WEBVTT - MVP Ladder: Luka's Defensive Issues, Jokic and Embiid Dominating with Michael C. Wright 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:04.400 Welcome into NBA pulsa production of I Heart Radio in 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:07.880 the NBA. I'm Saracustack, NBA analysts for the S Network, 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:12.280 and today is Friday, January twenties, and from our incredible 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:15.560 core group of NBA journalists, I'm joined by NBA dot 0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:19.480 Com senior writer Michael C. Wright. In Uh, Michael're gonna 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:21.560 talk your m v P Ladder, which there is some 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:25.320 movement this week. Of course, Nicola Yoki stays in that 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:29.440 one spot, but up from number three, Jason Tatum is 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:32.519 that number two. Up from number five is Joel and 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:35.680 Beat at three, Luca don Che drops a little bit 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:39.120 down to the fourth spots, and Jana Sideta Kumpo is 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:42.680 at five. UM. So, first though, Michael, I want to 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.120 talk about Luca Luke and the MAVs. MAVs now have 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:47.400 lost three in a row, five of their last six, 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:51.120 the only win with that double overtime win at the 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:54.760 Los Angeles Lakers. UM big picture of you more so 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.480 of what's happening with them defensively, because that's something Jason 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:01.560 Kidd talks about quite at it after the last loss 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:04.000 or fifth and offensive rating, but twenty fifth and defense, 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:06.560 what do you see as some of the issues in 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:12.160 particular in that area, Sarah is just plain effort. If 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:14.520 you talk to Jason Kidd and and even the guys 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:16.759 on the team. But you know, they've had a couple 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:20.399 of guys out for while, Max and Cleber, and he's 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:24.440 actually been one of their defensive closers. Versatile dude, you know, 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:26.360 can shoot the three, but like I said, you can 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:28.520 play some defense, tou But they haven't had him for 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:32.319 a while. Dorian Finney Smith and Josh Breen just returned 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.040 to the lineup, and both those guys missed over ten 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:39.760 games a piece, and so you know, with all these 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:42.600 these you know, guys coming in and guys coming out, 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:46.360 there's an adjustment period, and I think that's what we're 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:48.440 seeing with the Mavericks there. I think they're gonna get 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.440 better defensively, but man, I mean, you can't get any 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:53.200 worse than they are right now. I think their last 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:56.160 three games they've given up an average of one thirty 0:01:56.200 --> 0:02:00.240 five point three. That's crazy, second worst defensive ratings since 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:09.320 Christmas rolling to Dallas. And so it's a problem right now. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:13.120 And you know how it goes if you if you're 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:15.840 in that m VP conversation and your team is losing 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:18.959 that that diminished your chances. And I think that's sort 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.000 of what's happening with Luca Dodges right now. I mean, 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:24.320 he's putting up just all the offensive numbers as usual, 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:26.840 but it's just not there on the defensive end. And 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.240 I think that's a problem for him right now. Yeah, 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.200 not there on the defensive end currently, Dallas sitting in 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.399 fifth place, and that's always kind of been something we've 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:38.760 looked at with Luca. However, I think his sheer size 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:41.520 and just the the ability to use that size and 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:45.720 coverage um sometimes has overshadowed some of those issues, but 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.680 it's becoming glaring now. And and obviously he's carrying a 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:51.840 ton of the load on the offensive side on his 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.560 thirty four points per game, nine rebounds, not assists. But 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:58.200 how big of an issue do you think in in 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.720 the short term and just long term that maybe for 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:04.720 don as a player and how he contributes to a 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:09.480 two true title contending team. Oh, you know, Sarah, I, 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:11.920 I actually I just had to look it up for 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:15.000 myself this morning, because you know, you look at what 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:17.839 Luka Dont just doing, and you know, we talked about 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:20.800 narrative when we are discussing, you know, the m v 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:25.360 P conversation and last year Nicola Yoki, you know, he 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:28.399 was missing his top two offensive players behind you know, 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:32.200 Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. You're missing both those guys, 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:36.240 and Nicola Yokes carried them all the way to the 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:40.600 six seed by himself pretty much. Well, if we're going 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.240 to use that narrative when we're talking about NICOLEA. Yoke, 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.320 I think it's got to apply to Luca Dodgers too. 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:48.520 It's the same thing. And you know, I sort of 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:51.000 want to check my old hypocrisy when I'm looking at this, 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:54.760 and so, you know, I think that he's still a 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.200 viable contender, and if he continues to put up the 0:03:57.240 --> 0:03:59.960 numbers he's he's putting up, and he carries the man 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:01.680 up to the playoffs there in the fifth see right 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:09.400 now rebounds forty seven minutes played and now sixty points 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:12.320 for the first time in Neverick's history. To me, that's 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:14.880 the same argument that we made last year from NICOLEA. Yoki. 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:17.480 So I think that he's just he's just got to 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:19.040 keep doing what he's doing. But I will say it 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:23.200 is I remember last year Jason Kidds saying that you know, 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:26.320 all he wanted was for Luka Dodge just to participate 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.400 on defense. Just participate, It's all we need from you. Well, 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.160 with him doing that, the MAVs ended up somewhere like 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.000 seventh last year in defensive rating, and so you know 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:38.039 we need that participation from Luka Dodges at this point. 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:41.760 I remember that press conference. I had a little chuckle 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:43.880 to myself. But but to your point to when you 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:46.599 brought up earlier, I think Dorian Phinney, Smith, Josh Greendos, 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:50.440 guys coming back, other defensive players, UM, different different individuals 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:53.200 getting healthy UH may contribute to help. I'm glad you 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.680 brought up NICOLEA. Yokich. The Denver Nuggets still holding on 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.000 to that number one seed. Yoki still holding on to 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.440 that one spot in your m v P Ladder seems 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:05.000 to be the front runner. He is someone that it's 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:07.600 fascinating how we view him and how we think of 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:11.360 him on the defensive side. Nuggets this season currently first 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:15.239 an offensive rating eighteenth and defensive rating. But for Yokis, 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:18.360 for as much as you put stock into these defensive metrics, 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:22.000 UH tenth in the NBA in defensive wind shares nineteenth 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:26.840 and individual defensive rating. Has he improved on that end 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:29.400 in ways that you think we may not give him 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.640 credit for, or does things in the um in the 0:05:32.760 --> 0:05:36.440 context of how a team is structured defensively, that um 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:40.000 maybe better than how we typically have have viewed him 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.960 as a defensive player. I think, you know, we we 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:47.920 send to look at his athleticism and think he's just 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:51.720 this big, slow guy. And you know, first off, let 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:55.040 me preface this by saying, I am not comparing Nicola 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:58.480 Yokis to Tim Duncan. But what I am saying is 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:03.080 that Tim Duncan was sort of the center of everything 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.000 the Spurs did defensively, and even when he started to 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.320 lose the step, he sort of just knew where to be. 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:12.120 He knew how the best help his teammates. And I 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.000 think that's what we see with Nicola Yokich. I think 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:16.960 is he's gotten older, he's gotten better at defense, but 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:19.520 I think a lot of that is just his his 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:22.840 his basketball, like you, that's making him better. And so 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:26.000 you know, we don't talk a lot about what he's 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.640 doing defensively, and that's because of what he does offensively 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.560 and what he does just overalls help the team win. 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:35.760 I mean, think about this, his last five games, he 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:39.120 shot the ball six better. So those are the things 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:41.280 you pay attention and that's the things you pay attention to. 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.239 I mean, he had a triple double, thirty point triple 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:48.440 double recently, and he shot something like from the floor 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:53.400 when the triple for the fifth time in his last 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.679 six games. So you can't help but look at those numbers. 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:58.960 But like I said, defensively, he's a lot better than 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.719 we give him credit for. For sure. Well what about 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.600 just Denver in the in the thoughts of Okay playoffs 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:07.800 winning a championship, I said, kind the middle of the 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:09.680 pack here, just below middle of the pack, eighteenth in 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.760 defensive rating. But you think about the team, so maybe 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.560 playing could be playing, whether it's a group like the 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:19.240 Golden State Warriors. How much turns into half court defense 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:22.360 in in the postseason, you got so much switching that 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:24.960 takes place, all the pick and roll actions. What does 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:28.000 Denver do to try and best help him? I guess 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.560 you could say, um, when it does get to the 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:33.000 time that it's the postseason and he needs to be 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.440 on the floor, uh, for for those closing minutes of games, 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.080 I think what what I'm really liking about the Denver 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:44.440 Nuggets this season is that Michael Mallowe knows like he's 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:48.760 he said it that you know, we can't get to 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:52.760 where we need to get sitting where we are right now. Defensively, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.080 I think there's something like eighteen or something they're down, 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.680 and so you know, those are the things you work 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:03.840 on now. And the Nuggets have won something like with 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.520 eight in a row something like that. At home, they're 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:14.760 like unbeatable and three at home six sixty ten seconds ago. 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:22.200 Gotta go Jamal Murder you catch, he'll catch backs up 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:33.760 the God. Yeah, it's ridiculous. And I think throughout the 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:37.360 course of the season they're gonna get better and better 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:40.520 and better defensively. But I think it's just more of 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:44.080 just learning what you have to do. And we also 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:46.480 have to look at this. Jamal Murray is just now 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:48.800 starting to hit his stride, you know. I mean he's 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.640 coming back from that knee injury and you know, like 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:55.360 those are two year injuries essentially, and so I think 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:58.600 this is just a matter of everybody collectively being together 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:02.320 on the floor more. And the Nuggets have figured out 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:07.280 some some just great reserve guys, you know, Zeke Nazi, 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:11.840 you got Bows Highland. Those guys are are you know, 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:16.520 becoming like key rotation players and that that's gonna help 0:09:16.559 --> 0:09:19.920 them too. So I think they're gonna get better defensively. 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.720 I'm just not sure they'll be good enough when when 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.240 when that time come, because they're gonna facing big guns 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:31.280 in the West, I mean teams that can score the Mavericks, 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:34.560 you know, uh, the Golden State, as you alluded to earlier. 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:38.200 So they they've got their work cut out for him. Still, Yeah, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.760 it's gonna be really interesting, especially how wide open the 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.000 West seems in particular towards the top and opportunities for others. 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:46.520 All Right, we're gonna take a quick break and the 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:50.199 other side talk about another team that has been rolling 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.360 to Philadelphia seventies Sixers have won four in a row 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.000 and Joel Embiid obviously a big part of that. Don't 0:09:57.000 --> 0:10:05.000 go any market, Welcome back to NBA Pulse. Saracousta joined 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:09.800 by Michael C. Wright and Uh Michael the seventies Sixers. 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.760 They're tied for second in the East with the Milwaukee Bucks. Uh. 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:15.600 They've been playing really well as of late. They've won 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.800 four in a row. And Joel embiid obviously a huge 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.920 factor in that he jumped up from the number five 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:24.520 spots in the number three spot in your m v 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.079 P ladder. And obviously we can talk about a lot 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.000 of things when it comes to him, but I think 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.480 just what he does on both sides of the floor. Uh, 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.559 the impact that he's made. What have you seen out 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:37.920 of him when he's been able to consistently be on 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.600 the floor and and be healthy and be available for 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.520 the seventies sixers, What have you seen out of him 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:46.160 as of late? Um, that's that's impressed you in a 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:50.520 different way potentially. Just it really is just two way dominds. 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:57.360 I mean, when Joel Embi is healthy and he is 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:01.240 the type he's a generational player, em beat the fly 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:09.440 by the fuzz shoe well, embad bottom and you see 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:11.920 that night in the night out. I mean, you know 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:16.600 he does so much for them offensively and defensively. Herself. 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:23.320 Drolling Bed could have easy just laid back in the 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:26.760 backcourt and not went after this. But when your leader 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.840 does this on the defensive van he carries such a 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.439 heavy load that you know that to me lends itself 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.840 to the injuries. But I think that, like you know, 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:40.040 with with James Harden's starting to play better and we 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:43.000 talked about this last week. James Harden has been better 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:45.880 and you know he's back to triple double James Harden, 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:49.040 and I think that that chemistry between those two being 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.400 on the floor together more. I think you're starting to 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.960 see it. I mean what I think in just this 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:56.559 last month they had ten games and they want eight 0:11:56.600 --> 0:12:00.120 on them. They're rolling right now. Dr Riffer said. He 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:03.400 said something like, uh, right now, I think we're good, 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:07.280 but we can be really really good. And he's not lying, no, 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:09.880 And I'm glad you mentioned that because with James Harden, 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:13.440 I think that's been just an interesting watch of how 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:16.240 they fit, how they're trying to find ways to complement 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.360 one another. Um with the time and the consistency on 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:22.000 the floor together. When it comes to embiide, where do 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:25.880 you think he can thrive best with how he plays 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:29.440 with an off of James Harden, uh, in particular on 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:32.800 that offensive side. So they so they both can be 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:36.800 at their peak and optimum um for being impactful. Well 0:12:36.800 --> 0:12:41.000 that picking roll as a monster. Uh, and that's that's 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.360 gonna be you know, part of the bread and butter 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:45.760 for them. And you know, like what I like about 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.040 Joel and Vitn is just that like people look at 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.360 him as just this this big guy that that's just 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:55.480 you know, barreling over people in the pain. No dude 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:57.720 can take you off the dribble. He can hit you 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.680 with step back three. You know, he's got He's got 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.199 a lot of a lot of offensive game that I 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.200 don't think we get him credit for because we see 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:08.320 how dominant he is inside. And so I think that 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:12.400 versatility and what you you you pair that with what 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.600 James Harden is doing, and you know, I think that's 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:20.400 a just a couple of ingredients for greatness moving forward. 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:22.400 And you know, before we came on, you know, I 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.439 was curious as to you know, where Philly ranges both 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:29.360 offensively and defensively. And they've got the main two ingredients 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.280 to go win championships. You know, you're in the top 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:35.000 ten on both sides. That's that's what you need, you know. 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:37.160 I mean we were just talking about the Denver Nuggets 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:41.199 and how they're so low defensively, Well, Denver would love 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.480 to be in Phillies position right now. And you know, 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:46.280 you can sort of see the Sixers just surging up 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:49.360 the East standings, and you know, I know some of 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.600 that is because Katie is out, but you know, they 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:55.680 definitely moved up and they're what tide with Milwaukee right 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:58.200 now for second and the East tied with Milwaukee for 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:00.200 second in the East. And also, like you said, mean 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.200 fourth and defensive ratings seventh and offensive rating. Um. I 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:06.480 think for all those reasons, it's been in present and 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:08.800 Bead has been shooting the midrange really well too, and 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:10.720 I think that's where playing off the heart and how 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.280 you're finding space in on the floor. He's got some footwork, 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:15.040 You're right, you watch him around the but he can 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:20.720 be light on his feet, that big man. Everything, everything well, 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.120 he has been fun to watch. Philadelphia obviously has been 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:27.480 and uh Michael has always We appreciate, appreciate your time 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.520 and excited to check everything out on NBA dot com, 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.920 in particular the m v P Ladder for this week, 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.760 Join us again on Monday. NBA Pulse with Sarahkustack is 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.360 a production of the NBA and I Heart Radio. Please rate, review, 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:41.640 and subscribe on the I Heart Radio app or wherever 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:42.960 you can get your podcasts.