20 Second Timeout

Assessing Chris Paul's Legacy and Leadership

The L.A. Clippers parted ways with 40 year old Chris Paul in an unusual but in retrospect not surprising middle of the night move, informing Paul that his services are no longer desired. The Clippers can waive Paul and eat his $3.6 million salary, agree to a buyout, or wait until December 15 to trade him (due to the NBA's arcane salary cap rules), but until those details are decided the team has sent him home in a move that strongly suggests that he was not merely unproductive (2.9 ppg on .321 field goal shooting in 16 games this season) but also a toxic locker room presence; there is no other reason to deal so harshly and abruptly with an established, veteran player, let alone one who will deservedly be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Paul recently announced that he planned to retire after this season, so this sudden end--or at least interruption--of his farewell tour brings to mind the scene in "Forget Paris" when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told Billy Crystal (who played an NBA referee in the movie) that he can't eject him because he is on his farewell tour, and Crystal snarled, "Let me be the first to say, 'Farewell!'"

In his prime, Chris Paul was an elite playmaker, a deadly midrange shooter, and a feisty, crafty defensive player. He earned his selection to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team with an impressive resume that includes four All-NBA First Team selections (2008, 2012-14), and five All-Defensive First Team selections (2012-16). He led the NBA in steals six times (2008-09, 2011-14), and he ranks second all-time in total regular season steals (2728). Paul led the NBA in assists five times (2008-09, 2014-15, 2022), and he ranks second all-time in total regular season assists (12,552).

However, no history of NBA stat padding is complete without an extensive chapter on Chris Paul's inflated assist totals, and it is shameful that the NBA selectively corrects some statistical errors (including taking away bogus triple doubles from LeBron James in 2006, 2009 and 2014) while letting other statistical errors remain in the record books (including Paul's inflated assist totals). These inflated numbers matter and they affect the legacies of multiple players because Paul is credited with breaking many assist records in the regular season and the playoffs.

Proving that Paul's assist totals are inflated does not mean that he was not a great passer; two things can be true at the same time: Paul was a great passer, and Paul's assist numbers are inflated.

Paul is often lavishly praised as a great leader. The way that the Clippers jettisoned Paul is just the latest piece of evidence that Paul's leadership has been vastly overrated by media members who are either gullible or who push preferred narratives regardless of what the facts show. 

In Notes About the 2020 Christmas Day Quintupleheader, I compared the leadership styles of Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo: 

Perceptions and descriptions of leadership are interesting. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a great leader, regardless of whether or not media members have figured that out yet.

Charles Barkley so often says that Chris Paul is the best leader in the NBA that this has become a running joke during TNT's telecasts. LeBron James is also often lauded as a great leader. These characterizations are puzzling. Paul has hopped from team to team, and he is often at odds with his teammates and/or coaches. Paul's vaunted leadership has not resulted in a single NBA Finals appearance, let alone a championship. When someone is called a great leader but his teams have not accomplished much it is fair and logical to ask: "Where exactly is this great leader leading his followers?" Paul is a great but undersized point guard. He demands a lot from those around him, which can be a good thing at times, but his leadership has not had the same impact or generated the same results as many other better leaders have achieved during his tenure in the NBA. 

James is on the short list of candidates for the title of greatest basketball player of all-time--but neither his greatness as a player nor his charitable endeavors off of the court prove that he is a great basketball leader. LeBron James' failures as a leader are well-documented, although many media members prefer to downplay these facts.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a better leader than LeBron James or Chris Paul. Antetokounmpo works hard, he encourages his teammates, and he is not looking for shortcuts. Consider his response to questions about why he re-signed with Milwaukee now as oppose to waiting and testing free agency. Antetokounmpo said that if he had delayed his decision then this would have put tremendous pressure and scrutiny on his teammates, who would have had to constantly worry about and talk about whether or not he would stay. Antetokounmpo said that if he had waited then he would have harmed his teammates and squandered a season during the prime of his career when he and his teammates have a chance to reach their ultimate goal: winning an NBA title.

It is impossible to imagine LeBron James or Chris Paul answering that question that way, or conducting themselves in that way. James has won four championships and four Finals MVPs; no one can question his greatness as a player, not can anyone question his ability to raise a team's level--but James has also presided over the implosion of multiple teams, and he wasted prime years during his first stint in Cleveland: just imagine what might have happened if he had fully committed to the Cavaliers franchise and helped to build the program as opposed to always having one foot out the door before eventually fleeing to Miami. 

In contrast, Antetokounmpo has a finely honed sense of urgency and sense of the moment; every game is precious, every season is precious, and you cannot afford to waste games or seasons because you think that you are heading toward greener pastures. Antetokounmpo gets it. James has been successful despite lacking those qualities at times, not because he consistently displays those qualities. In other words, James is so talented that he and his teams are sometimes able to overcome his flawed leadership style.

Isiah Thomas joined an awful team and helped to build a two-time champion. Michael Jordan joined an awful team and helped to build a dynasty. Antetokounmpo is a throwback to that kind of wonderful old school mentality.

A few months after I wrote those words, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first NBA title since 1971, beating Paul's Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Antetokounmpo won a championship without whining about his teammates or coach, and without forming (or jumping to) a super team. Antetokounmpo has been a great leader throughout his 13 seasons in Milwaukee, and even if he finishes his career with another team that will not diminish what he did in and for Milwaukee. After Paul scored a playoff career-high tying 41 points to lift the Suns into the 2021 NBA Finals, I explained why that one great performance does not change his overall resume:

Paul is a great player, but for some reason he gets more credit for his (limited) playoff success and less blame for his (extensive) playoff failure than other great players do. It is obvious and indisputable that Paul authored a tremendous performance in game six, but that is part of a larger legacy, and does not define his career--particularly if this playoff run does not result in a title. Many media members have a strange way of quantifying leadership. If our mission is to go to point Z, and our leader only takes us to point M, then it is difficult to rationally argue that our leader is a better leader than someone who led his team to point Z five times--or, to put it more bluntly, when I think about the best leaders in the NBA in the post-Jordan era, I think about Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James. Each of those guys has/had a different leadership style, but each played a major role in multiple championship runs; love them or hate them, they led their teams to point Z. Chris Paul is in his 16th season, and this will be his first NBA Finals appearance. You may retort that Paul has not always had the best supporting cast around him, but the reality is that he has had a lot of talent around him in multiple organizations while spending most of his career losing in the second round or earlier; either his leadership has been overrated, or leadership itself does not matter as much as raw talent. I am not saying that Paul is not a good leader, but the popular notion that he is the best leader in the NBA is not supported by the most important evidence: sustained team performance at an elite level.

It may seem like I contradicted myself about James' leadership abilities in those two passages, so I should clarify that I don't think that James is as great a leader as many people say that he is, but I think that he is a better leader than Paul and I think that--despite his documented leadership failures at times--his leadership played a role in championship runs, which contrasts with Paul's leadership style that often led to internal problems on his teams. 

Bob Cousy 16-8 (won six NBA championships)

Oscar Robertson 8-9 (won one NBA championship)

Jerry West 16-12 (won one NBA championship)

Walt Frazier 11-6 (won two NBA championships)

Magic Johnson 32-8 (won five NBA championships)

Isiah Thomas 16-7 (won two NBA championships)

John Stockton 17-19 

Jason Kidd 16-16 (won one NBA championship) 

Steve Nash 11-12

Allen Iverson 6-8 

Tony Parker 30-12 (won four NBA championships) 

Russell Westbrook 12-13

Derrick Rose 4-7 

Stephen Curry 24-6 (won four NBA championships)

Kyrie Irving 15-6 (won one NBA championship)    

Contextual factors beyond any one player's control affect team results, but there is little evidence that Paul is a great leader and a lot of evidence that teams he led imploded with him at the helm. For example, in the 2022 playoffs, Paul's Phoenix Suns lost game seven in the second round to the Dallas Mavericks, 123-90. Here is how I described the massacre: 

Stunning. Unprecedented. Humiliating.

I am disinclined to use hyberbole, but I am at a loss to describe what the Dallas Mavericks did to the 64-18 Phoenix Suns in Phoenix in a 123-90 game seven rout. By the time Chris Paul--supposedly the best leader in the NBA--made his first field goal his Suns trailed by 40; the Suns were so far behind they couldn't see the Mavericks with a telescope, a time machine, or a fortune teller. 

 I added the following: 

Am I belaboring the point? Am I making too much of one game? If you think so, then consider how much grief Kobe Bryant was given about his supposedly bad performance in the 2004 NBA Finals, when his injury-riddled Lakers lost 4-1 to the Detroit Pistons. Now, imagine that Bryant--whether as a 17 year old, a 27 year old, or a 37 year old--went into the playoffs leading a 64 win team and then lost by 33 points at home while the other team's star outscored his entire team for more than a half, and while Bryant put up a second quarter boxscore consisting of one point, no rebounds, no assists, no steals, and no blocked shots.

What do you suppose might have been said about Bryant after such a game? 

I say that players should be evaluated by the same standards. A player's legacy is not defined by one game, but by his overall resume. When I look at Bryant, I see a 5-2 Finals record, I see his team generally winning as the favorite and generally being competitive as the underdog. I see him putting up tremendous individual numbers on a consistent basis. For those reasons (and more), I put him in my pro basketball Pantheon.

When I look at Chris Paul, I see no championships despite playing for several excellent teams. I see his team losing more than once as the favorite. I see that no player in NBA history has blown more 2-0 playoff leads than Chris Paul, whose teams have squandered such an advantage five times: 2008 versus the Spurs, 2013 versus the Grizzlies, 2016 versus the Trail Blazers, 2021 versus the Bucks, and now 2022 versus the Mavericks. Paul's Clippers also blew a 3-1 lead versus the Houston Rockets in 2015; the Clippers split the first two games when Paul was out with an injury, but then after his return in game three they eventually lost three straight games. Paul is now 3-5 in game seven showdowns. 

In light of that evidence, I try to understand why "stat gurus" and media members pump up Paul to be more than he is. 

The harsh reality is that there is nowhere to hide in the playoffs. Players can inflate and manipulate their numbers to some extent in the regular season, and "stat gurus" team up with media members to craft agenda-based narratives advocating that those players receive various awards--but then the playoffs arrive, and every year we see Harden go on his "concert tour" and Paul cough up so many playoff leads his voice should sound like General Grievous in "Star Wars."

I've been saying this for well over a decade, but maybe people will pay attention now (I doubt it, but I'll keep trying anyway): Paul is an undersized player who consistently wears down and/or gets injured in the playoffs. He is a great player who has a lot of heart, but undersized players simply cannot be as valuable as players who are 6-6 and bigger who have comparable skills (let alone bigger players who also have superior skills). There is one player 6-3 or under in my pro basketball Pantheon: Jerry West, who would give the business to any other similarly-sized player in pro basketball history. Isiah Thomas did not quite reach Pantheon-level, but he led Detroit to back to back titles without having a teammate who made the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team, and he had a winning career record head to head against Bird, Magic, and Jordan. People who compare Paul favorably with Thomas have absolutely no idea how great Thomas was, and how durable he was until the very end of his career...

Luka Doncic right now has still not reached his peak, but as a versatile 6-6, 240 pound multi-position threat he is already better than Chris Paul ever was or ever could be. That is not a knock on Paul so much as it is a statement of basketball reality: the great 6-6 player is better than the great 6-0 player every time, and even more so in game seven.  

That game seven was not an isolated debacle. As mentioned above, Paul's teams have a history of playoff self-destruction:  

Paul's teams have blown five 2-0 series leads, his Clippers squandered a 3-1 lead versus the Rockets in 2015, his game seven record is 3-5, and--as noted above--his Suns disappeared in game seven at home versus Dallas last year. Every time Paul loses, excuses proliferate like weeds in an unmaintained yard.  

Paul's poor leadership is revealed in other ways. Without any evidence supporting his assertions, Paul has repeatedly trashed the public reputation of Scott Foster, who consistently grades as one of the NBA's top referees, a topic that I discussed in Blaming A Referee for Losing After Posting a "Triple Single" is Not Great Leadership:

Paul is often called the best leader in the NBA, and he is the current President of the NBA Players Association. Paul is attacking the credibility of an employer who pays him millions of dollars per year as part of a multi-billion dollar business that is based in no small part on the credibility of the competition between teams; without that credibility, the NBA is not in the sports business but rather in show business (maybe that business model would still work--it has worked for pro wrestling for decades--but that has never been the NBA's business model, and fans of pure basketball would be repulsed if the outcomes of games were proved to be predetermined)...

Great leaders do not attack the credibility of the business that feeds their families. Great leaders do not insist on playing if their level of play is harming the team.

The media narratives about players such as Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and others are fascinating to observe. Chris Paul is supposedly a great leader even after he posts a "triple single" with an awful plus/minus number while "leading" his favored team to a blowout loss. 

Russell Westbrook is supposedly a terrible leader even though he helped turn around the season of a not particularly talented team that was devastated by COVID-19 and various injuries. Yesterday, after Westbrook--who was a game-time decision due to an ankle injury--posted 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists (team-high numbers in all three categories) in Washington's 132-103 game three loss to Philadelphia at least one commentator called this an "empty" triple double. You can be sure that if Westbrook put up Chris Paul-like numbers of seven points, six assists, and five rebounds then that same commentator would have attacked Westbrook for quitting. Westbrook had as many rebounds in that game as Paul has in three games versus the Lakers! Westbrook's plus/minus number (-15) was better than the plus/minus number of every Washington starter except for Alex Len, whose plus/minus number was -14 in just 11 minutes. The Wizards are the eighth seeded team playing the number one seeded team, but Westbrook had a great game while playing hurt against a superior team. Paul is on course to lead his second seeded team to defeat while playing terribly. Who is the better player and better leader? This is not just about one season or three playoff games; the numbers and the true narrative (not the media's fictional narrative) are consistent throughout both players' careers. Westbrook was an All-NBA Team level performer for four teams that reached the Western Conference Finals, including one team that made it to the NBA Finals. He is currently tied for third on the all-time playoff list with 11 triple doubles (matching Jason Kidd, and trailing only Magic Johnson's 30 and LeBron James' 28). It would be fascinating to look up the media coverage of other playoff triple doubles to see how many have been described as "empty." Granted, the same commentator who called Westbrook's triple double "empty" also called Jimmy Butler's triple double "empty"--but Butler posted 12 points on 4-15 field goal shooting with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and a -18 plus/minus number in a 17 point loss as his sixth seeded Heat were swept by the third seeded Bucks to become one of the few Conference champions ever swept in the next year's playoffs. There is no comparison between how Butler played and how Westbrook played; lumping those two performances together is intellectually lazy, at best.

Stephen Curry is lauded as a top three MVP candidate for leading his team to "play out" (instead of "play in") to the playoffs despite having two opportunities to win one game to qualify for the playoffs. Damian Lillard has recently pointed out that last season his own MVP candidacy was dismissed because of his team's low playoff seeding, and Lillard said that to be consistent the media should not tout Curry as this season's MVP. My consistent take is that Lillard was not a legit MVP candidate last season, nor is Curry a legit MVP candidate this season. I agree with Lillard that the media's MVP narratives are not consistent or fair.

Paul's obsession with bashing Foster betrays a sense of entitlement that the NBA never put in check:

Paul acts like he feels entitled to say whatever he wants to say and act however he wants to act without facing any consequences. He refuses to take responsibility for his actions, and instead casts aspersions on Foster.

Foster is the easy target here. As the saying goes, the fans don't buy tickets to see the referees but to see star players. However, based on what we saw and heard there was nothing unusual about the ejection. If Paul truly believes that Foster is biased against him, then why did Paul keep talking after getting a technical foul? It must be emphasized that Foster walked away after issuing the first technical foul; this is not Jake O'Donnell versus Clyde Drexler or Hue Hollins versus Scottie Pippen/the Chicago Bulls, instances when officiating bias was an obvious pattern. O'Donnell's grudges against multiple players led to him losing his job despite grading out highly, while Hollins' bias was so obvious that his name was the first one that came to many people's minds when the story first broke about an unnamed referee (who later turned out to be Tim Donaghy) intentionally making wrong calls.

Paul has publicly created a narrative that Foster has a grudge against him without providing any proof, knowing full well that he is immune from consequences because Foster will not be permitted by the NBA to publicly respond. Why should media members or fans believe Paul? Paul has proven to be both a cheap shot artist and a whiner throughout his career, and there are many players around the league who have feuded with him, including both teammates and opponents. I am not aware of a single other player accusing Foster of bias, and Foster consistently grades out as a top referee. I watch a lot of NBA games, and while my focus is much more on the players and the coaches than the referees I have never felt that Foster is incompetent or biased. 

It has become popular to suggest that the NBA should never assign Foster to officiate a game involving Paul's team. That is nonsense. If Foster grades out well enough to officiate the NBA Finals and Paul is fortunate enough to be carried to the NBA Finals by Stephen Curry then how can the league take that assignment away from Foster? No, the answer here is simple: if there is objective evidence that Foster is nursing a grudge that prevents him from officiating Paul in an unbiased manner then the NBA should fire Foster--and if there is no evidence of that, then the NBA should fine Paul for his comments, and make it clear that if he makes additional comments questioning the integrity of the officiating then he will be suspended. That is how former Commissioner David Stern would have quashed this nonsense that current Commissioner Adam Silver has allowed to fester for several years. If Paul is correct that the NBA organized a meeting with Paul, Foster, and others then the outcome of that meeting should have been an understanding that Paul's job is to play, Foster's job is to officiate objectively, and that if this ever becomes a public issue again then the person at fault is going to be disciplined by the league. Instead, Silver is letting one of these guys--and my strong suspicion is that the culprit is Paul--make a mockery of the league.

It is fascinating and revealing to observe so many media members covering the release of a 40 year old player averaging 2.9 ppg as if the move is an inexplicable decision and a disrespectful action. Chris Paul is an old, poor performing player on a losing team, and he reportedly is not on speaking terms with coach Ty Lue. Lue is a championship-winning coach, and he does not need advice or so-called "leadership" from a washed up 40 year old player who has never won a championship.

Leadership is about results, which means uplifting those around you individually and collectively. Leadership is about setting an example of personal accountability. Leadership is not about empty slogans or about narratives unsupported by facts. In his prime, Chris Paul was a talented and hard-working player, and he accomplished a lot for an undersized player--but the objective evidence demonstrates that he was not the leader that so many people hyped him to be. The value that he provided during his peak seasons was that he was a great passer, an excellent midrange shooter, and a gritty defensive player; he no longer provides great passing, shooting, or defense, and thus the Clippers parted ways with Paul precisely because Paul provides no value to a team beyond on court contributions. If Paul were a great leader, then the Clippers would keep him around to lead, much like the Miami Heat kept Udonis Haslem around long after he was no longer a productive player.

Labels: Chris Paul, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Clippers, LeBron James, Phoenix Suns, Ty Lue

posted by David Friedman @ 12:12 PM

4 comments

Thunder Dominate NBA Cup Play--and Everything Else

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024 NBA Cup Championship Game, but the Thunder have rolled since then, setting the NBA's single season point differential record (12.9 ppg) while going 68-14 before defeating the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder currently have a league-leading 21-1 record with an incredible 15.3 ppg point differential. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's second best player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has appeared in just three of the Thunder's 22 games, and other key Thunder players--including Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Aaron Wiggins--have missed significant time as well.

The Thunder seem to be well on their way to not only winning 70-plus regular season games but also becoming the first repeat champion since the 2018 Golden State Warriors--but before the NBA playoffs, the basketball gods (also known as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver) have placed the NBA Cup. The Thunder are dominating the NBA Cup even more decisively than they are dominating the regular season overall; they went 4-0 in NBA Cup group play with an 18.8 ppg point differential, finishing first in West Group A to set up a quarterfinal game versus the Phoenix Suns on December 10. The winner of that game will face the winner of the December 10 game featuring the L.A. Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers have the second best overall record in the Western Conference (15-5), followed by the Houston Rockets (13-5), San Antonio Spurs (14-6), and Denver Nuggets (14-6). The Suns are seventh with a 13-9 record. 

The Thunder beat the Suns 123-119 on November 28 as Williams made his season debut with 11 points on 3-12 field goal shooting. The Suns have played surprisingly well this season, but Williams has looked better in each game that he has played so far and the Thunder's victory margin has increased in each of those games, so the Thunder should beat the Suns to advance to the semifinals. 

Only four of the Lakers' 15 wins are against teams that currently have winning records, so it will be interesting to see how the Lakers fare against tougher competition. The Lakers beat the Spurs 118-116 on November 5, but the Lakers have given up at least 118 points in four of their past five games and I expect the Spurs to win a close, high scoring game to earn a matchup with the Thunder.

The Thunder have yet to play the Spurs this season, but if they play in the semifinals I predict that the Thunder will win by at least 10 points.

In the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors each went 4-0 in NBA Cup group play but the Magic earned the top seed because they had a better NBA Cup point differential (+64 compared to +55)--and they achieved that primarily by drilling the Philadelphia 76ers 144-103 on November 25. The Detroit Pistons have the best record (17-4) in the Eastern Conference and the second best record in the league behind the Thunder, but they went 2-2 in NBA Cup group play and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the Eastern Conference's best record last season (64-18) but they are just 13-9 this season, including 2-2 in NBA Cup group play.

The Magic are currently fifth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 13-8 record, and they will face the Miami Heat (14-7 overall, 3-1 in NBA Cup group play) in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 9. Orlando beat Miami 125-121 on October 22 in the season opener for both teams. The Magic lost their next four games, but they have won their last three games and six of their last seven; the Heat have also played very well recently, winning seven of their last eight games. I expect Orlando to beat Miami in a close game to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals. The other Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup features Toronto versus the New York Knicks (13-7 overall, 3-1 in NBA Cup group play). The 15-7 Raptors are one of the league's early season surprises, but they have feasted on a weak schedule loaded with sub-.500 teams, and they lost to the Knicks 116-94 on November 30. I predict that the Knicks will beat the Raptors by double digits.

The Magic have already beaten the Knicks twice this season (124-107 on November 12, and 133-121 on November 22), and if they face each other in the semifinals I expect the Magic to win again.

The Thunder have not played the Magic this season, but if they meet in the NBA Cup Championship Game then I expect the Thunder to win.

The NBA Cup seems to be here to stay, so anyone covering the NBA is obligated to discuss it, but I still consider it to be a flawed concept, and in 2023 I pointed out the NBA Cup's two major drawbacks:

There are at least two drawbacks with the current NBA Cup format: (1) the use of point differential as the first tiebreaker in Group Play resulted in farcical situations during which teams ran up the score, and (2) there will be quirky scheduling this week for the teams that did not qualify for knockout round play. Regarding the first drawback, I am all for players and teams playing hard from opening tip to final buzzer, but intentionally running up the score in the waning moments of a blowout looks silly and renders those individual and team statistics meaningless: how many more points would the great teams and players of the past have scored if teams ran up the score instead of putting in the reserves? Regarding the second drawback, if a fan wants to see a particular visiting player or team how is he supposed to plan in advance for a week in which the schedule is dotted with "TBD"?  

The NBA has done nothing to fix either drawback, so we continue to see inflated statistics from blowout games along with a schedule that is frustrating and confounding for fans who are trying to make plans to see specific players or teams. 

The long term historical significance of the NBA Cup is unclear, but thus far NBA Cup success has not yet consistently translated to NBA playoff success. The L.A. Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Cup Championship Game, but the Lakers finished the season as the eighth seeded team in the Western Conference before losing 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The Pacers had the same record as the Lakers (47-35) but finished sixth in the weaker Eastern Conference and then advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the Boston Celtics, who went on to capture the NBA title. The Milwaukee Bucks finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs after winning the 2024 NBA Cup. So far, the 2024-25 Thunder are the only NBA Cup Championship Game participant that has reached the NBA Finals.

Labels: L.A. Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors

posted by David Friedman @ 5:03 PM

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Russell Westbrook is One of the Few Brights Spots in an Otherwise Dark Season for the Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook has been one of the few bright spots and high energy performers during a dark and dismal season for the Sacramento Kings. He had a team-high tying 21 points on 9-16 field goal shooting along with a game-high 11 assists, six rebounds, and just one turnover in Sacramento's 128-123 November 22 win versus the 12-4 Denver Nuggets. Westbrook scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch fadeaway jumper with 36.1 seconds remaining to put the Kings up, 123-117. He also had three rebounds, two assists, no turnovers, and a +6 plus/minus number in the final stanza, and he was the only player on either team who played all 12 fourth quarter minutes.

Westbrook had a -13 plus/minus number overall for that game, and his plus/minus number for the season (through November 28, 2025) is -137, but the context for his season plus/minus is that the team's three big name starters--Domantas Sabonis (-159), DeMar DeRozan (-185), and Zach LaVine (-212)--have the team's three worst plus/minus numbers. It is fair to infer that their desultory performances are dragging down Westbrook's plus/minus number during the time that he shares the court with them, while Westbrook is providing a spark when he plays in other lineups.

The larger point regarding Westbrook is that it appears that Sacramento was the only team interested in signing him during the offseason, and he signed a signed a non-guaranteed veteran minimum one year deal for $3.6 million to join the Kings. Per HoopsHype, Westbrook's 2025 contract is tied for 299th in the NBA. Earlier this season, Westbrook extended his career triple double record while also breaking Jason Kidd's ABA/NBA career record for most rebounds by a guard. Through 19 games (he has started 13 of those games), Westbrook is averaging 14.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 6.4 apg. His rebounding average is his highest since 2021-22, and his three point field goal percentage (.390) is a career-high. Among players who have participated in at least 12 games, Westbrook ranks third on the Kings in scoring, first in rebounding, and first in assists. Signing Westbrook is one of the few smart decisions made by an otherwise dysfunctional franchise that should not have fired coach Mike Brown and should not have attempted to build "Chicago Bulls West" with LaVine and DeRozan.

There are several teams lacking solid point guard play that are regretting--or should be regretting--not signing Westbrook, particularly considering that he was available at a bargain basement price. For example, the disappointing Dallas Mavericks rank 27th in field goal percentage, 28th in the NBA in assists, and 29th in scoring in no small part because they do not have a competent point guard on the roster; their point guard situation is so desperate that coach Jason Kidd--one of the NBA's all-time greatest point guards and thus someone who understands the requirements to play that position well--has resorted to playing rookie forward Cooper Flagg at point guard rather than rely too heavily on the nominal point guards on the roster, including the inconsistent D'Angelo Russell. It should be obvious to any qualified basketball talent evaluator that Westbrook is a better player and better point guard than Russell, but Dallas' recently fired chief talent evaluator Nico Harrison thought that trading prime Luka Doncic was a great idea, so it is not surprising that he chose D'Angelo Russell over Russell Westbrook.

Labels: D'Angelo Russell, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings

posted by David Friedman @ 9:12 AM

3 comments

LeBron James is the First Player to Participate in 23 NBA Seasons

LeBron James is entering uncharted territory by participating in his 23rd NBA season, breaking the record of 22 seasons set by Vince Carter. Last season, James played at an unprecedented level considering his age (40 years old) and experience (22 NBA seasons), averaging 24.4 ppg, 8.2 apg (sixth in the league), and 7.8 rpg. He made the All-NBA Second Team, and he finished sixth in regular season MVP voting. James' L.A. Lakers finished third in the Western Conference regular season standings before being upset 4-1 by the sixth seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

James missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season because of sciatica, and he has now played two games, both versus the woeful Utah Jazz. 

In his first game of the season, James scored 11 points on 4-7 field goal shooting while passing for a game-high 12 assists and grabbing three rebounds as the L.A. Lakers defeated the 5-9 Jazz, 140-126. He had a +1 plus/minus number while every other Lakers' starter had a plus/minus number of at least +10. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 37 points on 11-22 field goal shooting while dishing 10 assists with a +10 plus/minus number in 34 minutes. Austin Reaves had 26 points on 7-11 field goal shooting, one assist, and a +10 plus/minus number in 33 minutes. 

In his second game of the season, James had 17 points on 8-17 field goal shooting, eight rebounds, and six assists as the Lakers defeated the 5-11 Utah Jazz, 108-106. James had a team-worst -14 plus/minus number in 34 minutes. Doncic scored a game-high 33 points, grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and passed for a game-high tying eight assists in 40 minutes while sporting a gaudy game-high + 33 plus/minus number. Reaves had 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and a -1 plus/minus number.

This is clearly a small sample size of games from which no definitive conclusions should be drawn. It is worth noting that in his last game prior to this season, James had a team-worst -14 plus/minus number as the Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers, 103-96. James had five points on 2-7 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter of that game. 

For most of his career, James has been the focal point for his team and he has dominated the ball while other players--even future Hall of Famers--sublimated their games and accepted having reduced touches. That formula is not in the best interest of the 2025-26 Lakers, because Doncic is a future Hall of Famer who is just entering his prime. Doncic is in the best shape of his life, and he has been shattering records with his quick start to this season. Doncic should be the Lakers' primary scorer and primary ballhandler/decision maker. Reaves is well-suited to being a secondary scorer/secondary playmaker. 

Where does that leave James? Based on James' age, health, and current skill set level, he should be the third option. Reducing James' offensive load not only diversifies the Lakers' attack by enabling Doncic and Reaves to shine, but it also gives James the opportunity to be more impactful defensively. Offense is not a problem for the Lakers, but they need to play better defense, and if James wants too add to his championship ring collection then he will focus on elevating the Lakers' defense both by example and by mentoring the team's younger players. Older players tend to be injury-prone, and tend to not be as engaged or effective defensively. The Lakers need for James to be healthy and to be a net positive defensively; reducing his offensive workload is the best way to keep James healthy and to help him have enough energy to be effective defensively. James has carefully crafted a reputation for being unselfish while having a high basketball IQ; the unselfish, smart way for him to play now is let Doncic and Reaves cook offensively while shoring up the Lakers' defense.

Labels: Austin Reaves, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Utah Jazz

posted by David Friedman @ 3:09 AM

4 comments

NBA Wags a Stern Finger at Draymond Green for Confronting a Fan During a Game

The NBA has reportedly issued a "warning" to Draymond Green after Green went chest to chest with a courtside fan in New Orleans on Sunday as Green's Golden State Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 124-106. The fan had been chanting "Angel Reese" at Green after Green missed several shots. Reese is a WNBA player who is notorious for seemingly padding her rebound totals by collecting her own missed shots. Green finished with eight points on 3-13 field goal shooting, 10 rebounds (including four offensive rebounds), six assists, and five turnovers; in the first quarter, Green scored 0 points on 0-7 field goal shooting, and he had four offensive rebounds (all of which were from his own missed layups or attempted tip in shots). The fan's chanting may have been annoying to Green, but it was not vulgar, and it pertained to the action on the court, as opposed to being a random or offensive insult. Fans have a right to cheer or boo, and to heckle as long as the heckling is not vulgar/offensive and not interfering with other fans being able to watch the game.

It is not clear what Green thought that he could accomplish by approaching the fan, who did not back away and did not seem intimidated by Green; it is also not clear what the NBA thinks that it can accomplish by issuing an unofficial warning to Green, who has a long history of violent misconduct despite being fined and suspended multiple times; if forcing Green to miss games and lose money did not straighten him out, a verbal warning is unlikely to have much impact.

Green has quite a rap sheet demonstrating his immaturity and his lack of emotional control. In the 2016 playoffs, Green kicked Steven Adams in the groin, and Green was suspended for game five of the NBA Finals after striking LeBron James in the groin in game four. Green consistently gets away with running roughshod over referees with incessant (and often vulgar) complaining/whining, he viciously punched then-teammate Jordan Poole in 2022, he stomped on Domantas Sabonis twice while Sabonis was down on the floor during a 2023 playoff game, he choked Rudy Gobert during a 2023 regular season game, and he slugged Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a 2023 regular season game. 

Green specializes in attacking players who are (1) not standing up or are in an otherwise compromised position and (2) are either smaller than he is or are clearly not going to fight back. Green had a chance to confront Ron Artest/Metta World Peace several years ago and somehow managed to not attempt a chokehold, groin kick, or punch--because Green is a bully who knows better than to pick a fight with someone who is crazier or tougher than he is. There may not be that many players left in the NBA who are willing to fight at the cost of being fined/suspended, but Green knows very well who they are and he gives them a wide berth. However, people like Green who think that they know who to mess with only have to make one mistake to end up in a precarious situation in which either they get injured or they injure someone else--and Green is fortunate that the players he has struck, kicked, and choked did not end up with serious injuries. What if Poole had suffered brain damage or Gobert had suffered a broken neck? There are many people in prison because the people who they hit in the face or who they choked suffered serious or even fatal injuries.

Green also has an outsized belief not only regarding his worth/power, but the worth/power of athletes in general vis a vis the owners who employ them (and the fans who ultimately pay their salaries by purchasing tickets and merchandise). After the NBA suspended Green for choking Gobert, I lamented Green's anger control issues and inflated sense of entitlement: 

Green is the poster child for athletes who are paid far more than they could ever earn doing anything else, and who have developed a sense of entitlement without a corresponding sense of responsibility regarding their conduct. If Green did not have the NBA to protect him, there is a strong possibility that he would be in jail--or dead--as a consequence of his inability to control his anger. Sadly, neither of those possibilities can be ruled out if he does not seek help. Gobert referred to Green as a "clown" and I can understand why he feels that way, but this is no laughing matter: Green needs help both to protect others and to protect himself, because his behavior goes well beyond just being a physical player. In the sense that Green is overrated, Gobert is correct: without the injured Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson around to carry the load, the Warriors went 15-50 in 2019-20 as Green averaged 8.0 ppg on .389 field goal shooting while looking very much like a role player and very little like the Hall of Famer he is purported to be. Green seems to get very angry when his limitations as a player are pointed out, but that does not change the reality that he is a limited player whose specific talents can be helpful for a team already stacked with talent but don't make much impact on winning otherwise. 

In December 2023, I warned that the NBA is taking a risk by not sufficiently disciplining Green for his out of control violent behavior:

If the NBA keeps protecting Green from the natural consequences of his actions, Green is going to eventually do something so egregious that the NBA will no longer be able to protect him because the judicial system will be compelled to intervene. Draymond Green is a 6-6, 230 walking time bomb that is going to explode in the league's face if Commissioner Silver does not take strong action--and if time bomb Green explodes, the league is not going to be able to successfully argue in court that the explosion was not foreseeable given Green's track record of violent behavior. 

Green has some basketball skills, but he is not as good as he thinks he is. Green should not be compared to Hall of Famers Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace. Rodman won seven straight rebounding titles, and would have been a dominant rebounder regardless of who his teammates were. Wallace won two rebounding titles and one shot blocking title, and he ranked in the top 10 in the league in those categories seven times each overall. Neither Rodman nor Wallace could have been the best player on a championship team, but both were statistically dominant players. In contrast, Green has only led the NBA in a statistical category once (steals per game in 2016-17), he has never ranked in the top ten in rebounds per game or blocked shots per game, and he is heavily dependent on being surrounded by great players who do most of the work, as I noted last year when I assessed Green's legacy:

Green is going to ride his triple single career averages (8.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.6 apg) all the way to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame because he was lucky enough to play alongside Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala. Is "lucky" a fair adjective? What would Green's career have looked like without those guys? Glad you asked: in the 2019-20 season, Iguodala and Durant were gone (Green played a role in chasing Durant away, but that is another story), Thompson missed the whole season due to injury, and Curry played in just five games due to injury. Green showed the world who he really is as a player, averaging 8.0 ppg on .389 field goal shooting along with 6.2 rpg and 6.2 apg for a 15-50 team. So, yes, "lucky" seems about right.  

Green will be 36 years old soon, and his pedestrian numbers so far this season (7.9 ppg on .391 field goal shooting, 5.8 rpg) indicate that his playing days will be over soon. Green's retirement will be a mixed blessing: the good news is that we will no longer have to watch him deliver cheap shots to opposing players and we will no longer have to listen to his self-serving excuses for his lack of emotional self-control; the bad news is that he likely will be paid millions of dollars per year to be a commentator for one of the NBA's media partners, turning that media partner's pregame show into a mess almost as unwatchable as any pregame show featuring "Screamin' A" Smith. Green is supposed to have a high basketball IQ, but that has not been evident thus far when he has been a TV commentator; to cite just one example, when he participated in TNT's coverage of the 2024 Western Conference Finals he was more interested in bashing Gobert than in providing intelligent analysis, as I pointed out in my game two recap:

An intelligent, unbiased commentator would talk about the final possession of the game when Dallas gave up an open three pointer to Naz Reid even though Reid was the hottest three point shooter in the game. Reid's shot barely missed, but just as it could be argued that Minnesota should not have given up a three pointer to Doncic with a two point lead it could also be argued that Dallas should not have given up an open shot to Reid, one of the few Minnesota players who shot well in this game.

Instead, Green focused his attention on Gobert, sounding like a little kid on the playground teasing another kid as opposed to sounding like an intelligent, unbiased commentator analyzing what happened. It is valid to question why Minnesota left Gobert in the game for the last defensive possession instead of going small, switching everything, and forcing Dallas to shoot a two point shot--but it is silly to act as if Gobert is personally responsible for Doncic hitting the kind of shot that he has hit many times before against many other players.  

Gobert has one of the best plus/minus numbers overall during the 2024 playoffs, and the Timberwolves have outscored the Mavericks during his minutes this series while being outscored when Gobert is out of the game. I would not be surprised if "Screamin' A" Smith acted as if an entire 48 minute NBA game can be boiled down to one shot, but intelligent commentators understand that the last play is not necessarily what decided the outcome. Here, the Timberwolves enjoyed a 16 point third quarter lead before their offense fell apart; are we supposed to pretend like all of those empty offensive possessions had nothing to do with the final result?

Green is either an idiot or a buffoon: he either does not know what he is talking about, or he does not care how foolish he sounds. It is interesting that Kenny Smith was the only person on the TNT set who was willing to even tentatively challenge Green's nonsense both before and after the game. Smith noted that the Timberwolves have outscored the Mavericks during Gobert's minutes, and Smith emphasized that Doncic could have made that last shot over anyone, not just Gobert. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal did not contradict Green, but they correctly focused on Towns' shortcomings and they made the valid point that if the Timberwolves are going to play big then their big men must play with force in the paint. The Timberwolves' problem is that they are not attacking the paint offensively--and that problem must be fixed by Edwards and Towns. The problem is not drop coverage or Rudy Gobert or any other nonsense spewed by Green. If Green keeps lying about Gobert it would be great if someone had the guts to tell the truth about Green, and his triple single exploits on .389 field goal shooting for the 15-50 Warriors during the 2019-20 season when Green did not have Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Andre Iguodala to do the heavy lifting. I'll double down on what I said before: Green will be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame primarily because he was lucky enough to play alongside those four players. 

It is also worth mentioning that Green went 0-3 versus Minnesota this season, and 1-2 last season (Golden State beat Minnesota once in 2022-23 when Green did not play, an example of addition by subtraction). If Green is so smart, maybe he should use that big brain to figure out how to do better than 1-5 versus the player and team that he keeps mocking.

The NBA and TNT should have been embarrassed to put Green on the air in the first place after his numerous violent incidents, and they should be even more embarrassed by how he is doing his part-time job. When David Stern was the NBA's Commissioner, he took the consistent position that it was important to promote the game and uplift the players. How does it promote the game to uplift a violent and petty person like Green to a position of prominence so that Green can mock the league's Defensive Player of the Year? If Gobert is as bad as Green suggests, then either the league is trash, or the media members who do the voting are idiots; neither scenario is a good look for the league. 

The NBA under Commissioner Adam Silver has coddled Green for too long, and no one should be surprised when Green does something so egregious that the NBA will not be able to protect Green from legal consequences. What if Green had hit the New Orleans fan like he hit Poole? Green would be in jail, and he, the Warriors, and the NBA would likely be facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit. It is easy to retort that Green did not hit the fan because Green knows what boundaries he cannot cross, but Green has crossed multiple boundaries already, so relying on him to exercise good judgment is quite a gamble, even for a league that does not mind being in bed with legalized gambling operations.

Labels: Adam Silver, Domantas Sabonis, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole, Jusuf Nurkic, NBA, New Orleans Pelicans, Rudy Gobert

posted by David Friedman @ 12:05 PM

2 comments

Kevin Mackey Had a Keen Eye for Basketball Talent

Kevin Mackey, who epitomized the phrase "basketball lifer," passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79. He made his mark at the high school, college, and professional levels as a coach, and as a scout with a keen eye for basketball talent. Mackey had a self-induced downfall at the height of his coaching career, and then he bounced back to finish his basketball career at the NBA level by working as a scout for the Indiana Pacers. He was inducted in the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. 

I told Mackey's story in detail in my January 2007 Basketball Times article titled Catching Up With...Kevin Mackey, but it is worth retelling the highlights here so that younger fans can appreciate the impact that he had on the game as a whole and on many specific players who he coached or scouted. 

Mackey led Don Bosco Technical High School (Boston) to the 1976 Massachusetts state title plus three consecutive Class A Catholic championships before serving as an assistant coach at Boston College from 1977-83. Mackey earned a reputation as a top recruiter, and several of the players who he brought to Boston College later played in the NBA, including Michael Adams, John Bagley, John Garris and Jay Murphy. One of his top prospects was future NBA player Manute Bol, who Mackey attempted to bring to Cleveland State. 

Mackey served as Cleveland State's head coach from 1983-90, posting a 142-69 record with back to back Mid-Continent Conference regular season titles (1985-86) and two NIT appearances. His teams employed a "run and stun" full court pressure defense adapted from what he learned while coaching under Tom Davis at Boston College. Some of these concepts were later borrowed by well-known coaches such as Rick Pitino and Jerry Tarkanian. The highlight for Mackey at Cleveland State was the team's Cinderella run in the 1986 NCAA Tournament, when the Vikings upset the Bobby Knight-coached 3rd seeded Indiana Hoosiers and then beat 6th seeded St. Joseph's before losing 71-70 to Navy (featuring Hall of Fame center David Robinson) in the Sweet 16. That was the first time a 14th seeded team reached the Sweet 16. Cleveland State used the proceeds from that NCAA Tournament run to build what is now known as the Wolstein Center, and in 1990 the school signed Mackey to a two year $300,000 contract. Unfortunately, midnight struck for Mackey and the Cinderella Vikings when Mackey was caught driving under the influence after leaving a Cleveland crackhouse. 

Mackey admitted that he had been an alcoholic for many years, and that he began using cocaine shortly after the 1986 NCAA Tournament. He immediately went into drug rehabilitation, requesting that Cleveland State grant him a leave of absence to complete the 60 day program. The school president stated "I fired Kevin Mackey, but really he fired himself." Mackey completed the drug rehab program run by John Lucas--a former number one overall draft pick whose NBA playing career was ruined because of his drug addiction--and then Lucas helped him get a job coaching minor league basketball. Mackey spent 13 years coaching in a veritable alphabet soup of leagues in addition to coaching in Argentina, Canada and Korea. He won four championships, including three straight USBL titles. During that time, he coached 35 players who later played in the NBA, including Darrell Armstrong, Michael Curry and Adrian Griffin, who played on the Dallas Mavericks team that made it to the 2006 NBA Finals.

After Larry Bird became president of the Indiana Pacers, Mackey was the first person he hired. Mackey worked for the Pacers as a scout for 18 years before retiring in 2021. Mackey was gracious enough to provide a lot of time for me as my primary source for "A Scout's-Eye View of the Game," which is still one of my favorite articles that I have written. I had long wanted to have the opportunity to learn about--and share with my readers--how elite basketball talent evaluators analyze the strengths and weaknesses of players; the insights that Mackey provided nearly 20 years ago are still relevant today. I will never forget Mackey's concise, colorful descriptions of players he scouted, including one who "has hands like feet" and another who he dismissed as "JAG" (just another guy). Although intelligent use of statistics is part of talent evaluation, the value of the educated eye should not be minimized--and Mackey's basketball eye was as educated as anyone's.

In 2007, Mackey shared with me his all-time NBA team:

1st Team

Center: Wilt Chamberlain
Power Forward: Bill Russell
Small Forward: Larry Bird
Guard: Magic Johnson
Guard: Michael Jordan

2nd Team

Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Power Forward: Shaquille O'Neal
Small Forward: Julius Erving
Guard: Jerry West
Guard: Oscar Robertson 

It may look odd at first to see Russell and O'Neal listed as power forwards, but in today's era of "positionless basketball"--or in any era, for that matter--such a squad would be formidable. Mackey said that if he could expand the roster to 11 then he would include Elgin Baylor. Mackey selected Red Auerbach as his coach, with Phil Jackson as the assistant coach (back in the day, teams did not have an armada of assistant coaches). 

Speaking with Mackey and watching games alongside him is one of the highlights of my basketball writing career. We were kindred spirits because of our mutual love of basketball; we connected despite our differences in age and life experiences.

Mackey lived a life with no regrets; after I asked him if he thought about what he might have accomplished had he been able to coach longer at Cleveland State, Mackey replied, "I think that regret can be a cancer. I'd rather do a good job with today. We had a great run—it was too short--at Cleveland State and that was a great, wonderful part of my career. College-age coaching was a wonderful opportunity and we had terrific success." However, he admitted that he missed coaching and that if he ever had an opportunity to coach again then he would take it. 

That opportunity never presented itself, so I am picturing Kevin Mackey in basketball heaven now, coaching the "run and stun" and recruiting players who do not have "hands like feet."

Labels: Boston College, Cleveland State, Indiana Pacers, Kevin Mackey

posted by David Friedman @ 3:17 AM

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Remembering Michael Ray Richardson, Who Excelled at Both Ends of the Court

Four-time NBA All-Star Michael Ray Richardson* passed away today at the age of 70, not long after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. He led the NBA in assists (10.1 apg) in just his second season (1980), and he led the league in steals three times (1980, 1983, 1985). Richardson was not a great outside shooter, but his size and quickness made him very difficult to stop when he drove to the hoop, and trapping him was ineffective because of his superior skills as a ballhandler and passer. He was also a tenacious defender who made the All-Defensive First Team in 1980 and 1981. Richardson was often called "Sugar" or "Sugar Ray," and there is no doubt that he had a sweet game.

Despite his skills and accomplishments, Richardson will forever be remembered for being banned for life by the NBA in 1986 for drug use, and for his brutally honest comment about the New York Knicks' prospects during a rough stretch: "The ship be sinking" Richardson said, adding "The sky's the limit" after he was asked how far it could go.

The Knicks selected Richardson fourth overall in the 1978 NBA Draft after he averaged 24.2 ppg and 6.9 apg as a senior at Montana. He averaged 6.5 ppg and 3.0 apg in limited playing time as a rookie before blossoming into one of the league's top point guards in his second season, averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg along with leading the league in assists (10.1 apg) and steals (3.2 spg). In 1980-81, the Knicks went 50-32 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1978 as Richardson contributed 16.4 ppg, 7.9 apg (fourth in the league) 6.9 rpg, and 2.9 spg (second in the league). The Knicks slumped to 33-49 in 1981-82, prompting Richardson's famous assessment of their dismal prospects. Richardson averaged 17.9 ppg, 7.0 apg (10th in the league), 6.9 rpg, and 2.6 spg (third in the league) that season while playing in all 82 games. 

On October 22, 1982, the Knicks shipped Richardson and a 1984 fifth round draft pick to Golden State for Bernard King, who later became one of the most beloved players in Knicks' history. Richardson played just 33 games for Golden State before the Warriors traded him to the New Jersey Nets for Sleepy Floyd and Mickey Johnson.

Drug addiction and stints in drug rehabilitation limited Richardson to 48 regular season games in 1983-84, but when the playoffs rolled around he was in peak form; perhaps the highlight of Richardson's career is when he led the Nets to a shocking first round upset of the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers, a powerful squad featuring Hall of Famers Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, and Bobby Jones. After the Nets stunned the 76ers 116-101 in Philadelphia in game one, 76ers coach Billy Cunningham declared, "There is not really a lot I can say. They outplayed us in every phase of the game." Cunningham lamented his team's defensive breakdowns: "Michael Ray Richardson was doing things to us that we don't let Magic Johnson do." The Nets won game two 116-102 as Richardson scored a game-high 32 points, passed for a game-high nine assists, grabbed seven rebounds and swiped four steals. He shot 12-23 from the field, including 3-7 from three point range. The 76ers rallied to win games three and four in New Jersey to set up an elimination game in Philadelphia (first round series were best of five at that time). Richardson scored a game-high 24 points and had six rebounds, six assists, and a game-high six steals as the Nets won, 101-98. Richardson averaged 20.6 ppg, 8.6 apg, 5.2 rpg, and 4.2 spg during the series while shooting .494 from the field in 42.4 mpg; that was a tremendous performance, but it was the only playoff series that Richardson won during his NBA career. Richardson's numbers slipped to 13.7 ppg, 6.0 apg, and 4.7 rpg in the second round as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Nets, 4-2. 

In 1985, Richardson made the All-Star team for the first time since 1982, averaging 20.1 ppg, 8.2 apg (sixth in the league), 5.6 rpg, and 3.0 spg (first in the league). The Nets slipped from 45-37 to 42-40, but still made the playoffs. The Detroit Pistons swept the Nets 3-0. Richardson averaged 18.3 ppg, 11.3 apg, and 6.0 rpg in that series.

Richardson, who played all 82 games in three of his eight seasons and who played at least 3000 minutes in four seasons, appeared in just 47 games in the 1985-86 season before being suspended by the team for his ongoing drug abuse problem. NBA Commissioner David Stern later banned Richardson for life for repeated violations of the league's drug abuse policies.  

After being banned from the NBA, Richardson cleaned up his life, and he played in European professional leagues until he was 46. He later thanked David Stern for saving his life. After Richardson finished playing, he coached the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (formerly the Oklahoma City Cavalry) to two CBA titles and one Premier Basketball League title.

I met Richardson at the 2009 NBA Legends Brunch, and I told him that as a kid I rooted for the 76ers but respected how well he played in that 1984 playoff series. Richardson's career averages of 14.8 ppg, 7.0 apg (31st in ABA/NBA history), 5.5 rpg, and 2.6 spg (second in ABA/NBA history behind only Alvin Robertson) provide just a fleeting glimpse of the impact that he had at the height of his powers; at his best, he attacked the paint to score and facilitate, he played intense defense, and he rebounded like a forward. He was not a great outside shooter and he could be turnover prone, but he was a sight to behold when he drove to the hoop and when he hounded opposing players defensively. George Gervin, Isiah Thomas, and other players from that era speak in glowing terms about how well Richardson defended them.

It is unfortunate that Richardson's drug abuse shortened his NBA career, but it is great that he straightened himself out and had a productive life after his NBA playing days ended. 

* For decades, his first name was spelled "Micheal" in official sources, but in his 2024 autobiography Banned his first name is spelled "Michael." I have used both spellings in the labels for this post so that it will be easier to find for anyone searching online, but in the text I used "Michael."

Labels: Golden State Warriors, Michael Ray Richardson, Micheal Ray Richardson, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks

posted by David Friedman @ 4:53 PM

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Lenny Wilkens' Remarkable Legacy as Player, Player-Coach, and Coach

Lenny Wilkens, the only person who earned recognition as both one of the NBA's 50 greatest players and one of the NBA's 10 greatest coaches, passed away yesterday at the age of 88. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA title, and he ranks third all-time on the NBA's regular season wins list with 1332, trailing only Gregg Popovich (1390) and Don Nelson (1335). Wilkens became the all-time wins leader in 1994 after he surpassed Red Auerbach, who had held the record (938) since the 1960s. Wilkens was the NBA's all-time wins leader from 1994-2010, when Nelson broke his record. Wilkens won the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 1994, and he finished in the top five in seven other seasons (1971-72, 1978-80, 1989, 1992). He led five different franchises to at least one playoff appearance (Seattle, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto, New York), winning at least 50 games in a season nine times with three different teams (Seattle, Cleveland, Atlanta).

Wilkens' coaching career was so long and successful that it is easy to forget how great he was as a player. He excelled at Providence, twice leading the Friars to the NIT during an era when the NIT was much more prestigious than it is now. Wilkens won the 1960 NIT MVP even though Providence lost to Bradley in the championship game. The St. Louis Hawks selected him sixth overall in the 1960 NBA Draft. As a rookie, Wilkens ranked fourth on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and fifth in assists (2.8 apg) as the Hawks reached the NBA Finals for the second year in a row and third time in four seasons. The Celtics defeated the Hawks 4-1 to claim their third straight NBA title en route to winning a record eight consecutive NBA championships and 11 championships in Bill Russell's 13 season career.

Wilkens averaged 18.2 ppg and 5.8 apg in his second season, but military service limited him to playing in just 20 games. In 1962-63, his third NBA season, Wilkens earned the first of three straight All-Star selections. Wilkens also made the All-Star team as a Hawk in 1967 and 1968, when he finished second in regular season MVP voting behind Wilt Chamberlain despite not making the All-NBA Team, which featured Oscar Robertson and Dave Bing on the First Team with Jerry West and Hal Greer earning Second Team honors.

On October 12, 1968, the Hawks traded Wilkens to Seattle for Walt Hazzard. Wilkens made the All-Star team in each of his first three seasons with Seattle while ranking second in the league in assists in 1969 (674; league rankings were then determined by totals and not averages, but he also ranked second with 8.2 apg). He led the league in assists in 1970 (683, with a 9.1 apg average that was nearly a full assist per game ahead of Walt Frazier). Wilkens ranked second in assists in 1971 (9.2 apg), the first season when rankings were determined by averages and not totals. He won the 1971 NBA All-Star Game MVP after scoring a game-high 21 points on 8-11 field goal shooting while leading the Western Conference to a 108-107 win over the Eastern Conference back when the All-Star Game was competitive. Wilkens ranked second in the league in assists in 1972 with a career-high 9.6 apg.

Wilkens began his coaching career by serving as Seattle's player-coach from 1970-72. The SuperSonics, a 1967-68 expansion team, won 30 games before acquiring Wilkens, and then won 36, 38, and 47 games during his three seasons as player-coach. Prior to the 1972-73 season, Seattle traded Wilkens and Barry Clemens to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Beard. Seattle plummeted to 26 wins after Tom Nissalke and then Bucky Buckwalter replaced Wilkens as coach.

In his first season with Cleveland, Wilkens earned his ninth and final All-Star selection while averaging 20.5 ppg (the third best scoring average of his career) and 8.4 apg (again ranking second in the league). He also served as a great mentor for Austin Carr, who told me, "Lenny was very instrumental in me becoming a better guard. I was more of a shooting machine when I was in college. I had to learn how to conserve my energy because I had to play a lot of minutes. At the same time, I had to learn how to get the other four guys involved, because I was so used to everything coming to me. Lenny taught me a lot about how to make passes. I had a problem making backdoor passes and Lenny taught me how to do that and when to do it--little things like if I am going to pass the ball but don't quite have the angle, always pass the ball at the guy's head or at his ear, because he has to react to that. That gives you just enough time to get the pass through. I learned those kinds of little things from Lenny that really helped me throughout the rest of my career. Once I started having injuries, I had to start using my mind to stay successful because I lost a step. Once you lose a step in this game, you are in trouble."

Portland acquired Wilkens' rights prior to the 1974-75 season, and he finished his playing career as a player-coach for one year in Portland, averaging 6.5 ppg and 3.6 apg while guiding the squad to a 38-44 record, the best in the franchise's five year history up to that point. Rookie Bill Walton, who would later lead Portland to the 1977 NBA title, played in just 35 games. The 37 year old Wilkens retired as a player and spent one more year as Portland's coach, leading the Trail Blazers to a 37-45 record in 1975-76.

Seattle started the 1977-78 season 5-17 before hiring Wilkens to replace Coach Bob Hopkins. Wilkens led Seattle to a 42-18 record the rest of the way, and the SuperSonics reached the NBA Finals for the first time before losing 4-3 to the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. In 1978-79, Wilkens led Seattle to the best record in the Western Conference (52-30) and the second best overall record, trailing only the defending champion Bullets (54-28). In the first NBA Finals rematch since L.A.-New York in 1973, the SuperSonics defeated the Bullets 4-1. Dennis Johnson won the 1979 NBA Finals MVP, while Gus Williams scored a series-high 29.0 ppg on .500 field goal shooting. Williams scored at least 30 points in three of the five Finals games, including a series-high 36 in Seattle's 114-112 game four win.

Jack Sikma played a key role for those strong Seattle teams. I interviewed Wilkens during the 2008 NBA All-Star weekend, and he described Sikma's impact: "Jack never shied away. He stepped up. That is why we drafted him. We felt that he was a guy who could contribute and who would be consistent and when I took over as the coach of the Sonics I started him. He had been coming off of the bench. He made free throws at crucial times and was always in the game. When you have success early in your career it makes you that much more confident."

Paul Silas, who had previously been a key player for Boston's championship teams in 1974 and 1976, provided defense, rebounding, and veteran savvy for Seattle. Wilkens told me how important Silas was for young Sikma's development: "Paul was aggressive and he could play. Any time that I thought that another veteran team was trying to take advantage of Jack, I'd insert Paul. He was a wise veteran; he knew what to do and how to do it. That helped give Jack a reprieve, a chance to catch his breath before he had to go back in the game. In practice, Paul would go against Jack. I would match them up because I wanted Jack to learn from one of the best. Paul was huge in that respect."

Wilkens coached Seattle until the end of the 1984-85 season, and then he moved back to Cleveland, where he had enjoyed success as a player late in his career. Wilkens coached the Cavaliers from 1986-1993, highlighted by 57 win seasons in 1988-89 and 1991-92. In the latter season, the Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history before falling 4-2 to the Chicago Bulls, who then won the second of their sixth NBA titles in the 1990s. Brad Daugherty made the All-Star team five times with Wilkens coaching him in Cleveland, and Mark Price earned three All-Star selections plus three All-NBA Team selections during those years (Price earned his final All-Star selection and final All-NBA Team selection in 1993-94 after Mike Fratello replaced Wilkens).

Wilkens coached the Atlanta Hawks to a 57-25 record in 1993-94, tied with the New York Knicks for first in the Eastern Conference and tied with the 1986-87 Hawks for the best regular season record in franchise history; that mark stood until the 2014-15 Hawks went 60-22. Wilkens led the Hawks to the second round of the playoffs four times in seven years after the Hawks advanced that far just three times in the previous 13 seasons.

Wilkens' coaching career concluded with two playoff appearances in three seasons in Toronto, and one playoff berth in two seasons in New York.

In addition to his NBA coaching career, Wilkens was an assistant coach for Chuck Daly with the legendary Olympic gold medal winning 1992 Dream Team, and he was the head coach for Team USA’s 1996 gold medal winning squad.

Wilkens is one of five people inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (1989) and as a coach (1998); the others on this special list are John Wooden (1960, 1973), Bill Sharman (1976, 2004), Tommy Heinsohn (1986, 2015), and Bill Russell (1975, 2021). Other honors that Wilkens received include being inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Providence Hall of Fame. He also appears on the Cleveland Cavaliers' Wall of Honor.

After hearing that Wilkens passed away, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said, "I ended up following [Wilkens] as president [of the National Basketball Coaches Association]. He did a lot of things to further the profession; the pension, benefits, coaching salaries rose significantly during his time. He was a great representative to the league office, advocating for coaches and the things that coaches experience that a lot of people didn't know about. Lenny was a great communicator with things like that. The thing that I'll always remember, he was such a great gentleman, and such an eloquent human being, along with being a super competitive coach. He is still way up there in all-time victories. Very, very special man. He'll be missed, but he'll be remembered." 

There have been greater players than Wilkens, and greater coaches, but no one matches Wilkens' combined resumes as both an elite player and an elite coach. As Carlisle noted, Wilkens had a very positive impact on the sport because of the effective way that he communicated with players, fellow coaches, and the league office. 

Labels: Atlanta Hawks, Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, Lenny Wilkens, Mark Price, Paul Silas, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Supersonics, St. Louis Hawks

posted by David Friedman @ 2:36 PM

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Russell Westbrook Extends His Career Triple Double Record While Setting Career Rebounding Record for Guards

On Wednesday night, Russell Westbrook extended his NBA career triple double record by notching his 205th regular season triple double as his Sacramento Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors, 121-116. Westbrook scored 23 points on 9-13 field goal shooting while grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds and dishing for a game-high 10 assists. Westbrook's new teammate Malik Monk is thrilled by Westbrook's contributions, particularly since Westbrook became a starter for the Kings: "We needed it bad. Especially in the starting unit. I feel like for the last few years, we've been starting games pretty bad. With him going to the starting unit, it brings more oomph, more energy." 

Westbrook now has 8734 career regular season rebounds, surpassing Jason Kidd (8725) to become the top rebounding guard in ABA/NBA history. Westbrook ranks 71st overall in career regular season rebounds, ahead of many Hall of Fame centers/power forwards, including Spencer Haywood, Willis Reed, Chris Webber, and Bob McAdoo. Contrary to what Westbrook's critics assert, his rebounds are not "stolen."

This season, Westbrook--who will turn 37 on November 12--is averaging 15.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 5.6 apg, and 1.4 spg with shooting splits of .468/.432/.727 while starting four out of eight games. Westbrook signed a non-guaranteed veteran minimum one year deal for $3.6 million to join the Kings. Per HoopsHype, Westbrook's 2025 contract is tied for 299th in the NBA. 

Regardless of what Dave "Vampire" McMenamin and other media members say to trash Westbrook's reputation, no rational person believes that Westbrook deserves to be among the lowest paid NBA players--but it is fascinating to see how perception becomes reality, and how media-driven narratives may affect a player's market value. I am not surprised at how poorly many media members treat Westbrook, because in 2014 I predicted that Westbrook would inherit Kobe Bryant's mantle as both the NBA's best guard and a "vastly underrated superstar." Westbrook is no longer a superstar, but he was the NBA's best guard and a vastly underrated superstar during his prime, and his contributions are consistently belittled to this day.

Westbrook plays hard, which should be a given for professional athletes but is often not the case. He teamed with Kevin Durant to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, and to Western Conference Finals appearances in three other seasons. After Durant fled the Thunder to join the stacked Golden State Warriors in 2016, Westbrook did not pout and he did not demand a trade; he led the Thunder to three straight playoff appearances before being traded to Houston in 2019. Westbrook should get a special award for averaging a triple double while leading the Washington "Wheeze-hards" to the 2021 playoffs, the team's only postseason appearance between 2018 and 2025.

Some players seem to be in the NBA just for the money and the fame, but Westbrook seems to love not just playing basketball but competing as hard as he can for as long as he can.

Labels: Golden State Warriors, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings

posted by David Friedman @ 5:06 PM

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How Significant is the NBA Cup?

The third annual NBA Cup began with eight games on Friday October 31, and will continue until a champion is crowned on Tuesday December 16. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2024 NBA Cup, and the L.A. Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023. Most of this year's NBA Cup games will be played on Friday nights. All NBA Cup games also count in the regular season standings except for the championship game, which paradoxically is not classified as a regular season game or as a playoff game.

In a two year sample size, winning the NBA Cup has not correlated with winning the the NBA title. Milwaukee lost to Indiana in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, and the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The losers of the NBA Cup championship game have fared better in the NBA playoffs than the winners, with Oklahoma City capturing the 2025 NBA title and Indiana reaching the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals a year before losing to Oklahoma City in the 2025 NBA Finals.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver openly dreamed for many years about creating an in-season tournament modeled after the in-season tournaments that already exist in other sports leagues around the world. He believes that such an in-season tournament heightens fan interest and lessens the incentive to tank--and he no doubt also believes that an in-season tournament provides revenue generating opportunities for the league.

There is little doubt that the league is using the NBA Cup to create revenue generating opportunities through sponsorships and through promotion by the league's media partners, but the other supposed advantages of the NBA Cup are difficult to quantify. There is not a direct, obvious way to measure the extent to which fan interest is impacted by the NBA Cup; did fans attend a particular game because it was an NBA Cup game or because they like one of the teams or because that game happened when they had enough time or money to go to a game? 

The race to the bottom that happened in both 2023 and 2024--and will almost certainly happen this season as well--belies the notion that the NBA Cup curbs tanking; it made no sense to assume that--even if every team cared a lot about winning the NBA Cup--the existence of an in-season tournament would have an impact on teams happily losing for most of the season.

It will be interesting to see how the NBA Cup is viewed in 10 years. The Lakers raised a banner to commemorate their 2023 NBA Cup title, and the Bucks raised a banner in honor of their 2024 NBA Cup title, but it is difficult to imagine legendary players of the past such as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant putting much stock in a banner celebrating anything other than an NBA title. How important can the NBA Cup championship game be if the statistics are not counted as either part of the regular season or the playoffs? The NBA Cup championship game is essentially an exhibition game for which the players are richly rewarded, as each member of the winning team receives more than $500,000.

Great players are evaluated based in large part on NBA championships, NBA MVPs, All-NBA selections, and overall individual statistics. Will NBA Cups eventually considered to be an important--or even relevant--part of a great player's resume? That seems doubtful.

Labels: Adam Silver, Indiana Pacers, L.A. Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA Cup, Oklahoma City Thunder

posted by David Friedman @ 12:13 AM

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Early Season Notes About Some High Profile Teams

It is way too early to make any definitive--or even preliminary--conclusions about the just-started NBA season, but here are a few observations about what we have seen so far, starting with last season's "Final Four" teams and then looking at several other teams that receive a lot of attention.

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder started the season 4-0 without the injured Jalen Williams, who made the All-NBA Third Team and the All-Star team last season. Their margin for error and their victory margins are much smaller than last season; the Thunder currently have a point differential of 7.7 ppg, which is very good by normal standards but just pedestrian compared to the all-time single season record that they set last season (12.9 ppg). The Thunder are scoring 121.0 ppg, just above the 120.5 ppg that they averaged last season, but four games is a small sample size and two of the Thunder's four games went to double overtime. In their two regulation length wins, they scored 117 points and 101 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is carrying an even bigger load than he did last season when he won the scoring title, the regular season MVP, the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP, and the NBA Finals MVP; he joined Michael Jordan as the only players in the last 50 years to total at least 120 points in the first three games of a season, and he is the only player to accomplish this feat while shooting at least .500 from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander is also just the third player to score at least 20 points in at least 75 straight games, with his streak only trailing one streak by Oscar Robertson (79) and two streaks by Wilt Chamberlain (96 and 126).

Indiana Pacers: This will be a challenging season for the Pacers, who are without both injured All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and long-time starting center Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer. The Pacers started 0-3, competing hard in a double overtime loss to the Thunder in the season opener before being blown out by Memphis (128-103) and losing a close game to Minnesota (114-110). It should be noted that Minnesota's best player, Anthony Edwards, played only three minutes in that game.

Last season, Haliburton led a high octane offense that ranked seventh in the league in scoring; through three games, the Pacers rank 20th in scoring, and an alarming 28th in points allowed.  

The Pacers are well-coached by Rick Carlisle, and their identity is to play hard, but they have lost too much talent to be a playoff team this season. They are relying heavily on Pascal Siakam, who is doing all that he can to keep the team afloat (26.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 6.0 apg). Bennedict Mathurin averaged 31.0 ppg in two games, but he suffered a toe injury in the second game and sat out the Pacers' third game. It is uncertain when he will return to action.

New York Knicks: The Knicks opened the season by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111, and then they defeated the depleted Boston Celtics before losing to the Miami Heat, who are missing injured All-Star guard Tyler Herro. The Knicks are averaging 110.3 ppg and rank second in the league with 46.3 three point field goal attempts per game; last season, the Knicks scored 115.8 ppg and averaged 34.1 three point field goal attempts per game (27th in the league). 

The Knicks replaced coach Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown. Although the Knicks are scoring a bit less so far this season, their offense appears to be running at a faster pace and definitely involves more three point shooting. Last season, the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, so this season is NBA Finals or bust for the Knicks.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Minnesota started 2-1, but two-time All-NBA Second Team selection Anthony Edwards played just three minutes in the third game (a 114-110 win versus Indiana) before suffering a hamstring injury that will keep him out of action for at least a week. Last night, the Timberwolves sans Edwards fell to the Denver Nuggets, 127-114. The Timberwolves started 6-6 last season and recovered to earn the sixth seed before advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. Julius Randle is averaging 25.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 5.3 apg. The Timberwolves cannot reasonably expect to reach the Western Conference Finals again from the sixth seed, so it is important for them to win some games while Edwards is out, and then pick up the pace after he returns.

Cleveland Cavaliers: After losing 119-111 to the New York Knicks in the season opener for both teams, the Cavaliers reeled off three straight wins, capped by a 116-95 dismantling of the Detroit Pistons last night. The Pistons, tapped by some commentators as a potential Eastern Conference contender, fell to 2-2 and trailed by as much as 35 points before the contest entered what Marv Albert would call "extensive garbage time."

Donovan Mitchell has been fantastic through four games, averaging 31.3 ppg while shooting .564 from the field. Four other Cavaliers are each averaging at least 13.5 ppg, picking up the slack for injured All-Star guard Darius Garland and injured three point specialist Max Strus. 

The Cavaliers have proven that they are an excellent regular season team--finishing first in the Eastern Conference last season with a 64-18 record after starting 15-0--but, like the Knicks, their season will be deemed successful based solely on making a deep playoff run. The Cavaliers have not advanced past the second round since LeBron James led them to the 2018 NBA Finals. 

Boston Celtics: Like the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics face an uphill climb this season due to an injured star player and a depleted roster. Jayson Tatum is expected to miss the entire season, and key players Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet are now playing for other teams. Tatum is one of the NBA's five best players, and one of the underrated aspects of his greatness is defense, particularly defensive rebounding. During their 1-3 start, the Celtics rank 17th in rebounding and 19th in defensive rebounding. Last season, the Celtics ranked eighth in rebounding and seventh in defensive rebounding, with Tatum leading the team in both categories by wide margins. 

The Celtics also miss Tatum's scoring and his shot creation; so far this season, the Celtics rank 23rd in field goal percentage, 25th in three point field goal percentage, and 10th in three point field goals made; last season, the Celtics ranked 19th, 10th, and first respectively in those categories, with Tatum being the primary scorer and primary facilitator.

Golden State Warriors: It feels like the Warriors are living on borrowed time with an aging, injury-prone roster, but so far they are 3-1, including an overtime victory versus a Denver team that looks like a championship contender. Casual fans and uninformed commentators tend to focus on Golden State's offense and specifically Stephen Curry's three point shooting, but the Warriors' championship teams were excellent defensively; their most recent title-winning team in 2022 ranked second in defensive field goal percentage and third in points allowed. The Warriors currently rank 24th in points allowed and 28th in defensive field goal percentage, and if they continue at that pace on defense then they are unlikely to be a contending team regardless of how many three pointers Curry makes. 

Curry is leading the league in free throw percentage (he is perfect in 22 attempts), three point field goals made (20) and three point field goals attempted (44) while averaging 29.0 ppg. He has not averaged 29.0 ppg since the 2022-23 season, so it will be interesting to see if he can score at that level for a full season as a soon to be 38 year old. Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.5 ppg--which would be his highest scoring average since 2022-23--and he said that he plans to have a higher free throw percentage than Curry this season. Butler's free throw percentage so far (.881) is a career-high but would be the second worst free throw percentage of Curry's career! 

Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic has led the Denver Nuggets to a championship and two Western Conference Finals appearances even though he has yet to play with a current All-Star; that streak of non-All-Star teammates may end this season if Jamal Murray (30.3 ppg) and Aaron Gordon (25.3 ppg) remain healthy and productive. Jokic just joined Oscar Robertson (1960-61) and Russell Westbrook (2020-21) on the list of players who had a triple double in each of the first three games of a season; last night, Jokic had 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in what Peacock's Grant Hill called a "quiet" performance as the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 127-114. "Quiet" for Jokic would be a career-best loud thunderstorm for most NBA players.  

Denver went 0-4 versus Minnesota last season after losing 4-3 to the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, but a major caveat about yesterday's game is that--as noted above--Anthony Edwards did not play due to a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for two weeks. 

An overtime loss to the Warriors followed by wins against the Phoenix Suns and the Timberwolves sans Edwards is a small sample size, but the Nuggets should be encouraged not only by the health/productivity of Murray and Gordon but also by the solid contributions made by newly acquired players Tim Hardaway Jr., Cameron Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown. Throughout Jokic's career, the Nuggets have tended to get destroyed when he is out of the game, so if the rebuilt bench can even just tread water while Jokic rests then Jokic, Murray, and Gordon will be fresher and deadlier than ever. 

L.A. Lakers: The Lakers started the season without LeBron James, who will miss at least a few more weeks due to sciatica, and now they will be without Luka Doncic for at least a week due to a finger injury and a lower leg contusion. Doncic scored 43 points and then 49 points in the Lakers' first two games, setting a franchise record for most points by a player in the first two games of a season--but the Lakers went 1-1 in those games. Doncic is the only Laker other than Kobe Bryant to have at least 45 points, at least 10 rebounds, at least five assists, and at least five three point field goals made in the same regular season game. 

The Lakers are now 1-1 without Doncic. They beat the Sacramento Kings 127-120 as Austin Reaves erupted for a career-high 51 points along with 11 rebounds and nine assists, and last night they lost 122-108 to Portland with Reaves scoring a game-high 41 points and committing a game-high eight turnovers. 

Other than the health of their top two players, the key question for the Lakers is if they can consistently play good defense. They rank 14th in both points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. It is far from certain that having James and Doncic for all four games would have helped in either of those categories, as James is no longer a consistently good defensive player and Doncic is consistently a subpar defensive player. 

The Lakers cannot go very far just based on offense alone; in their 128-110 victory over Minnesota, the Lakers shot .592 (45-76) from the field, powered by Doncic shooting 14-23 (.609). That kind of shooting is great, but unsustainable. 

Deandre Ayton is averaging 15.8 ppg and 9.3 rpg while shooting .600 from the field, and the Lakers will need for him to continue to be productive.

The funny thing about any team featuring LeBron James is that James' media buddies will always promote the narrative that James does not have enough help. If James played with prime Kobe Bryant, prime Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, prime Magic Johnson, prime Elgin Baylor, and prime Jerry West, there is no doubt that Chris Haynes would report, "Sources tell me that Bryant shoots too much, Kareem only shoots skyhooks and his presence in the paint prevents LeBron from driving to the hoop, Magic's ball dominance prevents LeBron from doing what he does best, the Lakers would be better if Baylor stood in the corner to shoot three pointers, and West hurts the team because he can only dribble with his right hand." Dave McMenamin would add, "Anonymous players told me that Kareem is a 'vampire' who sucks the life out of the locker room, no one wants to play with Kobe, Magic smiles too much, Baylor is a ball hog, and West should let LeBron be the primary ballhandler." Brian Windhorst would conclude, "Ever since I followed LeBron around when he was in high school, LeBron has been a pass-first player who is a great leader. On this Lakers team, he is not able to pass or lead because Magic and West have taken those roles, and sources tell me that LeBron is not happy about this."

The current Lakers have two perimeter players beside James who can score 50 points or get 10 assists in a game, they have a center who rebounds, rolls to the hoop, and takes high percentage shots, and they have several solid role players, but after they once again fail to advance past the first round we will hear about how it is everyone's fault except LeBron's. The LeBron James era in L.A. has featured one "bubble" championship, one other Western Conference Finals appearance, three first round losses, and two seasons of missing the playoffs. James had an MVP-caliber/first ballot Hall of Fame player (Anthony Davis or Luka Doncic) in his prime next to him for all but one of those seasons. For the record, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to back to back titles in 2009 and 2010 without a single teammate who made the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. 

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs and Thunder are the NBA's only 4-0 teams. Victor Wembanyama has posted MVP-level numbers: 31.0 ppg (seventh in the league), 13.8 rpg (fourth), 4.8 bpg (first), and .603 field goal percentage. The most encouraging number may be the number that decreased the most: he is attempting 2.8 three point field goals per game after attempting 8.8 three point field goals per game last season. Wembanyama looks bigger, stronger, and much more focused on attacking the paint. Accurate three point shooting is an important weapon for players and for teams, but championships are won on defense and in the paint, and Wembanyama is making strong contributions in those important areas.

The Spurs are unlikely to be a championship contender this season, but Wembanyama is showing signs of being the kind of player who can be the best player on a legit contender. He is receiving solid support from the team's other young players, including Stephon Castle (18.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.8 apg), Devin Vassell (16.8 ppg), rookie Dylan Harper (14.8 ppg, 4.8 apg), and Keldon Johnson (12.0 ppg on .643 field goal shooting).  

The Spurs rank first in points allowed and second in defensive field goal percentage. They could win at least 50 games if they can maintain those rankings for the entire season.

Labels: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, L.A. Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs

posted by David Friedman @ 3:49 PM

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