Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Heat struggling from three-point range this season

The Heat have an issue that needs fixing. Via the Sun Sentinel:

The Heat (22-20) made nine of their 34 3-point attempts (26.5 percent) in their 137-110 loss to the Pacers, wrapping up a week in which they shot 28.3 percent from beyond the arc on 36.3 attempts per night across four games.

The recent 3-point showings only further displayed one of the more perplexing developments for the Heat this season: how they went from one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooting teams just a year ago to one of the league’s worst this season.

The Heat are 22-20 this season, which is the 4th best record in the Eastern conference.

Duncan Robinson is taking 8.5 three-pointers per game and hitting 38.5% 3FG. Kelly Olynyk shoots 5.7 threes per game, hitting 32.8% 3FG. Tyler Herro shoots 5.6, hitting 32.9% 3FG. And Kendrick Nunn shoots 5.5, hitting 35.1% 3FG.

The team is shooting 34.5% from three this season, which ranks them just 27th in the NBA, ahead of the Wizards, Cavs and Rockets.

James Harden is having yet another amazing season

James Harden, traded by the Rockets to the Nets in mid January, continues to prove that he’s the rare type of superstar who can move mountains on a basketball court. Via the New York Post:

Where would the Nets, who are tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference, be without trading for Harden? Durant hasn’t played since Feb. 13 but the Nets are 12-1 without him as part of an extended 14-1 stretch. Irving was on a personal leave of absence when Harden was acquired and he has sat out three games during the recent surge, including Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, due to various shoulder and groin injuries.

“James is so elite he’s able to make the big plays that very few people can make down the stretch,” Nash said after coaching Harden through his 11th triple-double (40 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds) in 42 minutes on Wednesday. “When he plays that many minutes, he stuffs the stat sheet. I could go on and on about James and the nuances of what he does all night, but he definitely is a winner, a leader, and an elite, elite performer.”

The Nets are 28-13 this season, which ties them with the Sixers for the best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2020-21 are Durant at 29.0 points per game (just 19 games played), Irving at 27.6 ppg, Harden at 25.7 ppg, and Joe Harris at 14.7 ppg.

Raptors thoughts heading into the NBA trade deadline

As the trade deadline approaches, it needs to be determined who this season’s real Raptors are. Via the Toronto Star:

Are the Raptors the team that started 2-8 and is currently in a 1-9 swoon? Or are the Raptors the team that rattled off a 14-6 run in between that included wins over all the big boys of the Eastern Conference and showed they still have some big-time fight in them?

It is not easy. And deciding what to do may be harder this year for the president and general manager than it has been at any point in the seven-year run of post-season appearances the Raptors are in danger of seeing broken.

In many ways, it makes no sense to do anything of substance and to ride out the season before making any startling moves.

The Raptors can be good — they can be very good, in fact — and while they certainly have a hole to climb out of, there’s reason to think they won’t.

The Raptors are just 17-23 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference. They’re being led in scoring by Fred VanVleet at 19.9 points per game, Pascal Siakam at 19.8 ppg, Norman Powell at 19.7 ppg, Kyle Lowry at 17.8 ppg, Chris Boucher at 14.3 ppg, and OG Anunoby at 13.8 ppg.

Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey showing development

Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey is turning some heads, for good reasons. Via the Detroit Free Press:

Parts of his 28-point, 12-rebound performance against the Toronto Raptors was routine — or as routine as something can be for a first-year player. Bey hit six of his 10 3-point attempts, the third time this season he has made at least six. He entered the NBA with a reputation as a 3-point marksman, and that has been his best skill so far…

At 6 feet 8 and 215 pounds, he has the size and strength to body defenders while driving to the rim. He has been doing a better job of using his physical gifts to his advantage.

In 23.7 minutes per game, Bey is averaging 10.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

The Pistons are 11-29 this season, which is the worst record in the Eastern conference. Other than Jerami Grant at 23.4 points per game, nobody on the roster is scoring even as much as 15 ppg. It’s a complete rebuild in Detroit, with Grant as the cornerstone.

A glance at the Timberwolves as the NBA trade deadline approaches

Better days for the Timberwolves will presumably be ahead. Via the Star Tribune:

Gersson Rosas made no secret when he took the job as Timberwolves president that the primary way he was going to restructure the Wolves was through trades.

Minnesota has never been a free-agent destination in the NBA, and Rosas wasn’t naive enough to think he could change that overnight for big-ticket players. Instead, trades, the way Rosas’ former team in Houston became a contender in landing James Harden, were going to drive the roster overhaul.

D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Ricky Rubio and Jarred Vanderbilt all came to the Wolves via trade, and the draft pick that eventually turned into Jaden McDaniels also came in a trade.

The March 25 trade deadline is nearing, and reports are circulating of the Wolves’ reported interest in Atlanta’s John Collins and, to a lesser extent, Orlando’s Aaron Gordon. Hall of Fame NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan said on Bill Simmons’ podcast recently that she heard from sources the Wolves were “dying” to get Collins.

It would not be surprising if the Timberwolves were to trade literally anyone on the roster. Prepare for rumors to fly high these next 10 days.

Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa is playing well in limited minutes

The Miami Heat continue to do a great job on draft day. Via the Miami Herald:

This sounds familiar: A Miami Heat rookie outperforming his draft position.

It happened with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in past years, and it’s happening — to a lesser extent — with Precious Achiuwa, the 20th overall pick who has contributed more than several players picked ahead of him.

Achiuwa leads all rookies in field-goal percentage (57.9) and is second among all rookies (behind Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart) and 30th in the league in rebounds per 36 minutes at 10.3, ahead of Bam Adebayo’s 10.1.

Achiuwa ranks 18th in scoring among rookies at 6.1 per game.

The Heat are just 18-18 this season, which is the Eastern conference’s sixth best record. They’re being led in scoring by Jimmy Butler at 20.5 points per game (just 22 games played), Bam Adebayo at 19.2 ppg, and Tyler Herro at 15.8 ppg.

A glance at the Mavericks as second half of season begins

The Mavs haven’t stood out thus far this season, but there’s certainly reason for optimism for the rest of 2021. Via the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

Remember that in January that the Mavericks were hit hard by COVID-19, with a number of players, including Jalen Brunson, Maxi Kleber, Josh Richardson, Dwight Powell and Dorian-Finney Smith, missing time. All-Star guard Luka Doncic continued to perform at a high level and Tim Hardaway Jr. was a consistent scorer, but the Mavs went 3-8 over the last 18 days of the month.

Once everyone returned Dallas rebounded, and as of right now the team is looking to keep going strong after winning nine of their last 11 games before the break. This was largely thanks to Doncic, who is averaging 31.7 points on 51.9 percent shooting with 7.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in his last 10 games.

Going into Wednesday night’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, the Mavs are running high on a three-game winning streak and are 18-16 on the season…

As of right now, the Mavericks are nestled into that No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and are looking to move up during the second half. With Doncic, this is a reasonable expectation since he tends to exceed any and all expectations when it comes to his on-the-court performance.

Spurs bringing LaMarcus Aldridge off the bench lately

Spurs forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge has been a supporting cast player for the 18-14 Spurs this season. And lately, he’s been coming off the bench. Via the San Antonio Express News:

Coach Gregg Popovich seems poised to move forward with a small-ball starting lineup that features Jakob Poeltl at center.

That has shifted Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star, to the bench for the first time since his rookie season in Portland.

Just before the All-Star break, the 35-year-old Aldridge returned from a three-week hiatus due to a hip injury to find himself in a new role.

He played in three games as a reserve, then missed the final two contests before the break with a stomach illness.

As such, the sample size projecting how Aldridge might fit with the second unit is small. He scored 21 points in a victory over New Orleans, which perhaps demonstrated the upside of having one of the top 100 scorers in NBA history around to beat up on opposing second-teamers.

How Aldridge adjusts to life off the bench — or doesn’t — will be a fascinating plot point of the Spurs’ second half.

Lakers salary cap situation

The NBA trade deadline is later this month. As the defending NBA champions, the Lakers look poised to compete for the title again this year. So, big moves aren’t likely. But for a look at roster flexiblity, here’s the OC Register:

Because of the structure of the offseason contracts for Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Matthews, the Lakers are hard-capped, meaning they can’t spend above $138.9 million in salary. They are currently $3.1 million under that number, which is not a lot in NBA money, and even less when you consider that the Lakers can only add veteran minimum contracts because they are above the salary cap threshold ($109.1 million).

Those are a lot of technical terms, but the practical meaning is the Lakers can’t add anyone that they can’t pay a pro-rata veteran’s minimum deal, which at the current moment is less than $1 million. That may hurt them in the hunt for a buyout market candidate: Free agents will have to be motivated to sign with them to win rings.

The hard cap also means that the Lakers will have a very difficult time taking on salary. Even though they have two roster spots available, they have to stay below the $138.9 million mark no matter what, which means there’s almost no fungible way to trade for players with bigger contracts than the salary they’re sending out (usually there’s some leeway). Many of the Lakers’ best trade pieces are underpaid, like Alex Caruso ($2.7 million) or Talen Horton-Tucker ($1.5 million) who are still on smaller deals.

The Lakers are the top-ranked defensive team in the NBA so far this season. What they could use is another player who can provide some offensive punch.

LeBron James calls Jaylen Brown ‘underappreciated’

It’s always cool when LeBron James tells the world that you’re a good basketball player. Via the Boston.com:

After Thursday’s victory over the Toronto Raptors, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown was informed that LeBron James selected him to his All-Star team, calling him “Jaylen Under-Appreciated Brown” on the TNT broadcast.

Brown raised his eyebrows at the recitation of James’s compliment and chuckled.

“That’s great,” Brown said. “To have one of — if not the — best player select you and point out some of the things you’ve been doing or some of the things he’s seen, is great. I appreciate him for that.”

Brown’s season deserves appreciation. The fifth-year wing — and first-time All-Star — is averaging 24.8 points per game on a tidy 49.8 percent shooting, including 38.9 percent from 3-point range. Brown started the season hot and has been one of the league’s best mid-range shooters while aggressively going to the basket. On Thursday, he worked his way to the free-throw line 16 times, making 11.

The Celtics haven’t stood out in the first half of this season. They are a modest 19-17 entering the All-Star break, which is the Eastern conference’s fourth best record. Not bad, but not as good as expected. A pair of key Celtics guards have played limited games so far: Kemba Walker 19, Marcus Smart 17. While Walker is active, Smart could return fairly soon after the break.