2023-24 NBA Season Discussion

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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#581 » by Peregrine01 » Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:35 pm

MyUniBroDavis wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:Bron and Jokic don’t flop much on their drives since they’re so strong that they can absorb the contact and still finish. I wonder if them flopping more would hurt their finishing rate.

Lebron flops a bit he still doesn’t get calls lmao


He’s so focused on finishing. If all he does is seek contact and flail like Harden I’m not sure he gets those points.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#582 » by MyUniBroDavis » Thu Oct 26, 2023 3:23 pm

Peregrine01 wrote:
MyUniBroDavis wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:Bron and Jokic don’t flop much on their drives since they’re so strong that they can absorb the contact and still finish. I wonder if them flopping more would hurt their finishing rate.

Lebron flops a bit he still doesn’t get calls lmao


He’s so focused on finishing. If all he does is seek contact and flail like Harden I’m not sure he gets those points.


I mean sure but bron exaggerated contact for awhile, he does a bit kind of still but he doesn’t get calls
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#583 » by The-Power » Thu Oct 26, 2023 3:24 pm

After watching too much NBA today, some comments and/or questions for early-season debates if anyone's up for it.

Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas are both fascinating in diametrically opposed ways. For Simmons, the question is how good have to be as a perimeter player in terms of defense and playmaking to still be a positive player despite virtually zero scoring ability. For Thomas, the question is how good you have to be as a scorer to still be a positive player despite virtually zero defense and no desire to involve others. I don't think you can win with Simmons as it currently stands. Thomas can be an effective 6th man – but can he be more than that?

The Celtics top-6 are a nightmare to play against and very possibly the best in the league. But can they be a top team with one or two injuries or match-up issues?

The Warriors want to be a top defense again. I wonder, however, if they can even be a top 15 defense as currently constructed? Draymond will have to do a lot of heavy lifting and I'm not sure he has it in him any longer over extended stretches.

Is Tyrese Haliburton already the best PG in the East?

And on a related note, are the Pacers primed to be a top 5 RS offense this year? It would be a huge jump but they look scary on that end if a couple of their young players take the expected step forward.

Are the Spurs already a play-in team? They are young and weren't very good last year but to me they project to be a very tough opponent this year as long as they don't actively tank. They might be legitimately good already.

OKC is an exciting team. But, and here's a possibly unpopular opinion: I do believe they'll have to eventually move on from Giddey (at least as a focal point of their offense) if they want to become a contender. I also feel like SGA and Williams may turn out to be their star-duo.

How awesome is Keegan Murray?
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#584 » by AEnigma » Thu Oct 26, 2023 3:58 pm

MyUniBroDavis wrote:Y’all got an inside joke with the wolves or something?

Raptors unexpected conference contenders. :o
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#585 » by MyUniBroDavis » Thu Oct 26, 2023 4:02 pm

The-Power wrote:After watching too much NBA today, some comments and/or questions for early-season debates if anyone's up for it.

Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas are both fascinating in diametrically opposed ways. For Simmons, the question is how good have to be as a perimeter player in terms of defense and playmaking to still be a positive player despite virtually zero scoring ability. For Thomas, the question is how good you have to be as a scorer to still be a positive player despite virtually zero defense and no desire to involve others. I don't think you can win with Simmons as it currently stands. Thomas can be an effective 6th man – but can he be more than that?

The Celtics top-6 are a nightmare to play against and very possibly the best in the league. But can they be a top team with one or two injuries or match-up issues?

The Warriors want to be a top defense again. I wonder, however, if they can even be a top 15 defense as currently constructed? Draymond will have to do a lot of heavy lifting and I'm not sure he has it in him any longer over extended stretches.

Is Tyrese Haliburton already the best PG in the East?

And on a related note, are the Pacers primed to be a top 5 RS offense this year? It would be a huge jump but they look scary on that end if a couple of their young players take the expected step forward.

Are the Spurs already a play-in team? They are young and weren't very good last year but to me they project to be a very tough opponent this year as long as they don't actively tank. They might be legitimately good already.

OKC is an exciting team. But, and here's a possibly unpopular opinion: I do believe they'll have to eventually move on from Giddey (at least as a focal point of their offense) if they want to become a contender. I also feel like SGA and Williams may turn out to be their star-duo.

How awesome is Keegan Murray?



On Simmons, I think you can be smart with him if you have the right roster around him but he shouldn’t be your most important player on offense or anything like that

Like functionally speaking, even if a guy has horrible spacing and shooting you can do what the warriors do when guys sag off their non shooters and run quick handoffs with good shooters to create a deep drop, or be very active with using them as screeners off ball
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#586 » by parsnips33 » Thu Oct 26, 2023 4:33 pm

Luka is so ridiculous - feels like there's not just a ton of talent in the league right now, but a lot of players with their own unique and fun-to-watch styles

Great time to be a basketball fan
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#587 » by Peregrine01 » Thu Oct 26, 2023 5:03 pm

parsnips33 wrote:Luka is so ridiculous - feels like there's not just a ton of talent in the league right now, but a lot of players with their own unique and fun-to-watch styles

Great time to be a basketball fan


As someone who watched in the 90s, I can say definitely that the game has never been better from a skill standpoint. What these guys are doing today would be incomprehensible back then. We love to romanticize the past but almost everything gets better with time - basketball included.

Now this doesnt mean that things couldnt be better. I wished flopping and missing every other game would go away.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#588 » by itsxtray » Thu Oct 26, 2023 5:58 pm

MyUniBroDavis wrote:
The-Power wrote:After watching too much NBA today, some comments and/or questions for early-season debates if anyone's up for it.

Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas are both fascinating in diametrically opposed ways. For Simmons, the question is how good have to be as a perimeter player in terms of defense and playmaking to still be a positive player despite virtually zero scoring ability. For Thomas, the question is how good you have to be as a scorer to still be a positive player despite virtually zero defense and no desire to involve others. I don't think you can win with Simmons as it currently stands. Thomas can be an effective 6th man – but can he be more than that?

The Celtics top-6 are a nightmare to play against and very possibly the best in the league. But can they be a top team with one or two injuries or match-up issues?

The Warriors want to be a top defense again. I wonder, however, if they can even be a top 15 defense as currently constructed? Draymond will have to do a lot of heavy lifting and I'm not sure he has it in him any longer over extended stretches.

Is Tyrese Haliburton already the best PG in the East?

And on a related note, are the Pacers primed to be a top 5 RS offense this year? It would be a huge jump but they look scary on that end if a couple of their young players take the expected step forward.

Are the Spurs already a play-in team? They are young and weren't very good last year but to me they project to be a very tough opponent this year as long as they don't actively tank. They might be legitimately good already.

OKC is an exciting team. But, and here's a possibly unpopular opinion: I do believe they'll have to eventually move on from Giddey (at least as a focal point of their offense) if they want to become a contender. I also feel like SGA and Williams may turn out to be their star-duo.

How awesome is Keegan Murray?



On Simmons, I think you can be smart with him if you have the right roster around him but he shouldn’t be your most important player on offense or anything like that

Like functionally speaking, even if a guy has horrible spacing and shooting you can do what the warriors do when guys sag off their non shooters and run quick handoffs with good shooters to create a deep drop, or be very active with using them as screeners off ball

Problem with Simmons is he doesn't wanna play that way, he wants to be a point guard. His best role is as a better finishing worse defending Draymond.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#589 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:59 am

Dame looks great so far. Bucks running a lot of horns for him at the logo to get downhill cracked the game open for a minute.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#590 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 1:45 am

Giannis gonna take a beat to get used to playing out of the short roll, he hasn't looked great at it tonight. Really makes you appreciate Draymond, people like to downplay it but that **** ain't easy.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#591 » by Peregrine01 » Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:17 am

itsxtray wrote:Giannis gonna take a beat to get used to playing out of the short roll, he hasn't looked great at it tonight. Really makes you appreciate Draymond, people like to downplay it but that **** ain't easy.


Giannis has looked bad on offense. Hell this whole game has been horrific to watch.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#592 » by Clyde Frazier » Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:23 am

Outcome could've been different with that blatant Giannis self pass missed by the refs, but what a debut from Lillard
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#593 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:35 am

Peregrine01 wrote:
itsxtray wrote:Giannis gonna take a beat to get used to playing out of the short roll, he hasn't looked great at it tonight. Really makes you appreciate Draymond, people like to downplay it but that **** ain't easy.


Giannis has looked bad on offense. Hell this whole game has been horrific to watch.

Yeah, he should've done it already but with Dame there he really needs to trim the fat from his game. No 3's at all bro i don't care how open you are. Take a page out of Zion's book, he takes 0.6 3's a game and focuses all of him energy in the paint, Giannis needs to do that as well. Those pull up middies need to go as well, he has no touch out there. If it ain't in the paint i don't want it.

What looked phenomenal this game was their horns set. Dame was unstoppable either getting to the rim, hitting the 3 or getting fouled. As the season goes on they should move to more Dame primacy.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#594 » by Peregrine01 » Fri Oct 27, 2023 2:59 am

itsxtray wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:
itsxtray wrote:Giannis gonna take a beat to get used to playing out of the short roll, he hasn't looked great at it tonight. Really makes you appreciate Draymond, people like to downplay it but that **** ain't easy.


Giannis has looked bad on offense. Hell this whole game has been horrific to watch.

Yeah, he should've done it already but with Dame there he really needs to trim the fat from his game. No 3's at all bro i don't care how open you are. Take a page out of Zion's book, he takes 0.6 3's a game and focuses all of him energy in the paint, Giannis needs to do that as well. Those pull up middies need to go as well, he has no touch out there. If it ain't in the paint i don't want it.

What looked phenomenal this game was their horns set. Dame was unstoppable either getting to the rim, hitting the 3 or getting fouled. As the season goes on they should move to more Dame primacy.


It’s a little eyebrow-raising how much the offense devolved into Dame-time isos at the end of the game. Giannis out of the short-roll at the top of the key is not all that dangerous since everyone knows he’s just trying to get to the rim. I hope to see more dribble hand-offs from him instead of barreling to the rim again and again.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#595 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:12 am

Peregrine01 wrote:
itsxtray wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:
Giannis has looked bad on offense. Hell this whole game has been horrific to watch.

Yeah, he should've done it already but with Dame there he really needs to trim the fat from his game. No 3's at all bro i don't care how open you are. Take a page out of Zion's book, he takes 0.6 3's a game and focuses all of him energy in the paint, Giannis needs to do that as well. Those pull up middies need to go as well, he has no touch out there. If it ain't in the paint i don't want it.

What looked phenomenal this game was their horns set. Dame was unstoppable either getting to the rim, hitting the 3 or getting fouled. As the season goes on they should move to more Dame primacy.


It’s a little eyebrow-raising how much the offense devolved into Dame-time isos at the end of the game. Giannis out of the short-roll at the top of the key is not all that dangerous since everyone knows he’s just trying to get to the rim. I hope to see more dribble hand-offs from him instead of barreling to the rim again and again.

Yeah didn't see many Dho's (only a couple) which is the classic way to get non shooters involved with shooters to create space. Didn't see spain at all to my recollection or any double drags. I mean it's just game one but the Bucks are not a team that should freelance on offense. They should be running sets most of the time and let Giannis eat in transition or getting downhill.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#596 » by MyUniBroDavis » Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:28 am

itsxtray wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:
itsxtray wrote:Yeah, he should've done it already but with Dame there he really needs to trim the fat from his game. No 3's at all bro i don't care how open you are. Take a page out of Zion's book, he takes 0.6 3's a game and focuses all of him energy in the paint, Giannis needs to do that as well. Those pull up middies need to go as well, he has no touch out there. If it ain't in the paint i don't want it.

What looked phenomenal this game was their horns set. Dame was unstoppable either getting to the rim, hitting the 3 or getting fouled. As the season goes on they should move to more Dame primacy.


It’s a little eyebrow-raising how much the offense devolved into Dame-time isos at the end of the game. Giannis out of the short-roll at the top of the key is not all that dangerous since everyone knows he’s just trying to get to the rim. I hope to see more dribble hand-offs from him instead of barreling to the rim again and again.

Yeah didn't see many Dho's (only a couple) which is the classic way to get non shooters involved with shooters to create space. Didn't see spain at all to my recollection or any double drags. I mean it's just game one but the Bucks are not a team that should freelance on offense. They should be running sets most of the time and let Giannis eat in transition or getting downhill.



I didn’t watch the game but why would they run spain/stack? Teams probably aren’t dropping vs them
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#597 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 4:17 am

MyUniBroDavis wrote:
itsxtray wrote:
Peregrine01 wrote:
It’s a little eyebrow-raising how much the offense devolved into Dame-time isos at the end of the game. Giannis out of the short-roll at the top of the key is not all that dangerous since everyone knows he’s just trying to get to the rim. I hope to see more dribble hand-offs from him instead of barreling to the rim again and again.

Yeah didn't see many Dho's (only a couple) which is the classic way to get non shooters involved with shooters to create space. Didn't see spain at all to my recollection or any double drags. I mean it's just game one but the Bucks are not a team that should freelance on offense. They should be running sets most of the time and let Giannis eat in transition or getting downhill.



I didn’t watch the game but why would they run spain/stack? Teams probably aren’t dropping vs them

Embiid started in a drop while guarding Lopez who got some open shots by popping which he knocked down, that's when i was looking for it. From then they started running horns with the screens at the logo so Embiid came up to the 3pt line which didn't matter. They were successful with horns pretty much every time they tried it.
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#598 » by MyUniBroDavis » Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:09 am

itsxtray wrote:
MyUniBroDavis wrote:
itsxtray wrote:Yeah didn't see many Dho's (only a couple) which is the classic way to get non shooters involved with shooters to create space. Didn't see spain at all to my recollection or any double drags. I mean it's just game one but the Bucks are not a team that should freelance on offense. They should be running sets most of the time and let Giannis eat in transition or getting downhill.



I didn’t watch the game but why would they run spain/stack? Teams probably aren’t dropping vs them

Embiid started in a drop while guarding Lopez who got some open shots by popping which he knocked down, that's when i was looking for it. From then they started running horns with the screens at the logo so Embiid came up to the 3pt line which didn't matter. They were successful with horns pretty much every time they tried it.


Damn why they dropping on lillard man :lol:

What kind of horns sets did they run?
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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#599 » by itsxtray » Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:31 am

MyUniBroDavis wrote:
itsxtray wrote:
MyUniBroDavis wrote:

I didn’t watch the game but why would they run spain/stack? Teams probably aren’t dropping vs them

Embiid started in a drop while guarding Lopez who got some open shots by popping which he knocked down, that's when i was looking for it. From then they started running horns with the screens at the logo so Embiid came up to the 3pt line which didn't matter. They were successful with horns pretty much every time they tried it.


Damn why they dropping on lillard man :lol:

What kind of horns sets did they run?


No idea why they dropping :lol: they did put PJ on Giannis and had Embiid roam which was much more effective later on

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Here are 3 of em, not sure what it's specifically called other than V or Horns. I've heard it called A before as well.

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Re: 2023-24 NBA Season Discussion 

Post#600 » by The-Power » Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:58 pm

Giannis would be a much better player in a role in which he focuses on defense and finishing. Having the offense run through him just doesn't work consistently, except for some ill-equipped teams. He still wants to be too much of an initiator. With Lillard there, that just shouldn't be his role. Ramp up the defense, and play more like a traditional big man on offense in the half court and the Bucks would be scary. Right now, they are very beatable in my opinion.

Embiid does not have Lillard currently but he as well should focus on defense first again. His decisions under pressure are too often poor. And on defense, it's up and down with him. When he's in the play, he's really good. But he's out of the play way too often, whether that's him dropping in the PnR on shooters or not getting back in transition.

Watching them also makes me appreciate Jokic so much more. Being an offensive focal point as a big man is so tough. Heck, watch Durant last night. His scoring is exceptional still but he too makes so many poor decisions under pressure and stops the ball as well. Davis also can't be the focal point of an offense because of his limitations as a creator. Jokic truly is exceptional on offense even compared to all the other offensively gifted big men.

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