Official NBA General Discussion 2024-25 V1.0

[Tripod]

Yeah Barnes doesn't have to hit some internet persons check marks to prove anything.

Scoring? We all know he isn't a natural scorer and thinks pass first so to EXPECT him to think score first is setting him up for failure.

Wins? We are actively rebuilding and prioritizing development over wins. Losses don't fall on Barnes.

His standing in his draft class? Who cares. He just had 2 fluke injuries derail last years 2nd half and this years first few months.

In the meantime, he can look at his ROTY trophy and All Star selection that no one else in his draft class has. They can finally catch up on one of those....the other they never can get.

In the end that draft was always going to be a draft where different guys had the best years. There was no Wemby guy who was the best guy from day 1 and never let it go. Be happy that our "furthest away from reaching his prime" guy has already done things others have not.

Maybe be happy that our guy who has no bag, no moves, no handle, non shooter, can somehow be a 20 point guy while these stars with 4 level scoring he was drafted with are 18-23 point guys.

[mdenny]

Paul George publishing a podcast to leverage the downfall of a team he is paid 50 milly per year to play for is WILD.

At a certain point....this kinda behavior displays a pure contempt for the fans.

[sidsid]

Isn't Maxey Klutch? The leaker that threw Embiid under the bus and made Maxey look like the straight talker has to be Nick Nurse. I dunno, Morey is a slimeball, too.

The Ricky podcast was entertaining this angle too.

Nurse, or Maxey, or Rich Paul.

Could easily be Nurse, if you see his pattern on the Raptors. Sacrificing anything for short term wins. Ornery when questioned (happening in Philly). He's got a rep to maintain and this is embarrassing.

[Syd-TK3]

Franz has been on heater recently

[ImaBeatDatAzz]

Hate to say it but I think Franz is the better player (than Scottie)

He’s the steal of that draft

[Scizzup]

Franz has been on heater recently

but "he is not a first option" some will say. Franz has been the best player on the Magic last 2 seasons but because he is not the best shot creator on the team people don't know how to rate him.

His efficiency and shot profile is basically same as last year except he is putting up more raw stats due to higher usage since Paolo went out.

[lebron stopper]

Franz Wagner 37/6/11 and the game winner against the LeBron and AD Lakers of all teams. He pulled off the type of upset that RJ and Jak fell short of in Boston.

Love Scottie and he was clutch in his own right against the Wolves tonight (in general he's pretty clutch), but I can't quite envision him doing some of the things that Franz did in this Magic/Lakers game. Operating in tight spaces, bursting by defenders 1-on-1, hitting long-range stepbacks. And he's doing all of this without Paolo.

This just reinforces my belief that the Raptors really need to bottom out this season and load up on more blue chip talent, if they want to beat the Celtics/Cavs/Magic in the future and then compete with whatever's out west. What they have right now is very good, but also not nearly enough to outlast those teams in a future 7-game series.

[Syd-TK3]

Franz has been on heater recently

but "he is not a first option" some will say. Franz has been the best player on the Magic last 2 seasons but because he is not the best shot creator on the team people don't know how to rate him.

His efficiency and shot profile is basically same as last year except he is putting up more raw stats due to higher usage since Paolo went out.

Well technically his 3point shooting was horrible last year but he's got it back on track so far to start this season.
Either way he's clearly taken a leap and for the magic to him both him and Paolo is special basically another celtics situation in the making if not better

[HumbleRen]

Happy for Franz. I think people tried to put him in a box because his 3’s weren’t falling last year.

He’s always been this good, he’s just getting the proper usage for his ability. He’s basically like RJ but if RJ could play amazing defence with better handles. That’s a helluv a player.

[WaltFrazier]

Scottie Barnes will have some work to do to recover his standing in the 2021 draft class and as a franchise cornerstone. When he comes back he has to assert himself as the top scoring option and help this team win, because the other primary options are showing themselves as guys you build around who are contributing to winning.

Franz Wagner in his last seven games (without Banchero):
28 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast
27 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast
23 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast
32 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
29 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast
31 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast
32 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast
Team record now 9-7 winning 6 of 7 games.

Cade Cunningham averages 23.3 pts, 7.3 reb, 8.84 ast (team record 7-9). He’s one of three players in the league averaging 23+ points, 8+ assists, and 7+ rebounds - the others are Nikola Jokić and LeBron James.

Alperen Şengün leads the NBA with 12 double-doubles this season (team record is 11-5).

Even Jalen Johnson has taken a step forward and averages 19 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast (team 7-9).

It is still early, but if Scottie is back, and because he has been out a while you have to give him a moment to get his wind, but this team should be winning when he is on court.

Why did OKC not just draft and keep Sengun again? Future picks? Imagine they'd had him all along.

[Scizzup]

Franz has been on heater recently

but "he is not a first option" some will say. Franz has been the best player on the Magic last 2 seasons but because he is not the best shot creator on the team people don't know how to rate him.

His efficiency and shot profile is basically same as last year except he is putting up more raw stats due to higher usage since Paolo went out.

Well technically his 3point shooting was horrible last year but he's got it back on track so far to start this season.
Either way he's clearly taken a leap and for the magic to him both him and Paolo is special basically another celtics situation in the making if not better

The 3 ball was bad last season but he shot 36% and 35% from 3 the previous 2 seasons. That always seemed more like variance to me. This season he is shooting 35%. I think he is about a 34% guy, currently.


but I was mostly talking about how he scores, he didn't pick up a new talent. He is finishing worse at the rim this year likely due to no Paolo and how poorly Orlando shooting from 3 this year. but he is shooting better on his own 3s. His TS% this year is exact same as last cause of that.

[Jerry Lucas]

Even though there are only 4 East teams with a record of .500 or better so far, 7 East teams have a record of .500 or better against other East teams. Miami, Atlanta and Chicago are the sub-500 teams that are .500 or better against other East teams.

The East is definitely weak this season but it looks a lot weaker than it is so far because the West is beating up on the East in early inter-conference play.

[AbC?]

Franz and Jalen Williams clearly better than Barnes.


The bigger point is that both aren't even the best players on their own team. Franz might be debatable the moment but Paolo is on pace to surpass him, and they need him to in a big way if they don't want to cap out below contender status.

Raptors can't be fooled into thinking they are close to contending. Making the playoffs is easy in the East, you can accidentally make it. It means nothing if the goal is being a sustainable championship contender.

[PushDaRock]

Franz has been on heater recently

Haven't looked at the actual data but it feels like he's extremely hot and cold. He seems to have way too many 4-18 type games mixed in with the extremely efficient 30 pieces.

[Syd-TK3]

Franz and Jalen clearly better than Barnes.


The bigger point is that both aren't even the best players on their own team. Franz might be debatable the moment but Paolo is on pace to surpass him, and they need him to in a big way if they don't want to cap out below contender status.

Raptors can't be fooled into thinking they are close to contending. Making the playoffs is easy in the East, you can accidentally make it. It means nothing if the goal is being a sustainable championship contender.

While I agree about the rest
None of the Jalens in the draft are better than Scottie

[SFour]

seems like Sixers found another Maxey type player in Mccain.

[SFour]

Isn't Maxey Klutch? The leaker that threw Embiid under the bus and made Maxey look like the straight talker has to be Nick Nurse. I dunno, Morey is a slimeball, too.

Saw somewhere that 76er fans discovered Nick Nurse to be the leaker. All because of the term "elephant in the room" being used not only in their last meeting, but in Raptor team meeting as well, and Danny Green referencing Nurse having an elephant on his desk.

And yep, Maxey is also Klutch with Nurse

I always found it interesting that Nurse signed as HC with the Sixers since it was apparent that him and Embiid always had some animosity...I guess they thought winning would fix that, but now that they're losing the cracks are showing.

Embiid being late to practices shows a sign of disrespect towards Nurse, not taking him seriously as a man & HC....it would make sense if he was involved in leaking it.

[Los_29]

Houston is looking really good. I still don’t trust their top scorers but they are a deep team with good young talent.

[Spates]

I knew McCain was going to be a stud

[Potential]

Sixers gotta see what they can get for Embiid and waive Paul George. They can add a lottery talent to their core Maxey and McCain and then use their assets from the Embiid trade. Quick rebuild after a failed era