Bub Carrington

[Zonkerbl]

Agree. Y'all should know by now that players like Luka and Jokic and Halliburton are top tier players, despite their shape or hurky jerkiness.

Halliburton is just unconventional and I get how Jokic uses his body and mind to make up for his pillsbury doughboyness but man I still cannot figure out how/why Luka is so effective. It just blows my mind to watch him play. I think it must be a strength thing, he's bouncing off people judo style to use their athleticism against them. Or some such.

Maybe it's the more wide open nature of the moneyball era that lets players who can take advantage of horizontal strategy succeed, more than just having to leap over people. James Harden style.

It's just - I don't get how that works. Surely someone who understands the physics of the game of basketball *and* is athletic would dominate someone who *isn't* athletic so how are players like Harden/Doncic even possible? Don't you have to have a lifetime of experience playing bball to get to the nba? How could one person be *so much better* at understanding the implicit physics of basketball to overcome a complete lack of athleticism???

[prime1time]

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Wow, maybe prime1time knows something after all lol

[nate33]

Read on Twitter

Wow, maybe prime1time knows something after all lol

And yet it happened despite their non-penetrating loser PG named Bub Carrington screwing up the offense on every possession.

[prime1time]

Read on Twitter

Wow, maybe prime1time knows something after all lol

And yet it happened despite their non-penetrating loser PG named Bub Carrington screwing up the offense on every possession.

"Sometimes, when a person's house is on fire and someone comes in yelling fire, instead of the person who is awakened by the yell being thankful, he makes the mistake of charging the one who awakened him with having set the fire."

[prime1time]

[doclinkin]

Right. We’re talking about three point shooting taking over from 2pt shooting. The chart is not showing that people are taking and making more 2pt shots. More accurately scoring from 2. But that there’s more wild shots flung from outside.

What I said in the small ball era to counter the tactic of pace and space was that yeah the 3pt shot counts for 33% more points and okay you can run up the score if you get hot, but it’s streaky. It misses more. There’s more variance.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html

NBA average 3pt % is .360. So 64% of the time that’s a miss. That’s a lot of long bounces. There’s an opportunity there if you build a great rebounding team instead.

If you go large you can then control the pace of the game by playing a high percentage 2pt game and starve the run and gun teams of possessions. To score the equivalent of the league average of 3pt shooting ^^^ you only need to hit 54% of your 2pt shots. Thats the literal average FG% of a center.

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-league-average-2-point-percentage-by-position

Which means to me teams should counter the outside gunning by going large. Hoovering up those 64% of missed shots. Then either racing up court to score a quick two and set up for defense or pull it back out if you’re stopped and work it in to a dominant front court player. Go fast early. Then Go big. Go heavy.

You want talented 2nd line rebounders as well as bigs since that will help you catch the long bounces from 3, and put you ahead for transition offense. But you absolutely should be looking for a dominant interior scorer who can catch well and finish even if guarded.

The Wiz are currently doing some part of that strategy. In theory. We are going big around the perimeter to challenge 3pt shots and make them less efficient. Kyshawn was on the leaderboard in challenging 3pt shots even as a rookie. Bilal has that in his skill set as well. In theory Alex too can block a 3pt shot even from the unicorn centers.

We have a rebounding guard like Bub to initiate the transition attack. He does score efficiently early in the clock before defenses are set.

But we don’t have front court rebounders or dominant interior scorers. Or anyone we can feed a heavy diet of paint touches.

It’s why I want Maluach if we slip out of the top position. He scores 70% on the inside and has lacrosse baskets for hands. Even if he’s not a rebound magnet.

For that I want to pick up a burly rebounder with a mid first if we do get the Griz pick.

You want the option of bigging it up if the 3pt shots aren’t falling. Going Cav style on offense by pushing the dunkers spot out to the corner. Or posting one giant in the middle and letting everyone else play face up from outside.

It’s why I don’t mind Sarr deciding he’s a tall wing player if he can make it work. He doesn’t have great hands or power on the interior. But he passes well. Who’s going to stop his big-to-big passing if he’s floating it to a guy with a 9’8” standing reach?

It’s also why I don’t mind that Bub is deadly from midrange, because he doesn’t need to be clogging up the middle if there’s a monster he can be feeding instead.

Anyway. That’s my vision. Trying to game the next level of the meta game. Shrug. Yes adding free throws to the equation is good but to my mind that just means drafting bigs who catch well, shoot a nice percentage from the line, and can score through contact. Let them do their job. It’s what they do best.

[doclinkin]

I also want to load the weak side with mobile offensive rebounders who know to crash the midrange when their own 3pt shooter puts it up.

Then immediately flip that to the big for a dunk. Treat the missed 3pt as a hockey assist.

Or if it’s stopped kick it back out to reset the offense and steal an extra shot clock of their chance to get back in the game.

But yeah. I don’t think we’re there. They want 3pt shooters not rebounders right now. I dunno.

[bsilver]

I also want to load the weak side with mobile offensive rebounders who know to crash the midrange when their own 3pt shooter puts it up.

Then immediately flip that to the big for a dunk. Treat the missed 3pt as a hockey assist.

Or if it’s stopped kick it back out to reset the offense and steal an extra shot clock of their chance to get back in the game.

But yeah. I don’t think we’re there. They want 3pt shooters not rebounders right now. I dunno.

Definitely need better rebounding. Would also like to see better interior defenders to go with that.
Maluach would help with both, but has he shown enough to warrant a 5/6 pick? Maybe depends on how we view the other 5/6 options. Losing the Memphis pick may also come into play because there will definitely be some good bigs available there.
Some always say BPA, but once you're out of the obvious picks, your view of BPA is probably wrong.

[bsilver]

Agree. Y'all should know by now that players like Luka and Jokic and Halliburton are top tier players, despite their shape or hurky jerkiness.

Halliburton is just unconventional and I get how Jokic uses his body and mind to make up for his pillsbury doughboyness but man I still cannot figure out how/why Luka is so effective. It just blows my mind to watch him play. I think it must be a strength thing, he's bouncing off people judo style to use their athleticism against them. Or some such.

Maybe it's the more wide open nature of the moneyball era that lets players who can take advantage of horizontal strategy succeed, more than just having to leap over people. James Harden style.

It's just - I don't get how that works. Surely someone who understands the physics of the game of basketball *and* is athletic would dominate someone who *isn't* athletic so how are players like Harden/Doncic even possible? Don't you have to have a lifetime of experience playing bball to get to the nba? How could one person be *so much better* at understanding the implicit physics of basketball to overcome a complete lack of athleticism???

I've played and coached a lot of basketball, so have been up against all types. I think you're underestimating the athleticism of "core strength". The guys you mention are all very strong, like you mention. That is just as important as jumping ability and pure speed.

[Zonkerbl]

I also want to load the weak side with mobile offensive rebounders who know to crash the midrange when their own 3pt shooter puts it up.

Then immediately flip that to the big for a dunk. Treat the missed 3pt as a hockey assist.

Or if it’s stopped kick it back out to reset the offense and steal an extra shot clock of their chance to get back in the game.

But yeah. I don’t think we’re there. They want 3pt shooters not rebounders right now. I dunno.

how does rebounding even work anymore with missed three pointers spraying the ball all over the court. Maybe it's become more of a team effort kind of a thing rather than a man mountain thing. Although Zach Edey is doing very well.

[doclinkin]

I also want to load the weak side with mobile offensive rebounders who know to crash the midrange when their own 3pt shooter puts it up.

Then immediately flip that to the big for a dunk. Treat the missed 3pt as a hockey assist.

Or if it’s stopped kick it back out to reset the offense and steal an extra shot clock of their chance to get back in the game.

But yeah. I don’t think we’re there. They want 3pt shooters not rebounders right now. I dunno.

how does rebounding even work anymore with missed three pointers spraying the ball all over the court. Maybe it's become more of a team effort kind of a thing rather than a man mountain thing. Although Zach Edey is doing very well.

Still mostly Centers:

https://www.nba.com/stats/leaders?StatCategory=REB&SeasonType=Regular+Season

The ball goes towards the basket. You’ll get a Josh Hart or Giddey or Tatum dodging in there but the tall guy near the basket has first crack at it.

[AFM]

Watch on YouTube

[doclinkin]

Watch on YouTube

What I’ve been saying. The Bub that you have seen this year is not what got him to the NBA, because he’s learning to play off the ball next to Jordan Poole. But when he gets a chance to play with it, he’s got an extra dash of sauce. There’s a reason his numbers are so much better as a starter than as a back up off the bench.

I think a few years in his career he’s going to flirt with the 50/40/90 club and torture opponents with his game control. And he’s getting bigger? He’s severely underestimated right now.

[9 and 20]

https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025/5/10/24427207/annual-checkup-riding-the-roller-coaster-of-bub-carringtons-rookie-season

Career progression calculator - who knows it's legit. But an interesting story there.

[PaulinVA]

Read on Twitter

[badinage]

What a great honor.

Couldn’t have gone to a better kid. He’s made his father proud, and a lot of us proud.

[Frichuela]

Good overview of strengths and weaknesses of our brand new starting PG.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

[prime1time]

Good overview of strengths and weaknesses of our brand new starting PG.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

This guy tweeted literally what I said lol.

[closg00]

Right. We’re talking about three point shooting taking over from 2pt shooting. The chart is not showing that people are taking and making more 2pt shots. More accurately scoring from 2. But that there’s more wild shots flung from outside.

What I said in the small ball era to counter the tactic of pace and space was that yeah the 3pt shot counts for 33% more points and okay you can run up the score if you get hot, but it’s streaky. It misses more. There’s more variance.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html

NBA average 3pt % is .360. So 64% of the time that’s a miss. That’s a lot of long bounces. There’s an opportunity there if you build a great rebounding team instead.

If you go large you can then control the pace of the game by playing a high percentage 2pt game and starve the run and gun teams of possessions. To score the equivalent of the league average of 3pt shooting ^^^ you only need to hit 54% of your 2pt shots. Thats the literal average FG% of a center.

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-league-average-2-point-percentage-by-position

Which means to me teams should counter the outside gunning by going large. Hoovering up those 64% of missed shots. Then either racing up court to score a quick two and set up for defense or pull it back out if you’re stopped and work it in to a dominant front court player. Go fast early. Then Go big. Go heavy.

You want talented 2nd line rebounders as well as bigs since that will help you catch the long bounces from 3, and put you ahead for transition offense. But you absolutely should be looking for a dominant interior scorer who can catch well and finish even if guarded.

The Wiz are currently doing some part of that strategy. In theory. We are going big around the perimeter to challenge 3pt shots and make them less efficient. Kyshawn was on the leaderboard in challenging 3pt shots even as a rookie. Bilal has that in his skill set as well. In theory Alex too can block a 3pt shot even from the unicorn centers.

We have a rebounding guard like Bub to initiate the transition attack. He does score efficiently early in the clock before defenses are set.

But we don’t have front court rebounders or dominant interior scorers. Or anyone we can feed a heavy diet of paint touches.

It’s why I want Maluach if we slip out of the top position. He scores 70% on the inside and has lacrosse baskets for hands. Even if he’s not a rebound magnet.

For that I want to pick up a burly rebounder with a mid first if we do get the Griz pick.

You want the option of bigging it up if the 3pt shots aren’t falling. Going Cav style on offense by pushing the dunkers spot out to the corner. Or posting one giant in the middle and letting everyone else play face up from outside.

It’s why I don’t mind Sarr deciding he’s a tall wing player if he can make it work. He doesn’t have great hands or power on the interior. But he passes well. Who’s going to stop his big-to-big passing if he’s floating it to a guy with a 9’8” standing reach?

It’s also why I don’t mind that Bub is deadly from midrange, because he doesn’t need to be clogging up the middle if there’s a monster he can be feeding instead.

Anyway. That’s my vision. Trying to game the next level of the meta game. Shrug. Yes adding free throws to the equation is good but to my mind that just means drafting bigs who catch well, shoot a nice percentage from the line, and can score through contact. Let them do their job. It’s what they do best.

Well-stated Doc , you need more than one way to beat a team when the shots aren’t falling, who is going to secure rebounds in the paint, and when we do, a league full of rim defending centers will be there to greet us, we can’t live or die on shooting alone. Also, you can’t compound the issue by having a PG who can’t breakdown defenses, or get to the cup, everything has to go perfectly to get the W.

I understand that we are not done yet with talent acquisition, just very confused by the focus on wings to the exclusion of all other positions.

[DCZards]

Good overview of strengths and weaknesses of our brand new starting PG.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

This guy tweeted literally what I said lol.

It’s pretty much what most here have been saying about Bub’s game.