The Blazers Bad Habits Are Catching Up With Them
From the mess that is the Portland Trail Blazers to the weirdest duo you’ve ever seen, I talked about everything interesting from last night in the NBA.
The Weird Dynamic of Cole Anthony & Wendell Carter Jr.
The Orlando Magic are bad. But you already knew that. Whenever you turn on a Magic game, I don’t think you’re expecting a win. But, what we can agree on is that the Magic are weird.
The duo of Cole Anthony and WCJ might top their charts of weirdness. The intricacies of this duo are fascinating, so let’s break down everything interesting about this duo.
The Good
Now, let’s not dice words here. Weird ≠ Bad. There are things that this duo does well.
In 470 minutes together, Anthony and Cole have a -0.3 net rating, just barely below average. In November alone, in 223 minutes together, they had a 0.4 net rating. They’re just average when they share the court.
The best part about this duo is their pick-and-pop combo.
Pick-and-Pop Analysis
There are a lot of good things about a pick-and-pop center like Wendell Carter Jr. The Magic can space the floor and put an enormous amount of pressure on defenses. Plays like these demonstrate why pick-and-pops are a valuable tool to have.
But, as we’ll see later, it’s as much a weakness as it is a weapon.
This is good defense, but Carter got enough space on the catch to make the shot.
Aaron Holiday desperately trying to close out to this shot demonstrates how lethal it can be.
Those pick-and-pop examples are good. There are more examples of this duo stretching the floor, primarily in transition. This next shot is from that same November game against Washington as the one above it.
But other than that, you won’t see too many plays where Carter rolls to the rim with Cole Anthony. It’s just a lot of pick-and-pops, which can only be so successful in doing so when you don’t mix things up.
This chart shows WCJ’s field goals when Cole Anthony assists him.
As you can see, there aren’t too many shots at the rim, which is bad. While we can ask the Magic to change their offense all we want, the problem isn’t with the Magic or even with Carter. It’s with Cole Anthony.
Cole Anthony Has To Develop
Cole Anthony might be averaging nearly 6 assists per game, but his playmaking hasn’t improved all that much from his rookie season. He is good at making the first-read on a play, not picking apart a defense with precision passes.
Carter plays a certain way with Anthony, one that is suited for his developing playmaking. But Carter isn’t allergic to scoring down low. Just look at these plays featuring rookie forward Franz Wagner, who is a better playmaker;
Carter can score at the rim. After a lot of research, I have come to this groundbreaking discovery.
I love this play. You get a screen action involving Suggs, Wagner, and Carter. After setting that 2nd screen for Wagner, Carter beautifully times his delayed roll to the rim and Wagner sets him up for the slam.
Moral of the Story: Franz Wanger is really frickin’ good.
It’s clear that Anthony and Carter are a good duo, but they both need to change. Carter needs to roll to the hoop more with Cole Anthony. Cole Anthony has to see the defense better behind all that hair and develop as more than just a first-read point guard.
I think this log-jam isn’t as big of a problem because of Franz Wagner. Look at where Carter scores when Wagner assists him this season;
If not for Franz Wagner, this problem would be much more than just a weird pattern in how this duo plays.
Portland Trail Blazers (102-90 L)
Without Dame, CJ, and Nassir Little, losing this game isn’t what I’m mad about. I’m just tired of the Blazers in general.
{Incoming Bitterness}
The aggressive, blitzing defense hasn’t worked. Olshay hired Billups to solve our defensive woes. He preached aggressiveness, effort, all the cliches in the book. But nothing has changed, to no one’s surprise. Even the offense, the saving grace of this team for the past decade, has struggled more than ever.
But that’s only the start of the problems for Portland. From their small, allergic to defense backcourt and their poor bench, the Blazers aren’t one of the best teams in the West. They’re closer to the bottom.
The answer to this dilemma is a rebuild. With Neil Olshay already out the door, it could be the start of a chain reaction. The first domino to fall from this incredibly disappointing era of Blazers basketball. The first step to that plan is to trade Dame.
As shocking as that is to say, think about it. Dame is only getting older and he’s still a top-20 player in the NBA. The return package for him would still be immense. It would be the perfect way to kickstart a rebuild.
Now, I wouldn’t trade Dame unless he explicitly asked for one. If we’re lucky enough to have him for 2023, then I need to see sweeping changes. Too long have I waited for Neil Olshay not to be an idiot. We need to be aggressive and swing some trades entering next season if Dame wants to stay and try and contend.
And if Dame asks for a trade (likely)? Trade him and everybody else.
This season is already over. Portland has the worst defense in the NBA and is currently 10th in the Western Conference. Getting Nassir Little, Anfernee Simons, and Greg Brown III some more minutes would be good. Trying to trade Covington or Nurkic at the deadline might set things up for 2023.
But more than anything, can we just see some changes? It’s been the same thing for nearly a decade.
{End of Bitterness}
Youth Bowl III: OKC Thunder vs Detroit Pistons
A recurring segment of my blogs this year has been the Youth Bowl. The premise for this segment isn’t hard to follow. If there are a lot of rookies/young players playing in one game, I’ll break down all the small things that I saw.
I’ve already done this twice, showcasing two games between the Thunder and the Rockets. On the third edition, we have a new team to welcome, the Detriot Pistons.
Without further ado, let’s get into Youth Bowl III.
Cade’s Float Game Is Polarizing
Cade Cunningham had another great game last night. A career-high 28 points, along with 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Those types of numbers speak for themselves. I could talk about all the great things that Cade did in this game. But I’m not going to do that.
Today, I will be talking about the best and worst part of Cade’s game. His floater.
This is why I like Cade’s floater. After getting by his initial defender, JRE offers some help down low. So, Cade is forced to make a tough floater, which he does.
In situations like these, where Cade is in traffic and forced to make a tough, having a floater is vital. Cade seems very comfortable shooting this type of shot, which is a good sign.
And this is why I don’t like Cade’s floater. Cunningham is again able to penetrate, causing so much pressure on the defense. He has a wide-open path to the lane but doesn’t go straight to the rim. Instead, he takes a tougher floater, which he misses.
I dislike floaters for this reason. It can be easy for a player to take a floater instead of going for a layup. They can become so focused on the floater that they blind themselves from the other, easier scoring opportunities at the rim.
Cade has settled for shots that weren’t right at the rim before this season, and it hasn’t worked that often. That’s why Cade Cunningham’s floater is so polarizing.
Cunningham is shooting 55% from the field on 2.8 attempts per game in the restricted area. He is shooting 41% on 3.3 attempts on shots in the paint (non-RA).
Taking that one extra step to the basket would help Cade convert a lot more of his attempts in the paint.
Josh Giddey Is a Passing Wizard
I don’t have to analyze these passes. Giddey is a wizard with the ball in his hands.
A shovel pass in traffic?
A left-handed bounce pass on the move? Muah
Could We Stop Giving Killian Hayes The Ball?
While watching this game last night, I was surprised at how much Killian Hayes had the ball. For someone who isn’t a great scorer or playmaker, he had the ball a lot. Compared to Cade Cunningham, who is the better player, it seemed foolish to be giving him the ball that much.
Cunningham spends a lot of possessions where he’s not involved, standing off in the corner. I compare this situation to Luka Doncic in Dallas. Having Cade spend off-ball time is good, but he’s at his best with the ball.
Hayes is looking like a bust after being a lottery pick last season. Cunningham is shaping up to be a perennial All-Star. You tell me who needs the ball more?
| Cade Cunningham | 29.7 Front CT Touches Per Game | 4.21 seconds per touch | 0.199 PPT |
| Killian Hayes | 21.8 Front CT Touches Per Game | 3.83 seconds per touch | 0.119 PPT |
Can we get Cade the ball more, please?
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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