Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic named NBA Players of Month

The NBA announced today that Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in December and January.

In his fifth NBA season, it’s Embiid’s second career Player of the Month selection. Embiid joins Hall of Famers Allen Iverson (four times), Charles Barkley (twice), Moses Malone (twice) and Julius Erving (three times) as the only 76ers players to win the award multiple times.

In 16 games between December and January, Embiid averaged 28.3 points (fourth in the NBA, second in the East), 11.1 rebounds (ninth in the NBA, sixth in the East), 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game. He was one of three NBA players to average 25 points and 10 rebounds through the season’s first month-plus, joining Western Conference Player of the Month Nikola Jokić and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 76ers were 14-2 in Embiid’s 16 games and are 15-6 overall on the season, leading the Eastern Conference.

Embiid scored in double figures in 13 of his 14 games, including two 40-plus point performances and a team-best 12 double-doubles. He’s the only player in the NBA with multiple 40-point, 10-rebound double-doubles. Embiid made 152 free throws during the season’s first month-plus, ranking second in the NBA, while leading the league in free throws made (9.5) and attempted per game (11.3). He was the only player in the league to make 16 free throws in multiple games. Iverson and Malone are the only 76ers ever to make at least nine free throws per game for an entire season.

Between Jan. 20-29, over a five-game span, Embiid averaged 35.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, while shooting .560 from the field and .429 from three-point range as the team went a perfect 5-0. He became just the third 76er ever to average 35 points and 10 rebounds over a five-game stretch, joining Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Barkley.

On Jan. 12 vs. Miami, Embiid tallied a season-high 45 points (16-23 FG, 13-13 FT), 16 rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals in the team’s 137-134 overtime victory. It was his ninth career 40-point, 10-rebound game, adding his 10th such performance eight days later on Jan. 20 vs. Boston. In that game against the Celtics, Embiid had a game-high 42 points (12-19 FG, 17-21 FT) to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 117-109 win. He committed just one turnover in the contest. Embiid scored 38 points on both Jan. 6 and Jan. 22 against Washington and Boston, respectively. In the Washington game, he added a game-high-tying eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.

Jokić wins the award for the first time in his career and becomes the first Nugget to win since Carmelo Anthony in 2009 (Oct./Nov). Jokić joins Anthony, Fat Lever and Alex English as the only players in franchise history to be honored as Player of the Month.

Jokić, 25, averaged 27.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.80 steals while shooting .565 from the field, .381 from three-point range and .849 from the charity stripe in the month of January. In four games in December, he averaged 24.5 points, 13.5 assists, 11.5 rebounds and 1.50 steals, shooting .625 from the field and .400 from three. He helped lead the Nuggets to an 11-5 January, including a 7-2 road record, where currently they sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 12-8 record.

Jokić recorded five triple doubles, ranking second in the NBA, and had five games with 35+ points and 10+ rebounds. He also has posted a double-double in all 20 games, becoming the second player since 1976 to have a double-double in each of the first 20 games (Bill Walton). For the second time in his career, Jokić averaged at least 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting above 55.0% from the field in the month of January (min. 10 games) and is the only center since 1983 to record those numbers.

January was highlighted with a win vs. Utah on 1/31, where he tied a career-high 47 points (17-26 FG’s), 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 37 minutes, becoming the first Nugget to ever post those numbers. He scored 22 points in the first quarter and 33 points in the first half. It was the most points in a first half for a Nugget since 2007 (Iverson) and both were career-highs in any single quarter or half. Jokić had another huge performance at Phoenix on 1/23 on the second night of a back-to-back, finishing with 29 points (11-14 FT’s), a career-high 22 rebounds, six assists and one steal in 42 minutes. He started the season by recording a triple double in four of the first six games, including his performance on opening night vs. Sacramento where he posted 29 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and two blocks in 42 minutes. Jokić became one of five players all-time to record 350 points, 125 rebounds and 125 assists in the first 15 games of a season.

The Sombor, Serbia native, was named Western Conference Player of the Week in consecutive weeks to close out January. Amongst Western Conference players, he ranks first in PER, second in steals per game, second in total assists, third in points per game, fourth in assists per game and fourth in rebounds per game. In 20 games this season, Jokić is averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.75 steals, shooting .574 from the field and .384 from three in 35.8 minutes.

Clint Capela has played some monster games for the Hawks lately

Clint Capela was traded to the Hawks last season, but due to injury didn’t suit up for the squad until this year. And, he’s a fit. Especially in some recent games, which saw him put up some monster stat lines. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The Hawks had to wait to work with Capela until this season, as he spent the premature close of the Hawks’ portion of the 2019-20 season nursing a heel injury. Even though he said there are differences to the pick-and-roll game he played so well with James Harden in Houston and the one with the Hawks and Trae Young, there has been a seamlessness to his move here.

“I tell you, we’re a whole lot better with him,” Young said.

With him: There have been some plain stupid stat lines lately. Like Capela’s first career triple-double Jan. 22 that reads like so few others – 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks (repeat, 10 blocks) against Minnesota. Just the game before vs. Detroit he went for 27 points and 26 rebounds and five blocks, making him one of only five players in the league to go for at least 25-25-5 in the past 35 years.

Without him: While Capela was missing with an injured hand Sunday, a Hawks team that ranks third in the NBA in rebounding, was outrebounded 52-27 during a loss to Milwaukee.

The Hawks are 10-9 this season, and being lead in scoring by Trae Young at 26.2 points and 8.8 assists per game, De’Andre Hunter at 17.9 ppg, John Collins at 16.7 ppg, Capela at 13.7 ppg and 14.5 rebounds per game, Cam Reddish at 12.7 ppg, and Kevin Huerter at 11.7 ppg.

Kemba Walker making progress in knee rehab

Celtics point guard Kemba Walker hasn’t played yet this season due to a knee issue, but it sounds like he’s making progress on a return. Via Boston.com:

“Honestly, I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Walker told reporters via Zoom on Thursday. “I know I did say I was feeling really good the last time before the bubble, which I was, but the timing in between just wasn’t really beneficial to me. But now, I am feeling really good, and the way I’m feeling right now is different from the way I felt before I went into the bubble. I’ve just been able to take my time, really just attack my rehab from Day 1.”

Walker originally eyed Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic as a potential return to action, but after a week without practice, the team ruled him out on Thursday. Still, Walker seems to be getting better, and he worked out with the team on Thursday according to Brad Stevens.

“He’s been able to continue to do his rehab in 1-on-1 settings,” Stevens said. “And his strengthening, his strengthening has gone fantastic. He’s put in a ton of work. He went full go today for an hour with us. We did not go live, but we did a lot of up and down, just trying to get our legs back in some ways with guys that haven’t done anything for a week, and he looked good. What that means, as far as next steps and playing and when he’ll play and all that stuff, that’s a decision for Kemba and our training staff.”

Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey worth keeping an eye on

Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey is worth keeping an eye on. Via the Detroit News:

In the final minutes of Friday’s surprising win over the Phoenix Suns, the Pistons went with a different look to the lineup. Instead of one of their regular lineups, they used rookie Saddiq Bey as the shooting guard, to go along with the starting frontcourt.

Bey isn’t quite a typical shooting guard but when it came down to crunch time, coach Dwane Casey went with the players he trusted.

“I was just looking for hard-playing guys who have attention to detail in the zone and Saddiq was one of them,” Casey said…

In his last eight games, which includes three starts, Bey is posting 11.9 points, 5 rebounds and is shooting 46% on 3-pointers, with 6.3 attempts per game. More impressively, he’s scratching out significant playing time, with 25.5 minutes, playing primarily with the second group, but then getting a look to finish games.

The Pistons are just 2-8 so far this season, and being led in scoring by Jerami Grant at 25.1 points per game, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin each at 13.9 PPG, Josh Jackson at 12.5 PPG, and Bey at 10.6 PPG.

Julius Randle and RJ Barrett playing huge minutes for Knicks

To nobody’s surprise, a Tom Thibodeau-coached NBA team features some players who are racking up some extremely high minutes. Via the New York Post:

RJ Barrett and Julius Randle lead the NBA as a 1-2 punch in one category.

It’s not in scoring but minutes per game. RJ Barrett, after playing 44 in the Knicks’ loss to Oklahoma City on Friday, entered Sunday’s 114-89 loss to Denver averaging 38.8 minutes. Randle was close behind at 37.7…

At age 19, Barrett played 31 minutes per game as a rookie . Former coach David Fizdale was asked early in Barrett’s rookie season if he were worried about giving a 19-year-old too many minutes. But Barrett remained sturdy and mostly injury free — save one ankle sprain.

The Knicks are off to a solid 5-5 start this season. They’re being led in scoring by Randle at 23.2 points per game, Alec Burks at 20.7 PPG (but in just three games played) off the bench, Barrett at 16.5 PPG, Elfrid Payton at 14.5 PPG, and Austin Rivers at 11.8 PPG off the bench.

Clippers need improvement, says Kawhi Leonard

The Clippers are 6-4 this season. Not bad. But if they want to look like a championship contender, there’s much more work to do. Via the Los Angeles Times:

For the fourth time in 10 games, a Clippers lead of at least 22 points was gradually whittled away in Friday’s 115-105 loss at Golden State. This was the first time it ultimately cost them, after being outscored by 30 points in the final 15 minutes.

“We just got to come in and be able to execute,” said Kawhi Leonard, who scored 24 points. “If the other team is scoring that easy, you’ve got to come down and get into something on the offensive end. That’s it, but I don’t know — we just have to change, pretty much.

“We’ve got to change it. We’ve got to get better.”

The Clippers offense has been on point this season. Team defense has been the issue.

Jazz off to modest 4-4 start this NBA season

The NBA season is little over two weeks old, so it’s a bit early to jump to big conclusions. But it’s perfectly reasonable to start what’s happened so far, which is, the Jazz aren’t off to a great start this season.

The Salt Lake Tribune:

Is a 4-4 Jazz record a disappointment? Is it familiar? Is it… both?

2021′s slow start to the season has brought down the spirits of Jazz fans, and that’s understandable: the loss side of the ledger has seen some disappointing defeats. Utah’s loss to Phoenix is more acceptable given that they rank first in the conference right now, sure. But losses to Brooklyn (sans Kevin Durant), the New York Knicks, and worst of all, the Minnesota Timberwolves, have made for some disappointing nights.

And yet, this isn’t anything new for Jazz fans. In the Quin Snyder era, the Jazz have always started at least somewhat below expectations. Then, they surge on to have a solid remainder of the season, and end up with a quality record.

The Deseret News:

In [Donovan] Mitchell’s rookie season, the Jazz started out 5-5 on the year before racking up quite a few losses and then bouncing back at the end of the season and finishing off the year with a 29-6 run. They were bounced in the second round of the playoffs.

In Mitchell’s second year, the Jazz started with a 4-6 record and played pretty up and down throughout the season before they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

Last season, the Jazz started out with a 6-4 record and racked up most of their losses toward the end of the season. Again, they only survived a single playoff round.

Leading the Jazz in scoring through eight games are Mitchell at 21.3 points per game, Mike Conley at 17.4 PPG, Jordan Clarkson off the bench at 15.5 PPG, Rudy Gobert at 13.9 PPG, Bojan Bogdanovic at 11.8 PPG, and Joe Ingles off the bench at 10.0 PPG.

The team’s offense and defense has been close to the league average this season thus far.

Their upcoming opponents are the Bucks, Pistons, Cavs and Wizards.

Magic guard Cole Anthony’s role will now increase

Markelle Fultz has been a nice comeback story, but unfortunately that story was forced to reset and start anew yesterday after he suffered a season-ending injury. On what comes next for the Orlando Magic, here’s the Sentinel:

For starters, rookie Cole Anthony becomes the team’s primary point guard.

“Cole, in my opinion, he’s the starter right now and I think that he’s ready to take it and grow with it and we all have great confidence in him,” Clifford said.

Anthony’s competitive nature is part of what the Magic like about him, and Clifford sees the characteristic as a plus as Anthony moves into a more pivotal role with the team. Anthony will experience growing pains, particularly with the Magic playing 14 games in the next 24 days to close out January, but Clifford likes the mindset of his young point guard.

The Magic are off to an impressive 6-2 start this season. Fultz was averaging 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. Anthony has actually been getting good court time for a rookie: 21.5 minutes per game, averaging 8.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. That court time will now increase.

Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul played a part in resumption of NBA play

Some basketball players work together off the court even if they aren’t teammates on it. Here’s the Toronto Star on Raptors guard Kyle Lowry and Rockets guard Chris Paul:

Lowry and Paul, who renewed their on-court rivalry when the Raptors played the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, were singled out by commissioner Adam Silver, along with Toronto’s Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks, for their leadership in getting the league re-started last summer and again this fall.

They were the conduits between the league and the players association on everything to matters relating to the bubble life that ended last season and to health and safety protocols for this year.

“I’ve known Chris for a long time, me and him have been frenemies for a long time,” Lowry joked. “I was on the competition committee and we kind of just got a group together and I kind of felt like I could help just with my opinions as much as I possibly could.” …

Lowry was deeply involved in the scheduling process that got the league back after a short off-season for last year’s bubble teams and one that was months longer than usual for the eight teams whose 2019-20 season ended last March.

NBA establishing load management rules, for national TV games and beyond

The NBA is reportedly working to minimize the effect load management has on fans. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Load management, they call it, is a player’s way of offsetting the grind of a grueling NBA season by taking a game off here or a game off there.

It’s good for the player but bad for the fans, which is why the NBA is doing its part this season to cut back on players missing games, particularly road games where fans of the home team get few chances to see visiting players.

The NBA sent a memo to teams this week updating its policy on resting players.

Teams shouldn’t rest multiple healthy players during the same game and teams should not rest healthy players for road games. And even more significant, teams can be fined $100,000 for resting healthy players for nationally televised games.

Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy, whose team plays 19 nationally televised games in the first half of the season, welcomes the league’s plan to appease its consumers.

“I think the thing we can never forget when you are in pro sports is that the people who make our league — I don’t care if it’s the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball — is the fans,” Van Gundy said. “Without the fans, we have no league. We have nobody buying TV rights. We have nothing without the fans. We need to respect those fans at all time.”

It makes sense that the league wouldn’t want star players to sit out of national TV games when they don’t have to. Televised games are usually a good matchup, which means that in addition to the TV audience, the game would be a hot ticket to attend.

Whatever the official rules turn out to be on this for 2020-21, there will likely be additional adjustments to load management-related rules in coming seasons.