Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Heat star Jimmy Butler speaks on next possible playoff opponent

The Miami Heat are waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’ll either be the Celtics or Raptors, who on Friday will play a Game 7. NBA players tend to not name a preference as to who they’re about to face. And as outspoken as Jimmy Butler often is, he took that route as well. Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

“We know either way it goes, we’ve got a really good team that we’ve got to play against,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “But we still have to play our style of basketball. We’re not discouraged. We’re not scared. We’re not running from any matchups. I think that’s what makes us us.”

Based on the regular-season series, the preference might be Toronto, with the Heat 2-1 this season against the Raptors, but 1-2 against the Celtics. But that script was flipped after the NBA’s four-month layoff, with the Heat losing their lone matchup against the Raptors at Disney and winning their lone bubble matchup against the Celtics.

As the No. 5 seed in the East, the Heat will enter as the “road” team against either the No. 2 Raptors or No. 3 Celtics. However, with all games played on the neutral courts of Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, such homecourt advantage is removed. The only spectators allowed are a limited amount of friends and families of the teams.

“It just gets harder from here,” center Kelly Olynyk said of either of the Heat’s potential opponents.

In disposing of the Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA this season, Heat sent the entire NBA a loud message, that they’re as much of a championship contender as any squad in the league.

Yes, Playoff Rondo exists

Yes, Playoff Rondo does exist. Here’s the OC Register diving into the hot-button, room-dividing topic:

He doesn’t always arrive on time, so he’s not like Santa Claus. But he’s not so rarely glimpsed as Bigfoot.

So it’s hard to find the perfect match among mythic characters for Playoff Rondo — most importantly because he’s not mythical at all…

“It’s real: Playoff Rondo is real,” Anthony Davis said. “His intensity picks up, he wants to guard the best perimeter guy. We see he guards James and Russ sometimes, he wants to… on the floor he’s shooting the ball very well, making the right passes, so his IQ is on another level.”

Historically, Rondo has distaste when people point out the difference between his regular season persona and who he is in the playoffs. But there’s a definitive gulf: His scoring, assists and net rating all rise in his playoff career versus his regular season career. He’s tied for fourth on the postseason triple-doubles list (10), and two of the four guys ahead of him are on the Lakers sideline.

But to really appreciate Playoff Rondo, you have to examine where he really shines. Looking at his Game 3 dimes, it’s telling to see how they came: off verticality, like the two times Davis spun off of his man, and Rondo delivered a picture perfect lay-up. They also came on cuts, like a bounce pass to a driving Kyle Kuzma in the fourth quarter that was close to a clinching basket.

Rondo has played in three playoff games so for in 2020 for the Lakers, all in the current round against the Rockets, for an average of 13.0 points and 7.3 assists per outing.

Official 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive Teams

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, leads the 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today.

Antetokounmpo received 97 NBA All-Defensive First Team votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters and earned 195 total points. This marks the second straight NBA All-Defensive First Team selection for Antetokounmpo, who also made the Second Team in 2016-17.

Joining Antetokounmpo on the 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive First Team are Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (187 points; 87 First Team votes), Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (185 points; 88 First Team votes), Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (180 points; 85 First Team votes) and Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (152 points; 57 First Team votes).

Davis, who finished in second place for the 2019-20 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the second time to go with two Second Team honors. This is the fourth consecutive NBA All-Defensive First Team selection for Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Smart has been selected to the First Team for the second season in a row. Simmons is a First Team choice in his NBA All-Defensive Team debut.

The 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (128 points), Bucks center Brook Lopez (67), Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (61), Clippers guard Patrick Beverley (60) and Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe (59).

Leonard has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team (First Team and Second Team) for the sixth time. This is the third NBA All-Defensive Team selection for Beverley and the second for Bledsoe. Adebayo and Lopez join Simmons as first-time selections to the NBA All-Defensive Team.

With the selection of Antetokounmpo to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and Lopez and Bledsoe to the Second Team, the Bucks are the first team to have at least three players named to the NBA All-Defensive Team since the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012-13 (Tony Allen, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol).

Players were awarded two points for each vote to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and one point for each vote to the Second Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most votes.

The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the 2019-20 season restart, did not count toward voting for the NBA All-Defensive Team or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards.

Pair of Heat players finish second in NBA award voting

It’s awards season in the NBA, as winners of the league’s regular season awards are announced during the playoffs. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on how Miami Heat players fared in the results:

With Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Thursday being named NBA Rookie of the Year, the Heat’s two finalists for 2020 NBA awards have had their second-place fates settled, Kendrick Nunn for Rookie of the Year and Bam Adebayo for Most Improved Player (behind New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Ingram). While the Heat have had previous Most Improved winners in Rony Seikaly (1990) and Ike Austin (1997), the franchise remains without a Rookie of the Year in its 32 seasons. As a matter of perspective on Nunn’s finish, consider that Dwyane Wade placed third in the 2004 Rookie of the Year vote (behind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony), Caron Butler third in the 2003 Rookie voting (behind Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming), with those the top previous Heat finishes. (Michael Beasley placed seventh in 2009 as the No. 2 pick in 2008.)

Montrezl Harrell wins 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of Year award

LA Clippers forward-center Montrezl Harrell has won the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man Award for his contributions in a reserve role, the NBA announced today. This is the first NBA Sixth Man Award for Harrell, who finished in third place last season.

Harrell received 58 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters and earned 397 total points. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder finished in second place with 328 points (35 first-place votes).

Clippers guard Lou Williams, a three-time NBA Sixth Man Award winner, received the other seven first-place votes and finished in third place with 127 points.

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the season restart, did not count toward voting for the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards. To be eligible for the Sixth Man Award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started in games played through March 11.

From the beginning of the season through March 11, Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.14 blocked shots in 27.8 minutes in 63 games (two starts) as part of his fifth NBA season. In games played off the bench during that time, Harrell ranked second in the NBA in scoring (18.4 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (7.0 rpg). He also shot 58.0 percent from the field in all games played through March 11, the 10th-best mark in the NBA.

In games played off the bench through March 11, Harrell recorded an NBA-high 11 double-doubles, tied for first with four games of at least 30 points and ranked second with 10 games of 25 or more points. He scored 34 points off the bench twice, matching his single-game career high as a starter or reserve.

Led by Harrell and Williams, the Clippers averaged an NBA-high 51.5 points off the bench and outscored their opponents’ reserves in 53 of 64 games through March 11. LA posted a 44-20 record during that period, the second-best mark in the Western Conference.

Harrell, 26, has spent the last three seasons with the Clippers, who acquired him in a trade with the Houston Rockets in June 2017. He played his first two seasons with the Rockets after they selected him in the second round (No. 32 overall) of NBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm.

This marks the third consecutive season and the fifth time in seven years that a member of the Clippers has received the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. Williams won the award in each of the previous two seasons, and Jamal Crawford did so with the Clippers in the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons.

G League team of elite youth prospects now has a name: NBA G League Ignite

The NBA G League today unveiled NBA G League Ignite as the name for its new team of elite prospects, which recently began training with head coach Brian Shaw in Walnut Creek, Calif. A team dedicated to developing top young players through a one-year program, NBA G League Ignite is focused on NBA Draft readiness and growth of professional life skills.

“We are thrilled to officially announce NBA G League Ignite as the name of our new team for elite prospects and we think it’s a fitting moniker for a group comprised of young players taking the first step of their promising professional careers,” said NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim. “These players have a passion for the game and a desire to develop their skills for the next level and it brings us a lot of pride for them to blaze trails as inaugural members of NBA G League Ignite.”

Top high school prospects Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, Kai Sotto and Isaiah Todd, along with NBA Global Academy graduate Princepal Singh began their professional careers with NBA G League Ignite and are receiving mentorship and life skills training as part of the professional development program. Five-time NBA champion Shaw is serving as head coach of NBA G League Ignite, which is unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team.

NBA G League Ignite has gathered in Walnut Creek, Calif., and started one-on-one skill development training with Shaw and his staff, which includes assistant coach Rasheed Abdul-Rahman, video coordinator Jerry Woods and athletic trainer Pete Youngman.

The bold, capitalized font of the NBA G League Ignite wordmark heralds the team’s energetic commitment to basketball development and serves as an anchor for the team’s full identity and uniform designs, which will be unveiled at a later date.

Brandon Ingram wins NBA Most Improved Player award

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram has won the 2019-20 NBA Most Improved Player Award.

“I want to congratulate Brandon on winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award,” said Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson. “I am so proud of Brandon’s personal achievements this season and am glad to see him rewarded for all of his hard work and dedication. It has been a truly memorable year watching him excel on and off the court.”

“This award recognizes the countless extra hours Brandon spent in the gym this season as well as the diligence and commitment he puts into the game every day, both mentally and physically,” said Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “I could not be more excited for him and his family to receive this well-deserved honor.”

Ingram, 6-9, 190, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers last July, finished the season averaging career-highs in multiple categories, including points (23.8), rebounds (6.1), assists (4.2) and steals (0.9). Entering the season, Ingram held career averages of 13.9 points, 2.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 0.6 steals. The Duke University product also saw a major improvement in both three-point shooting as well as at the free throw line. Entering the season a career .329 shooter from beyond the arc on 0.7 makes and 2.0 attempts, Ingram shot .391 from three-point range on the season, increasing both his makes (2.4) and attempts (6.2) per contest. At the free throw line, Ingram entered the season with a career .662 shooting percentage, including a .675 shooting percentage last season, and increased his mark to .851 from the charity stripe in 2019-20. The improvement at the free throw line is the third largest year-over-year in NBA history (min. 250 FTA).

Prior to the NBA restart, Ingram was one of just seven players in the NBA to average at least 24.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.0 SPG, and was the only player to average at least 24.0 PPG while shooting better than .465 FG%, .385 3FG% and .855 FT% (min. 25 games). Ingram produced 17 games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists after recording seven such performances in his first three seasons. He also had 11 30-point games, including two 40-point games, after registering four career 30-point games prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Furthermore, Ingram became just the second player in NBA history to increase their total points by over 400, total rebounds by over 80, total assists by over 85, and total steals by over 25 from the previous season, while playing in less than five additional games and averaging less than .5 minutes more per contest, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo.

At 22 years old, Ingram, who was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game this season, became the second player his age or younger to average at least 23.5 PPG while shooting over .450 FG%, .390 3FG% and .850 FT%, joining Kevin Durant. He became just the fifth player in NBA history age 22 or younger to average at least 23.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.0 APG and 0.9 SPG, joining Tracy McGrady (twice), LeBron James (twice), Luka Dončić and Michael Jordan.

A Kinston, North Carolina native, Ingram is the first player in New Orleans franchise history to be named Most Improved Player, and just the third individual in franchise history to win one of the NBA’s annual performance awards, joining Chris Paul (Rookie of the Year – 2005-06) and Byron Scott (Coach of the Year – 2007-08).

Most Improved Player voting from a panel of national and international sportswriters and broadcasters was based on games played from the start of the regular season through March 11 and did not include “seeding games,” which took place July 30 – Aug. 14 for the 22 teams participating in the season restart.

NBA playoff game schedule updated after player strike

After NBA players essentially went on strike these last few days, not against the NBA but as a protest against anti-Black police brutality issues in the United States, the league had to reschedule some games. Action will pick up where it left off, with a Magic vs Bucks game.

Here’s the new and improved updated NBA playoff game schedule now that the player protest has ended:

All Times Eastern (ET)

NBA Game Schedule For Saturday, August 29

3:30pm: Magic vs Bucks Game 5, on ESPN

6:30pm: Thunder vs Rockets Game 5, on TNT

9pm: Blazers vs Lakers Game 5, on TNT

NBA Game Schedule For Sunday, August 30

1pm: Celtics vs Raptors Game 1, on ESPN

3:30pm: Clippers vs Mavericks, on ESPN

8:30pm: Nuggets vs Jazz, on TNT

Russell Westbrook a passionate observer for Rockets in Thunder series

The Disney NBA bubble is a close-knit experience. The closest thing to fans in the stands are players on the sidelines. It’s an obvious time for guys on the bench, especially inactive players, to show even more enthusiasm and support for teammates than usual. Here’s the Houston Chronicle with an observation on Rockets guard Russell Westbrook:

Russell Westbrook is out with a strained quadriceps muscle, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking it easy on the sidelines.

In the first two games of the Rockets-Thunder series, Westbrook has been active in the Rockets’ bench area not only cheering on his teammates, but berating the referees, talking to coaches about strategy and giving his teammates pointers during timeouts…

There’s no timetable for Westbrook’s return and he hasn’t been cleared to work on the court during practice.

The Rockets won again today, this despite a below-average scoring output from James Harden. The Rockets did it as a team, with seven players scoring double-digit points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 31 points in the loss for OKC.

Nuggets guard Monte Morris analyzes screens set by Jazz center Rudy Gobert

The art of setting screens is tricky business. There’s a fine line between what’s legal and illegal. And making the right call on each instance is one of the many difficult aspects of a referee’s job.

The Nuggets and Jazz are currently playing a first-round playoff series. Here’s the Denver Post reporting what Nuggets guard Monte Morris had to say about screens set by Jazz center Rudy Gobert:

Jazz center Rudy Gobert is a prolific screener, both in terms of sheer volume and effectiveness. A review of Denver’s Game 2 loss showed that he was involved, either directly or indirectly, in half of Utah’s 20 3-pointers.

When asked about it Thursday, Nuggets point guard Monte Morris said he felt some of them were illegal.

“He does a good job at setting screens,” Morris said. “I don’t think all of them are legal, so I mean, the ref can’t call all of them, but we gotta get into the ball and fight through them and not wait on what the ref’s going to do.”

The series is tied 1-1. This after Utah’s 124-105 Game 2 win yesterday. In the victory, Gobert shot 7-of-10 for 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a lot of screens.