MONDAY, NOV. 23
76ers-Timberwolves
The matchup between KAT and Oak makes this game watchable even if it ends up being a blowout. I’ve long felt KAT to be the much more complete player, and that he was the only sure-fire star from this summer’s draft. As Zach Lowe touched on in his recent column about the Wolves, Towns’ versatility and nimble nature allow him to be interchangeable and play alongside whomever without worry.
Okafor, despite the league-low plus/minus, does possess one of the more affective and aesthetically appealing offensive games. He palms the ball with ease, his teardrop floater is fantastic, and he has a running one-handed jumper he tosses off the glass that is simply beautiful. The main thing that separates KAT and Oak on offense, though, is the jump shot. I’ve seen Oak step out to 13-15 feet and hit a nice bank-shot on occasion, but as a total non-threat to score from outside of that distance, the paint is clogged when Nerlens Noel and he share the floor.
It hasn’t helped Noel and Okafor that Robert Covington has only played a handful of games, Nik Stauskas’ sauce has been mild at best, and Isaiah Canaan and Hollis Thompson can’t seem to throw a rock in the ocean on most nights. The Sixers’ outside shooting woes are well documented and nothing new. But Noel has also alluded to his dislike for defending small-ball-fours who step out to the three. Taking Noel outside of the paint makes it difficult for him to do that which he does best—swat someone at the rim and be a terrorizing force as a help defender.
This combination of circumstances is perhaps why coach Brett Brown has been trying to stagger their minutes, and last Wednesday versus the Pacers, Brown announced a lineup change that would have Noel come off the bench until Indy coach Frank Vogel changed his mind and decided to go two-big with Lavoy Allen and Ian Mahinmi.
On Saturday, however, Brown opted to make a lineup change. Against a Heat team running Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh, the opportunity was there for the two to share the floor, but Brown opted to do otherwise. I know the Sixers want to get off the ground and earn their first win, but this year has to be about allowing those two guys to develop chemistry.
Therefore, it makes little sense to me that Brown brought Noel off the bench and did not play his twin towers together down the stretch of one of their few close games thus far this season. It just seems bizarre that the Sixers would select Okafor if they didn’t believe he could share the floor with Noel at the end of a close game against a big opposing front-line like Miami’s.
Monday’s matchup with the Wolves will likely be different, at least to start. I can’t imagine Noel-Okafor won’t draw the start against Minny. Kevin Garnett, who might soon be the Jackie Moon of the Wolves (but can actually still play a bit), has always been an absolute best-case-scenario comparison for Noel, and that should be a fun match-up for the few minutes if they’re matched up against one another.
Noel’s jumper still needs a lot of work—he still hoists up a brick so strong it makes you wonder whether the backboard is going to shatter—but his length, defensive instincts, and wiry way are just not teachable. He has developed a decent running hook in the low post with both hands, but offensively he’s still very raw, and it’s possible he won’t ever be a reliable shooter. Noel does have astounding agility, so he should be more open-minded about playing the four defensively against perimeter-oriented players, at least if he wants to share the floor with Okafor or a hopefully healthy Joel Embiid next year.
As Jonathan Tjarks puts it, Noel looks like a no. 2 pencil. He gets pushed around against the stronger centers, and if he took some time to focus on covering small-ball-fours, he might discover a dimension to his defensive game that he doesn’t know exists. Okafor and Embiid are likely never going to be guys that guard fours who step out to the three-point line and stroke it like a shooting guard. Therefore, the Sixers seem to be relying on Noel becoming comfortable with taking on the task of covering fours. That or else there’s probably another trade on the horizon in Philadelphia.
If Noel does indeed begin playing more at the four, Sam Hinkie appears to be building a team that (as I’ve alluded to before) laughs in the face of the modern game, and says: “we’re going to beat you with size,” the general opposite of the Golden State Warriors—whom no one can figure out how to beat when they play their small-ball “coffee is for closers” lineup with Draymond Green at center.
Pistons-Bucks
Ersan Ilyasova and Greg Monroe make their returns to Milwaukee! Must-watch hoops! More on the Bucks later, but the Pistons have simmered down after a fiery start that led most of us to believe they were shoe-ins to make the playoffs. The honeymoon is over, and the grind has begun for coach Stan Van Gundy and the guys.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25
Knicks-Magic
The Magic have been going strong with that three guard lineup of Elfird Payton, Evan Fournier, and Victor Oladipo while Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic hold down the four and five spots.
The Knicks, on the other hand, are rolling out one of the biggest starting fives in the league in Jose Calderon, Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthonoy, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robin Lopez.
So, who is going to guard Porzingis? Harris is probably best matched up against Anthony since he likely doesn’t have the length to bother Porzingis’ shot or keep him from snatching boards over top of him, but we know Vucevic isn’t stepping out beyond the arc to defend the Latvian’s launches. Oladipo is a tenacious defender, but does he have the size to affect Melo’s shot or the strength to bang with him in the post and keep him from stealing offensive rebounds? I’m guessing Fournier will begin on Afflalo, whom the Magic traded to Denver in exchange for Don’t Google a couple years back, and Payton will probably pester Calderon.
And on the other end, how will the Knicks matchup with the Magic? Lopez is not known for his defense once you get him outside of the paint—something Vucevic will surely force him to do. And Porzingis isn’t a snail by any stretch, but he’s probably not keeping up with a hybrid three-four like Harris who can blow by you with the dribble and score both inside and out. He’s kind of like a middle-class version of Melo now that he is hitting three’s at a slightly above-average rate.
Both Orlando coach Scott Skiles and New York coach Derek Fisher have been playing deep rotations, so it will be interesting to see which bench is more effective and if any of the backups are able to earn extended minutes to match-up better with the opposing team’s starters—as there seem to be a bunch of mismatches.
Pelicans-Suns
The Pelicans and Suns had an up-tempo battle on Sunday during which Anthony Davis’ late-game heroics helped New Orleans earn their second straight win. This week, Tyreke Evans returns, and Bourbon St. Shots’ Michael McNamara reports Jrue Holiday is set to have his minutes restriction increased to 30 by Dec. 1. Believe it or not, the Pelicans might* finally be getting healthy, and hopefully high-IQ players Norris Cole and Quincy Pondexter are able to get back soon as well in order to help bolster the D and stabilize the depth of the team.
For now, there are games to be won if they are going to get back into the playoff picture in the West. Dubbed as dead by most of the basketball world, the Pelicans were drowning with injuries just like the Thunder last season, but managed to make the playoffs despite being a few games back of OKC with 10 games remaining. That’s why it’s particularly hilarious that people have already been counting them out of the playoff race when they haven’t been healthy and they have completely changed their schemes on both ends of the floor under a new coaching staff.
The Suns’ recent history of nabbing the ninth or tenth seed in the conference is well-documented, but they have been getting great production from back-court mates Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. Meanwhile, P.J. Tucker altered the entire game without really showing up in the box score on Sunday, successfully shadowing Ryan Anderson, who went simply bonkers last week until Tucker kept him from murdering the Suns in the second half on Sunday. Devin Booker did some nice things as well, shooting the ball from the outside and attacking the cup off the dribble. The Suns play the Spurs on Monday night, while the Pelicans are off until Wednesday’s rematch versus Phoenix. If the Suns lose to San Antonio, they fall back to 7-7 for Wednesday’s bout with the Pels, so this game is going to have a real playoff feel to it.
The Grizzlies, Rockets, and Clippers have all struggled out of the gate, and as a result the Western Conference is much more liquid than anyone could’ve predicted, which will make for an exciting playoff race.
FRIDAY, NOV. 27
Timberwolves-Kings
If you can’t get amped up for KAT vs. Cousins, you might want to check your pulse. But beyond that, love them, hate them, root for them, or ridicule them: the Kings are must-watch right now on a nightly basis.
DeMarcus Cousins’ ability to step out and hit threes is giving Rajon Rondo room to do cool stuff, and I for one underestimated the fact that George Karl may be the perfect coach for Rondo. Karl loves him some up-tempo ball, and he’s not the biggest fan of calling plays, either. This all bodes well with Rondo, who looks re-born in Cowbell Kingdom, and is once again a triple-double threat every game.
SUNDAY, NOV. 29
Bucks-Hornets
Giannis Antetokounmpo is just insane to watch these days, but the Bucks are struggling. Having hated the Michael Carter-Williams trade for Milwaukee, I’m hardly surprised to see the Bucks underwhelming a bit this year—but figured the addition of Greg Monroe would be enough to keep them in the playoff picture. Entering Monday’s games, the Bucks are 5-8, ahead of only Brooklyn and Philly.
Former Bucks big Zaza Pachulia is managing the middle for the 9-5 Mavericks, who are off to a surprisingly hot start this season. Meanwhile, Monroe has had his part in turning a bone-chilling Bucks defense into a mediocre one. The Bucks don’t boast a bevy of beyond-the-arc threats either, so it’s also not easy for the team to utilize the Moose’s unique passing abilities when teams can just crowd the paint and dare his teammates to shoot. Monroe also doesn’t space the floor either, so that just compounds the problem. Suffice it to say, Milwaukee need to improve if they are going to make the playoffs in an exponentially more respectable Eastern Conference that features only two true cellar-dwellers.
The Hornets, on the other hand, are one of 11 Eastern Conference teams to be above .500 entering Monday’s games at 7-6. This is going to be a huge week for Charlotte as they dance with par. The team’s offseason plan to add shooting has helped transform their style of play, and they’ve turned other teams’ garbage (Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lamb, Jeremy Lin, and Spencer Hawes) into golden tickets that are making Al Jefferson’s life much easier.
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