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Speaker 1: What is up, fellows, It goes I'm Dan Felly, Come

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we at you with another twenty twenty four to twenty

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twenty five NBA look Ahead.

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Speaker 2: We're on at the Brooklyn Nets.

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Speaker 1: We have brought on Lucas Kaplan from Nets Daily and

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Switch Theory.

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Speaker 2: Follow him at Lucas Kaplan Underscore.

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Speaker 1: That's at luc As kap l a n Underscore. Fantastic

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content does a great job covering the Nets a lot

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of thorough breakdowns. We get into all things Brooklyn this

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coming season as they entered this new phase of their

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start their rebuild. We shouldn't call it very quickly. This

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is your first time checking us out. Please remember to subscribe,

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throw us ratings and reviews on Apple and Spotify, hit

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the subscribe button on YouTube. Comment on all our videos

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for returning listeners as well, like help the alcohol, love

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us back. These look aheads are bear grant not continue

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to do them though, because we enjoy them. We know

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you enjoy them a lot of work, though, so please

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support the show, continue to share them, tell people about

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us the whole nine. We appreciate all the support. But

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let's get to talking some Brooklyn Nets with the one

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the only mister Lucas. Kathlin Lucas, welcome back.

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Speaker 2: Thank you so much for joining me.

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Speaker 1: For now, it's we can call it annual because it's

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your second time coming on for our Brooklyn Nets. Look ahead,

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excited to get into this team, which has changed a

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bunch when you look at their direction.

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Speaker 2: But first and foremost, how the heck are you doing? Man?

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Speaker 3: I'm doing well. It's whiplash to go from covering the Nets,

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specifically after their second half last year, to covering the

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New York Liberty, which as we speak, are coming off

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a win in which they led by forty points in

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the third quarter. And they are, by any metric, one

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of the best professional basketball teams in a long while.

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So I'm I'm oscillating here.

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Speaker 1: I have a special place for the Liberty because I

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was just a huge when I was younger, Theresa Witherspoon fan,

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and so I could sit there and watch highlights of

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her all day.

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Speaker 2: So and look deserve to.

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Speaker 1: Cover the Liberty right now because of the team that

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you're gonna have to cover during the regular NBA season.

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Speaker 2: That's all I say.

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Speaker 3: Yes, I I sometimes I'm like, am I like being

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too positive in my coverage of them. You know, I am,

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I like too much of a cheerleader, and then I

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remind myself what I am normally covering in the winter months,

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and so I think, I'm I think I'm doing them justice.

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Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I think honestly, kudos and all the people

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that are gonna cover the nets on a they look

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they might be fun. I don't mean to like we

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could dismiss this team in terms of wins of losses.

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But the last time this organization was rebuilding, Uh, they

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tried a bunch of cool shit and I covered them

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extensively at the time, and I kind of enjoyed it.

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So maybe you'll be in for for that. I mean

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we have to start there, though, Which is what do

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you make of like them just cannonballing full on.

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Speaker 2: Into this rebuild.

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Speaker 1: I think it's agreed that universally almost that this is

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the route they should have gone. Do you want, I

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guess agree with that. But two, were you surprised at

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all that they ended up travel down this path?

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Speaker 3: I Well, my first reaction is I was upset because

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they made those McHale and Houston trades during the fourth

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quarter of the Commissioner's Cup that the Liberty were playing in,

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which really kind of ruined my night. But no, I

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think there is truth to the noise that we heard

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that they really were exploring the market for ways to

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upgrade the team. I think if Donovan Mitchell to Brooklyn

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was a real possibility, they would have tried to make

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that happen. I just don't think Donovan ever really hit

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the trade market, and I think over the course of

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the last year year and a half it became clear

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that there were no short term paths to a trade

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to bring in a star. And when that reality set in,

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I think that they accepted it and moved on to

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this path. But I think the reason it took long,

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and I think the reason people were upset is they

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did believe in trying to upgrade the roster to bring

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in another star around McHale. So I don't think we

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should be surprised in retrospect. I think it was surprising

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at the time, but I do kind of take them

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at their word, At Sean Mark's word when he said, yeah,

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we were looking for ways to upgrade the roster, it

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became clear we weren't going to be able to do

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that in a meaningful way. So at this point in time,

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I don't think we should be surprised, and I definitely

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think it was the right thing to do.

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Speaker 1: I agree it was the right thing to do, and

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I don't I wasn't surprised that they did it. I

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actually do think I was surprised it even knowing they

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didn't get any actual players back from mchal Bridges. I'm

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still kind of surprised at how much they got for

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mchal Bridges. But with that said, I also kind of

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wonder how much of it was just like we know

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it was tied to what they did with Houston, but

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I wonder just because Houston had been a team that

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was linked to the trade deadlines to mchal Bridges, I

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am going to be forever curious of, well, how quickly

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did that deal but come about like that opportunity, Like

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maybe they had discussed the parameters of it, but this

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mckel bridges trade, probably they might still be looking to

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upgrade the roster right now if they don't get their

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next two draft the control their next two draft picks back.

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Speaker 3: Right That's a great point because it makes you, I think,

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I guess they really there was a world in which

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they were content to keep writing this out, you know,

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It's not that Houston didn't know that the nets we're

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talking to the Knicks about McHale, It's that the Nets

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must have really been solid, and hey, if we don't

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do this pickswap, then we'll just keep McHale and keep

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going as is. So I think they just did a

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good job of being flexible. Is what all of this

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sounds like to me?

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Speaker 2: What do you think though?

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Speaker 1: So the Nets are excuse me, the Rockets are still

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going to control their twenty twenty seven first round pick. Yes,

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how do you think that impacts what they're doing here?

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Will They'll be a level of I don't want to

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use the word urgency, but okay, we have to make

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like kind of a huge jump after two years or

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where they look at it as like, well, we have

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control over our next.

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Speaker 2: Two draft picks.

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Speaker 1: We'll have two high prospects, and if we have to

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kind of suffer through this gap year in terms of

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assets at the end of a season, we'll deal with it.

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I honestly don't know where I land, because like it's

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still kind of a big deal that like you have

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the next two that's great, Like okay, like you still

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owe your twenty twenty seven pack, and these things normally

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don't turn around that quickly.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, the Nets had to take back two

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of their assets from Houston, but they had to give

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up four of the Phoenix Sun's assets, So it's not

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like that trade made them asset rich. It's really all

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from the Knicks. What I would say is that I

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can't even think about twenty seven at this point. I

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would say the first inflection point, honestly, is next offseason.

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Brian Lewis knows everything about the Nets, as you well know,

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wrote an article a few.

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Speaker 2: Weeks nice too for anyone who cares.

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Speaker 3: He's an incredible guy. Everyone should follow him any basketball fan.

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But he wrote about the Nets like, aren't ruling out

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trying to use twenty twenty five cap space, of which

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right now they're slated to have a lot of. Is

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that posturing? You know? Is that real? Do they really

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not want to be that bad for that long? I

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don't know, but I think the first inflection point before

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twenty twenty seven is, honestly, let's see what happens next year,

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Like if everything goes right, if they get the number

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one pick, if they get Cooper flag, if someone's in

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in coming to Brooklyn like, this is a very unlikely

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outcome that the rebuilt only takes one season. But given

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some of the stuff I think we've heard about their

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willingness to use cap space next season, I would say

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the first inflection point is next off season, and then

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we'll see about twenty six and twenty seven.

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Speaker 1: They also, aside from kind of burning the whole thing down,

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they hire Jordy Fernandez. Do you have any insight into

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just based off what we know about him and the

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stuff that's been said, it feels like maybe a guiding

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principle for them to install from day one is we

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want to be ultra aggressive and physical on the defensive end.

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Speaker 2: Is that what the identity.

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Speaker 1: You're expecting them to try to assume or is there

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anything else that you've gleaned from his high or so far?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think more than that, I'm interested in seeing

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how kind of they implement an offense. I know we're

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going to get to Nick Claxton, but Jordi seems to

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be a big proponent of side to side ball movement, handoffs,

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you know, like side pick and roll into action around

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the perimeter, lots of like short passes that lead into

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other actions I'm interested to see how he is as

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an offensive coach because the Sacramento offense that we've covered

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and written about and like really enjoyed watching these past

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few years, he's purported to have been a big, big

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part of that, and it seemed like for a while

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Jordy was next up to get a coaching gig. So

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it seems to me before he's even coached a game,

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I'm excited about the higher and I think we'll learn

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more about his offensive kind of philosophy than defense, at

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least early on.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and they have like when you're looking at the

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person on this roster with which they have to implement,

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like the actual system, that's it makes it more fascinating

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to see what they're gonna do because there's not just

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a high level of creation on this team, Like there's

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Cam Thomas and then there's like, all right, are we

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getting into the Dennis Shrewder? Like are we including Nick

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Claxton and Cam Johnson. So it's like you start to

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trickle down from there and it gets I'm just very

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curious to see and they don't have a like even

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Ben Simmons, if he's healthy and at his peak, is

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not a conventional floor general, and so there's just a

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lot of sort of oddities up and down this roster

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right now.

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Speaker 3: I think, like you mentioned covering the Nets in the

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in the Bear Kenny Atkinson years before they made the

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playoffs in twenty nineteen, Atkinson seemed to like emerge as

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a really good offensive coach because even though those teams

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were bad, you saw their shot profile and like they're

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expected points per possession on cleaning the glass and stuff

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like that. So even when those teams did not have

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a lot of offensive talent, they were able to generate

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like these ideal shots, you know, corner threes, ram attempts,

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stuff like that. So I think, like Nets fans already

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have like a baseline for Jordi and expectations within the

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last ten years.

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Speaker 1: So, because I monopolize so much of what we talk

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about on this podcast, I want to throw it to

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you first, what is the single biggest storyline for this

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team that you're gonna be monitoring in to and kind

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of throughout this next year.

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Speaker 3: I'll give you one general one, which is just can

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we like maintain some good vibes and like positivity over

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a twelve month stretch? We do we think that's impossible,

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or do we think whatever ancient burial ground slash affordable

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housing neighborhood Barkley Center was built on top of has

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made that an impossibility for this franchise. So that's number one.

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Speaker 1: The first year of the rebuild is kind of like

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a honeymoon period normally.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they don't have.

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Speaker 1: I think what also would help is they don't I'm

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thinking on the roster right now, like they don't have

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anyone that's gonna become a malecontent because they're so bad

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like Cam Johnson DFS aren't.

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Speaker 2: Those types of dudes.

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Speaker 1: Ben Simmons doesn't have the cache anymore for you to

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care if that's like where he ends up. So I

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would think that like this might be I feel like

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this is gonna be the year of the vibes in Brooklyn.

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Speaker 2: Like I feel like the vibes will be good, even

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though the winds will be sparse.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's gonna be like a challenge for guys

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like Camp Thomas and Nick Klaxton to like be like okay,

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like year four, year five, Like you guys are like

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leaders now, you know, like the vets, you've been here

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for a while. We need you to kind of implement

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this culture under a new coach. So I think it's

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gonna be cool to see those guys try to buy

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into that role. I mean, Cam Johnson and Dorian will

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talk about it, but they're not here for the long

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haul in all likelihood. And then I said that was

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kind of general. Specifically, the Thomas contract extension talks are well,

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I guess not extension, but what they're gonna do with

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him as his contract expires is going to become a

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big story for this team. Like for a third year player.

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Last year, we heard absolutely nothing about a potential extension,

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Like they didn't talk at the end of last year,

253
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they didn't talk in the summer. You know, they still

254
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have a couple more months to get it done, but

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it seems like both sides like, no, they're going to

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wait until the end of next season to negotiate. So

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I would say specifically, that is what is going to

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emerge as a storyline for this team, barring a miraculous

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play in run.

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Speaker 2: He is interesting.

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Speaker 1: He is like a super polarizing player among people who

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follow the NBA too, And so when you look at

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last season with how high usage he was, let's start here,

264
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what stood out in a good way or surprised you

265
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or just most impressed you about how he was able

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to grow his game or what.

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Speaker 2: He did well.

268
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Speaker 3: I think, for one, the off the catch three point

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shooting like you really saw him kind of embrace that

270
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a little bit more and make forty three percent of

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his catch and shoot threes and at the same time

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start to map the floor as like a ball handler.

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He wasn't doing anything crazy with the playmaking the passing,

274
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but you can just see, like in the NBA, you

275
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have this high pick and roll offense that so many

276
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teams run at least a little and the reads are

277
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pretty diagramed. It's like, Okay, you can only help from

278
00:12:54,759 --> 00:12:57,200
so many places, and if the low man helps, this

279
00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:58,960
corner is going to be open. And if he's in

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between the roller and whatever and the pass to the

281
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other wing, Cam kind of showed that when he's running

282
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high pick and roll against these different coverages, he knows

283
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where the weak points in the defense are, which, if

284
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nothing else, is at least the baseline, like the first

285
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level of playmaking and passing reads you need to get

286
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to if you're going to handle the ball as much

287
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as he did. Post a near thirty percent usage rate,

288
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so that those two things were really you know, positive

289
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,679
for me. And also like it's hard to take that

290
00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,200
many shots a game in the NBA and create space

291
00:13:35,279 --> 00:13:38,279
on a lot of them and score semi efficiently like

292
00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:43,080
the load. We we kind of you know, would love

293
00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:45,919
to see him be more efficient and the trade off

294
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with the volume, But the guys still getting twenty looks

295
00:13:49,399 --> 00:13:51,240
at the rim of game, you know, twenty looks at

296
00:13:51,279 --> 00:13:54,080
the basket of game. That's not something that every player

297
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,039
in the NBA can do, even if they would like

298
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to try.

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Speaker 1: No, And I mean, I think a shot selection could

300
00:13:59,799 --> 00:14:01,360
still better, but you mentioned there was the catch and

301
00:14:01,399 --> 00:14:02,879
shoot three up tick. I think it was like over

302
00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:05,320
thirty nine percent on those last year, Like the percentage

303
00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,840
was high, and if his overall percentage, like i'd like

304
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:09,399
to see the pull ups fall at a higher rate.

305
00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,039
But if he's gonna be a thirty six percent from

306
00:14:11,039 --> 00:14:13,360
three on six attempts per game, like for someone who's

307
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,639
handling the ball so much, I think that's fine. And

308
00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:17,440
I do agree with you with the passing where I

309
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,240
think specifically in some of the later games I saw

310
00:14:19,279 --> 00:14:22,440
from him, defenses felt like they were overreacting to him

311
00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,440
more because he was a little bit less predictable in

312
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:26,480
the lane, and like you said, it was nothing too complex,

313
00:14:26,519 --> 00:14:29,200
but like he was able to like keep the ball

314
00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,960
moving and find guys who were actually open as a

315
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:36,039
result not risotto result of those like defensive rotations or collapses.

316
00:14:36,159 --> 00:14:38,799
And I still think I don't know where you land on,

317
00:14:38,799 --> 00:14:40,600
like where are you gonna be monitoring most closely if

318
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,960
he's gonna continue to develop. But I think that's still

319
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:44,360
part of his game that I would like to see

320
00:14:44,399 --> 00:14:48,480
him expand more. I just don't know for me if

321
00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,639
he's capable of it or am I just more morbidly

322
00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,360
drawn to it because I know he's gonna have the

323
00:14:52,399 --> 00:14:54,279
ball a ton again this year, given how the team

324
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:55,399
is built, I.

325
00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,039
Speaker 3: Think that it's tough to like check in with him

326
00:14:58,039 --> 00:14:59,720
at the start of the season and check in with

327
00:14:59,799 --> 00:15:01,840
him at the end, because there were so many times

328
00:15:01,919 --> 00:15:04,919
last year the nets got down by twelve or fifteen

329
00:15:05,039 --> 00:15:09,279
and yet another depressing game and you could see Cam

330
00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:12,360
just be like, all right, fuck this, like time to pull,

331
00:15:12,519 --> 00:15:15,200
time to time to cook, step back eighteen footer here,

332
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,840
you know, one legged twelve footer here, And it's a

333
00:15:18,879 --> 00:15:20,759
switch that you can see, and so part of his

334
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:24,879
development is going to be maintaining I'm still gonna get

335
00:15:24,919 --> 00:15:28,200
good looks for myself and my teammates at no matter

336
00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,759
what this like, no matter what's going on, I agree

337
00:15:30,759 --> 00:15:34,440
with you, Like he's not a Kevin Durant mid range shooter.

338
00:15:34,519 --> 00:15:37,960
Nobody is. A lot of these mid range shots need

339
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,080
to be I need to get to the rim. I

340
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,679
need to take step back threes. And the thing about

341
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:44,919
him is like you know, you've you've watched him that

342
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,600
first step combined with like kind of just how naturally

343
00:15:47,639 --> 00:15:50,440
big he is and the chest and shoulders when he

344
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,360
gets to the rim, it looks impressive, and you just

345
00:15:53,519 --> 00:15:57,360
you want him to I guess build on that mindset.

346
00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,240
I think that is going to be the key for me,

347
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,360
Like get to the rim first, get to the rim first,

348
00:16:02,399 --> 00:16:05,559
and use the mid range as more of a counter

349
00:16:05,679 --> 00:16:08,519
as a bailout option. You know, if that, if we

350
00:16:08,559 --> 00:16:10,879
start seeing more of that from camp Thomas, then I'll

351
00:16:10,919 --> 00:16:14,080
be I'll be fully in. I've been, I've been, I was,

352
00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:16,360
I was a Camp Thomas skeptic. You can ask any

353
00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:18,600
NETS fan on Twitter. I like, for a while, they

354
00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:22,120
don't really love my Camp Thomas opinions. But I got

355
00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,639
my foot in the door. You know, if he does that,

356
00:16:24,879 --> 00:16:27,879
I'll I'll fully open it. I'll join everybody on Camp

357
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:28,639
Thomas Island.

358
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I've progressed to the point and my

359
00:16:31,639 --> 00:16:34,639
co host and I Grant have had not super impassionate

360
00:16:34,639 --> 00:16:36,600
debates about this. But I think he still views Cam

361
00:16:36,679 --> 00:16:39,320
Thomas as that's going to be someone who is this

362
00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,799
microwave off the bench score long term, and I think

363
00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,679
what he showed last year, his ceiling is certainly higher

364
00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:48,639
than that to me. And just like even the thing,

365
00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,159
even if you don't even if you're not high on

366
00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,080
him as a passer, if you and as a decision maker,

367
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,399
if you're gonna have as high of a usage rate

368
00:16:56,639 --> 00:16:58,120
as he did last year and.

369
00:16:58,120 --> 00:16:59,720
Speaker 2: He finished at thirty point five, I'm looking at it

370
00:16:59,799 --> 00:17:00,200
right now now.

371
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,039
Speaker 1: But like your turnover rate is still eight and a half,

372
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,559
Like there's value in Okay, you're not taking the best shots,

373
00:17:05,599 --> 00:17:09,039
but you're also just not junking away all these possessions,

374
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:11,440
and so like, I really do believe there's something there.

375
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,640
I honestly don't know what his ceiling is, but if

376
00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,279
we would have had the same conversation last year with

377
00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:17,960
what I would have said, I think you can say

378
00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:19,680
if you don't know what a ceiling is, that's probably

379
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:21,920
a compliment relative to what our thoughts were on him,

380
00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:23,799
you know, a year year and a half ago.

381
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,279
Speaker 3: The one thing I would say about Cam Thomas, which

382
00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:28,519
goes against I think the feelings of a lot of

383
00:17:28,519 --> 00:17:31,279
Nets fans, is that I don't think this environment where

384
00:17:31,319 --> 00:17:33,440
he just has the ball in his hands a ton

385
00:17:33,799 --> 00:17:35,920
and has free range when he's on the court to

386
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,960
kind of do whatever because the Nets our sap for

387
00:17:38,039 --> 00:17:42,039
offensive creation. I don't really know if that's what I'd

388
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,279
love for him as a player, for his development. It

389
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,920
feels like it almost kind of allows him to maybe

390
00:17:50,039 --> 00:17:54,640
lean into some habits he needs to eradicate from his game,

391
00:17:55,079 --> 00:17:58,000
like almost the freedom can be a little bit too much,

392
00:17:58,519 --> 00:18:03,279
and hopefully Jordian can implement some structure for him, some actions,

393
00:18:03,319 --> 00:18:06,200
like some habits that he wants Cam to nail down.

394
00:18:06,759 --> 00:18:09,559
I would love to see whatever that might be this

395
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,079
year Jordie's you know, as you might imagine.

396
00:18:11,759 --> 00:18:13,759
Speaker 1: Maybe like a tome isn't as simple as just like

397
00:18:14,279 --> 00:18:17,200
get everybody or mostly everybody the license to grab and

398
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:19,559
go off of rebound, so that it forces Cam Thomas

399
00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:21,839
like off the ball a little bit more going to

400
00:18:21,839 --> 00:18:24,000
be in transition or semi transition, like you have Trendon

401
00:18:24,039 --> 00:18:25,720
Watford on this team, Like just give that guy the

402
00:18:25,799 --> 00:18:26,440
license to go.

403
00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,359
Speaker 3: You should the Philly game last year when Cam Thomas

404
00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,759
had forty but he hit like six catch and shoot

405
00:18:31,759 --> 00:18:34,559
threes and then like a couple like catch, pump, fake,

406
00:18:34,759 --> 00:18:37,359
go to the rim. It's like, whoa, you know this

407
00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,920
guy is like an off the ball threat. If he's

408
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:42,279
shooting like this off the catch and shoot and his

409
00:18:42,319 --> 00:18:45,799
first step is that quick and like he can kind

410
00:18:45,839 --> 00:18:48,079
of cover a lot of ground. I mean, we see

411
00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,720
him cover a lot of ground when he steps back

412
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,359
and creates all that space from his defender. It's like,

413
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,640
this guy could be a legit off the ball option.

414
00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,960
If some of that zero point five decision making is

415
00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,039
there a little bit To your point, I think part

416
00:19:02,079 --> 00:19:04,440
of that and I think we will see it is like, yes,

417
00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,119
I expect them to play fast this season.

418
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,839
Speaker 1: This I guess it kind of dovetails with this discussion.

419
00:19:10,839 --> 00:19:12,880
But the last time the Nets are rebuilding, it was

420
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:14,839
different because they didn't really they didn't. It wasn't they

421
00:19:14,839 --> 00:19:17,000
didn't really, they didn't have control of their imminent first

422
00:19:17,079 --> 00:19:19,319
round picks, and so they tried a bunch of shit,

423
00:19:19,799 --> 00:19:22,160
And it feels like they're headed down that direction in general.

424
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,079
Now when you look at the roster they took, they

425
00:19:24,079 --> 00:19:26,039
take the key on Johnson flyer, they pick up Zayia

426
00:19:26,039 --> 00:19:28,599
Williams from for Memphis. Of course, that's an asset play.

427
00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:30,759
I know that with the seconds they get for it,

428
00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,559
do you expect something similar to the extent of We're

429
00:19:34,599 --> 00:19:36,720
going to see a bunch of mid season turnover here.

430
00:19:36,759 --> 00:19:39,000
And I think it dovetails nicely with the Cam Thomas

431
00:19:39,039 --> 00:19:41,240
discussion because that the front office is m O at

432
00:19:41,279 --> 00:19:45,480
that time is if they discovered someone like Okay, they

433
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,400
still weren't married to them, but it was different, but

434
00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,400
they were married to nothing and no one who really

435
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,000
came to not even Brook Lopez at the time. It's like,

436
00:19:52,039 --> 00:19:56,440
so Dorian Phiney Smith, Dennis Shuder, cam Johnson get mentioned

437
00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,759
in trade rumors, but because it's also a situation where

438
00:19:59,039 --> 00:20:01,279
they'd be willing to move off off of cam Thomas

439
00:20:01,279 --> 00:20:03,079
if the offers right, because they don't necessarily want a

440
00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:06,799
bankroll his next cut, Like what level of try shit

441
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:10,119
or turnover. Would you expect mid season from this organization

442
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:11,720
given the direction in which it's headed.

443
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,400
Speaker 3: Number one, I'm disappointed you didn't even mention Killian Hayes,

444
00:20:15,599 --> 00:20:19,039
who training camp contract not guaranteed to make the roster.

445
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,799
But in terms of trying stuff, Killian Hayes might be

446
00:20:21,799 --> 00:20:22,720
the ultimate he got.

447
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,240
Speaker 1: Look, Lucas, he got cut by the French national team,

448
00:20:25,279 --> 00:20:26,559
like we need to. I want to know what the

449
00:20:26,599 --> 00:20:29,279
net saw on him. I still have like, defensively sure

450
00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,799
just with that, except do you remember that stretching Detroit?

451
00:20:31,839 --> 00:20:33,480
It was like two seasons ago. He was like lights

452
00:20:33,519 --> 00:20:35,039
out for a month and a half from mid range

453
00:20:35,079 --> 00:20:37,400
or whatever it was. So maybe he gets that. But yes,

454
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,759
I did forget that Killian Hayes was currently a member.

455
00:20:39,559 --> 00:20:40,079
Speaker 2: Of this team.

456
00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:44,039
Speaker 3: Silver medalist French national team, he was on it.

457
00:20:44,039 --> 00:20:46,119
Speaker 2: I thought he got the Well, no, I think it's cut.

458
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:50,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, don't slander the French. Well that's not the hill

459
00:20:50,039 --> 00:20:54,680
to die on. I guess anyway, Yes, there's gonna be there.

460
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,720
I think there is a similar mindset going into this.

461
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,200
I think it helps that you have this same man

462
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,119
in charge and Sean Marks. He's willing to try stuff.

463
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,880
He's willing to take flyers. He's mentioned that as something

464
00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,559
he's excited to do and will do in his press

465
00:21:11,559 --> 00:21:14,640
conferences he's given since the Mikhale Bridges trade. And I

466
00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:20,480
think with Cam Thomas there is a level of respect

467
00:21:20,519 --> 00:21:23,240
for him in the organization that may not be apparent

468
00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,359
when you hear, oh, why isn't he playing his first

469
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,839
couple of years? Like they must not like him? Sean

470
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,039
Marks and the front office has said repeatedly like they

471
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,319
like Cam Thomas, they like what he brings. I think

472
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:38,359
they respect him the way they respect Nick Claxton for

473
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,519
willing to be around for this rebuild, to take on

474
00:21:42,599 --> 00:21:46,759
a larger role for the franchise. I would be shocked

475
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,599
if they trade him this year. I would not be

476
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,680
shocked if he is not signed to a long term

477
00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:59,440
deal next offseason. So view that as turnover then, Yes,

478
00:22:00,799 --> 00:22:04,880
the other guys, specifically Cam Johnson, Dorrian Finney Smith, I

479
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,000
would be very surprised if they're on the roster after

480
00:22:07,039 --> 00:22:09,680
the trade deadline. I'd be pretty surprised if they're on

481
00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:15,200
the roster during real games. To be honest, Wow, I might.

482
00:22:15,279 --> 00:22:17,160
I mean, you know, we could get one of those

483
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:21,440
early season trades like I think that, like, like, I mean,

484
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:24,279
this is a funny comparison, but the James Harden trade

485
00:22:24,319 --> 00:22:26,680
that happened like a week or two into the season,

486
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,920
I think we could see maybe that for those guys.

487
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,279
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a really interesting notion because because they're like

488
00:22:34,319 --> 00:22:36,279
supporting players. Is there just going to be a team

489
00:22:36,319 --> 00:22:39,640
that came into the season with such high expectations and it's, oh,

490
00:22:39,759 --> 00:22:41,480
like we're out of the gate, we're coming slow, Like

491
00:22:41,519 --> 00:22:43,720
we just need Dorian Finney Smith the idea of a

492
00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:45,880
three and D guy or Cam Johnson, the you know,

493
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,599
three point shooter off movement who.

494
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,640
Speaker 2: Has some ball skills to him. I guess I could

495
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:50,000
see that.

496
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,440
Speaker 1: We're just so I mean, last season was different because

497
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,839
we had the James Harden trade. Siakam and Annanobi were

498
00:22:55,839 --> 00:22:57,759
traded like pretty far away from the deadline too.

499
00:22:57,759 --> 00:23:00,319
Speaker 2: I'm not used to seeing that much action pre dead line.

500
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:02,319
Speaker 3: I think we will get some of that. All it

501
00:23:02,319 --> 00:23:05,319
takes is an injury here, an injury there. I mean,

502
00:23:05,799 --> 00:23:08,880
teams know that the Nets don't like want to get

503
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,279
pick value for those guys. I think the Warriors are

504
00:23:12,319 --> 00:23:15,559
a team to watch, to be honest, just because they

505
00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,599
you know, the lowry market and sweepstakes they're out of.

506
00:23:19,759 --> 00:23:23,319
They need a couple of wings. I think these talks

507
00:23:23,319 --> 00:23:26,039
will heat up again the rumors that we heard kind

508
00:23:26,039 --> 00:23:28,920
of before the NBA world went on hiatus and everybody

509
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,480
went to their beach resorts in August, as they do.

510
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,680
I think once we get back to the training camp

511
00:23:35,759 --> 00:23:40,119
kind of getting the swing of things, we'll hear it. Overall, Yes,

512
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,559
I expect roster turnover. I don't expect the Nets to

513
00:23:43,599 --> 00:23:46,920
be married to guys like I think Nick Claxton's going

514
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,160
to be here. I don't anticipate them trading him. I

515
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:52,319
think he's the perfect type of player who you can

516
00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,839
develop and keep getting better, but won't accidentally win you

517
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,839
too many games. That being said, it's not because there's

518
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,799
a strict no we're not trading XYZ policy.

519
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:05,079
Speaker 1: I don't know at this rate, and this is a

520
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:06,920
good time to talk about Nick Claxton, because I love

521
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:08,559
Nick Claxton. But at this rate, you know, if the

522
00:24:08,599 --> 00:24:10,920
Pelicans center rotation stays the way it is right now,

523
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,079
like they might end up throwing Brooklyn in offer once

524
00:24:13,079 --> 00:24:15,119
the restriction lists that they're not able to turn down

525
00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:18,640
for Nick Klaxon. There's there's Pelicans fans will not I'll

526
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,440
just say Pelicans fans probably know their team better than

527
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,519
I do, but there's a tendency for them to just

528
00:24:22,599 --> 00:24:26,240
list off like Daniel Tye and leave me seeing Carlo

529
00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:29,519
right like Rokovich, Makovich excuse me, and it's like, right,

530
00:24:29,559 --> 00:24:31,279
you're telling me their names. That doesn't mean that the

531
00:24:31,279 --> 00:24:35,039
center rotation is fine. So but yeah, I would argue

532
00:24:35,039 --> 00:24:38,119
that Nick Claxton is probably the closest this organization comes

533
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:40,039
to just like, oh, a guy that we have, I

534
00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:42,000
won't call him a cornerstone, but someone we value for

535
00:24:42,039 --> 00:24:44,119
the future is just sort of in place.

536
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,119
Speaker 2: Or do you think that cam Thomas has left him

537
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:46,680
at all in that?

538
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,559
Speaker 3: I would say, I would say Nick Claxton fits that Bill.

539
00:24:50,599 --> 00:24:53,119
I would also say, I know for a fact Klas

540
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,599
has a lot of fans in that Pelicans organization, and

541
00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:02,519
that's been a half you know, idealize destination for him,

542
00:25:02,599 --> 00:25:06,279
half semi like okay, we've actually thought about it. But

543
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,240
I think klax is here to stay. I think he

544
00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:10,839
is the closest thing they have to like a reliable

545
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,839
cornerstone piece moving forward. He's really good, like he's just

546
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,200
he's really good, and he is not the type to

547
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:23,200
elevate a bad team into too many wins. It's like

548
00:25:23,559 --> 00:25:26,240
he in a drop defense in your base coverages is

549
00:25:26,279 --> 00:25:29,440
a pretty good defender. It's a very good shop blocker.

550
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,400
Then you add in the switching, and you add all

551
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,440
the kind of different things you can do with him

552
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,519
on defense. It's the sort of thing that gets you like,

553
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,799
is the cherry on top makes a good team great?

554
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,359
And I think that's why maybe he hasn't shined the

555
00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:48,119
way he has since they traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie

556
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,839
Hearing at the deadline two years ago. But like you know,

557
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,640
you look at the Mavericks game from last year they

558
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,279
played in Brooklyn, Luka Doncrish cooking them in the first half.

559
00:25:56,519 --> 00:25:57,920
They come out on the second half, they just put

560
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,359
ing a Claxton on him straight up, and he's far

561
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:04,720
the best Luca defender on the team. Like freaky, I.

562
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,079
Speaker 1: Still and look, you know, you say, he's maybe not

563
00:26:07,079 --> 00:26:08,559
the type of player to shine on the team that's

564
00:26:08,559 --> 00:26:10,839
not great. Like this was the second consecutive year he

565
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:13,119
was mentioned in the same breadth as like all.

566
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,640
Speaker 2: Defense guys where it's usually considered it. That's a big deal.

567
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,559
Speaker 1: I think his claim, his claim to like national the

568
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,480
national conscience was still that possession against Damian loading in

569
00:26:22,559 --> 00:26:24,279
crunch time where he's just shutting them down. I think

570
00:26:24,279 --> 00:26:25,680
it was from the left side of the floor at

571
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:27,920
the time, and he did it like twice or something,

572
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,119
and like the floor mapping that he had on that

573
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:32,440
entire possion was absurd, and I feel like everyone kind

574
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,039
of understood. Anyone who like Nets fans obviously knew how

575
00:26:35,039 --> 00:26:36,759
good he was, but like that was his I don't

576
00:26:36,759 --> 00:26:38,359
know if I would even call him mainstream right now,

577
00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:40,240
but that was where everyone's like, oh, like Nick Claxton

578
00:26:40,319 --> 00:26:43,960
is like cap slock good. What type of role though?

579
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,240
Because this team I feel like is built to get weird.

580
00:26:46,759 --> 00:26:48,599
Are they going to try out more with him on

581
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,359
the offensive? Nue kind of already loo, But like I

582
00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:52,480
want to see Nick Claxton, like I want them to

583
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:53,880
get super weird. I don't even want to see Nick

584
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,119
Claxton drives anymore, Like you have that man run pick

585
00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:57,440
and rolls and let's just see what happens.

586
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,440
Speaker 3: I just want to see it. I can they ran

587
00:27:00,519 --> 00:27:03,920
a couple of inverted like kind of like like pitchback,

588
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,160
like Dennis Smith Junior would like give it to him

589
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,359
like thirty five feet out and set like a little

590
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:12,480
fake brush screen and Claxon would drive. I think we're there.

591
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,640
Like the let's say, the mainstream quote unquote thing about

592
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:19,640
Nick Claxon is that like, oh, this guy is driving

593
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,240
ability on offense. Played point guard for an awful Georgia

594
00:27:23,279 --> 00:27:28,480
team when he was there, is in college, so maybe

595
00:27:28,519 --> 00:27:31,359
you know he's not gonna drag you to a league

596
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,039
a league average offense as that guy.

597
00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:37,079
Speaker 1: Imagine though they just like they run him out as

598
00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:39,759
a primary playmaker. Then that's are like sixteenth in points

599
00:27:39,799 --> 00:27:41,079
per possession or something like that.

600
00:27:41,559 --> 00:27:43,640
Speaker 3: You have to maxim. I mean, hey, is their max

601
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:45,480
and Bam no?

602
00:27:45,559 --> 00:27:47,119
Speaker 2: Oh wow, No, No.

603
00:27:47,559 --> 00:27:49,880
Speaker 3: I like Bam. Listen. My thing was always when I

604
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,039
was like, you can pay Nick Claxon twenty two million,

605
00:27:52,079 --> 00:27:53,960
twenty five million a year and it's fine last year,

606
00:27:54,039 --> 00:27:57,720
My argument was like, Okay, how much worse is he

607
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,160
really than Bam? That was always my argument, if you

608
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,279
could I'm not saying you don't max Bam, but I'm

609
00:28:03,279 --> 00:28:05,000
saying in a world where Bam out of Buyo is

610
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,680
a MAX player, go watch those matchups and tell me

611
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,480
you should only be paying Nick Claxton half that.

612
00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,960
Speaker 1: I still think BAM's a lot more dynamic on the

613
00:28:14,039 --> 00:28:16,400
offensive end, and like you haven't had the chance to

614
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,119
see I think BAM might be the best well because

615
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:22,240
we haven't seen Wemby in there yet, like the single

616
00:28:22,319 --> 00:28:26,400
best or most valuable playoff defender. Potentially, it's like Nick

617
00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:28,640
Claxton's like we need to see Nick Claxton in an

618
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,960
extensive run in that setting. But if more of the

619
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,480
stories Nick Claxton is really good, I'm on board with you.

620
00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:37,359
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, No, that sound sounds like Bam slander and

621
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:39,680
it's not the thing with Nick last year is he'd

622
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,640
have these like runs where he would the in Okay,

623
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:48,319
see like bullied Chet Holmgren in Memphis, bully Jaron Jackson Junior.

624
00:28:48,599 --> 00:28:51,960
I wouldn't say bullied Bam in Miami, but like probably

625
00:28:52,039 --> 00:28:55,720
outplayed him slightly, and then they came back to Brooklyn

626
00:28:55,759 --> 00:28:58,319
and like he got worked by Trey Jamison and like

627
00:28:58,359 --> 00:29:02,000
had a bunch of bad fouls And it is just

628
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,880
a matter of consistency last year. But the point is

629
00:29:06,559 --> 00:29:09,119
he's very good and you will see him as more

630
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,960
of like the dribble handoff hub guy. This is actually

631
00:29:13,039 --> 00:29:15,960
like the nerdiest thing about the Nuts this year. This

632
00:29:16,119 --> 00:29:18,599
is the most interesting thing because when you have these

633
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,720
dho like hub bigs, it's like, Okay, they're really They

634
00:29:21,759 --> 00:29:23,440
can make the bounce pass and they can hit the

635
00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:27,119
back door cuts. But like Demonte Sabonis going one on

636
00:29:27,119 --> 00:29:31,359
one to get a clutch time bucket in the playoffs, eh,

637
00:29:32,079 --> 00:29:35,519
right for it all for an all NBA guy, Jordy

638
00:29:35,759 --> 00:29:38,759
is now doing this with Nick. He's building from the reverse.

639
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,599
It's like you have this guy that can get to

640
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,119
the that can fake a dribble handoff and get to

641
00:29:43,119 --> 00:29:45,160
the rim from the three point line in one dribble

642
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,920
and dunk on somebody. And so now you're building out

643
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,759
the other part of that, which is you actually need

644
00:29:50,799 --> 00:29:53,759
to be able to make quick decisions. I'm not saying

645
00:29:53,799 --> 00:29:56,079
it's gonna work. I'm not saying like Nick's gonna be

646
00:29:56,079 --> 00:30:01,440
a great playmaker passer overnight, but it's definitely an intriguing

647
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,559
thing to watch. Like, no matter how bad the Nets

648
00:30:04,599 --> 00:30:04,920
are this.

649
00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:08,839
Speaker 1: Year, you had a terrific video essay on Noah Clowney,

650
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,160
who has like an increased role towards the end of

651
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,720
last season. I see it defensively, like even when he's

652
00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,440
making mistakes, like you could just see it with him.

653
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:18,519
But what are you sort of well, I guess one,

654
00:30:18,599 --> 00:30:20,839
I'm assuming his role will be pretty big this year,

655
00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:22,799
and too, like what do you mind? What areas of

656
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,240
development are you gonna be monitoring most closely for him?

657
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:29,359
Speaker 3: I want to see if the his bot Like I

658
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:31,720
just want to see him finish more two pointers at

659
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:36,200
the rim, like he's was not a good finisher in

660
00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,000
the lane in the in the G League and the

661
00:30:38,079 --> 00:30:40,680
NBA last year and at Summer League even this year,

662
00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:43,039
where he looks a little bigger, it's like you saw

663
00:30:43,119 --> 00:30:46,240
more of the okay hang in the air through contact finish.

664
00:30:46,559 --> 00:30:48,480
That's going to be really important for him as an

665
00:30:48,519 --> 00:30:51,799
offensive guy, because no matter what your role is on defense,

666
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:57,440
you can't be six ten, six eleven and shooting like fifty,

667
00:30:57,759 --> 00:31:00,960
like forty something fifty, low fifties on twos Like that

668
00:31:01,119 --> 00:31:04,759
just can't happen. And then secondly, like is he gonna

669
00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,599
actually shoot around league average from three on decent attempts?

670
00:31:08,759 --> 00:31:12,680
Like is he gonna be a legit big wing type

671
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,079
of guy? Like the guy he kind of reminds me

672
00:31:15,119 --> 00:31:19,640
of ideally on offense is actually Santi al Dama just

673
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:20,319
like a like.

674
00:31:20,279 --> 00:31:22,359
Speaker 1: I don't know if you know this, I will cape

675
00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:24,319
until the end of time for Santi Aldama.

676
00:31:24,359 --> 00:31:26,279
Speaker 2: I know, I know you do the right audience.

677
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,599
Speaker 3: I was happy to say that comparison. I think Santy's

678
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,200
like a little more flexible on offense and his drives

679
00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:35,000
and stuff, and probably a better shooter at this point.

680
00:31:35,279 --> 00:31:37,200
But when I watch Noah at like six ' ten

681
00:31:37,279 --> 00:31:40,000
with these long arms, spot up in the corner and

682
00:31:40,039 --> 00:31:42,400
can kind of slither to the rim on some of

683
00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:44,920
these drives, it's like I see it, like I'm not

684
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,720
sure he's a big big I think he's like a

685
00:31:47,759 --> 00:31:50,599
big wing that can play some of the five, but

686
00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,519
like his defense really shines when he's on the perimeter,

687
00:31:54,799 --> 00:31:58,680
like like blocking guys in isolation, like a version of

688
00:31:58,759 --> 00:32:01,279
Nick Claxton in a It's an easy comparison.

689
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,759
Speaker 1: So when you mentioned him like getting to the basket more,

690
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:07,200
doing a better job finishing on twos, a lot of

691
00:32:07,279 --> 00:32:09,640
that feels like it'll be predicated on them getting him

692
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,720
the ball on the right spots rather than him doing

693
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,079
what we know Nick Klaxton can do.

694
00:32:14,119 --> 00:32:15,880
Speaker 2: If like he's gonna go into drives.

695
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,359
Speaker 1: Is that kind of then not the theory, but the

696
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,759
importance of Dennis Shruter on this team is like someone

697
00:32:20,799 --> 00:32:23,519
who's more established and can then at least maybe get

698
00:32:23,599 --> 00:32:25,640
him the ball in the spots that would translate to

699
00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,079
those higher efficiency twos because after him, it's like you

700
00:32:29,079 --> 00:32:31,480
can't count on Ben Simmons and he's not necessarily a

701
00:32:31,559 --> 00:32:34,880
half court type of the ideal half court playmaker anyway,

702
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,599
Is that one like why Dennis Shruter might be sneaky

703
00:32:38,599 --> 00:32:40,000
important to this team? And then two, is that like

704
00:32:40,039 --> 00:32:43,720
a level of concern that could Stymy Clowney's offensive development.

705
00:32:44,519 --> 00:32:46,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Shrewder To answer the first part of that,

706
00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,920
Shrewder is definitely an important part of this team. I

707
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,359
think he's a less likely candidate to get traded earlier,

708
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:56,359
like as early as the Cam Johnson Dorian Finney Smith guys.

709
00:32:57,079 --> 00:32:59,559
He's also a guy that's spoken about the importance of

710
00:32:59,559 --> 00:33:01,960
being with his family playing on all these different teams

711
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,839
in different years looking for stability, said he's liked Brooklyn

712
00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,599
so far. I think they're okay with the idea of

713
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,519
like having Dennis around for at least this year and

714
00:33:11,839 --> 00:33:16,000
his contract and then seeing what's up. But Dennis, he's

715
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,920
by far the best I think, pick and roll decision maker,

716
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:24,079
passer driver on this team, and he will get guys

717
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,839
in their roles like he will get Jalen Wilson catch

718
00:33:27,839 --> 00:33:31,240
and shoot, close out attack opportunities. He will get Noah

719
00:33:31,279 --> 00:33:35,079
Clowney the opportunity to like finish through someone in the lane,

720
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:38,279
which he needs to do. So I think you're completely

721
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,640
right on Dennis Shrewder's role on this team.

722
00:33:42,279 --> 00:33:44,920
Speaker 1: Do you think I saw it at least a couple

723
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,720
of times that Clowney and Claxton were playing together. Do

724
00:33:47,759 --> 00:33:50,480
you think that becomes more of a staple setup this year?

725
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,880
Speaker 3: I think Dayron Sharp makes that equation a little more

726
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,559
interesting because you have to play Dayron Sharp this year.

727
00:33:58,599 --> 00:34:00,720
Not only was he pretty good last year, but like

728
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,920
he's going into a contract year, he's worked his ass

729
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:09,599
off like strong, Yeah, strong. We could see Clowney and

730
00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:13,519
Sharp as well, but I think was Sharp there. I

731
00:34:13,519 --> 00:34:15,639
think you're gonna see Clowney as the four, and I

732
00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:18,440
think you will see Clowney in Claxton minutes. It is

733
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,360
an absurd amount of length and ground coverage on the

734
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:25,199
perimeter and in a sense almost reminds you of me

735
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:27,559
of like the New York Liberty who have John Qwell

736
00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:31,199
Jones and Brianna Stewart, two ridiculous shot blockers, and so

737
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,679
you can play an aggressive coverage on the perimeter right

738
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:37,079
and you have the other one back at the rim.

739
00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:39,920
And I mean we saw there was a game I

740
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,119
think against the Raptors late in the season where they

741
00:34:42,119 --> 00:34:45,960
combined for eleven blocks. I think Clowney had seven, Nick

742
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,920
had four, And that is that's the appeal. And no

743
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,960
matter what role Clowney's playing on offense, whether another big

744
00:34:54,039 --> 00:34:55,480
is next to him on the floor or not, he's

745
00:34:55,519 --> 00:34:58,239
still gonna have to work on the same stuff, you

746
00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:00,840
know what I mean. So I think I don't think

747
00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,960
the offensive side is like an impediment to doing that.

748
00:35:04,679 --> 00:35:06,599
Speaker 2: Uh, you one had me.

749
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:08,559
Speaker 1: I didn't even if I didn't even hear anything after

750
00:35:08,599 --> 00:35:10,400
you said you had me at John Quell Jones on that.

751
00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:13,320
But also if he's gonna I they're gonna use Clowny

752
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:15,280
like that, it does feel like the three point volume

753
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,719
efficiency is gonna be pretty important then for him, if

754
00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:19,360
they're just gonna kind of treat him as that they

755
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:20,719
Facto four a lot of the time.

756
00:35:21,119 --> 00:35:23,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think we'll see both. It's like in Long

757
00:35:23,079 --> 00:35:25,760
Island he was the full time five, but they would

758
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,760
also play five out where he was in the corner.

759
00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:33,000
And yes, I was watching Long Island. That's basketball last year.

760
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:35,119
Speaker 2: You are sick though.

761
00:35:35,159 --> 00:35:37,440
Speaker 1: Anyone who can has read your coverage or listen to

762
00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:39,760
your coverage, you are a sicko. And I mean that.

763
00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:42,280
Speaker 3: It's a compliment, Thank you very much. It's all I

764
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,920
strive to be. And if I shouldn't have mentioned john

765
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,880
Quell Jones because we could do, I could talk about

766
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,440
her for like two and a half hours. Might be

767
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:54,320
the coolest basketball player alive anyway, no clowney. Yes, the

768
00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,519
three point shot making is obviously important for his long

769
00:35:57,639 --> 00:36:00,480
term you know growth, even going back to Alibama. Though

770
00:36:00,519 --> 00:36:02,599
we don't have like a huge sample size of him

771
00:36:02,599 --> 00:36:04,880
as a shooter, all we know is that he seems

772
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:08,360
pretty confident in taking them no matter what level he's

773
00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,760
played at. So I think more it's just like the

774
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,480
decision making, you know, getting him comfortable. Are you taking

775
00:36:13,559 --> 00:36:17,199
the shot when it's open? Are you still attacking these closeouts?

776
00:36:17,199 --> 00:36:20,400
Because that's what's really intriguing, Like the way he can move,

777
00:36:20,639 --> 00:36:24,199
you know, like, just as a thought exercise, if Nick

778
00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,840
Claxton never got that shoulder that torn laboram surgery and

779
00:36:28,039 --> 00:36:31,159
was still able to like get up fairly decent looking

780
00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:34,079
three pointers, and you had Nick Claxton in the corner

781
00:36:34,679 --> 00:36:37,480
with his athleticism, you'd want to see him like shot

782
00:36:37,519 --> 00:36:39,559
fake and get to the rim. And that's kind of

783
00:36:39,599 --> 00:36:41,039
like where I'm at with Noah Clowney.

784
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,800
Speaker 1: I've become more intrigued by John Wilson based off what

785
00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:47,880
we saw from him towards the end of last season.

786
00:36:48,039 --> 00:36:49,800
I do like sometimes if he's trying to do things

787
00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:52,159
on the ball, it's happening in slow motion, and if

788
00:36:52,199 --> 00:36:54,079
you don't have a ton of space, I don't know

789
00:36:54,119 --> 00:36:54,920
how valuable that is.

790
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,159
Speaker 2: But the rest of his game.

791
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,760
Speaker 1: Just feels like super plug and play. What is the

792
00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,440
it's another two Well they're basic, but like, what is

793
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:04,119
the area of development that you're just going to be

794
00:37:04,119 --> 00:37:06,079
most focused on that we should all watch for with him?

795
00:37:06,079 --> 00:37:08,079
And then how big of a role does he get?

796
00:37:08,199 --> 00:37:10,599
Where is it going to be someone who is playing

797
00:37:10,639 --> 00:37:12,440
a good amount right away or is this like, well,

798
00:37:12,559 --> 00:37:14,760
let's revisit it. His minutes will be kind of all

799
00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:16,519
over the place. Then maybe later in the season they

800
00:37:16,559 --> 00:37:17,239
ratchet them up.

801
00:37:17,599 --> 00:37:20,480
Speaker 3: I think Jordi will go through the same thing that

802
00:37:20,639 --> 00:37:23,400
Jacques Vaughn and Kevin Ali did last year, where of

803
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:26,519
all the young guys and Jalen Wilson is not that young,

804
00:37:26,639 --> 00:37:29,920
but of all the inexperienced guys, oh, let me play

805
00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,519
Wilson because I at least know he's going to be

806
00:37:32,559 --> 00:37:35,199
in the right spots all the time, and he's going

807
00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,960
to like fly in for an offensive rebound and a putback,

808
00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:42,079
or he's gonna come up with like a hustle play

809
00:37:42,159 --> 00:37:44,679
that you know you don't expect him to. I think

810
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:47,480
that's like the role the floor for him getting on

811
00:37:47,519 --> 00:37:49,480
the floor, like that's what's going to get him there.

812
00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,559
And then the pathway to being like a good real

813
00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,159
NBA role player is what you mentioned in our outline. Clearly,

814
00:37:57,199 --> 00:37:59,280
you know ball, you know the nets, you know this

815
00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,119
awful team. Can he hang with the big power wings

816
00:38:02,159 --> 00:38:06,519
on defense? He's not like a great vertical or lateral athlete.

817
00:38:06,559 --> 00:38:09,840
He's very strong, but he's not like, you know, covering

818
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:13,119
ground like a Dorian Finney Smith. Is he still returning

819
00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:17,079
value guarding guys that are his size but probably have

820
00:38:17,119 --> 00:38:20,000
an athletic advantage on him, you know that. That's what

821
00:38:20,079 --> 00:38:22,679
I really want to see from him this year. Like

822
00:38:23,079 --> 00:38:25,639
we talk about three and D role player or whatever. Yeah,

823
00:38:25,639 --> 00:38:28,840
that's probably his future. But like is he just playing

824
00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,239
defense just to play defense or is he like an

825
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:34,280
actually good defender. That's what I want to find out

826
00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:34,639
this year.

827
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:39,760
Speaker 2: What is your concern level on Dreek Whitehead at the moment?

828
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:48,079
Speaker 3: Hi unfortunately, Ah, Okay, I'm gonna take it like he's,

829
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,159
first of all, he's like the nicest guy in the NBA,

830
00:38:50,599 --> 00:38:53,280
which I just it's it's I want to root for

831
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,639
him so bad, and I do, and I believe him

832
00:38:55,639 --> 00:38:57,679
when he says this is the healthiest I felt since

833
00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:00,599
like I was in high school, and I'm just getting there.

834
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,320
You know, it's going to take a while. He tweeted

835
00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:06,119
after Summer League, like I haven't even worked on lateral

836
00:39:06,159 --> 00:39:11,000
explosiveness and like that type of bursty athleticism yet. And

837
00:39:11,079 --> 00:39:13,639
I'm like nice, like he'll get it back whatever, But like.

838
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:16,360
Speaker 1: It's also kind of concerning that he still hasn't worked,

839
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:18,920
Like hasn't it been Like, yeah, I don't know.

840
00:39:19,159 --> 00:39:21,559
Speaker 2: When was his last procedure. I don't know that off.

841
00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,360
Speaker 3: Cuff early February, they got shin splints. I'm like, I

842
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,199
don't know what that means. Maybe you ask his trainer,

843
00:39:27,199 --> 00:39:30,239
and his trainer disagree, you know who knows. But for

844
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:33,559
his sake, I hope it's true because it's not like

845
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:37,440
he's like an infallible prospect. Outside of that, it's not

846
00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:45,960
like he's, respectfully Michael Jordan with bad lower legs. He

847
00:39:46,079 --> 00:39:47,880
still has a lot of stuff to work on, Like

848
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,960
the handle's not very tight. The decision making like needs

849
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,239
to get better. Even if his legs were you know,

850
00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:56,719
even if he was like a Michael Jordan.

851
00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,519
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just the stuff I I saw from him

852
00:40:00,519 --> 00:40:02,079
in Summer League where it was you know, I mentioned

853
00:40:02,119 --> 00:40:04,320
slow motion before with Jalen Wilson on the balls, Like

854
00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:06,519
am I watching Kyle Anderson right now, like he's in

855
00:40:06,519 --> 00:40:08,159
the open floor and I felt bad.

856
00:40:08,159 --> 00:40:09,880
Speaker 2: I don't mean to make a joke about it.

857
00:40:10,039 --> 00:40:12,519
Speaker 1: He was considered as just like this sort of you know,

858
00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:14,599
not even boom or bust, Like they took a swing

859
00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:17,760
on him, and it's like to not even like see.

860
00:40:17,519 --> 00:40:18,199
Speaker 2: That play out.

861
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:20,920
Speaker 1: Like I guess if he's healthy enough, would you expect

862
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:22,320
him to give him a shot this year is it

863
00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,039
looked like just based off what we've seen and where

864
00:40:24,079 --> 00:40:26,159
he's even saying his body might be at, they're gonna

865
00:40:26,199 --> 00:40:28,400
have to continue the slow.

866
00:40:28,079 --> 00:40:30,519
Speaker 2: And steady and slow and super gradual approach.

867
00:40:31,119 --> 00:40:33,159
Speaker 3: I'm not I'm not a doctor. I don't like you

868
00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:35,280
all that stuff. I don't know. I can't predict, but

869
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:40,639
like right now, it's not good the athleticism level. And

870
00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:43,360
this was a guy that was like part of his cell.

871
00:40:43,519 --> 00:40:46,920
Like he wasn't the craziest vertical athlete. It was more

872
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,440
of like stop and start space creation, but like he

873
00:40:50,599 --> 00:40:53,000
was dunking on people in high school, like taking off

874
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,840
from the dotted line. I can't even fathom him doing

875
00:40:57,119 --> 00:41:01,039
attempting that right now. So I think we'll see a

876
00:41:01,079 --> 00:41:04,280
lot of him in Long Island where he'll have free reign,

877
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:07,840
you know, He'll he'll be the focus of the rotation,

878
00:41:08,039 --> 00:41:10,639
and then depending on how things go there, we could

879
00:41:10,639 --> 00:41:12,920
see him in Brooklyn, I think in the second half

880
00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:15,480
of the year. But for him right now, it's all

881
00:41:15,519 --> 00:41:18,760
about just how does he look, how is he moving?

882
00:41:19,159 --> 00:41:22,679
You know, it was pretty unfortunate during Summer League that

883
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:27,079
it also coincided with like a ridiculously cold stretch shooting

884
00:41:27,119 --> 00:41:30,280
the ball. So he just looked like not even like

885
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:34,880
a Summer League quality player. But I think my concern

886
00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:38,559
level is I just don't know if concern is the

887
00:41:38,639 --> 00:41:41,079
right word, because I don't know what it's supposed to

888
00:41:41,119 --> 00:41:45,480
look like. I just I just don't I'm not considering

889
00:41:45,559 --> 00:41:50,199
to Reek Whitehead as this is gonna sound harsh as

890
00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:53,559
an NBA player until he looks different athletically.

891
00:41:54,719 --> 00:41:56,639
Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, if anyone just wants to hold that

892
00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:58,960
hope for what you know he could have been. I

893
00:41:59,039 --> 00:42:02,480
went on Duke podcast called this was like when they

894
00:42:02,639 --> 00:42:05,079
that's first Draft and then the Devil's Den podcast.

895
00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:07,480
Speaker 2: Those are good peeps. People should go check him out.

896
00:42:07,719 --> 00:42:09,719
Speaker 1: And they had me go check out like some Drek

897
00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,480
white had, like vintage Drek Whitehead stuff, and like that

898
00:42:12,519 --> 00:42:15,000
guy looked like he was gonna be I hesitate to

899
00:42:15,079 --> 00:42:16,960
use the word dominant, but he looks special.

900
00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:18,800
Speaker 3: I mean, he was the best player in high school

901
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:21,400
in the whole country. You know, It's like, I don't

902
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,199
think that's a hot take from you, Like I hear

903
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:24,840
what you're saying.

904
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:28,159
Speaker 1: You know, another player on this team who I am

905
00:42:28,239 --> 00:42:31,880
kind of fascinated by is Trenton Watford, Uh, what type

906
00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,000
of role is he gonna have? And then what are

907
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,000
we like what should we be watching for like Kenny

908
00:42:36,039 --> 00:42:38,000
foul Less, Like what's up with the three point volume?

909
00:42:38,039 --> 00:42:40,159
Speaker 2: For him? How much is he handling the ball or

910
00:42:40,199 --> 00:42:41,079
getting up the floor with it?

911
00:42:41,199 --> 00:42:43,840
Speaker 1: Like what should we if we're just tagling that s observers, Like,

912
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:45,960
what should we be watching assuming Trenton Watford is going

913
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,320
to play a bunch? If he's not gonna play a bunch,

914
00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:51,039
I will be starting a petition immediately after we wrap.

915
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:57,119
Speaker 3: Up here threes and turnovers, because I asked Jacquevon last year,

916
00:42:57,159 --> 00:43:00,320
I'm like, this guy can clearly play, you know, like

917
00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:04,880
this talent in this body frame of his, but they

918
00:43:05,079 --> 00:43:07,360
kind of view him as like this primary ball handler

919
00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:09,840
type of guy, and it's hard to have one of

920
00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:13,519
those that turns it over a lot and doesn't really

921
00:43:13,519 --> 00:43:16,199
take threes. And I tweeted that last year and then

922
00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:18,760
he quote tweeted me with a bunch of laughing emojis, which,

923
00:43:19,639 --> 00:43:21,519
you know, I thought I was being pretty reasonable, but

924
00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:24,519
I guess you all you gotta it's got to happen

925
00:43:24,519 --> 00:43:28,199
to you sooner or later. So I hope that doesn't

926
00:43:28,199 --> 00:43:30,280
happen again. I hope he doesn't quote tweet something I

927
00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:31,559
say and I.

928
00:43:31,599 --> 00:43:33,519
Speaker 2: Always just say something nice. Maybe he'll give he comes

929
00:43:33,559 --> 00:43:35,119
up emoji next time? Who does?

930
00:43:35,599 --> 00:43:38,239
Speaker 3: Maybe I will. You know, Christian Watford, his older brother

931
00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:41,480
likes every single tweet I make about Trenton Watford. So

932
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:44,239
the I'm one for two.

933
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:47,679
Speaker 1: I almost respect that he quote tweeted you, even if

934
00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:50,280
what you said seemed perfectly fair, because I can't take

935
00:43:51,159 --> 00:43:54,719
I get inundated with criticism, criticism. I'm like, sometimes I'll

936
00:43:54,719 --> 00:43:57,199
stop and think, like, how do these NBA players or

937
00:43:57,239 --> 00:44:00,719
people with actual influence handle what is probably a different

938
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,800
level like everyone's. You're maybe you were being fair and

939
00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:05,599
what you said was pretty innocuous, but like it has

940
00:44:05,639 --> 00:44:08,039
to be exhausting. I get exhausted by it. On a

941
00:44:08,119 --> 00:44:10,519
much smaller scale, it has to be exhausting. And I'm sure,

942
00:44:10,559 --> 00:44:12,440
I mean, Trendon Waffer is not getting it on like

943
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:15,800
the Luka Dacic scale. Like it has to be exhausting,

944
00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:17,360
like if you were to search your name or something

945
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:18,880
like to have all this shit come up. And I

946
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:21,960
almost respect the hustle of It's Kevin Durant esque. And

947
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:23,679
you know, what I'm gonna respond in some way.

948
00:44:24,159 --> 00:44:26,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I did respect it, and I saw him

949
00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,039
at summer League and like obviously didn't mention it, but

950
00:44:29,079 --> 00:44:32,519
like it was all good. And it sounds like the

951
00:44:32,519 --> 00:44:34,599
coach staff's telling him the same thing. So you know,

952
00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:38,519
I think that's I've been vindicated there. The other thing, yes,

953
00:44:38,639 --> 00:44:43,280
threes three. In terms of importance, I would say turnovers, like,

954
00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:46,239
gotta limit those if you're gonna be this big ball

955
00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,320
handler type of guy. Uh, fouls to keep him on

956
00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,480
the court. The threes, it's like he's shooting forty percent

957
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:55,440
over the last two years on like one point two.

958
00:44:55,719 --> 00:44:57,719
It's like one and a half two attempts per thirty

959
00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:00,320
six minutes. I'm like, dude, get them up. You know,

960
00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,280
if you weren't making him, it'd be a little different,

961
00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:06,000
but like, get them up. And then also, the passing

962
00:45:06,079 --> 00:45:09,960
ability is very flashy or it's in flashes right now.

963
00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:13,440
It's like, oh that's a highlight look Oh like wow, dime,

964
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,639
But on a consistent basis, like he miss like you

965
00:45:17,639 --> 00:45:19,920
don't see him create a ton of high value reads

966
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,679
for other people. Like he really leans on that eight

967
00:45:22,679 --> 00:45:25,079
to ten foot push shot floater when he gets in

968
00:45:25,119 --> 00:45:27,559
the lane, and I really like to see him get

969
00:45:27,559 --> 00:45:30,280
two feet in the lane instead of taking those shots,

970
00:45:30,679 --> 00:45:32,440
kick it out for three or like hit a dump

971
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:35,840
down pass. So I think I see what all the

972
00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:38,960
trend and Watford believers see. This dude is big, fluid

973
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,840
and talented for real, Like there's something here. But those

974
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,039
like I do need we do need him to execute

975
00:45:45,039 --> 00:45:48,519
in a few more key areas to really be deserving of. Like, hey,

976
00:45:48,559 --> 00:45:49,480
this guy's good.

977
00:45:49,559 --> 00:45:52,840
Speaker 1: Now do you have any theory of what like he's

978
00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,199
best suited to do on defense? Is it just like

979
00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:57,840
find the guy with the most size. He's going to

980
00:45:57,880 --> 00:45:59,519
spend time off the ball, do most of his work

981
00:45:59,519 --> 00:46:02,119
off the ball, Like that's what he should be guarding.

982
00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:03,960
Because I don't have like a great feel for what

983
00:46:04,039 --> 00:46:07,360
Trendon Watford is or could be defensively.

984
00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:09,840
Speaker 3: Neither do I. I think you want him around them.

985
00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:12,760
You want him in a position to get defensive rebounds

986
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:16,519
and go like so you want him, I guess on

987
00:46:16,519 --> 00:46:18,719
on in the corners guardian guys that are gonna hang

988
00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,559
around the rim a little more. He doesn't have the

989
00:46:21,639 --> 00:46:25,039
greatest foot speed, but he has like active hands. I

990
00:46:25,079 --> 00:46:28,280
don't know, it's tough. You probably just want him guarding

991
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:32,679
someone like sized and seeing if he can use his

992
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:38,360
strength to get stops without you know, fouling as he

993
00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:41,639
as he does. That's probably I would if I were

994
00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:44,360
to guess, like a role, a skill he's gonna be

995
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:45,559
working on this season.

996
00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:48,840
Speaker 2: You kind of already alluded to this a little bit.

997
00:46:49,039 --> 00:46:51,119
Speaker 1: But so if they're gonna play clowney a bunch in

998
00:46:51,199 --> 00:46:53,880
tandem with other bigs, it feels like Dayron Sharp will

999
00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:56,559
have an actual role. It's like, what should we be

1000
00:46:56,599 --> 00:46:59,760
watching for with him this season in terms of what

1001
00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:01,920
they need him to do most.

1002
00:47:02,480 --> 00:47:04,400
Speaker 3: So last year was about like WHOA, this guy's an

1003
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:09,119
NBA athlete. Now, like he he's vertical, he gets off

1004
00:47:09,119 --> 00:47:12,159
the ground quick. He's finishing way more of his two

1005
00:47:12,199 --> 00:47:16,360
pointers because of that, and he's like getting real block

1006
00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:19,480
shots on defense. I think now it's just continuing to

1007
00:47:19,519 --> 00:47:24,760
be like solid and drop coverage, you know, good positioning,

1008
00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:27,639
not committing silly fouls. I would like to see a

1009
00:47:27,679 --> 00:47:30,760
little bit more testing him on the perimeter, Like he

1010
00:47:30,840 --> 00:47:33,159
has these flashes where he's covering a lot of ground

1011
00:47:34,519 --> 00:47:37,360
and he might be a guy that benefits from this.

1012
00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:40,119
Jordi Fernandez system, because if you remember, as a prospect

1013
00:47:40,159 --> 00:47:42,559
out of UNC, a thing with him was like WHOA,

1014
00:47:42,599 --> 00:47:45,119
Like he makes a lot of nice passes, he reads

1015
00:47:45,159 --> 00:47:48,159
the floor really quick, and in the first couple of

1016
00:47:48,239 --> 00:47:51,039
years in the league it was like he had this

1017
00:47:51,159 --> 00:47:55,119
cool random assortment of skills, but they didn't really like stack,

1018
00:47:55,639 --> 00:47:57,960
so it was like, Okay, it's cool that he can

1019
00:47:58,079 --> 00:48:01,119
like make a short role read, but he also can't

1020
00:48:01,599 --> 00:48:04,000
score at the rim efficiently so it doesn't really matter.

1021
00:48:04,519 --> 00:48:07,079
And like, oh, it's cool that he's like a beast

1022
00:48:07,320 --> 00:48:11,320
offensive rebounder, but again like the scoring, and it's nice

1023
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:14,360
that he gets like these random deflections and quick thinking

1024
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:18,519
on defense, but his like technique and drop coverage is bad.

1025
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:21,880
So as he's worked to fix all of his weaknesses,

1026
00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:24,519
you have maybe now like a really strong player with

1027
00:48:24,559 --> 00:48:27,639
fun skills. So I would say the defense is the baseline,

1028
00:48:27,719 --> 00:48:30,400
Like can he keep working on what he's shown and

1029
00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:33,480
on offense you might get a sneaky like this guy

1030
00:48:33,519 --> 00:48:36,800
can really pass sort of situation here in year.

1031
00:48:36,679 --> 00:48:39,880
Speaker 1: Four and like sort of in what way, Like we're

1032
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:42,360
talking like short roll stuff with him, just a.

1033
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:44,880
Speaker 3: Quick processor, like like the Nets didn't have a lot

1034
00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:47,079
of guys that brought to the ball, so we didn't

1035
00:48:47,079 --> 00:48:48,840
see him in the short role a ton last year,

1036
00:48:49,079 --> 00:48:52,199
but like he'd get an offensive rebound and like throw

1037
00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:55,960
like a Larry Bird esque like tip pass to a

1038
00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:59,039
guy underneath. If you're listening, if you can't see me,

1039
00:48:59,119 --> 00:49:01,280
I used heavy air quotes on the Larry.

1040
00:49:01,119 --> 00:49:03,639
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, so we got Nick Claxton's better

1041
00:49:03,639 --> 00:49:04,239
than Bam.

1042
00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:08,079
Speaker 2: Dayron sharp is basically Larry Bird. That's aggregators. Throw it

1043
00:49:08,119 --> 00:49:08,480
in there.

1044
00:49:08,679 --> 00:49:12,480
Speaker 3: Tag that Dale exactly, then you can tag me. But

1045
00:49:12,559 --> 00:49:14,519
like he took like the ball out on baseline out

1046
00:49:14,559 --> 00:49:16,519
of bounds last year and like threw a dive like

1047
00:49:16,559 --> 00:49:19,360
you see it in like kind of weird spots. So

1048
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:22,320
I'm wondering if we see that like streamlined into a

1049
00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,360
role Like I saw that tweet the other day from

1050
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:28,000
somebody like h like looking for the next bigs who

1051
00:49:28,079 --> 00:49:31,159
can actually pass the ball. I think Dayron could be

1052
00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:35,719
one of those guys, Like for real, Uh, that's wow.

1053
00:49:35,599 --> 00:49:37,480
Speaker 1: That's something I probably wouldn't have been thinking of watching

1054
00:49:37,519 --> 00:49:39,119
it now, Like do they have do you think the

1055
00:49:39,119 --> 00:49:40,639
personnel to like kind of use him in that way

1056
00:49:40,639 --> 00:49:42,639
where the thing is gonna be open enough to get

1057
00:49:42,679 --> 00:49:43,480
that stuff for him.

1058
00:49:43,639 --> 00:49:45,199
Speaker 3: That's the thing. It's like we didn't really see him

1059
00:49:45,199 --> 00:49:47,000
in the short role last year because you rarely saw

1060
00:49:47,199 --> 00:49:51,000
anybody ever bring two to the ball, like against Cam

1061
00:49:51,119 --> 00:49:54,239
Thomas until really late in the season, or like you're

1062
00:49:54,239 --> 00:49:59,119
not really trapping Dennis shrewder a Ton so that's yeah,

1063
00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:02,119
or Mchalebridge last year or ever.

1064
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:07,320
Speaker 1: Two players I'm not allowed to offer opinions on anymore

1065
00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:11,280
because I was just woefully, egregiously high on them. Keon

1066
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,559
Johnson and Zaier Williams. Who intrigues you more for this team?

1067
00:50:14,559 --> 00:50:16,280
Who do you think is do you think will make

1068
00:50:16,320 --> 00:50:17,880
a bigger impact? Do you think the nets are more

1069
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,079
intrigued by it? Anywhere you want to take that, I'm

1070
00:50:20,119 --> 00:50:22,199
not allowed to offer any pushback on it, So do

1071
00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:22,840
whatever you want.

1072
00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:25,480
Speaker 3: Well, you're gonna hate this sentence. Then you're gonna be like,

1073
00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:27,480
it's gonna feel like you have tape over your mouth.

1074
00:50:27,519 --> 00:50:29,400
The thing about Keon this summer is that he was

1075
00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:31,400
good at all the stuff he was bad at. So

1076
00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:33,840
like when he got into the lane, he slowed down,

1077
00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:36,519
he like saw the court, He made nice passes. He

1078
00:50:36,599 --> 00:50:40,039
wasn't going one hundred percent all the time. Which as

1079
00:50:40,039 --> 00:50:43,360
a Kean Johnson believer, it's like, yeah, this guy's super athletic,

1080
00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:45,519
but like he needs to slow down and make the

1081
00:50:45,599 --> 00:50:48,320
correct decisions. So to watch him be good at that

1082
00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:51,639
in Summer League, I'm not surprised that they offered him

1083
00:50:51,639 --> 00:50:55,239
a real contract. You want to you want to say

1084
00:50:55,239 --> 00:50:56,519
anything here, No, Nope.

1085
00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:59,280
Speaker 1: My egregious take was, if you're interested, I was. I

1086
00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:01,440
thought the nick where the pick they gave up that

1087
00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:03,440
became Keon Johnson. I thought they were gonna come to

1088
00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:06,360
like massively regret at the time, was my take.

1089
00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:10,639
Speaker 3: If that comes true, then we really have a story here. Yeah.

1090
00:51:10,679 --> 00:51:13,960
Speaker 1: And I was just and Keith Parrish of the Grit

1091
00:51:14,039 --> 00:51:16,440
and Grind podcast and also Fast Break Breakfast Talk to

1092
00:51:16,519 --> 00:51:18,679
Me was telling me for two years that I was

1093
00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:21,039
just way too high on Zaire Williams.

1094
00:51:21,159 --> 00:51:22,599
Speaker 2: And then it's like, after.

1095
00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:24,960
Speaker 1: Another year of watching him take like the most securitiest

1096
00:51:25,039 --> 00:51:27,559
route possible with the ball in his hands, I'm latching

1097
00:51:27,599 --> 00:51:29,679
onto things like, well, he's like kind of moving more

1098
00:51:29,719 --> 00:51:32,559
decisively when he's popping out to the perimeter, So I

1099
00:51:32,639 --> 00:51:34,360
want to hold out hopeooks. I feel like he looks

1100
00:51:34,360 --> 00:51:37,119
like someone who should be really good but I I

1101
00:51:37,239 --> 00:51:39,039
just can't offer like real opinions on those or he

1102
00:51:39,079 --> 00:51:40,360
can't trust them at least.

1103
00:51:40,679 --> 00:51:42,880
Speaker 3: Didn't he have a national TV game last year where

1104
00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:45,880
he went crazy like on TNT. Didn't it wasn't Didn't

1105
00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:47,719
he have a career high? I think he did. I'll

1106
00:51:47,719 --> 00:51:48,239
look it up.

1107
00:51:49,199 --> 00:51:51,639
Speaker 1: There was also that stretch where he like padded his

1108
00:51:51,679 --> 00:51:54,559
three point totals in two games versus the Dicks. It's

1109
00:51:54,559 --> 00:51:56,639
like he had this absurd volume in those two games

1110
00:51:56,639 --> 00:51:59,440
and it brought his three point percentage up. I think,

1111
00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:01,519
if if you you're asking me personally, maybe I don't.

1112
00:52:01,559 --> 00:52:05,159
I haven't seen enough of Keon Johnson, like from Summer League.

1113
00:52:05,239 --> 00:52:07,920
I probably would hold out hope more for Zaier Williams,

1114
00:52:08,079 --> 00:52:10,119
but that's probably because I remained bullish on him for

1115
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:12,159
like even in the face of just all this evidence

1116
00:52:12,199 --> 00:52:14,199
of people tell me like no, I'm like, well, hey,

1117
00:52:14,199 --> 00:52:16,800
look he finally started grabbing some extra rebounds. I'm just

1118
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:18,519
I'm latching onto straws.

1119
00:52:18,119 --> 00:52:20,480
Speaker 3: At this point. Yeah, I think I definitely need to

1120
00:52:20,519 --> 00:52:24,079
get a little more acquainted with Zaire Williams and like

1121
00:52:24,239 --> 00:52:28,280
see him in a new context and whatever. I I

1122
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,000
They're both I know Keon Johnson is twenty two. I

1123
00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:35,039
think Zayer Williams if he's not. If he's not twenty two,

1124
00:52:35,519 --> 00:52:38,239
he's Yeah, he's twenty two, about to turn twenty three.

1125
00:52:38,559 --> 00:52:40,719
So I think this is probably a year for him,

1126
00:52:41,079 --> 00:52:43,039
as it is for Keon, like a make or break

1127
00:52:43,079 --> 00:52:46,239
year in terms of like what his NBA future is

1128
00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:49,480
going to be, just like a big inflection point for him.

1129
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:54,079
I would say, actually, answering the question this time, who

1130
00:52:54,079 --> 00:52:58,400
I'm more intrigued by probably.

1131
00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:02,360
Speaker 2: Probably I think the physical tools.

1132
00:53:02,400 --> 00:53:05,440
Speaker 1: I think it probably makes that's probably the rational answer.

1133
00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:08,559
Speaker 3: You Yeah, you bet on the like the guy who's

1134
00:53:08,559 --> 00:53:12,559
clearly an NBA level athlete just probably has more pathways

1135
00:53:12,599 --> 00:53:16,280
to like winning on the margins, creating minutes for himself,

1136
00:53:16,320 --> 00:53:19,280
and then like expanding on that, you know what I mean?

1137
00:53:20,159 --> 00:53:21,159
Speaker 2: Uh So I.

1138
00:53:21,119 --> 00:53:23,320
Speaker 3: Would say him, I don't think it's super cut and dry,

1139
00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:26,679
and I if my answer changed in like two months

1140
00:53:26,719 --> 00:53:31,760
three months of play, they would not be surprising at all.

1141
00:53:33,559 --> 00:53:36,960
Speaker 1: If Ben Simmons is healthy, oh what is how are

1142
00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:38,880
you deploying him with this team? I think a lot

1143
00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:42,559
of people and probably including myself, view him as his

1144
00:53:42,679 --> 00:53:45,000
most valuable thing that he brings to the nets. Is

1145
00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:47,159
if they're willing to take on bad money, his expiring

1146
00:53:47,239 --> 00:53:50,599
contract might be attractive to certain teams. That's that's where

1147
00:53:50,599 --> 00:53:52,679
I'm at on the Ben Simmons experience, until he proves

1148
00:53:52,719 --> 00:53:56,320
otherwise inside a crowded gym, none of the empty gym stuff.

1149
00:53:56,519 --> 00:54:02,559
Speaker 3: Hmm damn, Okay, that changes things. Yeah, there's just they

1150
00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:04,519
it's not worth it for the Nets to get off

1151
00:54:04,519 --> 00:54:06,440
his contract. This is kind of what we've been saying

1152
00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:09,320
for like two years now, like yeah, you dump him,

1153
00:54:09,599 --> 00:54:13,840
attach a pick whatever, but like he's not that his

1154
00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:17,760
contract is not the difference last year between the Nets

1155
00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:20,599
being like a bad, mediocre team and like a really

1156
00:54:20,639 --> 00:54:26,119
good team. So you maybe he's like, you know, you

1157
00:54:26,159 --> 00:54:28,719
get off some salary whatever. I think, But I think

1158
00:54:28,760 --> 00:54:31,920
at this point it's written in stone that maybe not stone,

1159
00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:35,320
but written in I guess clay. If that's more malleable

1160
00:54:35,920 --> 00:54:39,599
that he's gonna ride out the season. He's not gonna

1161
00:54:39,639 --> 00:54:44,320
make the difference barring something miraculous between twenty and thirty

1162
00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:48,320
five wins and then his money, then he's off the books.

1163
00:54:48,559 --> 00:54:51,599
Then he expires. Yeah, like you could trade him and

1164
00:54:51,719 --> 00:54:56,119
probably forfeit. If not a first then a few seconds but.

1165
00:54:55,559 --> 00:54:57,639
Speaker 1: I was even thinking, what about the opposite route, like

1166
00:54:57,679 --> 00:55:00,320
you had mentioned, let's just take the Warriors a team

1167
00:55:00,360 --> 00:55:02,320
to watch, like if you can take back I know

1168
00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:04,400
you mentioned they might have cap space plans next summer,

1169
00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:06,320
So if that's your plan, then no, but there might

1170
00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:07,760
be teams that are looking to get off some money

1171
00:55:07,760 --> 00:55:09,239
and you're the team that's getting back.

1172
00:55:09,119 --> 00:55:11,079
Speaker 2: Picks just because it is expiring.

1173
00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:15,239
Speaker 1: I if then that should absolutely not be including anything

1174
00:55:15,239 --> 00:55:16,400
to get off of Ben Simmons.

1175
00:55:16,480 --> 00:55:18,559
Speaker 2: Yeah, data, that should not happen.

1176
00:55:19,159 --> 00:55:21,360
Speaker 3: I think I think that some of the cap space,

1177
00:55:21,440 --> 00:55:23,400
I don't think they're in a soup. I don't think

1178
00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:25,519
they really want to take back a lot of long

1179
00:55:25,599 --> 00:55:28,719
term money. Maybe if it's maybe, if it's clear the

1180
00:55:28,719 --> 00:55:30,679
way things are going in a few months, okay, we'll

1181
00:55:30,719 --> 00:55:35,000
take somebody that expires next the season after this, so

1182
00:55:35,039 --> 00:55:37,599
they expire in the summer of twenty six. I could

1183
00:55:37,599 --> 00:55:42,599
see that. But really, I'm just not like, we're gonna

1184
00:55:42,639 --> 00:55:44,800
have to wait to see as the market like gets,

1185
00:55:45,119 --> 00:55:48,280
you know, crystallizes a little before the deadline. I think

1186
00:55:48,360 --> 00:55:53,840
right now, the if not overwhelming, then very high odds

1187
00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:55,840
are that they just ride out the season with him

1188
00:55:55,920 --> 00:56:02,559
his contract expires and it's a dissatisfying but fitting end

1189
00:56:02,719 --> 00:56:05,320
to the Ben Simmons experience in Brooklyn.

1190
00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:08,679
Speaker 2: Is he like, do they anticipate him being healthy this year?

1191
00:56:08,719 --> 00:56:11,239
Speaker 1: And if you mentioned they were like close to bottom

1192
00:56:11,280 --> 00:56:14,440
five and average offensive possession time last year, if their

1193
00:56:14,480 --> 00:56:16,320
plan is to play fast, and I hope it is,

1194
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:19,239
like a healthy Ben Simmons still has just utility even

1195
00:56:19,239 --> 00:56:21,000
if you don't trust him to get all the way

1196
00:56:21,039 --> 00:56:23,199
to the basket. It's just like in transition, as that

1197
00:56:23,239 --> 00:56:26,440
ball mover has size, So like I would be all

1198
00:56:26,440 --> 00:56:28,599
for like healthy Ben Simmons just spritting up and down

1199
00:56:28,639 --> 00:56:30,280
the flour for fifteen minutes a game or something.

1200
00:56:30,280 --> 00:56:32,199
Speaker 2: If that's like, is that a possibility or is it just?

1201
00:56:32,360 --> 00:56:34,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think it is. I mean they tried

1202
00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:36,400
to do it last year and Ben wasn't in a

1203
00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:39,280
contract year then, so maybe he is a little bit

1204
00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:41,719
more inside. I don't know, you know, maybe I'm not

1205
00:56:41,760 --> 00:56:44,719
saying his injuries are fake obviously, but maybe magically he

1206
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:48,519
plays forty games this year instead of fifteen, or thirty

1207
00:56:48,519 --> 00:56:50,000
instead of fifteen. You know, who knows?

1208
00:56:50,239 --> 00:56:51,599
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, do they need to take them?

1209
00:56:51,639 --> 00:56:54,039
Speaker 1: I'm sure look back stuff is finicky I'm not a doctor,

1210
00:56:54,039 --> 00:56:57,039
Like yeah, but like it's finicky. Maybe they take them

1211
00:56:57,039 --> 00:56:59,039
to Jonathan Isaac route, which is like looking at how

1212
00:56:59,119 --> 00:57:01,440
the Magic completely players, but like the Magic are like, well,

1213
00:57:01,440 --> 00:57:03,840
you're never really gonna play more than twenty minutes a game,

1214
00:57:04,039 --> 00:57:06,280
and we recognize that you're probably gonna miss between like

1215
00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:08,280
twenty and thirty five games every single year.

1216
00:57:08,679 --> 00:57:10,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think the funny thing about Ben last

1217
00:57:10,920 --> 00:57:13,519
year is that he'd play and they'd be like, okay,

1218
00:57:13,519 --> 00:57:16,119
like we're gonna pass, They're gonna play super fast, and

1219
00:57:16,159 --> 00:57:18,960
like if you catch the ball from a Ben Simmons pass,

1220
00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:22,679
you're shooting this three. Like you're like, we're driving up

1221
00:57:22,719 --> 00:57:24,880
his It was like a Ponzi scheme to rack up

1222
00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:28,920
potential assists for Ben Simmons. It was crazy because I

1223
00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:30,679
was just like, guys, why don't you just do this

1224
00:57:30,719 --> 00:57:34,480
when he's not on the floor too. Nick Claxon and

1225
00:57:34,480 --> 00:57:38,199
Trendon Watford can dribble to half court and then make

1226
00:57:38,239 --> 00:57:40,400
a pass to a shooter and then that guy can shoot,

1227
00:57:40,880 --> 00:57:43,599
Like you don't have to not do this when he's

1228
00:57:43,599 --> 00:57:46,599
not on the court. But hey, you know, I'm not

1229
00:57:46,639 --> 00:57:49,199
the NBA coach, so I think we will see them

1230
00:57:49,199 --> 00:57:51,559
play like that when Ben's on the floor, And as

1231
00:57:51,599 --> 00:57:56,840
to whether they anticipate him being healthy, they should. If

1232
00:57:56,880 --> 00:57:59,719
they can see the future on that, they should tell

1233
00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:03,119
me what lottery ticket to buy tomorrow.

1234
00:58:04,880 --> 00:58:07,119
Speaker 1: I didn't include a question about this player because I

1235
00:58:07,119 --> 00:58:09,159
just view this sort of a transient property. I don't

1236
00:58:09,159 --> 00:58:11,079
mean to call him property in Brooklyn, but Cam Johnson

1237
00:58:11,599 --> 00:58:13,840
that he does seem divisive if you going like other

1238
00:58:13,960 --> 00:58:16,559
NBA circles because of his contract, and so it's like,

1239
00:58:17,119 --> 00:58:19,079
can you make I'm not even I don't want a

1240
00:58:19,119 --> 00:58:21,480
sales pitch on Cam Johnson. I think people understand the value,

1241
00:58:21,519 --> 00:58:24,360
but like, what are people maybe missing about what Cam

1242
00:58:24,440 --> 00:58:25,519
Johnson actually does?

1243
00:58:25,599 --> 00:58:27,800
Speaker 2: That Oh, his contract is actually not bad.

1244
00:58:27,880 --> 00:58:30,199
Speaker 1: This is someone that I think fans more so, I

1245
00:58:30,239 --> 00:58:32,400
think a lot of teams probably understand, but like fans

1246
00:58:32,480 --> 00:58:34,320
have a lot of them from the team's been like, well,

1247
00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:35,840
we don't want to give up anything for Cam Johnson

1248
00:58:35,840 --> 00:58:38,960
because the contract is awful. And that feels like that

1249
00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:41,039
everyone's entitled to their opinion. But that's a take that

1250
00:58:41,039 --> 00:58:44,239
feels like it veers like way too far from reality

1251
00:58:44,280 --> 00:58:44,519
for me.

1252
00:58:44,719 --> 00:58:47,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, I hate that take. I think that's the Cam

1253
00:58:47,519 --> 00:58:51,159
Johnson might be the ultimate example of NBA fans and

1254
00:58:51,239 --> 00:58:54,159
us in general still not really used to like just

1255
00:58:54,239 --> 00:58:57,039
how much money these guys are making now right like

1256
00:58:57,199 --> 00:59:00,360
twenty he's making million, twenty two million, one and a

1257
00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:04,599
half for the next three years. That's what twenty one

1258
00:59:04,679 --> 00:59:06,400
million a year gets you in the NBA. Now, Like

1259
00:59:06,440 --> 00:59:10,440
a good solid role player who is going to shoot

1260
00:59:10,480 --> 00:59:14,519
near forty percent from three every year and be probably

1261
00:59:14,559 --> 00:59:19,599
a sixtyeth fifty fifth percentile defender at six nine six

1262
00:59:19,679 --> 00:59:22,599
' eight. That's like a good player. He's fine. I

1263
00:59:22,599 --> 00:59:26,480
think maybe NETS fans expected some of the Mikhale bridges

1264
00:59:26,599 --> 00:59:30,079
like creation uptick when he got here, but like he's

1265
00:59:30,119 --> 00:59:32,280
still just like a good solid player and a good

1266
00:59:32,320 --> 00:59:34,599
locker room guy you really want on a good team

1267
00:59:35,199 --> 00:59:39,559
that is miscast a bunch of not among a bunch

1268
00:59:39,559 --> 00:59:42,639
of guys that don't create advantages in Brooklyn And I

1269
00:59:42,639 --> 00:59:44,559
saw this tweet the other day that I'm gonna read

1270
00:59:45,039 --> 00:59:48,880
and here. Over the last two years, Cam Johnson per

1271
00:59:49,000 --> 00:59:52,599
one hundred possessions is twenty five eight and four on

1272
00:59:52,679 --> 00:59:56,599
thirty nine percent from three on eleven attempts. Tray Murphy

1273
00:59:56,800 --> 00:59:59,320
twenty three seven and three on thirty nine percent from

1274
00:59:59,360 --> 01:00:02,400
three on a attempts, and you ask an NBA fan

1275
01:00:02,440 --> 01:00:06,039
about Trey Murphy and he's the second coming.

1276
01:00:06,719 --> 01:00:10,599
Speaker 1: So I think the two distinct differences. One is I

1277
01:00:10,639 --> 01:00:14,320
do think that Trey Murphy has a higher ceiling as

1278
01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:16,239
a defender, even though we maybe haven't always seen it

1279
01:00:16,280 --> 01:00:19,239
in orans. The other thing is we have a tendency.

1280
01:00:19,320 --> 01:00:21,239
I'll throw myself in here because I'm sure it's happened.

1281
01:00:21,760 --> 01:00:25,000
Before players sign their second contract, they get romanticized and

1282
01:00:25,039 --> 01:00:26,400
then one like I'm in sure to see what's the

1283
01:00:26,400 --> 01:00:28,199
perception of Tyree's MAX, and now that he's.

1284
01:00:28,079 --> 01:00:30,639
Speaker 2: On the MAX, think I'm the player I use the most.

1285
01:00:30,880 --> 01:00:34,480
Speaker 1: Remember how Gaga people were over Tyler Hero. Then he

1286
01:00:34,519 --> 01:00:36,760
gets his next contract, It's like, oh, like, why would

1287
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:39,159
any team ever want to take on Tyler Hero? So

1288
01:00:39,159 --> 01:00:41,719
I'm wondering if that, you know, Cam Johnson's deal was

1289
01:00:41,800 --> 01:00:44,440
less than that. But I feel like that becomes increasingly

1290
01:00:44,480 --> 01:00:47,320
too much at play with the way that we evaluate,

1291
01:00:47,400 --> 01:00:49,039
or some people evaluate players.

1292
01:00:49,320 --> 01:00:52,000
Speaker 3: I also think people just expected this last year's Nets

1293
01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:54,559
team to be better, maybe and maybe they shouldn't have.

1294
01:00:54,760 --> 01:00:56,679
Maybe I was one of those people, and you can't

1295
01:00:56,719 --> 01:00:59,000
look at a team that underperformed and be like, Okay,

1296
01:00:59,079 --> 01:01:00,599
well that guy did what he was supposed to do.

1297
01:01:00,639 --> 01:01:02,559
And that guy did what he was supposed to, you

1298
01:01:02,559 --> 01:01:04,079
have to find someone who didn't do what they were

1299
01:01:04,119 --> 01:01:08,360
supposed to. And Cam Johnson who missed every clutch three

1300
01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:14,280
he took last year, Like he's like, like every big

1301
01:01:14,360 --> 01:01:16,559
three in the fourth quarter they needed last year he missed.

1302
01:01:17,400 --> 01:01:21,000
It was the anti Tyler Johnson experience when Tyler Johnson

1303
01:01:21,039 --> 01:01:24,239
with the Nets shot like thirty six percent from three

1304
01:01:24,559 --> 01:01:27,119
but made every single one, and Nets fans like, I

1305
01:01:27,239 --> 01:01:29,199
like check Basketball Reference. I'm like, what do you mean,

1306
01:01:29,239 --> 01:01:31,639
He's not shooting forty five percent from three? So that

1307
01:01:31,800 --> 01:01:35,000
sucked for Cam Johnson last year. And the team was

1308
01:01:35,039 --> 01:01:36,760
also not good, and he missed like a lot of

1309
01:01:36,760 --> 01:01:41,719
time with all of these like kind of not like

1310
01:01:41,840 --> 01:01:45,679
minor leg injuries, and so he got the reputation is like, oh,

1311
01:01:45,719 --> 01:01:48,719
he like is kind of soft and like not clutch

1312
01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:51,480
and not built for it, and so the aesthetic bias

1313
01:01:51,519 --> 01:01:53,519
went against him and the team sucked and he was

1314
01:01:53,519 --> 01:01:55,719
like an easy target. I think that's what happened last

1315
01:01:55,760 --> 01:01:58,440
year with Cam Johnson. But you know what, you're getting

1316
01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:00,679
good team's gonna trade for him. He's gonna have a

1317
01:02:00,679 --> 01:02:02,920
game in the playoffs where he hits six seven threes,

1318
01:02:03,920 --> 01:02:07,280
has like two steals, maybe a dunk, ends up with

1319
01:02:07,360 --> 01:02:09,440
like twenty five points in like twenty seven minutes.

1320
01:02:10,159 --> 01:02:12,239
Speaker 1: That, by the way, that's something else he's guilty of.

1321
01:02:12,480 --> 01:02:14,280
Was he was twenty three in his rookie year and

1322
01:02:14,280 --> 01:02:18,800
people just like but I also think and I also

1323
01:02:18,960 --> 01:02:21,119
I think this is fair because he's not marketed and

1324
01:02:21,159 --> 01:02:22,960
even the way he's written about by people who are

1325
01:02:23,000 --> 01:02:24,559
super smart a lot of the time, I'm not saying

1326
01:02:24,559 --> 01:02:27,599
you everything this focuses on his offense, and there are

1327
01:02:27,599 --> 01:02:29,320
teams that need defense that have been linked him, and

1328
01:02:29,320 --> 01:02:31,719
it's like you, I think you've raarded it the perfect way.

1329
01:02:31,719 --> 01:02:32,719
Speaker 2: It's like he's gonna be.

1330
01:02:32,519 --> 01:02:35,000
Speaker 1: Between like the fifty first and sixty fourth percentile in

1331
01:02:35,079 --> 01:02:37,000
defense as a guy with six y nine, and like

1332
01:02:37,119 --> 01:02:39,719
that has value into itself. And so I think that

1333
01:02:39,800 --> 01:02:41,519
might be throwing some fans for a whirl. It's like,

1334
01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:43,519
we don't want to add him into this equation when

1335
01:02:43,639 --> 01:02:45,880
we clearly need defense from this spot. And it's no,

1336
01:02:45,960 --> 01:02:47,920
he's not gonna anchor your defense. But like he's not

1337
01:02:47,960 --> 01:02:48,599
gonna hurt it.

1338
01:02:49,320 --> 01:02:53,039
Speaker 3: Tall and can shoot, tall and can shoot. I'm gonna

1339
01:02:53,079 --> 01:02:56,679
like say that like I'm till I go blue in

1340
01:02:56,679 --> 01:02:59,400
the face, Like that's when, like that's really valuable and

1341
01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:04,320
not everybody does that. It's a secretly uncommon combination of

1342
01:03:04,360 --> 01:03:07,800
skills in the NBA guys that are tall and can shoot,

1343
01:03:08,039 --> 01:03:10,199
not all of them.

1344
01:03:10,239 --> 01:03:12,159
Speaker 2: What can we do to get them to rebound? What

1345
01:03:12,239 --> 01:03:13,039
has happened there?

1346
01:03:13,559 --> 01:03:13,760
Speaker 1: Uh?

1347
01:03:15,360 --> 01:03:17,519
Speaker 2: They are watching on YouTube? Needs to go back to

1348
01:03:17,559 --> 01:03:20,360
that market. Look at Lucas's face when I ask that goes.

1349
01:03:20,280 --> 01:03:22,239
Speaker 3: Well, I'm trying. I'm trying to juice his value here.

1350
01:03:22,280 --> 01:03:24,199
You don't need to You don't need to ask about that.

1351
01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:28,239
Speaker 2: So are you ready for the cookie cutter portion of

1352
01:03:28,280 --> 01:03:28,920
the podcast?

1353
01:03:29,079 --> 01:03:29,800
Speaker 3: Yes, I'm ready.

1354
01:03:30,519 --> 01:03:33,679
Speaker 2: What is looking at this roster? The biggest is going

1355
01:03:33,679 --> 01:03:35,519
to be the biggest strength this season.

1356
01:03:37,639 --> 01:03:41,320
Speaker 3: I would say, honestly, their ability to play fast if

1357
01:03:41,360 --> 01:03:45,599
they lean into it, like if they play Clax and

1358
01:03:45,719 --> 01:03:48,760
Watford and Shrewder who can zip up the court in

1359
01:03:48,800 --> 01:03:51,159
a minute, and Cam Thomas and like at the start

1360
01:03:51,199 --> 01:03:53,559
of the season, Cam John Like they're gonna run out

1361
01:03:53,599 --> 01:03:57,320
lineups with four or five guys that can get a

1362
01:03:57,360 --> 01:03:59,679
rebound and go, and I think you're gonna see like

1363
01:04:00,199 --> 01:04:03,159
a lot of cool stuff in transition and them playing

1364
01:04:03,199 --> 01:04:05,960
fast as like there's a lot of ball handling on

1365
01:04:06,000 --> 01:04:09,880
the floor, maybe not a lot of decision making and passing.

1366
01:04:10,679 --> 01:04:13,480
And I think it's important that we separate those two

1367
01:04:13,719 --> 01:04:15,159
because like we talked like, oh, they don't have a

1368
01:04:15,199 --> 01:04:18,079
lot of creators, like they don't have a lot of whatever,

1369
01:04:18,440 --> 01:04:20,159
but they have a lot of guys that can literally

1370
01:04:20,280 --> 01:04:22,559
dribble the basketball, so that'll be fun.

1371
01:04:23,360 --> 01:04:25,880
Speaker 1: And that's clearly their biggest weakness too, right, is you're

1372
01:04:25,960 --> 01:04:29,320
like dribbling in decision making and that's because they're not

1373
01:04:29,440 --> 01:04:31,679
trying where they're not as invested in winning games. That's

1374
01:04:31,719 --> 01:04:33,639
mostly fine, but when you're looking at like, well, if

1375
01:04:33,679 --> 01:04:36,159
we're trying to try different things and optimize the development

1376
01:04:36,199 --> 01:04:38,639
of player X or get camp Thomas off the ball,

1377
01:04:39,320 --> 01:04:40,760
that's something that matters quite a bit.

1378
01:04:41,239 --> 01:04:45,159
Speaker 3: They were a sneaky, terrible passing team last year, and

1379
01:04:45,199 --> 01:04:47,519
I know, like it's hard to think about that. I

1380
01:04:47,559 --> 01:04:50,039
think in terms of like from a team wide construction

1381
01:04:50,199 --> 01:04:53,039
and not like just individual but like last year, they

1382
01:04:53,079 --> 01:04:56,119
would often play lineups where there was not one passer

1383
01:04:56,440 --> 01:04:59,159
better than league average for their position. I would say

1384
01:05:00,159 --> 01:05:03,159
maybe Mikale Bridges came the closest to it. But like

1385
01:05:04,039 --> 01:05:07,679
when you play Cam Thomas, Mikhale, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney Smith,

1386
01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:12,119
Nick Claxton, it's like, where's the passing? That's probably the

1387
01:05:12,159 --> 01:05:16,039
worst part of them this season as well.

1388
01:05:16,239 --> 01:05:20,000
Speaker 1: So when you're looking at this team, and I won't

1389
01:05:20,360 --> 01:05:22,039
hold you to this because I feel like it's going

1390
01:05:22,079 --> 01:05:24,360
to shift a bunch throughout the year, but what does

1391
01:05:24,400 --> 01:05:26,920
the top ten rotation at full strength look like?

1392
01:05:28,320 --> 01:05:31,079
Speaker 3: Uh? Even I'm not beyond this, let me just pull

1393
01:05:31,119 --> 01:05:34,480
up Basketball Reference real quick, just so I in front

1394
01:05:34,480 --> 01:05:37,480
of me. Uh. I think Ben, if he's healthy, they're

1395
01:05:37,480 --> 01:05:38,559
going to start him Like.

1396
01:05:38,599 --> 01:05:41,719
Speaker 2: I don't, wow, throw me for a curveball right off

1397
01:05:41,800 --> 01:05:43,239
the bat. I love it.

1398
01:05:43,239 --> 01:05:46,480
Speaker 3: It's just I just is it really worth it to

1399
01:05:46,599 --> 01:05:49,719
make like a stink like he kind of like said, yeah,

1400
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:52,159
I want to start when I'm healthy last year, even

1401
01:05:52,159 --> 01:05:54,280
though he didn't really have leverage other than the forty

1402
01:05:54,280 --> 01:05:58,039
million dollars on his contract, which I guess is pretty

1403
01:05:58,280 --> 01:06:01,320
nice leverage to have. You can just put Dorien Phinney

1404
01:06:01,320 --> 01:06:03,159
Smith on the bench and Dorian will be like the

1405
01:06:03,239 --> 01:06:06,559
nicest guy and be happy and know he's probably gonna

1406
01:06:06,559 --> 01:06:09,840
get traded to a good team anyway. So if I

1407
01:06:10,039 --> 01:06:13,599
had to guess, wow, this is I work for. I

1408
01:06:13,639 --> 01:06:16,199
write about the perfect team to make me really stupid.

1409
01:06:16,559 --> 01:06:17,159
Speaker 2: I do think.

1410
01:06:17,199 --> 01:06:20,480
Speaker 1: So there's at least like when you're looking at their rotation,

1411
01:06:20,559 --> 01:06:25,119
there's like seven overall locks. I would think with Dennis Shrewder,

1412
01:06:25,280 --> 01:06:29,480
Cam Thomas, DFS, Cam Johnson, Nick Claxton, Ben Simmons if

1413
01:06:29,480 --> 01:06:31,280
he's healthy, and then Noah Clowney.

1414
01:06:31,280 --> 01:06:33,239
Speaker 2: So would you agree with those seven names? Are like

1415
01:06:33,679 --> 01:06:33,960
they are?

1416
01:06:34,880 --> 01:06:39,000
Speaker 3: Is number eight? But yes, okay, because like you can't. Yeah,

1417
01:06:39,039 --> 01:06:39,800
you gotta play.

1418
01:06:39,639 --> 01:06:41,320
Speaker 1: Him given what this team needs if you want to

1419
01:06:41,320 --> 01:06:44,679
create space, like we have not mentioned Boyan Bogdanovic's name once.

1420
01:06:44,960 --> 01:06:50,079
Speaker 3: We have not I nine nine, all right, nine you

1421
01:06:50,079 --> 01:06:51,159
gotta have somebody.

1422
01:06:51,320 --> 01:06:53,320
Speaker 1: That means we have to choose between Janen Wilson or

1423
01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:56,039
Trendon Watford for number ten, which kind of breaks my

1424
01:06:56,119 --> 01:06:57,000
heart a little bit.

1425
01:06:57,599 --> 01:07:00,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, wow, you're really out on the killing his experien.

1426
01:07:01,599 --> 01:07:04,599
Speaker 1: I would see guarantee his contract first and then we

1427
01:07:04,639 --> 01:07:05,519
could talk Brooklyn.

1428
01:07:06,440 --> 01:07:09,719
Speaker 3: I would say, yeah. I would say, we also haven't

1429
01:07:09,719 --> 01:07:12,639
mentioned shake Milton just as by the.

1430
01:07:12,599 --> 01:07:14,840
Speaker 1: Way they did it, they clearly that trade was the

1431
01:07:15,000 --> 01:07:17,719
Shake Milton sign in trade and Michal Bridges was the

1432
01:07:17,760 --> 01:07:19,639
throw in for the Knicks to help get that deal.

1433
01:07:19,760 --> 01:07:22,639
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, shake, hey, shake Milton.

1434
01:07:23,920 --> 01:07:26,159
Speaker 1: They need dribble and decision making, Like that's someone as

1435
01:07:26,159 --> 01:07:28,440
a baseline is yeah, let's throw them.

1436
01:07:28,679 --> 01:07:29,599
Speaker 2: We could throw them out there.

1437
01:07:29,760 --> 01:07:32,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's like these guys I would like to play

1438
01:07:32,039 --> 01:07:33,760
in Brooklyn if I was Shake Milton like you might,

1439
01:07:33,880 --> 01:07:35,639
you might just end up playing thirty minutes in a

1440
01:07:35,679 --> 01:07:37,320
game if you make a couple of nice passes in

1441
01:07:37,320 --> 01:07:40,800
the first quarter and hit a couple of threes. I

1442
01:07:40,880 --> 01:07:46,880
would say that Jalen's probably gonna play more than Boyon

1443
01:07:47,280 --> 01:07:50,000
at first, just because like they clearly have like a

1444
01:07:50,840 --> 01:07:54,239
reason to play Jalen Wilson. This is why the more

1445
01:07:54,280 --> 01:07:56,360
I go down this roster, because you can't bench Trenton

1446
01:07:56,400 --> 01:07:58,599
Watford either. The more I go down this roster, the

1447
01:07:58,599 --> 01:08:01,679
more I'm like they have to like can't you can't

1448
01:08:01,679 --> 01:08:02,159
talk to a.

1449
01:08:02,119 --> 01:08:04,360
Speaker 1: Team that I think when we say a ten man

1450
01:08:04,480 --> 01:08:06,960
rotation is like, no, they're emptying the bench every single night.

1451
01:08:07,039 --> 01:08:08,119
Speaker 2: It might be the reality.

1452
01:08:08,360 --> 01:08:11,000
Speaker 3: So if they go into the first game of the

1453
01:08:11,079 --> 01:08:13,719
year with this rotation, with this roster that they have,

1454
01:08:13,760 --> 01:08:15,800
on paper, they might be the first team in NBA

1455
01:08:15,920 --> 01:08:20,239
history to regularly play fourteen guys a night. Oh, you

1456
01:08:20,239 --> 01:08:21,119
can only dress twelve.

1457
01:08:21,119 --> 01:08:23,560
Speaker 2: So yeah, let's say that they're playing fourteen guys a night.

1458
01:08:24,159 --> 01:08:25,239
Some rule has been broken.

1459
01:08:26,720 --> 01:08:29,640
Speaker 3: Well, come on, you know at the NBA offense offices,

1460
01:08:29,680 --> 01:08:32,439
maybe they won't be watching Brooklyn games that closely.

1461
01:08:35,119 --> 01:08:38,720
Speaker 1: So you can approach this question however you want. Is

1462
01:08:38,760 --> 01:08:40,319
it if you want to view it as well they're

1463
01:08:40,319 --> 01:08:42,439
trying to lose this game that goes into crunch time,

1464
01:08:42,520 --> 01:08:44,119
or if they're trying to win it. Like, if you're

1465
01:08:44,119 --> 01:08:46,439
coaching the team, what is your crunch time lineup?

1466
01:08:49,520 --> 01:08:53,520
Speaker 3: Nick Claxton and Noah Clowney. I think because you you

1467
01:08:53,640 --> 01:08:58,359
want they no Clowney might lose you the game, and

1468
01:08:58,399 --> 01:09:00,800
that's fine too, because you want to lose, and you

1469
01:09:00,840 --> 01:09:03,640
also want him out there to get experience. But for like,

1470
01:09:03,800 --> 01:09:06,560
you know, the semblance of putting together a real competitive team,

1471
01:09:06,600 --> 01:09:08,840
and it's a game you want to win. From Rale, Clowney,

1472
01:09:08,920 --> 01:09:12,199
you can play too again if you need defense, So Clowney, Claxton,

1473
01:09:14,279 --> 01:09:22,319
Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas and probably Dennis Shrewder. Honestly, if

1474
01:09:22,319 --> 01:09:24,640
you're looking for a guy like that can really play

1475
01:09:25,000 --> 01:09:27,640
pick and roll and organize the offense, and then in

1476
01:09:27,680 --> 01:09:30,560
there like you can probably take Noah Clowney out for

1477
01:09:30,680 --> 01:09:36,159
Dorian some games and whatnot Cam Johnson for Dorian. So

1478
01:09:36,199 --> 01:09:39,279
I'd say that I would say that as small as

1479
01:09:39,279 --> 01:09:43,000
maybe Dennis Shrewder and a camp Thomas backcourt sounds and

1480
01:09:43,039 --> 01:09:46,239
if Cam Johnson isn't bringing you a bunch a bunch

1481
01:09:46,239 --> 01:09:49,279
of defensive value, that's why you have Clowney and Claxton,

1482
01:09:49,359 --> 01:09:50,439
you know on the back line.

1483
01:09:51,880 --> 01:09:55,760
Speaker 1: Is there a offbeat, weirdo funking lineup you would like

1484
01:09:55,800 --> 01:09:57,760
to see them try at some point this season.

1485
01:09:58,760 --> 01:10:01,800
Speaker 3: I'll limit my self to not like the five end

1486
01:10:01,840 --> 01:10:05,680
of bench guys like Killian Hayes, Keon Johnson, Zaire Williams

1487
01:10:06,640 --> 01:10:11,840
right in Watford five. I would like to see them

1488
01:10:12,399 --> 01:10:18,399
go uh with Shrewder and Cam Thomas like as a

1489
01:10:18,399 --> 01:10:20,359
start to this lineup, because I do really believe in

1490
01:10:20,399 --> 01:10:24,399
camp Thomas, like the Norm Powell esque three point chucking

1491
01:10:24,560 --> 01:10:27,920
off ball guy, as like the potent as a potential

1492
01:10:27,960 --> 01:10:33,600
like seriously interesting NBA type of score. And then obviously

1493
01:10:33,680 --> 01:10:36,600
we have to go Claxton and Clowney for rim protection

1494
01:10:37,039 --> 01:10:39,840
and then throwing Keon Johnson, like I want to see

1495
01:10:39,880 --> 01:10:41,800
him play. I want to see how real the uh

1496
01:10:42,479 --> 01:10:44,399
the summer League stuff is. You just have a bunch

1497
01:10:44,439 --> 01:10:47,000
of ball handling, You need camp Thomas to take a

1498
01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:51,439
bunch of threes, and you have these long, psychotically shot

1499
01:10:51,479 --> 01:10:54,720
blocking bigs uh that can move all over the place

1500
01:10:54,760 --> 01:10:55,640
on the back line.

1501
01:10:56,520 --> 01:10:58,720
Speaker 1: This will surprise anyone who listens to this podcast, but

1502
01:10:58,760 --> 01:11:01,239
my lineup is not going to be ultra small. I

1503
01:11:01,239 --> 01:11:05,239
would pay ungodly amounts of money to see Clowney, Claxton,

1504
01:11:05,760 --> 01:11:09,680
Cam Johnson, Jalen Wilson, and Trenton Watford. I don't know

1505
01:11:09,720 --> 01:11:11,720
what the offense ends up looking like, but like, let's

1506
01:11:11,760 --> 01:11:13,600
just have all the six seven six eight dudes and

1507
01:11:13,680 --> 01:11:16,720
up out there and kind of see and flesh out

1508
01:11:16,720 --> 01:11:18,840
and we'll figure out that. Look, Cam Johnson can shoot,

1509
01:11:19,079 --> 01:11:22,159
Jail Wilson can shoot. Nick Claxton will be the point guard.

1510
01:11:22,159 --> 01:11:24,560
What's the i'd be You could talk me into putting

1511
01:11:24,560 --> 01:11:26,680
Ben Simmons into this lineup for someone else. If it's

1512
01:11:26,760 --> 01:11:28,840
we need someone who can dribble in decision make then

1513
01:11:28,880 --> 01:11:30,119
it's like Okay, fine.

1514
01:11:29,880 --> 01:11:31,720
Speaker 3: But how many years in a row do you have

1515
01:11:31,800 --> 01:11:34,640
of Ben Simmons on whatever team he's on, making your

1516
01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:38,760
all weird, all funky lineup, Probably every year he's been

1517
01:11:38,760 --> 01:11:40,199
in the league, correct.

1518
01:11:40,319 --> 01:11:42,560
Speaker 1: And I've probably had him as the center in every

1519
01:11:42,560 --> 01:11:43,319
single itteration.

1520
01:11:43,920 --> 01:11:47,520
Speaker 3: So you know, all things must pass, I guess.

1521
01:11:48,760 --> 01:11:54,039
Speaker 1: Okay, So as we record this, they're over under is

1522
01:11:54,039 --> 01:11:56,279
said at nineteen and a half would you take the

1523
01:11:56,359 --> 01:11:58,680
over or under? And how many wins would you ultimately

1524
01:11:58,720 --> 01:12:00,479
see them wind up with.

1525
01:12:02,079 --> 01:12:05,159
Speaker 3: I'm gonna take the over. It was wrong last year

1526
01:12:05,159 --> 01:12:08,600
when I took the over, but I think I'm gonna

1527
01:12:08,600 --> 01:12:11,279
do it again, just because the East is like really bad,

1528
01:12:11,399 --> 01:12:15,399
Like the bottom half is really bad, and nobody really

1529
01:12:15,439 --> 01:12:19,319
starts tanking until like around the All Star break anyway,

1530
01:12:20,159 --> 01:12:24,880
Like they could be I don't know how they could

1531
01:12:24,880 --> 01:12:27,840
be four and seven, four and eight, Like all they

1532
01:12:27,920 --> 01:12:32,119
need is it? Is it? Two is like a an

1533
01:12:32,199 --> 01:12:35,560
eight win month. Maybe that's a stretch, a six win

1534
01:12:35,720 --> 01:12:38,520
month early in the year, and they're a third of

1535
01:12:38,520 --> 01:12:41,039
the way there. I just think they end up with

1536
01:12:41,079 --> 01:12:44,439
twenty one to twenty two wins, and that's probably enough

1537
01:12:45,239 --> 01:12:47,800
to be one of the three worst records that you

1538
01:12:47,880 --> 01:12:50,000
need for the Cooper Flags sweepstakes.

1539
01:12:50,279 --> 01:12:51,840
Speaker 2: Oh it's four. Now you have one of the four

1540
01:12:51,840 --> 01:12:53,399
worst records in your golden.

1541
01:12:53,439 --> 01:12:56,520
Speaker 3: Oh right, that's true. Then I'm even more comfortable taking

1542
01:12:56,520 --> 01:12:56,840
the over.

1543
01:12:56,920 --> 01:13:00,079
Speaker 1: And look, if you get twenty one, that was the

1544
01:13:00,119 --> 01:13:02,279
fourth worst record in the league last year, well it's

1545
01:13:02,279 --> 01:13:04,359
actually toticably the third worst tide, but two teams had

1546
01:13:04,399 --> 01:13:08,880
twenty one. The thing I the total is so low,

1547
01:13:08,920 --> 01:13:11,039
I want to go over, But I think that I

1548
01:13:11,119 --> 01:13:14,039
look at this front office and then a couple others

1549
01:13:14,079 --> 01:13:17,359
like Washington, maybe Portland, and Portland's a big one because

1550
01:13:17,359 --> 01:13:19,720
they might have too much good talent on the roster.

1551
01:13:20,640 --> 01:13:23,399
But if things go too well at the beginning of

1552
01:13:23,439 --> 01:13:26,560
the season, I really think that the Nets will pull

1553
01:13:26,600 --> 01:13:29,439
the ripcord a lot sooner than other teams might. Where

1554
01:13:29,479 --> 01:13:31,399
it's like we've seen Utah kind of hold on to

1555
01:13:31,479 --> 01:13:34,680
it for too long, and I can see like Toronto

1556
01:13:34,880 --> 01:13:36,800
or Atlanta or Chicago, like those are gonna be teams

1557
01:13:36,800 --> 01:13:38,479
that even Detroit this year will kind of like if

1558
01:13:38,520 --> 01:13:40,800
they're playing well, they might try and ride it. The

1559
01:13:40,880 --> 01:13:43,399
Nets have this two year window of controlling their next

1560
01:13:43,399 --> 01:13:46,520
two draft picks. I'm just convinced that Shoran Marks isn't

1561
01:13:46,560 --> 01:13:48,800
leaving anything to chance, and so if they get to

1562
01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:52,079
a point where they're on pace from more than like eighteen,

1563
01:13:52,479 --> 01:13:55,039
they like, it's just he's gonna rip the floor out

1564
01:13:55,079 --> 01:13:57,880
from under everybody, whether it's trades, whether we start seeing

1565
01:13:57,920 --> 01:14:00,560
like made up body parts on the injury report for

1566
01:14:00,600 --> 01:14:04,319
Cam Johnson and Dorian Phinney Smith. That is, that is

1567
01:14:04,359 --> 01:14:06,159
my belief as of now. Maybe it will shift when

1568
01:14:06,199 --> 01:14:07,760
me and Grant actually do our over unders.

1569
01:14:07,800 --> 01:14:09,960
Speaker 3: The total is so low, Like, it's so low.

1570
01:14:10,079 --> 01:14:11,840
Speaker 1: The two things I struggle with, and I wonder if

1571
01:14:11,840 --> 01:14:14,319
you're the same way is to predict that teams will

1572
01:14:14,359 --> 01:14:17,439
win fewer than twenty games or win more than sixty,

1573
01:14:17,560 --> 01:14:19,479
Like those are just the numbers that scare me.

1574
01:14:19,880 --> 01:14:22,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, those are because it's it's you get a lot

1575
01:14:22,399 --> 01:14:25,560
of luck and unforeseeable circumstances and things that are tough

1576
01:14:25,600 --> 01:14:27,520
to predict because like if you're you know, if you're

1577
01:14:27,560 --> 01:14:30,000
predicting around the forty range, it's like, Okay, I'm set

1578
01:14:30,039 --> 01:14:32,439
on this team being a little better or worse in

1579
01:14:32,520 --> 01:14:35,079
these areas specifically, and that's why I'm but then that's

1580
01:14:35,079 --> 01:14:37,399
it's gonna be a crap shoot. It's it's gonna be

1581
01:14:37,439 --> 01:14:41,399
a crap shoot. And the one thing, the one thing

1582
01:14:41,399 --> 01:14:43,279
that really lends credence to your argument is that their

1583
01:14:43,319 --> 01:14:47,039
best players, they have the perfect tank commander in Cam

1584
01:14:47,119 --> 01:14:49,680
Thomas potentially as like the guy who's taking up a

1585
01:14:49,720 --> 01:14:53,119
lot of offensive possessions, and their best player, Nick Claxton,

1586
01:14:53,399 --> 01:14:55,880
is not a guy that is gonna like lead you

1587
01:14:56,000 --> 01:14:58,960
to wins. Same thing with Cam Johnson.

1588
01:14:58,920 --> 01:15:00,560
Speaker 1: As best say you kind of like just describe the

1589
01:15:00,560 --> 01:15:03,560
Wizard's dynamic between Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma. Jordan Poole

1590
01:15:03,600 --> 01:15:05,520
perfect tank commander, eat up a lot of possessions and

1591
01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:07,560
Kyle Kuzma very good, He's not gonna win you a

1592
01:15:07,560 --> 01:15:08,479
ton of basketball games.

1593
01:15:08,680 --> 01:15:12,640
Speaker 3: There you go that they those games I will be

1594
01:15:12,720 --> 01:15:13,199
locked in for.

1595
01:15:14,000 --> 01:15:15,800
Speaker 2: I will think I'm not saying it'll be the Nets,

1596
01:15:15,800 --> 01:15:16,279
it could be.

1597
01:15:16,399 --> 01:15:18,159
Speaker 1: I think there's gonna be a team I don't want

1598
01:15:18,159 --> 01:15:20,399
to say historically bad, but that's just gonna be such

1599
01:15:20,399 --> 01:15:22,880
a tough watch because they're really not fucking around and

1600
01:15:22,920 --> 01:15:25,520
they're like, this is a season where there's only a

1601
01:15:25,560 --> 01:15:27,319
couple teams that aren't invested in winning out of the

1602
01:15:27,359 --> 01:15:29,840
gate and we're gonna make sure that we don't accidentally

1603
01:15:29,920 --> 01:15:32,840
and look the East specifically, I wouldn't throw the nets

1604
01:15:32,840 --> 01:15:34,680
in here, but I've now said this like three or

1605
01:15:34,680 --> 01:15:37,359
four times. Someone is accidentally going to make the play

1606
01:15:37,399 --> 01:15:39,760
in in the East. Because I'm not convinced that there

1607
01:15:39,760 --> 01:15:42,119
are ten teams that want to get into the postseason

1608
01:15:42,279 --> 01:15:42,760
next year.

1609
01:15:43,279 --> 01:15:48,960
Speaker 3: The ten seed in the plan is hopefully they accidentally

1610
01:15:49,039 --> 01:15:51,119
make the playoffs two from there and they knock out

1611
01:15:51,159 --> 01:15:52,880
a seven seed that really does want.

1612
01:15:52,760 --> 01:15:53,840
Speaker 2: To see because we haven't had it.

1613
01:15:53,880 --> 01:15:56,319
Speaker 1: I predict it every year because I'm trying to manifest it.

1614
01:15:56,520 --> 01:15:58,560
I want a tend seed to get into the playoffs

1615
01:15:58,560 --> 01:16:00,560
by way of the playing tournament, So I'll predict it

1616
01:16:00,600 --> 01:16:03,680
every year even if I don't believe it. But yeah,

1617
01:16:03,680 --> 01:16:06,279
so like the East is like there's like that intro.

1618
01:16:06,359 --> 01:16:07,960
We're in the West, like you could still be kind

1619
01:16:07,960 --> 01:16:09,640
of good and your record will just be so bad

1620
01:16:09,640 --> 01:16:11,560
because everyone else is so good. But in the East,

1621
01:16:11,560 --> 01:16:14,760
it's like if you stumble into victories out of the gate,

1622
01:16:14,880 --> 01:16:15,119
like it.

1623
01:16:15,159 --> 01:16:16,760
Speaker 2: Might be put up or shut up. Time to pick

1624
01:16:16,800 --> 01:16:17,239
a direction.

1625
01:16:17,760 --> 01:16:21,920
Speaker 3: The one thing that I think could negate that is

1626
01:16:21,960 --> 01:16:25,119
like this draft is considered have a really strong top

1627
01:16:25,159 --> 01:16:27,399
five to six, so like as good as amazing as

1628
01:16:27,399 --> 01:16:31,359
Cooper Flag is, maybe a franchise will say, okay, like

1629
01:16:31,439 --> 01:16:35,359
how miserable do we really want to make everybody for

1630
01:16:35,640 --> 01:16:37,199
slightly better lottery odd Like.

1631
01:16:38,439 --> 01:16:41,039
Speaker 2: That's all I can see. That is a fantastic viewpoint.

1632
01:16:41,119 --> 01:16:43,840
Speaker 1: And I was actually talking Matt Maderno of believing wizards

1633
01:16:43,840 --> 01:16:47,119
brought it up to me. Not something I've considered enough

1634
01:16:47,119 --> 01:16:50,279
to wear, because the lottery odds are flattened to begin with, Like,

1635
01:16:50,359 --> 01:16:54,359
if you're really going to invest in this gradual direction,

1636
01:16:54,520 --> 01:16:57,239
it's it should be because you are comfortable with I

1637
01:16:57,279 --> 01:16:59,680
want to lock in a top five pick, let's say,

1638
01:16:59,720 --> 01:17:01,520
and it's it can't be viewed through the lens of

1639
01:17:01,560 --> 01:17:03,840
like well like it's Cooper Flag or bust. Like you

1640
01:17:03,920 --> 01:17:05,680
just don't want to end up being the Detroit Pistons,

1641
01:17:05,680 --> 01:17:08,319
where it's years of futility in the standings only to

1642
01:17:08,359 --> 01:17:11,039
constantly just not get one of these like top four

1643
01:17:11,119 --> 01:17:11,800
or five picks.

1644
01:17:12,119 --> 01:17:15,800
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, especially this yeah yeah. And that's the one

1645
01:17:15,840 --> 01:17:20,239
thing that like this year you're probably like more okay

1646
01:17:20,479 --> 01:17:23,279
picking four or five than last year with Detroit, who

1647
01:17:23,319 --> 01:17:26,279
really got killed? I mean, hey, maybe I think Ron

1648
01:17:26,319 --> 01:17:27,439
Hollin's gonna be good, but like.

1649
01:17:27,880 --> 01:17:31,600
Speaker 1: So I trust some certain draft people and bleacher reports.

1650
01:17:31,680 --> 01:17:34,640
Jonathan Wasserman talked he had Ron Holland number one on

1651
01:17:34,680 --> 01:17:37,319
his big board. Yes, and I went back and watched,

1652
01:17:37,359 --> 01:17:38,960
and I can see the theory of it. It comes

1653
01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:41,520
down to, I know this is very binary, but the

1654
01:17:41,600 --> 01:17:43,640
jumper for me, like, if he's gonna hit jumpers at

1655
01:17:43,640 --> 01:17:45,079
some point, then it's I see it, And if he's not,

1656
01:17:45,479 --> 01:17:46,000
then I don't.

1657
01:17:46,359 --> 01:17:48,239
Speaker 3: The thing I do like about Ron and Detroit is

1658
01:17:48,239 --> 01:17:51,720
that they got Kate, another like psycho, like they got

1659
01:17:51,800 --> 01:17:54,279
another like dog like competitor like.

1660
01:17:54,239 --> 01:17:56,000
Speaker 1: Him in a sar if they can five minutes to

1661
01:17:56,000 --> 01:17:58,359
play them together. And I was talking to Last Jackson

1662
01:17:58,880 --> 01:18:02,079
who covers the Pistons. He thinks they're gonna play together

1663
01:18:02,479 --> 01:18:04,439
quite a bit, and like they have Fred Vincent there,

1664
01:18:04,479 --> 01:18:07,000
it's like maybe like one of those guys, Pops is

1665
01:18:07,039 --> 01:18:07,439
a shooter.

1666
01:18:07,680 --> 01:18:10,720
Speaker 3: So yeah, yeah, it's it's true, It's true. I think

1667
01:18:10,760 --> 01:18:14,279
probably the funniest subplot of last season was Kaid being

1668
01:18:14,359 --> 01:18:17,840
on the twenty seven losses in a row Pistons. I

1669
01:18:17,840 --> 01:18:20,479
could not think one of the funniest players to end

1670
01:18:20,560 --> 01:18:22,840
up there, and who played his best ball the season

1671
01:18:22,920 --> 01:18:24,079
during it, sitting.

1672
01:18:23,840 --> 01:18:24,640
Speaker 2: Step back threes.

1673
01:18:24,680 --> 01:18:30,520
Speaker 3: Yeah's just like I doesn't hate to lose anything.

1674
01:18:31,920 --> 01:18:35,800
Speaker 1: Poor guy, Lucas. This was great as always. But is

1675
01:18:35,800 --> 01:18:38,119
there anything or any one is this that you want

1676
01:18:38,119 --> 01:18:40,119
to Killian Hayes space. It's a safe space. You can

1677
01:18:40,119 --> 01:18:42,000
get on some Killian Hayes takes here. Is there anything

1678
01:18:42,000 --> 01:18:44,119
we haven't discussed that you think we need to touch

1679
01:18:44,199 --> 01:18:45,520
upon Before I let yuskidaddle.

1680
01:18:46,079 --> 01:18:51,039
Speaker 3: I just just make sure that, like people know, I

1681
01:18:51,079 --> 01:18:53,760
don't dislike Bam out of Baio. I know he got

1682
01:18:54,079 --> 01:18:54,800
real shooters on.

1683
01:18:54,880 --> 01:18:57,600
Speaker 2: The YouTube thumb Nail and the title is gonna say differently.

1684
01:18:57,680 --> 01:19:01,960
Speaker 3: Okay, I really don't want him to quote tweet me.

1685
01:19:02,199 --> 01:19:05,319
That would be I think worse than Trenton Wafford Heat players.

1686
01:19:05,359 --> 01:19:07,520
Speaker 1: I will say feel more likely to do it because

1687
01:19:07,520 --> 01:19:09,840
it's happened to me with a few Heat players Dion

1688
01:19:09,920 --> 01:19:13,039
Waiters and James Johnson, so same era Heat. So maybe

1689
01:19:13,039 --> 01:19:15,079
I'm like stuck in the past. But they did it,

1690
01:19:15,439 --> 01:19:18,119
and they didn't quote tweet me. They quote tweeted someone

1691
01:19:18,159 --> 01:19:21,760
tweeting about something I wrote about them. Yeah, yeah, so

1692
01:19:22,239 --> 01:19:24,039
I won't I won't promote it that way. But look,

1693
01:19:24,039 --> 01:19:25,680
if if the real sick goes make it to the

1694
01:19:25,680 --> 01:19:29,399
point of the podcast where you're who do we comparing

1695
01:19:29,439 --> 01:19:31,560
Cam Johnson and Larry Bird, that'll be the That's how

1696
01:19:31,600 --> 01:19:35,439
we known Sharp day Ron Sharp to Larry Bird.

1697
01:19:35,439 --> 01:19:38,119
Speaker 3: Excuse me, I mean who else? You know? That's what

1698
01:19:38,199 --> 01:19:41,319
I thought? Off the rim making the past. Yes, well

1699
01:19:41,560 --> 01:19:44,079
someone should have done it, someone worse should have done

1700
01:19:44,119 --> 01:19:45,319
that past.

1701
01:19:46,319 --> 01:19:48,359
Speaker 2: Uh, Lucas, thank you so much for your time. This

1702
01:19:48,439 --> 01:19:48,800
is grady.

1703
01:19:48,800 --> 01:19:50,359
Speaker 1: You're able just to tell our listeners where they can

1704
01:19:50,399 --> 01:19:51,800
find you in all the great work that you're doing.

1705
01:19:51,880 --> 01:19:55,880
Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely so, Nets Daily, an sp nation, I guess

1706
01:19:56,079 --> 01:19:59,199
sub sites and uh, I covered the Nets there. I

1707
01:19:59,239 --> 01:20:04,119
covered the liberty there as well. Again maybe possibly the

1708
01:20:04,159 --> 01:20:08,279
worst and the best professional basketball teams of the very

1709
01:20:08,279 --> 01:20:11,000
pot we have an outside chance. I don't even know

1710
01:20:11,000 --> 01:20:14,720
how outside it is. But so that there and then

1711
01:20:14,720 --> 01:20:19,119
my Twitter is just my name, Lucas Kaplan with an

1712
01:20:19,199 --> 01:20:20,159
underscore at the end.

1713
01:20:20,560 --> 01:20:22,479
Speaker 2: I do some pre do we need to go after that?

1714
01:20:22,560 --> 01:20:25,239
Had the Lucas Kaplan without the underscore? Who's that?

1715
01:20:26,319 --> 01:20:27,960
Speaker 3: I don't know. I used to have it and then

1716
01:20:28,000 --> 01:20:30,279
I changed like way back in the day, and then

1717
01:20:30,279 --> 01:20:31,880
I changed it and I tried to get it back

1718
01:20:31,920 --> 01:20:35,199
and someone had snapped it up. Damn it, I was

1719
01:20:35,319 --> 01:20:40,159
I was a Twitter novice that was on me. And yeah,

1720
01:20:40,159 --> 01:20:45,840
I also do work for Swish Theory, great basketball content website.

1721
01:20:45,960 --> 01:20:47,720
Speaker 2: You guys got nice stable writers over there.

1722
01:20:48,039 --> 01:20:49,920
Speaker 3: They Yeah, we got a real we got a real

1723
01:20:50,079 --> 01:20:55,279
uh fat stack of talent. So yeah, Twitter, I would say,

1724
01:20:55,359 --> 01:20:57,880
you'll find everything or nets daily and thank you Dan

1725
01:20:57,960 --> 01:21:01,239
for having me on. It's uh maybe next year we'll

1726
01:21:01,279 --> 01:21:04,520
it'll be an hour about Cooper Flag. I know. I

1727
01:21:04,560 --> 01:21:05,880
trust Adam to do the right thing.

1728
01:21:06,720 --> 01:21:08,680
Speaker 1: I will say, I don't remember the last time I

1729
01:21:08,720 --> 01:21:12,319
saw active NBA players showering praise upon someone who wasn't

1730
01:21:12,359 --> 01:21:14,439
in the league yet, because it's always sort of felt,

1731
01:21:14,840 --> 01:21:18,000
if not taboo, like they're gonna be protective of their territory. Like, no,

1732
01:21:18,079 --> 01:21:20,199
we're not hyping up this kid in high schooler who's

1733
01:21:20,239 --> 01:21:22,680
going into college. But coming out of the Team USA

1734
01:21:22,720 --> 01:21:24,880
Mini camp or whatever the things they were saying about him,

1735
01:21:24,920 --> 01:21:28,159
I'm like, holy fuck, Like Cooper Flag must be really good.

1736
01:21:28,680 --> 01:21:30,880
Speaker 3: Adam Silver, I trust you to do the right thing.

1737
01:21:31,279 --> 01:21:32,279
That's all I'm gonna say.

1738
01:21:32,960 --> 01:21:36,239
Speaker 1: The Freezer as we speak, even though it's not really

1739
01:21:36,279 --> 01:21:37,800
how it's like done at the moment.

1740
01:21:37,600 --> 01:21:40,279
Speaker 3: But he knows, he knows what's right.

1741
01:21:41,319 --> 01:21:43,159
Speaker 2: Nobody does it better. Covering the nets.

1742
01:21:43,479 --> 01:21:46,920
Speaker 1: The links to Lucas's Twitter profile and handle will be

1743
01:21:46,960 --> 01:21:49,039
in the podcast in two descriptions.

1744
01:21:49,239 --> 01:21:51,119
Speaker 2: Thank you so much again for all your time and exit,

1745
01:21:51,199 --> 01:21:52,079
and as you know by now, I.

1746
01:21:52,079 --> 01:21:54,239
Speaker 1: Will be pestering you again in the future, so I

1747
01:21:54,239 --> 01:21:55,079
will talk to you soon.

1748
01:21:55,560 --> 01:21:56,000
Speaker 3: Forward to this