2024-25 NBA Season Discussion

[GSP]

This game isnt over lol

[TheGOATRises007]

If Indy somehow come back

Deficit is too big i think though

[jalengreen]

Yeah a double digit deficit in this game is a lot for a team with as little offense as Indy rn

[GSP]

Yeah a double digit deficit in this game is a lot for a team with as little offense as Indy rn

Okc offense stinks if they cant force turnovers. They go on bad shot jacking spells where theres no passing and they cant make a shot. This aint over.

[jalengreen]

Yeah a double digit deficit in this game is a lot for a team with as little offense as Indy rn

Okc offense stinks if they cant force turnovers. They go on bad shot jacking spells where theres no passing and they cant make a shot. This aint over.

I don’t think Indy will end the game w as many points as OKC has rn, but here’s hoping

[EmpireFalls]

Shai just had a season which very, very few players in NBA history have had. I’m willing to put this season against just about anything.

[CKRT]

Shai just had a season which very, very few players in NBA history have had. I’m willing to put this season against just about anything.

Really? This post season was a huge let down for me personally. I want to let it marinate more so I’m not a prisoner of the moment with these last two games but I’m not walking away with a high impression right now.

[Cavsfansince84]

Shai just had a season which very, very few players in NBA history have had. I’m willing to put this season against just about anything.

I mean its a great season but I don't think its going to make the top 15 in the next peak's project. I'd probably rank both Jokic and Giannis ahead since 2020. Not to even get into guys like LeBron, MJ, KAJ etc. I think he's somewhere between peak KD and peak Steph.

[EmpireFalls]

How many of those guys won MVP+Finals MVP in the same season?

[lessthanjake]

I know this is an uncomfortable thought for many, but a modern and more talented Jordan seeing their team fall off in the playoffs this way carries implications for the era-portability of the original article.

The idea that SGA this year reflects *badly* on Jordan’s portability to this era is just a really backwards position. SGA led his team to 68 wins, 12.70 SRS, and now has won the title. SGA seems like he may be a bit of a playoff faller (though it’s a bit early in his career to say for sure), but that’s very much an individual thing and Jordan really really was not one himself. Trying to suggest one of history’s great playoff risers would be a playoff faller in this era because a different player of a similar archetype seems like a bit of a playoff faller is just a very wild bank shot attempt. And, more generally, obviously this archetype of player is extremely good in this era and can lead incredibly good teams. While there’s certainly some differences between the two players, this is about as good a proof of concept for Jordan’s era-portability as we could possibly see. Especially when SGA only shot 28.3% from three in the playoffs, and just 35.6% in RS+playoffs combined this year (the latter of which is right in line with Jordan’s 3P% in the playoffs in the years before the three-point line was moved in, and a bit below what Jordan averaged in the two regular seasons in the non-moved-in-three-point-line years in which he actually shot threes with any real volume).

Anyways, congrats to the Thunder. They cap off an incredible year. They weren’t quite as dominant in the playoffs as they were in the regular season, but they won the title. And I think their relative net rating in the playoffs will end up being somewhere around +13, so their performance in the playoffs overall really isn’t a fall from what they did in the regular season—they just ended up with two close series anyways.

[eminence]

How many of those guys won MVP+Finals MVP in the same season?

Finals MVP starting '69, MVP '56 (I think Mikan/Russell/Wilt would join these ranks, chance for '55 Schayes)

'70 Reed
'71 KAJ
'83 Moses
'84/'86 Bird
'87 Magic
'91/'92/'96/'98 MJ
'94 Hakeem
'00 Shaq
'03 Duncan
'12/'13 LeBron

[lessthanjake]

Shai just had a season which very, very few players in NBA history have had. I’m willing to put this season against just about anything.

I mean it’s a great season but I don't think its going to make the top 15 in the next peak's project. I'd probably rank both Jokic and Giannis ahead since 2020. Not to even get into guys like LeBron, MJ, KAJ etc. I think he's somewhere between peak KD and peak Steph.

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic occurring in the meantime, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

[TheGOATRises007]

Shai just had a season which very, very few players in NBA history have had. I’m willing to put this season against just about anything.

I mean it’s a great season but I don't think its going to make the top 15 in the next peak's project. I'd probably rank both Jokic and Giannis ahead since 2020. Not to even get into guys like LeBron, MJ, KAJ etc. I think he's somewhere between peak KD and peak Steph.

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

Would you put him ahead of 21 Giannis?

I think I'd still have Giannis ahead because of a superior playoff showing

[Cavsfansince84]

I mean it’s a great season but I don't think its going to make the top 15 in the next peak's project. I'd probably rank both Jokic and Giannis ahead since 2020. Not to even get into guys like LeBron, MJ, KAJ etc. I think he's somewhere between peak KD and peak Steph.

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

Would you put him ahead of 21 Giannis?

I think I'd still have Giannis ahead because of a superior playoff showing

Playoffs and defense gives Giannis the edge imo and Giannis came in at 13(14 with Jokic added in).

[TheGOATRises007]

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

Would you put him ahead of 21 Giannis?

I think I'd still have Giannis ahead because of a superior playoff showing

Playoffs and defense gives Giannis the edge imo and Giannis came in at 13(14 with Jokic added in).

Surprised Jokic wasn't higher.

I actually think 23 Jokic and Peak Shaq is neck and neck.

[Cavsfansince84]

Surprised Jokic wasn't higher.

I actually think 23 Jokic and Peak Shaq is neck and neck.

Well his 23 season wasn't included but I agree with them being very close.

[jalengreen]

How many of those guys won MVP+Finals MVP in the same season?

Finals MVP starting '69, MVP '56 (I think Mikan/Russell/Wilt would join these ranks, chance for '55 Schayes)

'70 Reed
'71 KAJ
'83 Moses
'84/'86 Bird
'87 Magic
'91/'92/'96/'98 MJ
'94 Hakeem
'00 Shaq
'03 Duncan
'12/'13 LeBron

You forgot Step-

oh right

[lessthanjake]

I mean it’s a great season but I don't think its going to make the top 15 in the next peak's project. I'd probably rank both Jokic and Giannis ahead since 2020. Not to even get into guys like LeBron, MJ, KAJ etc. I think he's somewhere between peak KD and peak Steph.

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

Would you put him ahead of 21 Giannis?

I think I'd still have Giannis ahead because of a superior playoff showing

Yeah I think I’d put him above 2021 Giannis. To me, SGA definitely had a better regular season. 2021 was actually a step down from Giannis’s very best regular seasons IMO. I do think 2021 Giannis played better in the playoffs than 2025 SGA. He had an incredible Finals—definitely better than SGA did this year. I’d probably lean SGA anyways, but the tiebreak here for me would be that Giannis missed time in the conference finals. I don’t penalize Giannis for that too much, since it worked out fine and he came back and played great. But it’s enough to nudge me to be sure I’d take SGA.

I also think I’d probably take 2025 SGA over 2004 Kevin Garnett. Above that, though, it gets dicey. I’d take 2017 Steph over SGA. But personally I’d have 2017 Steph higher than he finished in the last peaks project. There’s a couple of players higher than Steph that I’m maybe less high on than the last peaks project was. For instance, I’m lower-than-consensus on Hakeem, so I would have to really think about whether I’d take 1994 Hakeem over 2025 SGA. I probably would, but I’m not certain. And I’m not sure I’d take 1986 Bird over 2025 SGA either. Accounting for the fact that I’d definitely have 2023 Jokic above 2025 SGA, that leaves the highest I could get 2025 SGA as being 11th, I think, but probably more like 12th or 13th.

[OhayoKD]

I know this is an uncomfortable thought for many, but a modern and more talented Jordan seeing their team fall off in the playoffs this way carries implications for the era-portability of the original article.

Especially when SGA only shot 28.3% from three in the playoffs, and just 35.6% in RS+playoffs combined this year (the latter of which is right in line with Jordan’s 3P% in the playoffs in the years before the three-point line was moved in, and a bit below what Jordan averaged in the two regular seasons in the non-moved-in-three-point-line years in which he actually shot threes with any real volume)..

How does Shai, who shoots more at a higher clip while facing significantly more defensive coverage on a wider variety of three-types, being brought down to 28% in the playoffs, help Jordan, the far worse 3-point shooter who wasn't even above average during his own playing period?

[TheGOATRises007]

Looking at the results of the last peaks project and accounting for 2023 Jokic, I think I’d probably put SGA this year somewhere in the 10-15 range. There’s an argument for it to be near the bottom of the top 10, but I don’t think I could get there.

Would you put him ahead of 21 Giannis?

I think I'd still have Giannis ahead because of a superior playoff showing

Yeah I think I’d put him above 2021 Giannis. To me, SGA definitely had a better regular season. 2021 was actually a step down from Giannis’s very best regular seasons IMO. I do think 2021 Giannis played better in the playoffs than 2025 SGA. He had an incredible Finals—definitely better than SGA did this year. I’d probably lean SGA anyways, but the tiebreak here for me would be that Giannis missed time in the conference finals. I don’t penalize Giannis for that too much, since it worked out fine and he came back and played great. But it’s enough to nudge me to be sure I’d take SGA.

I also think I’d probably take 2025 SGA over 2004 Kevin Garnett. Above that, though, it gets dicey. I’d take 2017 Steph over SGA. But personally I’d have 2017 Steph higher than he finished in the last peaks project. There’s a couple of players higher than Steph that I’m maybe less high on than the last peaks project was. For instance, I’m lower-than-consensus on Hakeem, so I would have to really think about whether I’d take 1994 Hakeem over 2025 SGA. I probably would, but I’m not certain. And I’m not sure I’d take 1986 Bird over 2025 SGA either. Accounting for the fact that I’d definitely have 2023 Jokic above 2025 SGA, that leaves the highest I could get 2025 SGA as being 11th, I think, but probably more like 12th or 13th.

Personally, I think Giannis' play in the playoffs is something only a few players in NBA history can match. After game 4 of the Nets series, he was pretty unplayable to me with Milwaukee using him more as an off-ball threat. He wasn't as good as SGA in the RS, but I think his playoffs make up for it.

I also just think he's a better player in a vacuum and SGA dipped enough in the playoffs compared to his RS level to make me even more sure of that.

As for the bold: That's an interesting take on here since so many are high on KG.