Kristaps Porzingis Is Having A Resurgence
From the Lakers’ continued struggles to the Hawks starting to right the ship, I broke down everything that happened last night around the NBA.
The Sacramento Kings Continue To Tease Us All
The Sacramento Kings are weird. Their roster has a lot of talent and they should be competing in the Western Conference. However, similar to last season, the results just aren’t showing. The Kings will show flashes of competence, only to wash that away with an avalanche of stupid.
Last night, they dominated the Pistons and I liked what I saw from them. While I don’t think the Kings are great, a few tweaks here and there could make them a lot better than what they currently are.
De’Aaron Fox Needs To Play To His Strengths
De’Aaron Fox is not playing at the same level that he saw him play at last season. Fox broke out in 2021 with his aggressive playstyle and great playmaking. But so far in 2022, Fox hasn’t been the same. It has a little something to do with his shot selection.
Well, for one, Fox is shooting the ball horribly from the 3-PT line. While he’s taking fewer 3-pointers than he did last season, he’s shooting a putrid 23% from downtown. That has to improve, for obvious reasons.
Another reason for Fox’s struggles is his shot selection in the paint. Fox’s elite speed and driving ability make him a nightmare to guard when he’s coming at you. In 2021, Fox was unstoppable in the paint.
De’Aaron Fox’s Paint Scoring In 2021
69% shooting in the Restricted Area – 5.6 FGA per game
46% shooting in the paint (non-RA) – 5.1 FGA per game
Take note of these numbers. Last season, 10.7 of Fox’s field goals were in the paint and more than half of them came in the restricted area. Let’s see how these numbers have drastically changed in 2022.
De’Aaron Fox’s Paint Scoring In 2022
57% shooting in the Restricted Area – 4.6 FGA per game
44% shooting in the paint (non-RA) – 5.6 FGA per game
Fox is again taking more than 10 field goal attempts for the paint, but there’s a drastic difference this time. Fox is shooting less in the restricted area and he’s also shooting 12% lower than he was last season. Fox’s free throw attempts have declined from 7.2 FTA last season to just 5.4 this year.
Fox is taking more shots in the paint that aren’t in the restricted area, but again, he’s never been a guy with an elite floater. So him taking more shots in the paint when it’s not in the restricted area doesn’t make any sense for him or the Kings.
I think that Fox has to go back to what works. Attack the basket more and try and get to the line. There’s a reason Fox was good in 2021; his jump shot was a complimentary piece. This season, Fox is taking fewer shots at the rim and relying on his inconsistent jump shot to beat teams.
That’s why Fox has seen a major dip in his stats and overall efficiency. If Fox were to just play to his strengths, he would be back playing at an All-Star level. It’s as simple as that.
The Kings’ New Starting Lineup Is Good
To start the season, the Kings were starting Mo Harkless at the power forward position. 4/5 of the Kings lineup was already set, so it was just about finding that 5th guy. Who could compliment the backcourt and not get in the way of Richuan Holmes?
The 5-man starting lineup of Fox, Haliburton, Barnes, Holmes, and Harkless has been by far the most used lineup by Luke Walton this season. And it wasn’t producing great results.
112.6 ORtg
107.8 DRtg
4.9 Net Rating
I mean, that’s good, but the Kings have found a better solution over the past few games. While Harkless is a good defender, he doesn’t give the Kings much offense. Chimezie Metu, on the other hand, gives the Kings an extra kick. That extra kick has worked so far.
Fox, Haliburton, Barnes, Holmes, and Metu (28 minutes)
111.9 ORtg
89.8 DRtg
22.0 Net Rating
Some of those numbers might be inflated because of the Pistons game from last night, but I think that Metu could slide into a starting role for the Kings.
Metu looked comfortable against the Kings. He grabbed 10 rebounds, hit some outside shots, and made timely cuts for easy scores down low. The Kings won’t be asking much of Metu, but I do want to see him play more with the rest of the starting unit.
Perhaps Metu might help the Kings gain some continuity and get on the right track after a slow start to the season.
Or they could just fire Luke Walton. That would also solve a lot of problems.
Portland Trail Blazers (118 – 113 W)
After Denver committed war crimes against this franchise on Sunday, this was a good bounce-back win. With Dame back in the lineup, we battled back from being down double-digits in the first quarter for the win.
While Dame and CJ combined for 53 points, the big guys saved our tails in this game. Larry Nance brought great energy and 15 points off the bench. Jusuf Nurkic stopped a lot of traffic down low.
The bench unit shot a combined 16/23 from the field and the Blazers won this game because of their bench, again. Could the starters play better, just for once?
Trae Young Is Turning Things Around For The Hawks
At one point this season, the Hawks were 4-9 and they had lost 6 games in a row. The defense was amongst the worst in the NBA. The offense was inconsistent and not playing to their strengths. It was a mess, but sooner or later, you would have to assume that a team as talented as Atlanta would get things together.
And they have. The Hawks have won their last two games convincingly and they are heading on the right path. They can thank Trae Young for that.
Trae Young’s slow start to the season was brushed to the side by most. Most people simply assumed that because he couldn’t draw those “non-basketball” move fouls, he was struggling. That is a valid reason, but I think there is another reason for Young’s slow start.
I think that Young was just not playing his game. Similar to De’Aaron Fox, he has gone away from what was working. I think this graph illustrates that perfectly.
While we know that Trae Young takes incredibly deep 3’s, he doesn’t take a high volume of 3-pointers. I found this graph in an article made by The Ringer. It made some good points about this phenomenon, but it made a good point.
In the 2020 playoffs, Trae Young again shot 9.0 three-point attempts per game. He averaged 28.8 points during the postseason. When Young is shooting from deep, it makes him a lot more dangerous. To start 2022, Young hasn’t been shooting as many 3-pointers as you’d like. Until now.
In the Hawks’ last two games, both wins, Young has been shooting more 3’s. He is shooting a combined 11/20 (55%) from 3-PT range over the last two games. If Young continues to shoot 3’s, I think results will follow.
Now, there is a fine line here. Young has a tendency to force up shots, but I think that him shooting 7-8 three-pointers a game isn’t a bad thing. He’s a good enough shooter to do so and he becomes more dangerous when he’s shooting more 3’s.
DeMar DeRozan + Kristaps Porzingis Redemption
DeRozan and Porzingis are having resurgences. DeRozan’s move to the Windy City was labeled as a mistake by most. Kristaps Porzingis was written off as a competent 2nd option alongside Luka Doncic. Both of these guys have been proving people wrong, including me.
DeMar DeRozan
I don’t think anybody expected DeMar DeRozan to be 3rd in scoring after a month of action.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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