Teams Have Still Not Figured Out Giannis Antetokounmpo
From Giannis’ brilliance against AD and the Lakers to Portland’s 2nd half rally against the Bulls, I broke down everything that happened from last night’s slate of games.
Los Angeles Lakers (102) vs Milwaukee Bucks (109)
This game was weird. The Lakers were without Lebron and the Bucks are still fighting through their injury problems.
With the star power being depleted, it was time for a duel of the power forwards. Giannis and AD, two of the most dominant forces in the NBA, duked it out in a heavyweight fight. The 2x MVP came on top, delivering a masterful performance and carrying the Bucks to a win. Let’s break things down.
Los Angeles Lakers
I have avoided talking about the Lakers too much for a few reasons. For one, Lebron has missed a lot of time and I’m sure they’re still working out the chemistry. However, the Lakers have been the definition of inconsistent this season.
One night, it looks like they figured out the whole Russell Westbrook thing, and they well. The next night, they’ll have no energy and get blown out by teams like Minnesota.
They are hard to gauge and I saw some good and bad things from them last night.
Talen Horton-Tucker Is The Real Deal
The Lakers desperately needed THT to be great this season. With most of their bench gone and their new role players being veterans, THT was their shot in the arm. The youngster who could give the Lakers a spark at any given moment.
Even while missing the start of the season due to injury, Horton-Tucker has been a bright spot for the Lakers. With Lebron James out, Tucker has been starting games for the Lakers. His combination of shooting, playmaking, defense, and a bit of flair has allowed him to have the best year of his career.
23.3 points – 7.3 rebounds – 62% TS – 40% 3-PT (6.7 3-PA)
Even with Lebron coming back, I find it likely that THT will remain in the starting lineup. He is shooting triple the amount of 3’s he did last season and so far, it’s working. He’s on track for the best season of his career and he deserves a starting spot.
It also doesn’t hurt that he plays well with the stars. That will also earn you playing time.
THT and Russell Westbrook (86 minutes)
112.1 ORtg
4.6 Net Rating
THT and AD (69 minutes)
109.2 ORtg
4.5 Net Rating
THT, AD, and Russell Westbrook (63 minutes)
111.5 ORtg
4.9 Net Rating
THT and Lebron (2021 – 380 minutes)
109.3 ORtg
9.5 Net Rating
Albeit in just 3 games, Talen Horton-Tucker is making a name for himself. The Lakers desperately need a scoring punch outside of their All-Stars and THT is giving that to them. He’s shooting better than ever in addition to all the other things he does.
He’s a dynamic player and I think he’s going to play a big role for the Lakers, who could certainly use the shot in the arm.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo might want to leave, but for the time being, he is a monster. With the Bucks still struggling with injuries, Giannis did what all MVPs do. Dominate.
Giannis, even with AD shadowing him for most of the night, played one of the best games of his career. His performance single-handily won then Bucks this game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Brilliant
When you think of the modern NBA, Giannis’ skillset doesn’t come to mind. You think of elite shooting, dribbling, and a refined isolation game on the perimeter. Giannis doesn’t fit any of those molds, and yet, he’s as dominant as ever.
In this game against the Lakers, without a healthy Khris Middleton and a depleted roster, Giannis completely dominated. Against Anthony Davis, one of the best defenders in the NBA. Let’s break down one of the best games of Giannis’ career.
But before we do that, let’s drool over this stat line like Sloth from the Goonies.
47 points – 9 rebounds – 18/23 FG (78%) – 3/4 3-PT (75%) – 8/11 FT (73%)
This should be fun to break down.
First Half
This was a first half for the ages for Giannis. Antetokounmpo was coming straight at the Lakers and they had no answer. He scored a few times in transition when the defense wasn’t set, but I was impressed with what he did in the half-court.
He used a lot of pick-and-rolls and just scored at will. AD was on him for most of his shot attempts, but it didn’t matter. Giannis was getting to the rim no matter what. Add in a couple of 3-pointers and you have yourself a half.
25 points with just one missed shot for Giannis in that first half. But that was only the first half.
Second Half
Giannis was used more off-ball in the 2nd half. He wasn’t getting as many pick-and-rolls, but he was still effective. He had a couple of nice shots from the perimeter, including a fallaway mid-range shot over Anthony Davis when the Lakers were playing zone.
He took advantage of a few switches onto Talen Horton-Tucker. But the most impressive part? He shot 6/8 from the free-throw line.
Giannis had the whole package on display in this game. Great shooting from the perimeter and the foul stripe. He was a force getting downhill and the Bucks utilized him perfectly. Similar to what he was doing in the Finals, he was just unstoppable.
It might not be pretty, it might not be “modern” basketball, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is a professional scorer.
Bobby Portis Is The Answer At Center
Brook Lopez has played just 28 minutes this season. He hasn’t played since the season opener, so Milwaukee has turned to Bobby Portis as their starter. That decision has worked out fine and I think he’s the Bucks’ long-term option at center.
While Lopez is the better defender, Portis does everything else better. Lopez’s shooting has been on the decline and Portis’s is on the rise. He shot 47% from 3 last season, which nearly led the league. This season, on 4 attempts per game, he’s shooting 33% from outside.
That is enough for opposing defenses to guard Portis on the perimeter. It gives Giannis more space to operate and you already saw what happened when Giannis got more space. That duo has a 3.2 net rating for the season, which is respectable.
On defense, I think that he’s good enough to be on the floor. He’s an energy and hustle-driven player who loves to amp up the crowd like a pro wrestler. That combination of shooting, energy, and a little bit of craziness has made Portis the ideal starting center for the Bucks.
Last night against the Lakers, Portis had 17 points on 8/14 shooting. He was a +7 in 28 minutes of action. He made an impact on both ends of the floor and I think that he should be the Bucks’ starting center for the remainder of the season.
I wasn’t kidding about that whole Giannis leaving thing. Look it up, I swear I’m not lying.
Portland Trail Blazers (112-107 W)
This game was a roller coaster. It was a tale of two halves for Portland, who roared back in the 2nd half to steal a win from the Bulls, who, believe it or not, are a good team.
The first half was ugly. The offense sputtered and the defense couldn’t contain the scoring combo of Lavine and DeRozan. Down 15 at halftime, it seemed like this game would be a loss. Instead, the Blazers played an entirely new game in the 2nd half.
There was a lot more energy on both sides of the court. The Blazers did a better job getting the ball out of Zach Lavine’s hands. Larry Nance Jr. once again played great and the lead was just four entering the 4th quarter.
Dame and CJ, who made just 10 field goals all night, finally came alive in the 4th. The duo combined for 18 points in the 4th and helped Portland take the lead. The comeback wasn’t all that smooth, however. I think I speak for all Blazers fans when I say that Zach Lavine’s open 3-pointer late gave me a heart attack.
Fortunately, he missed and the Blazers came back from 20 points down to win this game. I can’t say this is something that we would have seen under Coach Stotts. Good job Chauncey.
The OKC Thunder Are…Good?
While they’re rebuilding for the future, the OKC Thunder haven’t been that bad over the past few weeks. Powered by a career night from Lu Dort last night against Houston, the Thunder improved to 5-2 over their last 7 games. OKC’s roster is an average of 23.5 years old, easily making them the youngest roster in the NBA.
Even with their lack of experience, the Thunder have recovered from a slow start to the season. Let’s see how they’ve been doing it.
Defense
The Thunder offense hasn’t been that special over the last 7 games. It’s been their defense, which is surprising for a good team. Most young teams can’t play defense like this, but for the past 7 games, the Thunder have been.
OKC’s Defense Over The Last 7 Games
101.9 Opponent PPG (8th)
40.9% Opponent FG% (2nd)
102.1 DRtg (7th)
I think the most surprising thing, aside from OKC playing well, is that their defense is weird. They haven’t forced a lot of turnovers, just 13.7 per game on this streak. Teams are averaging 11.6 offensive rebounds per game, which is 24th in the league.
OKC isn’t doing much other than stopping their opponent from scoring. I don’t know if this is sustainable without forcing more turnovers or limited 2nd chance opportunities, but whatever the Thunder are doing right now? It’s working.
Lu Dort Is Quitely Having A Great Season
While the offense has been average at best, Luguentz Dort is having a great season. Even with SGA having a slow start to the season, Dort has developed well on the offensive side of the ball.
17.2 points – 58% TS
Dort is a very tenacious defender, but he’s become a much more efficient scorer this season. The perimeter jump shot still needs work, but he’s improved tremendously this season. You saw that on display against the Rockets.
34 points – 8 rebounds – 64% FG
Dort shot 14/22 from the field. Of his 22 shots, half of them came from 3-PT range. He shot 4/11 from downtown, which isn’t too bad. However, based on complex math, Dort was doing most of his damage in the paint.
Dort shot 10/11 on his non-3-PT field goals, most of them coming right at the rim. He was bullying defenders getting to the rim and thrived off of great passes from Giddey and SGA. Dort is a sleeper candidate for MIP this season and he’s helping the OKC ruin their draft picks.
Wait. Maybe winning wasn’t the right idea after all.
What Has Happened To Julius Randle?
Julius Randle and the Knicks are weird. After adding a lot of offensive firepower during the offseason, the Knicks currently sit at 8-7. While that’s technically good, it’s been an incredibly disappointing start to the season.
- RJ Barrett is struggling
- The starting 5 can’t play defense
- The bench mob is holding them together
- Bing Bong is dead
But above all, Julius Randle has been awful this season. Randle was an All-Star when he was playing with Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton. Now with Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, he’s playing horrendously. Not to jump the gun, but did Julius Randle fool us all.
Stop Making Things So Difficult
I’m not going to act like I’ve watched every single Knicks game this season, but Randle hasn’t been good at shooting the ball. While nobody expected him to shoot 40% from 3 again, Randle seems to enjoy taking tough shots. Other guys who struggle with this are Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Trae Young. They just make things harder on themselves when they don’t need to.
The frustrating part about Randle making things hard on himself is that he is great at scoring in the paint. In the restricted area, he’s shooting 61%. That’s good. However, he’s shooting just 4.3 shots from the restricted area, which in my opinion, is far too low.
Against the Magic last night, Julius Randle didn’t even attempt a shot in the paint. That’s just unacceptable. On the season, Randle is shooting about 4.1 shots from the mid-range. Keep in mind, that’s about the same amount of shots that he takes right at the rim. So how good is Randle in the mid-range?
A better question is how bad has Randle been in the mid-range? Randle is shooting 26% (16/62) from the mid-range. Let me repeat that. All-Star, Most Improved Player, and All-NBA forward Julius Randle is shooting 26% from the mid-range.
Weird Stats
Thanks, Statmuse. Continue to be more than a stat page.
Knicks Offense With Julius Randle This Season (531 minutes): 106.2 ORtg
Knicks Offense Without Julius Randle This Season (199 minutes): 121.9 ORtg
Knicks Defense With Julius Randle This Season (531 minutes): 112.9 DRtg
Knicks Defense Without Julius Randle This Season (199 minutes): 101.0 DRtg
I know that all of this isn’t Randle’s fault, but are those numbers have to be a little shocking. Your team isn’t supposed to be better when your best player isn’t on the floor. But the Knicks are substantially better without Randle on the floor. That has to say something.
As a Blazers fan, I know what it’s like to see your best player struggle mightily. But even with Damian Lillard in a shooting slump, the Blazers are not the same team with him on the floor. The same thing can be said about James Harden and the Nets.
But with Randle? While we think of him as the Knicks’ best player, they have been better without him this season.
Bing Bong out
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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