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Speaker 1: All right, welcome to hoops tonight. You're at the volume.

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Speaker 1: Happy Friday, everybody, HOPEFU. All of you guys had an

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Speaker 1: incredible week. We have a jampackshow for you today. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna be hitting two instant reactions from last night's games.

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Speaker 1: The Oklahoma City Thunder got to win over the red

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Speaker 1: hot Los Angeles Clippers all be without Kawhi Leonard, and

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Speaker 1: then the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Orlando Magic at home

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Speaker 1: in an interesting game. After that, we're gonna do our

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Speaker 1: weekly MVP Ladder like we're gonna start doing on every

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Speaker 1: Friday from now on, and then last but not least,

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Speaker 1: at the end of the show, we have a long

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Speaker 1: mail bag. We're gonna hitting like eight questions. We're gonna

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Speaker 1: be bouncing all over the league hitting a bunch of

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Speaker 1: stuff in that segment. You guys are the Joe before

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Speaker 1: we get started. Subscribe to our brand new YouTube channel.

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Speaker 1: I mean a lot to me. If you guys would

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Speaker 1: take a second scroll down hit that subscribe button. Don't

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Speaker 1: forget about our podcast feeds. Wherever you get your podcasts

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Speaker 1: under Hoops Tonight. Follow me on Twitter at underscore Jason lt.

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Speaker 1: So you guys don't miss any show announcements or the

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Speaker 1: film threads that I do from time to time. And then,

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Speaker 1: last but not least, keep dropping mail bag questions in

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Speaker 1: the YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them throughout

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Speaker 1: the season. All right, let's talk some basketball. So the

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Speaker 1: Thunder pretty much controlled this game against the Clippers. There

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Speaker 1: was a brief stretch there in the early third quarter

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Speaker 1: where James hard To hit a couple of step back

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Speaker 1: threes in a row and the Clippers ended up going

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Speaker 1: up by one, but the Thunder just immediately regained control

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Speaker 1: of the game. But they were up in by double

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Speaker 1: digits like that after that. Honestly, like there was just

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Speaker 1: this I've talked a lot about this concept on the show.

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Speaker 1: I view the perimeter defense battle like the ability to

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Speaker 1: contain dribble penetration on one end and then to generate

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Speaker 1: a dribble penetration on the other end. I look at

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Speaker 1: that as like the push and pull that you see

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Speaker 1: in basketball that most closely resembles what happens in football

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Speaker 1: in terms of lying play between the offensive line and

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Speaker 1: the defensive line. Like if a team gets excellent push

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Speaker 1: on the offensive line and then on when they're on defense,

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Speaker 1: if they can get penetration into the backfield, that goes

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Speaker 1: a long way towards making the game easier for every

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Speaker 1: other position group, right, And that's kind of the way

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Speaker 1: I feel about perimeter defense in basketball and this battle,

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Speaker 1: especially with Kawhi out. I would have loved to have

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Speaker 1: seen Kawhi in this matchup because one of the best

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Speaker 1: counters for a team that's got really good quick perimeter

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Speaker 1: defenders is to have a guy that can generate drible

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Speaker 1: penetration without necessarily having to beat people off the dribble,

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Speaker 1: meaning like the ability to back a guy down into

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Speaker 1: the post. Another thing with Kawhi two is, you know,

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Speaker 1: dribble penetration gaps are easier to shoot through when you

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Speaker 1: have strength. So, for instance, like if I make a

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Speaker 1: move and I get my defender to just barely buckle,

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Speaker 1: but I have a strength advantage, I can shoot through

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Speaker 1: that gap with physicality, Whereas if I don't have his

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Speaker 1: strength advantage and I get the defender to buckle just

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Speaker 1: a tiny bit, he can use physicality to regain control

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Speaker 1: of that situation, and vice versa. Right, So Kawhi just

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Speaker 1: would have been an interesting kind of wrinkle to throw

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Speaker 1: into this matchup. But the Thunder just generally controlled that

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Speaker 1: perimeter defense matchup, which just that perimeter defense battle, I

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Speaker 1: should say, which led to them getting higher quality shots

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Speaker 1: and then winning. But I want to zoom in on

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Speaker 1: the Thunder side of things on chet Holmgrin for a

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Speaker 1: little bit here, because I thought this was one of

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Speaker 1: his more impressive games as a pro, just from the

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Speaker 1: standpoint of how much they leaned on him to start

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Speaker 1: plays rather than to finish plays. And you know, you know,

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Speaker 1: Zubac is a good center who I think does a

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Speaker 1: lot of things really well in a traditional sense, in

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Speaker 1: traditional coverages, and you know, doing a lot of the

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Speaker 1: things that you need a traditional center to do from

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Speaker 1: the standpoint of play finishing, right, But chet kind of

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Speaker 1: represents in a lot of ways what a modern center

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Speaker 1: is going to look like if we fast forward twenty

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Speaker 1: thirty years in my opinion, and that's like basically a

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Speaker 1: really tall wing, you know that that can dribble, shoot

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Speaker 1: and pass with the best of them. And you know,

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Speaker 1: one of the things that the Thunder realized pretty quickly

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Speaker 1: in this game is like, why would we attack Terrence

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Speaker 1: Man and Russell Westbrook and Paul George and Norman Powell

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Speaker 1: and all these superior athletes and a mere coffee and

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Speaker 1: stuff on the perimeter when we have a clear matchup

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Speaker 1: advantage here, which is that if Kazubac just has no

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Speaker 1: chance to guard sheet home grand on an island, you know.

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Speaker 1: And that's not a shot at at Zuba's, it's just

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Speaker 1: a reality of what kind of matchup Chet can create.

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Speaker 1: And like he was just attacking in space just like they,

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Speaker 1: you know, kind of all space out to the perimeter

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Speaker 1: and give at the ball, and he would just make

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Speaker 1: a dribble move and beat Zubots off the dribble. There's

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Speaker 1: this crazy one where he had just beat Zubats to

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Speaker 1: the right side and finished on the right side of

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Speaker 1: the basket in the early third quarter, and then they

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Speaker 1: cleared out the right side for him, and he dribbled

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Speaker 1: left and like fake like he was gonna shoot a

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Speaker 1: pull up jump shots. Zubats jumped and then he just

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Speaker 1: threw it up off the glass and he went up

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Speaker 1: and dunked it with two hands. And so one of

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Speaker 1: the things the Clippers did is they put Russell Westbrook

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Speaker 1: on him and they're basically like, this guy's beating everybody

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Speaker 1: off the dribble. Let's go small and let's just just

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Speaker 1: bother his base. Right. That's a big thing that I

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Speaker 1: talk about a lot on the show. And when you're

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Speaker 1: a defensive player and you don't have a size advantage,

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Speaker 1: you have to attack the base. You can never hope

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Speaker 1: to bother a guy like that up top because that's

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Speaker 1: where his advantage is is in his height, right, And

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Speaker 1: so if I can disrupt the base, like push on

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Speaker 1: their legs or their hips to make it so that

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Speaker 1: when they jump they don't get the same amount of

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Speaker 1: energy transfer, or to swipe at the dribble pocket or

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Speaker 1: the shooting pocket like as they're gathering the ball, to

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Speaker 1: try to disrupt that flow up to the top of

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Speaker 1: the shot. That's your best way to do it, right.

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Speaker 1: And so one of the things that they did I

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Speaker 1: thought was interesting is they had Chet set a screen

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Speaker 1: on the ball, get Russ switched off of him. There's

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Speaker 1: a play where he isolates Terrence Man at the top

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Speaker 1: of the key in a triple thread and again, like

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Speaker 1: Terrence Man, super quick athlete, right, you expect him to

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Speaker 1: beat Chet to spots. Chet straight up ripped through and

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Speaker 1: beat Terrence Man to the right. And then Terrence Man,

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Speaker 1: recovered because he's got great speed, gets back in front

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Speaker 1: of Chet. But Chet was able to get close enough

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Speaker 1: to the rim for him to kind of slow himself

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Speaker 1: down and shoot like an easy bank shot over the top.

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Speaker 1: And we're up to sixty eight self creation possessions for

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Speaker 1: Chet at this point in the season, now that I'm

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Speaker 1: counting as any pick and roll ISO or post up

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Speaker 1: including passes basically if Chet is initiating the action in

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Speaker 1: a half court set. And out of those sixty eight possessions,

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Speaker 1: the thunder Of scored seventy five points, which is one

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Speaker 1: point one points per possession, which is astounding under any circumstances,

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Speaker 1: let alone for rookie. I think Chet has a superstar,

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Speaker 1: top tier superstar potential. I'm super super excited to cover

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Speaker 1: this kid in his career and see what he's capable of.

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Speaker 1: I thought he was amazing last night against the Clippers

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Speaker 1: moving out of the Bucks in the Magic. So it's

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Speaker 1: interesting because down the stretch of this game is reasonably close,

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Speaker 1: and the Bucks won the game down the stretch executing

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Speaker 1: on offense, and they were spamming a lot of Dame

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Speaker 1: Giannis pick and roll, which was funny because that's not

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Speaker 1: how they won the game. They won the game with

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Speaker 1: a couple of different types of offensive possessions. There was

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Speaker 1: a late clock situation where Dame took a step back

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Speaker 1: three over Gary Harris and drew a foul and got

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Speaker 1: to what that Dame is very very good at drawing fouls,

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Speaker 1: gets to the foul line, generates three points that way.

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Speaker 1: There was a baseline out of balance play where they

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Speaker 1: had if I remember correctly, Brook Lopez set a backscreen

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Speaker 1: for Pat Conaton and Wendell Carter Junior just was or

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Speaker 1: it was Jannis Yiannis set a backscreen for Pat Conaton

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Speaker 1: and and Wendell Carter Junior, even though Jannis can't shoot.

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Speaker 1: Was like like, just not attention to the basket and

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Speaker 1: just let Pat get right behind him. Laid it in

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Speaker 1: and then there was a crosscreen action they ran for

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Speaker 1: Jannis that actually really liked to help him get a

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Speaker 1: deep post catch on the left block, and he just

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Speaker 1: went to like a little right handed hook shot over

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Speaker 1: the top. But they did run a ton of Dame

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Speaker 1: Gianis pick and roll, and I'm glad just because, you know,

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Speaker 1: some of the sloppy stuff that happened is stuff that

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Speaker 1: they're gonna be able to figure out in the long run,

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Speaker 1: and they got some really good looks out of it.

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Speaker 1: So first one, they ran down the stretch, Jannis gets

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Speaker 1: a They ran on a cleared side on the right side,

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Speaker 1: and Yannis ended up getting basically a wide open dunk

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Speaker 1: and he just missed it, which like, how often do

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Speaker 1: you see Yannis miss basically an uncontested dunk, right, So

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Speaker 1: that was the first one quality possession just didn't result

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Speaker 1: in points. There's another one they ran where they dug

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Speaker 1: over with the low man and and Dame had a

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Speaker 1: skip pass to the left corner and instead of throwing

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Speaker 1: the pass, he tried to force it into Giannis and

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Speaker 1: it led to a turnover. And then after that Dame

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Speaker 1: made the read. They ran on the opposite side of

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Speaker 1: the floor from the left side moving towards the right,

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Speaker 1: and dam identified that they were coming over to take

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Speaker 1: away that drop off past Gianni's and he made a

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Speaker 1: skip to Malik Beasley in the right wing, and Malik

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Speaker 1: Besley was able to pump, fake rip and make a

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Speaker 1: little floater off the glass and a couple of different

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Speaker 1: things that you're seeing. First of all those second two

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Speaker 1: that I just mentioned, they didn't clear the side. I

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Speaker 1: think clearing the side opens up that pocket pass makes

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Speaker 1: it harder to help on the pocket pass. Think of

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Speaker 1: it like this. I have if I'm setting up on

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Speaker 1: the left wing, and I've got shooter right corner, right

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Speaker 1: wing and right elbow extended, so that's where all the

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Speaker 1: shooting is, and I have Giannis come and set the

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Speaker 1: ball screen on my right hand side while I have

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Speaker 1: the left side of the floor cleared. Is I come

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Speaker 1: off to the right. If that pick and roll defender

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Speaker 1: shows in any way and Yannis rolls to the open

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Speaker 1: space on the left side of the floor, there's just

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Speaker 1: so much room for him to go to work there.

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Speaker 1: And the only way they can get there and help

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Speaker 1: in time is if they zone up, meaning they bring

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Speaker 1: that defender all the way to the strong side of

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Speaker 1: the floor, which opens up a whole other list of

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Speaker 1: issues for your defense, right And I did think it

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Speaker 1: was interesting that when they ran it with a full

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Speaker 1: with an occupied corner, it was easier for that guy

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Speaker 1: to get involved with disrupting that pocket pass. But even

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Speaker 1: with that being the case, when they do run it

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Speaker 1: in the middle of the floor and there is a

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Speaker 1: shooter in both corners, that's where making that skip passes

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Speaker 1: an important read for Dame because one, you've done your job,

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Speaker 1: You've created a closeout opportunity. Two Malik Beasley shooting the shit

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Speaker 1: out of basketball, so dudes are gonna chase him off

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Speaker 1: the line, and three like that just gets the defense

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Speaker 1: and rotation and from there you've got enough ball handling

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Speaker 1: and shooting on the floor to make good plays out

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Speaker 1: of it. But I again, are where we are right

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Speaker 1: now is not quite where the dam Giannis pick and

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Speaker 1: roll needs to be to win the title. But I

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Speaker 1: love that they're spamming it. I love that they're trying

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Speaker 1: to build that chemistry because that's the action that's going

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Speaker 1: to get you the trophy one day, if you could

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Speaker 1: figure it out, and if you can, if you can

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Speaker 1: defend well enough to tie everything together on the magic front.

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Speaker 1: A lot of self inflicted wounds in the fourth I

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Speaker 1: talked about Gary Harris fouling Damian Lillard on a three.

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Speaker 1: Right after that play, Jonathan Isaac stepped out of bounds

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Speaker 1: in the right corner, just that classic negative step thing

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Speaker 1: that you see all the time. Pallo Bancaro took like

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Speaker 1: a really tough transition three that I thought he settled.

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Speaker 1: Ford took a wide open catch and shoot three later

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Speaker 1: that he made. He's been shooting the ball pretty well

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Speaker 1: this season. Shot selections A big piece there. The Pat

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Speaker 1: Conington backscreen on the inbounds play. That was just bad

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Speaker 1: defense from Wendell Carter Junior. His number one responsibility in

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Speaker 1: that situation is the basket, and he just wasn't doing

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Speaker 1: his job. There was another play where Wendell Carter Junior

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Speaker 1: had a deep seal in the post and Franz Wagner

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Speaker 1: threw like a one hand rifle pass that was just

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Speaker 1: really difficult to grab. So we're talking five pretty significant

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Speaker 1: self inflicted wounds there in the fourth quarter that took

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Speaker 1: them out of any chance to win that game. Kind

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Speaker 1: Of typical for young teams, right like they're going to

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Speaker 1: struggle in those particular types of situations. I didn't want

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Speaker 1: to talk about Froz Vagner for a second though, because he

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Speaker 1: had twenty nine to six and six in this game

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Speaker 1: and really had a lot of success picking the Bucks

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Speaker 1: apart in pick and roll. He just is so big

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Speaker 1: that he can get downhill and actually finish around Brook Lopez.

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Speaker 1: There was a play where Wendell Carter Junior rolled hard

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Speaker 1: into Lopez and occupied him, which allowed Franz to get

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Speaker 1: to his little floater in the lane. And then when

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Speaker 1: Bobby Portis was in the game, they were blitzing and

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Speaker 1: switching and Franz was just killing him. Every time they blitz,

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Speaker 1: he'd drop it off to move Wagner and he'd get

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Speaker 1: downhill and he'd make a play right or if there

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Speaker 1: were two plays in the second half, Reportis had to

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Speaker 1: switch out onto Franz, and Franz just cooked him one

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Speaker 1: on one and got all the way to the basket

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Speaker 1: for his little, you know, hook shot that he takes

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Speaker 1: over the top. Franz is playing really good basketball. It

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Speaker 1: was fun watching him go to work against that team

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Speaker 1: because that's a team that has a lot of size

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Speaker 1: in the Bucks and so for a guy like him

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Speaker 1: to you know where, his biggest advantage his size. To

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Speaker 1: continue to thrive in that type of environment, I thought

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Speaker 1: was really impressive. All right, moving on to the MVP Ladder.

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Speaker 1: So for those of you guys who missed it last week,

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Speaker 1: we had Joel Embiad at number one, Jannison Tenna Kumpo

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Speaker 1: at number two, Tyre's Halliburton at number three, Shay Gildos,

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Speaker 1: Alexander at number four, Luka Doncic at number five, Nikole

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Speaker 1: Jokich at number six, Deer and Fox at number seven,

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Speaker 1: Jason Tatum at number eight, Lebron James at number nine,

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Speaker 1: and Kevin Durant at number ten. And like I said,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna be doing this every Friday, primarily going We're

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Speaker 1: not gonna do deep dives into every single player, but

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Speaker 1: we're gonna do mainly just descriptions of why I have

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Speaker 1: made changes to the rankings. So two guys are dropping

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Speaker 1: out of the list this week versus Lebron. He averaged

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Speaker 1: twenty four nine rebounds and eleven assists this week, but

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Speaker 1: they went zero to three in the three games that

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Speaker 1: Lebron played. He's still been pretty good on offense, although

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Speaker 1: his jumpers cooled off. But my main issue with Lebron

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Speaker 1: right now is just outside of the n Season tournament,

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Speaker 1: he just hasn't given a shit about playing any defense.

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Speaker 1: And we've talked a lot about this, but that low

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Speaker 1: man responsibility is vitally important in any NBA defense, but

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Speaker 1: it's especially important in this Laker defense that's doing so

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Speaker 1: much blitzing and pick and roll. You just need a

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Speaker 1: guy there that's really, really active, that's trying to make plays.

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Speaker 1: And we've we've seen what it looks like when you

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Speaker 1: know when like Tyres Haliburton didn't have a single turnover

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Speaker 1: during the n Season tournament, until suddenly Lebron blows up

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Speaker 1: a play as a low man in pick and roll,

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Speaker 1: like he is capable of being so devastating. They're totally

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Speaker 1: understand for the record, like he's old. Got to find

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Speaker 1: a way to conserve energy somewhere. Lebron's conserving energy on

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Speaker 1: defense right now. I don't think he sees the regular

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Speaker 1: season as that important. Totally fine, but the purpose of

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Speaker 1: this list is to draw attention to players who are

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Speaker 1: playing well within the confines of the regular season. So

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Speaker 1: as of right now, I'm dropping Lebron off the list.

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Speaker 1: Kevin Durant is the other guy I'm dropping off. His

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Speaker 1: numbers are still super good thirty two points, four rebounds,

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Speaker 1: five assists, still super efficient, but the Suns are in

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Speaker 1: a free fall. They can't score the basketball. They've lost

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Speaker 1: seven of their last ten games. They've been a bottom

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Speaker 1: five offense in that span. And the biggest issues that

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Speaker 1: I'm noticing are one, They're running a ton of ISOs

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Speaker 1: without being efficient with them. They run the eighth most

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Speaker 1: ISOs in the league except for everyone else above them

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Speaker 1: is like right around a point per possession or more,

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Speaker 1: and the Suns are down at zero point nine zero

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Speaker 1: points per ISOs. So they're running a lot of ISOs

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Speaker 1: and they're not getting anything out of them relative to

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Speaker 1: the rest of the league. They're also not generating enough threes.

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Speaker 1: They're only generating twenty nine three per game over this

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Speaker 1: ten game stretch, which is dead last in the NBA.

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Speaker 1: And they never get out in transition. They get just

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Speaker 1: seventeen transition possessions per game, which ranks twenty eighth in

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Speaker 1: the NBA. So for right now, based on team's success,

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Speaker 1: dropping Kevin Durant off the list all right. This week's

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Speaker 1: MVP rankings for Hoops tonight. Number ten Jason Tatum. He

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Speaker 1: averaged twenty three to seven and five last week. Is

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Speaker 1: scoring consistency has taken a hit. He averaged excuse me,

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Speaker 1: he scored thirty plus five times in his first six games,

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Speaker 1: but he's done it just five times total in the

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Speaker 1: last twenty games. Now, that was really disappointed in his

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Speaker 1: inability to regain control of that Warriors game as things

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Speaker 1: were going down the stretch. I know his ankle was

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Speaker 1: tweaked early in the game, but I thought he had

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Speaker 1: advantages and I didn't think he exploited them as well

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Speaker 1: as he could have. Number nine Jalen Brunson, our first

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Speaker 1: newcomer on the list this season. Last ten games, Jalen

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Speaker 1: Brunson twenty seven points, five rebounds, and seven assists, forty

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Speaker 1: nine percent from the field and forty four percent from three,

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Speaker 1: and the Knicks are now a top ten offense. They

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Speaker 1: are sixteen and eleven, and they have the ninth best

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Speaker 1: record in basketball. Jalen is hooping his ass off. He's

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Speaker 1: at number nine in our MVP rankings. Number eight Tyrese

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Speaker 1: Halliburton drops all the way down. I think he had

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Speaker 1: I think he was in third last week sixteen points,

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Speaker 1: three rebounds, and twelve assists, really cooled off, shooting the

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Speaker 1: basketball everywhere really right now, thirty seven percent from the field.

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Speaker 1: He's in the twenties. From three, Pacers went one to four.

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Speaker 1: Just like the Lakers. The Pacers have completely fallen apart

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Speaker 1: since the Ncason Tournament, a clear indicator that there's a

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Speaker 1: real emotional letdown after playing those super high stakes games

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Speaker 1: and then going into regular season basketball. There number seven

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Speaker 1: another newcomer this week, Steph Curry, after straight up stealing

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Speaker 1: the Celtics game with late game shot making. The Warriors

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Speaker 1: are now thirteen and twelve when Steph Curry plays, despite

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Speaker 1: just a ridiculous amount of issues between main core players

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Speaker 1: not playing well, between Draymond Green removing himself well from

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Speaker 1: the team with poor decision making, to a lot of

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Speaker 1: young guys in the lineup, there's just there's just a

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Speaker 1: boatload of things going wrong with this team, and yet

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Speaker 1: they've still been about five hundred in a really difficult

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Speaker 1: league on a really tough schedule. Because Steph Curry is

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Speaker 1: the same old Steph Curry twenty eight points per game

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Speaker 1: on sixty five percent true shooting. He's just floating things

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Speaker 1: well enough for the Warriors to be able to survive

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Speaker 1: until they can make a move to upgrade the roster.

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Speaker 1: Number six Lukadancic thirty five, eleven and nine in the

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Speaker 1: last week, but the MAVs went one in two, so

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Speaker 1: I dropped him down a little bit. Dearren Fox thirty

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Speaker 1: at number five. Deer In Fox thirty points, four rebounds,

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Speaker 1: five assists per game in the last week and the

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Speaker 1: Kings went two and one, moved him up to number five.

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Speaker 1: Number four Nikola Jokic twenty one, ten and eight in

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Speaker 1: the last week and the Nuggets went two and one,

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Speaker 1: with that one loss being the buzzer loss to the Thunder.

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Speaker 1: The Toronto win the other night felt like a get

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Speaker 1: right game for Nikola Jokic. He went cold from three

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Speaker 1: there for a little whilember I was complaining about that,

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Speaker 1: and I was specifically complaining about him not taking them anymore,

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Speaker 1: which was frustrating. Three for five against Toronto. I just

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00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,160
Speaker 1: think that that's a very very important shot for Jokic

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Speaker 1: to be considered the best player in the world. It's

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Speaker 1: all of the things put together that makes like without

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Speaker 1: that three point shot, he goes from being the most inevitable,

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Speaker 1: unstoppable offensive player in the league to something less than that,

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Speaker 1: and it's just an important element. I thought that was encouraging.

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Speaker 1: Against Toronto he had thirty one points as well. Nikola

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Speaker 1: Jokic up to number four. Number three shake Gils was

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Speaker 1: Alexander twenty nine points, eight rebounds and six assists. Last

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Speaker 1: week the Thunder went three and Oho hits the game

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Speaker 1: winner against Denver hangs thirty one on the red Hot

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Speaker 1: Clippers that have been so good defensively lately. Just a

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Speaker 1: great week for shake Gil's as Alexander. I have him

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Speaker 1: up at number three, number two. Giannis there was a

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Speaker 1: weird game in there where he didn't play much that

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00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:52,800
Speaker 1: threw off his averages, but he still averaged twenty four

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Speaker 1: to twelve and eight over the course of the last week.

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Speaker 1: The Bucks went four and oh, so I moved him

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Speaker 1: up to number two. Actually, I think he was at

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Speaker 1: number two last week and the number one Joel Embiid

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Speaker 1: forty two points, fourteen rebounds and four assists. In the

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Speaker 1: last week the Sixers go three and one. Lost to

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Speaker 1: the Bulls. But the Bulls are playing really well and

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Speaker 1: they had just played a bunch of the Sixers had

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Speaker 1: just played a bunch of bad teams, which typically can

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Speaker 1: kind of set your team up for some failure because

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Speaker 1: you built some bad habits playing against bad teams. Right,

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Speaker 1: here's the thing for the Sixers fans and Embid fans,

429
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:24,600
Speaker 1: because I had a lot of them complaining at me

430
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,840
Speaker 1: in the last twenty four hours after our video yesterday.

431
00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,119
Speaker 1: Do I hate the foul grifting? Yeah, I fucking despise it.

432
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,080
Speaker 1: It's but I don't blame Joel for that. I blame

433
00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:36,880
Speaker 1: the league. And he's still been by far the best

434
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,199
Speaker 1: regular season player in the league this year. I've had

435
00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,240
Speaker 1: him number one in my MVP list both weeks. I'm

436
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,200
Speaker 1: a huge believer in what Embiid is capable of. Everything

437
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,840
Speaker 1: about his foulgrifting is a take about the NBA. It

438
00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,080
Speaker 1: has nothing to do with Joel Embiid, all right, Moving

439
00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:53,320
Speaker 1: on to the mail bag. Got a bunch of questions

440
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,240
Speaker 1: there are and be going all over the place. First question,

441
00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,840
Speaker 1: could you see the Pelicans moving on from Zion getting

442
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:05,359
Speaker 1: some quality players to surround brandon Ingram instead? So here's

443
00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,200
Speaker 1: the deal. It really just depends on what you can

444
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,520
Speaker 1: get back. Of course, you start making calls. But here's

445
00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,959
Speaker 1: the thing like, Zion's career is not over. It looks bleak,

446
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,200
Speaker 1: but it's not over, and he could still get it together.

447
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,400
Speaker 1: And if he does get it together, he could potentially

448
00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:22,320
Speaker 1: become the player that we all want him to become.

449
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,200
Speaker 1: So that's the risk. Like when you send out Zion,

450
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,440
Speaker 1: you take a risk that he ends up figuring things

451
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,000
Speaker 1: out right and becoming a top tier superstar. Right. So

452
00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,200
Speaker 1: for me, it's one hundred percent about what you get back.

453
00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:35,679
Speaker 1: If you can get back a significant upgrade in that

454
00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,440
Speaker 1: front court to put alongside Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram CJ.

455
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:43,160
Speaker 1: McCollum and Jonas Valanciunis, then by all means you look

456
00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,200
Speaker 1: into it, but it just it just one hundred percent

457
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,280
Speaker 1: depends on what you can get back, you know what

458
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,119
Speaker 1: I mean. Like like even if you look at a

459
00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,600
Speaker 1: guy like Lori Markinen, for instance, I look at it

460
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,960
Speaker 1: and I'm like, Okay, is Lori good enough to make

461
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,080
Speaker 1: the Pelicans a championship contender? Like I don't know. So

462
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:02,560
Speaker 1: it's like I'm not even sure if that's enough. So

463
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:04,520
Speaker 1: at this point, I just think I think the right

464
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,639
Speaker 1: decision is to just kind of hang tight on Zion

465
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,520
Speaker 1: for a little bit, but yeah, if we're still here

466
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,920
Speaker 1: about a year from now, then then it becomes something

467
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,919
Speaker 1: that's a little more urgent. Next question from Eric. As

468
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,960
Speaker 1: of today, the Chicago Bulls have won seven of their

469
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,359
Speaker 1: last eleven games. What has been the biggest factor of

470
00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:21,960
Speaker 1: their recent success. Additionally, can you give me a quick

471
00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,679
Speaker 1: analysis of Kobe White and talk about what he's been

472
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,280
Speaker 1: working with what has been working with his game. This

473
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,160
Speaker 1: is my third NBA season watching you cover the league.

474
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,120
Speaker 1: Best NBA show out there by far. Thank you, Eric,

475
00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:34,280
Speaker 1: and I sincerely appreciate you supporting this show. So, first

476
00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,199
Speaker 1: of all, the Bowls are actually eight and three in

477
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,080
Speaker 1: their last eleven games. The short answer is they're defending

478
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,800
Speaker 1: and rebounding really well. Their sixth in defensive rating over

479
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,800
Speaker 1: the span and third in rebounding percentage, getting really good

480
00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:48,000
Speaker 1: point of attack defense from guys like Aaya to Soon Moon,

481
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:52,120
Speaker 1: Alex Caruso, Demartin Rosen has kind of started to get

482
00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:54,080
Speaker 1: it together after getting off to a rough start to

483
00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:56,679
Speaker 1: the season. And then yeah, Kobe White's just he's popping

484
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,600
Speaker 1: twenty four to seven and seven over this eleven game span.

485
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,680
Speaker 1: He is shooting fifty percent from the field, forty seven

486
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,439
Speaker 1: percent from three and eighty three percent from the line

487
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,680
Speaker 1: over that span, and it's really just a classic combination

488
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,440
Speaker 1: of downhill speed mixed with the in between shot making piece,

489
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,520
Speaker 1: specifically the pull up two point shot and the pull

490
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,320
Speaker 1: up three point shot. We talk a lot about this

491
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,560
Speaker 1: concept of like defending on your heels versus defending on

492
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,000
Speaker 1: your toes, and like, if you're a pull up shooter

493
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,000
Speaker 1: that has no threat to beat a guy off the dribble,

494
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,440
Speaker 1: he can press up and take the shot away. If

495
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,920
Speaker 1: you're a driving threat with no threat to knock down

496
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:30,879
Speaker 1: the pull up jump shot, I can play back and

497
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,800
Speaker 1: I can try to bait you into pull up jump shots.

498
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 1: Kobe White four point three restricted area attempts per game

499
00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,600
Speaker 1: over his last eleven games, shooting sixty two percent. That's

500
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,920
Speaker 1: like really really good for a guard. And then he's

501
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,040
Speaker 1: sixteen for thirty two on pull up threes over that span.

502
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,960
Speaker 1: That's over that's fifty percent, and then twelve for twenty

503
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,160
Speaker 1: six on pull up twos, which is in the mid forties.

504
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,680
Speaker 1: So it's just he's just making all of his pull

505
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:54,359
Speaker 1: ups or making his pull up jump shots at a

506
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,960
Speaker 1: really high rate, and he's finishing at the rim really well,

507
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,000
Speaker 1: which is just gonna make you really really tough to guard.

508
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:00,920
Speaker 1: And then he's passing really well in pick and roll.

509
00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:05,440
Speaker 1: He's got good role chemistry with Nikola Vucevic. He's got

510
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,600
Speaker 1: this like one arm skip pass. He's like he's got

511
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,760
Speaker 1: the size and the ability to pal him the basketball

512
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,919
Speaker 1: so he can pick up the dribble and rifle that

513
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,160
Speaker 1: one arm pass across the court to the corner when

514
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,720
Speaker 1: they tag the roller. He's just playing really, really well.

515
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 1: He honestly reminds me this recent stretch. He reminds me

516
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 1: a little bit of Devin Booker in some of his

517
00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:28,120
Speaker 1: like versatile perimeter shot creation. The jump shot doesn't look

518
00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:29,800
Speaker 1: like Devin Booker. It actually looks a little bit more

519
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,000
Speaker 1: like Anthony Segnman's in the sense that the release point

520
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,359
Speaker 1: is a little more compact and he's like more of

521
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,080
Speaker 1: like a quick pop release versus Devin's got a little

522
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,680
Speaker 1: bit more of a drawn out release. But he's he's

523
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,080
Speaker 1: hooping and the Bulls are hooping. There. They you know,

524
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,720
Speaker 1: a lot of impressive wins over their last eleven as well,

525
00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,280
Speaker 1: going into Philly and beating the Sixers, go like beating

526
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,159
Speaker 1: the Lakers the other Night Bulls are playing some good basketball.

527
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:55,000
Speaker 1: Next question, Hi Jason, thanks for your videos as always,

528
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 1: with how well Jalen Brunson has been playing along with

529
00:24:58,119 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 1: last year's playoffs, do you think he has shown us

530
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,040
Speaker 1: an to put him into that tier of players who

531
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,119
Speaker 1: can be the best player on a championship team. I

532
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:09,000
Speaker 1: don't think it's impossible, but it's definitely a long shot.

533
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 1: To me. What that means is you have to be

534
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,520
Speaker 1: really good at every other position. That's what I've talked about,

535
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,280
Speaker 1: Like you, if you can somehow get a really good

536
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,600
Speaker 1: three to slot between Barrett Randall and then Mitchell Robinson

537
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,960
Speaker 1: comes back next year, I'm looking at that and I'm like, yeah,

538
00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,400
Speaker 1: maybe Jalen Brunson is not one of the top fifteen

539
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,000
Speaker 1: players in the league. But if I have him and

540
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,159
Speaker 1: you know, Julius Randall playing at the level he's been

541
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,000
Speaker 1: playing in the last month, and let's let let's just

542
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,919
Speaker 1: throw Let's say it's you know, Dorny and Finney Smith

543
00:25:42,119 --> 00:25:44,040
Speaker 1: like a guy that can guard on the perimeter in

544
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,520
Speaker 1: is like a really good He's shooting over forty percent

545
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 1: from three this year, and then now RJ. Barrett is

546
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,760
Speaker 1: like your point of attack guy. In the backcourt next

547
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,399
Speaker 1: to Brunson, And I've got two really good point of

548
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,240
Speaker 1: attack guys Mitchell Robinson, who was a really good playoff

549
00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,719
Speaker 1: player for the Knicks last year. Randall is like your

550
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,119
Speaker 1: Matt Attacker Brunson. Again, you wouldn't put them as a

551
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:07,199
Speaker 1: championship favorite, but you'd give them a puncher's chance. They

552
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,760
Speaker 1: were really really well rounded there. But again, like the

553
00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,960
Speaker 1: you know, it's complicated because when people have this conversation like, Okay,

554
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:15,240
Speaker 1: is he good enough to be the best player on

555
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,879
Speaker 1: a championship team? Really in terms of the guys that

556
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:19,520
Speaker 1: it's like, if I have this guy, have a good

557
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,439
Speaker 1: chance to win. There's like a few of them in

558
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: the entire league. So I don't think it's a shame

559
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,040
Speaker 1: to not have one of those guys. And if anything,

560
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,600
Speaker 1: that's why you don't do something stupid like go after

561
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,879
Speaker 1: Donovan Mitchell. If you're gonna make it all in trade,

562
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,000
Speaker 1: it needs to be for one of those guys. And

563
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,000
Speaker 1: until then, right now, it's better to make more like

564
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,040
Speaker 1: use of your assets in a smaller scale just to

565
00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:43,840
Speaker 1: kind of keep this team relevant and do the best

566
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,040
Speaker 1: you can while maintaining your flexibility to make a move

567
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:50,159
Speaker 1: down the line, Hi, Jason, with how good Tyler Harrow

568
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:51,919
Speaker 1: has been playing as of late, do you think Miami

569
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:53,440
Speaker 1: should stick with the group they have and make a

570
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,439
Speaker 1: run or is there something else you would need to

571
00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:57,800
Speaker 1: compete with the top teams in the East this year

572
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,720
Speaker 1: as good as Tyler Harrow has been playing, that specific archetype,

573
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,680
Speaker 1: that like kind of skinny perimeter shot creator that can

574
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,480
Speaker 1: tend to struggle in the physicality the playoffs, not the

575
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,240
Speaker 1: guy that I'd be looking at there. They I still

576
00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:13,879
Speaker 1: think that the Heat should be making a move for

577
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,680
Speaker 1: a backcourt score. They're the kind of team that should

578
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 1: be aggressively going after someone like Donovan Mitchell. Again, like,

579
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,919
Speaker 1: do not if you're a Heat fan. Here's what you

580
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:27,520
Speaker 1: can't afford to once again via Jimmy and Bam and

581
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:31,440
Speaker 1: Eric Spolstra, out execute and out smart teams and find

582
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,800
Speaker 1: yourself in the conference finals and just be out gunned again.

583
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:37,760
Speaker 1: It just can't happen anymore. You gotta get them real

584
00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:43,000
Speaker 1: firepower in the backcourt. Next question, Hey, Jason, Laurie, marketing,

585
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,119
Speaker 1: in my opinion, is extremely underrated in a league with

586
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,880
Speaker 1: lots of guards who also who play ISO. Laurie has

587
00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,360
Speaker 1: very valuable off ball skills with a reasonable contract. If

588
00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 1: you went to the Kings, where would that put them

589
00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,840
Speaker 1: in your contenders list? Man, he'd be great with the Kings.

590
00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:02,399
Speaker 1: I love the the emphasis on the off ball scoring piece.

591
00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,800
Speaker 1: What's so valuable about off ball scoring is it doesn't

592
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,040
Speaker 1: disrupt rhythm for any of the other players on the floor.

593
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 1: So we talk about this a lot with Steph Curry,

594
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,280
Speaker 1: but it's like, you know, the ability to be such

595
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,440
Speaker 1: a threat off the ball actually just makes things easier

596
00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,800
Speaker 1: for everybody because they gain rhythm by operating in more

597
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,560
Speaker 1: space with the ball in their hands. Right, And like

598
00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:25,760
Speaker 1: when you look at a team, like, you know, a

599
00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,399
Speaker 1: couple of the two teams that I look at for

600
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 1: LORI markin in that would make it, that would make

601
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,280
Speaker 1: them contenders are the Kings in the Thunder the Pacers.

602
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,480
Speaker 1: I wouldn't necessarily say they'd be a contender, but they'd

603
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 1: certainly become way more interesting. But these are all teams

604
00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,600
Speaker 1: that are a little small on that front line that

605
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:42,920
Speaker 1: need a big four to put next to their center.

606
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,800
Speaker 1: In this case, Harrison Barnes is too small for that position.

607
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,160
Speaker 1: Now with play finishing, think of it pretty basically like

608
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,040
Speaker 1: this if I all these openings occur when I'm an

609
00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,920
Speaker 1: on ball shot creator, right, So, for instance, like if

610
00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,160
Speaker 1: I'm looking to be aggressive, there are guys digging down

611
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,160
Speaker 1: off the weak side. If I'm a really good pick

612
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,040
Speaker 1: and role player, I'm gonna like get a guy tagging

613
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:04,840
Speaker 1: the roller in a lot of cases or defending the

614
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,080
Speaker 1: action three on two. What you end up getting is

615
00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,680
Speaker 1: a lot of these advantage situations on the backside. And

616
00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:11,440
Speaker 1: like a lot of times you kick it out to

617
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,440
Speaker 1: a guy and like he's either like good at shooting

618
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:15,800
Speaker 1: but can't put the ball on the floor, or put

619
00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:17,640
Speaker 1: the ball on the floor but can't shoot, or or

620
00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: like maybe he's a ball stopper and he's too slow

621
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,040
Speaker 1: to make decisions, or like just bad in general attacking

622
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,720
Speaker 1: closeouts and making reads like whatever. The situation is. That

623
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,800
Speaker 1: limitation can bog down an offense. Even if you're upfront.

624
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,720
Speaker 1: Guys are your play initiators are doing a great job,

625
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,280
Speaker 1: and so having a guy like LORI markin in that's like, oh,

626
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,360
Speaker 1: you dug down and I made the kickout pass, He's

627
00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,560
Speaker 1: gonna make it like forty five percent of the time

628
00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,880
Speaker 1: or whatever, you know, or like chase him off the line,

629
00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,400
Speaker 1: he's capable of high level clothes out attacking and like

630
00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,200
Speaker 1: really squeezing points out of those types of situations. So

631
00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,560
Speaker 1: most most importantly, like I talk about the low man

632
00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:53,720
Speaker 1: responsibilities in terms of defensive rebounding and help side, and

633
00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 1: like just having a much bigger, stronger athlete in that

634
00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 1: position could go a long way towards fortifying any defense

635
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,040
Speaker 1: as well, especially in an off ball role like that.

636
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:05,480
Speaker 1: So again, the Kings are a great example of a

637
00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,040
Speaker 1: team that should be looking at him. Again, the Thunder

638
00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:11,080
Speaker 1: as well. And with those two teams in particular, because

639
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,720
Speaker 1: Dearon Fox is playing at a superstar level this year,

640
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,800
Speaker 1: because Malik Monk has proven himself as a playoff shot creator,

641
00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:19,520
Speaker 1: because of what Shay Gilders Alexander can do, and what

642
00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,640
Speaker 1: Jalen Williams has been accomplishing, those teams have the top

643
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,520
Speaker 1: end potential to where Lourie market and would be slotted

644
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,560
Speaker 1: properly as a play finisher where he would be most impactful.

645
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:33,200
Speaker 1: Next question, what do you think about a Lakers trade

646
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,640
Speaker 1: concerning D'Angelo Russell and Jackson Hayes for Alex Crusoe and

647
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,240
Speaker 1: Andre Drummond another contract filler as well, as Ruy Hachimura

648
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:42,960
Speaker 1: to the nets for Dorian Finney Smith. Hypothetically, what would

649
00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,520
Speaker 1: be the ceiling for the Lakers if they did this?

650
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,600
Speaker 1: Thank you? So this is an example of what I

651
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,600
Speaker 1: would consider to be a slam dunk, home run touchdown,

652
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,880
Speaker 1: whatever the fuck you want to call it, Like perfect

653
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 1: trade deadline for the Lakers. And the reason why I

654
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,240
Speaker 1: say that is I've been preaching this all season. Austin's

655
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 1: your one, Lebron's your four, ads your five, and you

656
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,959
Speaker 1: need upgrades at the two and three, and you need

657
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 1: a playoff playable backup center. Christian Wood and Jackson as

658
00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,120
Speaker 1: have both had moments this year, but I don't think

659
00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,600
Speaker 1: either of them looks like a guy that could hold

660
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:16,800
Speaker 1: down a playoff unit. So what you're pitching to me

661
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:20,520
Speaker 1: is Alex Cruso, big upgrade at the two, Dorian Finney Smith,

662
00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:24,000
Speaker 1: big upgrade at the three, Andre Drummond, big upgrade at

663
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,000
Speaker 1: the backup center. So like, yeah, that'd be great. The

664
00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,560
Speaker 1: problem is is, like to get Chicago to do a

665
00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 1: deal like that, you'd have to at least add one

666
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 1: first round pick, and there's gonna be a lot of

667
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:38,400
Speaker 1: suitors for Alex Cruso and So I don't necessarily think

668
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 1: that's super realistic, but if that could, if that did

669
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,959
Speaker 1: go down, it would be a home run for the Lakers.

670
00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:50,520
Speaker 1: Next question, after watching Carson breakdown Laurie Markinen's game, I

671
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:52,640
Speaker 1: believe he'd be the perfect trade for the Warriors. With

672
00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,920
Speaker 1: Steph's gravity and Laurie's ability to cut, reposition, screen, and

673
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,240
Speaker 1: mismatch Hunt, I think he's the perfect fit to the

674
00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,800
Speaker 1: Golden State offense. As GM of the Warriors, what would

675
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,200
Speaker 1: you be willing to trade for that perfect complimentary piece

676
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,360
Speaker 1: to Stef's game? And as the GM of the Jazz

677
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,720
Speaker 1: what would you be asking for for Lourie? So I

678
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,280
Speaker 1: would agree that Louri Markinen is the cleanest and most

679
00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:15,160
Speaker 1: obvious fit for the Warriors front line. Obviously, he's not

680
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,080
Speaker 1: as good defensively as a guy like Pascal Siakam, but

681
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:20,960
Speaker 1: I think in terms of overall fit, he'd be a

682
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 1: better offensive weapon for the Warriors. Here's the problem. He's

683
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:26,560
Speaker 1: gonna be the most sought after piece at this deadline,

684
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,880
Speaker 1: him and Donovan Mitchell probably if either are even gonna

685
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:31,920
Speaker 1: be made available for trade, you know what I mean.

686
00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 1: Like the reason why I've been talking about Pascal Siakam

687
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,000
Speaker 1: is because I find him achievable, He's on an expiring contract.

688
00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,600
Speaker 1: It just feels like a certainty that Toronto will trade him.

689
00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,200
Speaker 1: In general, I think, especially if and Donovan Mitchell hit

690
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:49,520
Speaker 1: the market, all of the big suitors are gonna be

691
00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,400
Speaker 1: going after those guys, which might open up a window

692
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 1: for a team like Golden State to slide in and

693
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:57,120
Speaker 1: get Pascal Siakam. Right now, the question is how could

694
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 1: you get Lori. It's pretty simple. You would need a

695
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,280
Speaker 1: team like Utah to put a whole lot of value

696
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,800
Speaker 1: on Jonathan Kaminga. And again, I really like Jonathan Kaminga.

697
00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,120
Speaker 1: I'm just not sure if that's enough. And like, what

698
00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,960
Speaker 1: if it gets tricky and they're like, oh, we want Moses,

699
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,040
Speaker 1: Oh we want Jonathan Kaminga and Brandon Pazamski or something

700
00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:16,000
Speaker 1: like that, then it because it becomes a little more

701
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,440
Speaker 1: tricky because Pazamski has been so important to them over

702
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,760
Speaker 1: the course of the last couple of weeks, and you

703
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,000
Speaker 1: would need the salary filler of Chris Paul and you're

704
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,840
Speaker 1: ditching two guards in that situation, right. So it's not

705
00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,520
Speaker 1: so much whether or not Lori is the best fit,

706
00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,440
Speaker 1: because I believe he is. It's more just price. To me,

707
00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,840
Speaker 1: I've been targeting Siakam because I see him as the

708
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:37,040
Speaker 1: most achievable option for the for the Warriors at this deadline.

709
00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:40,960
Speaker 1: Next question, I'm a Warriors fan and I want to

710
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:42,920
Speaker 1: know if Pascal is really the answer in a trade.

711
00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:44,680
Speaker 1: He isn't a great three point shooter, and I fear

712
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,280
Speaker 1: it will lead to spacing issues. What does Pascal offer

713
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,600
Speaker 1: to the team to negate that issue with someone like

714
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:51,880
Speaker 1: the Lakers? Do the exact same strategy with Raymond and

715
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,000
Speaker 1: piscal and the floor? Would it be different? Thanks Jason,

716
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:55,640
Speaker 1: I love watching her show. Keep up the good work.

717
00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,880
Speaker 1: So this is the thing. Specifically with the Warriors. I

718
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,960
Speaker 1: don't find three point shooting is as important. Obviously, a

719
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,840
Speaker 1: three point shot would go a long way with someone

720
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:11,319
Speaker 1: like Siakam, as Sam's fonti Ari and our show put

721
00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,319
Speaker 1: so well. The other day, he talked about how like

722
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,080
Speaker 1: hey like, if Siakam was a reliable three point shooter,

723
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,480
Speaker 1: he'd be like Kevin Durant light and the reason why

724
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,280
Speaker 1: he says that is because Pascal Siakam is an excellent

725
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,000
Speaker 1: off ball defender. He's an excellent, excellent on ball defender.

726
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,680
Speaker 1: He's an excellent shot creator in just about every way

727
00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:29,640
Speaker 1: aside from his consistency from the perimeter. And this is

728
00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:32,239
Speaker 1: where I point to a guy like Andrea Guidala. How

729
00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:34,680
Speaker 1: is it that the Warriors were able to succeed all

730
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:38,200
Speaker 1: those years with Andrea Guadala on the floor alongside Draymond Green.

731
00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,080
Speaker 1: And a big part of it was, first of all,

732
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,480
Speaker 1: Igudala was getting such high quality shots and he had

733
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 1: so much big game experience he was comfortable taking them.

734
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,240
Speaker 1: And that's the thing. I actually do think Siakam would

735
00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:52,680
Speaker 1: shoot well for the Warriors, just based on the quality

736
00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:54,960
Speaker 1: of the shots he would get, just him being confident

737
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:59,319
Speaker 1: and comfortable in that situation two inverted spacing when you've

738
00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: got Steph Curry and Klay Thompson chasing a running around

739
00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:04,719
Speaker 1: on the perimeter, and guys having to show over the

740
00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:07,600
Speaker 1: top of screens, like a big part of it would

741
00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:09,680
Speaker 1: be you'd need Wiggins to regain his form. But I

742
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,839
Speaker 1: actually do think Wiggins will get right at some point

743
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 1: this season, especially if they trade Kaminga and open up

744
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,200
Speaker 1: his rotation minutes more. But what I look at it

745
00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:20,439
Speaker 1: as is you're gonna get a lot of one four

746
00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,759
Speaker 1: on threes. In those four on threes, it's actually more

747
00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,279
Speaker 1: important to have guys that are athletes that can cut

748
00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:28,560
Speaker 1: along the baseline and that are good at dribble shooting

749
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:33,600
Speaker 1: and passing to quickly capitalize on that advantage situation. Then

750
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:35,399
Speaker 1: the second piece of it is the two man game.

751
00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,560
Speaker 1: Was Steph not since KD If they had a guy

752
00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:40,040
Speaker 1: that they can really run two man game with Steph

753
00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,960
Speaker 1: in terms of like getting switches and attacking matchups, and

754
00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:44,680
Speaker 1: Pascal Siakam has been one of the best post up

755
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:46,880
Speaker 1: players in the league this year, and so having the

756
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,239
Speaker 1: ability to get Steph's defenders switched on to him and

757
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:50,880
Speaker 1: take him onto the block, I just think all the

758
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,640
Speaker 1: other offensive benefits will greatly outweigh any sort of shooting

759
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,680
Speaker 1: inconsistency from Siakam. Hey, Jason, I have a mailbad question

760
00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:01,400
Speaker 1: for you. What do you think about a ruie for

761
00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:04,160
Speaker 1: Buddy Heeald trade helps both teams tremendously and fills a

762
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,680
Speaker 1: need each team needs desperately. I know it's not going

763
00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 1: to solve all of Indy's problems, but it definitely can help.

764
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,120
Speaker 1: As for the Lakers, they're giving up a better player.

765
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,000
Speaker 1: But as you've said in previous shows there's a logjam

766
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,160
Speaker 1: at Rui's position since Lebron and him have a similar archetype.

767
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,760
Speaker 1: Maybe Indy could include a pick or some other assets

768
00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:21,640
Speaker 1: or players. Just wondering what you think about it. So

769
00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,320
Speaker 1: here's the thing. I agree with you from the standpoint

770
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,239
Speaker 1: of fit that if you traded both guys for each other,

771
00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: it would make both teams better. Because one, Ruey's a

772
00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:33,800
Speaker 1: big upgrade over I'm blanking on his name now, the

773
00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:37,400
Speaker 1: power forward for the Obi top and excuse me for

774
00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:39,880
Speaker 1: the I'm terrible with names in general. But as an

775
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:41,879
Speaker 1: upgrade on Obi top and at the forward position, bigger,

776
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,520
Speaker 1: stronger player, better help defender, you know, just a better player.

777
00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,960
Speaker 1: And Buddy Healed as an off ball shooter is just

778
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:50,960
Speaker 1: a better fit in a starting lineup alongside a guy

779
00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:53,239
Speaker 1: like Lebron James and Anthony Davis than a guy like

780
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:55,920
Speaker 1: you know, D'Angelo Russell in a two spot next to

781
00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,520
Speaker 1: Austin Reeves or something like that. Right, here's the problem,

782
00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:01,080
Speaker 1: like two things. One, it would be a poor use

783
00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 1: of Ruiy as an asset because Rui's just a better

784
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:05,359
Speaker 1: asset than Buddy, and you just should be targeting higher

785
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:11,359
Speaker 1: level players. Two, Buddy is another skill guard, and we've

786
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,080
Speaker 1: already seen with the Lakers what it looks like when

787
00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,560
Speaker 1: you have Austin Reeves next to another skill guard or

788
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,000
Speaker 1: Dangelo Russell next to another skill guard. So to me,

789
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,160
Speaker 1: it's not so much that I don't think it would

790
00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:21,759
Speaker 1: help either team, because of course it would. It just

791
00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:23,440
Speaker 1: would be a poor use of the asset for the

792
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,920
Speaker 1: Lakers and they should be targeting an athlete for that

793
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,480
Speaker 1: position instead. All right, last question, Jason mailback question. I'm

794
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:31,920
Speaker 1: going to keep trying to get one in there. I'm

795
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,040
Speaker 1: a Nuggets fan, and it seems like the Nuggets are

796
00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,560
Speaker 1: just kind of mid right now. Murray has been typical

797
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,480
Speaker 1: regular season Murray, injuries, in up and down play. Jokics

798
00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,239
Speaker 1: doesn't seem very focused and has been a bit up

799
00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:44,279
Speaker 1: and down rather than consistently dominant. Haven't seen that from

800
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,439
Speaker 1: him since twenty nineteen. I know you were talking about

801
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,359
Speaker 1: Yokic's jump shot, but do you think there's something else

802
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:50,799
Speaker 1: going on? Are they satisfied with winning the chip and

803
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,919
Speaker 1: not putting in the effort they should. Is there maybe

804
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:54,920
Speaker 1: some locker room stuff or personal stuff going on that

805
00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:57,360
Speaker 1: you've heard whispers about. I genuinely think once the playoffs

806
00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,359
Speaker 1: come around, will be fine. But I'm starting to get

807
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,279
Speaker 1: a bit worried. If you were a Nuggets fan, would

808
00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:06,720
Speaker 1: you be worried? Thoughts, I am completely, utterly not worried

809
00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:09,279
Speaker 1: about the Nuggets. I still think they are by far

810
00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:11,839
Speaker 1: the safest bet to win the title this year, by

811
00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:13,640
Speaker 1: far as the stretch, but I think they're clearly and

812
00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:16,520
Speaker 1: discernibly the safest bet to win the title this year.

813
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,680
Speaker 1: The stretch actually reminds me a lot of the stretch

814
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,480
Speaker 1: they had before the playoffs last year. You know, this

815
00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:25,080
Speaker 1: is a team that like knows they're capable of reaching

816
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:28,759
Speaker 1: a certain ceiling, and they've demonstrated ability to ramp up

817
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,600
Speaker 1: when they get to the postseason. The only thing I'd

818
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:33,799
Speaker 1: be worried about with Denver that would take them off

819
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,920
Speaker 1: of my number one spot in my Contenders is a

820
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,320
Speaker 1: season ending injury to one of their core five guys,

821
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:42,879
Speaker 1: Like if Jamal Murray gets hurt, Kntavio's Cabopop gets hurt,

822
00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:45,399
Speaker 1: Michael Porter Junior gets hurt, or Aaron Gordon gets hurt,

823
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,239
Speaker 1: any one of them, I would drop them from that

824
00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:49,759
Speaker 1: number one spot because I do think the downgrade to

825
00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,719
Speaker 1: the next option is just a huge downgrade for any

826
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,719
Speaker 1: single one of those positions. But if they're healthy and

827
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,919
Speaker 1: when they get they could be you know, forty five

828
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,760
Speaker 1: and thirty seven and be the five seed in the West,

829
00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:03,560
Speaker 1: and I'd pick them to win the league. Like It's

830
00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:05,279
Speaker 1: just what I would do, because that's how much I

831
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,799
Speaker 1: trust their defense and in general, I would imagine that

832
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:11,319
Speaker 1: they're the ebb and flow of the standings. If they

833
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:13,120
Speaker 1: ever get two point where they lose too many games,

834
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:14,960
Speaker 1: they'll lock back in and they'll get back to winning.

835
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:17,839
Speaker 1: I'm just entirely not worried about it. All right, guys,

836
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,080
Speaker 1: that's all I have for this weekend. We will be

837
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:23,279
Speaker 1: back on Monday for two Christmas Day instant reactions. We're

838
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,520
Speaker 1: gonna go after the Warriors game and after the Lakers

839
00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:30,000
Speaker 1: game to live videos on YouTube. Then Tuesday we're gonna

840
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:33,440
Speaker 1: break down the rest of the Christmas Day games, and

841
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:37,359
Speaker 1: then Wednesday, we've got Yovann Bujac coming on the show

842
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:39,839
Speaker 1: for our Laker Deep dive that we do every two

843
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,440
Speaker 1: weeks or so. So I appreciate you guys for supporting

844
00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:43,800
Speaker 1: the show. I hope you all have a great weekend.

845
00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:45,120
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoy the holiday and you get to

846
00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:47,800
Speaker 1: spend some time with your families. I'm very very thankful

847
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:49,480
Speaker 1: for you guys, and I look forward to seeing you

848
00:39:49,520 --> 00:40:18,280
Speaker 1: all on Monday. The Volume