways that those guys can look to attack on
offense and on defense. You can run drop, you can
run aggressive coverages, you can switch, and so again, like
the guard center duo just has more versatility in the
(27:56):
way that they can play on both ends of the floor.
That said, it has to do with the physical build,
because if the guard center duo involves some limitations, then
it doesn't function as well. Right. Let's take Trey Young
and Anthony Davis for instance. This is a trade that
has been proposed a lot over the course of the
last few months involving the Lakers and the Hawks. It's
a trade I do not want to see. The main
(28:18):
reason why is that's a small guard who cannot defend
in multiple different ways in a big and Anthony Davis
that can't shoot. So now most of those advantages that
I just discussed don't exist. Your optionality on defense is
not there. You pretty much have to either hide Tray
somewhere or ask him to chase over the top of screens.
(28:39):
You can't get away with a ton of switching with
Trey Young on the floor, right, So like your optionality
goes away. So it's a complicated question. If I had
to pick between a big guard who is versaal and
can defend multiple ways and a seven foot rim protector
that has guard skills, then I want that over two wings.
But if it's a tiny guard and just a rim
(29:01):
protector that doesn't have a ton of versatility, then obviously
I'd take the forwards. And that's why these kinds of
conversations are always difficult, because it really has to do
with just how good are you at basketball overall? Because
you know, that sort of thing kind of complicates this questions,
these questions. But foundationally, give me a versaal guard and
a versaonal center just because I have more different, more
coverage options on both ends of the four. Next question,
(29:23):
why didn't the Thunder trade for KD They have the picks.
I think the fit on defense would be awesome, as
he can give them the length and maybe the rebounding
that they need. And offensively he fits everywhere also would
be a great story. And if he helps okay so
you get a title, he can kind of redeem his
whole career. It's just about the timelines. Kd's going to
be thirty six by the start of training camp, and
like you're looking for sustainable success. If you're Oklahoma City,
(29:46):
like you trade for KD, You're the title favorite next year,
no doubt, But any sort of injury disrupts that. Now
Kd's thirty seven the following season, Like you're Sam Presty
and those guys are going to be looking for sustainable success.
It's like the it's kind of like what we've heard
out of Denver. It's like they're more interested in winning
three titles in five years than one title next year.
(30:07):
Does that make sense? And so I think as much
as Katie is a perfect fit, they got to look
for somebody that matches their timeline better. Also, the Suns
would want win now pieces, not picks. Okoloma City has
more to offer in the way of picks. It just
isn't a really good trade partnership in that regard. Next question,
what about Denver getting to Dyron Holmes. Well, this is
(30:30):
going to be our third draft evaluation here in the show,
or fourth, I should say. It's just clear that Denver
is trying to find a long term option at backup center.
Daron Olmes is considered undersized for an NBA center. He's
only six foot eight and three quarters without shoes, but
he does have a longer wingspan and a higher standing
reach than Zeke Naji, so he's a bigger frame than
what they had at backup center last year. Obviously, I
(30:52):
don't think DeAndre Jordan is an option either. Obviously I
covered him with the Lakers, and yeah, his moments with Denver,
but all of you guys who are fans know exactly
what DeAndre Jordan is. He's a locker room guy, right.
But what I like about de Ron Holmes is he's
a prototypical five out big, especially on the offensive end
of the fourdy He's one of the best role men
in the country last year. He can roll hard and
(31:13):
finish lobs above the rim. He can short roll out
of traps, and he can pass pretty well out of
those situations and he kind of demonstrated a little bit
of a pick and pop game last year for Dayton.
He's a really quick decision maker and ball mover. This
is one of my favorite things about a center who
plays in a five out system. You've got to be
able to quickly flow into the next action. And one
(31:33):
of the things I like about de Ron Holmes is
when he catches on the perimeter, he makes quick decisions.
If he doesn't see something that he likes as a
shot attempt or as a role attempt, he's just going
to quickly either make it out, let pass and go
set the next screen, or flow into a dribble handoff.
Like you'll watch these possessions where you'll see Darren Holmes
set five ball screens and he's just like flowing into
the next one, gets it, flows into the next one,
(31:55):
rescreen rescreen, like the dude is just a super active
set in five out that greases the wheels in the
sense that he just flows into the next action. And
as we know, in five out, ball reversal is vitally
important getting the defense to switch sides, and the only
way you're gonna do that is if you have a
big that can quickly flow into actions on both ends
(32:16):
of the floor. I just think he's gonna be a
really natural offensive fit with Jamal Murray, a really nice
ball screen partner. And we think about those bench units
when Yo kich is off the floor. Especially in the playoffs,
it's been mostly Aaron Gordon at center, and they're probably
still gonna do that when they get into the postseason
next year. But in the regular season last year, it
was a lot of Zeke Nagy, Right. This gives you
(32:38):
kind of like more of a traditional center type of
option to run with Jamal Murray in those situations, so
that Jamal can kind of run a similar style of
offense to what he runs with Nikola jokicch and the
sense that there's gonna be flow, he's gonna be coming
off of dribbil handoffs. He's gonna have an option to
throw in the short role that can make quick decisions,
a guy who can hit picking pop threes. Again, Like
(32:59):
the main issue with him as size, and that's what
everyone's gonna be talking about as a negative, like will
he be able to defend and rebound at the NBA level.
But the Nuggets don't need him to become a starter.
They just need him to be able to play when
Nikola Jokic is off the floor, right, So like that's
an advantage Denver can give him an achievable role in
(33:20):
the way that if you were drafting him as a
foundational piece to be your starting center, then those concerns
about defensive rebounding and size in general become an issue.
But like I like this move for Denver. If you
look at the center market, it just isn't great this
summer in terms of free agency, So the draft was
just a great place to look for discounted options. Holmes
(33:41):
was actually one of the guys that I had my
eye on for the Lakers at seventeen because they also
need a better option at backup center. So I really
like this pick up for Denver as a discount just
a functional five out big that can set screens and
roll and pop and at least try on the defensive
end of the floor to do an effective job in
those bench units for Denver. Next question, what do you
(34:04):
think about the Washington Portland trade. I view it as
a pretty weird move by the Wizards, especially after a
big leap season from Avidya, which still has a lot
of upside. I was surprised too. Denny was already tied
up on an extension that has descending numbers, So like
in the year twenty twenty eight, Denny Avdy is going
to be making less than twelve million dollars, and I'm
(34:24):
pretty sure that's after the new TV deal kicks in.
So that's like, a, that's pretty crazy. I figured Dave
trade Kyle Kuzma. He has more trade value around the league.
Excuse me, he has more trade value around the league,
and he's on a more expensive deal, so you could
get more back in terms of trade return. And maybe
they still will trade Kuzma, So we'll see in the
long run. But I just looked at it as like
(34:46):
an asset accumulation move, Like they clearly did not view
Avdia as a foundational piece, otherwise you would have kept him. Right,
They got the fourteenth pick in this draft, which they
used on bub Carrington, who's got a big kind of
scoring guard. Right, they got a future first round draft
pick out of it, and the Malcolm Brogden, who they
might be able to flip for even more draft compensation
this summer. Right, so like they're just trying to start
(35:07):
their rebuild, Right, I should say, restart their rebuild right
like they took Alex Sar at number two. You're going
all in on youth. If you have a guy in
the rebuild that doesn't fit your timeline or doesn't fit
the build that you're going for, you got to move
in for compensation. That's what they did with Avdya as
far as Portland goes. From what I understand, it was
just a move about saving money because apparently they're in
the luxury tax Yeah, you heard that right. The Blazers
(35:29):
are a luxury tax team right now. Before the deal,
they had four players on the books for next season,
combining to make one hundred and twelve million dollars in trading.
Malcolm Brogden helps them relieve some of that. Next question,
(35:58):
what makes you think JJ's going to run five? That
isn't Darvin's team anymore. JJ Redick's offensive pilosophy is five out.
It's also the setup that most benefits this roster. The
stretch that they had in the second half of the
season was the best offensive basketball the Lakers have played
in the Lebron era. It's just what makes the most
sense given their personnel. I think JJ's gonna add complications
(36:19):
and make it even better. I think he's gonna help
them get it to the next level. And then the
Lakers do not have a movement shooter, and so bringing
Dalton Connect into that situation is a huge value in
five out. When you have these bigs running these dribble
handoffs and ball screens, having a guy that can fly
off of that and if you're not attached, can shoot.
That forces the screen defender to actually show on Dalton
(36:39):
Connect as he's coming off of those actions. That's what
opens up roles and slips for Anthony Davis and Lebron James.
That's a dynamic in the offense that wasn't there last year.
So JJ is a five out coach, it's the perfect
fit for this roster. And with him just kind of
adding complications. In the addition of Dalton Connect, I just
expect a better version of the Laker off heading into
(37:00):
next year. Why do you talk about Julius Randall as
if he's just some sort of ancillary piece and not
a two time All NBA player that is a key
cog on this team. I have a ton of respect
for Julius Randall. I think he is a player that's
a little bit underrated in terms of what his ceiling is,
as we've seen him make all NBA teams before. It
has a couple It has to do with a couple
of things. One, injury history has just been consistently unavailable
(37:22):
and as a result unavailable and or playing injured, which
has led to poor results. That's been part of it.
And then two it's I don't think it's the right
type of fit with this offense. The Knicks, I think
are going to be a pretty active five out team
next year with a lot of ball in player movement.
Julius Randall is a ball stopper. In order to play
in five out you have to be able to read
and react and make quick decisions, and those are not
(37:44):
strengths for Randalls. So it's not about whether or not
Randall's good enough to be your second or third best
player on a championship team. It has everything to do
with whether or not he's the appropriate use of resources
for this team, because he does make a lot of money.
Because you do need to get a player that can
play alongside McHale, bridges In Jalen Brunson and Dante Devincenzo
(38:05):
and og And andob and So here's the thing. You
just look at the trade market. And by the way,
I in my breakdown talked about what it would look
like if Randall stays. Randal stays, I'd probably take Dante
Devincenzo to the bench and play mckal bridges at the two.
I'm a big believer in like play your best players,
So like I'd play Brunson, Bridges og Randall. You know,
(38:26):
just just go all in your on your talent. If
you do that, you have a small ball look for
the Celtics where you can play Devincenzo at the two
and play Bridges, An andob and Randall at the three
four five. Like there's a version of this that works
with Randall. My thing is I would just I would
pruise the market. I'd pruise the market, and I would
just look to see what you can get for Randall,
because if you can get quality pieces or assets back
(38:49):
that fit the actual motion of the team better, then
that makes sense to me. Or like, like, let's say,
for instance, from a money standpoint, what if you have
the ability to withstand a lot long term deal for
Isaiah Hartenstein by virtue of getting rid of Randall. I'd
rather have Hartenstein at the five alongside Anonobe, Bridges, Devincenzo,
and Brunson than have Randall on the team, but lose
(39:12):
Isaiah Hartenstein a free agency right. So like they just
got to figure out what makes the most sense in
terms of what Randall's value is this summer. But at
the end of the day, I just view him as
a little bit of a clunky fit, even if I
do respect him as a player, and so I would
at least be exploring options to make better use of
his salary slot. Next question, my buddies were having an
(39:33):
argument on whether or not Caruso should start over Dort.
I'm of the belief that Dort would be better in
their driving kick offense than Cruso, but Cruso on some
nights might be on the floor and closing lineups over
Dort because of his knack to make winning plays. Also,
my buddy feels like Chet is best with this group
at the five, but I feel like they should look
at him at the four. What are your thoughts couple things.
(39:53):
Let's start with Chet as far as whether or not
he plays the four or the five. It all just
depends on what kind of player. Like if you're getting
Isaiah Hartenstein at the center. I like that alongside Chet
at the four because Isaiah Hartenstein is just a complete
just just a pain in the ass on the glass right,
which would address a specific need for Oklahoma City. He's
a great five out, big, great dribble handoff folkram who
(40:14):
can score on the roll and is a great offensive rebounder,
also a great passer out of those situations. Love the
fit there. Chet is a shoe in obvious fit at
the four. If that's the case, I like Chet at
the five if you can get him a big power forward,
Like if you got a Jeremy Grant at that position.
I like Jeremy Grant Chet home grind four to five.
(40:34):
It all just depends on the type of player you
can get. I don't want Chet at the four next
to a bad center, and I don't want Shed at
the five next to a bad power forward. It just
depends on what kind of player that you can get.
As far as Cruso and Dort, they're two very different
types of players. Dort is like a more confident shooter
and a guy that has a little bit more offensive upside,
but Cruso is a higher floor offensive player. He is
a better decision maker. He's not going to hijack as
(40:55):
many possessions, really active off ball as a screener and
a cutter watching him play on offense alongside Lebron James
as a as a result of that kind of thing,
I think defensively, he's a different type of player. I
think Cruso is probably a better defensive player in terms
of the overall number of guys he can guard. But Dort,
I think is better for the bigger forwards, which is
(41:17):
especially valuable in the later rounds of the playoffs when
you run into your Lucas and your Tatum's and your
Lebron's and your Kds and your Kawhi Leonards and just
those all these huge forwards that we have in the league. So,
like Dort, in all in all likelihood, it's it's just
it's just optionality, right, Like there will be games where
you close with jub Shay, Dort, Crusoe and Chet. There
(41:39):
will be games where you close with Cruso in for
Dort and with another big on the floor. There will
be games where Cruso doesn't close, right, So like it's
all about optional. Optionality is a good thing. You have
the ability to tweak your approach based on your opponent,
And so again you can't have enough. You can't have
too many good basketball players, right and Cruso is just
another really good basketball player. And again you turn the
(41:59):
players didn't fit in your team and giddy into a
player and cruise so that you're gonna be able to
play one way or another. It is just a question
of how often. Next question, with the Knicks acquiring McHale Bridges,
do you now have them as the second best team
in the East. If so, who would you have as
your top four teams in these absolutely would have the
Knicks at number two right now. I think Milwaukee and
Philly will end up being the three and four, and
(42:20):
both of those teams are capable of passing the Knicks
for me at number two. But it's just so much
as up in the air with them. I have no
idea what Philly's roster is going to look like next year,
and I have no idea what Milwaukee's roster is going
to look like next year. Philly damn near has a
clean cap sheet, and Milwaukee is probably going to look
to make several trades this summer. So like, I just
don't know what those teams are gonna look like I
(42:41):
also think Orlando could crack into that mix this year,
especially if they get some more off ball shooting. Like
the East is gonna be tougher next year and certainly
more deep with talent. But I think at this point,
given what we know for sure, I think the Knicks
are clearly the second best team in the league. Did
you watch the JJ Reddick press conference. I think he
showed that he has the right mentality about taking the
(43:01):
job and knows what he's getting into and still seemed
very confident. His answers in Chrismo were very impressive. In
my opinion, I think he'll be able to connect with
the players. Well, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Everyone
knew JJ was gonna n aile the press conference. I
liked the JJ higher, but the press conference for me
wasn't going to be a major swing factor in that regard.
Is just he's a professional. He's ammediate professional. Like it's
(43:22):
just like he's good at being in front of camera
and communicating his thoughts. And the thing that stood out
to me like his attitude came through in a big way,
which is like we see JJ Reddick as the media professional,
but we forget he was a basketball asshole. And that's
a good thing in my opinion, right, Like, that's the competitiveness, right,
Like that's the best kind of guy that you want,
(43:45):
is the guy that, like, when it's go time is
a motherfucker, and then when it's off the court is
a nice guy. Right, And like that's the kind of
like competitive energy that you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
You don't want him to grade on people behind the scenes,
but you need him to be in the trenches warrior,
right like it. And so that's kind of what I'm
hoping for from JJ is the ability to do both,
the ability to be diplomatic, the ability to be an asshole.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
Right.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
And if you can do both, that's what gives you
the ability to kind of like pick your spots of
when to be hard and when to not. To identify
different personality types, like, oh, this guy needs positive reinforcement,
this guy needs negative reinforcement. As a basketball player, I
needed negative reinforcement. I needed a guy. I needed my
coaches to name call and tell me to stop being
(44:30):
a bitch and to do that sort of that sort
of thing resonated with me better. But I had teammates
that like needed more coddling, that needed more positive reinforcement, right,
and so like it just it's that's the type of
personality dynamic that JJ is gonna have to to figure out.
And I actually think he's got the ability to do both.
Like he can do the good cop bad cop thing,
and he can bring that competitive energy. I think, Like
(44:53):
I think the attitude about when he got asked the
question about when he got asked the question where he
basically said, like, I don't give a when he was
talking about what people think, Like, I think that energy
will serve him well because this is a job that's
gonna come with a lot of criticism, this is a
job that's gonna come with a lot of negative energy online,
and there's gonna be a certain amount of mental toughness
that he's gonna have to show. But did the press
(45:14):
conference surprise me in anyway? No, JJ's a professional. But
I just I loved it. We got to see a
little bit of his nasty side because I think that's
gonna be a significant part of what makes him a
good coach. All Right, we have three non basketball things
before we get out of here. Jason, I'm listening to
basketball content. I don't want spoilers for an episode I
haven't seen yet. That's not cool. I am sincerely sorry.
In our we did a mail bag, not a mail bag.
(45:37):
I had a comment about the Acolyte the other day
and I kind of spoiled what happens in the first
couple of minutes of the show, and I should not
have done that. That was a mistake. I am so sorry.
Second one, comments about my nose. There were like twenty
or thirty of you guys who asked what happened to
my nose? I had that scratch on it. Those of
you who guessed basketball were correct. I was high pointing
(45:57):
a rebound and a guard tried to like swipe up
at the basketball as I was coming down with it
and like just missed everything, and like it was weird,
like just straight up came across the tip of my
nose with his fingernail, so like I didn't bust my
nose or anything, but I just had this like really
clean cut, which was super bizarre, like immediately started bleeding
and everything. I obviously was super annoyed, but it is
(46:20):
what it is. It's part of the game. I'm actually
I was actually thinking about it. I am shocked that
that hasn't happened to me more often since I started
doing this, Cause, like I've been doing this on camera
every day for two and a half years, and this
is the first time I've had like a significant, like
obvious face injury, right, And like it's not the first
time it's happened to be playing basketball. I've got busted
(46:42):
in the nose a bunch of times. I've had cuts
and scratches, And I remember when I was just before
I started playing in college. I was playing pickup at
the University of Arizona one time, and this guy tried
to take a charge on me at half court. Like
I made a move in the open floor, running full speed,
and the dude's slid in front of me and fell
down and I ran into his head, and I had
(47:03):
like an inch long Harry Potter scar which I still
have right here, that goes up my forehead literally split open.
He was bleeding. Ever, it was actually kind of funny
because the kid who did it was a med student.
So like suddenly as soon as I am like laying
on the ground bleeding everywhere, the guy like started taking
care of me as if he was a medical professional,
and it was so funny because he was doing he
(47:23):
was super nice and he was doing all the right
things and he was just trying to take care of me.
But at the same time, I'm like, you just took
a charge on me in a pickup game at half court.
Now my forehead's busted. I was just I was so
damn annoyed. But it's part of the game. Like I
played basketball competitively four or five times a week, and
so it's not the first time or it is. It's
not the first time I've had a scratch on my
(47:45):
face or some sort of laceration from basketball, and it
probably won't be the last. And thankful that it hasn't
happened too many times since I got started with the volume.
Last question, Hey, Jason, loved the show. Wanted to start
watching Star Wars, but I don't know where to start.
Do you have any ideas? And again, before I get
into this, I wanted to remind you guys, I do
have a podcast where I cover TV shows and movies.
(48:07):
Right now, I'm covering House of the Dragon as well
as The Acolyte. I do it with my buddy Luke,
who's my best friend. We do it right here in
this studio. Very different vibe than Hoops Tonight, but it's
another format that I use. This is the name of
the show. It's called Two Sons as spelled exactly as
it sounds. You can find it on YouTube as well
as on your podcast feeds wherever you get your podcasts.
(48:29):
We do pretty much like bi weekly content on that account.
You guys can check that out there. But no secret,
I'm a diehard Star Wars fan, and if you were
starting from scratch with Star Wars, I'd start with the
movies and I do them in order because I think
that would make the most sense. So I'd watch Phantom Menace,
(48:49):
Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, then a
New Hope, Empire strikes Back, Return of the Jedi. The
sequel trilogy sucks, but you gotta watch it, just by
virtue of just being aware of what happened after that.
Clone Wars and Rebels are really really good. Those are two.
There are two cartoons that are on Disney Plus. But
don't let the cartoon thing fool you. They are like deep, deep,
(49:11):
deep Star Wars content. There's a little bit of like
a childish element that you'll run into on occasional episodes,
but the majority of it is really good. Rebels in
particular was just an awesome, awesome show. All the Disney
Plus content is good. Mandalorian Kenobi was good, Ahsoka the Acolyte,
and then books if you're into the book side of it,
Darth Baine books are really good. The Darth Plagis book
(49:34):
is really good. The Throng books are some of my favorites.
They're getting into thrown in the Ahsoka TV series that
would be a good one. And then if you had
the High Republic, a series I'm struggling with right now
because it's a little bit weird, but that is some
stuff that helps set up the world for the Acolytes,
so it might be worth checking out. But that's just
like an initial kind of list if you're looking to
get into Star Wars. But again, those of you guys
(49:55):
who are already fans, don't forget I had that other
podcast for where we break that sort of thing down.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
All right.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
That is all I have for today is always sincerely
appreciate you guys for supporting me and supporting the show,
for taking the rest of the weekend off, and we
will be back on Monday. For the start of free agency,
and I will see you guys.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
Then the volume
The volume.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Get ready for a night full of big fights and
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co slash MMA. All right, welcome to hoops tonight here
(01:47):
at the volume heavy Friday. Everybody, hope all if you
guys are having a great end to your week, well
as promise, we're gonna get deeper into the NBA Draft
today and we're just gonna do it mailbag style. I
had planned on doing a mailbag at the end of
this week anyway, and so many of you guys had
so much, so many questions related to the draft and
some of the trades that took place around the draft,
that I figured we'll just use that as the format
(02:08):
for today's show. So the main guys from the draft
that we're gonna be hitting today obviously Bronny Broughny to
the Lakers' biggest story in the league today, so we're
gonna be hitting that. Baylor Shireman to Boston, this was
a pick at the tail end of the first round
that we didn't have a chance to hit yesterday. Ryan
Dunn to the Phoenix Suns is another pick we're gonna
be taking a look at. And then day Ron Holmes
to the Denver Nuggets in their pursuit of finding a
(02:30):
backup center for Nicole Joki. So those are the main
draft prospects we're gonna hit today. But we're also gonna
bounce around the league with a bunch of your guys's
mail bag questions. So tons and tons of stuff to
get into. You guys know the drive before we get started.
Subscribe to the Hoops Tonight YouTube channels. You don't miss
any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at
underscore json LTS, you guys don't miss you announcements, don't
forget about our podcast feed wherever you get your podcast
(02:51):
under Hoops Tonight, and then keep dropping mail bag questions
in the YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them
throughout the rest of the summer. And I sincerely appreciate
you all of you guys for participating in the We
had tons of questions to choose from. Obviously can't get
to all of them, but we're gonna get to a
bunch of them today. All Right, let's talk some basketball.
So we're gonna start with Bronnie our first mail bag question. Hey, Jason,
(03:12):
I appreciate the way you break down the game. Do
you think Bronni can meaningfully contribute to the Lakers this season?
Forget the fact that he is Lebron's son. Isn't Bronnie
the type of archetype that the Lakers are looking for.
He's an athletic guard who can defend on the perimeter
and has the potential to be a really good spot
up shooter and close out attacker. So rather than diving
(03:34):
right into his fit with the Lakers, I want to
kind of hit the story as a whole first, and
then we will get into that question, because that is true,
his archetype is exactly what the Lakers need. But the
question is whether or not Bronni is actually that type
of player at an NBA level at this point, which
is what we're gonna get into. So first of all,
the story is going to be centered around nepotism, right.
That's the main kind of point of contention in the
(03:57):
media space today and among all basketball fans today. And
I think it's unfair that it's even a topic, to
be honest with you, because this is just a thing
that is rampant around the league. As Adrian Woljnowski pointed
out yesterday on ESPN, he said, quote people talking about nepotism.
The NBA is full of nepotism, the ownership level, the
front offices, coaching. I don't want to hear about it
(04:20):
all of a sudden because Brownie James's father plays for
the Lakers. It is rampant in this league. And this
is something that I've personally learned just in my time
covering the league. There are many people that I talk
to around the league where I hear about this front
office has this guy that's in this major role, This
coaching staff has this guy that's in this major role.
We've all made fun of or had moments where we've
(04:41):
gotten some humor out of watching fanasas Antennakoumpo playing for
the Milwaukee Bucks. It is rampant. So if you're like
suddenly upset about it now, then it clearly has something
to do with the way you feel about Lebron, which
is a whole other topic, right that I don't have
any interest in getting into. So the nepotism thing just
it just doesn't matter to me. And then also just
(05:03):
to be honest, and this is something that this is
something that I try to generally do when I'm confronting
these types of situations, I try to just put myself
in that type of person's shoes. So like, for instance,
if I had a child, and I had the capability
to present my child with an opportunity that would give
them a better chance of success, even if it wasn't
necessarily the most fair thing in the world, would I
(05:26):
say no, Would I not give my kid that opportunity
out of some vain pursuit of fairness, or would I
try to take care of my kid? And I don't
have children yet, but like I have a feeling that
if I have that capability, if I have the ability
to give my child opportunities, I'm going to try to
write and I certainly, certainly am not going to be
(05:49):
critical of a parent for trying to give their children opportunities.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Like if the.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Discussion of whether or not it's fair totally different. That's
a totally different discussion fair and nepotism is whether it's
too rampant in our society. That is entirely different. However,
it is rampant and in our society, And I personally am
not gonna judge a parent for doing something like that
when I can't definitively say that I wouldn't do the
(06:15):
same thing if I was in that position. So just
put yourself in that headspace. Chances are you do anything
you can to help your kid. And that's exactly what
lebron James did. Right. So, now that we can move
back past the basic fact that, yes, Brownie James benefited
from nepotism. Yes, it's rampant throughout the league, and no,
none of us could actually say we wouldn't do the
same if we were in that position. Now, let's talk
(06:37):
about the basketball side of it. Bronnie is a lot
better than his numbers at USC would lead you to belief. Right,
he was shortly removed from heart surgery. Anytime you go
an extended amount of time not playing basketball and then
try to get back into playing basketball, there is a
ramp up phase. Any of you guys who have dealt
with an injury have felt this before. I personally, I
(07:01):
broke my foot in my in between my first and
second season playing in college, and I had to take
a couple of months off. I came back in the
first half of the season in non conference play, I
literally was so bad. My coach removed me from the
starting lineup and had like sit down meetings with me
about what was going on with my production. And I
was one of two full ride scholarships on that particular team,
(07:23):
so I just wasn't living up to what the investment
was from the coaching staff, and it was totally fair criticism.
And then in the second half of the season, I
played well enough to be an All conference selection. So like,
I was two completely different players, because when I came
back from that foot injury, I was just so distant
from the game even though I was there, even though
I was like back healthy, it took me forever just
(07:44):
to like get back up to basketball speed to even
look like myself. I was two completely different players. Several
months apart just because of that turnaround, and this what
Bronni went through beyond forget about just being disconnected from
the game, talk about the trauma and everything that comes
from that horrific situation that happened to him, But most importantly,
(08:06):
he was away from the game for a while, and
so stepping into Division one PAC twelve basketball from being
disconnected from the game like that is a challenge. So
I do believe that Bronni is a much better player
than what his numbers would have led you to believe
at USC. That said, I also don't think he's ready
to play in the NBA yet, right, And that's the
(08:26):
important kind of like sub context to the question. Right, Yes,
his archetype is exactly what the Lakers need, a super
athletic guard who can defend at the point of attack
and knock down threes and attack closeouts and all that
sort of stuff, Right, But he's too far away from
being able to do that at the level. He needs
to be a rotation player on a good NBA team,
(08:48):
and that's what the Lakers are. Yes, they are a
team that's perennially been in the play in but the
last year they made it to the two years ago
they made it to the conference finals. Last year they
have forty six to forty sive wins, but they were
every bit as good as the teams in the middle
of the pack in the West. That more has to
do with just how deep the West is with talent.
The Lakers are a good NBA team, and Bronnie is
(09:09):
not ready to be a rotation player on a good
NBA team, right, So the truth of the matter is
this is a developmental opportunity for Bronnie. This is just
an opportunity for him to learn how to play potentially
NBA basketball and to see if he's capable of it. Right.
I'm not sure if he's gonna get a roster spot
or if he's gonna get a two way spot, but
(09:29):
chances are the majority of his on court reps over
the next few years will either be in g league
games or in garbage time of NBA games, Like if
the Lakers actually need a young guy to play point
of attack defense and play off the ball offensively this year,
in meaningful minutes, it's gonna be Max Christie. It's not
(09:50):
gonna be Bronnie James. So this is he's not just
gonna get jammed into meaningful NBA basketball. If he does,
Bronnie ends up playing meaningful minutes this year and he
doesn't deserve it in the rotation, then we will have
a different conversation and I will come on the show
and talk about how this is now becoming a problem
(10:10):
because the nepotism is extending into affecting the Lakers' ability
to win basketball games. But that is not where I
expect this to go. I think he'll be in the
G league, and I think he'll play in garbage time
in the NBA. And if he does play meaningful minutes,
it will mean that we all were way off in
our evaluation of Bronnie and he's better at this point
than we expect it. I don't expect that to be
(10:32):
the case, but if we do see Bronnie play meaningful minutes,
it will be because he got better at basketball. But
the truth is he's gonna have to learn on the fly,
and he's gonna have a few years to do it.
And if he can convert his considerable athletic gifts into
a functional NBA role player, then he'll stay in the league.
And if he can't, and three years go by and
it's clear that he's still really far away. Then he'll
(10:54):
go play overseas or stay in the G League for
a while, or he'll retire and do something different. He's
gonna get his opportunity, right, And that's the thing. That's
what I mean when I say it's a developmental opportunity,
Like his opportunity has been gift wrapped for him, but
he's not gonna get real NBA minutes unless he earns it.
So I don't have any problem with it at all whatsoever.
(11:15):
Obviously it's cool that Lebron gets to play with his kid.
You'd be lying if you didn't say you were gonna
watch and see what happens. Like he's the first Summer
League game. It is gonna be him in Dalton connect
playing against Houston and Reed Shepard and like we're all
gonna be watching, right and so like it's interesting. I
don't have any problem with it. If you have a
(11:36):
problem with it, then you've conveniently looked the other way
with every other example of nepotism in the NBA over
the last forever. So it is what it is. It's
a developmental opportunity for Brownie. We're gonna find out if
he's an NBA player over the next few years within
the Lakers organization. Next question, wish you discussed the Celtics
selection of Baylor Shireman. Baylor seems to be one of
(11:58):
the more pro ready guys in the draft and fits
the current mold of what teams are looking for. Thought
that was a great pick. Well, you're right, we didn't
get a chance to hit him yesterday, so why don't
we hit him today. So here's my little quick scout
on Baylor shire Man. He's sixty six movement shooter, lefty
out of Creighton. His jump shooting numbers from last year
really good. Thirty nine percent on jumpers overall, thirty nine
(12:18):
percent on catch and shoot jumpers, twenty six percent when
he was guarded in forty nine percent when he was unguarded.
That wasn't surprising to me on tape because he's a
little bit of a ground bound shooter, a little bit
of a set shooter with a low release point, so
that means he needs more separation to get clean looks.
He was thirty nine percent on pull up jump shots,
hit a lot of pull up threes as well, so
(12:39):
he was up over a point per shot. Attempt He
was actually pretty successful on the ball at Creighton. He
shot fifty nine percent field goals fifty nine percent as
the shooter in ball screens overall, in ball screens including passes,
he was ninety eight percent tile in efficiency one point
three to three points per possession including passes. Albeit lowvall.
(12:59):
He was only one hundred and forty reps all season long,
so he was more of like a guy who's flying
off the screens off ball, but he did have some
on ball reps in ball screens. Not an ISO guy.
He only ran sixteen ISOs all season, But as we know,
within Boston's offense, he's not going to be used on
the ball. What I think of him as within Boston,
within the context of Boston's offense, is just a movement shooter,
(13:21):
and he was a good movement shooter. Last year. He
shot forty two percent coming off of screens. That was
fifty five percent in effective field goal percentage when you
weigh it for threes. Movement shooting in particular is very
valuable within the context of Boston's offense. And the reason
why is that's usually where you hide your weakest defender,
right you hide your weakest defender typically on a movement
(13:42):
shooter because they're not going to do as much stuff
on the ball, and asking a guy just to chase
and stay glued up to a shooter is probably the
easiest defensive responsibility among all of the many different things
that you can do at the NBA level. Aside from
guarding a complete non threat offensively, guarding a movement shooter
is the next easiest responsibility, right. So, like, that's where
(14:02):
you tuck your weakest defender, right, So if you're tucking
your weakest defender on, let's say Baylor Sirenman and you're
Jason Tatum, or're Jalen Brown, or you're Derek White, you're
trying to bring that weakest defender into the action. We
saw this a lot in the finals when the the
the Mavericks put when they put Luka Doncic onto Sam
Houser right, and we saw lots of spamming Jalen Brown
(14:26):
sam Houser two man game where Howser comes at the
screen and Luca would end up switched on to Jalen
Brown and then Jalen Brown would get downhill. And one
of the reasons why that works is Sam Houser is
a movement shooter, and so if Luca throws a hedge,
then Houser can slip out of it and shoot a three.
In Dallas, because Luca was so slow footed, they didn't
(14:48):
have him hedge very much. They would just switch, and
so as a result, that ended up with Luca on
Jalen Brown or on Jason Tatum so much he'd give
up dribble penetration and then their defense would fall apart.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
So, like, in order to punish a team for throwing
a hedge, or to force a team to switch an
action like that, the guy has to be able to
quickly slip out of the screen and knock down three
point shots.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
That's the thing. If Sam Hauser was not a good
movement shooter, then what Dallas would have done is either
blitzed those ball screens or had Luca throw a hard
hedge to cut off the driving lane and then recover
to Hauser. They could not do that because if they did,
they'd be giving wide open threes to Sam Hauser. That's
(15:31):
what I like about the concept of a movement shooter
within their offense. Right, teams are gonna tuck a weak
defender on Baylor Shiremen then the Celtics can bring that
defender into the action. They'll have no choice but to
either hedge or to switch. And if they hedge, you're
gonna be able to get Baylor wide open, catch and
shoot threes on the move. If they switch, then Jason
(15:53):
Tatum or Jaylen Brown can attack inferior individual defenders. That
is the thing. It's it's part of it's fastating because
it's clear that Brad Stevens has this like very clear
basketball philosophy, right, and this is something that I think
is important for a front office to have. You need
to have like a year over year consistent philosophy. It
tells me that you believe in something as a basketball mind.
(16:16):
And it's clear that Brad Stevens wants everybody to be
a threat. All eight rotation players for the Celtics last
year were a threat. Baylor Shireman is going to be
able to step onto an NBA floor immediately and take
advantage of the attention that the Jays get, the attention
that Derek White and Drew Holliday gets. He's going to
get clean looks. Really, it just comes down to what
(16:36):
he can do on the defensive end of the floor.
Can he follow the path of Peyton, Pritchard and Sam
Houser as lesser athletes who learn how to do well
enough defensively to be a functional player that can stay
on the floor. And I'd actually argue Pritchard and Howser
both did a good job last year on the defensive
end of the floor. Howser got multiple stops against Luca,
(16:57):
Pritchard got multiple stops against Kyrie. Those guys did great, right,
So the question is Cam Baylor shireman do that in
a similar way to what Pritchard and Houser did. But
I like it. It was just a It's a for
a late first round pick to get a guy that
can play rotation minutes in the NBA regular season and
just kind of be another functional piece of that Boston
five out attack. I really like the move.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
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Speaker 2 (18:20):
What do you make of Ryan Dune at twenty two
for Phoenix? His defensive tape is some of the best
I have ever seen. Dude looks like Draymond out there sometimes.
I had a lot of fun watching Ryan Dune this morning.
Unbelievable defensive prospect, has great tools, unbelievable ground coverage, which
is what we talked about a lot with Sam Vassini.
If you guys remember, like his ability just to get
(18:42):
from one part of the floor to the next is insane.
I was watching film of him this morning, multiple plays
one against Georgia Tech that I saw in one against
Duke where he blitzed a ball screen out like thirty
thirty five feet from the basket and then recovered. As
the blitz came, the guard made the over the top
pass to the short roll man. The short rollman came
(19:04):
down the lane and engaged the low man and dropped
it off to a cutter along the baseline. And on
both plays, Ryan Dunn literally came from the blitz thirty
thirty five feet away from the basket and recovered to
the rim to block the guy cutting along the baseline.
Imagine that like blitz, quick pass, over the top drop
off for a cutter, and he was throwing the blitz
(19:27):
and blocking the cutter at the rim multiple times in
my film session this morning. That is ground coverage. That
is the ability to be multiple places at once. He
has the ability to throw an aggressive coverage to force
a ball handler to get rid of the basketball and
be the same guy who cleans up the mess that
coverage produces on the back end. That is unbelievable defensive potential.
(19:52):
He had crazy closeouts. There's just play against wake Forest
where he got kind of caught. It was a cleared
corner on the right side and the shooter was kind
of relocating along the along the right wing and he
got caught a little bit high and the swing pass
was made and the offensive player caught it in the
corner and done was way up on the high side,
so there was an easy rip through move available. The
(20:15):
way forest player rips to the baseline and Ryan Dunn
closes out, chases him off the line, somehow manages to
funnel and push him behind the backboard. The player tries
to bully him back underneath the rim, Dune just swallows
it up and swats him out of there, like just
unbelievable ground coverage. He's a quick two foot jumper. He's
got great instincts to kind of snuff out plays. It
(20:36):
was just a lot of fun watching Ryan dun tape
this morning. But at this point he's a legitimately bad
offensive player. He was five for twenty seven on unguarded
jump shots last year. That's an issue. He was fifty
eight percent on layups. That's an issue for a player
as big as he is. He can't put the.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Ball on the floor.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
He can't make reads. So it's a developmental type of
move for Phoenix right that if you can turn Ryan
Dunn into a functional offensive player, then he suddenly becomes
a huge asset for you as someone who roots for
the Lakers. I can tell you have kind of had
a similar experience further along with Jared Vanderbilt. Right, like
Jared Vanderbilt when he's actually like healthy, is one of
(21:16):
the best perimeter defenders in the league, who's also an
excellent defensive rebounder, who also is an excellent help side defender.
He's this like Swiss army knife, do everything type of
athlete that can do so much, but it's just really
difficult to find a functional role for him. Two years
ago when they made the Western Conference Finals run, he
was such a bad corner three point shooter and he
(21:37):
kept getting those wide open corner threes that it became
an issue and the Lakers had to bench him. But
that was in a four out offense where he was
consistently spotting up beyond the three point line. Suddenly, in
the springtime this year, before Vanderbilt got hurt, the Lakers
actually managed to build a functional role for him as
a dribble, handoff and roll guy, kind of like as
a cutter. He was operating a lot more in movement
(21:59):
in the floor rather than standing still in the corner,
and he had a bunch of double figure scoring games
and became like legitimately a functional part of the Laker offense,
and that was when they were playing some of their
best basketball in that time period, Right, So, like, that's
what you've got to do with Ryan Dunn. You've just
got to find a way to make him useful offensively.
(22:21):
If you do, then he becomes this profoundly impactful player
because of what he can do on the defensive end
of the floor. But I just have a hard time
believing that within the short term they're gonna be able
to get enough out of him offensively for him to
be a guy who's like a significant rotation player for them.
But we will see, and Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and
Bradley be able to do bring in a lot of attention,
(22:42):
and so if there's anything in there for him in
terms of functional offensive ability, this is a situation where
he should be able to show that, But we will see.
I kind of view him as more of a long
term prospect for Phoenix. I'm gonna leave you, guys before
we go to the next question with this quote from
Sam Vassini. As you guys know, he's the guy that
I trust the most when it comes to the draft.
He said, quote, I cannot overemphasize Dunn's defensive level. He
(23:07):
is in the top tier among all wings I've evaluated
over the last decade and is on an All defense
candidate long term and is an all defense candidate long
term if his offense allows him to stay on the court.
I thought he was one of the two most disruptive
defenders in college basketball this season. That's quote from Sam Vassini.
By the way, guys, he's he's literally the best. Is
(23:31):
A draft guide that he has on the athletic is
unbelievably comprehensive as information on family background, tons of information
on strengths and weaknesses, extensive statistical history. It's just you
guys got to check it out. He also will bring
those guys on his show and go over tape on
his YouTube channel. Like I can't say enough about the
quality of Sam's content. You guys got to get over
(23:53):
there and check him out. Next question, this was an
interesting one. Which is the better foundation for a modern
NBA roster a star guard center combo like Chet and
Shake Kild justs Alexander or two star wings like Jalen
and Jason for starters. I don't want this to become
a debate about specific players. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum
(24:13):
at this point in their careers are a better duo
than shake Yieldess Alexander and chet Holmgren. They're older, they're
more experienced. They're just better basketball players right now. So
I'm not trying to make it an argument between those
two pairs.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Also, the Jays play alongside two thirty million dollar guards
and a thirty million dollar center, so they kind of
have that and the guard center combo, right, So, like
it's just not even remotely comparable. I don't even want
to get into that. So let's remove the names and
let's just talk about the gist of the question. Would
you rather have a guard center duo as a foundation
(24:46):
or a Ford ford duo as a foundation? And my
answer is pretty simple. It totally depends on the physical
build of the players. Is the guard a good point
of attack defender with size who can switch on to wings.
Is the center a legit rim protector, but one that
can also switch onto guards and slide his feet and
guard in space. If so, I want the guard in
(25:08):
the big and the reason why is they are more versatile.
A guard center duo can attack and defend in multiple ways.
On offense, they can run pick and roll, they can
run pick and pop, but they can also match up
Hunt with size and quickness. Right Like Chet in the
long run will be able to beat switches by just
(25:29):
shooting over the top and using his size. Shay gets
a big on a switch, he's gonna be able to
drive off of him or score with his like kind
of step back mid range game. Right. So like a
guard center combo can attack in traditional pick and roll,
traditional pick and pop, and in switch situations attack matchups right.
On defense, you can run a deep drop coverage right,
(25:50):
you can keep Chet holmgun buy the rim and a
drop right. You can play aggressive comfort coverages with him
using his length, and you can switch. You can have
Chet guard a guard on the Perimeter's got the length
and quickness to kind of handle that sort of thing, right, Like,
if you've got a guard that is also big enough
to switch onto forwards, into guard in space, and to
(26:11):
guard in the post and things along those lines. That
is the versatility element that comes from a guard center combo.
If you have wings, they're just a little bit more
focused in what they can do right right, Like they're
always going to be a switching look on defense. Can't
run a drop coverage with a forward. They're just not
tall enough to bother lob passes, right, So like you're
gonna be you're gonna be switching almost exclusively with that
(26:33):
type of kind of construction. And for the record, that's
what the Celtics do a lot of switching. And then
they run drop with chrisops porzingis right, who's their rim protector,
kind of fitting the mold of this question right. And
then on the on the offensive end of the floor,
if you don't have a versatile offensive center, then scoring
and pick and roll is harder. Just asking just just
(26:54):
just take a look at that Dallas Minnesota series, right,
like you've got you've got Rudy Gobert setting screens and
rolling into the lane. It's an issue, right, It's hard
to score that way. And so basically, like if you
have a four type of setup where you just have
a couple of scoring forwards, they're primarily gonna be hunting matchups.
(27:14):
It's uniquely Chet's ability, or let's just say a star
center's ability to function in multiple different ways offensively to
be a dribble handoff Fulkrum, to be a pick and
pop guy, to be a pick and roll guy, to
be a guy who can be a vertical spacer in
the dunker spot, like that dunk he had in Game
six that put the put the Thunder up one before
the final possession, just him sitting under the basket and
(27:36):
just being a release valve for a quick little lob
pass for a dunk. Like There's just a lot of
different ways that those guys can look to attack on
offense and on defense. You can run drop, you can
run aggressive coverages, you can switch, and so again, like
the guard center duo just has more versatility in the
(27:56):
way that they can play on both ends of the floor.
That said, it has to do with the physical build,
because if the guard center duo involves some limitations, then
it doesn't function as well. Right. Let's take Trey Young
and Anthony Davis for instance. This is a trade that
has been proposed a lot over the course of the
last few months involving the Lakers and the Hawks. It's
a trade I do not want to see. The main
(28:18):
reason why is that's a small guard who cannot defend
in multiple different ways in a big and Anthony Davis
that can't shoot. So now most of those advantages that
I just discussed don't exist. Your optionality on defense is
not there. You pretty much have to either hide Tray
somewhere or ask him to chase over the top of screens.
(28:39):
You can't get away with a ton of switching with
Trey Young on the floor, right, So like your optionality
goes away. So it's a complicated question. If I had
to pick between a big guard who is versaal and
can defend multiple ways and a seven foot rim protector
that has guard skills, then I want that over two wings.
But if it's a tiny guard and just a rim
(29:01):
protector that doesn't have a ton of versatility, then obviously
I'd take the forwards. And that's why these kinds of
conversations are always difficult, because it really has to do
with just how good are you at basketball overall? Because
you know, that sort of thing kind of complicates this questions,
these questions. But foundationally, give me a versaal guard and
a versaonal center just because I have more different, more
coverage options on both ends of the four. Next question,
(29:23):
why didn't the Thunder trade for KD They have the picks.
I think the fit on defense would be awesome, as
he can give them the length and maybe the rebounding
that they need. And offensively he fits everywhere also would
be a great story. And if he helps okay so
you get a title, he can kind of redeem his
whole career. It's just about the timelines. Kd's going to
be thirty six by the start of training camp, and
like you're looking for sustainable success. If you're Oklahoma City,
(29:46):
like you trade for KD, You're the title favorite next year,
no doubt, But any sort of injury disrupts that. Now
Kd's thirty seven the following season, Like you're Sam Presty
and those guys are going to be looking for sustainable success.
It's like the it's kind of like what we've heard
out of Denver. It's like they're more interested in winning
three titles in five years than one title next year.
(30:07):
Does that make sense? And so I think as much
as Katie is a perfect fit, they got to look
for somebody that matches their timeline better. Also, the Suns
would want win now pieces, not picks. Okoloma City has
more to offer in the way of picks. It just
isn't a really good trade partnership in that regard. Next question,
what about Denver getting to Dyron Holmes. Well, this is
(30:30):
going to be our third draft evaluation here in the show,
or fourth, I should say. It's just clear that Denver
is trying to find a long term option at backup center.
Daron Olmes is considered undersized for an NBA center. He's
only six foot eight and three quarters without shoes, but
he does have a longer wingspan and a higher standing
reach than Zeke Naji, so he's a bigger frame than
what they had at backup center last year. Obviously, I
(30:52):
don't think DeAndre Jordan is an option either. Obviously I
covered him with the Lakers, and yeah, his moments with Denver,
but all of you guys who are fans know exactly
what DeAndre Jordan is. He's a locker room guy, right.
But what I like about de Ron Holmes is he's
a prototypical five out big, especially on the offensive end
of the fourdy He's one of the best role men
in the country last year. He can roll hard and
(31:13):
finish lobs above the rim. He can short roll out
of traps, and he can pass pretty well out of
those situations and he kind of demonstrated a little bit
of a pick and pop game last year for Dayton.
He's a really quick decision maker and ball mover. This
is one of my favorite things about a center who
plays in a five out system. You've got to be
able to quickly flow into the next action. And one
(31:33):
of the things I like about de Ron Holmes is
when he catches on the perimeter, he makes quick decisions.
If he doesn't see something that he likes as a
shot attempt or as a role attempt, he's just going
to quickly either make it out, let pass and go
set the next screen, or flow into a dribble handoff.
Like you'll watch these possessions where you'll see Darren Holmes
set five ball screens and he's just like flowing into
the next one, gets it, flows into the next one,
(31:55):
rescreen rescreen, like the dude is just a super active
set in five out that greases the wheels in the
sense that he just flows into the next action. And
as we know, in five out, ball reversal is vitally
important getting the defense to switch sides, and the only
way you're gonna do that is if you have a
big that can quickly flow into actions on both ends
(32:16):
of the floor. I just think he's gonna be a
really natural offensive fit with Jamal Murray, a really nice
ball screen partner. And we think about those bench units
when Yo kich is off the floor. Especially in the playoffs,
it's been mostly Aaron Gordon at center, and they're probably
still gonna do that when they get into the postseason
next year. But in the regular season last year, it
was a lot of Zeke Nagy, Right. This gives you
(32:38):
kind of like more of a traditional center type of
option to run with Jamal Murray in those situations, so
that Jamal can kind of run a similar style of
offense to what he runs with Nikola jokicch and the
sense that there's gonna be flow, he's gonna be coming
off of dribbil handoffs. He's gonna have an option to
throw in the short role that can make quick decisions,
a guy who can hit picking pop threes. Again, Like
(32:59):
the main issue with him as size, and that's what
everyone's gonna be talking about as a negative, like will
he be able to defend and rebound at the NBA level.
But the Nuggets don't need him to become a starter.
They just need him to be able to play when
Nikola Jokic is off the floor, right, So like that's
an advantage Denver can give him an achievable role in
(33:20):
the way that if you were drafting him as a
foundational piece to be your starting center, then those concerns
about defensive rebounding and size in general become an issue.
But like I like this move for Denver. If you
look at the center market, it just isn't great this
summer in terms of free agency, So the draft was
just a great place to look for discounted options. Holmes
(33:41):
was actually one of the guys that I had my
eye on for the Lakers at seventeen because they also
need a better option at backup center. So I really
like this pick up for Denver as a discount just
a functional five out big that can set screens and
roll and pop and at least try on the defensive
end of the floor to do an effective job in
those bench units for Denver. Next question, what do you
(34:04):
think about the Washington Portland trade. I view it as
a pretty weird move by the Wizards, especially after a
big leap season from Avidya, which still has a lot
of upside. I was surprised too. Denny was already tied
up on an extension that has descending numbers, So like
in the year twenty twenty eight, Denny Avdy is going
to be making less than twelve million dollars, and I'm
(34:24):
pretty sure that's after the new TV deal kicks in.
So that's like, a, that's pretty crazy. I figured Dave
trade Kyle Kuzma. He has more trade value around the league.
Excuse me, he has more trade value around the league,
and he's on a more expensive deal, so you could
get more back in terms of trade return. And maybe
they still will trade Kuzma, So we'll see in the
long run. But I just looked at it as like
(34:46):
an asset accumulation move, Like they clearly did not view
Avdia as a foundational piece, otherwise you would have kept him. Right,
They got the fourteenth pick in this draft, which they
used on bub Carrington, who's got a big kind of
scoring guard. Right, they got a future first round draft
pick out of it, and the Malcolm Brogden, who they
might be able to flip for even more draft compensation
this summer. Right, so like they're just trying to start
(35:07):
their rebuild, Right, I should say, restart their rebuild right
like they took Alex Sar at number two. You're going
all in on youth. If you have a guy in
the rebuild that doesn't fit your timeline or doesn't fit
the build that you're going for, you got to move
in for compensation. That's what they did with Avdya as
far as Portland goes. From what I understand, it was
just a move about saving money because apparently they're in
the luxury tax Yeah, you heard that right. The Blazers
(35:29):
are a luxury tax team right now. Before the deal,
they had four players on the books for next season,
combining to make one hundred and twelve million dollars in trading.
Malcolm Brogden helps them relieve some of that. Next question,
(35:58):
what makes you think JJ's going to run five? That
isn't Darvin's team anymore. JJ Redick's offensive pilosophy is five out.
It's also the setup that most benefits this roster. The
stretch that they had in the second half of the
season was the best offensive basketball the Lakers have played
in the Lebron era. It's just what makes the most
sense given their personnel. I think JJ's gonna add complications
(36:19):
and make it even better. I think he's gonna help
them get it to the next level. And then the
Lakers do not have a movement shooter, and so bringing
Dalton Connect into that situation is a huge value in
five out. When you have these bigs running these dribble
handoffs and ball screens, having a guy that can fly
off of that and if you're not attached, can shoot.
That forces the screen defender to actually show on Dalton
(36:39):
Connect as he's coming off of those actions. That's what
opens up roles and slips for Anthony Davis and Lebron James.
That's a dynamic in the offense that wasn't there last year.
So JJ is a five out coach, it's the perfect
fit for this roster. And with him just kind of
adding complications. In the addition of Dalton Connect, I just
expect a better version of the Laker off heading into
(37:00):
next year. Why do you talk about Julius Randall as
if he's just some sort of ancillary piece and not
a two time All NBA player that is a key
cog on this team. I have a ton of respect
for Julius Randall. I think he is a player that's
a little bit underrated in terms of what his ceiling is,
as we've seen him make all NBA teams before. It
has a couple It has to do with a couple
of things. One, injury history has just been consistently unavailable
(37:22):
and as a result unavailable and or playing injured, which
has led to poor results. That's been part of it.
And then two it's I don't think it's the right
type of fit with this offense. The Knicks, I think
are going to be a pretty active five out team
next year with a lot of ball in player movement.
Julius Randall is a ball stopper. In order to play
in five out you have to be able to read
and react and make quick decisions, and those are not
(37:44):
strengths for Randalls. So it's not about whether or not
Randall's good enough to be your second or third best
player on a championship team. It has everything to do
with whether or not he's the appropriate use of resources
for this team, because he does make a lot of money.
Because you do need to get a player that can
play alongside McHale, bridges In Jalen Brunson and Dante Devincenzo
(38:05):
and og And andob and So here's the thing. You
just look at the trade market. And by the way,
I in my breakdown talked about what it would look
like if Randall stays. Randal stays, I'd probably take Dante
Devincenzo to the bench and play mckal bridges at the two.
I'm a big believer in like play your best players,
So like I'd play Brunson, Bridges og Randall. You know,
(38:26):
just just go all in your on your talent. If
you do that, you have a small ball look for
the Celtics where you can play Devincenzo at the two
and play Bridges, An andob and Randall at the three
four five. Like there's a version of this that works
with Randall. My thing is I would just I would
pruise the market. I'd pruise the market, and I would
just look to see what you can get for Randall,
because if you can get quality pieces or assets back
(38:49):
that fit the actual motion of the team better, then
that makes sense to me. Or like, like, let's say,
for instance, from a money standpoint, what if you have
the ability to withstand a lot long term deal for
Isaiah Hartenstein by virtue of getting rid of Randall. I'd
rather have Hartenstein at the five alongside Anonobe, Bridges, Devincenzo,
and Brunson than have Randall on the team, but lose
(39:12):
Isaiah Hartenstein a free agency right. So like they just
got to figure out what makes the most sense in
terms of what Randall's value is this summer. But at
the end of the day, I just view him as
a little bit of a clunky fit, even if I
do respect him as a player, and so I would
at least be exploring options to make better use of
his salary slot. Next question, my buddies were having an
(39:33):
argument on whether or not Caruso should start over Dort.
I'm of the belief that Dort would be better in
their driving kick offense than Cruso, but Cruso on some
nights might be on the floor and closing lineups over
Dort because of his knack to make winning plays. Also,
my buddy feels like Chet is best with this group
at the five, but I feel like they should look
at him at the four. What are your thoughts couple things.
(39:53):
Let's start with Chet as far as whether or not
he plays the four or the five. It all just
depends on what kind of player. Like if you're getting
Isaiah Hartenstein at the center. I like that alongside Chet
at the four because Isaiah Hartenstein is just a complete
just just a pain in the ass on the glass right,
which would address a specific need for Oklahoma City. He's
a great five out, big, great dribble handoff folkram who
(40:14):
can score on the roll and is a great offensive rebounder,
also a great passer out of those situations. Love the
fit there. Chet is a shoe in obvious fit at
the four. If that's the case, I like Chet at
the five if you can get him a big power forward,
Like if you got a Jeremy Grant at that position.
I like Jeremy Grant Chet home grind four to five.
(40:34):
It all just depends on the type of player you
can get. I don't want Chet at the four next
to a bad center, and I don't want Shed at
the five next to a bad power forward. It just
depends on what kind of player that you can get.
As far as Cruso and Dort, they're two very different
types of players. Dort is like a more confident shooter
and a guy that has a little bit more offensive upside,
but Cruso is a higher floor offensive player. He is
a better decision maker. He's not going to hijack as
(40:55):
many possessions, really active off ball as a screener and
a cutter watching him play on offense alongside Lebron James
as a as a result of that kind of thing,
I think defensively, he's a different type of player. I
think Cruso is probably a better defensive player in terms
of the overall number of guys he can guard. But Dort,
I think is better for the bigger forwards, which is
(41:17):
especially valuable in the later rounds of the playoffs when
you run into your Lucas and your Tatum's and your
Lebron's and your Kds and your Kawhi Leonards and just
those all these huge forwards that we have in the league. So,
like Dort, in all in all likelihood, it's it's just
it's just optionality, right, Like there will be games where
you close with jub Shay, Dort, Crusoe and Chet. There
(41:39):
will be games where you close with Cruso in for
Dort and with another big on the floor. There will
be games where Cruso doesn't close, right, So like it's
all about optional. Optionality is a good thing. You have
the ability to tweak your approach based on your opponent,
And so again you can't have enough. You can't have
too many good basketball players, right and Cruso is just
another really good basketball player. And again you turn the
(41:59):
players didn't fit in your team and giddy into a
player and cruise so that you're gonna be able to
play one way or another. It is just a question
of how often. Next question, with the Knicks acquiring McHale Bridges,
do you now have them as the second best team
in the East. If so, who would you have as
your top four teams in these absolutely would have the
Knicks at number two right now. I think Milwaukee and
Philly will end up being the three and four, and
(42:20):
both of those teams are capable of passing the Knicks
for me at number two. But it's just so much
as up in the air with them. I have no
idea what Philly's roster is going to look like next year,
and I have no idea what Milwaukee's roster is going
to look like next year. Philly damn near has a
clean cap sheet, and Milwaukee is probably going to look
to make several trades this summer. So like, I just
don't know what those teams are gonna look like I
(42:41):
also think Orlando could crack into that mix this year,
especially if they get some more off ball shooting. Like
the East is gonna be tougher next year and certainly
more deep with talent. But I think at this point,
given what we know for sure, I think the Knicks
are clearly the second best team in the league. Did
you watch the JJ Reddick press conference. I think he
showed that he has the right mentality about taking the
(43:01):
job and knows what he's getting into and still seemed
very confident. His answers in Chrismo were very impressive. In
my opinion, I think he'll be able to connect with
the players. Well, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Everyone
knew JJ was gonna n aile the press conference. I
liked the JJ higher, but the press conference for me
wasn't going to be a major swing factor in that regard.
Is just he's a professional. He's ammediate professional. Like it's
(43:22):
just like he's good at being in front of camera
and communicating his thoughts. And the thing that stood out
to me like his attitude came through in a big way,
which is like we see JJ Reddick as the media professional,
but we forget he was a basketball asshole. And that's
a good thing in my opinion, right, Like, that's the competitiveness, right,
Like that's the best kind of guy that you want,
(43:45):
is the guy that, like, when it's go time is
a motherfucker, and then when it's off the court is
a nice guy. Right, And like that's the kind of
like competitive energy that you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
You don't want him to grade on people behind the scenes,
but you need him to be in the trenches warrior,
right like it. And so that's kind of what I'm
hoping for from JJ is the ability to do both,
the ability to be diplomatic, the ability to be an asshole.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
Right.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
And if you can do both, that's what gives you
the ability to kind of like pick your spots of
when to be hard and when to not. To identify
different personality types, like, oh, this guy needs positive reinforcement,
this guy needs negative reinforcement. As a basketball player, I
needed negative reinforcement. I needed a guy. I needed my
coaches to name call and tell me to stop being
(44:30):
a bitch and to do that sort of that sort
of thing resonated with me better. But I had teammates
that like needed more coddling, that needed more positive reinforcement, right,
and so like it just it's that's the type of
personality dynamic that JJ is gonna have to to figure out.
And I actually think he's got the ability to do both.
Like he can do the good cop bad cop thing,
and he can bring that competitive energy. I think, Like
(44:53):
I think the attitude about when he got asked the
question about when he got asked the question where he
basically said, like, I don't give a when he was
talking about what people think, Like, I think that energy
will serve him well because this is a job that's
gonna come with a lot of criticism, this is a
job that's gonna come with a lot of negative energy online,
and there's gonna be a certain amount of mental toughness
that he's gonna have to show. But did the press
(45:14):
conference surprise me in anyway? No, JJ's a professional. But
I just I loved it. We got to see a
little bit of his nasty side because I think that's
gonna be a significant part of what makes him a
good coach. All Right, we have three non basketball things
before we get out of here. Jason, I'm listening to
basketball content. I don't want spoilers for an episode I
haven't seen yet. That's not cool. I am sincerely sorry.
In our we did a mail bag, not a mail bag.
(45:37):
I had a comment about the Acolyte the other day
and I kind of spoiled what happens in the first
couple of minutes of the show, and I should not
have done that. That was a mistake. I am so sorry.
Second one, comments about my nose. There were like twenty
or thirty of you guys who asked what happened to
my nose? I had that scratch on it. Those of
you who guessed basketball were correct. I was high pointing
(45:57):
a rebound and a guard tried to like swipe up
at the basketball as I was coming down with it
and like just missed everything, and like it was weird,
like just straight up came across the tip of my
nose with his fingernail, so like I didn't bust my
nose or anything, but I just had this like really
clean cut, which was super bizarre, like immediately started bleeding
and everything. I obviously was super annoyed, but it is
(46:20):
what it is. It's part of the game. I'm actually
I was actually thinking about it. I am shocked that
that hasn't happened to me more often since I started
doing this, Cause, like I've been doing this on camera
every day for two and a half years, and this
is the first time I've had like a significant, like
obvious face injury, right, And like it's not the first
time it's happened to be playing basketball. I've got busted
(46:42):
in the nose a bunch of times. I've had cuts
and scratches, And I remember when I was just before
I started playing in college. I was playing pickup at
the University of Arizona one time, and this guy tried
to take a charge on me at half court. Like
I made a move in the open floor, running full speed,
and the dude's slid in front of me and fell
down and I ran into his head, and I had
(47:03):
like an inch long Harry Potter scar which I still
have right here, that goes up my forehead literally split open.
He was bleeding. Ever, it was actually kind of funny
because the kid who did it was a med student.
So like suddenly as soon as I am like laying
on the ground bleeding everywhere, the guy like started taking
care of me as if he was a medical professional,
and it was so funny because he was doing he
(47:23):
was super nice and he was doing all the right
things and he was just trying to take care of me.
But at the same time, I'm like, you just took
a charge on me in a pickup game at half court.
Now my forehead's busted. I was just I was so
damn annoyed. But it's part of the game. Like I
played basketball competitively four or five times a week, and
so it's not the first time or it is. It's
not the first time I've had a scratch on my
(47:45):
face or some sort of laceration from basketball, and it
probably won't be the last. And thankful that it hasn't
happened too many times since I got started with the volume.
Last question, Hey, Jason, loved the show. Wanted to start
watching Star Wars, but I don't know where to start.
Do you have any ideas? And again, before I get
into this, I wanted to remind you guys, I do
have a podcast where I cover TV shows and movies.
(48:07):
Right now, I'm covering House of the Dragon as well
as The Acolyte. I do it with my buddy Luke,
who's my best friend. We do it right here in
this studio. Very different vibe than Hoops Tonight, but it's
another format that I use. This is the name of
the show. It's called Two Sons as spelled exactly as
it sounds. You can find it on YouTube as well
as on your podcast feeds wherever you get your podcasts.
(48:29):
We do pretty much like bi weekly content on that account.
You guys can check that out there. But no secret,
I'm a diehard Star Wars fan, and if you were
starting from scratch with Star Wars, I'd start with the
movies and I do them in order because I think
that would make the most sense. So I'd watch Phantom Menace,
(48:49):
Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, then a
New Hope, Empire strikes Back, Return of the Jedi. The
sequel trilogy sucks, but you gotta watch it, just by
virtue of just being aware of what happened after that.
Clone Wars and Rebels are really really good. Those are two.
There are two cartoons that are on Disney Plus. But
don't let the cartoon thing fool you. They are like deep, deep,
(49:11):
deep Star Wars content. There's a little bit of like
a childish element that you'll run into on occasional episodes,
but the majority of it is really good. Rebels in
particular was just an awesome, awesome show. All the Disney
Plus content is good. Mandalorian Kenobi was good, Ahsoka the Acolyte,
and then books if you're into the book side of it,
Darth Baine books are really good. The Darth Plagis book
(49:34):
is really good. The Throng books are some of my favorites.
They're getting into thrown in the Ahsoka TV series that
would be a good one. And then if you had
the High Republic, a series I'm struggling with right now
because it's a little bit weird, but that is some
stuff that helps set up the world for the Acolytes,
so it might be worth checking out. But that's just
like an initial kind of list if you're looking to
get into Star Wars. But again, those of you guys
(49:55):
who are already fans, don't forget I had that other
podcast for where we break that sort of thing down.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
All right.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
That is all I have for today is always sincerely
appreciate you guys for supporting me and supporting the show,
for taking the rest of the weekend off, and we
will be back on Monday. For the start of free agency,
and I will see you guys.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
Then the volume
Host
Jason Timpf
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