Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Ben Simmons playing well lately for Nets

There was no good reason to expect Nets guard Ben Simmons to play well right away this season. The question was when, or if, he’d eventually start to look like his former multi-talented basketball self. Via the New York Post:

Ben Simmons is getting healthier. And he’s getting better.

Considering the All-Star hadn’t played since June 2021 — beset by a bad back and nerve damage that pundits accused him of faking — it’s predictable that even after rehab would follow rust. And though Simmons isn’t 100 percent yet going into Friday’s tilt versus the Pacers, the last few games are a tantalizing taste of what he can be when he gets there.

Kyrie Irving pointed to confidence, while coach Jacque Vaughn called it the “body piece.” Unsurprisingly, Markieff Morris was more blunt.

“Healthy. Finally got his legs under him. He was off for two years. Y’all won’t even give him a chance. Y’all want to criticize him after every f–king game,” Morris said. “But the guy didn’t play two years. Obviously, y’all wouldn’t know, because none of y’all played in the NBA. He’s got to get his body right. There’s contact every night. Playing 30-plus minutes, it takes time.”

The Nets are 9-10 so far this season. And with Simmons playing well and Kyrie Irving back in action after suspension, the team is worth keeping more of an eye on going forward.

The full Warriors rotation isn’t quite set yet

Via the San Jose Mercury News:

There are a few reasons for the Warriors’ defensive woes, but the bench’s inexperience has been at the top of that list. Golden State is winning the minutes superstar Stephen Curry is on the court but losing the ones he’s off.

As a result, the Warriors’ rotation remains fluid, and the team’s youngest players are dealing with uncertainty night in and night out. Kuminga has ridden the bench in three games. He earned a spot in the rotation after impressing last weekend against New Orleans when the majority of the starters sat out. But the 20-year-old was reminded how valuable those opportunities are Monday when he didn’t see the court in the second half of the Warriors’ win over the Kings after tallying five points and finishing minus-17 in nine minutes during the opening quarters.

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The latest on the Knicks

Via the New York Post:

The Knicks began their second 10-game segment of the season Wednesday night in Brooklyn with an embarrassing defeat, even busting the trend of statistical mediocrity — in almost every way — from their 5-5 start.

All of their wins in that initial stretch had come against teams with losing records, while all of the losses were suffered against clubs above the .500 mark.

Kevin Durant and the Nets came in with a 4-7 record — not to mention being embroiled in a recent coaching change and the Kyrie Irving suspension — yet hammered the Knicks from start to finish in a 112-85 beatdown at Barclays Center.

Through Tuesday’s league-wide shutdown for Election Day — a terrific idea, by the way — the Knicks also were squarely in the middle of the NBA pack statistically, ranking 16th in offense and 16th in defense (they’re now No. 23 in offense and No. 19 in defense). Such symmetry held both encouraging and disappointing trends depending on your general optimism or pessimism when evaluating the team’s progress and long-term prognosis, beginning with how they respond to this horrid showing Friday night at home against the Pistons.

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After loss to Clippers, Lakers fall to 2-9

Via the Los Angeles Times:

His team is in the midst of yet another losing streak and his star player left the game Wednesday because of left leg soreness, but Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his mental state is not that of, “Woe is me.”

As a first-year coach, Ham said his spirits have been “great” despite a 2-9 record that has left the Lakers with the second-worst record in the NBA and LeBron James injured during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night.

The Lakers opened the season with a five-game losing streak, won two straight and now have lost four in a row.

Yet Ham’s view is more positive during these troubled times for the Lakers, saying things like how “blessed” he is to coach the Lakers and to live in sunny Los Angeles.

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Timberwolves off to a 5-6 start

The Timberwolves are 5-6 this season, and perhaps had a bit of a wakeup call Monday that could help set a tone for things to come. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

In some good news for the Timberwolves, and they could use some after the Knicks blew them out of Target Center on Monday night, center Rudy Gobert cleared COVID-19 protocols, practiced Tuesday and is available to play Wednesday against Phoenix.

That could help their defense, which is No. 9 in terms of defensive efficiency, but looked disinterested in making the Knicks work Monday.

That prompted guard Anthony Edwards to say the team was “soft” after the game, and they were likely developing that reputation around the league.

For Gobert, who spent the last two games watching from home, the Wolves need to concentrate on doing the “little things” right — like communication and playing with urgency on a consistent basis.

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On the Lakers and their roster issues

The Lakers are off to a rough start this season, and if you look at the roster breakdown past the handful of obvious big names, there’s no clear reason to expect a big reversal of fortune. Via the OC Register:

Coach Darvin Ham called it being real. But for the Lakers, the truth might be a little too real.

On the heels of a 139-116 loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers’ eighth loss in just 10 games, Ham said his team needed to defend better, rebound better and communicate better. Then he reached outside of normal coaching discourse – into the Lakers’ payroll.

“We’re tax offenders, right?” Ham asked rhetorically. “We just can’t go out and start spending money everywhere to build a team. We have three big-time first-ballot future Hall of Famers that a chunk of our budget is being spent on. And there’s only so much left.”

The rookie head coach somewhat awkwardly exposed the flank of the front office, which would like to focus on anything else except the shaky build of the roster around three max-contract salary stars who still haven’t played well together, complemented by a host of largely veteran’s minimum contract players. And yet, after a discouraging start to the season, it’s an unavoidable sore spot as the organization teeters on the edge of another letdown year.

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Jazz off to much better than expected start this season

Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

When the Utah Jazz traded Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale this offseason for a collection of mostly young players and a haul of future draft picks, it was presumed the team would be pretty bad this season.

Some fans were fine with that, viewing the strategy of maximizing draft position as a means of potentially landing a future superstar as a pragmatic and even prudent approach. Others, however, perceived such a tactic as an affront to those who spend their money on tickets, expecting to see a quality product.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the tankathon …

The Utah Jazz have not only not been one of the worst teams in the NBA, they’ve actually been … well, good. Even after Wednesday’s 103-100 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas, they’re now 6-3 this season. They already have victories over multiple 2022 playoff teams, including the Grizzlies (twice), Nuggets, and Wolves, plus one over the much-hyped Pelicans.

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On the Knicks starting lineup

Via the New York Post:

Knicks fans eager to see change seven games into the season are going to need to be patient.

Tom Thibodeau doesn’t sound ready to make any alterations to his starting lineup yet despite the unit’s early struggles.

“We’ll see how it unfolds,” the Knicks’ coach said, when asked how much of a sample size is needed before considering a change. “So, you wanna make sure that you get a good look at everything.”

When the starters issues were pointed out, that the quintet of RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Evan Fournier and Julius Randle has a minus-9.2 rating per 100 possessions and a defensive rating of 116.9, which would be 27th in the league, Thibodeau pointed out how well the group started in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks. The team’s third straight defeat, in which a 23-point, second-quarter lead became a noncompetitive 13-point loss, he felt was on everyone.

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On the Warriors rotation

Via the Bay Area News Group:

An explanation for the defending champions’ disappointing start lies somewhere between the starters and the young bench.

The starters’ early turnover and foul sloppiness can be attributed to a little “championship hangover,” as coach Steve Kerr put it after Golden State’s fourth straight loss in Orlando on Thursday night.

But hangovers wear off. And that’s when reality sets in.

The time it could take for the young bench to produce within the Warriors’ scheme could prove costly unless changes are made. The Warriors’ 0-5 road record, league-worst defense and 3-6 record were enough for Kerr and his coaching staff to start considering changes.

“We’ve gotta find combinations that work off the bench. We’ll be making some changes,” Kerr said. “We’ve had a decent look at combinations, so it’s time to start something different.”

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Timberwolves set to face the 7-0 Bucks tonight

The 4-4 Timberwolves face the 7-0 Bucks tonight. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

With two days off between their games against Phoenix and Milwaukee, the Timberwolves were able to get in a practice Thursday, and coach Chris Finch said the Wolves’ primary focus was in one area.

“Ball movement,” Finch said. “… Pretty much all we did was ball movement stuff.”

Anyone who has watched the Wolves over the last week can see this is one of the biggest issues they have. There is plenty of standing around, dribbling and isolation offense.

Their hope to improve on offense won’t get any easier on Friday night when unbeaten Milwaukee visits Minnesota and brings to town the No. 1 most-efficient defense in the league. The Bucks are allowing 101.3 points per 100 possessions, three points better than the next best team — the Lakers — entering Thursday.

The Wolves have the 23rd-rated offense (109.9).

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