SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #21 Washington Wizards

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #21 Washington Wizards

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by | Jul 9, 2020 | Featured, NBA

And…we are back with another edition of the Bubble Breakdowns! Last night, it might make a little more sense to move the Brooklyn Nets a little higher on this countdown, simply because of the shocking acquisitions that Nets GM Sean Marks was able to pull off in signing veteran shooting guard and handle GAWD Jamal Crawford, as well as former 1st rounder Michael Beasley. Brooklyn needed to pull off some last-minute substitutions as a result of the five players they’ll be without during the time they restart their season in Orlando in a couple of weeks, and by the looks of it, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn now has some new benefits in the rebounding and frontcourt scoring departments.

On this Thursday, you could say that the position of this next team on our list is, quite honestly, interchangeable with some of the bottom-tier squads in the teams most likely to compete for a chance to play in the play-in tournaments for the lower seeds.

The players who decided not to play for the Nets was bad enough to the chances of Brooklyn keeping that seventh seed in the East, but in terms of opt-outs and no-gos on the Wizards’ end, Washington got rocked. badly. Both all-around two-guard Bradley Beal and sharpshooter Davis Bertans said no to playing in Orlando. Davis Bertans, for the fear of catching COVID-19, willfully opted out of participating in the Orlando games, while Beal plans to tend to a lingering shoulder injury he hopes to have healed by next season.

As it stands, Washington fans have little to wonder about who can step up to take the presumptive role of floor general for a team that’s relatively within reach of touching the eighth and final playoff seed.

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Washington’s Season In Review (24-40, 9th in East)

There’s no sugarcoating it: for just about the entire duration of the 2019-2020 season, the Washington Wizards have been the most defensively inefficient team in the NBA. You could literally count on a hand the number of times that Washington’s held their opponents to under 100 points (four times actually) and can do the same when you count up the times they’ve let opponents score 150+ points in a game, most notably in that silly, video-game-like thriller between them and the Houston Rockets that saw the Wizards lose 159-158 back in October.

But ironically, they’ve been a top-15 offense in the league (13th best offensive rating in the NBA), mainly due to the help of a certain superstar at the shooting guard position that could score whatever way you needed him to. As the ninth seed for this competition, Washington only needs four games to qualify for that play-in tournament that’ll likely feature both Brooklyn and eighth-seeded Orlando, assuming that the eight-game schedule for all three teams prompts a duel for the final spot in the postseason.

But, It’s still profound no matter how many times you say it aloud: the Washington Wizards are still alive in the playoff hunt, now only six games back of the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic. I’m sure the collective NBA Fan Base all went ‘HUH?!?!?’ when the 24-win Wizards were announced as one of the 22 teams scheduled to pack their bags and head down south to Walt Disney World when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the season was back on. But here they are.

So, in looking at this season, you could say that it definitely was somewhat of a step, more like a tread or meander, in an appropriate direction. This year was supposed to be a time for Bradley Beal to test out his leadership skills amidst a blend of youthful, impressionable rotational pieces and proven vets, deflect and deny any skepticisms about him seeking other green pastures and free-agent destinations, and help first-year Wizards General Manager Tommy Shepherd cultivate a drama-free culture and landscape that’ll eventually reintegrate John Wall back into the picture (who, by the way, hasn’t set foot on an NBA court since December 26, 2018) for Washington’s title window to slowly reopen in future campaigns.

And for the most part, the Wizards have done just that. This team could’ve been in a way worse scenario had the early cursors of the season caught up to them but they were able to wade through a chunk of adversity in order to supplant themselves as a prospective team that has a serious shot at a playoff spot, especially when you assess both the Magic and Nets’ tedious eight-game schedule.

Washington’s core of player development deserves some praise, too, especially head coach Scott Brooks for the way he’s corroborated a sense of confidence towards young pieces like two-way talent and former 1st rounder out of Gonzaga Rui Hachimura, energetic big man Thomas Bryant, and former Laker Moritz Wagner. Moreover, in addition to assisting in their development, the way that he threw all of his chips on the table in allowing the likes of Bertans and Beal to be the leaders on a roster that otherwise without their talents would easily be a lottery pick-caliber squad.

On the topic of a certain rookie in Rui Hachimura, he’s gone above and beyond rudimentary expectations usually stapled to rooks on talent-inept rosters in 2019-20. Pro comparisons for Hachimura’s draft profile ranged from Kawhi Leonard to another international prospect, but the Japanese-born prospect has answered the call for a team that’s still adapting to the two-way stretch forward trend so popular among title-contending organizations. Averaging a respectable 13.4 points and 6 rebounds per game, Hachimura has fit like a glove, endearing himself to veterans who appreciate his adamant demeanor and focus.

Some key moments throughout the year for Washington, and specifically for Bradley Beal, you ask? Well, take your pick. There was that time that the former Florida Gator who, after being snubbed as an All-Star, honored his favorite player growing up, Kobe Bryant, by coincidentally becoming the first player in the league since Bryant in March 2007 to score 50-plus points on consecutive days (Beal scored 53 in a loss to Chicago, and then dropped 56 against Milwaukee in an OT loss one game later). Or how about that game where he laid in a game-winning two-footer in a drawn-up sideout set to knock off the Dallas Mavericks back on February 7?

And as a team, there wasn’t much more memorable of a stretch than their back-to-back Ws over two playoff teams in both Denver and Boston back in January. Up until that point, they only had two slews of back-to-back wins this season in general.

It’s no secret he’s been their runaway MVP this season and has drawn eyes to himself and his Wizards from fans and media personalities alike, considering that had it not been for James Harden essentially being the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to average almost 40 points per game (34.5 ppg.), he’d probably be on his way to nabbing his first scoring title with his averaged 30 points per contest.

But perhaps the most meaningful occurrence for the Wizards this season: Bradley Beal voicing his security with the team he’s on by signing a 2-year, $72 Million max extension in October. By doing that back at the beginning of a new season, he further confirmed the belief that he had regarding the still-existent potential that he believes the tandem of John Wall and himself have, along with the young, playmaking core that Washington has, to shake things up in the East once everyone gets healthy starting next season.

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Washington’s Roster For Season Resumption: No Bradley Beal/Davis Bertans = An Even Slimmer Chance.

I’m going to try and be as euphemistic as possible when I say this: Washington’s chances of competing for that playoff spot “exist.” They’re not high, at the slightest, but they’re still there. Looking at this lineup, Scott Brooks won’t have the offensive luxury of relying on Bradley Beal’s gifted shot-creating and shot-making dynamic to the offense that Brooks runs, Nor will he have the freedom to run his esteemed drive-kick sets for Davis Bertans. So now, other guards like Ish Smith, (10.5 ppg., 4.8 apg.) Shabazz Napier (12.0 ppg, 4.4 apg.) and new Wizard Jerome Robinson (6.1 ppg., 3.5 apg.) are likely to all split minutes in place of Bradley Beal.

Though it’s highly unlikely they match the 30 points per game Beal usually scores for Washington.

Additional backcourt members like Isaac Bonga (4.6 ppg., 3.2 rpg.), Gary Payton II (3.9 ppg., 2.8 rpg.) will mainly be relied upon up their ability to make shooters uncomfortable around the perimeter, as well as be trusted to knock down shots from deep on the offensive end.

Payton, similar to his dad, is pound-for-pound the best perimeter defender on this roster as it stands now, and Bonga, up until the season went on hiatus, was making 40 percent of his shots from deep and 50 percent of his shots from the field.

Two-way talent Garrison Matthews (5.4 ppg., 1.2 rpg.) could be a name to look out for, as he shot 42.9 percent from downtown this season and could be an integral piece of offense that could help to propel the Wizards to a playoff seed.

Expect bigs Ian Mahinmi and Thomas to split minutes at the five. Mahinmi is averaging 16.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes played, which is decent, but his defensive effort is one of the reasons as to why Washington’s been horrendous on that side of the ball. His defensive rating is at 112.6 – ironically, the best among all frontcourt players on the team – and they don’t really have much else to put out there. Conversely, his frontcourt cohort Bryant is arguably the best three-point shooter on the team at his position.

Averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest, he may not be as sound on the defensive end in contrast to his other teammates but he made over 40 percent of his deep balls this year and it’ll be interesting to see just how many minutes the Indiana-made Power Forward gets per game during this resumed season.

Moritz Wagner looks to be the best bet to be Davis Bertans’ replacement in Orlando. Bertans, who finished third in the Three-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend in February, made over 42.4 percent of his attempts from deep while averaging a little over 15 points. It’ll be a little above Wagner’s paygrade to match the level of productivity from one of the league’s most efficient marksmen, but Wagner, who made around 34 percent of his deep balls this season, will be asked to contribute a lot more minutes within a rotation that’ll probably go 12-13 players deep once the season comes around.

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Washington’s Schedule, At A Glance

Washington comes into Orlando having the ninth hardest schedule of the 22 remaining teams. Which doesn’t help, because their two most productive players opted out of performing in Orlando due to steering clear of catching the coronavirus. As the schedule goes for the Wizards, it’ll look a little like this:

Given the bare bones of what the Wizards have left of a competitive roster, it’ll be a difficult task for them to squeak out more than four wins in this eight-game schedule. After four scrimmage games, they’ll play another team that’s trying to will itself into the playoff picture out West in the Phoenix Suns. NBA fans won’t get to experience the treat that would have been the battle of the All-Star Snubs – Bradley Beal against Devin Booker (yes, I know, DBook was an all-star, but technically he wasn’t voted in and only got on the Western roster due to Damian Lillard getting hurt before All-Star Weekend) – but it can potentially be a competitive, high-scoring affair for both teams.

After that, they have a date with Brooklyn, a team that like them is undermanned, and a team they are trying to catch to force a play-in tournament.  Their schedule then ramps up in difficulty with a battle against Victor Oladipo-less Indiana Pacers team and then a duel with a tall, lanky Sixers team that’s sure to improve their stock before the playoffs roll through.

A game against the Phenom himself Zion Williamson and his New Orleans Pelicans await at the start of the season’s second half, and two days after that, they have to play a surprisingly dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder team that’s sure to wreak havoc among defenses everywhere. They’ll finish off their Orlando regular season playing two Eastern elites, the first being the #1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks with current MVP and leading candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the last being the #3 seeded Boston Celtics with rising superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Just like Brooklyn, this roster has been tethered and tattered by trade deadline decisions and abrupt opt-outs that all but certainly deflate any real hopes of seriously contending for a playoff spot this year. Yet, it’s unconfirmed just what level of intensity that the ninth-seeded Wizards are bringing into the NBA Bubble. Getting Washington back to the postseason for what’s been a drought of two seasons won’t be easy, or likely to be accomplished given the team that Scott Brooks has to coach and lead through the abridged season.

If there is confirmation of some sorts, Washington fans should feel some sense of pride and comfort knowing that things are only going to get better. For a team that’s so stout on grooming its younger pieces like Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant to eventually join forces with the currently rehabilitating duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, GM Tommy Shepherd has to love the straightforward direction that DC’s team is headed toward.

Jul 9, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #22 Brooklyn Nets

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #22 Brooklyn Nets

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by | Jul 8, 2020 | Featured, NBA

And alas…an actual basketball article that we here at Sneaker Reporter are fortunate enough to give you, the reader, during this tumultuous year known as 2020.

Since the season readies for its eventual resumption on July 30th, we’re going to be bringing you some key facts and season-in-reviews within 22 breakdowns that will be done for the 22 teams heading into Orlando in pursuit of a championship. Keep in mind, these team breakdowns could very well change up regarding the progressing status of players’ options to opt-out due to injury, or if they get infected by the Coronavirus. As teams head their way to South Florida, let’s get to the first official team of this 22-team countdown on our list: the Brooklyn Nets.

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 Brooklyn’s Season In Review (30-34, 7th in the East)

The Nets’ 2019-2020 season was supposed to be an eight-month period that was supposed to center around letting new Nets Guard Kyrie Irving find his bearings amongst his brand-new adversaries in the Barclays Center while his partner-in-crime Kevin Durant healed from his ruptured Achilles suffered during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

And as part of that plan, Irving was projected to lead this massively altered Nets roster back to the postseason for a second-straight season even if Durant wouldn’t be able to assist his new teammate to obtain a deep playoff streak. As fate would have it, that wasn’t the case and in Irving’s case, his on-court absence was a double-edged sword for a guard-dense Nets team that, albeit, was able to squeak out 30 wins during the season but only experience Irving’s dynamic productivity for just 20 games until Irving was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a shoulder impingement and surgery on that injured joint.

This Nets team was marred by an injury to a substantial amount of their core pieces, like Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert for a slew of games that prompted the Nets to only grab the seventh seed in the East, but it could have been worse. In fact, the Nets’ defensive effort prompted them to acquire a spot in the top-10 for defensive ratings across the league’s landscape.

Additionally, now ex-head coach Kenny Atkinson pushed the Nets to get some pretty impressive wins under his belt, up until his firing on March 7.

Remember that key victory on March 3 against the Celtics that saw the Nets (and most notably, Caris LeVert, overcome a 21-point deficit as LeVert ended up dropping 51 on an injury-maligned Celtics for that exciting overtime win? Or the first road game without Kenny Atkinson coaching courtside on March 10 inside the Staples Center, which saw a group of Nets reserves find a way to counter LeBron and Anthony Davis’ Lakers thanks to a game-winning elbow jumper by Spencer Dinwiddie with 28.4 seconds left on the clock, just hours before the season was abruptly paused one day later?

Another mark on their defensive prowess when pieces like Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan dominating the glass: during their rematch against the defending champion Toronto Raptors, the Nets held the 12th-best offense in the NBA to only 91 points on 98 possessions. And of course, not to be excluded, a dominant 20-point home beatdown against rival Philadelphia on December 15, in a game where Spencer Dinwiddie could not be stopped on his way to a team-high 24 points.

Brooklyn now finds themselves in a tight bind, however, with their collective playoff lifelines practically on life support. Opt-outs and de-commitments to play now leave a prospective playoff roster decimated and unrecognizable, making the Nets a bubble team that could be on its way out early in Orlando.

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Nets Roster For Season’s Resumption: The Orlando Nets won’t look a thing like the Brooklyn Nets.

Not having Kyrie Irving on the court since February 1 has done more harm than good for the offensive output of these Nets. Without their stars on the floor, The Nets are the only team in the NBA that ranks in the bottom six in field-goal percentage (44.4%, 26th), 3-point percentage (34.0%, 26th), and free-throw percentage (74.4%, 25th). Which, in the given landscape of the bottom of the East, isn’t helpful or satisfactory in the slightest. And it makes it all the worst when you factor how many of the Nets have confirmed that they’d refuse to take the trip to Orlando before the season restarts. To fill you in on how many Nets aren’t going to suit up in the coming weeks, here’s a list of the guys not competing in the abridged season.

  • Kyrie Irving (shoulder injury)
  • Kevin Durant (Achilles recovery)
  • Spencer Dinwiddie (two positive COVID-19 tests)
  • Taurean Prince (positive test for COVID-19)
  • DeAndre Jordan (positive COVID-19 test)
  • Nico Claxton (injury)
  • Wilson Chandler (willful opt-out)

That’s a majority of their roster depleted, and the remaining names left on the team don’t quite spell “competitive”. Without their best player in Dinwiddie, who when he was playing, helped the Nets score 11.5 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (110.5) than they have with him off of it (99.0). That’s tied for the fifth-biggest on-off differential among 218 players who have played at least 1,000 minutes. He’s been the biggest star on this Nets team while Irving and Durant have rehabilitated, averaging a team-high 20.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game.

The Netw will lose other dimensions of their offense with other guys like sharpshooting wing Taurean Prince (12.1 PPG., 6 RPG.) and defensive anchor Wilson Chandler (5.9 PPG., 4.1 rpg., 0.5 BPG, 0.3 SPG.), but they hope to get the same kind of supplementary productivity from their recently-signed free-agents in guard Tyler Johnson, wing Justin Anderson and newly-acquired veteran big man Amir Johnson.

Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn will now look to rising star Caris LeVert to carry the offensive load and push this car wreck of a Nets team over the seasonal finish line. LeVert was on a tear before the season was suspended, averaging 24.1 points per contest in the season’s last 16 games. In addition to that wild OT win in the TD Garden on March 7, LeVert nabbed his first career triple-double against the Spurs just three nights later. At times, LeVert’s potential shines as bright as an LED Flashlight, as he showcases his ability to score at all three levels. But his consistency has been the biggest question mark.

In his return to the hardwood after a two-month recovery from a thumb ailment, LeVert struggled mightily, and his true shooting percentage dipped. That can’t happen in Orlando if he’s to be the primary threat on the offensive side of the ball.

So now, Brooklyn is going to conjoin new pieces like 2nd-year big man Jarrett Allen, marksman Joe Harris, rotational forwards Rodions Kurucs and Dzanan Musa, and two-way player Chris Chiozza with Tyler Johnson, Justin Anderson, and Amir Johnson in the efforts of making a new starting five that Vaughn himself doesn’t even know what will look like.

“I still have to wait and see how guys are looking once we get to Orlando and make that adjustment, and that’s the challenge,” Vaughn said in an interview with the New York Post. “Whether it’s adjusting the way we play offensively and defensively, that could happen in two weeks leading up to our first game. That’s not your normal preparation, but we might bend a little bit. But we’re not going to break.”

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Brooklyn’s Schedule, At A Glance

Brooklyn might as well be counting their days if they’re going to pack it in and hope that they can keep their seventh seed in the East without any difficulty, considering just how many skill position players won’t even suit up for the Nets in Orlando.

And Speaking of Orlando, those pesky Magic who only sit a full two games out of swiping the seventh seed in the postseason from under them at 30-35. The Washington Wizards (24-40), on the other hand, are sitting six games back from taking that eighth seed from the Nets in the event they slip out of the playoff race or if the Wizards get within four games of the Nets and force a play-in tournament for the eighth seed.

Brooklyn’s schedule looks as if it could be a major thorn in their sides come the time of the season’s resumption. Here’s what it looks like:

The Nets start off their eight-game Orlando campaign with back-to-back duels with their two Eastern foes they are trying to defend their seventh seed from in games against Orlando and Washington and right after that, they’ll go toe-to-toe with two top-three teams in the East in Milwaukee and Boston.

Brooklyn has yet to beat Milwaukee this season (0-3), but do have somewhat of a considerable advantage over the Boston Celtics (2-1). But of course, that was when everyone was healthy and the combination of Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVertsuited up for them in all of their matchups.

Two days after that, Brooklyn has a mini “Western road trip” if you will, and will play another team vying for a playoff spot in the Sacramento Kings next, who need all of their games in positive results if they’re to challenge the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the West. After that, they play their hardest game of the eight-game stretch as they play Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s Los Angeles Clippers. They’ll have one more opportunity to beat the Magic after that game, and will finish their regular season playing another Western team with a battle against Damian Lillard’s now healthy Portland Trail Blazers.

Brooklyn’s roster, already maligned with opt-outs and injuries, has the 17th-hardest schedule of any team in the NBA bubble. Which should be a point of optimism. But, this roster will be hard to identify come tip-off on July 31 against Orlando.

However, if Caris LeVert, Chris Chiozza, and whoever else that’s left on this Nets team can muster up some last-minute chemistry with new guys in the locker room and fight to get Brooklyn back into the postseason, that’ll make two successful seasons in a row that the Nets will have touched the playoffs, which only spells good juju for a team that’s going to be a lot more threatening come December when a new season starts and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant open up Brooklyn’s championship window for a couple of years.

Jul 8, 2020 No Comments
Nike Dunk Low “Lemon Wash” Release Info

Nike Dunk Low “Lemon Wash” Release Info

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by | Jul 6, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Joining a hefty aggregation of other Nike Dunk Low releases this year is the eye-catching “Lemon Wash” colorway. Covering the legendary silhouette in a mixture of Multi-Color, Midnight Turquoise, Cardinal Red, and Lemon Wash may seem to be haphazard but if the speckled outsole is constructed from the same material of as the Space Hippie line it may signal that this shoe was designed with the same circular design purposes as the Space Hippie family.

The upper consists of a canvas construction with various prints covering it and the colorway is tied together with the hints of yellow found on the swoosh, heel tab, and tongue. 

The Nike Dunk Low “Lemon Wash” is set to release later this year.

Images via Soledebrief

Jul 6, 2020 No Comments
Gatorade x Nike PG 4 “Citrus Orange” Release Info

Gatorade x Nike PG 4 “Citrus Orange” Release Info

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by | Jul 6, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Paul George’s signature line continues to be fueled by the Gatorade x Nike Basketball collab. After seeing various colorways referencing the Clippers forward love for the refreshing drink, a newer even more vibrant color scheme is on the way.

The upper features a profusion of orange tones and the PG logo covered in a translucent white mesh shell. The hints of blue on the eyelets and Gatorade branding on the insole are the small details that complete the look of this upcoming collaboration.

The Nike PG 4 ‘Citrus Orange’ is set to release this summer via Nike.com

Images via Nike

Jul 6, 2020 No Comments
Nike Air Max 90 “Euro Tour” Release Info

Nike Air Max 90 “Euro Tour” Release Info

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by | Jul 6, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

This summer Nike will be offering up two remixed classic silhouettes for its “Euro Tour” pack which includes a dynamic Air Force One with a lightning bolt swoosh and a glowing Air Max 90.

The white mesh upper is covered with reflective 3M markings and red swooshes. The heel finds itself covered in Navy Blue branding, where the eyelets alternate between Navy and Royal Blue. Silver taping appears on the tongue honoring the 2020 Euro tour and a similarly celebratory insole completes the look. 

The Air Max 90 Euro Tour is set to release in the coming weeks via Nike.

Images via Nike

Jul 6, 2020 No Comments
Air Jordan 6 “Quai 54” Release and Alternate Colorway Info

Air Jordan 6 “Quai 54” Release and Alternate Colorway Info

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by | Jul 6, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Each year Jordan Brand crafts a new colorway for a classic silhouette in honor of the Parisian streetball tournament Quai 54. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, it is uncertain if the French basketball event will even occur this year but the tournament will continue to live on with these upcoming releases from the Quai 54 collection.

The “Quai 54” Air Jordan 6 will be seeing two iterations this year — one in a Sail/Total Orange-Gum Light Brown-Baroque Brown color scheme and the other dressed in a Sail/Black-Team Orange-Racer Blue colorway. Both pairs feature colorful patterned underlays with matching insoles and Quai 54 branding on the tongue and heel.

Images for the Racer Blue alternate show reflective 3M detailing but it is unclear whether or not the Baroque Brown colorway features the same detail. The translucent Sail outsole rounds out the design on both pairs. 

The “Quai 54” Air Jordan 6 are set to release sometime this month via Nike. 

Images via Nike

Jul 6, 2020 No Comments