**OFFICIAL 2019 NBA OFFSEASON THREAD**

[nick.]

Anytime you can draft a big man with little to no defensive IQ with a high lotto pick, you have to do it.

Are you talking about Ayton or Bagley?

 

[pmatic]

Yes.

 

[friscostylez]

Kevin Love after 20 games was horrible meanwhile OJ Mayo was tearing it up.

The Thunder were perceived to have made a mistake drafting Harden over Evans after the 1st year.

Oj and Evans stats were empty and lead to nothing but Ls

Both teams won 24-25 games lol

 

[hardens beard]

155 players have taken 50+ threes this season. Trae is dead last out of 155.

I know it’s still early in the season and he’s only 20 and I don’t expect it to stay that way forever, but man... gotta clean up the shot selection in the meantime.

Eric Gordon

 

[B Sox]

Ayton is a KAT-level offensive talent though. Helps make up for less than desirable defense.

Bagley isn't that.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Could have sworn some of y'all saying Ayton and Bagley shouldn't have been taken with a high lotto pick had both of them in your top 3-4

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

"I think Zo, I think he just sometimes he doesn't realize how great he is," James said after a 90-83 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night at Staples Center. "The things that he possesses out on the floor, when Zo realizes how good he is on the floor, it makes him a very dynamic player and it makes us even better. And he's been doing that as of late, his aggressiveness."

"I just play better like that," Ball said, also crediting Rajon Rondo for coaching him up. "... I have a great coaching staff, great teammates pushing me every day. So I just keep hearing them in my ear, trying to do the right things on the court."

"I'm just faster than a lot of people out there," he said. "So I can get to the spots. It's just about finishing."

It's crazy to watch how zo's energy infects the whole team, on both sides of the ball

It was funny to watch last night. Every time Lin would come into the game, ATL would go on a run. And every time Trae would replace him, the Celtics would go on a run. Top is Trae, bottom is Lin:

Now obviously Lin isn’t in their long term plans and Trae is. And they don’t necessarily want to win right now anyway. But yeah, if you’re Trae and you’re shooting 22.6% on threes, maybe don’t pull off the dribble 5 feet behind the line like Steph. Guy is shooting a lower % than Marcus Smart. That’s gotta be demoralizing as a teammate.

Scal was laughing his *** off at some of the shots he was throwing up, and his defensive effort. But yea the hawks have played much better either when he's out or when they go away from him on offense. Typical for a rookie guard

Lol at Harden

He'll never figure it out

Booker, Klay, and JJ’s percentages are far more egregious than Harden’s.

Harden shooting that volume of 3s is ultimately what opens up the rest of his game.

Yup. Taking all those contested pull up 3s is allowing him to put up some of the lowest percentages and highest turnovers of his career. Guy needs a new gimmick

155 players have taken 50+ threes this season. Trae is dead last out of 155.

I know it’s still early in the season and he’s only 20 and I don’t expect it to stay that way forever, but man... gotta clean up the shot selection in the meantime.

What's funny is how at first it wasn't about the numbers, it was about flashes. Then it was about ts%. Then wide open shots. Then PPP. Then year 3. By January we're gonna be saying 'but look at all the work he does in the community'

Houston gonna probably end up grabbing the 2nd seed tho. Melo was holding dem back tbh.

Hell nah

40% on 8-10 attempts certainly doesn’t appear to be in the cards.

The million dollar question is if/when gets to that 35% range, combine that with the rest of his arsenal & is that a better/comparable player than what Doncic will be

Getting to 35% is far from a given. He flat out cannot hit contested shots and can't get himself open. Even his open shots end up being contested. It's a huge flaw in his game and has been since college

Kings should catch more flack for passing on Luka than Atlanta should.
Plus if you’re going to evaluate that trade wouldn’t it be Luka vs Trae + whoever they draft with the Mavs pick?

Bagley>>>trae. Kings have two high usage guards in fox and buddy. Wouldn't have been a seamless fit with luka

College season was up & down, but in total he ended up at 36% overall and was consistently upper mid 80s from the free throw line, still accurate from the stripe in the league.

35% doesn’t appear to be an outlandish prediction, while 45% from Luca would put him above Steph Curry.

You have to look at his splits. The fact that you could subtract maybe 3 of his games and watch his percentages plummet shows you how bad a shooter he was even in college. He can't shoot. Even now his numbers are like 35% and 15% when you take out 1 or 2 outlier games. It's not encouraging

It’s way to early to be saying who goofed by not drafting said player.

Hawks goofed

 

[nick.]

 

[BIG FISH]

Bagley trash

 

[pmatic]

Could have sworn some of y'all saying Ayton and Bagley shouldn't have been taken with a high lotto pick had both of them in your top 3-4

I woudn't have taken Ayton or Bagley over Luka or JJJ.

 

[B Sox]

I wouldn’t say Sacramento goofed yet. You still have to account for fit. Bagley is still putting up good numbers on the lowest of lows

Doesn't accounting for fit lead you to think that Sacramento goofed even more?

They drafted an energy big that sucks defensively when they already had an energy big that is decent defensively on the roster.

Instead they could have drafted a guy that can play 4 positions and excel with or without the ball.

Bagley can still end up being a really good player, but that won't mean that they didn't goof up.

 

[pLayoff harden]

Did harden choke?

 

[hardens beard]

Bagley will be putting up 21 and 11 in 2 years.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

I woudn't have taken Ayton or Bagley over Luka or JJJ.

That's fair. I believed all 4 could end up special (the whole class in general) so I wasn't as nitpicky

 

[B Sox]

Bagley will be putting up 21 and 11 in 2 years.

Kings gonna let WCS walk?

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

If Bagley gonna be putting up 21 and 11 and if Giles is better like some of y'all were saying, Kings dynasty incoming

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Did harden choke?

Which one of y'all is this

 

[hardens beard]

Kings gonna let WCS walk?

Unless they get him at a discount, I’d expect them to.

 

[Bert.]

DRose about to become Jkidd

 

[B Sox]

Unless they get him at a discount, I’d expect them to.

Why?

 

[nick.]

Frank Ntilikina has guarded Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, & Jrue Holiday for 53 possessions over the last three games.

They've combined to score nine (9) points.

 

[hardens beard]

Why?

Why pay big money when you could get that production from rookie contract players

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

If Bagley gonna be putting up 21 and 11 and if Giles is better like some of y'all were saying, Kings dynasty incoming

Been tryna tell yall

 

[B Sox]

Why pay big money when you could get that production from rookie contract players

I mean, what are we thinking that he's going to get paid? More than $15M per?

Kings are going to have like $60M in cap space without WCS, and I doubt they'll bring back any of their other free agents other than maybe Frank Mason. They aren't going to be getting any marquee names. Might as well keep a dude that's been productive for market value.

 

[JD617]

Scal was laughing his *** off at some of the shots he was throwing up, and his defensive effort. But yea the hawks have played much better either when he's out or when they go away from him on offense. Typical for a rookie guard

Was definitely the case last night. Lin finished +15 in 30 minutes. Trae finished -35 in 19 minutes.

Scal was complimenting him before the game too but then it got ugly.