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Terry Stotts proves himself to be a defensive mastermind in Blazers win over the Pelicans, 101-93

by Kevin Nesgoda March 19, 2021
written by Kevin Nesgoda

Tuesday night was one of those games where you will always remember where you were when you watched the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard come back from 17 points in the final five minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans.

After the game Tuesday night this game could have gone in one of two ways; either a 140-119 butt-kicking or a defensive struggle throughout the night. In the modern NBA, the latter option seemed unlikely and that is what we ended up getting.

The Blazers led by Derrick Jones Jr. on the defensive end put the Pelicans away, 101-93, and swept the season series 3-0.

First Quarter Thoughts

The Pelicans are not messing around at all tonight. They are definitely the more active team to start. They have some great motion out top to free up Brandon Ingram for two open threes to start the game and giving NoLA a quick 8-2 lead. Lots of offensive rebounds, hands-on lots of loose balls. They were everywhere.

It had the feel that the Pels might just pull the rug out from under the Blazers and run away with this.

Damian Lillard had other ideas though.

Dame had 21 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor and 5-6 from three. He is still in that groove from Tuesday night. The Pelicans are laying off of him for some reason and then rushing at him off the switches. They even allowed Steven Adams to switch out on him a few times.

Lillard just hit a couple of threes over him like he wasn’t there.

Pretty sure the only thing Dame is seeing out there on the floor is the bottom of the basket.

The case for MVP is growing.

Second Quarter Thoughts

This is the second straight game that CJ McCollum comes out playing point guard to start the second quarter. This is so stupid on many different levels. The big one is that CJ has not had much game time and the Pelicans actually do a solid job of playing defense on point guards (not named Dame Lillard) physically without fouling. CJ is not ready for that.

The other point is that Anfernee Simons had been playing really well as of late. He had a ton of confidence coming out of the All-Star break. Simons didn’t see the court on Tuesday night and he should be seeing it tonight in some form.

You can’t let a young player down like that. There are other minutes that CJ can take, let’s not take the minutes away from Simons. He needs the time and the development still.

As I type this, 3J has shown back up and has led the Blazers to a 42-33 lead with a hair under nine minutes in the second quarter. McCollum had been 0-5 up until this point and his shots did not look close.

Enjoying the energy that we are seeing from Nassir Little tonight too. I love when he rebounds and runs. He has the skill to play point forward and does have an eye to be a playmaker, plus we all know that he might be the best finisher at the rim for the Blazers.

The Pelicans run some high hand-offs with Zion Williamson and the Blazers switch to a 2-3 zone off the hand-off. Zion Williamson scored 19 points on Tuesday night when the Blazers switched to a 2-3 — so why would defensive mastermind Terry Stotts do it again?

I’m not quite sure because I’m not defensive mastermind Terry Stotts.

🤷

Damian Lillard once again sits too long into the second quarter. When Damian Lillard is hot there is only one man who can slow him down and that is the defensive mastermind, Terry Stotts. There are a lot of coaches in the league that are terrible with their rotations, but if it wasn’t for guys like Luke Walton and Mike Budenholzer (plus a few others), Stotts would be right there.

Poor Derrick Jones Jr. got hit twice in the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Once got a flagrant foul called on Eric Bledsoe and the other was not called.

Lillard only had five points in the second quarter, but the Blazers took a 57-48 lead into the half.

Third Quarter Thoughts

Here come the Pelicans cutting into the Blazer lead to start the quarter. The typical start of the third quarter for the Blazers. They once again have come out like Stotts spent the half handing out Ambien, warm milk, and doing some ASMR therapy.

It might have happened to both teams as the Pelicans quickly leveled off after some really clutch defense from Derrick Jones Jr, Rodney Covington, and Gary Trent Jr. The momentum changed when DJJ blocked a dunk on the same possession by both Ingram and Williamson.

DERRICK JONES JR pic.twitter.com/PFlXt1SSvo

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2021

Jones has been really feeling his role with the Blazers lately. I thought it was a mistake early on in the season, but he’s been winning me over. Not sure if he holds the starting spot next year. That should be going to Little.

And Zion Williamson has decided to take over the game in the third. He began to attack the rim and get to the line. The Blazers did not have an answer for him. At the end of the quarter, Zion Williamson had one of the top five all-time explosive first steps I have ever seen. He was four feet past Covington before RoCo even reacted. If the Blazers were not collapsing the paint that would have been a highlight dunk for Williamson.

The Pelicans somehow turned that possession into a turnover. Speaking of which, the Blazers end the quarter with a 1:2 assist to turnover ratio. That does not bode well for how the game usually ends.

Fourth Quarter Thoughts

Zion Williamson is continuing his strong attacking play to start the fourth. He seems to be the only Pelican player trying at the moment. CJ McCollum took a charge from Zion and he follows that up with a three and then Carmelo Anthony knocks down a three and Portland is off on a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter here.

when the call gets overturned pic.twitter.com/aqeQsKD1J1

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2021

Blazers are up by 14 and the Pelicans look all out of sorts at the moment. The Blazers defense is looking really strong against a bunch of guys waiting for a bunch of other guys to shoot the ball. Brandon Ingram has really disappeared in this second half.

The Pels are taking up a lot of clock to get a miss and the Blazers are taking up a lot of clock to get a make. That’s some smart play by the Blazers in the fourth quarter. We often don’t get to type those words about the Blazers in the second half of most games.

Gary Trent Jr. is in his own head right now. He reminds me of Arnold in that really crappy Batman movie. He’s ice cold and not very good. I’m a big fan of Trent Jr., but his play lately is going to make that contract extension a lot more palatable for the Blazers this summer.

And I might want to delete the above, Blazers have gone ice cold and have cut the Portland lead down to five. A combo of Lonzo Ball and Zion chipping away at that lead. This forces the Blazers into a timeout.

Out of the break the Blazers get back to back threes by Covington and Jones. Pushing the Blazer lead back up to nine points with just under two minutes to go.

DJ for three? DJ FOR THREE! pic.twitter.com/OpGSJSUlzo

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2021

Damian Lillard knocked down two free throws to seal the game up.

BOX SCORE

Next Up

Quick turn around with the Blazers taking on the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow night at 7:00 PM.

March 19, 2021 0 comment
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Looking at the Blazers’ schedule

by Kevin Nesgoda February 18, 2020
written by Kevin Nesgoda
Damian-Lillard-scores-61-against-the-Warriors-scaled.jpeg

The All-Star break is almost at an end and the Blazers have 26 games left the rest of the way and some ground to make up to make the playoffs. Portland is 25-31 and five games back of the Memphis Grizzlies in the loss column and only a couple of games up on both the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans.

A quick couple of highlights:
Back-To-Backs: 3x
Home Games: 15x
Road Games: 11x
Home Games vs. .500+ teams: 8x
Home Games vs. sub .500 teams: 7x
Road Games vs. .500+ teams: 3x
Road Games vs. sub .500 teams: 8x

Portland will spend more time at home than they will on the road the rest of the way. This works out to their advantage obviously because jet lag sucks. They are used to it, but they do have a few tough road games against both Boston and Philadelphia on the horizon and the Pacers are a tough team as well.

Looking at the back-to-backs the Blazers managed to somehow draw the Sacramento Kings (at home), Detroit Pistons (road), and the Brooklyn Nets (road). The Kings have played the Blazers tough once this year, but they’re at the point of the season where they are about to quit and who knows what you are going to get with the Pistons or the Nets. There’s a good chance Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin don’t play in those games.

And speaking of playing, we don’t exactly don’t know when Damian Lillard is going to return. Terry Stotts is holding him out of practice on Wednesday. Will he play against the Pelicans on Friday night or is he going to miss a few games? Dame is tough and he knows what’s on the line. Sadly, we probably won’t know until a couple of hours before game time on Friday.

And will the Blazers get Jusuf Nurkic or Zach Collins back before the end of the year?

Let’s take a look at the schedule the rest of the way:

vs. Pelicans – 2/21

The Pelicans always play the Blazers tough, especially Jrue Holiday, and if there isn’t a Lillard to carry the scoring load then this game could get ugly again. There also isn’t anyone to stop Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will be back.

Prediction: Blazers lose (25-32)

vs. Pistons – 2/23

The Pistons are a mess and even without Dame, this should be a win.

Prediction: Blazers win (26-32)

vs. Celtics – 2/25

Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown are going to hold no mercy.

Prediction: Blazers lose (26-33)

at Pacers – 2/27

The Pacers are well coached, Victor Oladipo is starting to get his legs back under him, and they are a tough team.

Prediction: Blazers lose (26-34)

at Hawks – 2/29

Thankfully this isn’t a back-to-back. Trae Young will score a lot of points and try to outshoot Dame, but the Hawks are terrible.

Prediction: Blazers win (27-34)

at Magic – 3/2

The Magic are trying, they aren’t very good and seem to be perennially stuck in this position. They have beaten a few good teams and they won’t be a pushover.

Prediction: Blazers win (28-34)

vs. Wizards -3/4

Bradley Beal is pissed off for a lot of reasons, but he’s not leaving Portland with a W.

Prediction: Blazers win (29-34)

at Suns – 3/6

The Blazers owe the Suns and Kelly Oubre a beating.

Prediction: Blazers win (30-34)

vs. Kings – 3/7

The first back-to-back, but it’s a Kings team that isn’t very good and they seem to be getting worse as the year is going along.

Prediction: Blazers win (31-34)

vs. Suns – 3/10

The Blazers get a few days off before they get another shot at the Suns. Devin Booker will have a good game, but not good enough.

Prediction: Blazers win (32-34)

vs. Grizzlies – 3/12

Ja Morant is a video game and he hasn’t hit his rookie wall yet. Does he now or is he a freak of nature? I think Blazers eek this one out.

Prediction: Blazers win (33-34)

vs. Rockets – 3/15

Russell Westbrook always tries to beat Damian Lillard on his own and this usually leads to his team going off the rails and losing. Blazers back to .500.

Prediction: Blazers win (34-34)

I have the Blazers going on an eight-game win streak to get back to an even record. This will have them right on the verge of a playoff spot. Things, however, are about to get a little bit tougher after the next game.

vs. Timberwolves – 3/17

The Blazers are one of the few wins the Wolves have this year. I don’t think Karl-Anthony Towns gets another.

Prediction: Blazers win (35-34)

vs. Mavericks – 3/19

Luka Doncic has been a bit snakebit this year and he tends to miss stretches of games. I think he’s back and he hurts Portland. Can’t keep winning forever.

Prediction: Blazers lose (35-35)

at Timberwolves – 3/22

This will be a good night.

Prediction: Blazers win (36-35)

at Hornets – 3/24

The Hornets are not a good basketball team and they have very few good players.

Prediction: Blazers win (37-35)

at Pistons – 3/25

I think the Pistons will be in full tank mode and not even Derrick Rose can save them even as the Blazers flew a quarter way across the country the morning of.

Prediction: Blazers win (38-35)

at Celtics – 3/27

I don’t think the Blazers get this one either.

Prediction: Blazers lose (39-36)

at 76ers – 3/29

The Blazers and Sixers played a classic early in the season, but the Sixers are terrible on the road and almost unbeatable at home. Joel Embiid will be a beast.

Prediction: Blazers lose (38-37)

at Nets – 3/30

I think the Nets are going to put Kyrie on the shelf with some sort of injury to prep for Kevin Durant‘s return the next season and work on getting a higher pick.

Prediction: Blazers win (39-36)

vs. Jazz – 4/2

We enter the final month of the season against Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. This is going to feel like a playoff game, one that Portland is not ready for.

Prediction: Blazers lose (39-38)

vs. Grizzlies – 4/5

Morant and company are back and this time the teams are going to be within a game or two of one another. I think once again Portland pulls it out.

Prediction: Blazers win (40-38)

vs. Cavaliers – 4/7

The Cavs are a mess and will be in full tank mode and will help the Blazers clinch another winning season.

Prediction: Blazers win (41-38)

vs Nuggets – 4/9

Another tough playoff-type game for the Blazers and this is turning into a great rivalry. Sadly…

Prediction: Blazers lose (41-39)

at Warriors – 4/13

There is a chance that Stephen Curry is back for this game, but I don’t think he’ll log many minutes and the Warriors really want that first overall pick.

Prediction: Blazers win (42-39)

vs. Clippers – 4/15

My guess is the Clippers have secured their seed in the playoffs and we’ll see more Reggie Jackson over Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Prediction: Blazers win (43-39)

Looking at other schedules. I think 43-45 wins are going to be what is needed to get into the playoffs. The Blazers are obviously on the low end of this, the Pelicans I have going to 45 wins and Memphis being right around there. I think the Blazers are on the outside looking in this year.

Though do not count this team out and if you feel like trying to make a lot of money in a hurry, in some outlets, Portland is at +21000 to win the Championship. We’ve seen the Blazers overcome bigger odds and getting a little healthier toward the end of the year could be big. The Blazers have zero reliable depth, yes, Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. are stepping up, but it won’t be enough.

February 18, 2020 0 comment
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Portland Trail Blazers fall to Pelicans in Melo’s debut

by Kevin Nesgoda November 19, 2019
written by Kevin Nesgoda
blazers-pelicans-111919.png

The Portland Trail Blazers (5-10, 13th West) were outmatched by the New Orleans Pelicans (5-9, 12th West) 115-104 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA on the night of Tuesday, November 19th. It was the Trail Blazers debut for forward Carmelo Anthony, who had 10 points on 4-14 shooting (2-3 from three) in 24 minutes. He also had five turnovers.

Starting Lineups

  • Portland: Anfernee Simons, CJ McCollum, Rodney Hood, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside
  • New Orleans: Jrue Holiday, J.J. Redick, Kenrich Williams, Brandon Ingram, Jaxson Hayes

Game Recap

1st Quarter: Portland 28, New Orleans 27

  • Notable plays: 
    • Whiteside tries to squeeze an awful pass to Melo, Redick bricks a 3
    • Melo hits his first bucket on his second attempt; CJ makes it back-to-back threes (10:30)
    • Jaxson Hayes strong putback dunk
    • Nassir Little answers with his own putback jam (5:05)
    • Jrue Holiday drives and dunks over Little for the and-one (2:50)
    • Ant drives off a Skal screen, kicks to Little for the corner 3
  • Trends:
    • New Orleans scoring fastbreak points off Blazers turnovers
    • Melo working the post-up game
    • Blazers had to resort to zone defense for a few possessions with Melo
    • Little making plays (7 pts on 3-3)

2nd Quarter: Portland 58, New Orleans 57

  • Notable Plays:
    • Anthony scores off a simple screen to start the quarter
    • Melo tries to jam on Hayes, misses
    • Melo picks up his third foul via a moving screen (5:50)
    • Hayes soars for a dunk (4:10)
    • CJ hits his second 3 to take the lead (2:45)
    • Hood scores on three straight possessions
  • Trends:
    • Little making some rookie mistakes (missed rotation, missed a 2v1 in transition, missed a pair of free throws)
    • Blazers only took 10 threes but made six of them

3rd Quarter: Portland 88, New Orleans 79

  • Notable Plays:
    • CJ gets us going with a three (9:24)
    • Melo picks up his fourth foul on a push-off in the lane (9:00)
    • CJ nasty crossover-stepback three (7:45)
    • Redick curls around a screen for a patented three (5:30)
    • CJ loses the ball in the backcourt, Melli gets a free dunk (3:30)
    • NOLA gives the ball right to Rodney, Blazers can’t finish the 3v1 fastbreak but Little nails a trailing three (1:30)
    • Hayes banks a desperate three at the buzzer (0:00)
  • Trends:
    • Blazers trying to feed Melo in the low post
    • Pelicans getting open looks and building a lead (13 at its height)
    • Blazers struggling to get defensive rebounds
    • Blazers committing a lot of fouls (7 to NOLA’s 2)
    • Portland’s 3-point shooting heated up toward the end of the quarter

4th Quarter: Portland 104, New Orleans 115

  • Notable Plays:
    • Three turnovers in four possessions to start the quarter
    • Ingram loses the ball, picks it up and scores in the low post
    • Holiday hits the most casual three of all-time to go up 14 (8:04)
    • Whiteside leaves E’Twaun Moore WIDE open under the basket (7:25)
    • Melo answers with a corner 3 to hit the over on his (9.5) point total (7:05)
    • Ingram gets an easy dunk on the next possession (7:00)
    • Carmelo picks up his fifth foul, comes out (6:21)
    • Starters pulled by Terry Stotts at the 2-minute mark
  • Trends: 
    • Pelicans pushing the pace to get running starts at the basket
    • Minimal defensive effort
    • Blazers struggling to run any plays without Dame
    • Kent Bazemore stepping up from behind the arc (3-5)

Overall, this was a disappointing showing, even without Dame. The Pelicans were missing a bunch of role players and the Blazers didn’t look motivated at all down the stretch. There were a few bright spots, though:

  • Nassir Little showed a lot of heart, getting a 12-point, 11-board double-double in 23 minutes of play. He shot 5-6 from the field. He was one of only two players with a positive +/- at +9.
  • Whiteside was 5-7 for 14 and 14, although his effort was lacking at times.
  • Anthony was exciting to watch, and the veteran looked hungry despite a rough shooting night.
  • Dame isn’t out for an extended period of time.

Portland will continue their road swing in Milwaukee on Thursday afternoon.

November 19, 2019 0 comment
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Ranking the 2019-20 NBA Small Forwards

by Kevin Nesgoda October 21, 2019
written by Kevin Nesgoda
Kawhi-Leonard.jpg

These rankings are going to be a little bit different without Kevin Durant sitting at the top. Maybe Kawhi would have knocked him off the top and he could have been number two. We’ll have to see how things shake out next year and if Durant comes back at all for this coming season (doubt it).

30. Troy Brown – Washington Wizards

There have been quite a few Wizards coming in dead last in the rankings here. That’s not a good sign for their season projections. I do think we’ll see a big jump from Mr. Brown this year. I think he has the game to average almost 15 points a game and probably flirt with 7-8 boards a game as well. Would like to see him take the next step defensively as well. He’s got quick hands and decent footwork.

29. Andre Roberson – Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s almost been two years since Roberson has been on a basketball court. His knee pretty much exploded. People say he looks good in his recent scrimmages, but there is no way he’s the lockdown defender he once was when he comes back. He better have worked on that jump shot while he was out.

28. Justin Jackson – Dallas Mavericks

I am not sure what we are going to get out of Jackson this year or even he’ll finish the year as the starter in Dallas. The Mavs have the personnel to run a good three-guard lineup and move Luka Doncic to the three full time.

27. Kelly Oubre Jr. – Phoenix Suns

Inconsistent. That is the one word that you can say about Oubre. He has a ton of potential, but he’s never been able to put the mental game together to match his physical game.

26. OG Anunoby – Toronto Raptors

Poor Anunoby. The man who has been tasked in replacing Kawhi Leonard. Anunoby isn’t a bad player, but he’s not a top-level player at the position. I really like the kid though. He’s a ball of energy. I think he gets to double figures most nights in scoring this year and his defense should be decent.

25. De’Andre Hunter – Atlanta Hawks

I don’t quite know how to rank Hunter yet. He was a little up and down in the preseason (which rookies isn’t). This ultimately might be too low for him. The Hawks are for sure going to be a nightly watch on League Pass though.

24. Kyle Anderson – Memphis Grizzlies

This actually is probably too high for Anderson. He’s a solid defender and after five years his offensive game has never really developed as it should have. He has a ton of skill and potential, but I’m not sure if he’s going to reach it.

23. Glenn Robinson III – Golden State Warriors

This was projected to Alfonzo McKinnie, but he is now no longer with the team and I’m stuck in traffic at the time of this publishing.

22. Nicolas Batum – Charlotte Hornets

We’ve seen a steady decline in Batum over the last few years. He’s probably the best scoring threat outside of Rozier on the Hornets roster. Maybe?

21. Taurean Prince – Brooklyn Nets

Prince will hold down the fort until Durant returns. Again, another guy with a ton of potential and now that he’s got a good point guard in Kyrie he might be able to bring something to the table.

20. Jonathan Isaac – Orlando Magic

Points improved last year for Isaac, but his three-point shooting went down (he took more and therefore missed more) a couple points, but nothing to be worried about there. Isaac should take another jump up in the scoring and also start to become a little bit more of a lockdown defender.

19. Kevin Knox – New York Knicks

Knox should a lot of promise as a rookie, but it’s the Knicks and well. God knows what is going to happen next there. He’ll probably be traded for Gallinari, who will then sign with Denver in July.

18. Tony Snell – Detroit Pistons

As long as Snell keeps this starting job he should average double figures for the Pistons. He showed flashes of good defense last year, hopefully Casey can get a little bit more out of him this year.

17. Andrew Wiggins – Minnesota Timberwolves

I probably should have put Wiggins at #30 to appease the internet basketball community. He can be a good scorer, but he doesn’t care at all about playing defense. He needs to get the mental portion of his game figured out and soon.

16. Otto Porter – Chicago Bulls

I’ve been a fan of Porter since his Georgetown days. Year after year he continues to improve and get better. He should have a career year with the Bulls this year.

15. Brandon Ingram – New Orleans Pelicans

Will Ingram finally live up to being worthy of the #2 pick in the draft in 2016. He’s another person with a ton of potential, but for some reason or another hasn’t put it all together. With Zion being out for a few weeks he’s going to be able to work on his chemistry with Jrue Holiday and hopefully become a solid second option for Nola this year.

14. Rodney Hood – Portland Trail Blazers

I think we get a big season from Hood. After a slow start in Portland (and his career), we should see a big jump in his scoring and in his rebounding this coming season. As the year goes along he’s going to get better and better with Dame and CJ.

13. Will Barton – Denver Nuggets

Barton is this high because of the potential he has. He’s often hurt, but when he plays he’s good. The bad thing here is both Torrey Craig and Michael Porter Jr. are breathing down his neck for PT. If he gets hurt and misses an extended amount of time he’s probably will not get his starting gig back.

12. Cedi Osman – Cleveland Cavaliers

We should see another jump from Osman this coming season. It’s hard not to cheer for this kid.

11. Harrison Barnes – Sacramento Kings

Barnes might have found a home in Sacramento. He’s never lived up to the hype he had coming out of UNC (unfounded if you ask me) and has been ostracized by each fan base that he’s played for. I think he’s finally in a comfortable situation and we should see him post nearly 20 points per game this coming season.

10. Eric Gordon – Houston Rockets

The dude gets buckets. Not sure how many chances he’ll get with both Westbrook and Harden dominating the ball on most possessions, but when he gets the chance he’ll let it fly and knock down threes.

9. Joe Ingles – Utah Jazz

Ingles is one of the better defenders at the position and gets in the head of opponents really well. Look how he destroyed Playoff P two years ago for verification. We could see an uptick in scoring from Joe this year, but his value is guarding the toughest wings in the league.

8. Gordon Hayward – Boston Celtics

Hayward is this high because I think he’s going to have a big bounce back year without Kyrie. He’s going to mesh a lot better with Kemba and play well with both Tatum and Brown. I predict he’ll lead the Celtics in scoring this coming season and play some kinda okay defense.

7. T.J. Warren – Indiana Pacers

Warren is going to get lots of buckets in Indiana this year. While Oladipo is out he’s going to be the main scoring threat for the Pacers. He had some scary good moments in the preseason and I think that will carry over to the regular season. It’ll be interesting to see how he meshes with Oladipo when he returns.

6. Khris Middleton – Milwaukee Bucks

Middleton got paid and I think he’s going to play up to that contract. He should be an All-Star going forward. Middleton should average over 20 points a game this year and play pretty good defense on the perimeter. Giannis will make his job easier in the scoring department.

5. DeMar DeRozan – San Antonio Spurs

It seemed like he had a hard time adjusting to life in San Antonio last year. He still put up numbers, but they were much quieter than they were in Toronto. I watched quite a lot of Spurs games last year and he seemed to disappear for long stretches of time and Pop pulled him in weird moments when you think he’d be on the floor to close out a contest. I think we’ll see him have a big bounce back.

4. Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

He should be the second scorer for the Sixers this season. With Embiid and Horford holding down the paint he won’t have to worry about battling for too many rebounds and focus more on his defense and scoring.

3. Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat

Probably the second-best two way player in all of the league. After having to share the workload in Minnesota and Philly last year, Butler now has his own team. He’ll be the Heat’s only real scoring option to start the season.

2. LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers

Man, there has been no better for so long. For the first time ever LeBron looked mortal and the Lakers missed the playoffs because of it. He had to carry a lot last season with some inconsistent teammates. Outside of Anthony Davis things won’t change much, but for the first time ever we could see LeBron embrace a second fiddle status behind Davis.

1. Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

He’s the best two-way player in all of the league. He should be an MVP candidate, but the load management will keep him from being a serious contender.

Other posts in this series:

Ranking the 2019-20 coaches
Ranking the starting centers
Ranking the starting power forwards
Ranking the starting shooting guards
Ranking the starting point guards

October 21, 2019 0 comment
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