2023-24 NBA Season Discussion

[WestGOAT]

I hope lillard is the worst defender ever because this is nasty for the rest of the league

Bucks went from struggling in the halfcourt to having one of the most potent pick and roll combos in history if it works out this is nasty lol

On ball dames even more of a pain than Steph in some ways smfh

At least they lost most of their defense on the perimeter

Yep, even at 33 Dame's burst is on a different level from even prime Steph and he's much better at drawing fouls while being a %90 shooter himself. Those pick and rolls and dho's with Giannis should be deadly.

Thinking basketball said on their most recent podcast that Giannis was only involved in the pick & roll as a roller on 6% of his possessions and has never been over 12% if i remember correctly. Dame can unlock a downhill monster in Giannis, which is what people have been wanting for years. **** could get scary.

I also listened a bit to that episode, it was interesting to hear them discuss if Giannis would even want to be a roll-man more often. Seems like he prefers having the ball in his hands, but they are def probably better off with Dame when the game slows down.

Curious to see how much Giannis is willing to defer on offense.

[itsxtray]

I hope lillard is the worst defender ever because this is nasty for the rest of the league

Bucks went from struggling in the halfcourt to having one of the most potent pick and roll combos in history if it works out this is nasty lol

On ball dames even more of a pain than Steph in some ways smfh

At least they lost most of their defense on the perimeter

Yep, even at 33 Dame's burst is on a different level from even prime Steph and he's much better at drawing fouls while being a %90 shooter himself. Those pick and rolls and dho's with Giannis should be deadly.

Thinking basketball said on their most recent podcast that Giannis was only involved in the pick & roll as a roller on 6% of his possessions and has never been over 12% if i remember correctly. Dame can unlock a downhill monster in Giannis, which is what people have been wanting for years. **** could get scary.

I also listened a bit to that episode, it was interesting to hear them discuss if Giannis would even want to be a roll-man more often. Seems like he prefers having the ball in his hands, but they are def probably better off with Dame when the game slows down.

Curious to see how much Giannis is willing to defer on offense.

Yep, since he's taken off as a star his game has developed in and he's gotten used to playing a certain way. Him doing more work off ball and playing more off Dame's gravity should help him immensely and free him up to be even more active on Defense. That's what im hoping for anyway.

[Colbinii]

I hope lillard is the worst defender ever because this is nasty for the rest of the league

Bucks went from struggling in the halfcourt to having one of the most potent pick and roll combos in history if it works out this is nasty lol

On ball dames even more of a pain than Steph in some ways smfh

At least they lost most of their defense on the perimeter

Yep, even at 33 Dame's burst is on a different level from even prime Steph and he's much better at drawing fouls while being a %90 shooter himself. Those pick and rolls and dho's with Giannis should be deadly.

Thinking basketball said on their most recent podcast that Giannis was only involved in the pick & roll as a roller on 6% of his possessions and has never been over 12% if i remember correctly. Dame can unlock a downhill monster in Giannis, which is what people have been wanting for years. **** could get scary.

Like the podcast said, the numbers aren't really anything meaningful.

1) Jrue and especially Bledsoe were not good P&R handlers. They weren't Top Tier P&R players and it didn't make sense for Giannis to run P&R with them.

2) Giannis scores more points and uses more possessions than anyone in the NBA in Transition. Last year, > 27% of his possessions were in transition. The reality is ~9% of his half-court possessions were P&R last year.

Where Giannis dominates the P&R is his FTR. It was 25% last year and in 2022 [23% in 2021]. If Giannis is drawing free throws on 20-25% of possessions in the P&R and is running it 8-10 times per games, we are going to see some gaudy offensive results.

[parsnips33]

Boston wow

[rk2023]

Can’t wait for the 2024 ECF.

[Fadeaway_J]

This league...

[itsxtray]

Oh man this is exciting, can't wait for the season.

[eminence]

Hope we get to see a full health Milwaukee/Boston matchup, could be a fun one.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Can Jimmy beat the odds again!?!?

[falcolombardi]

Can Jimmy beat the odds again!?!?

Dont think so

[Doctor MJ]

Boston wow

Incredibly telling that the Celtics, who beat Jrue's Bucks in 2002 in 7 hard games, were the ones to immediately jump in to snag him.

If KP fits snug - and he and everyone have health - this may well beat all comers.

Incidentally on Lillard in Milwaukee:

I'm less excited for the Bucks here than most I think. If the Bucks could have traded Middleton instead this would have been a clear win, but as is, I worry for their perimeter defense. This has always been something of a weak spot for them, and they've now lost the fulcrum of the perimeter defense for a guy has no such defensive mastery.

One of those things where clearly some things are going to get better, and some things are going to get worse. The better may outweigh the worse and make the Bucks a less upset-prone playoff team, but I don't think we can really know yet.

[ShotCreator]

Ayton was a terrible, detrimental player on both ends last year who waned as the playoffs went on. Getting a cerebral banger like Nurkic is a huge net positive for them.

Probably the only move I like from Phoenix in the past two seasons. Too bad it took trading away the tire roster for them to make it.

Nurkic containing Giannis’ penetration in the 21 finals instead of no instincts Ayton could’ve flipped the series. Maybe, possibly. Who knows. I know pre-injury Nurkic makes them favorites for sure though.

Ayton was very much still their best defender lol

Him saying this the only year ayton was good on defense is hilarious

What are you two differentiating in Ayton compared to a year like 2021? What are you observing to make this claim?

[MyUniBroDavis]

Ayton was very much still their best defender lol

Him saying this the only year ayton was good on defense is hilarious

What are you two differentiating in Ayton compared to a year like 2021? What are you observing to make this claim?

Dude do you live under a rock lol the entire ayton saga and his regression on that end are pretty public and easy to see things lol

[MyUniBroDavis]

Can Jimmy beat the odds again!?!?

Dont think so

It’ll be mad funny if he does

[eminence]

I like the two big recent moves for all squads involved.

Wonder if there's any yet to happen this offseason - Harden?

[itsxtray]

After seeing what Portland gets for Brogdon this'll have been a great situation for them all things considered. Fans get in their feelings when players ask for trades but the teams making the trades are always in a better spot than them just leaving for nothing. Honestly, portland should've traded Dame when they traded CJ and started the full rebuild then. They made some weird choices since then but are headed in the right direction now imo.

[ShotCreator]

Him saying this the only year ayton was good on defense is hilarious

What are you two differentiating in Ayton compared to a year like 2021? What are you observing to make this claim?

Dude do you live under a rock lol the entire ayton saga and his regression on that end are pretty public and easy to see things lol

I was confused. Now I see you're talking about the 21 Finals. Crowder blows him away on defense that whole playoff run. His help rotations were sharper than sharp. He was basically protecting the rim his timing on help was so nasty. Crowder's defense peaked that run. Ayton was just a body. Blake Griffin defended Giannis so, so much better with less raw athleticism. It's what really made me realize how much Ayton lacked as a defender past being humongous with good mobility and strength. Absolutely minimal instincts and BBIQ.

[MyUniBroDavis]

Deleted

[ronnymac2]

I don't like this trade for Boston at all, and I say that as somebody who likes Jrue Holiday and thinks very highly of him as a player.

Robert Williams was arguably Boston's most valuable per-possession player in playoff settings over the past two seasons (including a Finals run). That kid is dynamite on defense and still gives you a guy with brain and a motor on the other end. He completed their core really well.

Amazing pickup by Portland. Really impressed by their haul this offseason. I say that as somebody critical of that front office/franchise administration for sitting healthy players at the end of last season.

[Peregrine01]

I don't like this trade for Boston at all, and I say that as somebody who likes Jrue Holiday and thinks very highly of him as a player.

Robert Williams was arguably Boston's most valuable per-possession player in playoff settings over the past two seasons (including a Finals run). That kid is dynamite on defense and still gives you a guy with brain and a motor on the other end. He completed their core really well.

Amazing pickup by Portland. Really impressed by their haul this offseason. I say that as somebody critical of that front office/franchise administration for sitting healthy players at the end of last season.

Williams isn't very durable and they got Kristaps to replace him, who also isn't very durable. I think Kristaps can emulate what Williams does on defense to some degree while opening up the floor a lot on offense, whereas Williams often killed spacing when he placed next to Horford.

That said, I think the problem with the Celts is still offensive creation. I see the same issues they've always had when the offense bogs down and the two Js starting taking turns on offense.

The Bucks seem like a completely different animal. You have a top-2 guy in Giannis and a top-3 offensive guy in Dame. And they did all this while retaining the best frontcourt in the league.