Yeah, I see you there: all fired up over a new week of NBA games like Zaza Pachulia after making a big play...
As usual a wide range of topics were covered in last week's thread:
The Kids Are All Right
One question that was asked during the Weekly Thread was the following:
And while that question didn’t get any responses at the time it was asked, I thought it’d be worth singling out five 22-and-under players who made an impression last week…
PG: Emmanuel Mudiay
We knew about the vision, the passing and the ability to get into the lane. What we didn't expect was what we saw a few days ago against Portland:
In the game following those 2 clutch blocks, Mudiay dropped a 16/11 on the Bucks. When asked to predict how the rookie Point Guard would fare in comparison to his own NBA career, Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said the following:
“He’ll be better,” Kidd said. “He’s better already. Being able to run an NBA team at 19 is not easy. You look at some of the greats — Magic (Johnson) was able to do it. And you’re looking at this kid Mudiay, who has the opportunity to do something special. So, I would encourage him to be better than me, and I think he will be at the end of the day.”
High praise from Kidd, but I personally don't think he'll be the "next Jason Kidd". That title already belongs to George Hill thanks to his mid-career blonde curls.
SG: Andrew Wiggins
Yeah I've already talked about Wiggins before, but it's worth noting that Andrew dropped yet another career best night in a game against the Hawks last week.
SF: Ben Simmons
Simmons made his college debut last week. For those interested in following his progress from college freshman to Greatest Player In The History Of Sports History, here's the schedule of his upcoming games (hat tip to sojthebest):
Can’t wait for the blockbuster matchup against Gardner-Webb!!!
PF - Kristaps Porzingis
A bit of a quieter week for Zingers but there was still the obilgatory tip-dunk and double-double, plus this compliment from J.R. Smith:
“He’s better than I thought,” Smith said. “He’s tall as s--- too. I thought he was like a stiff or something … but when I [saw] him come to the Q it was like, ‘He could be something special. He could be the next Dirk.’ It’s just a matter of his work ethic, he’s still young. But if Dirk ever decides to take someone under his wing, and he takes him, he’s going to be a problem.”
As a rookie, Zaza was also considered to be the next Dirk but instead ended up playing alongside Nowitzki in Dallas. As the saying goes: "If you can't be them, join them."
Yep, Porzingis' agility and skillset at 7'3" remains impressive. I mean, he's the same height as Boban Marjanovic who everyone considers to be some sort of behemoth.
Speaking of Boban...
There are 3 requirements to be considered a "Human Victory Cigar":
Being such a freakishly big human with awkward written all over him, Boban Marjanovic has all the qualities to be the 3rd such HVC. The best moments of his NBA career came last week. You can see them here and here.
Of all the honours that could be bestowed on an indiduval this NBA Season, Human Victory Cigar may be the most significant. Boban is well on the way to attaining that title.
(Though I fear he might eventually become too good of a player to be a 15th man...I mean you just watched him score on Frank Kaminsky (Pick #9) and dunk on Cauley-Stein (Pick #6), so it's clear that Boban would've been a top 5 pick if taken in the Draft.)
C: Andre Drummond
Drummond continues to swallow up rebounds: After 9 games he's grabbed 173 boards (19.2 per game), the 2nd highest total (since 1985) after that many games:
If those stats aren't impressive enough for you, then consider this quote from his coach:
"As a rebounder, 'Dre is as good as anybody, if not the best that I've been around," Van Gundy said. "He is an outstanding rebounder. He just goes out and gets the ball. I think he is as good a rebounder and can be as good a rebounder as anybody there has been."
There is one issue with Drummond however...If you'll remember, prior to the season an argument against changing the hack-a-strategy was that you shouldn’t change the rule for just 2 players (meaning Dwight & Jordan).
Well, they Forgot About 'Dre...last week saw 2 games in which the the Hack-a-Drummond strategy was employed and let's just say it wasn't compelling viewing.
But not every team has problems with Centres who can't shoot free throws:
Model Of Efficiency
The graph below plots Adjusted Offensive and Defensive Efficiency (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for League Average). Basically the further in the top right corner you are, the better you are.
Once again, credit for the original idea goes to Bigfooty User Final Siren, who created the concept in the thread: The Race for the Flag in Squiggly Lines).
A couple of notes:
Offensive Set Of The Week
I'm not sure what the biggest concern is for Memphis: their offensive ineptitude or their uncharacteristically below-average Defence.
In the final minute of a close loss to the Clippers last week, the L.A. team ran variations of the same offensive set. Both possessions yielded the same result: 3 points for Redick.
It was clever offensive design for sure, but what was perhaps more glaring was the defensive misunderstandings on both possessions by Memphis. This was not something we're used to seeing with this Grizzlies squad and it cost them big time in this game.
Quiz Question Of The Week
Speaking as we were of great rebounders, the record for Most Offensive Rebounds In a Game (in the last 30 years), is 18 Offensive boards.
This record is shared by 3 players: Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley and which other player?
Quick Hitters
What Zaza Wants You To Watch For This Week
Mon: Toronto @ Sacramento. I wonder if Drake will be there to hang out with Vivek.
Tue: Indiana @ Chicago. George, Rose, Butler, Bairstow. What more could you ask for?
Wed: Cleveland @ Detroit. It doesn't get any easier for the Pistons after they return home from their West Coast road trip. But as a wise man once said, "Nothing Easy!"
Thu: Min @ Orl. A lot of great young players on display (altough the Wolves still happen to start KG & Prince).
Fri: Golden State @ Clippers. Apparently the Warriors needed a lot of luck to win the title...Cool story Glenn.
Sat: San Antonio @ New Orleans. The quest for 33 wins continues.
Sun: New York @ Houston. Battle of the '94 Finalists. I feel that Porzingis vs Dwight is this generation's Ewing vs Olajuwon.
As usual a wide range of topics were covered in last week's thread:
- We discussed the validity of the "Jumpshooting Team" label.
- We made Sig bets.
- We asked how Derek Fisher maintained such an impeccably groomed beard.
The Kids Are All Right
One question that was asked during the Weekly Thread was the following:
And while that question didn’t get any responses at the time it was asked, I thought it’d be worth singling out five 22-and-under players who made an impression last week…
PG: Emmanuel Mudiay
We knew about the vision, the passing and the ability to get into the lane. What we didn't expect was what we saw a few days ago against Portland:
In the game following those 2 clutch blocks, Mudiay dropped a 16/11 on the Bucks. When asked to predict how the rookie Point Guard would fare in comparison to his own NBA career, Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said the following:
“He’ll be better,” Kidd said. “He’s better already. Being able to run an NBA team at 19 is not easy. You look at some of the greats — Magic (Johnson) was able to do it. And you’re looking at this kid Mudiay, who has the opportunity to do something special. So, I would encourage him to be better than me, and I think he will be at the end of the day.”
High praise from Kidd, but I personally don't think he'll be the "next Jason Kidd". That title already belongs to George Hill thanks to his mid-career blonde curls.
SG: Andrew Wiggins
Yeah I've already talked about Wiggins before, but it's worth noting that Andrew dropped yet another career best night in a game against the Hawks last week.
SF: Ben Simmons
Simmons made his college debut last week. For those interested in following his progress from college freshman to Greatest Player In The History Of Sports History, here's the schedule of his upcoming games (hat tip to sojthebest):
Can’t wait for the blockbuster matchup against Gardner-Webb!!!
PF - Kristaps Porzingis
A bit of a quieter week for Zingers but there was still the obilgatory tip-dunk and double-double, plus this compliment from J.R. Smith:
“He’s better than I thought,” Smith said. “He’s tall as s--- too. I thought he was like a stiff or something … but when I [saw] him come to the Q it was like, ‘He could be something special. He could be the next Dirk.’ It’s just a matter of his work ethic, he’s still young. But if Dirk ever decides to take someone under his wing, and he takes him, he’s going to be a problem.”
As a rookie, Zaza was also considered to be the next Dirk but instead ended up playing alongside Nowitzki in Dallas. As the saying goes: "If you can't be them, join them."
Yep, Porzingis' agility and skillset at 7'3" remains impressive. I mean, he's the same height as Boban Marjanovic who everyone considers to be some sort of behemoth.
Speaking of Boban...
There are 3 requirements to be considered a "Human Victory Cigar":
- You must be the 15th man on a championship-contending team.
- You must have some sort of freakish quality or significant trait that causes fans to gravitate to you.
- You must have awkward-looking Basketball skills.
Being such a freakishly big human with awkward written all over him, Boban Marjanovic has all the qualities to be the 3rd such HVC. The best moments of his NBA career came last week. You can see them here and here.
Of all the honours that could be bestowed on an indiduval this NBA Season, Human Victory Cigar may be the most significant. Boban is well on the way to attaining that title.
(Though I fear he might eventually become too good of a player to be a 15th man...I mean you just watched him score on Frank Kaminsky (Pick #9) and dunk on Cauley-Stein (Pick #6), so it's clear that Boban would've been a top 5 pick if taken in the Draft.)
C: Andre Drummond
Drummond continues to swallow up rebounds: After 9 games he's grabbed 173 boards (19.2 per game), the 2nd highest total (since 1985) after that many games:
If those stats aren't impressive enough for you, then consider this quote from his coach:
"As a rebounder, 'Dre is as good as anybody, if not the best that I've been around," Van Gundy said. "He is an outstanding rebounder. He just goes out and gets the ball. I think he is as good a rebounder and can be as good a rebounder as anybody there has been."
There is one issue with Drummond however...If you'll remember, prior to the season an argument against changing the hack-a-strategy was that you shouldn’t change the rule for just 2 players (meaning Dwight & Jordan).
Well, they Forgot About 'Dre...last week saw 2 games in which the the Hack-a-Drummond strategy was employed and let's just say it wasn't compelling viewing.
But not every team has problems with Centres who can't shoot free throws:
Model Of Efficiency
The graph below plots Adjusted Offensive and Defensive Efficiency (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for League Average). Basically the further in the top right corner you are, the better you are.
Once again, credit for the original idea goes to Bigfooty User Final Siren, who created the concept in the thread: The Race for the Flag in Squiggly Lines).
A couple of notes:
- Detroit’s Defensive Rating took a big hit on the back end of their Western Conference road trip.
- But the biggest backwards step last week went to Minnesota, whose Defensive Rating took a huge hit after a couple of high-scoring losses. They’ve managed to stay on the + side of the break even line though.
- ...But both of these teams are still in better shape than the Rockets, who might wanna start playing Defence soon.
- Not much talk about OKC in the previous Weekly Thread, but 3 big wins saw them attain a huge Net Rating of > 10 Points Per 100 Possessions.
- The Mavs made a bit of progress after 3 straight wins. Pachulia played so well last week that they named a Dallas hotel after him.
- But seriously, Zaza seems to be well appreciated by his team.
- Memphis has the worst shooting % stats (regular & advanced) of any team in the Association.
Offensive Set Of The Week
I'm not sure what the biggest concern is for Memphis: their offensive ineptitude or their uncharacteristically below-average Defence.
In the final minute of a close loss to the Clippers last week, the L.A. team ran variations of the same offensive set. Both possessions yielded the same result: 3 points for Redick.
It was clever offensive design for sure, but what was perhaps more glaring was the defensive misunderstandings on both possessions by Memphis. This was not something we're used to seeing with this Grizzlies squad and it cost them big time in this game.
Quiz Question Of The Week
Speaking as we were of great rebounders, the record for Most Offensive Rebounds In a Game (in the last 30 years), is 18 Offensive boards.
This record is shared by 3 players: Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley and which other player?
Zaza Pachulia (acheived against Brooklyn on March 20 this year)
Quick Hitters
- Chris Paul missed the last couple of games with injury, which means we got more time to see Austin Rivers do what Austin Rivers does best.
- On the flipside: remember how well Griffin played the last time Paul missed an extended period of time?...Yesterday without Paul he had a 38/8/9 game. And just quietly, he’s ranked 2nd in the league in PER @ 31.11
- We’ve all seen the spectacular Curry shooting performances where Steph goes off for a quarter. But I hope you all caught LeBron's all-round brilliance during the 4th quarter of the Cavs/Jazz matchup last week…one of the best individual quarters of the season. James did it all: scoring, assisting, pinching rebounds, even taking a charge.
- If there’s one chink in the armour (I’m not talking about Jeremy Lin, so I can still use that phrase, right?) it’s the free throws. Lebron has changed his routine this season, taking a slight step backward before releasing. He's currently shooting a career-worst 60.5% from the stripe.
- I actually watched a bit of the Lakers last week. Kobe looks like a purple Wiggle with his compression shirt. Nick Young is just awful. After all these years he still hasn’t realised that basketball is a team sport.
- Kostas Papanikolau is starting to get some run for the Nuggets...I always thought he could be a useful utility player. However in one recent contest, his first play of the game was an inbounds pass that went straight out of bounds for a turnover. An instant smear on his stat line. A "Pap smear" if you will….I’ll show myself out.
What Zaza Wants You To Watch For This Week
Mon: Toronto @ Sacramento. I wonder if Drake will be there to hang out with Vivek.
Tue: Indiana @ Chicago. George, Rose, Butler, Bairstow. What more could you ask for?
Wed: Cleveland @ Detroit. It doesn't get any easier for the Pistons after they return home from their West Coast road trip. But as a wise man once said, "Nothing Easy!"
Thu: Min @ Orl. A lot of great young players on display (altough the Wolves still happen to start KG & Prince).
Fri: Golden State @ Clippers. Apparently the Warriors needed a lot of luck to win the title...Cool story Glenn.
Sat: San Antonio @ New Orleans. The quest for 33 wins continues.
Sun: New York @ Houston. Battle of the '94 Finalists. I feel that Porzingis vs Dwight is this generation's Ewing vs Olajuwon.
