Nah I think I'm with you about Keldon Negrodamus.
I was jotting my thoughts over the past couple days from my assessments of the current landscape of the NBA, this was prior to the Celtics losing by 1000 to the Bucks, but I consider that an outlier due to their resume and the fact that it was as close to a schedule loss as there is.
The contrast between us and the Celtics, and watching them play is night and day. They’re suffocating defensively, they move in synchronized waves. They’re constantly creating high quality shots. They have numerous players that can put the ball on the floor effectively, that can also get a shot in the halfcourt and they shoot the ball on high volume and without sacrificing defensive competency. They look like an unstoppable machine right now.
Barring Embiid channeling divine power from above and going on a 2011 Dirk type run, I don’t think there are any sort of moves we could make realistically that could bridge that gap this season. We’re about two key players away from matching their current form (before they reinforce further). We play slow and soft. We settle for bad shots. We don’t shoot on high volume. That's about how I'd describe Tobias actually. We’re lackadaisical around the rim. We’re constantly allowing dribble penetration due to poor and/or old unathletic POA defenders. Or they're just undersized like Maxey and Melton.
I would say the best possible bet would be getting a singular multitooled plus athlete with a positive wingspan and shooting potential that’s also locked down for the next couple of years to add to the core of Embiid & Maxey.
We need our Derrick White trade.
I don’t think we have the asset pool to chase a Lauri Markkanen and even if we did I doubt Ainge would be in a hurry to help us out. They're also playing tremendous basketball and in play-in range, 9-2 in their past 11 led by strong efforts from Lauri, Sexton, Keyonte, Collins, Clarkson etc.
I’m not tremendously moved by the possibilities of a Demar Derozan or Jerami Grant type trade with our assets. They don't feel like needle movers. Neither do moves for guys like Dinwiddie or Caruso. DFS is another top tier roleplayer, but he doesn't assist our fundamental issues. Bojan, age / athleticism concerns. Bogdan, sexy Hield? I could be sooner talked into a Zach Lavine trade for his shooting / dribbling scoring / athletic upside, but that contract and his health concerns are worrying. I also see him getting picked on in a Celtics series.
The Clippers star wings are off the market. Doubt Ingram is on the market. Don’t think Mikal is on the market either.
The two names that best fit the bill that I’d be juggling between to add to our core that I’ve seen floated around, that also fit the age profile are Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray. But I'm not overly excited about it.
Dejounte has size at 6'5 with a 6'10 wingspan, he brings ball security and passing upside. 27 years old and locked down until 2028. Is the shooting leap real? 8.2 3s per 100 possessions at 39.4%. Been a steal magnet throughout his career, but he’s quite frail.
Can possibly match up against White/Holiday/Brown, but he's extremely skinny and all three are quite physical. I see White going right through Maxey's chest and taking him to the rim constantly, could also happen similarly to Dejounte.
Keldon also has size at 6’5 with a 6'9 wingspan, he's a lot more built at 220lbs, and is an elite athlete in transition, can finish in traffic and around the rim. An active POA defender and shoots on high volume. Also has the age aspect on his side.
He's also only 24! years old and locked down on a peach of a declining contract until 2027.
His shooting numbers have tailed off a bit since the last time I checked, however he's a willing shooter and a good free throw shooter. I would trust him a lot more confidently to match up against White/Holiday/Brown defensively. Shot creating two way upside? Or a reborn Josh Richardson.
And my thoughts on Siakam from a month or two ago, which I still reiterate I guess.
stormi wrote:Siakam has his pull up shooting warts and he was overtasked, but I think if you put him in a role similar to when Kawhi was in Toronto (lots of corner 3s, lots of attacking in transition and attacking off the catch) he’s shown he can be a championship-caliber contributor.
Some Siakam pro qualities:
- Shooting 38.6% on corner 3 attempts since '18-'19
- Shot 72% on field goals within 4 ft on 300+ attempts (excellent for a forward on high volume)
- Elite at drawing fouls
- Very good on or off the ball in transition
- Elite AST% for forward
Some cons:
- Questionable shot selection at times, which can be related back to him being overtasked in TO as the main man (still achieved multi time All NBA)
- Not as disruptive enough a defender for a player as long and athletic as he is should be
An Embiid/Maxey/Siakam big three definitely piques my interest to a degree.
Just about spooled all of the word salad from my brain. I'm not feeling super optimistic, but I'm waiting tentatively to see what Morey does.
I think any of Keldon, Siakam or Dejounte (some more than others) at least help to bridge that gap a little bit. And allow us to keep adding to this core the way Boston have done when building around Tatum and Brown.
