The Nets Are Starting To Figure Things Out
Last night in the NBA we had a full slate of NBA action. From the Brooklyn Nets dominating once again to the Blazers losing their third straight game, there was a lot to break down. So I did just that.
Portland Trail Blazers
{Sigh}
This team sucks. I can’t put it any more subtly than that. Another winnable game on this East Coast road trip, that makes three of them, and we lose our third straight game. We’re 3-5 on the year, our worst start after 8 games since the 2019 season. We went on to make the Western Conference Finals. Maybe this is a sign.
But in all seriousness, it’s another frustrating game. Dame struggled again, the defense was poor, and we let the Cleveland Cavaliers dice us up. Not ideal.
I’m not even going to break this game down, it’s the same problems every single game. If Dame continues to play like this, it’s hard for us to win games. But these games are still winnable even with Dame struggling, but we just can’t win these games that we should be winning.
The defense continues to struggle as the Cavs, a bottom-10 offense entering this game, torched us. We are now 0-3 on this road trip and our season doesn’t get any easier. The first 30 or so games are brutal and losing these last 3 games shouldn’t bode well with anybody.
Digging ourselves a hole early in a loaded Western Conference isn’t good. Luckily, we’re still healthy for the moment, so that’s about the only thing we have going for ourselves right now.
Will The Ben Simmons Saga Ever End?
The short answer to this is no. Unless a trade happens, the Simmons-Philly relationship will just continue to be so awkward for everybody involved. It’s more awkward than going into an elevator and not saying anything. More awkward than Shawn Marion’s jump shot. It’s just awkward.
Simmons has been trying to find help with his mental health. Obviously, you want Ben Simmons to be fine, but will this fix anything. I don’t want to be mean or anything, but what? Will this make Ben Simmons shoot the ball or will this just be a way for him to slowly come back?
Not that the 76ers should want Simmons back. The defense isn’t as good without him, but that was to be expected. But the offense has taken off as guys like Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey are more featured options on offense. The 76ers have the best offense in the NBA and they just beat the Chicago Bulls, who are good.
While Simmons is trying to get back onto the court, the 76ers are doing just fine without him. They are playing free and it’s clear that they enjoy not talking about the Simmons situation anymore. Morey and the 76ers still want an All-Star in return for Simmons, which is dumb for a lot of reasons.
For starters, you’re near the top of a now-loaded Eastern Conference without Simmons. Do you need Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal to continue doing that? Secondly, why would the Blazers or Wizards ever do that trade? It just wouldn’t make sense for either one of those teams.
Simmons isn’t worth anything at this point. With his lack of a jump shot, poor attitude, failure to fully commit to basketball, the list of negatives outweighs his versatile defense, the only thing keeping Simmons afloat right now.
Simmons has said that a change of scenery would help him and I too thought that would help things. But now that I think about it, will it help him? You can change cities, coaches, and teammates all you want. You’re still Ben Simmons.
With all of that being said, Simmons is likely going to come back and play for the 76ers this season. With trade talks stalling, Simmons trying not to get fined, and with the 76ers not relentlessly trying to trade him, Simmons and all of his baggage will be back and soon.
Or you know, they just trade him.
NBA.com’s Rookie of the Year Ladder Is Terrible
After a few weeks, we’ve got to see some of the best rookies in the NBA start their promising careers. It’s still too early to call them great or terrible, but we’ve seen their first adaptation of trying to play in the NBA. We’ve seen a lot of good basketball from the next generation of the NBA.
But apparently, NBA.com hasn’t because of this atrocity that they called a ROTY ladder. I have made a couple of these so far, but I thought it was pretty apparent that we had a clear hierarchy already.
Now, this list isn’t all bad. I think that their #5-3 picks were perfectly fine. Giddey, Wagner, and Duarte (in that order), all deserve those spots. But how could you mess up the top 2?
#2 – Evan Mobley (CLE)
#1 – Scottie Barnes (TOR)
WHAT
Look, Scottie Barnes is off to a great start. It’s a better one than I expected and he’s been one of the few bright spots for a middling Raptors team. He is scoring well despite his lack of a jump shot and he is already an elite rebounder. He deserves to be near the top of all ROTY leaders.
But how can we not have Mobley at the top of this list? Sure, he doesn’t average as many points as Scottie Barnes. But Mobley has been an elite defender this season. He’s contesting more shots than anybody in the league, he’s guarding all positions on the floor, and it’s not like his offense is bad or anything.
I love Scottie Barnes. But there is currently a big gap between what Mobley is doing and Barnes is doing. And that’s saying something, Scottie Barnes has been quite good this season. That should tell you how good Mobley has been.
Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets
A game featuring two of the juggernauts in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have a much deeper team with a lot more talent over. But there’s no denying that the Nets have more firepower. This was a good game, but the 3rd quarter of this game completely turned the game around.
The Nets shut down the Hawks and built a double-digit lead, never looking back as they picked up a complete win against a fellow Eastern Conference foe. I was very impressed with the Nets in this game.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are showing more talent than production so far this season. Yes, the Nets are good, but I think the Hawks should have won this game. They had a great 2nd quarter, but their offense shut down in the 3rd quarter and they couldn’t guard Kevin Durant.
I’m not completely sold on the Hawks just yet, even if I love their talent. I think that they’re still trying to figure things out, but I’m still waiting to see when that happens.
De’Andre Hunter Is Still Very Good
Even though this was an all-around disappointing game for the Hawks, De’Andre Hunter continues to be solid. While his offense hasn’t been great this season, he looked really good in this game against the Nets.
26 points – 10/11 FG – 6/6 3-PT
Talk about efficiency. Hunter’s 6 3-pointers were pretty straightforward. Trae Young got dribble penetration off of pick-and-rolls and Hunter knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3 with ease. His one-off the dribble 3-pointer was not that hard to do, he just kind of stepped up and drilled a 3.
I know I’m making it sound like Hunter did nothing, but I mean, he was taking advantage of what the defense was giving him. Hunter had a few nice scores in the paint, including a monster and one dunk in the 3rd quarter on Blake Griffin.
Hunter’s offense again flashed in this game. While the Hawks don’t run plays for him, he’s good at getting open. His jump shot continues to look smooth and he doesn’t look afraid to shoot the ball. He’s shooting 48% from downtown this season, which is a career-best.
And he still offers you great defense. It’s hard not to like De’Andre Hunter.
We all know they’re talented. It’s just time for them to piece things together.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have finally seemed to figure things out. Without Kyrie Irving, they needed a few games to figure things out on both ends. But it looks like the gears are starting to turn, which is bad for the 29 other teams in the NBA.
KD remains incredibly good, Harden looks better, and role players are stepping up. The defense looked lively and energetic in this game, slowing down a very good Hawks offense in the process. The bench looked good and the Nets played their best game of the season.
Scary Hours baby.
3rd Quarter Brilliance
The Nets dominated the 3rd quarter on both sides of the ball. They were hitting shots, but more importantly, they were playing really good defense. Let’s start with the offense.
Offense
The Nets offense has been sluggish to start this season, but it looked really good in this game. The Nets shot 55% from the field in the 3rd quarter, hitting six 3-pointers in the process. But I was impressed with the ball movement.
The Nets made 12 field goals in the 3rd quarter. 11 of them were assisted. So while they have great isolation scorers like KD and Harden, they were still able to play as a team more.
Speaking of KD, he dominated the Hawks after the halftime break. He had 15 points in the 3rd, including a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer when he was fading away. Because of course he did.
Defense
But we all expected good offense at some point from the Nets. What we didn’t expect was great defense, but that’s what we got in that 3rd quarter.
The Hawks shot 43% from the field and just 25% from 3. They only attempted one free throw and they had 3 turnovers. The Nets played great defense and that sparked them to outscore Atlanta 34-20, blowing the game wide open.
This is all the Nets defense needs to do, be passable for at least one quarter. They did that in this game, built a lead, and got a win. We’re not asking for the Nets defense to be incredibly good, just decent.
The Role Players Are Doing Their Job
Another reason the Nets struggled early on during the season was due to their role players struggling. Guys like Joe Harris and Blake Griffin weren’t giving them enough scoring and the superstars (or just KD) had to carry the scoring load. They are capable of doing so, but it’s nicer when the role players come through.
They did in this game, as multiple guys made key contributions offensively.
Bruce Brown had 10 points, the recipient of great passes from James Harden down low. Brown played good defense and him hitting shots in the paint is all the Nets need to do.
Joe Harris got out of his shooting slump and hit 6/8 shots from downtown, getting back to his form from last season.
Aldridge and Mills both scored in double-figures off the bench, as they have both been very consistent to start the season. Mills was even a solid secondary creator as he had 6 assists in just 22 minutes.
If the Nets want to win games, they need these type of minutes from their bench. They need Harris and Mills to shoot well and for other guys like Alridge, Brown, and Griffin to fill in the grey space when needed. This team is starting to figure itself out and now the role guys are coming into their own.
Sound the alarm. Hide the women and children. Get out your scented candles everybody. Kyrie Irving might be coming back. This is not a drill.
Would The Kings Stop Giving Me False Hope? Please?
I swear to god, I hate this team so much. Last year, they were my surprise team in the Western Conference. They then turned around and had one of the worst defenses of all time. This season, I didn’t buy into the Kings, even if I loved some of the players on their roster.
But they have looked pretty good to start this season. The defense isn’t half bad and the offense remains lethal. Why couldn’t they do this last year?
Harrison Barnes Is Carrying The Offense
De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton have gotten off to a slow start offensively. Both of them are struggling to shoot the ball, but the Kings still remain a top-10 offense in the NBA. They are being held up, almost single-handily, by Harrison Barnes.
I don’t think anybody would have expected that given how Barnes has never been a #1 option, more of a complimentary two-way player. But that has all changed this season;
23.3 points – 9.5 rebounds – 66% TS – 47% 3-PT
Barnes is taking more 3-pointers and making them. He’s having a career season and he’s played like an All-Star. Barnes is leading the Kings and he’s been their best offensive player this season. If Barnes continues to play like this, it makes it harder to guard the likes of Fox and Haliburton.
I Love Davion Mitchell
Davion Mitchell has been exactly what the Kings needed. Even I didn’t like the Kings taking him with the 9th pick in the draft, but he has turned out to be the perfect anecdote to a crappy defense. While his offense has struggled, his elite perimeter defense has been great.
When Mitchell is on the court, the Kings have a 108.0 defensive rating. When he’s not, the Kings fall to a 113.6 defensive rating. When Mitchell is on the floor, the Kings are better defensively and they force more turnovers.
Mitchell has been apart of (arguably) the Kings’ best lineup this season. In 26 minutes across 6 games, the lineup of Barnes, Holmes, Hield, Fox, and Mitchell has had a defensive rating of 103.4. Mitchell is clearly helping the Kings defense, as he is a true difference maker on that end.
Mitchell is basically the only reason the Kings defense isn’t as bad as it was last year. His offense needs a lot of work, but that defense? Mitchell’s impact might not show up in the box score, but I’m sure the Kings aren’t kicking themselves for taking him in the draft.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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