NBA All Star Draft Selections: Team Giannis & Team LeBron Picks

NBA All Star Draft Selections: Team Giannis & Team LeBron Picks

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The starters have been named, and the All-Stars have been informed that they’ll be participating in the festivities of the 69th All-Star Game presented by Jordan Brand. The hype is set for the star-packed duel set to tip-off in Chicago on February 16. But now, only one question remains:

For who will all starters and reserves play for under both teams?

Team Giannis and Team LeBron were general managers in this year’s draft for the second straight year and as the draft took place on TNT at 7:00 p.m. ET, 16-time All-Star LeBron James will be granted the opportunity to draft first, as the King is the leading vote=getter in this year’s grand basketball showcase. Antetokounmpo, the current league Most Valuable Player and four-time All-Star, will pick second.

And as you know, this year’s celebration of the league’s greatest stars will go down a little differently.

As reported by NBA.com’s official ruling, “Each of the first three quarters will begin with the score of 0-0 and will last 12 minutes.  At the start of the fourth quarter, the game clock will be turned off and a Final Target Score will be set.

The Final Target Score will be determined by taking the leading team’s total cumulative score through three quarters and adding 24 points. Once the Final Target Score is set, the teams will play an untimed fourth quarter and the first team to reach the Final Target Score will win the NBA All-Star Game.”

What makes this All-Star Game significant is that for the third year, both captains and team selectors will be playing for a distinct charity of their choice and the two teams will try to win each quarter for Chicago-based community organizations. LeBron’s team will be playing for a charity called Chicago Scholars, which pays attention to first-generation students that are going off to college.

Team Giannis, on the other hand, will be playing for the Chicago charity known as After School Mothers, which helps children get into after school programs, furthering their extracurricular enrichment. The charitable organization was chosen by Antetokounmpo as it reminds him of growing up in Greece while participating in activities after the school day ends. He wants to help give kids the same opportunities at post-school enrichment to needy families who have parents that are unable to give children the proper development of social and physical skills that come with after-school programs.

So let’s get into the draft, and who selected who to play on their team in the 69th NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16, 2020, tipping off at 8:20 p.m. ET on TNT.

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Team LeBron’s Selections

  1. Anthony Davis – 7x All-Star (and 2017 All-Star MVP), 3x All-NBA First-Team selectee. (26.4 ppg., 9.1 rpg., 3.3 apg.)
  2. Kawhi Leonard – 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2x NBA Champion, 2x Defensive Player of the Year. (27 ppg., 7.5 rpg., 5.3 apg.)
  3. Luka Doncic – First-time All-Star, 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year. (28.8 ppg., 9.5 rpg., 8.7 apg.)
  4. James Harden – 8x All-Star, 2018 League Most Valuable Player, 5x All-NBA Selectee, 2x Scoring Champion. (35.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 7.3 apg.)
  5. Damian Lillard – 5x All-Star, 2018 All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year. (29.7 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 7.9 apg.)
  6. Ben Simmons – 2x NBA All-Star, 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2017 1st-overall Pick. (16.7 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 8.2 apg.)
  7. Nikola Jokic – 2x NBA All-Star, 2019 All NBA First-Team selectee. (20.6ppg., 10.3 rpg., 6.8 apg.)
  8. Jayson Tatum – First-Time All-Star, Former 2017 3rd-overall Draft pick. (21.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.9 apg.)
  9. Chris Paul – 10x All-Star (and 2013 All-Star MVP), 4x All-NBA First Team selectee, 7x All-NBA Defensive First Team, 4x NBA Assists Leader, 6x NBA Steals Leader, 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year. (17 ppg., 5 rpg., 6.6 apg.)
  10. Russell Westbrook – 9x NBA All-Star (and two-time All-Star MVP in 2015 and 2016), 2017 League Most Valuable Player, 2x All-NBA First-Team selectee, 2x NBA scoring champ, 2x NBA Assists leader. (26.4 ppg., 8.0 rpg., 7.4 apg.)
  11. Domantas Sabonis – First-time All-Star. (18.2 ppg., 12.6 rpg., 4.7 apg.)

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Team Giannis’ Selections

  1. Joel Embiid – 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Second-team selectee, 2x All-NBA Defensive Second team selectee. (23.1 ppg., 12.1 rpg., 3.1 apg.)
  2. Pascal Siakam – First-team All-Star, 2019 NBA Champion. (23.7 ppg., 7.7 rpg., 3.5 apg.)
  3. Kemba Walker – 4x NBA All-Star, 2019 All-NBA Third-Team selectee. (22 ppg., 4 rpg., 5.0 apg.)
  4. Trae Young – First-time All-Star, 2019 NBA All-Rookie First-Team selectee. (29.3 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 9 rpg.)
  5. Khris Middleton – 2x NBA All-Star. (20.3 ppg., 5.9 rpg., 4.2 apg.)
  6. Bam Adebayo – First-time NBA All-Star. (15.9 ppg., 10.4 rpg., 4.9 apg.)
  7. Rudy Gobert – First-time NBA All-Star, 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 3x All-NBA Defensive First-Team selectee, 2017 All-NBA Second-team selectee, 2019 All-NBA Third-Team selectee, 2017 NBA Blocks leader. (15.6 ppg., 14.5 rpg., 1.6 apg.)
  8. Jimmy Butler – 5x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA Third Team, 4× NBA All-Defensive Second-Team selectee. (20.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 6.2 apg.)
  9. Kyle Lowry – 6x NBA All-Star, 2019 NBA Champion, 2016 All-NBA Third Team selectee. (19.7 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 7.3 apg.)
  10. Brandon Ingram – First-time All-Star, 2017 NBA All-Rookie Second-Team selectee. (25.1 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 4.2 apg.)
  11. Donovan Mitchell – 2x NBA All-Star, 2018 All-NBA Rookie First-Team selectee, 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. (24.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 4.2 apg.)

Feb 7, 2020 No Comments
2019-20 NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Who Went Where?

2019-20 NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Who Went Where?

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Time is up. We’ve reached the horn for this year’s February trade deadline and in the past couple of days, hours and minutes, there have been some salient developments regarding who- is-getting-sent-where before the beginning of the second half of the 2019-20 season. So far, the biggest (or most noteworthy, depending on your perspective) moves have involved D’Angelo Russell being dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves to pair up with his old buddy Karl Anthony-Towns, in exchange for Andrew Wiggins who will immediately be thrust into a starting role with the Warriors.

Also, in what felt like a mere 20 minutes later, the Cleveland Cavaliers got off with a bargain in dealing for All-Star big man Andre Drummond in exchange for the Pistons now being forced to pick up the expiring veteran contracts of John Henson and Brandon Knight. More trades around the league mainly happened in the Western Conference and some in the East, as the Timberwolves, Clippers, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Sixers, and Heat dominated the headlines prior to the deadline buzzer sounding off, as they all got a huge supply of new parts for their team to operate with.

And there are some unsigned free agents that are still waiting to be signed onto a team, so by the time this is posted, the Lakers may have made a move in signing a Darren Collison right off of his home couch. But, all that and more will be broken down in this year’s official Sneaker Reporter NBA Trade Deadline recap. So let’s get to it.

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Grizzlies Send Andre Iguodala To The Miami Heat

From ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – the Heat kicked off the trade deadline countdown last night as the Heat were playing the Clippers by sending Justise Winslow and James Johnson to Memphis for former 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill. Additionally, No Draft picks are being swapped in the deal. Miami is still hoping to complete a three-team trade with Oklahoma City for Danilo Gallinari, but those talks are fully stalled due to Gallinari and his camp reaching a current impasse from disagreements over his extension if he is to be dealt to Miami.

Dion Waiters was to be sent to the Grizzlies as part of the deal, but recent reports (Yahoo Sports – NBA) are stating that Memphis plans to release the veteran guard after acquiring him at the deadline.

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Sacramento Sends Dedmon Back To Hawks

The Kings finalized a trade last night to send disgruntled big man DeWayne Dedmon back across the country to the team they traded him from in Atlanta, as the Kings sent both Alex Len and Dedmon in exchange for Atlanta’s Jabari Parker and two second-round picks (one for 2020, the next in 2021). The deal provided All-Star guard Trae Young with not only one, not two, but three solid bigs in Dedmon, Nene and Capela as well as give the team extra draft picks to either build up the roster or exchange for better parts to provide value to the roster.

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Houston Rockets Send Clint Capela To Hawks 

The Houston Rockets pulled the trigger on one of the more head-scratching moves this season, sending their starting center Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in what was a massive, four-team deal (Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hawks, Rockets) that involved 12 players in the negotiation. The headliners of the trade were 3-and-D forward Robert Covington, who heads to Houston from Minnesota in exchange for center Clint Capela, who goes from the Rockets to the Atlanta Hawks. The aging Nene was also dealt to Atlanta, furthering sapping the big man depth from the Rockets lineup as they’ll now have one of the shortest rosters in the NBA.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets have acquired 6-foot-9 forward Bruno Caboclo from the Memphis Grizzlies, and while the forward saw his role with the Grizzlies diminish, Houston gains a valuable rebounder who averaged a solid 8.3 ppg and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. The Rockets also get a 2024 Warriors second-round draft pick that came from the Hawks. Involving 12 players, the trade is the largest in the NBA since 2000. (Bobby Marks, ESPN)

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Minnesota Cleans House To Rebuild Core

From the Timberwolves specifically, they liquidated all of their infrastructure as part of that massive 12-player trade that took place Wednesday night. After giving away Noah Vonleh to the Nuggets, Jordan Bell to the Rockets (and then to the Grizzlies), Shabazz Napier and Keita Bates-Diop to the Nuggets, they get a 2020 Nets first-round pick from the Hawks, Malik Beasley, Willy (Juancho) Hernangomez, Jarrad Vanderbilt all from the Denver Nuggets, and Atlanta’s Evan Turner. Gorgui Dieng was also sent away to the Memphis Grizzlies for James Johnson and in the originally reported deal, Johnson had gone from Miami to Memphis as part of the Iguodala-to-Miami swap.

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Denver Nuggets Deal Rotational Parts, Get Parts In Return

Denver was especially busy in their war room before the deadline arose, dealing a litany of their guards and other rotational pieces to adjust themselves amidst a season that’s likely ending somewhere during a deep playoff run. In giving up Hernangomez, Beasley, and Vanderbilt, they get Minnesota’s discarded guard Shabazz Napier as well as their ex-forwards in Noah Vonleh and Keita Bates-Diop, as mentioned earlier. Moreover, they acquire Houston’s Gerald Green as well as Houston’s unprotected 2020 first-round pick.

Jordan McRae finished off the trading period for the Nuggets after Denver and the Washington Wizards agreed to trade the guard to Denver for Shabazz Napier, as Napier was then promptly sent to Denver as part of the 12-player, four-team trade on Feb. 5

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Philadelphia 76ers Trade Ennis III to Magic, Receive Warriors Pieces

Philly needed shooters and wing depth and got exactly what they sought out to get before the deadline arrived. The Sixers agreed to a deal with the Warriors to get two guards into a rotation that sorely needed some space to be made for Embiid, Simmons, Harris and the rest of the team when they’re on the floor in getting Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. In every trade, of course, someone has to go, so the Sixers sent forward James Ennis to the Orlando Magic in exchange for a second-round pick courtesy of Orlando.

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Pistons Send Andre Drummond To The Cleveland Cavaliers

From The Athletic’s Shams Charania – The Andre Drummond era in Detroit has come to an end, as the Pistons deal their homegrown All-Star to the Cavs in exchange for guard Brandon Knight, center John Henson and a second-round pick. This season, Drummond is leading the NBA in rebounding (15.8 rebounds per game) while also averaging 17.8 points per game, 2.0 steals per game and 1.7 blocks per game for the Pistons. He has played his entire eight-year NBA career with Detroit as the team’s 2nd all-time rebounder.

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D’Angelo Russell To The Minnesota Timberwolves

From ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – D’Lo is on the move again for the third time in three years, as the former first-round pick out of Ohio State teams up with his 2015 draft class buddy in Karl Anthony-Towns for what was a huge two-day overhaul to their core. The Warriors, as a means for compensation, receive former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors and a 2021 protected first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick to Golden State while the Warriors are sending Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to Minnesota.

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Atlanta Makes Smaller Moves, Picks Up Portland’s Labissiere And Clippers’ Walton Jr.

The Hawks are gaining depth in their big man rotation by making one of the less noisy moves prior to the deadline, acquiring Skal Labissiere from the Portland Trail Blazers. Labissiere is headed to Atlanta for cash in a deal that gives the Hawks a young center that can take it’s time to develop, as Labissiere has been out since Dec. 28 from a lingering knee issue.

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Los Angeles Clippers Bolster Up, Acquire Marcus Morris

The Clippers won an arms race with their esteemed roommates in the Staples Center in the Lakers, acquiring the rugged Marcus Morris who has been known to be an effective 3-and-D space creator off the dribble. As part of a three-team trade, the Clips, Wizards, and Knicks agree to a three-team trade that landed Morris in LA, the Clippers’ Jerome Robinson to the Washington Wizards, and Moe Harkless with a 2020 first-round pick to the New York Knicks.

The Clippers just picked up a 20 ppg. scorer that has been part of many deep playoff runs with the Celtics, and for a Clippers team that could definitely do with a third 20+ point scorer on a nightly basis, Morris could impact a team that’s championship aspirations are high since he was having a standout season with the Knicks. Washington backup guard Isaiah Thomas was also part of the Morris trade but was subsequently let known by the Clippers that he will be let go into free agency. As part of the deal with Washington however, the Wizards will get Clippers guard Jerome Robinson and the Clippers’ Moe Harkless.

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Teams That Didn’t Make Moves

  • New Orleans came close to dealing veteran guard Jrue Holiday, but were unsuccessful in finding a trade partner.
  • The New York Knicks’ exploratory talks with the Los Angeles Lakers broke down in their efforts to snag Kyle Kuzma
  • The Cleveland Cavaliers were mum on dealing Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love and will wait until the end of the season for both of them to make their decision in free agency.
  • The Boston Celtics refuse to pull the trigger in trading for available Wizards shooting wing Davis Bertans, as the price of two first-round picks was too steep for the Celtics to give up.
  • The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder make no further deals.

Feb 6, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Miami Heat at Los Angeles Clippers

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Aside from Miami Heat fans winning the top news headline of the trade deadline just a couple of minutes ago, they still have a tough game against the team that handed them their second home loss on the year just a couple of days ago as their 34-15 Heat will do battle against the 35-15 Los Angeles Clippers for the start of a five-game Western road trip right before the beginning of All-Star break, and this matchup tips off at 10:30 p.m. ET.

So, assessing that news that dominated all the sports talk shows in the most recent hour: the Memphis Grizzlies are sending longtime holdout Andre Iguodala to the Heat in a blockbuster trade, as the one-time All-Star and 2015 Finals MVP heads down to South Beach to further bolster the rugged identity of Erik Spoelstra’s defensive rotations that have garnered the respect of all competitors in the East, as Miami is currently fourth in the conference.

As it goes for this game, The Clippers see these Heat for the second and final time, and in the last matchup Kawhi Leonard had his first career triple-double and they won that game without Paul George. Miami will play the role of the undermanned underdog tonight, since both PG and the Klaw will share the same frontcourt to make life difficult for Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn as Miami will be without Meyers Leonard, Tyler Herro and Justise Winslow for this game.

It’s yet to be determined if Miami will play with the same energy and intensity that forced the Clippers to grind out a victory in all four quarters in their last game just 10 days ago, but if they can replicate their second-half effort displayed against Philly in Monday’s 31-point win over the dysfunctional Sixers, this could very well be a toss-up between two teams that have practically identical records at this point in the season.

Feb 6, 2020 No Comments
NBA Four-Team, 12 Player Trade Brings Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks

NBA Four-Team, 12 Player Trade Brings Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks

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With the NBA trade deadline draws nearer, NBA teams are really assessing themselves to see what it is they need to truly accomplish their goals this season thus far. The first trade so far set the bar high for the next potential trades to come, with four-teams being involved, sending 12 players to new teams around the league. These teams include the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Atlanta Hawks.

The Rockets will be acquiring Robert Covington, Jordan Bell, and a 2nd Round Pick from the Timberwolves, while they receive a hefty acquisition in Malik Beasley, Evan Turner, Juancho Hernangomez, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a 1st Round Pick. The Nuggets will be receiving Gerald Green, Shabazz Napier, Noah Vonleh, Keita Bates Diop, and a 1st Round Pick as well. Lastly, and perhaps the biggest part of this trade was sending the Rockets’ Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks alongside Nene.

It goes without saying that all teams included can walk away satisfied with their new pieces respectively, with a solid two-way player such as Covington going to the Rockets. The Timberwolves are seeking a solution in their point guard situation, hoping that they’re taking steps in the right direction, while the Nuggets seek to potentially deepen their bench with solid players such as Green and Napier. As for the Hawks, they have very much found themselves a solid player at the Center position to play alongside John Collins in the frontcourt.

This is only the first of potentially many trades to be made before the deadline approaches, which should be on all NBA fans’ radars until then.

Feb 6, 2020 No Comments
NBA Prime Time Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Prime Time Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers

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The 22-27 San Antonio Spurs stay put in the city of Angels to continue their road trip, facing the 37-11 Lakers on the second leg of their visit to the Staples Center at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Lakers have a shot to send the Spurs back to San Antonio with a winless record against them for the entire season. The series between these two longtime rivals sees the Lakers at 2-0 against San Antonio on the year and though things always have a way of turning in the right direction for a Gregg Popovich-coached team at this point in the season, an imbalanced roster that’s practically defunct in their second unit’s scoring ability may spell nothing but positives for a Lakers team that’s just looking for a return to normalcy following the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant last Sunday.

To do that, however, the Lakers will have to keep their hands up to the left and right hooks the Spurs will continuously swing at them, for the Kawhi-and-Paul George-endowed Clippers needed all four quarters to overcome a resilient San Antonio basketball team. But then again, these are the Western-best Lakers team, packed with LeBron James and the almost-unguardable Anthony Davis who is quickly becoming a confident three-level scorer.

Also, DeMar Derozan isn’t too fond of coming away with positive results when facing a Lebron-led squad, as told by James’s domineering display of decadence against Derozan when the Cavs used to eliminate the Raptors in the playoffs back in the day as if it was second nature.

When looking at this matchup, it’s important to recognize the lengthy and proficient perimeter defenders that the Spurs put on the floor to likely combat the efficient perimeter offense from that of former Spur Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and others. But, the perfect antidote to that kind of defensive coverage is strong dribble penetration and off-ball cuts to the cup, more than likely executed with that LBJ-AD pick and roll that defenders have head-scratchingly failed to wall off all season.

The Lakers are coming off of a somber, two-game stretch that involved a home loss to the Trail Blazers in what was otherwise the most emotional night of the season, and then responded lionheartedly with a redemptive blowout over the Kings just a night later. We’ll see if the King can keep the winning going in the second slot of TNT basketball tonight.

Feb 5, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Milwaukee Bucks at New Orleans Pelicans

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Milwaukee Bucks at New Orleans Pelicans

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Get ready to witness the TNT debut of Zion Williamson in what is shaping up to be a jam-packed fireworks show of dazzling dunks and highlights galore between the 20-30 New Orleans Pelicans and the visiting 42-7 Milwaukee Bucks, live at 7:30 p.m. ET.

So the narrative (Cliche’) of the unstoppable force (Zion) clashing with the unmoveable force (Giannis Antetokounmpo) is probably the most applicable mantra in the book to describe this one. The league’s best team (record-wise) who also display the league’s 2nd-best offense and best defense takes a trip to the Big Easy to take on a different foe than the one they faced back in early December, as they’ll look to go 2 – 0 against a young, impressionable Pelicans team whose limit is anything higher than the sky.

Of course, the Pels find themselves near the bottom of the pack in the seasonal marathon that is the Western Conference. That might be reason enough for David Griffin to wave the white flag on a season that sees his Pelicans a whole 10 games under an even and commendable record. And had it not been for the sudden Goliathic ascension of ROY award candidate Zion Williamson, that may have well been the case on an otherwise demure year.

His beastly 6-6, 284-lb frame has been the mismatch most coaches can’t maneuver around, and it’s only a matter of time before he really strings together his offensive repertoire against the different defensive man-to-man and zone coverages that opposing coaching staffs will throw at him on a nightly schedule to try and counter his explosion and size. So far in his first six tastes of NBA pace, he’s been just that: a demon on the boards that is insufferably difficult to box out for both offensive and defensive rebounds, and a bulldozer when he ducks his head and drives to the rim.

Now, the singular question persists: can you do that against the likes of the tallest and most defensively efficient team in the league in the Milwaukee Bucks? Going into this one, the Pels are 4-3 in their last seven games and with Zion, a respectable 3-3. And as reality itself suggests, the Pelicans aren’t as far from prosperity as you might expect. Positioned at 11th in the Western standings, they’re only a meek five games out of that eighth seed, and in a division as topsy-turvy as the Southwest, don’t be surprised if you look up one day and see the Pelicans taking over a playoff seed later this year.

It looks like playing with the uptempo pace of Williamson is to be an acquired taste when spacing the floor enough so that Jrue Holiday (hypothetically, if he isn’t dealt before Thursday’s trade deadline), and Brandon Ingram can help make easy offense on the wings and atop the key. But for an offense that’s pieces are spending their first year together, they haven’t done all that bad, peeking just outside a spot of the top-15 most offensively-efficient teams in the league.

And In case you haven’t been watching these Pelicans, their latest starting lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Derrick Favors posted a +29.1 Net Rating in 73 minutes of combined action.

But do remember: this Bucks team is good. Like, really, really, really good. And the most shocking thing? They are proven winners when Antetokounmpo doesn’t even suit up (Don’t worry – he’s playing, that’s just for dramatic effect) and though he has the obvious advantage in overall skill as opposed to Williamson’s growing prowess, tonight is still must-see television for both casual and hardcore fans of the game as they’ll go head-to-head for the first of probably 500 times in their careers.

This is certainly an opportunity for the good to get better when the Pelicans face the best defensive team in basketball, but who knows, on TNT primetime nights, the unthinkable happens more often than not.

Feb 5, 2020 No Comments