1 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:20,120 What is crack a lac infelt thermonuclear afors. I am Dan Valley coming at 2 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,199 you with a mail bag podcast on my own, as these things tend to 3 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,920 be. We're doing a Twitter mail bag this time. This is being recorded 4 00:00:27,199 --> 00:00:32,399 before games on Sunday, so if anything happens that makes it like majorly outdated, 5 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,039 or record an intro. But the stats everything we're going to talk about 6 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,960 accurate as of Sunday, November twelfth. I have about an hour, maybe 7 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,000 a little bit more. So I'm gonna try and bang through as many questions 8 00:00:42,039 --> 00:00:44,200 on Twitter as I can. If I can get to some of the discord 9 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,159 ones, I will, But I'd like the idea of maybe switching every other 10 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,759 week. Although Elon killed Twitter a little bit, so we don't get nearly 11 00:00:50,759 --> 00:00:53,679 as many mail bag responses on there from the NBA math account. So if 12 00:00:53,679 --> 00:00:56,159 you're on Twitter and you feel like double dipping and you're also in our discord, 13 00:00:56,479 --> 00:00:58,719 if you'd like to send us mailbag questions, so the best way to 14 00:00:58,799 --> 00:01:00,560 do so you can be on the lookout out on Twitter for those solicitations, 15 00:01:00,799 --> 00:01:03,719 but join our discord the links in the podcast and YouTube description, or you 16 00:01:03,799 --> 00:01:07,599 can email us Hardwood knocks at gmail dot com. I don't check that thing 17 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,879 every day, but I will eventually. I will eventually see it and we 18 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,200 can edit to the queue. You're free to DM me my dms get to 19 00:01:15,239 --> 00:01:19,599 be a mess though on Twitter, So again, there are very very different 20 00:01:19,719 --> 00:01:21,480 There are a bunch of different ways you can reach out. But if you'd 21 00:01:21,519 --> 00:01:23,120 like to get your question heard on a mailbang and you're not in discord, 22 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,920 hardware knocks at gmail dot com, but join our discord, follow us on 23 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,239 all the socials too, the links that are in the podcast and YouTube description, 24 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,000 and as always, thank you all for your support. We really do 25 00:01:32,159 --> 00:01:34,840 appreciate every single one of you, and if you've not subscribed yet, please 26 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,400 consider hitting the sub button on YouTube as well as Spotify and Apple. Ratings 27 00:01:38,439 --> 00:01:42,120 and reviews on Apple and Spotify help out a ton if we get some momentum 28 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,359 and like, let's drive us up the Apple charts. Can you all go 29 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,200 spam our ratings and let's see them skyrocket once? Those go a long way. 30 00:01:49,239 --> 00:01:52,359 If you've done all those things though, worth of math recommendations, help 31 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,000 promote our our episodes, tell people about us though that's probably the biggest way 32 00:01:57,079 --> 00:01:59,959 to help the podcast grow aside from the YouTube algorithm. At this point, 33 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,040 comment on the YouTube videos help the algorithm of us back. Maybe be nice 34 00:02:04,079 --> 00:02:07,760 in the comments instead of telling us that we don't watch basketball, in which 35 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,639 case, anyone who says that, even if they say they, if they 36 00:02:09,759 --> 00:02:15,159 tell us that we're not following Team X or that our takes are dumb or 37 00:02:15,199 --> 00:02:17,680 we're not watching basketball, you can't do what we do. If you're saying 38 00:02:17,759 --> 00:02:21,120 that you can't cover all thirty teams as well as we do, I'm just 39 00:02:21,159 --> 00:02:23,520 gonna say that right now. I'm taking off the humble pie. There are 40 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,560 probably people in our discord. There are many listeners that I think could absolutely 41 00:02:27,599 --> 00:02:30,159 do what we do. You can't do what we do if that's your first 42 00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:34,280 gut check reaction, and I think that's it. That's all the housekeeping notes, 43 00:02:34,319 --> 00:02:36,360 as well as me throwing shade it. There was just a lot of 44 00:02:36,879 --> 00:02:39,280 hate on our Pacers and Timberwolves clips from the episode where we were actually pretty 45 00:02:39,319 --> 00:02:44,199 complimentary of both teams. But you latch onto this thing about us saying Kat 46 00:02:44,479 --> 00:02:46,639 has not been good to start the season, or Grant got eviscerated for his 47 00:02:47,039 --> 00:02:51,240 benanicmathrine take. I guess both of US did because it was a joint video. 48 00:02:52,159 --> 00:02:53,520 And then Bennett Mathrom went out to have the two best games of his 49 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:59,319 career. One clip was recorded beforehand. Two. Don't use a two to 50 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,680 three game, say ample size flashes over the course of a nine game season 51 00:03:02,159 --> 00:03:06,960 or whatever, and just expect that to apply to a new normal. And 52 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,280 if you disagree, that's fine with the Benan mcmathin take. I disagreed with 53 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,800 what Grant said. Grant even said he might have been being too harsh or 54 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,439 hypocritical or cynical, whatever the word was that he used. It's okay to 55 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,280 have different opinions. It doesn't make us dumb. Doesn't mean that we don't 56 00:03:19,319 --> 00:03:23,520 watch. But there's nothing wrong with Grant using we have a full season's worth 57 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,479 of data from last year, the struggles in Summer League. He has been 58 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:29,800 better to start this season. There have been flashes of more variants in his 59 00:03:29,879 --> 00:03:32,599 offensive decision making. I think it's totally reasonable to say, and it's not 60 00:03:32,599 --> 00:03:36,840 an insult that Bennancmathrin might top out as a great six man. I just 61 00:03:36,879 --> 00:03:38,560 thought that was such an odd thing to latch into. Even if you think 62 00:03:38,599 --> 00:03:40,840 he's been better, has a higher ceiling than Grant does. If you think 63 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,319 he has a higher ceiling that like, if you think he's going to be 64 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,039 a star, that's fine, justify it. But don't come in here and 65 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:52,719 say we don't watch basketball. We're not watching this team paying attention to this 66 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:54,199 team. When you are saying that, I'm just gonna tell you right now, 67 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,000 you can't do what we do. You just you can't. Not sorry 68 00:03:59,719 --> 00:04:01,280 that not a rant I intended to go on. Mayve been feeling spicy on 69 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,800 Sunday. I've not taken it edible because I need to go to an event, 70 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,879 which is why I'm doing this early in the day. We need to 71 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:10,439 have a mail bag. One few questions here before we really get into this 72 00:04:10,719 --> 00:04:14,000 are the are the solo mail bags? Fine? I don't like doing these. 73 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,519 I'm just gonna be I love interacting with the questions. I should probably 74 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:20,240 just find someone who's willing to give up everything and drop on a whim and 75 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:24,519 adhere to my schedule whenever I can record these and just throw the questions at 76 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,560 me as sort of a guest hosts. I don't I don't like these. 77 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,360 I don't like talking to myself. I know I talk a lot, I 78 00:04:30,399 --> 00:04:32,000 know my speed demon when I'm talking. I hate it. I hate these 79 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,519 episodes, but I love the concept of the mailbags. I love hearing from 80 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:39,000 you guys. If you enjoy the solo episodes that I'll keep doing them. 81 00:04:39,199 --> 00:04:41,480 If you don't like these solo episodes, I will not keep doing them. 82 00:04:41,519 --> 00:04:43,879 My time is short as it is, so let me know in the comments 83 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,480 or discord if the if the solo mail bags play, Grant and I will 84 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,920 do joint ones from time to time, but I think it's more important for 85 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:55,639 us to focus on like real like not real content. This is real content. 86 00:04:55,759 --> 00:05:00,040 But that's just these the episodes that are gonna age more quickly. I 87 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,360 want to break down games with someone in some of the biggest topics. That 88 00:05:01,399 --> 00:05:04,079 makes more sense for us to do that together. But he will be on 89 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,360 with nobeg. Shout out to this support on that stat panding episode by the 90 00:05:08,399 --> 00:05:11,000 way, and I want to start this. This is fine. I'm going 91 00:05:11,079 --> 00:05:13,240 to ask a question, my mail bag question to everyone. I need to 92 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,240 start doing these, especially if you're on YouTube. I want to know what 93 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,439 you think in the comments here, but also in discord. Grant had asked 94 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:23,680 and it went the commenters went wild on YouTube. YouTube TikTok. What is 95 00:05:23,759 --> 00:05:27,639 the rookie or NBA prospect you were most wrong about in a way that you 96 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,839 were too positive on them. My answer was among the two, But I 97 00:05:30,879 --> 00:05:35,120 think the one I ended up settling on was I thought Justin Patton was going 98 00:05:35,199 --> 00:05:41,680 to be a more athletic, better ball handling Chris tops Porzingis Grant said that 99 00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:44,360 he thought this is kind of reasonable. He said that Ben Simmons was going 100 00:05:44,399 --> 00:05:46,439 to be a bigger, faster Grant Hill. A lot of people were high 101 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,519 on Ben Simmons. I want to know in the comments what some of the 102 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:54,399 stuff on, you know, people who thought Jared Sullinger was going to be 103 00:05:54,439 --> 00:05:58,399 a superstar, you know, kind of remembering how high people were on Nick 104 00:05:58,439 --> 00:06:01,680 Stauskas and Ben Lackamore was fun. Someone thought Willie caley Stein was going to 105 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,040 be generational. I'm not just singling out King's draft basically, or I apologize. 106 00:06:05,639 --> 00:06:08,480 There was a lot of dog Greg Oden was gonna be one of the 107 00:06:08,519 --> 00:06:10,560 best big men of all times, like some of the more reasonable ones, 108 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,120 but then kind of these sort of random ones. I'm trying to think of 109 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:15,680 a good one off the top of my head, whereas like someone being thinking 110 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,680 that Avery Bradley was going to be a megastar, not just a really good 111 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,720 player. There's of course Frank Neilakina for me, who I think at the 112 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,079 time, I don't. I don't know if I wrote this. I definitely 113 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,600 said it somewhere. I thought he was gonna be the combination of Marcus Smart 114 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,800 and Avery Bradley, and a better shooter than both. I think it was 115 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,079 like a better shooter and ball handler, I think them both at the time 116 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,879 was what I thought, or maybe that was into his rookie season. I 117 00:06:39,959 --> 00:06:43,040 said that, So that's another wild one. Let me know in the comments 118 00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,439 in the discord, whatever, what is the NBA draft? What is the 119 00:06:46,519 --> 00:06:48,800 NBA rookie or draft prospect that you were so high on that you ended up 120 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:55,240 being most wrong about. Let's dive into how about that for a freaking seven 121 00:06:55,319 --> 00:07:00,439 minute introduction. Let's let's dig into some news. Actually two things I wanted 122 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,959 to cover, and Grant and I will normally do news together. But the 123 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:09,240 Kelly ubridgeior injury is just a fucking bummer. He sustained broken ribs and an 124 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:13,560 assortment of bruises and cuts. According to Shan Serania of the athletic to his 125 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,800 body after being struck by a car in Philadelphia on Saturday night. He was 126 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:20,319 apparently walking home. Ubray fortunately avoided more serious injuries, but will now miss 127 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:25,879 significant time. Tim Bontemps followed that up by saying that the Sixers have announced 128 00:07:25,959 --> 00:07:29,279 Kelly rid Junior suffered a fractured rib on Saturday when he was struck by a 129 00:07:29,319 --> 00:07:31,680 motor vehicle and that he'll be re evaluated in one week. That just that 130 00:07:31,839 --> 00:07:34,759 blows. I mean, I'm glad it wasn't more serious and that it seems 131 00:07:34,839 --> 00:07:39,519 like he's going to be okay and gonna be able to return to a basketball 132 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,959 court. He was banging for the buck wise one of the best free agent 133 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,439 signings of the offseason. I still can't believe he went for a minimum. 134 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,160 I know how people feel about players who don't pass. He's a bucket and 135 00:07:49,319 --> 00:07:53,319 he's I mean, he's been moving off the ball really well and Philly's been 136 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,519 hitting his threes. That'll probably come down, but it just sucks. He's 137 00:07:55,519 --> 00:07:58,439 having a great season. Definitely, I would have thought earned himself some money 138 00:07:58,439 --> 00:08:00,959 in free agency and he's hopefully he can come back and pick up where he 139 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:03,399 left off. That's just a bummer. He's a big part of the sixer 140 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,360 success so far. They do have kind of wings to spare. But when 141 00:08:07,399 --> 00:08:09,279 you look at their wings, unless I'm just like I thought about this, 142 00:08:09,639 --> 00:08:15,639 because they have so many wings, they're not like the super speedster wings like 143 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,759 the anti Melton just a little on the smaller end. But we can defend 144 00:08:18,959 --> 00:08:22,480 like a wing, so I sort of get it. And Tobias Harris like 145 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,639 that's fine, but like just for con Corkmas Robert Covington, now you're talking 146 00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:31,079 about Nick with Toomb, I mean Jane Springer. So it's just they don't 147 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,960 have a lot of like bouncier wings. Maybe this means like kJ Martin becomes 148 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,639 a little bit more important, But he's been like not really part of the 149 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:39,159 rotation, so I think that they could miss some of the pace that he 150 00:08:39,279 --> 00:08:43,080 plays with when you're looking at you know him and Maxie at Melton, like 151 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,720 those guys can play really fast. Hopefully he's fine. Hopefully he's not out 152 00:08:46,759 --> 00:08:50,200 too long and when he cut whenever he comes back, I hope he's just 153 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,840 as good because it was it's been fun to kind of see him being so 154 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,440 impactful after I guess being forced to sign with the minimum, or maybe he 155 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:01,759 thought this would be a good situation because he knew the Hardens Harden debacle was 156 00:09:01,799 --> 00:09:05,039 going to implode. But he's made himself some real money so far, and 157 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,919 I hope he can continue to do so. And then also shout out to 158 00:09:09,039 --> 00:09:11,919 him because he's one of the I like that. I like an NBA player 159 00:09:11,919 --> 00:09:15,360 who wears polish on his nails, unironically, not like a Jimmy Butler, 160 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:20,399 Emo Knight or EMO EMO media Day, Like just with the Kelly Bridge r 161 00:09:20,759 --> 00:09:22,399 that you get to that guy. Fucks is that? Is that what the 162 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:24,720 kids? That? That what the kids are saying because he is polish on 163 00:09:24,799 --> 00:09:28,240 his nails. No, that's that's the wrong way of saying it. But 164 00:09:28,279 --> 00:09:33,799 I appreciate sort of the the offbeat there. And finally, uh, as 165 00:09:33,879 --> 00:09:37,159 a news note, Uh, the NBA is talking about going to a two 166 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:41,200 draft, two day draft where they would have this I'm assuming the first round 167 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,720 or the lottery on one day. They didn't get into the structure too much 168 00:09:43,759 --> 00:09:48,679 in that Shams and Woje reporting there's been talking about maybe them adding a third 169 00:09:48,759 --> 00:09:52,440 round, which I guess could make sense with the expanded you know, two 170 00:09:52,519 --> 00:09:56,440 way rules, and now you have these second round exceptions as well, and 171 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:00,159 I'm assuming those would spill over into the third round. I don't have a 172 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:05,360 strong take on this. I do recognize that this the second round is just 173 00:10:05,799 --> 00:10:09,159 a blur. These they have like two minutes to pick all these trades are 174 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,759 happening. I know some people use the argument that by having more time in 175 00:10:11,799 --> 00:10:16,360 the second round, more trades could unfold. Then I saw John Hollinger, 176 00:10:16,519 --> 00:10:18,519 I think, said that there was like seventeen trades in the second round this 177 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,919 past year, just something wild. So how many if we have more time, 178 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,720 how many more trades are we going to do? I'm all for. 179 00:10:24,039 --> 00:10:30,039 I like the idea of one not having someone like Nicole Jokic get drafted during 180 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,799 a Taco bell commercial, just having that memory, even if they're not in 181 00:10:31,919 --> 00:10:35,600 person, to kind of remembering where you are when that happened, because there 182 00:10:35,639 --> 00:10:39,840 are just second round picks that go off. I like having that idea, 183 00:10:39,879 --> 00:10:43,000 and maybe you then are able to invite more of these prospects over. In 184 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,799 a case like Jokic, where he's international, maybe he's not showing up for 185 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:48,039 that if he doesn't think he's going to go in the top thirty, but 186 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,799 I'd be all for that. What I will say is that the broadcast need 187 00:10:52,879 --> 00:10:58,320 to be tailored accordingly because they people are struggling to and I understand it could 188 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,879 be difficult if you tasked with if they don't have a separate NBA draft crew, 189 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:07,200 which I know that ESPN they have Jonathan Gavoni still, but like you 190 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:11,720 lose Schmidt's but like aside from Gavoni and then Jay Billis is gonna be on 191 00:11:11,799 --> 00:11:16,879 there. Okay, fine, do you want to hear what Kendrick Perkins? 192 00:11:16,919 --> 00:11:20,840 And I'm trying not to shit because I know how hard it is to do 193 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,919 this job as someone who complains about people saying we don't watch basketball. Do 194 00:11:24,039 --> 00:11:28,360 I want to see Kendrick Perkins on TV mimicking spanking as a way of breaking 195 00:11:28,399 --> 00:11:31,000 down the game? No. I mean, if if the standard of that 196 00:11:31,279 --> 00:11:35,679 studio show was already higher, like if the barometer ford like it was, 197 00:11:35,919 --> 00:11:39,360 if it was if they had the cachet and the built up goodwill of what 198 00:11:39,519 --> 00:11:43,440 we see of inside the NBA and not just because we're employed by the same 199 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,320 parent company. That's a very enjoyable show when people get mad about things they 200 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,039 say. But they've built up goodwill. I think in part because the show 201 00:11:50,159 --> 00:11:58,679 is actually the show where it's ESPN is rushing to commercials, and I understand 202 00:11:58,879 --> 00:12:01,320 part of why they're doing that, but if you made the show more enjoyable, 203 00:12:01,399 --> 00:12:05,200 you could get to a point where maybe the show itself, the studio 204 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,639 show itself, is being sponsored, so you don't need to cut to as 205 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,320 many of these commercials. I'm not even sure if that's how it works, 206 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,519 but if the show had built up more goodwill or was better, you can 207 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,480 deal with Shenanigans are fun. I'd like to think that this podcast is personable 208 00:12:18,519 --> 00:12:24,360 and wacky in addition to also being super technical and in depth and thorough so, 209 00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:28,279 but just because of ESPN it's so. And I don't necessarily blame the 210 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:31,879 talent as much for this because of how quickly they are cutting too commercials, 211 00:12:31,919 --> 00:12:33,799 Like it's just it's big bang boom. You want to make fun of what 212 00:12:33,919 --> 00:12:39,399 Steven A has to say or what Kendrick Perkins has to say, but they're 213 00:12:39,399 --> 00:12:41,639 given like these with thirty five second snippets, and what are you actually supposed 214 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:46,720 to do there? My point being this is around my way of saying I 215 00:12:46,799 --> 00:12:50,200 don't want to see a second day of the NBA draft if we're not going 216 00:12:50,279 --> 00:12:54,480 to see people who have studied these players, who know these players that are 217 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:58,080 getting drafted, because you want the analysis to go along with that event, 218 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,679 So forget, forget even adding the third rounds. And maybe that would be 219 00:13:01,759 --> 00:13:03,559 the argument for well, let's do the lottery, then we'll wrap up the 220 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,840 second the first round, in the second round on that second day. Sure, 221 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,120 but if you're gonna add the second day of the draft, make sure 222 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:15,240 that you have just the talent and the experience, the familiarity with these players 223 00:13:15,279 --> 00:13:18,480 to back up that that type of I would say it's ambitious, vicious programming. 224 00:13:18,879 --> 00:13:22,559 All for it. Otherwise, because again, the second round is such 225 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:28,519 a blur. We are heading into the mailbag portion now of this podcast. 226 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:31,679 Really good questions here. Let's start with and this is we've gotten this question. 227 00:13:31,759 --> 00:13:35,440 This is something similar, but doctor Justin Quinn asked, why didn't the 228 00:13:35,759 --> 00:13:41,559 league make divisions useful again with group play stage of the in season tournament. 229 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,080 Yeah, it's so. The way that they drew, just for anyone who 230 00:13:45,159 --> 00:13:48,360 might not be familiar, is they created these five pots per conference, three 231 00:13:48,399 --> 00:13:52,679 teams in each pot, and then what they did was one team was drawn 232 00:13:52,159 --> 00:13:56,559 from each pot and like that made up a group is and the pots were 233 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,720 as follows for anyone who can follow along. Pot one teams with the three 234 00:14:00,799 --> 00:14:03,759 best prior regular season records in the conference. Pot two teams with fourth through 235 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:09,399 sixth best records. Pot three was seventh through ninth, Pot four was tenth 236 00:14:09,519 --> 00:14:13,799 through twelfth, and Pot five was thirteenth through fifteenth of that conference. I 237 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,159 understand why they did it this way because you don't want to end up with 238 00:14:18,039 --> 00:14:22,320 LOP two. This seems like a better way of redistributing the teams relative to 239 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,799 what happened last season. Now a lot of teams look plenty different compared to 240 00:14:26,919 --> 00:14:31,759 last year. You could you know, a team like the Wizards just now 241 00:14:31,759 --> 00:14:35,639 all of a sudden even worse because they don't have Christaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal. 242 00:14:35,759 --> 00:14:39,399 But you don't also want to have the issue of there are just certain 243 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,759 divisions right now that are hell fire compared to the others, and it's this 244 00:14:43,919 --> 00:14:45,960 might be the case for getting rid of divisions, by the way, but 245 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,600 any AnyWho, and there's I think worth the point of the season. But 246 00:14:48,639 --> 00:14:52,600 specifically, you look at that there's no I don't know that there's a shitty 247 00:14:52,679 --> 00:14:56,600 division right now. I mean I'm looking at okay, there are divisions where 248 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,960 there might be two sort of pushovers, but they're kind of like in the 249 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,600 Atlantic, there's five teams that are trying to win right now. In the 250 00:15:03,679 --> 00:15:07,600 Pacific there's five which should be really good teams at full strength. In the 251 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,360 Southwest with the Rockets just rolling, the Rockets are rolling, caps Lock rolling. 252 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,440 Now all of a sudden, there's four. There's four competitive teams because 253 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:16,600 the Grizzlies aren't one of them, and the Spurs they're sort of lightning in 254 00:15:16,639 --> 00:15:20,879 a bottle. I kind of understand why you got away from divisions. If 255 00:15:20,919 --> 00:15:24,279 you wanted to build back up those rivalries, sure, and maybe that would 256 00:15:24,279 --> 00:15:28,720 create drama that would then spill into matchups that were being played outside of the 257 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:33,919 n season tournaments. Since that's happening so early. If we're trying to make 258 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,240 it from an even field, I do prefer the way like just trying to 259 00:15:37,279 --> 00:15:39,679 even out, like the way that the teams are distributed in the level of 260 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:43,159 competition. I know that there are groups that are hell fire compared to others 261 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,879 right now. That's how it works out, especially when you're basing this decision 262 00:15:48,399 --> 00:15:52,360 off of last year's records, where you're seeing a lot of turnover and changes 263 00:15:52,639 --> 00:15:56,080 to team like the Blazers being one, and even the Jazz like their records 264 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,639 inflated because of the time that what they were doing before the trade deadline last 265 00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:03,039 year. What I would maybe be interested in, and this again would make 266 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,360 divisions even more useless, is like, do we kind of keep these groups 267 00:16:07,799 --> 00:16:11,639 from year to year because you build up rivalries that way, and there's more 268 00:16:11,639 --> 00:16:14,960 of sort of the one off occasion to them because it's the n season tournament 269 00:16:15,039 --> 00:16:18,720 game might matter more. Perhaps that's a stupid way of looking at it. 270 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,159 If I'm more concerned about them evenly distributing the competition, they should probably stick 271 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,679 with what they're doing. But if you want to build up rivalries, I 272 00:16:26,759 --> 00:16:30,639 could understand the argument for, well, why didn't they just do it by 273 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:36,159 division? Again, it's a level of competition thing quite clearly to me. 274 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,080 But is that something they're open to doing moving forward or could they just be 275 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:42,240 at some point do we just lock in the groups just to kind of create 276 00:16:42,399 --> 00:16:45,600 that drama. So I'm all for trying to build rivalries in the league, 277 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,480 and I would imagine I try to look by the way and see if there 278 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,360 was if this is why they did it or why they didn't stick with divisions. 279 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,240 I couldn't find anyone who had answered that question. So, Adam Silva, 280 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:56,159 I know you're listening. Why don't you just get at me? You 281 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,000 can email me, DM me on Twitter. You're probably in our discs. 282 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,799 So however you feel like you want to text me, however you feel like 283 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:07,000 you want to get in touch this question, this question is super interesting. 284 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:08,319 It's a little bit. It happened before the season, but I'm just getting 285 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:14,880 around to it now. From Matisse Thibeles Wingspan on Twitter. Question is who 286 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,200 do you think will make strength, slash, physicality, slash taking and giving 287 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:22,000 contact the biggest part of their game? Victor Weminyama, Chet Holmgren or Evan 288 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:26,440 Mobley. Very interesting question here. I think the answer is gonna wind up 289 00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:30,720 being Evan Mobley. I've come back to yourself back and forth. This I've 290 00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:33,839 mobily written in my notes, but I keep wanting to go with Wemby when 291 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,240 it comes to Chet, I do think that he's mostly going to be in 292 00:17:37,319 --> 00:17:41,880 more of a play finisher role and it's ironic he's the one that's playing center 293 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,880 the most of the time, so there's gonna be more physicality on defense and 294 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,839 maybe so maybe that makes him the right answer just based off what's happening immediately 295 00:17:52,079 --> 00:17:56,599 right now. However, I'm kind of considering it more on offense and Evan 296 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,599 Mobley of these three, just because the pick and pop element of Chet and 297 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,839 then him being around so many guys who can dominate the ball. Wemby just 298 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:11,240 being in all everything like person and mabab something, someone we've just never the 299 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,160 likes of which we've never seen before, gonna catch the ball over the floor. 300 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,519 They're not gonna, you know, use him as a facilitator, doesn't 301 00:18:18,519 --> 00:18:19,839 seem like as but that he has the freedom of self creator, you're gonna 302 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,960 run stuff from him in the middle of the floor. And so with Mobley, 303 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,039 I feel like there's gonna be a lot of more center floor touches, 304 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,599 elbow type touches as we move forward. We don't always see a ton of 305 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,599 them. Also because that you're you are going to play invariably, compared to 306 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,200 Wemby, who's he's come out at the five a little bit like this person 307 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:40,400 just trotted that out and been like, hey, yeah, here we go, 308 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:44,839 We'll try this. But Mobley will play more center. I think long 309 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,880 term that might still be his best position. I know Cavs fans don't really 310 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:51,480 like when people say that, but he's just gonna you have Jared Allen there. 311 00:18:51,559 --> 00:18:52,559 But if Jared Allen's injured, as we saw at the beginning of the 312 00:18:52,559 --> 00:18:56,839 season or when you're looking at backup minutes, he will be playing. He 313 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,440 will be used as a center. I don't know, it's the center on 314 00:19:00,559 --> 00:19:03,680 both ends of the floor who's featured where it's just chet. I don't know 315 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,759 if he'll ever have the center floor self creation, like let's slow things down, 316 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,440 run things through him. Because of not that he's not capable of it, 317 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:15,480 that dude's floor game is off the charts, but because of who's around 318 00:19:15,559 --> 00:19:18,400 him right now, and so I think it's more critical for Mobili to develop 319 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:22,319 this part of his game. And I think I do think that it's going 320 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,240 to end up being him, and he's just not going to have the sheer, 321 00:19:25,759 --> 00:19:29,400 you know, like when it's wemme just have that sheer. Yeah, 322 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,119 he's like he has that sheer size advantage over everyone, so he doesn't necessarily 323 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,200 have to rely on physicality as much. I will say four chat I have. 324 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,680 I think I mentioned this on a podcast already. I am very impressed 325 00:19:38,039 --> 00:19:41,640 with how physical he's been. I know he's been bounced around a little bit 326 00:19:41,279 --> 00:19:45,000 against some of the larger front lines, but I've actually been really impressed with 327 00:19:45,039 --> 00:19:48,519 his strength level relative to what his frame looks like. Good question though, 328 00:19:48,559 --> 00:19:52,839 and matisciples Wingspan had another question that I'd like to save for Grant, so 329 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,839 we'll get to that one whenever we talk to Grant. I have it in 330 00:19:55,920 --> 00:20:00,200 my notes. Next comes from Pee Pete shout out recovering the Pacers as long 331 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,039 as your internet would hold up. I've been catching arrows in Indi for this 332 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:07,480 take, but I'm open to sending Mathrin and whatever else is needed with in 333 00:20:07,559 --> 00:20:10,799 Reason to Toronto for Ogana. Noobi would love your guys take on that. 334 00:20:11,759 --> 00:20:15,279 Okay, So, first of all, someone who watched the Indiana or listening 335 00:20:15,279 --> 00:20:18,240 to the Nanis Pacers clip and didn't think that we don't watch the Indiana Pacers 336 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:21,079 shout out, PDP, I love you all of a sudden. No I 337 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,119 always loved you because you listen to this podcast. Love every single person, 338 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,920 even though they might be hate listening. Who consumes this podcast? Why are 339 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:32,240 you getting roasted for that take? I love the fit of og and India, 340 00:20:32,319 --> 00:20:37,880 especially given what they need most, and like there is if he comes 341 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,839 in and you just have someone who defends all five positions, or you're looking 342 00:20:40,839 --> 00:20:42,119 at it this way, Oh, like the four problems are just solved, 343 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,519 and now maybe we can you know, Bruce brown Is and Aaroni Smith are 344 00:20:45,519 --> 00:20:49,799 able to guard more natural sized players. I think Nie Smith specifically is the 345 00:20:49,839 --> 00:20:52,599 one where you kind of look at that. I don't do you think it's 346 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,559 worth My questions would be do you think that he comes in and you automatically 347 00:20:56,599 --> 00:21:00,880 are that much better defensively? I believe you would be if you're keeping Turner, 348 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:03,440 which there was hostly a podcast today that was running through like Miles Turner 349 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,680 trades and like the Pacers are trying to win. Why are we still on 350 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,920 the like the Miles Turner trade stuff, especially like right now when they when 351 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,240 they're you know, sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference or whatever it 352 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,920 is. I find it weird that PDP would be roasted for this. Now. 353 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,880 The issue here roasted, I think is extreme people who are against it. 354 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:26,599 I get it. Ogi Ananoby's going into free agency the way the extension 355 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:29,599 rules are gonna work. If they wanted to offer him the max, do 356 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,400 they even have enough time after the sixth? If the trade happened right now, 357 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,920 would they have enough time to extend him before the season's over. He 358 00:21:36,039 --> 00:21:37,640 doesn't matter. He's not gonna sign it. Four years, one hundred and 359 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,200 sixteen point two, I believe would be the max. I think that the 360 00:21:41,319 --> 00:21:44,400 Toronto Raptors would have signed him to that already, as a versus they are 361 00:21:44,519 --> 00:21:48,720 to signing their players to keeping their own players all of a sudden, it 362 00:21:48,839 --> 00:21:52,880 seems so there's the risk of one. If you wanted to, you could 363 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,119 go and create the cap space necessary to chase him this summer. But that's 364 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,200 a risky way of looking at things. Would he choose I know he has 365 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,960 tied to Indiana. Would he choose Indiana over some of these other teams maybe 366 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,720 that are better position to win? Or could look you have Tyre's Haliburton here 367 00:22:04,759 --> 00:22:07,240 and you have Ben mcmathern there. If you're gonna sign him, can you 368 00:22:07,319 --> 00:22:11,839 promise him as large of an offensive role as he wants. You need to 369 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,359 be sure that he's staying, is my point, because he is hitting free 370 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,640 agency, and this is someone who everyone of all timelines will want. It's 371 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,680 not just the teams that might have cap space when you're looking at Philly, 372 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,799 when you're looking at Orlando. He is a player, especially relative to the 373 00:22:26,799 --> 00:22:29,359 free agent class coming up, and how many that the Clippers kind of just 374 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:33,000 take off the board by having them on their team. Although maybe lots of 375 00:22:33,039 --> 00:22:36,880 people don't watch James Harn't, at this point, you have to be sure 376 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:38,160 that he's coming back, because he is someone who is good enough for teams 377 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,960 to create cap space for, not to build their entire future around where it 378 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:45,480 will give you up eight first round picks, but he is good enough to 379 00:22:45,519 --> 00:22:49,920 where he will have interests where even if teams don't have cap space, they 380 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:56,119 will they will make it if it means signing Ojannannobi to X if you're not 381 00:22:56,319 --> 00:23:00,440 if you don't know that he's staying and you have that deal in place beforehand, 382 00:23:00,559 --> 00:23:03,200 essentially where you know the number, let's just say I'm just throwing a 383 00:23:03,279 --> 00:23:07,839 number out here. Let's say it's four and one twenty four or something. 384 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,799 I mean, he's got to be looking at some of these devinsel Jade McNett 385 00:23:11,839 --> 00:23:15,400 like it's gonna cost you at least that annually, if not more to get 386 00:23:15,519 --> 00:23:18,359 him. So let's just say the number is is worked at four in one 387 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,200 tent, which I think winds up being around that what was to sell five 388 00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:25,599 and one thirty five, so it ends up being more as an average editor. 389 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:27,119 So let's just say the numbers four one twenty four and one twenty four 390 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,240 whatever average of thirty one million dollars a year. You need to know that 391 00:23:30,279 --> 00:23:34,319 you're keeping him, because to give up Mathrin when you have who is not 392 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,839 not only showing flashes right now of more just complicated deeper decision making. Had 393 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,519 played really good, probably the best defensive performance I've ever seen from him with 394 00:23:42,599 --> 00:23:48,359 that game against Milwaukee. By the way, regardless no matter how you feel 395 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,240 about him, that Grant would even acknowledge this. You have that draft equity 396 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,200 invested in him. You can't trade that for someone who might leave. And 397 00:23:56,279 --> 00:24:00,920 I think that's where the hang up would be because in a nutshell, yes 398 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,839 I would, I would trade Mathrin for og Annobi. I think you have 399 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,279 Tyre's Halliburton you could also invest. I know Mathern does stuff off the dribble 400 00:24:08,319 --> 00:24:11,880 that Buddy Heel is never gonna do, and Buddy Heil is never gonna have. 401 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,680 You know that Milwaukee as type of defensive performance. But if you have 402 00:24:15,799 --> 00:24:18,960 Turner n Og you can look at keeping keeping Buddy. You have Bruce Brown 403 00:24:19,039 --> 00:24:22,160 there like there you have other perimeter options that are small enough to where I 404 00:24:22,279 --> 00:24:26,839 don't think that you should be opposed to trading Mathron. Now, what is 405 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,920 it within reason to get him? Is it Mathren and a pick? If 406 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,799 it's the only way you get Annobe is mathern in a first, that's not 407 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,920 an unreasonable cost. Guys, I know Pacers Shans will probably blanche at it. 408 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,839 If you think that Mathroom is going to be an all star fine, 409 00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:45,359 like then then fine you want to keep him. But og An Andobi addresses 410 00:24:45,799 --> 00:24:48,000 more of a need for you right now. Like for me, I would 411 00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:51,559 view it as and I don't think, oh, g Annobey's cable this. 412 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,960 I want to be clear, But do you view someone in Mathrin who can 413 00:24:55,079 --> 00:24:59,920 run the show with Tyre's Haliburton off the floor. I'm not confident he could 414 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:03,000 up into that player as a as a passer, as a score. Absolutely, 415 00:25:03,039 --> 00:25:07,319 he might already be there to you know, anchor those units. However, 416 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,880 the data without Halliburton on the court is bad once again for the Pacers. 417 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,640 But if you believe that Mather is going to be that player, then 418 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,519 I understand not wanting to give him up in this deal. I don't know 419 00:25:18,559 --> 00:25:21,839 if Toronto would have interest in him. That's just not the type of player 420 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,359 they normally go for. They could certainly use shot creation though they're also the 421 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,720 other thing that makes it difficult here is Toronto's not dead in the water like 422 00:25:27,799 --> 00:25:30,519 we all thought, because Scotty Barnes leap has changed a lot of things for 423 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,480 them, and we've all been pretty open about acknowledging. Well, they did 424 00:25:33,559 --> 00:25:37,160 trade that top six protected pick in twenty twenty four for Yaka Pertle. They're 425 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,759 not just gonna blow it up. I mean they might, but they're not 426 00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:45,079 just They're not guaranteed to tank. So your offer is gonna have to be 427 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,960 super aggressive, which to me, there's no way you're getting out of an 428 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,240 og and and Ov deal without giving up an Nick Mathn. You could try 429 00:25:51,279 --> 00:25:53,759 to sell them on Jaris Walker, but they have Scottie Barnes, Passali Siakam 430 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,799 and Jakob Pertle and you're not even really playing Jaris Walker at the moment. 431 00:25:57,839 --> 00:26:02,400 So his trade value, you could say it's net neutral, still sort of 432 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,240 the mystery box. But he hasn't improved by being relative to the minutes that 433 00:26:06,279 --> 00:26:08,759 he's been on the court. Mathurin's trade value's probably improved just over the past 434 00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:11,880 week. So I don't Pdpete. I don't think you should be roasted for 435 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,799 it. I would do it. My issue, I'd just be My two 436 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:19,319 issues are what is the additional cost? And if I'm the Pacers, my 437 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,880 hard line is we will give you another first round pick and we'll make the 438 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,240 money work here. But like it's Mathrin that pick, we could talk about 439 00:26:27,319 --> 00:26:30,640 seconds, we could talk about we could talk about Andrew Nemo, like we 440 00:26:30,799 --> 00:26:37,759 didn't include it so the ancel rally pieces, yes, we could negotiable. 441 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,799 But if it's Mathron and two. First, I think you're too invested in 442 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,720 Mathrin. I think that he has at least shown enough to where you can 443 00:26:44,759 --> 00:26:48,160 be skeptical of like giving up two first on top of him, it's just 444 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,480 too much for a guy that you're you're now acquiring for the right to pay. 445 00:26:52,599 --> 00:26:53,480 And then that is the second issue. Do you think that he would 446 00:26:53,519 --> 00:26:57,799 stick around otherwise. That's not a terrible take at all, just just flat 447 00:26:57,799 --> 00:27:02,119 out it's not a terrible take to terrible take to say I think the Pacers 448 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,839 should give up Mather and if it means getting oh Giannaobi, if the rest 449 00:27:04,839 --> 00:27:11,440 of the packages is within reason. Next question comes from which ended up being 450 00:27:11,079 --> 00:27:17,519 way harder than I wanted it to be, from Texas Blocker. I'm sorry, 451 00:27:18,039 --> 00:27:22,440 Blocker, Texas Ranger. What is Kyante George's ceiling with this jazz roster, 452 00:27:22,559 --> 00:27:27,039 with this specific jazz roster, and we're seeing Kiante George now being featured 453 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:30,680 more prominently. That's kind of what happens when Jordan Clarkson, your your best 454 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:36,079 passer on this exact roster, Like there's a lot of space for him to 455 00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,079 operate, But I don't know that. You're like, do you think he's 456 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:42,079 gonna be the one that el It's just it's such a weird I got too 457 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,920 caught up in the framing of this question of well, he's just so young, 458 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:49,480 and like, is this roster really not gonna change, because that's gonna 459 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:55,000 be issues defensively even with Kante George's size. So just in general, when 460 00:27:55,039 --> 00:27:59,119 I look at him. He can kind of dance with the ball, almost 461 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:03,640 seems to prefer the tough angled layups. It's great. I saw when he 462 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,480 was coming out a lot of people were comparing him to these combo guards who 463 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:11,119 weren't really good passers, or they were, you know, ambiguous passers. 464 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,240 You didn't know what they were gonna be. I think it's it's great for 465 00:28:14,319 --> 00:28:15,640 the jazz to know that, oh, this dude is six' four. 466 00:28:17,039 --> 00:28:19,240 He's a rookie, not in the most ideal circumstances right now. Although Utah 467 00:28:19,279 --> 00:28:22,119 spacing is at least the offense should be better, but the spacing a lot 468 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,640 of times is set up to give him room to maneuver this it's just a 469 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,440 turnover ratio is better than it was at Beller, and so that's just already 470 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,039 a win for them. Like I said, he's six' four, that's 471 00:28:32,079 --> 00:28:34,000 great size for the position. I look at him and he's not like super 472 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:37,680 quick or explosive though, and so I don't know, like, what does 473 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,559 that mean for his ceiling. I don't want to say that I think he 474 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:45,400 plays like these players, but when I kind of look at them, it's 475 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,519 Kyrie with worse handles, just kind of the types of passes he's making. 476 00:28:48,559 --> 00:28:52,599 I could see him being a better passer, but even being able to segue 477 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,400 into type of that off guard role if you ever get someone who's more dominant 478 00:28:56,599 --> 00:29:00,240 the other one that kind of stood out bigger Darius Garland to me, I 479 00:29:00,319 --> 00:29:07,559 don't think he's as fast. There's more maybe shiftiness to what he's doing where 480 00:29:07,599 --> 00:29:11,960 it's like they're like it's like wiggle as the I think the basketball geek. 481 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,480 So the real sickos like to say that maybe Darius Garland has who there could 482 00:29:15,519 --> 00:29:18,640 be more of a change of speed thing from here. He's got more just 483 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,400 blow by speed on him when he's when he's fully healthy. I know at 484 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:23,119 points it's been weird this season, feels like he might be boiling out a 485 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,240 little bit early in the lane. I think that's a fair ceiling too set. 486 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,119 I'm not saying he's gonna reach it, but a lot of people I 487 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:34,720 saw Jayden Hardy Comps was a big one. I did see Bradley Beal a 488 00:29:34,759 --> 00:29:37,880 couple of times. That would be a fine outcome. I think he winds 489 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,000 up being a better passer than Bill based off what I've just I went back 490 00:29:41,039 --> 00:29:42,799 and watched some of the stuff, like the passes that he's already thrown, 491 00:29:42,839 --> 00:29:47,000 and I'm just I think he's gonna be I'm surprised that people were so low 492 00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:51,759 on his passing that felt a lot of okay, college basing. He's that 493 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:53,279 like. He also wasn't there as far as I know, I didn't watch 494 00:29:53,319 --> 00:29:56,799 him, so he also wasn't there primary Like, this is someone who was 495 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,519 kind of sounded like he was more of an off guard anyway. I don't 496 00:30:00,599 --> 00:30:03,680 view him as a he's a combo guard, but he can be a floor 497 00:30:03,759 --> 00:30:07,799 general, and so I think that would be fair his Like, so I'm 498 00:30:07,799 --> 00:30:11,039 saying his ceiling Kyrie's probably gonna make the Hall of Fame. I don't mean 499 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:12,920 I'm not comparing it to his players, but that feels like a like what 500 00:30:14,119 --> 00:30:18,920 Darius Garland is now, that level of player was last season where okay, 501 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,759 he's made an All Star Game and you're kind of waiting, Okay, what 502 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:23,440 does it look like on defense? He's six four, so he's bigger than 503 00:30:23,519 --> 00:30:27,039 Darius Garland. I do see with some of the way that he passes. 504 00:30:27,359 --> 00:30:30,000 And I was not gonna make this camp because I really don't think it's a 505 00:30:30,039 --> 00:30:33,519 fair one. He's a better passer already, but the way he passes the 506 00:30:33,559 --> 00:30:36,359 ball and some of the way we've seen him get to some of his pull 507 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:37,799 ups so far, I was like, Oh, there's like a little bit 508 00:30:37,839 --> 00:30:41,640 of Donovan Mitchell there. There's a lot of different players that kind of stood 509 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:48,440 out. I'm gonna I'm gonna go with bigger, slightly slower, more shiftier 510 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:55,559 Darius Garland. How's that blocker, Texas Ranger. Next question comes from, 511 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,519 oh, we got two Orlando Magic questions. I know this because I group 512 00:30:57,599 --> 00:31:03,039 them together in the dock that I'm using. We'll start with Tony's has is 513 00:31:03,119 --> 00:31:07,240 Jalen Suggs turning a corner or just in the middle of the hot streak? 514 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,519 My answer is yes, I think he could be. I don't expect him. 515 00:31:10,519 --> 00:31:11,400 In the past two games, he shot the hell out of the ball 516 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:15,839 from three. I don't think he's gonna shoot a trillion percent from three all 517 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,079 year, but he kind of showed a turn last year as someone who could 518 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,799 make his open threes. He's hitting his above the break threes, but he's 519 00:31:22,799 --> 00:31:26,599 also spacing to the corner more often this year. I think that's a positive. 520 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,880 Even when they're not going in This is more anecdotal. It feels like 521 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,279 he's making quicker decisions away from the ball as well, so where he's coming 522 00:31:33,319 --> 00:31:34,559 to go, when he's going to get it, like he will go and 523 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,279 get it, or he's gonna keep it. He catches it, he keeps 524 00:31:37,319 --> 00:31:41,240 it moving, and then maybe he'll relocate afterwards. It feels like I'm seeing 525 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,160 more of that magic. Fans could definitely speak if they've watched every single game 526 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,640 that he's ever played, can speak more of that than me. I think 527 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,400 the bigger thing with him is there is more variability in his drives. He's 528 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,160 finishing better at the rim. It was the game against Milwaukee had some just 529 00:31:56,279 --> 00:31:59,200 a couple of really nice left handed drives, So there's a little bit more 530 00:31:59,279 --> 00:32:02,200 variance there. I know he talked about when he was injured in twenty twenty 531 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,480 two or was twenty twenty one, that he did a lot of dribbling with 532 00:32:05,559 --> 00:32:07,680 his left hand. So it makes sense that he's a little bit like Ami 533 00:32:07,759 --> 00:32:12,480 Dextriss. It feels like he's more Ami Dextrous this season. Uh. And 534 00:32:12,599 --> 00:32:16,440 then the variability is not just in that, it's more so to me he's 535 00:32:16,799 --> 00:32:21,759 passing on forty one point seven percent of his drives with an assist rate of 536 00:32:21,839 --> 00:32:25,799 sixteen point seven percent last year twenty nine point seven percent pass rate, seven 537 00:32:25,839 --> 00:32:30,599 point seven percent assists rate, So he's passing more. The passes are translating 538 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:35,000 to assists without there being some major uptick and talent around him, like yeah, 539 00:32:35,079 --> 00:32:38,720 they've added like some guys. And then there's also just oh, these 540 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:43,000 players are gonna grow, they're going to get better. But this is largely 541 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,200 this is the base, This is the crux of the core that was there 542 00:32:45,319 --> 00:32:49,359 last year, and so he's making smarter passes and that variability is important. 543 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,000 Also a fun fact as I record this, every player, here's every player 544 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:55,319 who has finished as many drives as Jalen Suggs while shooting as well, which 545 00:32:55,359 --> 00:32:59,640 is over fifty three percent, and then matching or eclipsing his assist rate. 546 00:33:00,079 --> 00:33:02,599 Jamal Murray made his hamstring continue to heal, and Spencer didnwitdy. That's pretty 547 00:33:02,599 --> 00:33:06,880 good company and I would view it. We know what he does on defense, 548 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:13,720 it's basically controlled chaos and the assignments he takes on like they're tough assignments 549 00:33:13,759 --> 00:33:16,240 and like he does a great job buy and large there's yes, he can 550 00:33:16,319 --> 00:33:19,640 do stuff on the ball. He also takes some chances away from it, 551 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:24,000 but he is for stuff where it becomes ungoverned chaos. There is the controlled 552 00:33:24,039 --> 00:33:29,519 chaos element of him where he is a type of perimeter defensive player that opposing 553 00:33:29,599 --> 00:33:31,640 units kind of have to plan around. And just him and Markel Folts when 554 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:36,519 Falts is healthy able to be able to play them together when winnow Carter Junior 555 00:33:36,559 --> 00:33:38,240 is healthy, like, I want to see the two of them. I 556 00:33:38,319 --> 00:33:43,200 want to see more when Foalts is healthy. With Suggs and Antony Black. 557 00:33:43,319 --> 00:33:46,680 I don't know what the offense looks like. That's that's quintessential polow at the 558 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:51,599 five territory. Then play them with Franz and just see see what that looks 559 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,599 like in extended run, not just in sort of fits and burse And so 560 00:33:53,759 --> 00:33:59,480 I think this is a turned corner for Jollen Suggs. I saw someone compare 561 00:33:59,559 --> 00:34:01,599 him. They think that he was going to have a Marcus Smart career arc. 562 00:34:02,079 --> 00:34:06,440 That would be an exceptional career arc to have. I do believe there's 563 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,920 a more talented score in there, not necessarily as a passer. Maybe is 564 00:34:10,119 --> 00:34:15,360 more of this playing within himself passer but like Marcus Martins also had to do 565 00:34:15,599 --> 00:34:20,920 a ton of like the pick and roll or just you know from scratch table 566 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,840 setting volume that Jael and Suggs should never have to do with as long as 567 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:30,400 Faults and Franz and Palo Bank Caro is there. So I think that's and 568 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:31,480 look, him hitting his three is a big deal because I've seen this. 569 00:34:31,639 --> 00:34:35,320 This isn't pushback that I thought was interesting. And that'll lead us into the 570 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,800 next question. Magic fans talking about like, you know, I can't remember 571 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,679 which game it was where they kind of lost at the end on why they 572 00:34:42,679 --> 00:34:45,280 had a chance to win it was a wide open three, but it's like 573 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:50,480 kind of that's the point is it. Defenses are so comfortable leaving a lot 574 00:34:50,559 --> 00:34:52,559 of players open on this team. Still you want to improve that. And 575 00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:57,239 Suggs hitting his threes above the break no less is a really big deal, 576 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,199 but just sort of all over the court where it's oh, he's in the 577 00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:01,679 corner more, but he's also hitting his above the breakthrees. Big deal for 578 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:08,199 the Magic. Next question also Orlando Magic related from Daniel Mortenson the third and 579 00:35:08,519 --> 00:35:12,320 this dovetails with what I was just talking about. Who would be a better 580 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,039 fit for the Magic, Buddy Healed and Forony Simons or Zach Lavine. So 581 00:35:15,679 --> 00:35:20,360 I'm not ranking these players in terms of how good they are, because zach 582 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:22,920 Colvine is the best player of these three. I ranked them in terms of 583 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,920 what I actually think the best fit is, and not necessarily in likelihood, 584 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000 but a player that I could see the Magic actually going for. If it's 585 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,960 we're close to the trade deadline, we're super competitive. The defense is still 586 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:37,440 hell fire, but oh we're twenty fifth and a half court offense like they 587 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:40,639 are right now, and we could and here's this is I'm about to get 588 00:35:40,679 --> 00:35:44,280 into why this is my first pick. Buddy Healed, I think is the 589 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:49,360 best fit here. He needs the ball the least of these three. He's 590 00:35:49,519 --> 00:35:53,639 the best movement shooter of these three. He might be, he's not the 591 00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:57,960 best. Zach Lavine has the seedling as a passer, and like everyby Simons 592 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,920 and zach Lvine have sort of the self starting pass that Buddy Heeld or not. 593 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:02,800 But if you're looking for like touch passes or like swing the ball really 594 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:07,960 quickly in transition, Buddy helds better that he's a better compliment. I think 595 00:36:08,039 --> 00:36:13,400 Anthony Simons is close now. What I also like about Buddy Heald though, 596 00:36:13,639 --> 00:36:16,559 is that he is gonna fly out in transition, and this Magic team could 597 00:36:16,639 --> 00:36:21,719 really use some transition juice. I don't know why they don't run more often. 598 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,199 Every time I look at their transition frequency, I'm always just kind of 599 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:30,280 disappointed. In this season they're at nineteen in transition frequency. But the biggie 600 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:36,039 for them is just I think that they could stand to Yeah, there's the 601 00:36:36,079 --> 00:36:39,280 fourth turnovers with like whatever off of live rebounds, just run and Buddy Heeld 602 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:43,320 will do that. He will run after makes as well, by the way, 603 00:36:43,639 --> 00:36:45,679 and so you put him in. And it's also just it's so low 604 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,239 stakes because if you get zach Lavine, you're viewing him as a core player. 605 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,440 Is that tough to do when you have You're not, I've said this, 606 00:36:52,559 --> 00:36:55,960 you're not. You don't need to give Apollo frands, you need to 607 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:00,519 give any like I think you could just build around salary and picks, to 608 00:37:00,559 --> 00:37:02,199 be honest with you, to get zach Lvine at this point with where Chicago's 609 00:37:02,199 --> 00:37:05,559 going, if they're actually going to be open to moving him, that's the 610 00:37:05,639 --> 00:37:09,039 route they might almost be forced to go. H But Buddy held is just 611 00:37:09,119 --> 00:37:13,440 more complimentary. He will come cheaper, and so that's all right. We're 612 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:15,800 gonna have to start thinking about Franz his next deal. He's extensional as well. 613 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:17,920 After this year. Palo's deal will be here before you know what. 614 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,960 Markel Foltz is entering the final year of his contract right now. Wendell Carter 615 00:37:22,079 --> 00:37:24,159 Junior won't be cheap forever, and so I like him as a compliment. 616 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:29,920 Also, I think probably cost the least. And Frey Simons is banged up 617 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,000 right now, but I think his contract's pretty good. He'd be my second 618 00:37:32,079 --> 00:37:36,400 pick. That dude can just stroke it off to dribble more than Buddy Held, 619 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:39,280 which is important. Buddy Hill just being off ball and knowing the players 620 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:43,719 that the Magic have already in place, and thinking, I don't think Buddy, 621 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:45,239 he like Buddy Hill's not gonna cost you. Jalen subs, He's not 622 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:49,360 gonna cost you Palo or Fronz and so or false, even if you don't 623 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,599 want him to, so that those ball handlers are gonna be intact. Simon's 624 00:37:52,639 --> 00:37:55,760 is second for me pretty easily because he kind of he straddles both lines. 625 00:37:55,880 --> 00:38:00,559 I think Levine is the highest end swing and he could come and I think 626 00:38:00,639 --> 00:38:02,599 make this. You put him on a team that is built to insulate him 627 00:38:02,639 --> 00:38:08,039 defensively, where if you're keeping Sugs and you're keeping folks as part of any 628 00:38:08,079 --> 00:38:12,559 deal, and even whn No Carter Junior like you are insulated like an Anthony 629 00:38:12,639 --> 00:38:16,480 Black, You're able to insulate him if it's just built around picks and salary, 630 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:22,119 or even if you're keeping I would assume faults would stay. So if 631 00:38:22,119 --> 00:38:24,320 you're keeping one of Suggs or Black like, then you're all of a sudden 632 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:29,320 able to insulate him defensively. It's just you want him. He can be 633 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:34,519 complimentary, but he's also gonna have more of a frum scratch need. And 634 00:38:34,679 --> 00:38:36,960 when you have Pollow and Franz there, I don't think you want to do 635 00:38:37,679 --> 00:38:42,199 anything that's going to infringe upon their volume too much, that on ball volume 636 00:38:42,239 --> 00:38:44,519 too much. At this point, I think you could acquire zach Lavine and 637 00:38:44,599 --> 00:38:49,000 be incredible just because he becomes your third option behind Franz and Polo, just 638 00:38:49,039 --> 00:38:52,079 because they're Paulow will be the better passer Franz. It's sort of iffy like 639 00:38:52,159 --> 00:38:57,000 zach Lvine just doesn't he waxes in ways with his vision and so I would 640 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,400 trust Franz there more and you have you have faults, so you can kind 641 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:04,159 of just but you could balance it out to where it ends up in net 642 00:39:04,559 --> 00:39:07,400 that zach Lavine is your your third option essentially, or your third best player, 643 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,320 and that's probably the ideal role for him. I think he's still good 644 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:14,320 enough to be a number two, but just the way he plays sometimes is 645 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,480 just eh. I would like him on this team, and I think Buddy 646 00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:20,519 Held is just sort of the more more natural fit. Great question that I 647 00:39:20,559 --> 00:39:22,519 think it's fair of the magic be thinking along this route there, not just 648 00:39:22,559 --> 00:39:24,920 because the defense is good enough now, but it just it plugs such a 649 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:29,159 hole and it makes life ultimately easier on look at some of their offense where 650 00:39:29,159 --> 00:39:31,679 it's like Franz and Polo just really having to drive into bodies, and are 651 00:39:31,719 --> 00:39:36,159 they trying to draw out or get these tough finishes. So Buddy Healed, 652 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:37,880 and Frey Simons, even Zachleen, they'd all open up the floor and that's 653 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:43,679 the that's the type of acquisition I think that they need. Next question comes 654 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:49,440 from Jordan Scott. Do you think the lockdown defense of KCP is being overlooked? 655 00:39:49,599 --> 00:39:52,280 He shut down some great scores through nine games. I think it's fair 656 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,039 to say he's underappreciated. I know a lot of people say that he'll be 657 00:39:55,119 --> 00:39:59,800 in the all defense discussion, no more positions and to beat out some of 658 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:01,079 these biggs when we're just like, I mean, look at some of the 659 00:40:01,159 --> 00:40:06,480 seasons they're having between Mitchell Robinson, Rudy Gobert is definitely in the defensive Player 660 00:40:06,519 --> 00:40:10,119 of the Year running right now, you know, just like you know Giannis 661 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:14,360 and or Brook Lopez will end up there by the end of the season. 662 00:40:14,519 --> 00:40:15,559 Evan Mobiley will end up there by the end of the season. There's just 663 00:40:15,639 --> 00:40:20,320 so many Draymond Green is going to be right there. Bam Adebayo, of 664 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:23,320 course, there's so many talented bigs right now that it could just be hard 665 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:25,599 for him to make all defense. Now I'm not saying he needs to make 666 00:40:25,639 --> 00:40:30,119 all defense. I do think Brian Large he's probably underappreciated though, looking at 667 00:40:30,199 --> 00:40:34,159 just the assignments he tackles. He spent all like you know, guard Steph 668 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,480 guard, Luca, guard SGA, guard, Brandon Ingram et cetera. Like 669 00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:42,800 there's really no it's kind of one through four when you really because Luca is 670 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:44,960 a power forward who's also a point guard. It's like, this is to 671 00:40:45,039 --> 00:40:49,679 me, essentially someone who's can guard one through four. What's also interesting is 672 00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,119 that, uh, you've had nights where he is like as a team like 673 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:59,840 yes, Steph Kurr. Like I don't buy too much into the like the 674 00:41:00,079 --> 00:41:04,719 shot against data like for players, just because you don't know how that possession 675 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,480 unfolded. It's more so when you look at like what is the team scoring 676 00:41:08,639 --> 00:41:13,760 when contain vious Callbo PULLP defense Steph Curry and the fact the Warriors average under 677 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:17,159 a point per possession on any possessions and with Kate in which CACP spent some 678 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:22,360 time on Steph Curry. That's a good harbinger. The other thing I will 679 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:27,239 say is he has spent time on Luca Sga, Steph Ingram didn't commit a 680 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:31,400 shooting foul against either of those four, committed only one shooting foul against Anthony 681 00:41:31,519 --> 00:41:37,159 Edwards for someone who does what he does, and like his sal rate on 682 00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:42,559 those players, shooting fal rate I should say is not higher. I mean, 683 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:45,480 sign me all the way, like that's that's a skill. And it's 684 00:41:45,639 --> 00:41:49,719 just even in general looking at the breath of assignments, he covers. He's 685 00:41:49,719 --> 00:41:52,239 everding two point four fouls per game right now, which would be a career 686 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:57,159 high. He's also happening thirty two point eight minutes per game is close, 687 00:41:57,519 --> 00:41:59,719 is close, Like that's the most he's locked in quite some time. So 688 00:42:00,119 --> 00:42:01,719 per thirty six he's at two point seven. That's not the highest mark of 689 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:05,320 his career. It's the second higest mark. But that's a reasonable rate when 690 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:08,239 you're sort of looking at the types of players he is covering. And so 691 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:12,960 I absolutely think you could make the case that and I think I just did 692 00:42:13,159 --> 00:42:16,599 that. He is an undappreciated defender and this is just someone the CP in 693 00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:21,079 KCP stands for championship player, Like the teams that he goes to are just 694 00:42:21,159 --> 00:42:24,320 better with him. And there's been some I think he's been a big part 695 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,239 of they've rolled this out. I've seen it a few times and it's only 696 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:30,280 been in small bursts. But the okay, it's gonna be Yokich and KCP 697 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:35,360 and then three bench players, and it's normally been Reggie Jackson and Peyton Watson 698 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,840 and Christian Brown, and that lineup is absolutely killed defensively KCP. It's early, 699 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:43,840 this is all It's early. He's the highest net ratings swing on the 700 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:46,920 Nuggets. That is, that means something at any point, even the first 701 00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:50,800 game of the season, because Nicole Yogic exists, and that is the net 702 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:54,800 rating swing king among high volume rotation players. The fact that he has the 703 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:59,440 highest net ratings swing on the Nuggets right now is just mind melting. So 704 00:42:59,559 --> 00:43:02,960 yeah, I think you could. It's weird because people, I think Nuggets 705 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:07,760 fans certainly appreciate him and like after the way that he like watching him in 706 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:10,559 through two championship runs. At this point, I don't I don't think he's 707 00:43:10,639 --> 00:43:15,039 underappreciated in the lexicon of discussion. I think people understand that KCP is a 708 00:43:15,079 --> 00:43:19,079 winning player, but when they look at him, it's kind of like maybe 709 00:43:19,079 --> 00:43:23,760 a gap filler. Super complimentary and he is probably a lot better on defense 710 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,679 than credit or I would say, a lot more important to what By the 711 00:43:27,719 --> 00:43:30,480 way, the Nuggets are sixth and half court defense as I record this, 712 00:43:30,719 --> 00:43:32,679 he's a lot more important to those things happening than he receives credit for. 713 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:37,559 That is just absolutely for certain because of what he allows other players to do. 714 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:39,000 Whereas, yeah, Jamal Murray is a really tough defender, but you 715 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:42,519 don't want him having to go up against a lot of You don't want him 716 00:43:42,519 --> 00:43:45,079 having to chase around a lot of these guys, even though he invariably will 717 00:43:45,119 --> 00:43:47,679 because of the position he plays, and to have CACP and Aaron Gordon on 718 00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:51,280 the same team, and then even Michael Porter Junior defending he the way he 719 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:52,840 has for much of the season, that's just a luxury. And that also 720 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,880 you get lost in the shuffle of that because Aaron Gordon's a fantastic defender, 721 00:43:57,119 --> 00:44:00,960 Michael Porter Junior has improved so much on that to the floor in net that 722 00:44:01,679 --> 00:44:06,079 it's kind of lost in the shuffle there. But it's also high volume offensive 723 00:44:06,079 --> 00:44:09,039 players stand out the most, and he's not super high volume. Not plays 724 00:44:09,079 --> 00:44:13,199 aren't being run for him, he's not initiating the offense, and that could 725 00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:15,159 also be a reason why he gets lost in the shuffle. I feel like 726 00:44:15,199 --> 00:44:19,599 it's harder to stand out as a as a defensive specialist, even if you 727 00:44:19,679 --> 00:44:22,159 have a fource basing capability at the other end, than it is if you're 728 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:25,119 just more of an offense first player. That might be asked backwards. I 729 00:44:25,159 --> 00:44:29,400 think it speaks to maybe how hard it is for people to understand what's going 730 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:34,719 on with NBA defenses. Myself included there. Next question comes from Lee asked 731 00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:37,760 about the Bucks defense. That's it might be the single most frequent question we've 732 00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:40,719 had. We had it in the last mail bag. Grant brought it up 733 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:45,840 on the last podcast as well, third podcast in a row. Their defensive 734 00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:47,639 reboundies of normally low, which I find is just to be weird. They're 735 00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:52,119 now middle of the road and opponent rim frequency because they've switched Brook Lopez back 736 00:44:52,119 --> 00:44:54,800 to more drop ever since they made that move, so that game against the 737 00:44:54,840 --> 00:45:00,880 next on November three, they are eighth in opponent the share of opponent shots 738 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:02,320 coming at the rim, and fifth in percentage allowed. So that's better. 739 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:07,639 But man, you kind of look at what's happening and the defensive rebounding has 740 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,599 been weird. I'll chalk that up to some noise. Right now, they're 741 00:45:10,639 --> 00:45:15,239 twenty fifth and a half court defense. Though. Ball containment has been a 742 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:17,679 biggie with the way that Damian Lillard is gonna fall behind when he's I know 743 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:22,320 he's miss time lately that he's gonna fall I mean, you're even looking at 744 00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:24,159 Karen Payn's gonna play games you run in the same issues. The degree to 745 00:45:24,199 --> 00:45:30,639 which they can fall behind on plays really hurts the Bucks. The Bucks remain 746 00:45:30,719 --> 00:45:35,360 dead last and opponent transition frequency, and that's weird because they're not all like 747 00:45:35,519 --> 00:45:39,199 rebounding like offensive misses at a high clip. They need to just this is 748 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,679 I don't mean to boil it down. They got to get back quicker on 749 00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:45,239 these live ball misses. They don't seem to get matched up quickly enough in 750 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:49,800 those situations. It's been getting some of it could be long rebounds, but 751 00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:52,480 we know just because Damian Lillard is there. Seth part now has done a 752 00:45:52,519 --> 00:45:55,400 great job of talking about this. Having someone like that does not necessarily correlate 753 00:45:55,480 --> 00:46:00,000 to more long rebounds, but they've been They've gotten burned on some long reboul 754 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:02,239 from what I've seen. I don't know if it's disproportionate to what other teams 755 00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:06,320 are doing, but there are just a lot of times where it's it's too 756 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:10,159 easy to get behind their guards in transition. Malik Beasley Dame Willard campaign that 757 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:15,159 needs to be something that's better. And other times, look, I'm gonna 758 00:46:15,159 --> 00:46:16,719 be honest, if you it's easy, it's it's also very easy to me 759 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:21,119 to get behind Bobby Portis. In transition, there's been Giannis when he's shooting 760 00:46:21,119 --> 00:46:23,360 outside the restricted area kind of feels like he's watching a little too much, 761 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:27,719 not attacking the glass, just sort of watching, and that's been weird. 762 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:30,679 There were moments where brook Lopez feels like he's lasing back and he's not supposed 763 00:46:30,679 --> 00:46:34,840 to be a super speeds through anyway. Middleton definitely doesn't have it. They 764 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,320 just feel a little slower collectively, and that might have to do with age 765 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:43,079 Brolo Middleton specifically Dame not being strong suit there. Having Leie Beasley on this 766 00:46:43,159 --> 00:46:45,360 team now they got to get back and matched up more quickly in transition. 767 00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:47,800 I think that would go a long way. Some other things they could do 768 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:52,199 because Lee wants to know what, if anything, can fix it, So 769 00:46:52,519 --> 00:46:55,559 I think playing Marjon bojamp Moore will actually help. He battles more defensively than 770 00:46:55,559 --> 00:46:59,239 Beasley, and I would even say pac conton where you're looking at the level 771 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:01,760 of assignments he can do. He might get burned by those players, but 772 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:07,679 if you don't have to send as much help or it's you know the team, 773 00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:09,960 that player is scoring a lot, but you're free to not have to 774 00:47:10,159 --> 00:47:15,559 have Giannis come out as often. I think that helps you out by default. 775 00:47:15,599 --> 00:47:19,519 And then the other thing is just could you trade for someone? Would 776 00:47:19,559 --> 00:47:22,400 mar John and seconds and the salary get you Alex Caruso Probably not at this 777 00:47:22,519 --> 00:47:25,800 point, so some lower end options where I think it would just come down 778 00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:31,360 to salaries in seconds once one of these players can't be traded yet, it's 779 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:36,000 Ioasunmu. That's someone I don't know if Chicago would help out a division rival 780 00:47:36,079 --> 00:47:39,199 or someone who's you know, their neighbor, let's say, but that is 781 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:43,960 someone that could help this team. Dorrian Finney Smith, was that cast you 782 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:46,159 with the nets? Even make him available? Tory Craig at some point this 783 00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:50,400 year, Royce O'Neill, Patrick Williams, what does he cost? I don't 784 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:52,639 think you have this. It's not Marjon Bochamp. I don't think it's you 785 00:47:52,679 --> 00:47:54,360 Patrick Williams. And you could argue how much of an upgrade is that. 786 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:59,639 I think defensively, based off of what I saw last year from Patrick Williams, 787 00:47:59,679 --> 00:48:02,800 it would Jayshawn Tate. He is playing in Houston. Tarry Easton's back 788 00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:07,000 though, when I'm in Thompson's healthy, could he be gettable? What you 789 00:48:07,079 --> 00:48:09,840 have to ask yourself is do you have enough shooting in the half court to 790 00:48:10,159 --> 00:48:15,199 then be like feel the spacing liability at that end? Or are you so 791 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:19,239 invested in okay, because we have Giannis and he's still gonna take these threes, 792 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:22,119 but we want to make sure that who's ever is in that spot also 793 00:48:22,199 --> 00:48:27,159 can at least reasonably shoot threes. In which case like Jayshawn Takets if he 794 00:48:27,239 --> 00:48:29,960 there, I would assume it's so low volume. Even Alex Caruso, could 795 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,320 you get maybe clear, you can get Alex Cruzo, you get Alex Caruso. 796 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:35,840 That would be the way to fix it. I think they have the 797 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:38,760 personnel, though I will say this to be a lot better than they have 798 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:43,119 been. Is that damning? With faint praise? Maybe I predicted them to 799 00:48:43,159 --> 00:48:46,119 have a top five defense this year. I still think they have that potential. 800 00:48:46,199 --> 00:48:50,840 The biggest thing to stand out for me now that Lopez is dropping, 801 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:55,360 more specifically, it's the transition stuff, and that's a that's an everything thing, 802 00:48:55,760 --> 00:49:00,039 every one thing. Excuse me. It feels like it's addressable. Maybe 803 00:49:00,119 --> 00:49:02,320 not, if you just don't think that Brook Lopez a mile take can move 804 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:06,559 better? Ya ya it's again maybe I'm wrong, and that's anecdotal stuff. 805 00:49:06,559 --> 00:49:09,000 I'm trying to incorporate that in addition to the stats. It's definitely too easy 806 00:49:09,039 --> 00:49:12,519 to get behind their guards, and so that's something you need to neutral is 807 00:49:12,559 --> 00:49:15,719 they mister von Carter in that vein too from both the ball containment perspective and 808 00:49:15,119 --> 00:49:22,199 someone who could do who could do that? Our next question comes from Ryan 809 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:27,360 Yost. We're about to do a whole podcast on this type of thing, 810 00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:29,199 so I'll try not to spend too much time here. If my not, 811 00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:32,400 it's here out of control. Ryan Yots ask who's the surprise team or teams 812 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:36,800 that is most likely to sustain its early season success and how about the surprise 813 00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:42,440 struggling team or teams most likely to turn things around. I'm surprised to stay. 814 00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:45,719 I've looked at the East. I don't think there's like a surprise in 815 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:47,159 the East right now if you want to say, okay, the Pacers being 816 00:49:47,239 --> 00:49:51,679 in third, But it's just we've dealt with such a small sample, so 817 00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:54,719 I don't know if there's any big shock you surprise in the East that we 818 00:49:54,800 --> 00:50:00,079 need to say is gonna sustain the MAVs in the West, stable, especially 819 00:50:00,119 --> 00:50:05,039 because they're a team that's incentivized to trade for a defensive upgrade on the perimeter 820 00:50:05,079 --> 00:50:07,920 and they can still move a first round pick in addition to just some of 821 00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:12,360 the players they have. I think that's it on this, like the good 822 00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:15,880 surprises that I think are just gonna be sustainable, in large part because I 823 00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:22,519 don't know who else I'm floored by. It's you know, Orlando is just 824 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:24,199 it's been. They've won games the way that I thought they were gonna win 825 00:50:24,280 --> 00:50:28,960 games. So I get like, do you want to say it's just even 826 00:50:29,159 --> 00:50:30,920 Minnesota. I guess you could say the six and two that that's a good 827 00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:34,800 one. I believe, But I already believed in Minnesota, so that's why 828 00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:37,119 I kind of didn't. They didn't spring to mind immediately. And there's the 829 00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:39,880 rockets. I can't get there. Do I think that they're gonna be like 830 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:44,719 a playoff team. They might be more feisty on the defensive end though than 831 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:49,159 I was really expecting them to be. I think I just underestimated the idea 832 00:50:49,159 --> 00:50:52,199 of, oh, well, you have Fred van Fleet and Dylan Brooks and 833 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:54,440 like Jabari smarth Is Jabari Smith, excuse me, just gonna be moved around 834 00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:58,679 a bunch uppera ching Goon's been pretty like not bad as a straight up room 835 00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:01,440 protector as well. Well. The other thing with them, I just wonder, 836 00:51:01,559 --> 00:51:06,679 because he's missed time, if you're gonna give a prominent role to Aman 837 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:08,960 Thompson, does that actually hurt you? If it's between Houston and Minnesota, 838 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:13,760 I'm gonna vote Minnesota as the early season surprize that will be more sustainable. 839 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:15,480 I believe in their defense. I really would like to see him get some 840 00:51:15,519 --> 00:51:19,760 more shooting on the offensive end. Maybe that normalizes a little bit as Karl 841 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:22,800 Anthony Towns gets better. Uh, but it's like kind of a combo wing 842 00:51:23,119 --> 00:51:27,159 for them, or even they could stand to have another guard there just because 843 00:51:27,159 --> 00:51:30,519 Anthony Edwards can play the wing. But I think it's them because I'm in 844 00:51:30,559 --> 00:51:35,760 such a big believer of their defense and and can drive these preternatural offensive performances 845 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:38,119 on any given night. Struggling teams gets a little bit more interesting. There 846 00:51:38,119 --> 00:51:40,199 are some easy ones. The bulls are cooked. Blow it up, get 847 00:51:40,239 --> 00:51:44,360 them just I don't even want to have to. I don't even want to 848 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:47,400 have to, you know, pretend that I want to watch them anymore. 849 00:51:49,159 --> 00:51:51,800 I'm kind of worrying about how the Heat are going to generate offense with the 850 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:53,960 way that Jimmy's been playing. He did look good against the Lakers, but 851 00:51:54,039 --> 00:51:59,840 they're twenty seventh in offense overall. They're twenty first in half court offense in 852 00:52:00,360 --> 00:52:02,599 Caleb Martin and now Tyler Hero certainly matter. They're not getting into the rim 853 00:52:02,679 --> 00:52:07,039 nearly enough they do. I feel like they need a trade. I can't 854 00:52:07,079 --> 00:52:09,880 bring myself to panic just yet about the Clippers, but it's time to like 855 00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:14,119 circle that button. Just let's see how this does with more time. I 856 00:52:14,199 --> 00:52:16,920 do feel like they need to shake up the rotation. Whether it's do you 857 00:52:17,039 --> 00:52:22,400 eventually you know, with a healthy Terrence Man, is he starting? I 858 00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:24,280 saw justin RUSSI propose that maybe you actually need to start Norman Powell so you 859 00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:28,840 can insulate him better defensively, and that by default should make the bench better. 860 00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:32,679 But so, I think the Clippers will get better, but I'm not 861 00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:36,239 picking them as a team that I think will turn around. I don't know 862 00:52:36,360 --> 00:52:39,039 what to do with the Lakers. It has been such a weird start. 863 00:52:39,159 --> 00:52:43,559 Yes, they've dealt with a lot of injuries, very poor start from Austin 864 00:52:43,599 --> 00:52:46,320 Reeves has already been demoted from the starting lineup. Di Tho did show some 865 00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:50,679 steadiness in the non Lebron minutes against the Suns, and so that might be 866 00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:54,400 like something to latch onto. But the Lakers are plus five point six per 867 00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:59,360 one hundred posessions with Lebron on the floor and a minus thirty two point seven 868 00:52:59,400 --> 00:53:02,159 without Lebron. They're also minus forty one point eight in the minutes Davis logs 869 00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:07,840 without Lebron. During that stretch, They're shooting sixteen percent from three fifty two 870 00:53:07,880 --> 00:53:09,559 percent at the RAM, while opponents are shooting forty eight percent from three. 871 00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:14,199 Those are not things that are gonna sustain. I'd like to see a bunch 872 00:53:14,239 --> 00:53:16,000 of the lineup, and I know that injuries have impacted this as well, 873 00:53:16,159 --> 00:53:20,880 even with Reeves playing the way he is. Reeves, Prince Hotchimore Wood Davis 874 00:53:21,079 --> 00:53:25,159 feels like a way that you could navigate the absence of Lebron at both ends 875 00:53:25,320 --> 00:53:29,719 of the court. Maybe you need to have if if gave Into is healthy 876 00:53:29,719 --> 00:53:31,199 and or you trust him to play better him instead of Reeves. I like 877 00:53:31,239 --> 00:53:35,760 the Prince Hotchingmore Wood Davis combo, though kind of tethering that to non Lebron 878 00:53:35,880 --> 00:53:40,760 units, but it's it's complicated for them, and maybe they'll shoot better, 879 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:45,039 but like the defense, not being great certainly complicates things. The caveat a 880 00:53:45,079 --> 00:53:50,159 lot of the this early season stuff. Opponent's probably won't shoot thirty nine percent 881 00:53:50,239 --> 00:53:52,719 from three forever, but the Lakers are getting hurt at the rim when players 882 00:53:52,760 --> 00:53:55,440 reach there. I think you look at some of the players they're starting next 883 00:53:55,480 --> 00:54:00,719 to Ad, and then how responsible AD is for stuff to happening away from 884 00:54:00,719 --> 00:54:06,559 the basket, putting them in some compromising situations. Only the Spurs allow more 885 00:54:06,679 --> 00:54:09,440 points per play on offensive rebounds, and the Lakers are actually allowing offensive rebounds 886 00:54:09,440 --> 00:54:14,360 at a higher rate their twentieth and the frequency of put back plays for opponents. 887 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:20,360 I I'm gonna say I think they turn it around ish, But if 888 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:22,239 you thought they were a shoeing to be one of the two or three best 889 00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:27,400 contenders in the West, that's one that might be stepping on the toes of 890 00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:30,400 probably piece or panic, which Grant and I are doing this week. That's 891 00:54:30,440 --> 00:54:34,800 a team I'm iffy on the one that I'm confident the Suns will stabilize and 892 00:54:35,239 --> 00:54:37,559 they will turn it around, And so the Clippers and the Lakers I think 893 00:54:37,719 --> 00:54:39,840 will turn it around. But I'm not sure the Suns are going to be 894 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:43,320 fine. I don't know if they'll maybe they'll be a little bit worse when 895 00:54:43,360 --> 00:54:45,440 it comes to their title. Stock Let's see the three stars play together a 896 00:54:45,519 --> 00:54:50,920 little bit more often. I just they're they're going to be They're they're going 897 00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:52,800 to be probably be able. Just came back. Let's get let's give them 898 00:54:53,119 --> 00:55:00,159 some time. Next question comes from let's go to since run low on time 899 00:55:00,280 --> 00:55:06,400 here, Nico me, nico, excuse me? Best Spurs lineup by net 900 00:55:06,519 --> 00:55:09,400 rating this season? So I did this minimum of ten possessions slash played two 901 00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:15,239 games together. I just it's it's such a tiny sample anyway, but that's 902 00:55:15,280 --> 00:55:17,480 what I did. So it's the lineup of Trey Jones, Devin Vessel, 903 00:55:17,920 --> 00:55:22,119 Victor Webbin Yama, Zach Collins, and Doug me Dermott. They have a 904 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:25,719 ninety two point four net rating anchored by one hundred percent shooting at the rim. 905 00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:29,559 I would argue that they just haven't shot how many many attempts at the 906 00:55:29,639 --> 00:55:32,400 rim and then sixty percent from three. That's a lineup. I think you 907 00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:35,239 look at it, it's like, yeah, I mean, I get when 908 00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:38,239 that'd be working. You have three players you trust defensively, maybe four because 909 00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:42,519 the ball pressure Trey Jones can give you, and then Doug McDermot just sort 910 00:55:42,519 --> 00:55:45,079 of flying all the way around out there. So Nico, that has been 911 00:55:45,119 --> 00:55:46,440 their best lineup to date. That was a quick one, so it looks 912 00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:51,440 like we're gonna be able to fit in some more. Next question comes from 913 00:55:51,719 --> 00:55:54,199 Tom l This was might be quick to answer, was not quick for me 914 00:55:54,280 --> 00:55:59,159 to find out. But what is the Lakers free throw differential per game? 915 00:55:59,679 --> 00:56:04,880 After the NBA official Sleepless Nights tweet last year? So that was January twenty 916 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:07,559 ninth, so from that day because I believe they tweeted it in the day. 917 00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:13,960 We're working with the sample size of forty what is it? Fifty seven 918 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:16,880 games? Excuse me, thirty two regular season last year than the sixteen playoff 919 00:56:16,920 --> 00:56:20,960 games. The Lakers have another nine games that I included in the samples last 920 00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:23,960 for this year, so fifty seven games. I was actually blown away by 921 00:56:24,039 --> 00:56:28,800 how high the free throw discrepancy was. The Lakers during the last fifty seven 922 00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:34,239 games have attempted and it even just still feels wrong right now, but the 923 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:37,360 Lakers attempted one, five hundred and thirty nine free throws to one thousand and 924 00:56:37,719 --> 00:56:42,000 forty five free throw attempts for their opponent. That's a plus four to nine 925 00:56:42,039 --> 00:56:45,400 to four differential, and that works out to eight point seven free throw attempts 926 00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:47,760 per game. I understand. I'm assuming this question is in reference to the 927 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:53,119 Lakers letting it leak that they sent footage and you know, lobbed for the 928 00:56:53,280 --> 00:56:58,800 referees to officiate better on them that they believe there was miscalls. What I 929 00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:04,000 will say is Lebron remains a very difficult player to referee, and what they're 930 00:57:04,039 --> 00:57:07,320 probably pointing out the most is he's being fouled on five point six percent of 931 00:57:07,400 --> 00:57:09,639 his drives this year. That's down from eight point eight percent last year, 932 00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:13,840 which is down from nine point five percent the year before. When you look 933 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:19,360 at Lebron, I don't think that there's no like he's not baling out sooner 934 00:57:19,719 --> 00:57:22,639 on his drives. They're not more wide open lanes. The Lakers basing is 935 00:57:22,719 --> 00:57:28,920 not that you know, open, So I think do they have a case 936 00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:31,800 there, I don't know, but I think that's what it's in reference to, 937 00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:36,559 and it's fair to monitor because five point six percent foul rate on drives 938 00:57:36,599 --> 00:57:39,559 for Lebron is a very very low rate. That's someone can go check that 939 00:57:39,679 --> 00:57:45,039 fifty seven game thing. I promise you I was this the question I did 940 00:57:45,119 --> 00:57:47,800 after I took an edible on Saturday. I have no idea, but I 941 00:57:49,400 --> 00:57:52,920 did. I spent time and I triple checked it. I promise. Maybe 942 00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:55,320 I'm wrong, just because plus plus eight point seven per game, I think 943 00:57:55,320 --> 00:57:58,440 when you break it down that way, that's not ridiculous. But I was 944 00:57:58,480 --> 00:58:01,079 surprised that they took about five hundred free throws more than their opponents during this 945 00:58:01,239 --> 00:58:05,719 man we look, we're still look at me, just blazing through this. 946 00:58:05,800 --> 00:58:08,000 This has been under an hour. Still, so let's keep going. Uh. 947 00:58:08,280 --> 00:58:13,079 Next question, we'll go to Oh, this one, this one's fun. 948 00:58:13,639 --> 00:58:17,000 Uh. Roostin Hocketts, what is the math behind the Houston Rocket success? 949 00:58:17,360 --> 00:58:20,639 I would love to go into more detail about this team with Grant. 950 00:58:20,840 --> 00:58:23,599 We'll have to do our surprise sustainability pod that not this week, maybe the 951 00:58:23,639 --> 00:58:28,760 following week. So I'm just gonna throw out some numbers here and some observations 952 00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:30,159 from what I've seen but that I think are sort of defining. Now let's 953 00:58:30,199 --> 00:58:35,320 get to this the outlier stuff. Opponents are shooting twenty nine point one percent 954 00:58:35,360 --> 00:58:39,039 from three against them. That's not gonna hold every It's funny how every fans 955 00:58:39,079 --> 00:58:44,679 from every team really think that their defense is responsible for team shooting so poorly 956 00:58:44,719 --> 00:58:46,679 from three. You it can contribute to it, but I don't want to 957 00:58:46,760 --> 00:58:50,880 hear because of how much pressure we put on the perimeter because of the shooters 958 00:58:50,920 --> 00:58:52,760 that we're leaving open. Yes, you can do that, but there have 959 00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:57,239 been set part now I believe is written extensively about it. It's called Jedi 960 00:58:57,320 --> 00:59:02,000 three point shooting. Opposing defenses have very little impact on the percentage teams are 961 00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:07,320 shooting from three. They can more so impact the volume at which they are 962 00:59:07,360 --> 00:59:10,119 taking threes. Houston at Tel was also shooting thirty nine point three percent from 963 00:59:10,119 --> 00:59:14,199 three. I never would have seen that come in Dylan Brooks hitting fifty five 964 00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:19,039 plus percent of his threes. Now, the everything else I'm gonna say is 965 00:59:19,400 --> 00:59:22,119 I think more interesting and stuff to monitor. The starting five is a plus 966 00:59:22,199 --> 00:59:25,840 seventeen point one points per one hundred possessions. Opponents are shooting thirty two point 967 00:59:25,880 --> 00:59:30,760 five percent in those minutes. But that's this starting five has been very frisky, 968 00:59:30,920 --> 00:59:35,000 even when you're dealing with, you know, when Jalen Green before he 969 00:59:35,079 --> 00:59:37,719 started coming on. Alpertn chang Gun, I think is probably the single biggest 970 00:59:37,719 --> 00:59:42,440 reason that they've been so good this year. He's shooting. They've run more 971 00:59:42,480 --> 00:59:45,079 of the offense through him, and it didn't even start out the season like 972 00:59:45,159 --> 00:59:46,519 that. It just felt like he may or Dooka made a conscious decision at 973 00:59:46,559 --> 00:59:49,159 some point, I don't know, two or three is it's like, no, 974 00:59:49,280 --> 00:59:52,719 this is happening. He's shooting over sixty percent on hook shots, over 975 00:59:52,800 --> 00:59:55,719 seventy percent on drives. Nikola Jokic is the only other player with as many 976 00:59:55,840 --> 01:00:00,960 main shots and assists on elbow touches this year. That's a big deal. 977 01:00:00,119 --> 01:00:04,039 Alprin Schangun just he can throw passes from all over the place. It's not 978 01:00:04,159 --> 01:00:07,719 just someone who needs to be in these handoff situations or screening situations. He'll 979 01:00:07,760 --> 01:00:09,360 make plays from stan stills, he'll bring the ball up to court. He 980 01:00:09,400 --> 01:00:13,320 could do stuff from all over the floor, center of the floor, if 981 01:00:13,320 --> 01:00:15,960 you need to put him down low. It's just happening at every level for 982 01:00:15,039 --> 01:00:19,719 him, and I liked it. It seems like he's been more aggressive looking 983 01:00:19,880 --> 01:00:22,280 for his shot when he's getting closer to the basket, and I think that 984 01:00:22,440 --> 01:00:28,039 boats well Fred van Fleet. Yes, the shooting splits they have not looked 985 01:00:28,079 --> 01:00:31,000 great, but he has come and he has given them a rhyme and reason 986 01:00:31,039 --> 01:00:34,519 to what they're doing on offense. Now, part of that this is a 987 01:00:34,559 --> 01:00:37,679 team stat. They're sixth in turnover eight. That's a big fucking deal. 988 01:00:37,880 --> 01:00:39,760 It helps having lower turnover guys who are gonna play make for you, like 989 01:00:39,800 --> 01:00:44,639 Fred van Fleet, like Shan Gun, even Jaalen Green relative to volume sub 990 01:00:45,039 --> 01:00:49,519 twelve turnover eight, that's fine. Fred VanVleet specifically, though, is assisting 991 01:00:49,719 --> 01:00:52,920 on over thirty percent of Houston's made buckets when he's on the court and posting 992 01:00:52,960 --> 01:00:59,360 a turnover tent below ten percent. Here is every player who has had thirty 993 01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:04,800 plus, a thirty plus assist rate and a sub ten percent turnover rate for 994 01:01:04,920 --> 01:01:07,800 an entire season. Demarta rows in, Mike Conley did it twice because he's 995 01:01:07,840 --> 01:01:13,920 Mike fucking Conley, Michael Jordan, and Gus Williams. That's wild. That's 996 01:01:14,039 --> 01:01:17,079 absolutely wild. Do I think fredman Vleet will maintain that he could. He's 997 01:01:17,119 --> 01:01:21,599 never been this super high turnover guy, and I think even when his his 998 01:01:21,719 --> 01:01:23,440 shots aren't falling. I know he's been all over the place inside the arc. 999 01:01:23,920 --> 01:01:29,840 Defenses react to him, guys and they're gonna load up or like overreact 1000 01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:31,760 is maybe the best way to phrase it. And he's gonna find people even 1001 01:01:31,800 --> 01:01:36,519 it's not directly leading to assist. Like he just creates this this crispness, 1002 01:01:36,719 --> 01:01:39,559 and you can see the value of just having that. It's not even an 1003 01:01:39,599 --> 01:01:44,239 adult in the room on offense because aside from him just attempting these wild passes, 1004 01:01:44,280 --> 01:01:46,079 Albert and Shane Ud plays like an adult on offense. That does a 1005 01:01:46,119 --> 01:01:51,000 grown adult on the offensive end. It's just someone who you can you can 1006 01:01:51,119 --> 01:01:53,480 trust. And another big thing here, So two things that are standing out. 1007 01:01:53,519 --> 01:01:58,639 Actually, Houston is sixth seventh in EFFECTI field goal percentage on catch and 1008 01:01:58,679 --> 01:02:04,079 shoot jumpers. That's actually I'm impressed because playing Dylan Brooks so many minutes, 1009 01:02:04,679 --> 01:02:07,280 looking at some of the other guys that you're playing, like even just having 1010 01:02:07,320 --> 01:02:12,320 Opera and Shangun and Jabari Smith Junior out there, when I looked at their 1011 01:02:12,400 --> 01:02:15,519 rotation, I would not have necessarily predicted them to be an efficient spot up 1012 01:02:15,599 --> 01:02:19,280 team where they were able to space the floor on their jumpers, so catch 1013 01:02:19,280 --> 01:02:22,559 and shoot jumpers to be ranked that highly. The other thing here that's been 1014 01:02:22,599 --> 01:02:24,639 a big part of that, not just Dylan Brooks shooting fifty five percent from 1015 01:02:24,639 --> 01:02:29,519 three. He was attempting about five pull up jumpers per game last year. 1016 01:02:29,880 --> 01:02:34,239 He said under two for this season, and so he has slashed that volume 1017 01:02:34,440 --> 01:02:39,639 by more than like he's like more than half, and so he's taking two 1018 01:02:39,639 --> 01:02:43,719 pull up jumpers per dame from Dylan Brooks. Fine, that's you're not gonna 1019 01:02:43,719 --> 01:02:47,039 see me blanche about that. And then let's talk about the defense that he 1020 01:02:47,119 --> 01:02:52,599 has played. And it's I hope that we weren't trolling the way that Grizzlies 1021 01:02:52,599 --> 01:02:55,440 got rid of him last year. I'm pretty sure we were on this podcast 1022 01:02:55,480 --> 01:02:58,840 and said, why would you be so public about getting rid of him. 1023 01:02:58,840 --> 01:03:01,119 We've definitely trolled Dylan Brooks before, and he's earned it. But people who 1024 01:03:01,159 --> 01:03:06,679 thought he didn't help drive what Memphis became at points, even as imperfect as 1025 01:03:06,719 --> 01:03:08,920 they were, I hope I'm saying, I hope we acknowledge that on this 1026 01:03:08,960 --> 01:03:13,599 podcast, or at least acknowledge that it was and I'm pretty sure we did 1027 01:03:13,639 --> 01:03:15,519 that. It was weird the way that the Grizzlies just decided to escape goat 1028 01:03:15,599 --> 01:03:20,639 him, But the Lakers averaged point six y nine points per possession as a 1029 01:03:20,679 --> 01:03:23,039 team when he spent any time on Lebron. The Rockets won that game. 1030 01:03:23,519 --> 01:03:28,880 The Warriors averaged point seventy five points per possessions as a team on any possession 1031 01:03:28,880 --> 01:03:31,320 that Dylan Brooks spent time on Steph They did lose that game. The Pelicans 1032 01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:35,280 average point eight to seven points per possession as a team when he spent any 1033 01:03:35,320 --> 01:03:38,800 time guarding brandon Ingram. They won that game. Those are the numbers driving 1034 01:03:38,880 --> 01:03:45,719 to success from for the Rockets. Right now, will it sustained? I 1035 01:03:45,800 --> 01:03:47,400 have no idea. We'll have to get into deeper that now. I think 1036 01:03:47,480 --> 01:03:51,559 let's look at the clock here. I might have time for one more. 1037 01:03:51,719 --> 01:03:55,239 So let's go fishing in. Let's go fishing. Let's go fishing in Discord. 1038 01:03:55,280 --> 01:03:58,920 We have other ones on Twitter, but I'm not as if I'm not 1039 01:03:58,960 --> 01:04:00,639 going to be as prepped. Let's give it to a Discord member. Since 1040 01:04:00,840 --> 01:04:05,000 you guys are thrown in and I love you all for it pods all the 1041 01:04:05,039 --> 01:04:08,679 time. Oh, let's let's make this a selfish one. Would you like 1042 01:04:08,760 --> 01:04:12,199 some peak behind the curtain. Austin asked in general how much recording gets skimmed 1043 01:04:12,239 --> 01:04:15,480 off in editing. Very little, because when it's a full episode of podcasts, 1044 01:04:15,519 --> 01:04:16,920 I want the realness to be in there where. If there's gonna be 1045 01:04:16,920 --> 01:04:21,280 pauses from Grant and high especially during stat padding, we both I have my 1046 01:04:21,719 --> 01:04:25,920 uzz or I'm a like guy Grants an uh guy. I hope he knows 1047 01:04:25,960 --> 01:04:28,360 that. I hope I'm not breaking any news for him, and so I 1048 01:04:28,360 --> 01:04:30,119 would love to cut that out. And there are programs that can, you 1049 01:04:30,159 --> 01:04:34,719 know, the jump cuts. I don't know how much I trust them generally, 1050 01:04:34,800 --> 01:04:40,639 though I'm not cutting out like we've never and we don't say anything inflammatory. 1051 01:04:40,639 --> 01:04:42,880 I guess some people react in the YouTube comments like we do, but 1052 01:04:42,960 --> 01:04:45,239 we don't ever say anything super inflammatory that we might put our foot in our 1053 01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:47,920 mouth or at the top of this podcast me selling Kelly Bridge and your Fox 1054 01:04:47,960 --> 01:04:51,639 like come some eighteen year old kid. But like that's the extent of it, 1055 01:04:53,119 --> 01:04:56,840 and so there's not a ton of editing that goes there. What will 1056 01:04:56,920 --> 01:05:00,920 happen is if my internet goes out and or there's you know, Grant's internet 1057 01:05:00,960 --> 01:05:02,639 freezes, something happens there, and I actually go back and edit like ten 1058 01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:06,199 or fifteen minutes. More editing happens on the ground floor. When it's I'm 1059 01:05:06,239 --> 01:05:10,519 posting clips from the episodes, I will try and cut out some silences just 1060 01:05:10,559 --> 01:05:14,400 to keep them between I'd like to be eight and nine minutes, but we 1061 01:05:14,480 --> 01:05:15,599 don't like to go higher than twelve now. We used to, and we've 1062 01:05:15,639 --> 01:05:17,840 posted some longer ones. But I used to just oh, if we talked 1063 01:05:17,840 --> 01:05:20,840 about the timber Wolves for seventeen minutes, that's going up as its own clip 1064 01:05:20,920 --> 01:05:24,159 if I thought it was a good clip. But now try and which is 1065 01:05:24,199 --> 01:05:26,480 maybe why people are reacting the way they do in the comments and they don't 1066 01:05:26,480 --> 01:05:29,239 get the full Timberwolves discussion. But I am linking out to the full episode. 1067 01:05:29,440 --> 01:05:31,199 That's how clips work, folks, and most of the editing. I 1068 01:05:31,239 --> 01:05:38,559 don't know how much the listeners of the full audio episodes follow our shorts content 1069 01:05:38,719 --> 01:05:43,519 or our TikTok content that commands aside from the podcast, like prep and recording 1070 01:05:43,599 --> 01:05:45,079 to where it's I would say, for let's use this mail bag as an 1071 01:05:45,119 --> 01:05:48,719 example. There will be times when Grant and I going cold to mail bags, 1072 01:05:48,719 --> 01:05:53,239 but for a mail bag, like I'll prep for two hours like watch 1073 01:05:53,280 --> 01:05:57,480 stuff if I haven't seen a team that's been asked about, and then recording 1074 01:05:57,800 --> 01:06:00,360 so you know, and then between editing like yeah, mailback episodes like it's 1075 01:06:00,440 --> 01:06:03,119 It's about I would say each podcast for me, he's a four hour commitment 1076 01:06:03,239 --> 01:06:09,719 between prep editing, getting the episode up. It's longer in the sense of 1077 01:06:10,199 --> 01:06:14,000 the shorts that I'm cutting, so chopping those clips down sometimes, you know, 1078 01:06:14,519 --> 01:06:15,679 the shorter ones seem to play more on YouTube, we'd like to keep 1079 01:06:15,719 --> 01:06:18,159 them a minute or less. Is like the highest will go as a minute, 1080 01:06:18,159 --> 01:06:23,519 and right now is even forty five seconds. Then editing those I'm I'm 1081 01:06:23,519 --> 01:06:26,920 sure I'm not as talented at it as other people. I wonder. I'm 1082 01:06:26,960 --> 01:06:30,199 sure that the Deep three podcasts, if anyone listens to them or through the 1083 01:06:30,480 --> 01:06:33,440 through the Wire, both of whom are you know under the House of Highlights 1084 01:06:33,559 --> 01:06:38,159 umbrella that Bleacher Report operates, they probably have their own producers that are doing 1085 01:06:38,199 --> 01:06:39,960 them. I don't know how long it takes them to do those shorts. 1086 01:06:39,960 --> 01:06:43,000 But if you see a video on YouTube, and let's just I'm trying to 1087 01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:45,320 think of the recent one as an example, was so Grant had the who 1088 01:06:45,400 --> 01:06:47,639 made more money? It was a forty I had to chop that down to 1089 01:06:47,679 --> 01:06:51,119 forty four seconds. It was only four players. But between actually chopping that 1090 01:06:51,199 --> 01:06:57,159 clip down that Grant has from the stat padding segment to then editing it and 1091 01:06:57,320 --> 01:07:00,320 like to the point where it's ready to post on Instagram, to talk and 1092 01:07:00,360 --> 01:07:02,599 YouTube, it's probably three hours a clip for me, And that's where a 1093 01:07:02,639 --> 01:07:05,039 lot of my time goes, is that I'm trying to put up six of 1094 01:07:05,079 --> 01:07:10,000 these a week. So that's like between I would say, because sometimes it'll 1095 01:07:10,000 --> 01:07:12,960 be less fifteen to twenty hours when it comes to chopping out of stuff, 1096 01:07:13,000 --> 01:07:16,280 of just these digestible clips from the podcast. And if I was to stop 1097 01:07:16,400 --> 01:07:19,480 doing that, my sleep schedule and my schedule in general will probably be so 1098 01:07:19,599 --> 01:07:23,840 much more manageable. But that's where a lot of this, most of the 1099 01:07:23,840 --> 01:07:27,119 cutting room for stuff is happening. If we had and we had listener, 1100 01:07:27,280 --> 01:07:31,480 Ian did fantastic work when he was editing the videos for us, but just 1101 01:07:31,719 --> 01:07:35,159 relative to how much we wanted to turn around, not fair to him, 1102 01:07:35,159 --> 01:07:39,599 and I don't think would be fair to anybody who would want to video edit 1103 01:07:39,679 --> 01:07:45,159 to that extent. I couldn't ask someone unless we were paying them like a 1104 01:07:45,480 --> 01:07:46,840 like a good enough money, I don't know. If someone's out there, 1105 01:07:46,880 --> 01:07:48,719 like, you want up six of these clips a week, what are you 1106 01:07:48,760 --> 01:07:53,199 gonna charge for it, It's gonna be more than just like, it doesn't 1107 01:07:53,199 --> 01:07:57,039 make sense to just pay so little. And I know there are podcasts that 1108 01:07:57,159 --> 01:07:59,480 video editors that they just don't pay, And I'm just not the biggest fan 1109 01:07:59,599 --> 01:08:02,599 of of doing something like that. So if we ever are successful enough to 1110 01:08:02,639 --> 01:08:08,360 where with the podcast specifically like Grant and I relative to the injury spoiler alert 1111 01:08:08,440 --> 01:08:11,840 folks, the humble podscam, like, we're pretty successful relative to what the 1112 01:08:11,920 --> 01:08:15,119 industry is. But the podcast itself, I think it's underrated, but there's 1113 01:08:15,119 --> 01:08:17,880 probably stuff we could do better. There's probably stuff being wrong in terms of 1114 01:08:18,000 --> 01:08:21,560 not building the audience up, but not having the video editor. That becomes 1115 01:08:21,720 --> 01:08:25,880 super time consuming, and that's that's where most of the editing is done. 1116 01:08:26,119 --> 01:08:30,319 And I I don't think I've never heard complaints that they want us to that 1117 01:08:30,399 --> 01:08:33,479 they want me to edit out. It seems like at least in our discord, 1118 01:08:33,520 --> 01:08:35,479 which is where we get our most feedback, and that's the feedback I 1119 01:08:35,520 --> 01:08:40,000 take most seriously. Unless I'm soliciting the stuff in the YouTube comments we have. 1120 01:08:40,239 --> 01:08:43,079 I don't want to be We have a ton of fantastic people who engage 1121 01:08:43,119 --> 01:08:45,920 with with us on YouTube. It was just some of the stuff rankles me. 1122 01:08:45,960 --> 01:08:48,680 And as I've said to people, I'm terminally online and I vacillate between 1123 01:08:49,439 --> 01:08:54,880 you know, incurable and imposter syndrome and then feeling underappreciated for the for the 1124 01:08:54,960 --> 01:08:57,880 work that we do. But it's that's where most of the editing is done. 1125 01:08:57,920 --> 01:09:00,720 And I think I like the realness, the wrong rawness of the full 1126 01:09:01,119 --> 01:09:04,920 podcast to where I know I think I think dunkd On does this where they 1127 01:09:05,000 --> 01:09:08,800 cut out a lot of their pauses, which you want to mainline the basketball 1128 01:09:08,840 --> 01:09:13,279 content into your veins. I totally get it, but I view us as 1129 01:09:13,600 --> 01:09:20,199 Look when I'm thinking of our podcast to compare shows Tom, I want to 1130 01:09:20,319 --> 01:09:24,960 be yes technical and thorough, but I want to be fun and personable and 1131 01:09:25,119 --> 01:09:29,119 funny. And I like having that relationship of knowing, Okay, Grant and 1132 01:09:29,239 --> 01:09:31,239 Dan are always going to be together once a week at least there may be 1133 01:09:31,359 --> 01:09:34,720 two episodes a week, because I feel like it builds more of a familiarity, 1134 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:39,439 not just with our chemistry from two people who've worked together for over a 1135 01:09:39,520 --> 01:09:43,319 decade, but with our listeners as well, we're like I know some people, 1136 01:09:43,439 --> 01:09:45,840 but I don't necessarily know their Twitter handles, and like I followed some 1137 01:09:45,920 --> 01:09:48,760 of them back if I know you on Twitter, but from discord that is 1138 01:09:48,840 --> 01:09:53,760 really fun and important to me. And I think if I had to compare 1139 01:09:53,880 --> 01:09:56,319 us and I, we're not on the level of them because they have just 1140 01:09:56,399 --> 01:10:00,159 basket more bat They've nikay Is Duncan and Steve Jones have forgotten more about out 1141 01:10:00,159 --> 01:10:02,199 basketball in the past five seconds that it took me to say that that I 1142 01:10:02,199 --> 01:10:05,640 will ever know my life, but I appreciate how technical and in the weeds 1143 01:10:05,680 --> 01:10:10,199 they can get. We'll also just being so fun and enjoying each other's company. 1144 01:10:10,720 --> 01:10:14,439 That is the we didn't set We've never set out to be like them, 1145 01:10:14,600 --> 01:10:16,119 and the podcast has been around longer than them. What does it say 1146 01:10:16,159 --> 01:10:19,279 that they're way more successful than we are. They're They're great, That's what 1147 01:10:19,359 --> 01:10:23,960 it fucking says. But that's what we've always strived to be. And I 1148 01:10:24,039 --> 01:10:28,399 think the rawness, the realness of having the mostly unedited stuff in long form 1149 01:10:28,439 --> 01:10:32,039 where I'm not gonna cut out all those silences, that's more for the shorts 1150 01:10:32,119 --> 01:10:35,680 where I'm cutting out. There are segments that have been five minutes long that 1151 01:10:35,720 --> 01:10:39,840 I've cut down to forty five seconds, and so that takes a lot of 1152 01:10:40,399 --> 01:10:43,479 and I don't know if you guys consume I mean, you're listening to them, 1153 01:10:43,520 --> 01:10:45,720 so I don't know why you would necessarily watch them. It's the people 1154 01:10:45,760 --> 01:10:48,399 who are finding us. It's helped drive subscribers on YouTube specifically. I don't 1155 01:10:48,399 --> 01:10:51,960 know what the conversions are to our longer form ex episodes, but I would 1156 01:10:53,000 --> 01:10:55,520 like to think that at least some people, you know, when we gain 1157 01:10:55,640 --> 01:10:58,920 it's I would say we gain between five This isn't a lot, and like, 1158 01:10:59,039 --> 01:11:01,159 look, yeah, I compare us I've gotten. I look at the 1159 01:11:01,399 --> 01:11:05,199 the edits that are being made on the DP three on through the wire to 1160 01:11:05,359 --> 01:11:09,239 just kind of see what people are consuming. The D three does a lot 1161 01:11:09,279 --> 01:11:11,680 of we drafted this, and so I'm not going to co opt that, 1162 01:11:11,920 --> 01:11:15,760 but just the style of where there's the gifts that kind of popped up and 1163 01:11:15,800 --> 01:11:19,680 I try to be a little bit more unique with them, where it's like 1164 01:11:19,720 --> 01:11:23,920 you see a lot of the same emojis or gifts cropping up and I'll reuse 1165 01:11:24,000 --> 01:11:27,920 my favorites but I try and like make it each video feel unique. And 1166 01:11:27,960 --> 01:11:30,199 I also feel like we're trying to be you know, through the Through the 1167 01:11:30,239 --> 01:11:33,560 Wire posts. They're not doing their draft shorts. I'm not criticizing these shows, 1168 01:11:33,560 --> 01:11:39,560 the their behemoths. They've hundreds of thousands of subscribers on YouTube, but 1169 01:11:39,960 --> 01:11:42,600 they've kind of set the standard for like, what do you want this NBA 1170 01:11:42,680 --> 01:11:45,840 short content to promote your episodes to be? And so I've taken a lot 1171 01:11:45,880 --> 01:11:49,399 of inspiration from there. We're trying to see what people are consuming. But 1172 01:11:49,560 --> 01:11:55,119 to that point, we're gaining between like five and twenty subscribers on every short 1173 01:11:55,159 --> 01:11:57,239 that I post. I don't know how many of those subscribers are only with 1174 01:11:57,359 --> 01:12:00,399 us for those short clips or they're consuming a long form episodes. I'm sure 1175 01:12:00,479 --> 01:12:03,359 gaining five to twenty subscribers every time I post a short is low relative to 1176 01:12:03,520 --> 01:12:08,479 again, the Deep Three, and you know Through the Wire I do I 1177 01:12:08,520 --> 01:12:12,199 think we're as good as those podcasts. I absolutely do. Those All those 1178 01:12:12,239 --> 01:12:15,199 guys do fantastic work. There's probably also something about being in the same room 1179 01:12:15,239 --> 01:12:17,520 and Grant and I are on different coasts. That's something I've contemplated a lot 1180 01:12:17,600 --> 01:12:21,079 about and maybe that's like you can have more of that experience when you're just 1181 01:12:21,159 --> 01:12:26,319 together. And I'm sure every single one of those dudes work hard. I'm 1182 01:12:26,359 --> 01:12:30,039 not gonna begrudge anyone's success. Do I envy it, Yeah, for sure? 1183 01:12:30,079 --> 01:12:32,279 But I respect to Helf and Kenny Beacham is all over the place. 1184 01:12:32,279 --> 01:12:35,520 That dude. He seems genuinely nice. So those are what And I know 1185 01:12:35,600 --> 01:12:39,079 they've got to be younger. I know Kenny's a little bit older, but 1186 01:12:39,199 --> 01:12:41,359 like the Deep three guys are definitely And that might be the other thing is 1187 01:12:41,399 --> 01:12:45,680 we're just we get comments all the time where people say, like, with 1188 01:12:45,840 --> 01:12:47,479 regard to me, a lot of people think Grant just looks like Lionel Messi, 1189 01:12:47,640 --> 01:12:50,439 and people were shocked to find out that Grant. They still don't know 1190 01:12:50,479 --> 01:12:53,800 how old Grant was, but they thought he was a lot younger. People 1191 01:12:53,920 --> 01:12:56,720 generally think I'm a lot younger because I can't go facial hair, So I 1192 01:12:56,800 --> 01:13:01,279 guess I appreciate that. But it's just like the audiences the age demos, 1193 01:13:01,319 --> 01:13:04,800 are they going to be as engaged on YouTube? I don't know, like 1194 01:13:04,880 --> 01:13:09,000 the twenty five to thirty four demos on YouTube, we're getting a lot We 1195 01:13:09,039 --> 01:13:11,359 have a lot of older subs, which I really appreciate. Someone on the 1196 01:13:11,399 --> 01:13:14,600 YouTube comments that they were sixty and they started listening to us a bunch. 1197 01:13:14,680 --> 01:13:16,640 I fucking love that. If there's any and I've asked this once and I 1198 01:13:16,720 --> 01:13:19,439 got some Instagram dms that they do, but if there's ain't just kids out, 1199 01:13:19,560 --> 01:13:21,359 like you listen to us and you're in high school, you're college, 1200 01:13:21,399 --> 01:13:25,800 or you're super young, and are we hip enough? Are we trendy enough 1201 01:13:25,880 --> 01:13:30,039 to really engage you? So there's a whole bunch of stuff that goes into 1202 01:13:30,079 --> 01:13:33,159 my editing process. What I'm thinking about. I do sometimes think I'm trying 1203 01:13:33,199 --> 01:13:35,760 to make us be too many things to too many different people. But I 1204 01:13:35,960 --> 01:13:40,840 like that we can be a podcast where that breakdown on the Timberwolves defense. 1205 01:13:40,840 --> 01:13:43,439 I know Timberwolves fans were mad because we ended up calling out towns at the 1206 01:13:43,520 --> 01:13:45,520 end. What other national pod did that? The Dunker Spot would absolutely do 1207 01:13:45,600 --> 01:13:49,119 something and do something better. What other podcast is gonna do something like that? 1208 01:13:49,239 --> 01:13:53,520 Though? And then pivot into who makes a three Draymond Green with a 1209 01:13:53,560 --> 01:13:56,960 backpack or Ben Simmons that, like, do you want Raymond Green shooting through 1210 01:13:56,960 --> 01:13:59,720 with the backpack? Or ben Zimon's the line for two free throws. So 1211 01:14:00,359 --> 01:14:02,039 that's what I value about this podcast. I want it to be versatile, 1212 01:14:02,159 --> 01:14:04,680 and maybe we're trying to wear too many hats, but I'm proud of what 1213 01:14:04,800 --> 01:14:08,840 we've built here. And the editing is I'm not really proud of my editing. 1214 01:14:08,880 --> 01:14:11,680 I think it could probably be better, but that's what gets skimmed off 1215 01:14:11,720 --> 01:14:14,720 in editing, Austen, how is that for me having word Vomit is not 1216 01:14:14,880 --> 01:14:17,239 so much in the full episodes. I would say if you're watching and if 1217 01:14:17,279 --> 01:14:19,840 you're watching an eight to my minute clip on YouTube, there's a good chance 1218 01:14:19,880 --> 01:14:23,880 that there were a few minutes cut out. If you sense that there was 1219 01:14:23,880 --> 01:14:26,680 an actual conclusion to that clip, it might have just been like thirty seconds 1220 01:14:26,720 --> 01:14:29,640 or a minute where it's been it lined up. Once we did a clip 1221 01:14:29,760 --> 01:14:31,880 that just lasted eight and a half minutes and it was like a segment and 1222 01:14:31,960 --> 01:14:35,039 it was perfect. That rarely happens, though, and then the most editing 1223 01:14:35,119 --> 01:14:38,680 is gonna happen, and the most time is spent, believe it or not, 1224 01:14:38,800 --> 01:14:43,079 cutting up, the cutting up the YouTube shorts, and then the second 1225 01:14:43,119 --> 01:14:45,880 most time, I don't do it because we just never gained traction on Instagram. 1226 01:14:45,920 --> 01:14:49,319 I don't know what it is. Is the ones that I call them 1227 01:14:49,359 --> 01:14:53,319 the Twitter or the IG videos like they're a little bit longer two minutes, 1228 01:14:53,319 --> 01:14:56,159 two minutes and twenty seconds or less. I will try and do with those. 1229 01:14:56,479 --> 01:15:00,199 Those take a little bit longer to chop up than actually the like the 1230 01:15:00,239 --> 01:15:01,840 eight to nine minute clips, just because when you ever you're shrinking down that 1231 01:15:01,920 --> 01:15:05,960 window, it actually takes more effort. Hope everyone enjoyed this mail bag. 1232 01:15:06,279 --> 01:15:10,560 Until next time, and as always, please remember rate review, subscribe, 1233 01:15:10,600 --> 01:15:13,680 if you get your podcasts, tell people about us. Don't forget about the 1234 01:15:13,760 --> 01:15:15,119 question I asked at the top. If you're here, what is the rookie 1235 01:15:15,760 --> 01:15:18,800 or NBA draft prospect you were so invested in and then they just didn't pan 1236 01:15:18,840 --> 01:15:21,600 out because you were too high on them, let us know in discord link 1237 01:15:21,640 --> 01:15:26,000 that's the podcast and YouTube description, or in the YouTube comments. I appreciate 1238 01:15:26,079 --> 01:15:28,800 everyone for their support, even the people who hate listen, even the people 1239 01:15:28,880 --> 01:15:31,720 who are throwing comments that I take exception to and respond to. And then 1240 01:15:31,760 --> 01:15:36,600 we'll sometimes delete drafts that I have in there between these ears. It's not 1241 01:15:36,680 --> 01:15:41,079 the same as place, but I'm gonna be candid about it. Shout out 1242 01:15:41,119 --> 01:15:45,319 Frankie Lookina and apologies not as always, can I run when I run solo 1243 01:15:45,359 --> 01:15:48,439 episodes like I Forget. Apologies though to Jared Allen, but also apologies to 1244 01:15:48,560 --> 01:15:49,760 Mitchell Robinson The Walls