basketball thoughts 1/?
I used to have an email newsletter called Oddball. It still exists but my writing partner and I stopped updating it a few years ago. We are currently in the process of rebooting it as a blog and a newsletter, but now is not the time to talk about that (#nttttat).
Today is me simply putting some basketball thoughts (and a few links) in a post and then posting it because I want to get back in the habit of sharing my thoughts even if they're not fully baked.
🏀 Not enough has been made of how good Kevin Pritchard is at his job.
The Pacers are going to their second ECF in as many years with a roster that kind of defies conventional thinking re: how to build a contender. In short, I think KP deserves a lot of credit for drafting well (Nembhard, BennMath, Walker, Sheppard and also, don't forget he drafted Turner at 1.11 in 2015) and making good trades (Hali, Nesmith, Toppin, Siakam, Bryant), because it's not like all the hot FAs yearn to play in the mayonnaise capital of the midwest (TJ McConnell is more or less their only one). In short, the Pacers are good and may well be set up for sustained success.
🏀 If MPJ can't shoot because of injury he shouldn't be on the court.
Michael Porter Jr. is a hell of a player, but his shoulder injury is affecting his shot (and his ability to defend). If he can't shoot, he shouldn't be on the floor. His three misses from distance in the second half last night aided the OKC comeback. He shot 1-7 overall including 0-5 from 3. Denver's bench is thin, but Julian Strawther would likely have contributed more. Don't get me wrong —— MPJ en fuego is a sight to behold –— but it didn't take much to see that he wasn't going to catch fire last night.
🏀 The Raptors drafting Khaman Maluach feels like a foregone conclusion.
You have to figure that the Raptors are looking for size/their C of the future with the #9 pick. If that's true, the list is somewhat short: Maluach, Derik Queen, Thomas Sorber (who is rising fast). All three have their charms (I'm partial to Queen), but I wish it didn't feel like a foregone conclusion that Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster are keying in on the African guy for reasons including but not limited to that teams who are a) drafting before #9 and b) are run by smart GMs —— cough, Brooklyn —— will extort our FO if they sniff a hint of anxiety re: whether or not Maluach will be off the board before #9.
🏀 Joel Embiid's contract is untradeable.
The Sixers have good young talent (Maxey, McCain, Bona, Edwards, Grimes, JHS) and some useful vets (Yabusele, Drummond, Oubre), but they're hamstrung by their commitments to Paul George and Embiid. Like, if you remember one number from this post, please let it be that Embiid has a $69,065,472 player option for 2028-2029. It feels obvious the Sixers' future depends on their young core + the #3 pick and less on the likes of George and Embiid.
🏀 I love the O-City Crew.
My partner and I have serious conversations about each NBA team's dance troupe(s) and the O-City Crew (sometimes stylized as the O'City Crew) are among our favourites. The types of bodies are diverse, the choreo is always good, and generally speaking, every single member serves. If you watch OKC games on League Pass (or, like, stream LP illegally like everyone does), keep an eye out for the alternate/secondary teams.
BALL
IS
LIFE