NBA 2020-2021
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Kyrie's such a bad defender. They have to trade him to make this work, though I guess that won't happen till the summer, and only if this season ends in failure.
Started getting into the basketball recently. Really fun sort to watch, I occasionally record a late night game on Sky and watch it the next day. Have to follow a team of course, so picked the Pelicans as they apparently had a good young team with top young talent in Zion, results have been pretty bad so far so not exactly seeing the hype.
Is it too early to call Zion a bust?
It's 5pm somewhere.
I hope not, I’ve invested time into watching this lot play so hope he comes good. Nonetheless it’s clear the Pels have been vastly overhyped. The coach is getting a lot of stick but not exactly clued on yet.
Yes. He's scoring 26 points per 36 minutes this season in a crap team, and he's 20.
He's really strange to watch though. An amazing finisher and offensive rebounder... but literally everything else he looks clueless. I'm sure a lot of that will improve with time, and better coaching, especially as you read a lot of people say he looked better than this at College.
You had your famous five minutes and now shut up Barbie doll 
He is a very good player - no doubt about that.
But, if I remember correctly he was touted as the next NBA legend - and I personally do not see that yet.
Mavs just lost 7 straight.
Yeah, that i quite surprising, seems like they will miss the playoffs?
He's useless outside the paint and doesn't know how to play defense or box out.
He really needs to start developing more of his game if he wants to thrive in the league.
They've a shit roster apart from Luka. KP can always be counted on to miss 30 games a season and they've let their best 3 point shooters in Seth and JJ Barea leave the club in the summer.
Their results would look even worse if Luka doesn't get his customary 10+ free throws per game. If they don't overtook their team quickly, their season would be over by the time the All Stars game comes about.
Zion is extremely overrated, period. Defensively he's poor and relies on his athleticism and raw ability for any positive defensive contribution. He has no jump shot and cannot rely on that at all. He's an explosive player and can be dynamic in his actions, especially trying to drive to the basket and finishing at the rim, but so what. IMO, he's projecting to be a highlight reel Andre Drummond. But Andre Drummond can defend and rebound at a much greater and effective level than Zion, so Drummond is the better player and can fit well in any team - he doesn't have to have the ball to impact the game.
Zion is better than Drummond.
Drummond is a shit defender, he hunts for highlight blocks which he swats out of bounds only to give back possession to the other team and fights his own teammates for rebounds. Can't even score unless he's directly beneath the basket where he can dunk the ball. There's a reason why his teams only finished above 0.500 twice throughout his entire career.
Yes, because he played in Detroit for his entire career up till this season.
Can't say I watch a lot of them but Drummond is a good enough player to be a starting big in this league. Hasn't had less than 13 PPG / 13 RPG in a season either since his rookie year and didn't miss more than 3 games in a season ever, apart from last season. I wouldn't be against having him at the Lakers for example.
He's only good enough to start for a team that intends to tank.
Watch him play more and you'll realise why opposing teams love matching up against him in the paint because unless he's confident of swatting it to the stands, he's just not going to bother to put that much effort in defending. His teams also have a higher rebounding rate with him off the court than with him on it so his rebounding numbers aren't even that impressive.
LeBron wouldn't want a burden like him clogging up the paint for his drives.
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Gonna take your word for it in that case, I have no intention of watching any Pistons games this season
He's with team sexland nowGonna take your word for it in that case, I have no intention of watching any Pistons games this season
Oh yeah of course ffsHe's with team sexland now
Them neither, unfortunately.If you think Drummond is a shit defender, then Zion is the worst defender in the league. Drummond isn't a shit defender, he's been a traditional 5 in bad Piston teams. Yet his PER, defensive win shares, and defensive rating per Basketball Reference is very impressive.
As I said, right now Zion has no jump shot so he can only score points in the paint and usually at the rim (like Drummond). He's one of the best finishers at the rim.
But at only 6'7", he has trouble defending bigs and if he's asked to defend a floor spacer, he gets lost in space way too often and cannot defend any pick and roll sequence effectively throughout an entire game.
Zion is still learning the NBA game, but he has to develop so much more and that includes a legitimate midrange jumper and be a reliable defensive presence on his team.
So far I have been so impressed with the Knicks. They finally are building a culture and they have a really promising young core of players. Barret has gotten better, Mitch as well, IQ is the steal of the draft imo, Randle is relatively young but he might be traded granted I dont want that AND they have loads of cap space. Dare I say the future is bright in NY?
As far as rookies LaMelo has been the best and most exciting one and I really like Deni as well. I feel bas he landed in the wizards because in another team I reckon his numbers are much higher. Good passer and facilitator and he can shoot.
Kevin Durant is my current favorite for MVP. To be gone as long as he was and to come back effortlessly scoring 30PPG on a little over 50% shooting....This guy is weird. Such a beast.
As far as rookies LaMelo has been the best and most exciting one and I really like Deni as well. I feel bas he landed in the wizards because in another team I reckon his numbers are much higher. Good passer and facilitator and he can shoot.
Kevin Durant is my current favorite for MVP. To be gone as long as he was and to come back effortlessly scoring 30PPG on a little over 50% shooting....This guy is weird. Such a beast.
I don't see how they beat the lakers in the finals If both teams got there.
Fred VanVleet made history last night. Not only did he beat DeMar DeRozan's scoring record of 52 points (54), he also scored the most points in a match ever by a free agent (Moses Malone had 53).
His contract is looking better and better as time goes.
His contract is looking better and better as time goes.
Watch the games instead of looking at stats, there's a reason why his coaches and Pistons fans have criticised his defense and how he plays to pad his stats instead of playing for the team.
Without Drummond, the Pistons would have had an even more difficult time being competitive and trying to make the playoffs. He was an important player for the Pistons during his tenure in Detroit.
Every player will get criticized about their defensive engagement, especially when you're playing as much and on poor teams like Drummond. He's an elite rebounder, good interior defender (not so much outside the paint), and capable scorer who doesn't have a dependable jumper.
But right now, I'm not too impressed with Zion and he has a lot to improve upon which should excite people rather than them focusing on his at the rim ability.
Yes, but those are advanced stats!
Barring injuries, Zion will have done so much more by the time he's hit 600 NBA games that Drummond has (2 x 0-4 playoff losses pretty much). He is overrated if you bought into the next jesus LeBron type hype... maybe, but this is a modern hype train, he's generally doing fine given he's only played half a season realistically.
Drummond is so valuable that the Pistons traded him for 2 expiring contracts and a second round pick.
Stop looking at his stats and saying how good he is and go actually watch him play. There's a reason why teams love to attack him in the paint, they know he's not going to do anything to stop them if he can't get the highlight block.
They didn't want to sign him to any max deal but he'll get paid. Cavs are competing for a playoff spot while the Pistons and Pels are near the bottom of east and west.
Drummond is a good player. Zion is a good player, but very overrated at the moment. A lot of hype.
The Cavs have a good team defensely but cannot score well enough as a team. And Drummond as a 2nd primary scorer doesn't help because he cannot stretch the floor or convert enough FTs. But it's clearly evident Drummond is part of a good defensive team thus far and he's a part of that effort.
The lows and lows of Kelly Oubre.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ave-few-alternatives-and-no-margin-for-error/
(Last night)... the Warriors were outscored by 25 points in Oubre's 26 minutes on Tuesday. Do the math, and the Warriors, no matter who else was on the floor, outscored the Celtics by 21 points when Oubre was on the bench, but somehow lost the game by four.
Entering Tuesday, the Warriors were minus-6.1 per 100 possessions with Oubre on the floor, compared to plus-5.1 when he was on the bench.....
Specifically, Oubre is killing Curry. It's almost impossible, in fact, to be as bad next to Curry, a plus-minus God, as Oubre has been this season. Entering Tuesday, When Curry has shared the court with Oubre, the Warriors have been outscored by seven points per 100 possessions. Take Oubre out -- which is to say leave Curry on the floor with any other four players -- and Golden State is winning those minutes by 16.2 per 100 with an offensive rating of 128.7, which would by far rank as the best mark in the league.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ave-few-alternatives-and-no-margin-for-error/
(Last night)... the Warriors were outscored by 25 points in Oubre's 26 minutes on Tuesday. Do the math, and the Warriors, no matter who else was on the floor, outscored the Celtics by 21 points when Oubre was on the bench, but somehow lost the game by four.
Entering Tuesday, the Warriors were minus-6.1 per 100 possessions with Oubre on the floor, compared to plus-5.1 when he was on the bench.....
Specifically, Oubre is killing Curry. It's almost impossible, in fact, to be as bad next to Curry, a plus-minus God, as Oubre has been this season. Entering Tuesday, When Curry has shared the court with Oubre, the Warriors have been outscored by seven points per 100 possessions. Take Oubre out -- which is to say leave Curry on the floor with any other four players -- and Golden State is winning those minutes by 16.2 per 100 with an offensive rating of 128.7, which would by far rank as the best mark in the league.
D Wade said that god gave everything to Lebron but a hair line.
Mavericks didn’t really keep the pace in the second half. Barring an amazing comeback. I thought we might get a 300 point game
Always liked that Oubre guy.
Good win tonight Charlie.
Good win tonight Charlie.
Thank you Denver for this interesting game
Does anyone subscribe to NBA league pass and is it worth it? In thinking of doing the one team ‘team pass’ for £14.99. But not entirely sure it’s exactly the best value.
Never doubted him!Always liked that Oubre guy.
Good win tonight Charlie.
great stuff especially considering who was missing and how short, comparatively, our line up was. Amazing seeing guys blocking someone almost a full foot taller than themA double-overtime win is great even against the worst team in the league
A double-overtime win is great even against the worst team in the league
You didn't play Minnesota?