1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:07,600
Speaker 1: The volume. It's Hoops Tonight presented by FanDuel. The NBA

2
00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,440
Speaker 1: season is kicking into gear and there's no better place

3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,240
Speaker 1: to get in on the action than with FanDuel. The

4
00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:15,840
Speaker 1: app is safe and secure, getting your money out is

5
00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,400
Speaker 1: super easy. You can jump into the action at any

6
00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,880
Speaker 1: time during the game with live betting and I love

7
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,360
Speaker 1: building those same game parlays and Fanduels now live in Ohio,

8
00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,640
Speaker 1: so use promo code Jason T and download the fandel

9
00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,400
Speaker 1: app today to start making every moment more twenty one

10
00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: plus In select states, gambling problem called one hundred gambler

11
00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,800
Speaker 1: or visit FanDuel dot com. Slash r g in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan,

12
00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,319
Speaker 1: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia, and Ohio. Called one

13
00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,840
Speaker 1: next Step or text next step to five three three

14
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,000
Speaker 1: four two in Arizona called one eight seven eight nine

15
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,880
Speaker 1: seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Slash

16
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:03,000
Speaker 1: chat in Connecticut called one hundred nine with it in Indiana.

17
00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,800
Speaker 1: Visit k S gambling help dot com in Kansas called

18
00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,960
Speaker 1: one eight seven seven seven seven zero stop in l

19
00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:17,119
Speaker 1: A visit www dot m d gambling help dot org

20
00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,040
Speaker 1: in Maryland, dial one eight seven seven eight Hope and Why,

21
00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,240
Speaker 1: or text hope and Why to four six seven three

22
00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,039
Speaker 1: six nine in New York, called one five to two

23
00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,720
Speaker 1: four seven zero zero in Wyoming, or visit www Dot

24
00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:59,760
Speaker 1: one hundred gambler dot net in West Virginia. All right,

25
00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,560
Speaker 1: look and Hoops to Night, presented by Fantel here at

26
00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,600
Speaker 1: the volume. Happy Monday, everybody, in Happy New Year. This

27
00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,760
Speaker 1: will be the first full calendar year with Hoops Tonight

28
00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,400
Speaker 1: being in existence. February one will actually be one year

29
00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,720
Speaker 1: since we started doing this. Today we're gonna be covering

30
00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,200
Speaker 1: the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets beat

31
00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:19,959
Speaker 1: the Celtics last night and show down to the m

32
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,480
Speaker 1: v ps um. The Celtics had come in winning four

33
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,400
Speaker 1: games in a row, so it's a really good challenge

34
00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,200
Speaker 1: for Denver, and boy did day raise rise to the occasion.

35
00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:29,600
Speaker 1: And then the Memphis Grizzlies. For all the trash that

36
00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,680
Speaker 1: we talked about them losing four games to Western Conference

37
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,720
Speaker 1: teams in ten days, they did win back to back

38
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,840
Speaker 1: this weekend against two Western Conference playoff teams that have

39
00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,720
Speaker 1: been playing very good basketball lately. So a lot of

40
00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,400
Speaker 1: Nuggets and Grizzlies today. Um, just to give you guys

41
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:46,919
Speaker 1: an idea of the schedule for the rest of the week.

42
00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,560
Speaker 1: Tomorrow we're gonna be doing a video that's gonna break

43
00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,760
Speaker 1: down tonight's game. So the Monday nights late you'll see

44
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,359
Speaker 1: on the feeds Tomorrow Thursday night after Celtics MAVs will

45
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,640
Speaker 1: be going live on AMP doing a show there and

46
00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,280
Speaker 1: also breaking down some of the Wednesday nights late, and

47
00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,680
Speaker 1: then Friday night I'll be staying up late to record it.

48
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,560
Speaker 1: Probably won't go on the feeds until Saturday morning, but

49
00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,320
Speaker 1: keep an eye on the feed Saturday morning for a

50
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,120
Speaker 1: breakdown of Friday nights games as well. You guys know

51
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,000
Speaker 1: the joke before we get started. Subscribe to the Volumes

52
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,280
Speaker 1: YouTube channels. You don't miss any more of videos. Follow

53
00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,639
Speaker 1: me on Twitter at underscore Jason lt so you guys

54
00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,120
Speaker 1: don't miss any show announcements. And the last but not least,

55
00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:20,800
Speaker 1: for whatever reason, you guys missed one of these shows

56
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,480
Speaker 1: and you can't get back over to YouTube to finish,

57
00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,800
Speaker 1: you can find them wherever you get your podcasts. Under

58
00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,600
Speaker 1: Hoops tonight, all right, let's talk some basketball. So the

59
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,120
Speaker 1: Celtics had come in winning five or four games in

60
00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 1: a row. That kind of erased all the memory from

61
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,600
Speaker 1: that ugly stretch where I think they lost five out

62
00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:36,880
Speaker 1: of six games, and there were some impressive wins in there.

63
00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,160
Speaker 1: They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, they beat the Bucks on

64
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,720
Speaker 1: Christmas Day, and they beat the Clippers. That was a

65
00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,200
Speaker 1: super interesting game that I watched, UM that I wanted

66
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:46,839
Speaker 1: to talk a little bit about. Kawhi Leonard and Paul

67
00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,840
Speaker 1: George were both awesome, and Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown

68
00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,480
Speaker 1: just outplayed them, and the Clippers actually led early in

69
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:54,920
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter in Jalen Brown just completely took the

70
00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:56,640
Speaker 1: game over. Started with a little fade away, but then

71
00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,960
Speaker 1: he just started getting downhill to the rim and built

72
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,400
Speaker 1: double built a double digit lead. They never looked back. UM.

73
00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,400
Speaker 1: Little side note on the Clippers. They went two and

74
00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,560
Speaker 1: three on their East Coast road trip despite Kawhi Leonard

75
00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,080
Speaker 1: and Paul George playing some really good basketball. Kawhi Leonard

76
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,880
Speaker 1: is back to that absurd level of efficiency that we've

77
00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,320
Speaker 1: grown accustomed to seeing from him when he's healthy, but

78
00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,400
Speaker 1: the Clippers defense has fallen off. And it's kind of

79
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,720
Speaker 1: an interesting conundrum because if you remember the beginning of

80
00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,840
Speaker 1: the year, their defense. Their offense was horrific, but man,

81
00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,000
Speaker 1: they were locking in and and they were getting stops.

82
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,839
Speaker 1: On the five game road trip, the Clippers gave up

83
00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,400
Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty points per one hundred possessions, which

84
00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,039
Speaker 1: was in the league over that span. So the Clippers

85
00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,039
Speaker 1: are kind of in this weird spot where they got

86
00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,159
Speaker 1: guys playing well, they're starting to get healthy, but the

87
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,040
Speaker 1: defense has fallen off, and so they're not kind of

88
00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,120
Speaker 1: notching the winds that you want there. But the Celtics

89
00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:47,760
Speaker 1: came in riding hot, feeling good about themselves, and a

90
00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,960
Speaker 1: really good challenge for Nuggets team that needed a signature win.

91
00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,760
Speaker 1: And not only that, it's kind of a bad matchup.

92
00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,840
Speaker 1: You know, when you think about the the types of

93
00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:00,240
Speaker 1: teams that typically give the Nuggets trouble, it's teams with

94
00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,120
Speaker 1: stretch bigs and lots of quickness that can dribble like

95
00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,080
Speaker 1: driving kicked teams. Teams are gonna force Yokich to guard

96
00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,520
Speaker 1: in space, which can really expose their defense, which has

97
00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,520
Speaker 1: consistently had problems with that over the year. In fact,

98
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:16,159
Speaker 1: the Celtics have won six had one six consecutive games

99
00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,040
Speaker 1: against the Denver Nuggets and uh spanning the last three years,

100
00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:22,719
Speaker 1: so this particular matchup has been problematic for the Nuggets

101
00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:24,960
Speaker 1: on a bunch of different levels. Ajamal Murray was out,

102
00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,400
Speaker 1: but despite all of that, Denver just completely handled them.

103
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:31,560
Speaker 1: They led by double digits for about half the game.

104
00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,240
Speaker 1: They led by as much as eighteen. They responded to

105
00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,680
Speaker 1: every major Boston run. Nicola Yokich finished which with thirty

106
00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,800
Speaker 1: twelve and twelve on thirteen shots with zero turnovers. Al

107
00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,680
Speaker 1: Horford and Grant Williams were completely helpless in isolation. Every

108
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,560
Speaker 1: time they doubled him, he made them pay, still got

109
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,240
Speaker 1: his thirty. It just just a ridiculous game. He was

110
00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,160
Speaker 1: plus fourteen. This is a wild stat for your Nuggets fans.

111
00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,719
Speaker 1: Nicola yoki has logged a positive excuse me, a negative

112
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,279
Speaker 1: plus minus, meaning he his minutes in just eight of

113
00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,960
Speaker 1: the games he's played this year. He's played in thirty

114
00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,679
Speaker 1: three games, so the Nuggets are either winning or tying

115
00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,520
Speaker 1: Yokis minutes in what's at twenty five of their thirty

116
00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,800
Speaker 1: three games this year. That's insane. For the season, the

117
00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,400
Speaker 1: Nuggets are plus two seventy eight with yok on the floor,

118
00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,800
Speaker 1: which is the best mark for any individual player in

119
00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,760
Speaker 1: the league. The second best is Jayson Tatum at plus

120
00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:25,720
Speaker 1: two forty one. So that's why it's a nice little

121
00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,520
Speaker 1: m VP showdown for you. You You know, we've talked a

122
00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,240
Speaker 1: lot about Yoki's lately, and I focused a lot um

123
00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,440
Speaker 1: in our last Nuggets video on his base and how

124
00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,600
Speaker 1: that affects him as an isolation player, uh in him

125
00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,800
Speaker 1: winning physical confrontations in the post by knocking players off

126
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,000
Speaker 1: balance before they can knock him off balance. I don't

127
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,159
Speaker 1: want to talk about that today. When I was watching

128
00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,080
Speaker 1: the film this morning, there was one particular concept that

129
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,960
Speaker 1: was really standing out to me, and it's the concept

130
00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,359
Speaker 1: of advantages in basketball. Yokich has a very firm grasp

131
00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,200
Speaker 1: of advantage basketball. Um. In a game of basketball, you

132
00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,400
Speaker 1: might have a hundred something possessions, right, call it a

133
00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:03,599
Speaker 1: hundred possessions for the sake of it being easy math.

134
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,800
Speaker 1: During those hundred possessions, they're gonna be really easy plays,

135
00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,400
Speaker 1: maybe a run out dunk, you know, or an easy

136
00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,440
Speaker 1: backdoor cut for a layup. And then they're gonna be

137
00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,280
Speaker 1: really hard plays, you know, late clock situation, fantastic defense,

138
00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,720
Speaker 1: and you need someone to make a play to rise

139
00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,760
Speaker 1: up and knock down a tough shot and then everything

140
00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,400
Speaker 1: in between, and all of those one D possessions are

141
00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,400
Speaker 1: gonna fall somewhere on that spectrum. But as a team,

142
00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,160
Speaker 1: the more you can avoid the hard plays and target

143
00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,480
Speaker 1: and capitalize on the easy plays, the better chance you

144
00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,440
Speaker 1: have of being successful offensively on a night in a

145
00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,400
Speaker 1: nice out, a night out basis, So you have to

146
00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,440
Speaker 1: hunt those easy opportunities when they're there, and then that

147
00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,760
Speaker 1: same idea works in reverse on the defensive end of

148
00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,200
Speaker 1: the floor. If you can take away as many of

149
00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,240
Speaker 1: the easy opportunities as possible, you can force teams to

150
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,120
Speaker 1: beat you the hard way, which, over a large sample

151
00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,080
Speaker 1: size like a hundred possessions, you give yourself a really

152
00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:58,080
Speaker 1: good chance to win. So I wanted to give a

153
00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,720
Speaker 1: couple of specific examples from this game to break that down.

154
00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,720
Speaker 1: So a third quarter, about eight and a half minutes left,

155
00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,360
Speaker 1: Nicolayoka just rumbling up the floor and transition and uh

156
00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,400
Speaker 1: KCP is on the left wing and Jason Tatum is

157
00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,480
Speaker 1: guarding KCP and Jayson Tatum is sitting in the gap.

158
00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,040
Speaker 1: So Tatum is basically not paying super close attention to KCP,

159
00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,960
Speaker 1: but he's not doubling either he's just kind of being lazy.

160
00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,160
Speaker 1: He's taking a possession, not taking a possession off, so

161
00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,560
Speaker 1: to speak. But he's relaxing, so to speak, until he

162
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,400
Speaker 1: has an opportunity to be more impactful, like if KCP

163
00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,480
Speaker 1: got the ball, if he actually needed too hard double

164
00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,040
Speaker 1: or to rotate or anything like that. Yo, Kids just

165
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,439
Speaker 1: throws the ball to KCP, just throws it to him

166
00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,439
Speaker 1: on the wing. Tatum is out of position, so KCP

167
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,720
Speaker 1: just rips through to the left and blows by Tatum.

168
00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,560
Speaker 1: Because tatums in no man's land in the gap, and

169
00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,840
Speaker 1: KCP draws help, there's a skip past to Bruce Brown

170
00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,960
Speaker 1: in the corner, who knocks down with three. By the way,

171
00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,400
Speaker 1: Bruce Brown just continues to shoot the laces off the basketball.

172
00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,440
Speaker 1: He made four threes against Boston last night. He's on

173
00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,480
Speaker 1: three point three three three three point attempts per game

174
00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:03,520
Speaker 1: this year. He did shoot over forty percent last year

175
00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,280
Speaker 1: in Brooklyn too, but it is much lower volume. But again,

176
00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,800
Speaker 1: like on that possession, there's no reason to run a set.

177
00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,960
Speaker 1: There's no reason to run an action like an inverted

178
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,920
Speaker 1: pick and roller, a grible handoff or anything like that.

179
00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:20,400
Speaker 1: You run actions to get an advantage, and if KCP

180
00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,320
Speaker 1: has an advantage already because Tatum is sleeping, then just

181
00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,679
Speaker 1: throw the pass. That's an easy opportunity that's there. If

182
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,560
Speaker 1: you look off that opportunity, now you have to run

183
00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:33,840
Speaker 1: an action. Now you have to run a set against

184
00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,560
Speaker 1: Boston set half court defense, and it might be tougher.

185
00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,400
Speaker 1: That's targeting a hard opportunity over targeting the easy opportunity.

186
00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:42,280
Speaker 1: Fast forward a couple of minutes, six and a half

187
00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,920
Speaker 1: minutes left in the third it's a regular possession. Boston

188
00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,240
Speaker 1: has the ball. Jayson Tatum misses a tough, little pull

189
00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:49,800
Speaker 1: up two point shot, but it's a it's not a

190
00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,000
Speaker 1: transition opportunity. They missed the shot, Denver secures the rebound.

191
00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:54,920
Speaker 1: Everybody moves down to the other end of the floor

192
00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:59,840
Speaker 1: in transition. Boston, just because they're being sloppy forgets to

193
00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,640
Speaker 1: go art KCP in the left corner. Yoki's just dribbles

194
00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,440
Speaker 1: the ball up the floor, swing pass up to KCP,

195
00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,880
Speaker 1: knocks down at three. Three minutes later, three and a

196
00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,840
Speaker 1: half minutes left in the third quarter, Yokis flashes to

197
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,000
Speaker 1: the middle of the floor and catches kind of at

198
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,800
Speaker 1: the top of the key. Robert Williams is with him,

199
00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:18,800
Speaker 1: but he's kind of trailing behind, So Yoki's just takes

200
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,520
Speaker 1: like one dribble closer. Now he's past the free throw line.

201
00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:23,880
Speaker 1: But all he's doing is just kind of examining what's

202
00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,520
Speaker 1: going on around him on the floor. And Derek White

203
00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,160
Speaker 1: is guarding Michael Porter Jr. And he falls asleep and

204
00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,040
Speaker 1: Michael Porter Jr. Just back cuts him. Wasn't a set,

205
00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:36,400
Speaker 1: wasn't a play, wasn't anything. Michael Porter Jr. Derek Why

206
00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,320
Speaker 1: just forgot to guard him, and Yoki's just hits him

207
00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,640
Speaker 1: and he makes a layup. Every single time you aren't

208
00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,520
Speaker 1: doing the exact right thing on defense with where you're

209
00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:48,920
Speaker 1: supposed to be on the floor, Yokich will burn you

210
00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:53,480
Speaker 1: for that advantage situation. Again, when we're talking about lower

211
00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,720
Speaker 1: level players, role players in the NBA, k CP, all

212
00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,600
Speaker 1: the guys we just mentioned k CP, Michael Porter Jr.

213
00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,679
Speaker 1: Bruce Brown. In a half court set, when defenses are

214
00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,200
Speaker 1: locked in and the easy stuff isn't there, those guys

215
00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,600
Speaker 1: are gonna struggle to create against a set defense because

216
00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,440
Speaker 1: that's not what they're best at. But when you give

217
00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:17,640
Speaker 1: them an advantage, they can make plays. I talked about

218
00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:19,480
Speaker 1: this when I covered KCP for the Lakers. He's one

219
00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:21,319
Speaker 1: of the best closeout attackers in the league. He's got

220
00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,000
Speaker 1: a great one drop a pull up. Obviously he's the

221
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:24,680
Speaker 1: lights out three point shooter, but he's got a great

222
00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,360
Speaker 1: one drop a pull up. He's an outstanding athlete to

223
00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,160
Speaker 1: extend all the way to the rim because he's such

224
00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,439
Speaker 1: a good one like leaper, and he can make kickout passes.

225
00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,280
Speaker 1: So if if Tatum is not gonna if Tatum's gonna

226
00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,400
Speaker 1: play off the off of him into the gap, a

227
00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,520
Speaker 1: swing pass to KCP is a really high percentage possession.

228
00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,720
Speaker 1: Bruce Brown obviously set defense, you need him to create shots.

229
00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:47,120
Speaker 1: He's not going to be an All Star, but the

230
00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,600
Speaker 1: dudes turn himself into a damn good spot up shooters,

231
00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,800
Speaker 1: short role player, dunker, spot guy. If you give him advantages,

232
00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,280
Speaker 1: he's gonna score. And then the same goes for Michael

233
00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,160
Speaker 1: Porter Jr. The dude can't dribble the basketball, but if

234
00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,280
Speaker 1: you leave him open in that he's probably the best

235
00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:04,120
Speaker 1: up and down, catch and shoot shooter that we have

236
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,320
Speaker 1: in the league right now, or at least he's in

237
00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:11,199
Speaker 1: that conversation. So that if when you give flawed players

238
00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,480
Speaker 1: advantages they can beat you, and what makes Yoki so

239
00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:19,080
Speaker 1: dominant is his ability to target and spot those advantages

240
00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,520
Speaker 1: and make teams pay. A huge part of this is

241
00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:26,040
Speaker 1: his transition attack. This is why you know, you guys,

242
00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,560
Speaker 1: you guys know. Coming into the season, I had Yo

243
00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,760
Speaker 1: Kitchen and be down and I think seven and eight

244
00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,640
Speaker 1: in my player rankings, and a big part of that

245
00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,520
Speaker 1: was I talked about the fundamental reasons why I dislike

246
00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,480
Speaker 1: slow footed biggs. One, they struggle to guard in space.

247
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,400
Speaker 1: So when you put them in driving kicks situations or

248
00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,120
Speaker 1: when they have to guard out on the perimeter, they

249
00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,520
Speaker 1: can struggle. But too biggs don't like to run in transition.

250
00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:48,800
Speaker 1: They jog up and down the floor, which causes a

251
00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,800
Speaker 1: boatload of problems when the game takes on an open

252
00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,520
Speaker 1: floor field when it's transition back and forth and the

253
00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:58,640
Speaker 1: pace goes up. The stuff in with guarding in space

254
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,240
Speaker 1: is still true with Yokich, Like he's gonna struggle to

255
00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,400
Speaker 1: guard ball handlers that pull him out to the three

256
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,319
Speaker 1: point line. That goes without saying, and we'll see if

257
00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,600
Speaker 1: he can overcome that in this playoff run. But he

258
00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,800
Speaker 1: has turned himself into an excellent transition big. I'm not

259
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,920
Speaker 1: even talking about the live ball stuff. We've talked about

260
00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,360
Speaker 1: that to death. Yo, kids gets the rebound, he's bringing

261
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:17,800
Speaker 1: the ball off the floor. He's so good at those

262
00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,880
Speaker 1: kick ahead passes and finding those open opportunities up the floor.

263
00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,920
Speaker 1: I'm talking about when he doesn't have the ball watch

264
00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:27,199
Speaker 1: the film, when a shot goes up and he misses,

265
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,360
Speaker 1: or when they when the other team shoots and one

266
00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,240
Speaker 1: of his teammates gets a rebound, he drops his head

267
00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,360
Speaker 1: and he sprints like hell up the floor. He sprints

268
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:39,959
Speaker 1: better up and down the floor in terms of commitment

269
00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,679
Speaker 1: then most of the stars in the league, counting guards

270
00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:46,600
Speaker 1: and wings. You can tell he understands and has identified

271
00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,320
Speaker 1: that one of the ways you can beat him, like

272
00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,760
Speaker 1: many big, bigger players in the league, is by beating

273
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:54,520
Speaker 1: him up and down the floor and transition, and he

274
00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:57,560
Speaker 1: has no interest in giving those opportunities to you. So

275
00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,760
Speaker 1: on the defensive end, him sprinting back takes away those

276
00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,200
Speaker 1: transition opportunities. But on the other end of the floor,

277
00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,080
Speaker 1: when he capitalizes on a possession where maybe Al Horford

278
00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,280
Speaker 1: doesn't run, or Robert Williams doesn't run, or Anthony Davis

279
00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,360
Speaker 1: doesn't run, or any of the other bigs around the league.

280
00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,560
Speaker 1: What happens he gets a cross match because in transition defense,

281
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,920
Speaker 1: you guard the closest guy, not your guy, because usually

282
00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,360
Speaker 1: it's another it's a question of numbers and how many

283
00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,920
Speaker 1: players you have back. How many times in that game

284
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,640
Speaker 1: last night did you see Yoki's just sprint up the floor,

285
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,960
Speaker 1: grabbed Derek White in a in a transition transition cross

286
00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,800
Speaker 1: match and just quickly seal in demand the basketball. And

287
00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:36,760
Speaker 1: there's a huge difference between the way you have to

288
00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,120
Speaker 1: double team that in the way you double team in

289
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,840
Speaker 1: a half court set. If Horford is on your kitch,

290
00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:47,360
Speaker 1: it's a planned double team where you're expecting you're basically

291
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,280
Speaker 1: simplifying the defender's job. You're telling Al Horford, hey, you

292
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:52,880
Speaker 1: can sit on that left shoulder because we're gonna help

293
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,000
Speaker 1: right when he puts the ball on the ground or

294
00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,640
Speaker 1: when he gathers the ball from the right side. It's

295
00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,960
Speaker 1: it's very planned, and you've got a big guy guarding Yokich,

296
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,520
Speaker 1: and there's usually another bigger player that's coming over to double.

297
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,520
Speaker 1: When it's Derek White on Yokich, it's a panic double.

298
00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,880
Speaker 1: Derrick White's not holding him in any spot, like Al Horford,

299
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,120
Speaker 1: if you simplify his job, it's like, Okay, I don't

300
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,960
Speaker 1: have to guard Yokich, I just have to force him middle.

301
00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,840
Speaker 1: That's something, is that that's achievable. Derrick White's not gonna

302
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,520
Speaker 1: do anything with Yoki in any capacity. Like even if

303
00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:25,760
Speaker 1: you attack the basketball so damn strong with the basketball,

304
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,120
Speaker 1: He's just gonna rip it up over his head and

305
00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,400
Speaker 1: go up and finish. So when you when just by

306
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,600
Speaker 1: sprinting the floor and drawing those cross matches, he forces

307
00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,760
Speaker 1: these panic double teams that lead to wide open shots.

308
00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,840
Speaker 1: All of this is why Denver's offense. Offense looks so

309
00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,440
Speaker 1: easy all the time. They hunt easy opportunities when they're available.

310
00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,040
Speaker 1: Lots of NBA teams play tough basketball. They walk the

311
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,440
Speaker 1: ball at the floor, watch the Watch the Dallas Mavericks

312
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,880
Speaker 1: once and I have to every every time. I was joking.

313
00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,520
Speaker 1: I went on with a buddy of my combo, Andrew Slallap,

314
00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,760
Speaker 1: who covers the league as well, the earlier this morning,

315
00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,080
Speaker 1: and we were talking about how, you know, as much

316
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:02,680
Speaker 1: as I have to watch the Mavericks as part of

317
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,400
Speaker 1: my job, and I love Luca as an individual player,

318
00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,640
Speaker 1: but that team is my least favorite watching the league

319
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,160
Speaker 1: because every single one of their games looks exactly the same,

320
00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:12,760
Speaker 1: and they walk the ball up the floor and they

321
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,920
Speaker 1: play hard basketball. They don't hunt easy opportunities when they're available.

322
00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:21,280
Speaker 1: It's hard half court basketball. They're good at it, but

323
00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,120
Speaker 1: they don't hunt those easy opportunities, and that's kind of

324
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,520
Speaker 1: a fundamental difference between the team, Like Denver and Dallas.

325
00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:28,920
Speaker 1: I wanted to shout out Aaron Gordon for a second

326
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:30,320
Speaker 1: because it's funny. When he came into the league, he

327
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,200
Speaker 1: was kind of like a tweener, and then after a

328
00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,480
Speaker 1: couple of years there towards the end in Orlando, he's

329
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:36,920
Speaker 1: really trying to become more of like a wing and

330
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:38,960
Speaker 1: he's doing a lot of stuff off the dribble. But

331
00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,760
Speaker 1: here in Denver he's found his role as a big man.

332
00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:45,840
Speaker 1: And it's not just in the screen and roll obviously,

333
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,000
Speaker 1: Like he had a screen and roll inverted pick and

334
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:49,920
Speaker 1: roll with Yokis yesterday where Yokis threw it up and

335
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:51,920
Speaker 1: he had a reverse dunk. And we've talked a lot

336
00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,040
Speaker 1: about the stuff that he does in the dunker spot, right,

337
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,840
Speaker 1: like finding little soft spots in the defense and elevating

338
00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,000
Speaker 1: and dunking with his behind his head or things along

339
00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,600
Speaker 1: those lines. Was a play in this game. This is

340
00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,879
Speaker 1: legit big man, higher level big man stuff. It was

341
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,480
Speaker 1: a regular half court possession where Yokers brought the ball

342
00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:13,399
Speaker 1: up the floor and Aaron Gordon has Jalen Brown on him,

343
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,040
Speaker 1: who is one of the better wing defenders in the league,

344
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,640
Speaker 1: and he just did that lebron seal. If you guys

345
00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:20,520
Speaker 1: ever seen this, that that lebron seal where it's like

346
00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,800
Speaker 1: he likes his size advantage, so he just buries him

347
00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,600
Speaker 1: under the basket and then he'll just get an easy

348
00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,080
Speaker 1: Lebrono at two or three easy layups. A game like that,

349
00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,080
Speaker 1: Eric Gordon just buried Jalen Brown under the basket. Jalen

350
00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:33,600
Speaker 1: Brown with the last second tried to front him. Yoki's

351
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,000
Speaker 1: just perfectly led him over the top to the basket.

352
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,000
Speaker 1: You know, it's funny with with yokis more of an

353
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,960
Speaker 1: offensive initiator operating a lot out of the top of

354
00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,680
Speaker 1: the key. Aaron Gordon's game kind of fits that mold

355
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,119
Speaker 1: of more of a rim running center type of player

356
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,119
Speaker 1: with his Denver team, and he has the athletic tools

357
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:54,919
Speaker 1: is you know, I think he's like six ten, super

358
00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,040
Speaker 1: long arms, great dunker from underneath the basket. But he

359
00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,439
Speaker 1: also has the higher level skill that gives him the

360
00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,400
Speaker 1: versatility to do more than most big do, Like he's

361
00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,639
Speaker 1: having a great season shooting the three. He can on

362
00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,479
Speaker 1: occasion bailout of possession with shot making at the end

363
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,800
Speaker 1: because he did have a lot of time practicing being

364
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:17,919
Speaker 1: a traditional wing initiator when he was in Orlando. But

365
00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,200
Speaker 1: it's kind of funny because he's basically like a hybrid

366
00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:24,520
Speaker 1: between a big man and a wing, and that ironically

367
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,120
Speaker 1: is like the perfect fit alongside your kitchen. Denver, letting

368
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,080
Speaker 1: Jeremy Grant go was a big, big risk, and Jeremy

369
00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,040
Speaker 1: Grant has been great, So you could talk yourself into

370
00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,480
Speaker 1: that being a mistake, but it hasn't been. It's paid

371
00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,320
Speaker 1: off because Aaron Gordon's bigger physical profile has made him

372
00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:45,440
Speaker 1: actually a better fit with his Denver team. UM quick

373
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,240
Speaker 1: notes on Boston. They're still playing good ball. I don't

374
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,080
Speaker 1: want to go to negative here. They did have an

375
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,280
Speaker 1: impressive four game streak right before this. They still have

376
00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:53,240
Speaker 1: the best record in basketball, although they're only one and

377
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,000
Speaker 1: a half games up now on Denver. Um but they

378
00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,680
Speaker 1: play an arrogant brand of basketball. I was really annoyed

379
00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,520
Speaker 1: watching them on film this morning. Not to rain on

380
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:05,280
Speaker 1: Denver's parade here, but Boston's defense was atrocious in this game.

381
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,040
Speaker 1: Countless mistakes and Transition talked about the the them failing

382
00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:14,560
Speaker 1: to get mass Uh matched up on KCP, giving up

383
00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,000
Speaker 1: cross matches because guys aren't running up and down the floor.

384
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,440
Speaker 1: They bought, They botched a bunch of basic screening actions.

385
00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,280
Speaker 1: Like there was a play in the early third quarter.

386
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:24,680
Speaker 1: Yoki has the ball at the top of the key.

387
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,520
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum is guarding Michael Porter Jr. In the right corner.

388
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,520
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart is guarding Bruce Brown on the right wing.

389
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,600
Speaker 1: Bruce Brown just runs down and sets a pin down

390
00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,320
Speaker 1: for Michael Porter Jr. Michael Porter Jr. Comes up, Smart

391
00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,040
Speaker 1: stays home because he thinks that Tatum is supposed to

392
00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,679
Speaker 1: fight through. Tatum stays because he thinks it's a switch,

393
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,520
Speaker 1: wide open three for Michael Porter Jr. That's just sloppy,

394
00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,320
Speaker 1: That's just that's just that, that's just not coming into

395
00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,720
Speaker 1: a big game against a the best team in the

396
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,000
Speaker 1: Western Conference playing really good basketball and not bringing the

397
00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,040
Speaker 1: appropriate focus. Boston's defense has been really good lately for

398
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,600
Speaker 1: the record. They were set and defensive rating in December.

399
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,040
Speaker 1: But this is another big game, a monumentally important game

400
00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,760
Speaker 1: against the best team in the West on the road,

401
00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,400
Speaker 1: a chance to send a clear message, and they came

402
00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,400
Speaker 1: in unfocused, with a less than great effort. And that's

403
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,480
Speaker 1: what irritates me the most about the Celtics. They behave

404
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,560
Speaker 1: like a team that is a multi time champion when

405
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,880
Speaker 1: they've never won a championship. You guys know how much

406
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,320
Speaker 1: I liked the Celtics roster. I actually think top to bottom,

407
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,600
Speaker 1: they're the most talented roster in the league. I think

408
00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 1: Tatum and Brown are the best duo in the league.

409
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:32,760
Speaker 1: There's a whole lot of to get excited about as

410
00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:35,359
Speaker 1: a Celtics fan as you're looking at that roster. But

411
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,480
Speaker 1: I I came into the season with them third in

412
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,800
Speaker 1: my list of championship contenders, behind Golden State in Milwaukee,

413
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,280
Speaker 1: and I still have them third, and it's because I

414
00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:46,840
Speaker 1: do not trust them to put four focused rounds of

415
00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,600
Speaker 1: basketball together. And I hate to break it to you,

416
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,840
Speaker 1: but the competition is better this year then it was

417
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,840
Speaker 1: last year. The level of play they brought last year

418
00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:57,640
Speaker 1: was good enough to get to the finals and lose

419
00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,440
Speaker 1: to the Warriors. It will not be good enough to

420
00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,400
Speaker 1: get to the final this year, not with Chris Middleton

421
00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,440
Speaker 1: coming back, not with some of the other better teams

422
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:09,360
Speaker 1: in the Eastern Conference. That Cleveland's better, Philly's better. Yeah,

423
00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,600
Speaker 1: Like the top three opponents they will have to face

424
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,720
Speaker 1: out of the Eastern Conference this year are better than

425
00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,480
Speaker 1: the top three they had to face last year. That's

426
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,760
Speaker 1: just a fact. So they better get it together, you know.

427
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:21,480
Speaker 1: And that's why I kept saying even after the Golden

428
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:23,520
Speaker 1: State game, like I the only thing that can change

429
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,359
Speaker 1: my mind about Boston and their approach is to watch

430
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:30,439
Speaker 1: them play in high stakes environments with the appropriate focus,

431
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,720
Speaker 1: which I just not have that seen them do. And

432
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,080
Speaker 1: then this is the second time this season in a

433
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:40,200
Speaker 1: huge game against the Western Conference opponent of where they

434
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,320
Speaker 1: just where they just came in sloppy alright, moving on

435
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:44,920
Speaker 1: to Memphis, so they were too and oh on a

436
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:46,960
Speaker 1: nice little weekend back to back against the Pelicans, and

437
00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,840
Speaker 1: the Kings are actually on a three game winning streak

438
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,679
Speaker 1: because they beat Toronto on the road last Thursday. But

439
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,520
Speaker 1: I didn't watch that particular game, but I did watch

440
00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:56,080
Speaker 1: both of the weekend games. They did a number on

441
00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,080
Speaker 1: the Pelicans just at complete physical domination. We can talk

442
00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,159
Speaker 1: about the physical play of the front line, and we

443
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:02,720
Speaker 1: did a lot of that last week or two weeks

444
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,880
Speaker 1: ago with Jaren Jackson Jr. And Steven Adams in terms

445
00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,480
Speaker 1: of their defensive presence on both an offensive presence on

446
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,720
Speaker 1: the glass, protecting the paint, things along those lines. But

447
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:13,280
Speaker 1: I want to talk about their wings for a second,

448
00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:16,080
Speaker 1: because their wings are super physical as well, like Desmond

449
00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:17,960
Speaker 1: Baine and Dylan Brooks and even a little bit of

450
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,520
Speaker 1: David Roddy. These are big, strong, trunky, low center of

451
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:25,640
Speaker 1: gravity wings, and if you look at the Pelicans, they're

452
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,200
Speaker 1: very thin on the perimeter. C J. McCollum, Trey Murphy, IRB. Jones.

453
00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,480
Speaker 1: These are extremely talented players with a lot of length

454
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,320
Speaker 1: in athleticism, but they are thin. And the Grizzlies bullied

455
00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,400
Speaker 1: them in this game with ball pressure and with physicality

456
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,120
Speaker 1: off the ball, stopping them from getting to their spots. Again,

457
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,200
Speaker 1: I always talk about this basketball as a contact sport

458
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:45,879
Speaker 1: in the weight room is one of the most overlooked

459
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,320
Speaker 1: things for young players in this uh in the basketball world.

460
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,160
Speaker 1: They forced nineteen turnovers. The Pelicans shot just thirty five

461
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,920
Speaker 1: from the field and from three. The front court also

462
00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:58,680
Speaker 1: did a number on Zion, held him to six for

463
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,920
Speaker 1: sixteen with one assist in nine turnovers. All those Zion

464
00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,280
Speaker 1: did have some super impressive drives to the basket in

465
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 1: this game, like when he did go through that physical

466
00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,560
Speaker 1: Grizzlies line to get to the basket. It was really

467
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,760
Speaker 1: impressive to behold um. The game was actually relatively close

468
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:16,800
Speaker 1: through three quarters on the strength of New Orleans getting

469
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,200
Speaker 1: to the foul line a million times. But Jaren Jackson

470
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,520
Speaker 1: completely took over the fourth quarter that he rescued a

471
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,359
Speaker 1: possession on a baseline out of bounds with like two

472
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,280
Speaker 1: and a half seconds left on the shot clock by

473
00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,480
Speaker 1: banking in a three, and then from there he just

474
00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,320
Speaker 1: lit up with confidence and just started bullying his way

475
00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,040
Speaker 1: to the rim. He bullied Jackson Hayes all the way

476
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,000
Speaker 1: to the basket for a lefty layup. He had another

477
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,840
Speaker 1: lefty driving layup on Zion. He beat Zion on a

478
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,239
Speaker 1: deep seal for a dunk, and then he beat her

479
00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,640
Speaker 1: name Gomez with the spin moved back to his right

480
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,720
Speaker 1: hand on the right side of the room. All of

481
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:47,480
Speaker 1: those baskets were in the first five minutes of the

482
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,560
Speaker 1: fourth quarter. Then the Grizzes were up seventeen. The game

483
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,240
Speaker 1: was basically over at that point. Interesting that lineup that

484
00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:56,600
Speaker 1: they killed the Pelicans with to start the third head

485
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:58,720
Speaker 1: Brandon Clark and Jaren Jackson on the floor at the

486
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,400
Speaker 1: same time, which was a really interesting combination of rim

487
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,679
Speaker 1: protection with the two of them just flying around. It's

488
00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:05,960
Speaker 1: kind of terrifying to watch. I started digging into the

489
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,520
Speaker 1: line up data because I was curious. Ironically, that pairing

490
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,680
Speaker 1: hasn't been that great this season. I mean, they've been

491
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,320
Speaker 1: good there plus four net so out scoring teams by

492
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,280
Speaker 1: four points per one hundre possessions over about a five

493
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,960
Speaker 1: possession sample size, but only a one oh seven defensive rating,

494
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:20,440
Speaker 1: which surprised me. I thought it would be a little

495
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,040
Speaker 1: bit better. But that lineup was great against New Orleans.

496
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,080
Speaker 1: Then they turned around and bullied Sacramento to forty four

497
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,560
Speaker 1: in the paint in that game, fifty seven to forty

498
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,240
Speaker 1: seven on the glass, twenty one offensive rebounds on their

499
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:34,720
Speaker 1: way to a one eight teen to one oh eight

500
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 1: win over Sacramento. John Morand was fantastic eight and five,

501
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,840
Speaker 1: really was playing his ass off in the third quarter

502
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: as Memphis was starting to pull away. I you know,

503
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:46,720
Speaker 1: I I've mentioned with John morand we talked about his

504
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,800
Speaker 1: trash talk a little bit last week. I want to

505
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,440
Speaker 1: be clear, like, I love the mental makeup of that kid. Obviously,

506
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:53,960
Speaker 1: I'm not a huge fan of trash talk, and we

507
00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,720
Speaker 1: talked about that. That's a whole other separate conversation. But

508
00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 1: in terms of his competitive nature and what he's willing

509
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,600
Speaker 1: to do, in terms of just relentless effort to try

510
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,439
Speaker 1: to win basketball games, I find him to be one

511
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,040
Speaker 1: of the most likable players in the league. You know,

512
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,399
Speaker 1: we had a lot of fun at the expense of

513
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,640
Speaker 1: Memphis for losing four out of five against Western Conference

514
00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,639
Speaker 1: teams after Jah said that he's not scared of anybody

515
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,399
Speaker 1: in the West. But quietly, they've now won two straight

516
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,080
Speaker 1: against Western Conference playoff teams and Sacramento in New Orleans

517
00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:23,879
Speaker 1: were both playing really good basketball in those games. I

518
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,120
Speaker 1: mean they were close for three quarters, but they really

519
00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 1: pulled away in the fourth quarter of those games. Um.

520
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:30,879
Speaker 1: I want to zoom in on Jaren Jackson Jr. For

521
00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:32,640
Speaker 1: a second though, because we've talked a lot about other

522
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,919
Speaker 1: Grizzlies over the course of the last couple of weeks. Uh,

523
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,199
Speaker 1: Jaren Jackson had nine blocks over the weekend. Obviously at

524
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,320
Speaker 1: the monster fourth quarter against Zion, the Grizzlies were plus

525
00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,080
Speaker 1: twenty nine in his shifts over the weekend. We talked

526
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,400
Speaker 1: about close those two games were. Really on the surface,

527
00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,840
Speaker 1: his little fourth quarter bursts of two way basketball been

528
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:53,680
Speaker 1: a huge part of why they've been been able to

529
00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,080
Speaker 1: pull away in these games. We talked a little bit

530
00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,040
Speaker 1: about his amberdextrous rim protection in our last Grizzlies video,

531
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,720
Speaker 1: his willingness to block with both hands, which just gives

532
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:04,080
Speaker 1: him more range around the rim. But what I want

533
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,320
Speaker 1: to zoom in today is on Jaren Jackson's offense because

534
00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:12,200
Speaker 1: that was how he stole that Pelicans game. So, first

535
00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:13,800
Speaker 1: of all, he's made a three and all but two

536
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,000
Speaker 1: games this season, he's shooting a respectable on four point

537
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,000
Speaker 1: three three point attempts per game this year. That's all

538
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,520
Speaker 1: about that spacing stuff and those five out concepts that

539
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,440
Speaker 1: we talked about. It also credibly allows them to play

540
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,480
Speaker 1: a lot of two big lineups, whether that's Jaren Jackson

541
00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,760
Speaker 1: alongside Brandon Clark or Jaren Jackson alongside Steven Adams. That's

542
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,080
Speaker 1: a huge part of how they dominate teams on the

543
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:34,080
Speaker 1: offensive glass and on the defensive glass and just in

544
00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,959
Speaker 1: general physicality and protecting the rim. The only way that

545
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,280
Speaker 1: works is if Jaren Jackson offensively confunctionally act as a wing,

546
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,840
Speaker 1: which he can do. And then the other big part

547
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:45,679
Speaker 1: of that is what he can do in isolation, and

548
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: this is bullyball is so. I remember he talked a

549
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,960
Speaker 1: lot about this last year, how Jared was kind of

550
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,040
Speaker 1: out of control a little bit, just trying to trying

551
00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,320
Speaker 1: to run people over on his way to the rim,

552
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:56,880
Speaker 1: and I was worried about whether or not it would

553
00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,080
Speaker 1: translate to the playoffs, but it did, and I was

554
00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,359
Speaker 1: worried more from the standpoint of court vision. You know,

555
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,360
Speaker 1: he attends to drop his head, not really see what's

556
00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,440
Speaker 1: happening around him, and just plow through people. Like I

557
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,479
Speaker 1: think he's only passed out of isso once this entire season,

558
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:11,960
Speaker 1: um when I was looking at the data earlier today,

559
00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:14,720
Speaker 1: but in the playoffs, for whatever reason, it just didn't

560
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:16,320
Speaker 1: come back to bite him and he actually had a

561
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,800
Speaker 1: really productive offensive playoff run. But this year he's doing

562
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:21,520
Speaker 1: it again again. That's what won the game against the

563
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,920
Speaker 1: Pelicans on Saturday night, It really comes down to He's

564
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 1: a supreme athlete with a lot of strength, but he

565
00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,200
Speaker 1: also can incredibly dribble the basketball, which allows him to

566
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,400
Speaker 1: actually functionally get to his spots in ISO, like him

567
00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:39,480
Speaker 1: in that game against Pelicans after he makes the three,

568
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,160
Speaker 1: just staring at Jaren Jackson or excuse me, Saren at

569
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,200
Speaker 1: Jackson Hayes and hitting him with the dribble move to

570
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,880
Speaker 1: get that little lefty driving lane and then just plowing

571
00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:50,119
Speaker 1: through the driving lane to get all the way to

572
00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,200
Speaker 1: the basket. There's gotta be some credible ball handling there.

573
00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,280
Speaker 1: Jaren's averaging one point three nine points per possession in

574
00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,359
Speaker 1: ISO this year. Check this. That is sixth in the league.

575
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:02,200
Speaker 1: I'm a players who have attempted at least ten ISOs

576
00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,320
Speaker 1: this year. The Grizzlies are young, and they're immature, and

577
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,199
Speaker 1: they have a lot to learn in order to be

578
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,560
Speaker 1: more consistent, which is typical for young basketball team. So

579
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,800
Speaker 1: I'm not talking trash, it's just the reality, um. And

580
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,000
Speaker 1: they're specifically having some struggles traveling with that physicality when

581
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:20,600
Speaker 1: they go on the road, But they are ridiculously talented

582
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:25,239
Speaker 1: and and winning games in Memphis, especially when we get

583
00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:28,080
Speaker 1: into the playoffs like there, the physicality that they play

584
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,399
Speaker 1: with at home, the way they feed off that home crowd.

585
00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,879
Speaker 1: That's gonna give them a chance in any playoff series

586
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:34,560
Speaker 1: because it's just gonna be really hard to beat them

587
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,639
Speaker 1: at their place. All right, guys, that is all I

588
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 1: have for today. You guys know the drill. Remember tomorrow

589
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,000
Speaker 1: we're gonna be breaking down Monday night's games live on

590
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,840
Speaker 1: Thursday after I think it's Celtics MAVs, and then Friday

591
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,320
Speaker 1: night I'll upload of recording. They'll probably get uploaded on

592
00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,640
Speaker 1: Saturday morning breaking down the Friday night games. There's always

593
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:53,360
Speaker 1: a sincerely for Taker Sport and I'll see you next time.

594
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:01,840
Speaker 1: The volume