1
00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:15,840
Speaker 1: The Volume. All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at

2
00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,119
Speaker 1: the Volume. Happy Wednesday, everybody. I hope all of you

3
00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:19,959
Speaker 1: guys are having a great week so far. We are

4
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,080
Speaker 1: also live on AMPS, so if you're watching on YouTube,

5
00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:24,280
Speaker 1: we're listening on the podcast feeds. Don't forget that AMP

6
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,360
Speaker 1: is the very first place that you guys can get

7
00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,240
Speaker 1: these shows. We're continuing our power rankings today with number nineteen,

8
00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,199
Speaker 1: the New Orleans Pelicans. We got a full preview on

9
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,600
Speaker 1: them today as well as two mail bag questions for

10
00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:38,440
Speaker 1: the end of the show as well. You guys are

11
00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,280
Speaker 1: the joke. Before we get started, follow me on Twitter

12
00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,960
Speaker 1: at underscore Jason lt for show announcements. Make sure you

13
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,480
Speaker 1: subscribe to our YouTube channel. Don't forget you can find

14
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,000
Speaker 1: us wherever you get your podcasts under Hoops Tonight. And

15
00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,400
Speaker 1: I need mail bag questions, so drop those in the

16
00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:52,559
Speaker 1: YouTube comments as well. And then, last but not least,

17
00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:54,880
Speaker 1: before we get started. You know, my wife and I

18
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:56,600
Speaker 1: have struggled a lot with this over the last couple

19
00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:58,680
Speaker 1: of years. You just get busier and busier as you

20
00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,680
Speaker 1: get older. You've got your family, You've got her family,

21
00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,120
Speaker 1: You've got your friends, you got her friends. You've got

22
00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:04,040
Speaker 1: the friends you made together. Then all your friends start

23
00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:05,840
Speaker 1: having kids, and now all of a sudden, there's birthday parties,

24
00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,280
Speaker 1: and it's like your social calendar just gets crazier and crazier.

25
00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,200
Speaker 1: You get busier and busier in your career, it just

26
00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:14,480
Speaker 1: gets harder and harder to find time to make and

27
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,600
Speaker 1: prepare good meals for yourself. And then you find these

28
00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,279
Speaker 1: meal services out there and they send you all the stuff,

29
00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,680
Speaker 1: but then it takes forty five damn minutes to cook it,

30
00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:24,240
Speaker 1: And who's got time to do that when you've got

31
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,640
Speaker 1: all that extra stuff going on. So I want to

32
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,000
Speaker 1: take a few minutes today to tell you guys about Factor.

33
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,520
Speaker 1: With the busy fall season just around the corner, you

34
00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 1: might be looking for wholesome, convenient meals for jam packed days.

35
00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,480
Speaker 1: Factor America's number one ready to eat meal kit, can

36
00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,360
Speaker 1: help you fuel up fast. With chef prepared, dietician approved

37
00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,520
Speaker 1: ready to eat meals delivered straight to your door, you'll

38
00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,120
Speaker 1: save time, eat well, and stay on track with your

39
00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,320
Speaker 1: healthy lifestyle. Too busy with your end of summer goals

40
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,120
Speaker 1: to cook, but want to make sure you're eating well.

41
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,240
Speaker 1: With Factor, you can skip the extra trip to the

42
00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,880
Speaker 1: grocery store and the chopping and the prepping and the

43
00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,520
Speaker 1: cleaning up too, while still getting the flavor and nutritional

44
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,880
Speaker 1: quality you need. Factors Fresh never frozen meals are ready

45
00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,080
Speaker 1: in just two minutes, so all you have to do

46
00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,280
Speaker 1: is heat and enjoy, then get back to crushing your goals.

47
00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,399
Speaker 1: Refresh your healthy habits without missing a beat. Choose from

48
00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,920
Speaker 1: thirty four plus weekly flavor packed dietician approved meals ready

49
00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,120
Speaker 1: to eat in two minutes. Then you can level up

50
00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,000
Speaker 1: with gormet plus options prepared to perfection by chefs and

51
00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,919
Speaker 1: ready to eat in record time. Treat yourself to upscale

52
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:29,040
Speaker 1: meals with premium ingreent premium ingredients like brocolini, leaks, truffle, butter,

53
00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,440
Speaker 1: and asparagus. Too busy running aroun during the day to

54
00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,840
Speaker 1: think about lunch. Keep your energy up with lunch to

55
00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,560
Speaker 1: go effortless wholesome meals like grain bowls and salad toppers

56
00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,400
Speaker 1: that are ready to eat when you're on the go,

57
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:44,440
Speaker 1: no microwave require. They also have localorie options. They've got

58
00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,840
Speaker 1: snacks as well. You can round out your snack supply

59
00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,960
Speaker 1: with an ass assortment of forty five plus add ons.

60
00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,360
Speaker 1: With factor you can rest assured you're making a sustainable choice.

61
00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,320
Speaker 1: They offset one hundred percent of their delivery emissions, source

62
00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,760
Speaker 1: one hundred percent renewable electricity for their production sites and offices,

63
00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,079
Speaker 1: and they feature sustainably sourced seafood in their meals. This August,

64
00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,760
Speaker 1: get factor and enjoy eating well without the hassle. This September,

65
00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,519
Speaker 1: I should say, simply choose your meals and enjoy fresh,

66
00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,320
Speaker 1: flavor packed meals delivered to your door, ready in just

67
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,520
Speaker 1: two minutes, no prep, no mess. Head to factor meals

68
00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:25,400
Speaker 1: dot com. Slash timph fifty. That's timpf fifty and use

69
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,000
Speaker 1: code temp fifty to get fifty percent off. That's code

70
00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,880
Speaker 1: timph fifty at factor meals dot Com. Slash timph fifty

71
00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,960
Speaker 1: to get fifty percent off. All right, let's talk some basketball.

72
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,800
Speaker 1: So the New Orleans Pelicans the little recap of their offseason.

73
00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,040
Speaker 1: They lost Jackson Hayes, Willie ern and Gomez, Josh Richardson,

74
00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,520
Speaker 1: and Garrett Temple. They added Jordan Hawkins as their first

75
00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,120
Speaker 1: round draft pick. He's a movement shooter out of Yukon.

76
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,440
Speaker 1: Little undersize six ' four and a quarter without shoes on,

77
00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:56,680
Speaker 1: so that's roughly six five and a half with shoes

78
00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,800
Speaker 1: on six to seven wingspan, so not going to be

79
00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,480
Speaker 1: a very physically impressive athlete at the position, but he

80
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,680
Speaker 1: is one of the best movement shooters in the country

81
00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,360
Speaker 1: in the college game last year. Really really good footwork

82
00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,480
Speaker 1: coming off screens. We talked about this last a Spurs

83
00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:14,600
Speaker 1: show at the very end where we're talking about drills.

84
00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,160
Speaker 1: But in order to successfully get shots off in every situation,

85
00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,680
Speaker 1: you have to have footwork going to your left and

86
00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,160
Speaker 1: to your right, and that's a really challenging part for

87
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,440
Speaker 1: shooters because most shooters like to have like their right foot.

88
00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:29,799
Speaker 1: Right handed shooters like to have their right foot forward,

89
00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,160
Speaker 1: and so that means as you're coming around screens, you

90
00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,680
Speaker 1: have to plant your left foot. If you're coming this way,

91
00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:36,600
Speaker 1: you have to plant your left foot and then plant

92
00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:38,880
Speaker 1: your right foot and square up in mid air. It's

93
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,280
Speaker 1: challenging and a lot of players don't know how to

94
00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,120
Speaker 1: do it. It's a bit of a lost art actually,

95
00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,440
Speaker 1: especially movement shooting in general. And Jordan Hawkins is great

96
00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,320
Speaker 1: at this. He flies off of screens, gets quick easy

97
00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,000
Speaker 1: lift as a nice quick release. It's gonna be an

98
00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,400
Speaker 1: interesting weapon to add to the Pelicans attack. This year.

99
00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,400
Speaker 1: He converted off screen possessions at Yukon and at one

100
00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,960
Speaker 1: point two to two points per possession last year. That's

101
00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,920
Speaker 1: insanely good. There were only five players in the college

102
00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,800
Speaker 1: game last year to log at least one hundred off

103
00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,159
Speaker 1: screen plays, and he was number one by a mile

104
00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,600
Speaker 1: in efficiency in that group. That is kind of a

105
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,960
Speaker 1: dying art, the idea of running around off of screens

106
00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,080
Speaker 1: and rising up and hitting shots. For whatever reason, the

107
00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,720
Speaker 1: game has kind of transitioned into every kid wants to

108
00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:24,760
Speaker 1: handle the basketball, and that's why we don't have many

109
00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,480
Speaker 1: guys that can score out of the post efficiently, not

110
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,320
Speaker 1: just bigs, but also guards as well, and that's why

111
00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,080
Speaker 1: we don't have many guards who know how to play

112
00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,800
Speaker 1: off the ball. I think that's an important element to

113
00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:36,920
Speaker 1: some of the struggles we've seen with Team USA, as

114
00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,840
Speaker 1: we've seen stars move into that environment and struggle. I

115
00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:41,960
Speaker 1: think that's a part of brandon ingram struggles. He just

116
00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,800
Speaker 1: unless he's running, you know, twenty five pick and rolls,

117
00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,080
Speaker 1: ISOs and post ups a game, he just struggles to

118
00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,880
Speaker 1: impact winning right And I think that's it's kind of

119
00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,320
Speaker 1: interesting to see a guy like Jordan Hawkins that has

120
00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,360
Speaker 1: made work out of learning how to play off the

121
00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,560
Speaker 1: ball in this modern era as we lower the volume.

122
00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:02,560
Speaker 1: So he was number one out of five guys to

123
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,000
Speaker 1: run at least one hundred. But even to demonstrate to

124
00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,320
Speaker 1: you guys just how efficient he was, if I dropped

125
00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:11,360
Speaker 1: that qualifier down to fifty possessions, there were ninety players

126
00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,360
Speaker 1: that qualified and he still finished number eight in that

127
00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:18,960
Speaker 1: group inefficiency, so an outstanding off of screen player. He

128
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,680
Speaker 1: also converted spot up possessions at a one point two

129
00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,000
Speaker 1: eight points per possession clip, which is ridiculous. That's in

130
00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:31,000
Speaker 1: that like Michael Porter Junior, absolutely deadly territory. Right. As

131
00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,240
Speaker 1: a shot maker, he was sixty three percent in effective

132
00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:35,640
Speaker 1: field goal percentage on catch and shoot jumpers. That's insane.

133
00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:38,880
Speaker 1: Sixty seven percent when he's guarded, which means he doesn't

134
00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,640
Speaker 1: need much space and he's not bothered by contests, and

135
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,840
Speaker 1: he shot well on a big stage. In the NCAA

136
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,480
Speaker 1: Tournament last year, he took thirty three jump shots and

137
00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:51,280
Speaker 1: converted them at a sixty six percent effective field goal percentage. Downsides,

138
00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,080
Speaker 1: he was only thirty five percent effective field goal percentage

139
00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,720
Speaker 1: and jump shots off the bounce, which is not great.

140
00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,200
Speaker 1: So not a guy who can put the ball on

141
00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,400
Speaker 1: the floor. Well, he was only one for three thirteen

142
00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,640
Speaker 1: on floaters, so he doesn't have anything before he gets

143
00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:04,520
Speaker 1: to the rim, and then he shot just fifty three

144
00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,280
Speaker 1: percent at the rim. So obviously the stuff he's gonna

145
00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,559
Speaker 1: have to polish up in the NBA is the stuff

146
00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:11,560
Speaker 1: when he does get chased off the line and he

147
00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:13,440
Speaker 1: has to put the ball on the floor towards the basket.

148
00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,320
Speaker 1: But we've seen that happen. We've seen guys like Duncan

149
00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:18,440
Speaker 1: Robinson add that in recent years, and when they do,

150
00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,640
Speaker 1: they instantly become a lot more playable. And so really

151
00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:23,280
Speaker 1: it comes down to can you learn to put the

152
00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,240
Speaker 1: ball on the floor a little bit and will he

153
00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:27,680
Speaker 1: be able to translate to the NBA as a defender,

154
00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,480
Speaker 1: because that's kind of like the crossroads for these high

155
00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,800
Speaker 1: volume movement shooters. Are you gonna be Klay Thompson esque

156
00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,840
Speaker 1: or are you gonna be Malik Beasley esque because Lague

157
00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:38,920
Speaker 1: Beasley takes a lot off the dribble or off the

158
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,560
Speaker 1: move shots, but doesn't make him at a super high clip,

159
00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,800
Speaker 1: doesn't impact the game defensively, doesn't put the ball on

160
00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,480
Speaker 1: the floor. Well, Klay Thompson understands how to use escape

161
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 1: dribbles turned himself into an above average in his prime,

162
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,320
Speaker 1: even a great perimeter defensive player. So that's gonna be

163
00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,000
Speaker 1: kind of the delineation for Jordan Hawkins as Canny learn

164
00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,800
Speaker 1: how to defend. But a really really interesting movement shooter

165
00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,480
Speaker 1: to add to a team that needs guys who know

166
00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:04,920
Speaker 1: how to play off the ball with the on ball

167
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,360
Speaker 1: talent that they have. They also signed Cody Zeller as

168
00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,800
Speaker 1: a backup center. He was sixteen points and eleven rebounds

169
00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,160
Speaker 1: per thirty six minutes in fifteen regular season games for

170
00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,400
Speaker 1: the Heat last year, and then ten to ten per

171
00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:21,240
Speaker 1: thirty six minutes in twenty one playoff games last year. Now,

172
00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,000
Speaker 1: I always use per thirty six for bench players because

173
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,400
Speaker 1: it just gives you an idea of how much production

174
00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,360
Speaker 1: they're providing in their limited minutes, and thirty six is

175
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,000
Speaker 1: kind of general for what you'd expect from a starter, right.

176
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,199
Speaker 1: So the depth chart at the guard position, they have

177
00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,960
Speaker 1: CJ McCollum, Naji Marshall, one of my favorite, like shifty

178
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,800
Speaker 1: good handle, kind of like hoopers in the league, Jose Alvardo,

179
00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,280
Speaker 1: Kira Lewis, Jordan Hawkins, and then the forward Zion Williamson,

180
00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,280
Speaker 1: Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy and Dyson Daniels. And

181
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:57,160
Speaker 1: then for the bigs, they've got Fionas Valanciunis, Larry Nantz Junior,

182
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,800
Speaker 1: and Cody Zeller. The starters win their health should be CJ.

183
00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:03,320
Speaker 1: McCollum at the point, Herb Jones at the two, brandon

184
00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,720
Speaker 1: Ingram at the three, Zion Williams at the Williamson at

185
00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,600
Speaker 1: the four, and Yonas Valanciunas at the five. We also

186
00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,800
Speaker 1: found out that Trey Murphy torres meniscus in an offseason workout,

187
00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,680
Speaker 1: so he's gonna miss the first couple months of the season,

188
00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,120
Speaker 1: obviously a big blow because he's one of their best

189
00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,360
Speaker 1: shooters and one of the best, like kind of up

190
00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,559
Speaker 1: and coming young scores in the NBA. So hopefully he

191
00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,720
Speaker 1: can get healthy and make the leap that we're all

192
00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,199
Speaker 1: expecting to see from him this year. Football is back

193
00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,559
Speaker 1: in full swing with another week of epic games and

194
00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,240
Speaker 1: who's got you covered on the action for every single

195
00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,400
Speaker 1: one of them. Draft Kings Sportsbook, an official sports betting

196
00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,960
Speaker 1: partner of the NFL. New customers can bet five dollars

197
00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:46,360
Speaker 1: on football and get two hundred dollars instantly in bonus bets.

198
00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,760
Speaker 1: Nobody's missing out on the action this season. All DraftKings

199
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,240
Speaker 1: customers could take advantage of two new offers every single

200
00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,920
Speaker 1: game day this September. Get in on the NFL Week

201
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,439
Speaker 1: two action with Draft Kings Sportsbook. Download the app now

202
00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,120
Speaker 1: and use code hoop to sign up. New customers can

203
00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,280
Speaker 1: bet just five dollars and take home two hundred dollars

204
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,520
Speaker 1: instantly in bonus bets only on DraftKings Sportsbook with code hoops.

205
00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:14,240
Speaker 1: That's h oops. The Crown is yours. Gambling problem call

206
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,960
Speaker 1: one eight hundred gambler or visit www dot one eight

207
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,160
Speaker 1: hundred gambler dot net. In New York, call eight seven

208
00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,839
Speaker 1: seven eight hope and why, or text hope and why

209
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,600
Speaker 1: to four six seven three six nine. In Connecticut, help

210
00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,720
Speaker 1: is available for problem gambling. Call eight eight eight seven

211
00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,480
Speaker 1: eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org.

212
00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,120
Speaker 1: Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill casino and resort

213
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,600
Speaker 1: in Kansas twenty one plus age varies by jurisdiction. Void

214
00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:47,840
Speaker 1: in Ontario. See dkang dot co slash football for eligibility

215
00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,400
Speaker 1: terms and responsible gambling resources bonus bets expire seven days

216
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,280
Speaker 1: after issuance. Eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. I want to

217
00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:58,480
Speaker 1: take a brief look at what they do offensively, some

218
00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,120
Speaker 1: things to look for in terms of progression of their

219
00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:02,920
Speaker 1: ball handlers. Then we'll talk a little bit about the

220
00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,120
Speaker 1: defensive end as well. So this team has a lot

221
00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,000
Speaker 1: of ball handling. Obviously we think of CJ. McCom and

222
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,920
Speaker 1: brandon ingram as like the offensive Fulkrums, But make no mistake,

223
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,440
Speaker 1: this is a team that likes to attack the paint.

224
00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:17,040
Speaker 1: Even without Zion Williamson, they were eighth in paint points

225
00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:19,520
Speaker 1: per one hundred possessions last year in the entire NBA.

226
00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,600
Speaker 1: They ran seven hundred and forty two post ups last year.

227
00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,199
Speaker 1: That was third in the entire league, behind just the

228
00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:29,680
Speaker 1: Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks. Spearheaded by Yonis Valanciunas,

229
00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,679
Speaker 1: he ran four hundred post ups last year, which is

230
00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,160
Speaker 1: huge volume for a single player in the modern NBA.

231
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,600
Speaker 1: That led to four hundred and sixteen points last year

232
00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,440
Speaker 1: including passes, So that's one point zero four points per possession,

233
00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:43,160
Speaker 1: which is very good. Now among the high volume guys,

234
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,160
Speaker 1: there's nine guys in the league ran at least three

235
00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,160
Speaker 1: hundred post ups. Jonas came in an eighth out of

236
00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,559
Speaker 1: the nine players, so among the high volume guys, he's

237
00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:52,400
Speaker 1: one of the least efficient, but he is an efficient

238
00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:55,400
Speaker 1: post player at high volume. Zion Williamson also ran one

239
00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:57,600
Speaker 1: hundred and seventy post ups last year, leading to one

240
00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,199
Speaker 1: hundred and eighty five points. That's one point zer or

241
00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:05,000
Speaker 1: nine points per possession in the sixty eighth percentile. Including passes.

242
00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,040
Speaker 1: Zion was just completely off the charts good in ISO situations.

243
00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,760
Speaker 1: They would either clear the side entirely and let him

244
00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,000
Speaker 1: operate with an empty side, or they'd go five out

245
00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,160
Speaker 1: and let him attack from the wing with the shooter

246
00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,600
Speaker 1: in the strong side corner that didn't want to help,

247
00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:20,760
Speaker 1: where the defender didn't want to help, but he would

248
00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,920
Speaker 1: just there wasn't anything like tactically impressive about it. He

249
00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,600
Speaker 1: just beats his man off the dribble towards the middle

250
00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,680
Speaker 1: of the floor and either rises up over everybody and finishes,

251
00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,679
Speaker 1: or makes a kickout pass to a shooter or a

252
00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:36,360
Speaker 1: drop off pass to a cutter. Forty eight players ran

253
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,520
Speaker 1: at least one hundred and fifty ISOs last year. Zion's

254
00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,840
Speaker 1: one point one point eight points per possession, finished third

255
00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:44,880
Speaker 1: out of those forty eight players, So one of the

256
00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,679
Speaker 1: best isolation players in the league last year. It's just

257
00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:50,959
Speaker 1: impossible to keep him in front off the dribble. And

258
00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:53,880
Speaker 1: you know, everything that we talk about today comes down

259
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,480
Speaker 1: to whether or not Zion is actually going to be available, healthy,

260
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,319
Speaker 1: in shape, and capable of withstanding an eighty two game

261
00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,760
Speaker 1: regular season and potentially a playoff rount. At the end

262
00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,400
Speaker 1: of the day, he is their most important player and

263
00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:08,240
Speaker 1: everything hinges on him. We're going to talk about the

264
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,440
Speaker 1: team as a whole, but as we talk about their

265
00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:14,439
Speaker 1: ultimate ceiling this year, everything comes down to Zion. So

266
00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:17,079
Speaker 1: we talked about Zion and Yonis Valencunas attacking the paint,

267
00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,200
Speaker 1: but this is also a team that loves to attack

268
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,240
Speaker 1: the offensive glass. They had two hundred and seventy two

269
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,520
Speaker 1: made field goals last year off of offensive rebound putbacks.

270
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,959
Speaker 1: That was the sixth most in the entire NBA last year.

271
00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,760
Speaker 1: And surprisingly enough, teams that attack the offensive glass tend

272
00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,120
Speaker 1: to have issues in transition defense. Not the New Orleans Pelicans.

273
00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,719
Speaker 1: They give up a lot of transition opportunities. They were

274
00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,960
Speaker 1: the nineteenth best team at preventing transition opportunities. So they

275
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:44,880
Speaker 1: gave up a lot of transition opportunities, but they were

276
00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,600
Speaker 1: an excellent transition defense. According to Cleaning the Glass, they

277
00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:52,000
Speaker 1: were tenth in transition defensive rating. So that's a credit

278
00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:53,640
Speaker 1: to Willie Green and him just getting these guys to

279
00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:57,679
Speaker 1: play really hard sprinting back in transition, communicating and getting

280
00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,000
Speaker 1: matched up when they get back there. As a spacing team,

281
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,080
Speaker 1: they're very good as well. They were ninth in spot

282
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,480
Speaker 1: up efficiency at one point zero seven points per possession.

283
00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,720
Speaker 1: That's excellent for a team that constantly tries to attack

284
00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,920
Speaker 1: the paint. That tells you that they're generating high quality

285
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,480
Speaker 1: spot up opportunities and they are converting them well. Now,

286
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,719
Speaker 1: pick and roll obviously is a very important part of

287
00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,120
Speaker 1: any NBA offense. They don't run as much of it

288
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,200
Speaker 1: as other teams in the league. They're bottom ten in frequency.

289
00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:28,360
Speaker 1: They're also nineteenth in efficiency. Brandon Ingram was great at

290
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,040
Speaker 1: it one point zero three points per possession including passes.

291
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,920
Speaker 1: That was in the sixty eighth percentile. I've talked a

292
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,000
Speaker 1: lot about brandon Ingram in our player rankings. He's one

293
00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,040
Speaker 1: of my favorite pick and roll passers in the league.

294
00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,520
Speaker 1: He just has the ability to see over the top

295
00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,120
Speaker 1: of the defense and make the reads that a lot

296
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,120
Speaker 1: of guys can't make. And he's excellent with the cross

297
00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,560
Speaker 1: court pass to the weak side corner, which is one

298
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,280
Speaker 1: of the most important elements to beating a pick and

299
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,800
Speaker 1: roll defense, particularly when they try to guard three on

300
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,000
Speaker 1: two by bringing the lowman over out of the weak

301
00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:00,200
Speaker 1: side corner. The world cut thing with Brandon Ingram, I

302
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,440
Speaker 1: don't overthink it. If I were you guys like I

303
00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,920
Speaker 1: don't think it's an indication of limitations that Brandon Ingram

304
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,120
Speaker 1: has in the big picture. Like, yeah, if we tuck

305
00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:11,160
Speaker 1: him in the corner and have him playoff ball for

306
00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,440
Speaker 1: large portions of games, he's not gonna be as impactful

307
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,680
Speaker 1: as somebody who's done that his entire life. Brandon Ingram

308
00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,840
Speaker 1: is a guy who's a primary ball hand alert and

309
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:21,680
Speaker 1: that's the way he should be judged. Is there a

310
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,960
Speaker 1: larger conversation we should have about whether or not guys

311
00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:30,200
Speaker 1: are being well like in terms of their development as kids.

312
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,040
Speaker 1: Are they getting enough of a well rounded basketball development.

313
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,600
Speaker 1: That's a conversation we can have. I don't think it's

314
00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,880
Speaker 1: a coincidence when you see defensive minded, role playing forwards

315
00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,840
Speaker 1: that become stars, they tend to be very well rounded

316
00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,360
Speaker 1: as stars. Right, That's where you get your Jimmy Butler's

317
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,200
Speaker 1: and your Kawhi Leonards and your Paul George's. And this

318
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,840
Speaker 1: next one is this Jabari Smith Junior or so to

319
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,600
Speaker 1: a ton of flashes in Summer League this year. I

320
00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,000
Speaker 1: think that that's an indicator of the fact that we

321
00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:02,040
Speaker 1: would be better served in our in basketball player development

322
00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,239
Speaker 1: in America by giving kids a more well rounded basketball

323
00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:09,520
Speaker 1: training experience. But the reality is is this is what

324
00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,360
Speaker 1: it is. And Brandon Ingram is a primary ball handler,

325
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,720
Speaker 1: and he's one of the best pick and roll passers

326
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:16,240
Speaker 1: in the league. And he's got to run a lot

327
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,200
Speaker 1: of pick and rolls, and he's run a lot of

328
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,240
Speaker 1: ISOs and post ups, and that's what he does best.

329
00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,600
Speaker 1: And so you know, really it doesn't matter in the

330
00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,120
Speaker 1: big pictures, So I don't really look too much into

331
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,040
Speaker 1: his World Cup struggles. In terms of Brandon Ingram's standing

332
00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,560
Speaker 1: in the NBA, CJ. McCollum was much closer to averages

333
00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,320
Speaker 1: pick and roll ball handler one point zero zero points

334
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,560
Speaker 1: per possession flat. That's in the sixtieth percentile really rough

335
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,160
Speaker 1: shooting year. He only made He only shot forty six

336
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,920
Speaker 1: percent in effective field goal percentage on pull up jump shots.

337
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,120
Speaker 1: Last year, To give you guys some perspective, his last

338
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,680
Speaker 1: full season in Portland, he shot fifty three percent in

339
00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,120
Speaker 1: effective field goal percentage on pull up jump shots. And remember,

340
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,360
Speaker 1: like you want to be like forty eight at the lowest,

341
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,960
Speaker 1: preferably in the low fifties, and the best players in

342
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,280
Speaker 1: the league are in the mid fifties. And like the

343
00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:08,840
Speaker 1: Steph Curry Kevin Durant tier, which is like alien best

344
00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,239
Speaker 1: players in basketball history at pull up jump shots, those

345
00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,920
Speaker 1: guys are at about sixty percent, But forty six percent

346
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:15,480
Speaker 1: just isn't going to get the job done. He's a

347
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,680
Speaker 1: pull up jump shooter, and if he's not making pull

348
00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,520
Speaker 1: up jump shots, his impact is gonna suffer. So really,

349
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,320
Speaker 1: pick and roll is probably their biggest area for improvement

350
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,000
Speaker 1: as a team, and it really just comes down to CJ.

351
00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,040
Speaker 1: McCollum has to play a little better, and I think

352
00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,360
Speaker 1: Brandon Ingram could even get up from that one point

353
00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,639
Speaker 1: zero three closer to one point one points per possessions.

354
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,280
Speaker 1: I'd like to see both of them make improvements there

355
00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,120
Speaker 1: on the defensive end. They finished sixth in the NBA

356
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,040
Speaker 1: in defensive rating overall last year, sixth and half court

357
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,479
Speaker 1: defense according to Cleaning the last tenth in transition defense.

358
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:48,320
Speaker 1: I thought the key to the Pelicans defense last year

359
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,040
Speaker 1: was their point of attack defense, which was excellent, and

360
00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:53,920
Speaker 1: the rotations they made on the weak side. Having a

361
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:55,560
Speaker 1: guy like IRB Jones is one of the best perimeter

362
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,320
Speaker 1: defenders in the league. To throw out the other team's

363
00:17:57,359 --> 00:17:59,439
Speaker 1: best player, a guy that can sidle over the top

364
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,840
Speaker 1: of screen and offer really quality contests from behind, that's

365
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,399
Speaker 1: a massive advantage to have as a team. Overall. They

366
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,400
Speaker 1: just have a ton of wing athleticism. When they're going

367
00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,720
Speaker 1: out there and you've got you know, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy,

368
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:15,680
Speaker 1: and IRB Jones all on the floor at the same time.

369
00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:17,800
Speaker 1: That's three dudes that all can jump out of the

370
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,639
Speaker 1: gym and have super long arms. That's a huge weapon

371
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,520
Speaker 1: to have in rotation. So like now, let's say that

372
00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:25,920
Speaker 1: defense does give up a driving lane and there's a

373
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,320
Speaker 1: kickout pass made. These guys can cover ground and close

374
00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:31,760
Speaker 1: out and chase guys off the line. They were actually

375
00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:34,600
Speaker 1: really really good last year at chasing guys off of

376
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,520
Speaker 1: spot up possessions. They had the seventh best defense in

377
00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,480
Speaker 1: the league last year containing spot up possessions. So that's

378
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,200
Speaker 1: a credit to Willie Green. I think. I think he's

379
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,040
Speaker 1: just once again has these guys playing really, really hard

380
00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:50,080
Speaker 1: and committed to the details and giving them everything he's

381
00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:52,879
Speaker 1: got in terms everything they've got in terms of buying.

382
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,919
Speaker 1: Biggest weakness in the Pelicans defense's rim protection. Yonnas Stalaciunas

383
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,280
Speaker 1: is just not particularly good at it. They were a

384
00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:03,000
Speaker 1: middle of the pack paint defense in terms of paint

385
00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:05,840
Speaker 1: points allowed, and they allowed oponents to shoot seventy one

386
00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,720
Speaker 1: point two percent in the restricted area, which was dead

387
00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,760
Speaker 1: last in the NBA last year. We'll talk a little

388
00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:13,760
Speaker 1: bit more about their defense when we talk about their

389
00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,960
Speaker 1: ultimate ceiling this year. The biggest swing factor for this

390
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,800
Speaker 1: entire season, like I said at the beginning, is going

391
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,040
Speaker 1: to be Zion. Will he show up to camp in shape.

392
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:27,560
Speaker 1: Is he going to be able to withstand the wear

393
00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:29,560
Speaker 1: and tear of an eighty two game regular season. That's

394
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,560
Speaker 1: gonna be the biggest factor. They finished the season forty

395
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,000
Speaker 1: two and forty last year, which is barely over five hundred,

396
00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,560
Speaker 1: but they were seventeen and twelve when Zion Williamson played,

397
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,920
Speaker 1: they had a plus eight net rating when Zion was

398
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,200
Speaker 1: on the floor, so they outscored teams by eight points

399
00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,280
Speaker 1: per one hundred possessions. They were about even minus zero

400
00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,400
Speaker 1: point two points per one hundred posessions when Zion Williamson

401
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,040
Speaker 1: was off the floor last year, So that's and looking

402
00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:55,359
Speaker 1: closely at it, four points worse on defense per one

403
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,439
Speaker 1: hundred possessions and four points worse on offense per one

404
00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,360
Speaker 1: hundred possessions. So like at the end of the day,

405
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:05,159
Speaker 1: Zion is the primary factor in what the Pelicans are

406
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,320
Speaker 1: capable of this season. So my prediction, if Zion can

407
00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,399
Speaker 1: stay healthy, I think this team can finish above the

408
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,119
Speaker 1: play in, which is saying a lot in a Western

409
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,479
Speaker 1: Conference that is totally stacked. Now, win totals overall are

410
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,360
Speaker 1: going to be lower because there's a ton of good

411
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,840
Speaker 1: teams in the Western Conference and they're gonna beating up

412
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,159
Speaker 1: on each other. So I think that they're gonna win

413
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,320
Speaker 1: about forty five games. If Zion can play at least

414
00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,680
Speaker 1: sixty games, forty five wins in the Western Conference this

415
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:33,800
Speaker 1: year should get you out of the play in that

416
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,000
Speaker 1: should have you in that four or five six seed area.

417
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,639
Speaker 1: So that's what I'm looking at if Zion's available for

418
00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,520
Speaker 1: at least three fourths of the season. Without Zion, they're

419
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,280
Speaker 1: a five hundred basketball team. They just have too many

420
00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:48,560
Speaker 1: limitations defensively in the paint, and they don't generate enough

421
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,879
Speaker 1: rim pressure as a basketball team beyond Jonas Valenciunas to

422
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:58,119
Speaker 1: consistently generate quality shots, too reliant on pull up jump shooting.

423
00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,760
Speaker 1: So Zion really is the old commit factor in determining

424
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,400
Speaker 1: what this team can do. As for their title chances,

425
00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,600
Speaker 1: NBA history tells us that you don't win the title

426
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,240
Speaker 1: unless you have a top tier defensive front court. Right Like,

427
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,840
Speaker 1: let's look back forget about the Nuggets for a second.

428
00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,400
Speaker 1: We'll come back to them, But you go to the Warriors,

429
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,720
Speaker 1: You've got Andrew Wiggins, who was one of the best

430
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:21,680
Speaker 1: perimeter defenders in the league, and Draymond Green, one of

431
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:23,639
Speaker 1: the best defenders of this era. The year before that,

432
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,320
Speaker 1: Gianna Santanna Kombo and Brook Lopez. The year before that,

433
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,439
Speaker 1: Lebron James, Anthony Davis the year before that, Kawhi Leonard

434
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 1: Serge Ibaka. The year before that, Katie Draymond, Katie Draymond

435
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,879
Speaker 1: Lebron and Tristan Thompson, Iguodala and Draymond Kawhi Leonard and

436
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,159
Speaker 1: Tim Duncan, Lebron and Chris Bosh Lebron and Chris Bosh, Tyson,

437
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,520
Speaker 1: Chandler Gasol buying him, Gasol buying them, Kevin Garnett and

438
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:45,320
Speaker 1: Kendrick Perkins. You guys get the point. I'm not going

439
00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,080
Speaker 1: to go any further with exception of the Denver Nuggets,

440
00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,159
Speaker 1: which again you have to remember, they were not an

441
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 1: elite defensive front court, but they were one of the

442
00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:57,760
Speaker 1: most unguardable playoff offenses I've ever seen, fueled by one

443
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,560
Speaker 1: of the best offensive playoff runs we've ever seen from

444
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,879
Speaker 1: Nikole Jokis. So they are literally the exception that proves

445
00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,080
Speaker 1: the rule. And we can say a lot about the

446
00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:08,800
Speaker 1: Pelicans this coming year. They are not the Denver Nuggets.

447
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:10,800
Speaker 1: They are not going to be a team that generates

448
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,360
Speaker 1: offense as easily as the Denver Nuggets do in the playoffs.

449
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,880
Speaker 1: And so you've got to ask yourself, is Ion Williamson

450
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,040
Speaker 1: or Jonas Valanciunas even in the same ballpark as the

451
00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:28,919
Speaker 1: other front courts. I just threw at you that's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

452
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,159
Speaker 1: So before Denver, we had fifteen consecutive NBA champions that

453
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:37,080
Speaker 1: all had elite defensive front courts. So you're just not

454
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,600
Speaker 1: gonna get it done typically in NBA history without that.

455
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:44,600
Speaker 1: So obviously the best indicator of future performance is past performance.

456
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,240
Speaker 1: So no, I don't think that this Pelicans team is

457
00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,560
Speaker 1: capable of winning an NBA championship. That said, they're a

458
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,480
Speaker 1: really fun young team that's fun to watch. And it's

459
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,840
Speaker 1: not about this year. It's about the bigger picture. It's

460
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,760
Speaker 1: about Brandon Ingram's development, It's about Zion Williamson's development. It's

461
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,240
Speaker 1: about which of these other young guys are going to pop.

462
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,399
Speaker 1: And then in the long run, they're gonna need to

463
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,520
Speaker 1: find a legitimate rim protector that they can put next

464
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,040
Speaker 1: design Williamson that can anchor a championship defense. Once they've

465
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,760
Speaker 1: accomplished that, then all those young guys will hopefully have

466
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,479
Speaker 1: developed to the point where they're capable of carrying them

467
00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,960
Speaker 1: over the top offensively. Now you've got yourself a championship

468
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,680
Speaker 1: quality team, I mean, even next to Brandon Ingram and

469
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,240
Speaker 1: Zion Williamson. They've got a plethora of talented young wings.

470
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,000
Speaker 1: David Griffin's done a really nice job, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy,

471
00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,040
Speaker 1: Dyson Daniels. This is an exciting young team. They just

472
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,080
Speaker 1: need to find a legitimate championship anchor as a rim

473
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:39,600
Speaker 1: protector at the center position in the long run. All right,

474
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,520
Speaker 1: let's do a couple of mailback questions before we get

475
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,760
Speaker 1: out of here today. First one from Caleb, what do

476
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:46,880
Speaker 1: you think Jason Tatum has to do to take over

477
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,880
Speaker 1: as the best player in the NBA. He is only

478
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,600
Speaker 1: twenty five and has already been to multiple conference finals

479
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 1: in an NBA final, Good question, Caleb. I don't think

480
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,880
Speaker 1: there's much there one diversity of shot creation. We talked

481
00:23:57,880 --> 00:23:59,439
Speaker 1: about this a lot during the playoff run this year.

482
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,440
Speaker 1: He's got to get away from the analytical approach of

483
00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 1: just taking pull up threes and trying to shoot at

484
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,600
Speaker 1: the rim. He needs to add real variety to his

485
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 1: offensive approach. That means a lot more face up reps,

486
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,120
Speaker 1: a lot more post up reps, high post, low post,

487
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,600
Speaker 1: a lot more attacking off of off of action. He's

488
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:17,080
Speaker 1: got to find ways to be more diverse offensively. A

489
00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:19,560
Speaker 1: lot more off ball attack flow. He's a good enough

490
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,520
Speaker 1: shooter to come off a screens and shoot more than

491
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,840
Speaker 1: he does, so I'd love to just see him diversify

492
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:28,080
Speaker 1: his offensive approach to embracing the playmaking role more. He's

493
00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:31,000
Speaker 1: a very good passer when he has his brain in

494
00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:34,919
Speaker 1: that in that space when he's actually looking to pass.

495
00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,520
Speaker 1: And then lastly, he's got to recommit to the defensive end.

496
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,280
Speaker 1: The year before last he was one of the best

497
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,640
Speaker 1: perimeter defenders in the league. This last year he wasn't.

498
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,800
Speaker 1: He's got to improve his commitment on that end of

499
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,280
Speaker 1: the floor. And with as much talent as this roster has,

500
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,679
Speaker 1: there's no excuse for not devoting that level of attention

501
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:52,520
Speaker 1: to that end of the floor. But the biggest thing

502
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,040
Speaker 1: there is like, when you really think about his experience

503
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,640
Speaker 1: that he has, like it feels like he's right there,

504
00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,600
Speaker 1: which leads into our second male bad question. So another

505
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:04,600
Speaker 1: this is also going to tie back to the Celtics.

506
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 1: This is from Fabian of the twenty twenty three NBA

507
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,960
Speaker 1: All Stars who have not won a championship yet, which

508
00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,439
Speaker 1: player will be the next to win their first ring?

509
00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:16,600
Speaker 1: So I'm interpreting this as which players most likely to

510
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,800
Speaker 1: win their first ring. Now, if you look at the

511
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:20,760
Speaker 1: Al Stars, there's a lot of guys in there that

512
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,000
Speaker 1: could do it soon. Joel Embiid could do it soon.

513
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,879
Speaker 1: He could very well do it this year. Luka Doncic

514
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:27,480
Speaker 1: could do it soon. He could very well do it

515
00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 1: this year. But I'm gonna go with Jason Tatum again.

516
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,200
Speaker 1: And the main reason why is because one, they have

517
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,080
Speaker 1: the most talented roster in the NBA. Two, they address

518
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,400
Speaker 1: one of their specific needs, which was a front court

519
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,800
Speaker 1: that was kind of unbalanced. They either had to play

520
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,760
Speaker 1: rim protection with Robert Williams and suffer in terms of spacing,

521
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:45,919
Speaker 1: or play Al Horford at the center. And Al Horford

522
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,520
Speaker 1: is starting to get a little older and starting to

523
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,879
Speaker 1: become a little bit less reliable, and so it was

524
00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:52,880
Speaker 1: becoming a problem. Adding Kristaps porzingis in there a guy

525
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:54,640
Speaker 1: who should be able to provide both at a high

526
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,160
Speaker 1: level that legitimately pushes them to another level in terms

527
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,760
Speaker 1: of their talent. And so when I byd that with

528
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,600
Speaker 1: Jason Tatum suffering an important lesson and a loss this

529
00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:07,080
Speaker 1: year about his shot variety at something I think he

530
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,840
Speaker 1: started to address towards the end of that Miami Heat

531
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:14,040
Speaker 1: series and with all of his experience, that experience is

532
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,040
Speaker 1: very important for feeling comfortable in that environment. I think

533
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,840
Speaker 1: it's on the table that Jason Tatum could pop in

534
00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:22,000
Speaker 1: a big way this year and lead his team to

535
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,080
Speaker 1: a championship. So I have him as the most likely

536
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,320
Speaker 1: player who is who made the Alcar team last year

537
00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:30,000
Speaker 1: but is not a champion to win his first ring

538
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,080
Speaker 1: this year. All right, guys, that is all I have

539
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,000
Speaker 1: for today. Don't forget to drop mail back questions in

540
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:35,720
Speaker 1: the YouTube comments. I will see you guys tomorrow for

541
00:26:35,800 --> 00:27:03,480
Speaker 1: number eighteen of Volume M