Week 11 Recap and Roze's 5 Things

Standings - Games played through January 4th 

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers 30-4
2. Boston Celtics 26-9
3. New York Knicks 24-12
4. Orlando Magic 21-15
5. Milwaukee Bucks 17-16
6. Miami Heat 17-16
7. Atlanta Hawks 18-18
8. Indiana Pacers 18-18
9. Detroit Pistons 17-18
10. Chicago Bulls 16-19
11. Philadelphia 76ers 14-19
12. Brooklyn Nets 13-22
13. Toronto Raptors 8-27
14. Charlotte Hornets 7-26
15. Washington Wizards 6-26

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City Thunder29-5
2. Houston Rockets 22-12
3. Memphis Grizzlies 23-13
4. Denver Nuggets 20-14
5. Los Angeles Lakers 20-14
6. Dallas Mavericks 20-15
7. LA Clippers 20-15
8. Golden State Warriors 18-16
9. San Antonio Spurs 18-17
10. Minnesota Timberwolves 17-17
11. Sacramento Kings 16-19
12. Phoenix Suns 15-18
13. Portland Trail Blazers 12-22
14. Utah Jazz 8-25
15. New Orleans Pelicans 6-29

Reaction 

In the Eastern Conference the top three remain unchanged for the third straight week. However, the New York Knicks have dropped their last 2 games after winning 9 straight games. The Celtics are in the midst of a tough Western Conference trip, playing Minnesota, Houston, and Oklahoma City in three straight games. The Cavaliers gear up for their toughest test of the season when they visit Oklahoma City Wednesday night. The Magic continue to drop games, but the Bucks are 3-5 since their NBA Cup win against Oklahoma City. 5-9 seed are all only separated by 1 game, with the Piston being the hottest group of the bunch, winning their last 3 games and the Pacers have won their last 2 games getting them to .500 for the first time in over a month. The 76ers are only a game out the the play-in after starting 3-14 this year. While the Hornets have fallen all the way back to the Wizards with their recent tumble. The Nets and Raptors remain in the same spots. 

In the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder have extended their lead to 7 games after recent losses by the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Mavericks. The Mavericks have now lost their last 4 games and are 4-6 in their last 10. The injury to Doncic and suspensions to PJ Washington and Naji Marshall haven't helped as they move all the way back to the 6th seed. Meanwhile the Nuggets and Lakers have moved into the 4th and 5th seeds They are 6-4 and 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Clippers, Warriors, Spurs, and Timberwolves round out the play-in for now. The Clippers also had Kawhi Leonard join the team in their recent game versus the Hawks. The Timberwolves however have lost their last 3 games dropping them into the 10th seed after being 7th last week.  Kings have won their last 3 games since Doug Christie took over for Mike Brown and have leap frogged the Suns who now sit at 15-18 after starting the season 9-2. They have lost their last 4 games and are 3-7 in their last 10. Meanwhile the Blazers, Jazz, and Pelicans round out the bottom of the Western Conference. 

News Recap

Monday, December 30th 

Marcus Smart will be out for 2 weeks with a finger injury. 

Ja Morant will be week-to-week with an AC shoulder sprain. 

Thursday, January 2nd 

Jaden Ivey will be out for an extended period after sustaining a broken fibula vs the Orlando Magic.

Friday, January 3rd

Jabari Smith will be out for 4-8 weeks with a broken hand.

The Miami Heat suspends Jimmy Butler for 7 games for conduct detrimental to the team. Butler has publicly announced that he wants to be traded anywhere. 

Saturday, January 4th 

Derrick Rose's jersey will be retired for the Chicago Bulls next year. Rose retired from Professional basketball earlier in the Summer. 

Roze’s 5 Things 

1) The Nuggets Pace on Offense 

If you were worried about the Nuggets on offense after the lackluster offseason and free agency they had like I was, don’t be. After opening the season hovering around .500, Denver has found itself. Now the Nuggets found ways to pick up their offense after a postseason that saw the predictability of it set in against the Lakers and Timberwolves. Sure, having Nikola Jokic average a 30-point triple-double, but everyone else is a threat as well. The main thing for it has been the addition of Russell Westbrook this year. Westbrook when in the starting lineup has Denver with a record of 8-2. With Westbrook on the floor this season the Nuggets have a pace of 105, which would be the highest in the NBA, they currently as a team sit at 3rd with a current pace of 102.09. The pace has led to the Nuggets getting some easier shots earlier in the clock and has allowed Nikola Jokic to create other threats on the floor for Denver too. The Westbrook and Jokic pick-and-roll has been very good so far and part of it is Westbrook flies the ball up the floor and allows Denver to get some inverted ball screens involving both Jokic and Westbrook. I also love how Jokic is making a conscious effort to look for hit-ahead passes to get the defender shifted before entering the half-court. Mike Malone said Denver needed to find ways to separate the gap between being a low 3-point attempt team and those who take a high amount of attempts. Playing with pace has closed that gap and has the Denver offense at 4th in the NBA with a rating of 117.1. 

2) Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are pick-and-roll machines. 

Both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are looking to make an All-Star team while leading the Cavaliers to an NBA-best record at 30-4 this year. While I took take a look at the shooting percentages of both players to show the efficient seasons both are having I wanted to focus on the pick-and-roll reps they’ve had so far. The Cavs have an NBA-best 121.4 offensive rating and are one of the best teams in pick-and-roll offense, mainly because of both Mitchell and Garland. In 246 pick-and-rolls so far this season, Darius Garland is averaging 1.13 points per possession and shooting 51.4% in the pick-and-roll situations so far this year. Garland is doing a great job of holding bigs and helping to get the roller open and he’s doing a great job of getting to his spots as well. The balance between making plays for others and being aggressive in looking for his shot has been very good so far this year. His shooting percentages of 49% from the field and 43% from 3 reflect the pick-and-roll efficiency he has had this year. Garland is in the 92nd percentile in pick-and-roll efficiency this year. Mitchell has been equaling as good. Mitchell has the most pick-and-rolls on the Cavs with 298 possessions so far this season and has been very impressive. He’s a lot more aggressive in looking for his shot out of pick-and-rolls and has been very good. He’s averaging 1.00 points per possession and shooting 112/251 from the field (44.6%). The volume and efficiency of Mitchell have led to the Cavs becoming a much more complete offense. He is shooting 46% from the field and 41% from 3. Overall Mitchell ranks in the 78th percentile in pick-and-roll efficiency this year. 

3) Is Norman Powell an All-Star?

Norman Powell in his 9th season in the NBA is having his best and most efficient so far on the Clippers. He is shooting 48% from the field and 44% from 3. He is shooting 17 shots a game and 8 threes a game so far. He is averaging a career-best 23.6 points per game while helping the Clippers to an early 19-15 start and have them 7th in the Western Conference after outperforming expectations early in the season so far. Does this make Norman Powell an All-Star? Maybe, maybe not, but I won’t let the production go unknown. His efficiency cannot be overstated and I just want to go through all of his stats so far this year that insane for the volume he is on. He is shooting 47% on catch-and-shoot 3s so far this year on 4.3 attempts per game and is shooting 41% on pull-up 3s on 3.9 attempts per game. He’s shooting 55.6% from 10 feet and showcasing the diverse shooting portfolio he boasts. In 129 transition possession according to tracking data he is averaging 1.26 points per possession and shooting 54.7% in those types of shots, good for being in the 80th percentile in the NBA. Powell also gets a ton of off-ball screens and does extremely well in those scenarios as well. He is averaging 1.19 points per possession and shooting 52% on those actions. This has him in the 89th percentile for the NBA. In handoff situations, Powell averages 1.22 points per possession and shoots 50% in those scenarios as well. That number has him in the 88th percentile in the NBA. Powell has been ultra-efficient this year and has been awesome for the Clippers so far, who got Kawhi Leonard back yesterday. 

4) Minnesota’s resurgence on defense. 

The Timberwolves' struggles have gone back and forth between the offense and defense early on in the season, however, they might have found their footing on the defensive end in the last month. They were 2nd in the NBA in defensive rating for December at 105.1. The offense continues to struggle, but the biggest drop-off from last season was the defense, which after leading the NBA last year, was down to 9th in November at a rating of 111.1. They were 4th in December in the opponent’s shooting percentage at 44.6% and 4th in the opponent's 3-point percentage at 33.2%. The Timberwolves also allow the 5th fewest free throws per game at 18.2 a game. In improving these areas the Timberwolves have begun to see some success. Now the offense is still struggling and mainly teams are loading up on Anthony Edwards. However, the defense has come back and nearing levels it was last year. Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Rudy Gobert have started to pick up their defensive levels over the last month and have helped the Wolves gain some type of stability on that end of the floor. 

5) What is Trey Murphy’s ceiling?

Trey Murphy had 34 points in the Pelicans game the other day versus the Miami Heat and it was ultra impressive. He was putting the ball on the floor well, making some nice plays out of pick-and-roll situations, and shooting well behind the 3-point line. The Pelicans are not good currently. They are in the basement of the Western Conference with the worst record at 6-29. They’ve dealt with injuries the entire season in nearly the whole roster and have played some different lineups than they imagined. However, Trye Murphy has seen this as an opportunity t expand his game and that’s what he is doing. He’s taking 5 more shots a game than he did last year and averaging a career-high 20.6 points per game so far this season. The shooting numbers are down a little bit at 44% from the field and 36% from 3. But the volume and difficulty of these shots have seen an increase. He’s already a very good defender and if the Pelicans decide to move off of franchise player Zion Williamson Murphy’s development will be a primary reason why. He recently signed a 4-year 120 million 120-million-dollar rookie extension last season and offered the Pelicans a lengthy 3 and D wing to pair well next to the roster. Yes, 25% on pull-up threes is bad and he’s only taking 2.5 attempts a game, but he’s still shooting 42% on catch-and-shoot threes on 5.2 attempts a game. He’s diversified his scoring only scoring 45% of his points at the three-point line and scoring 38% of his points from 2. Both his unassisted 2-point field goals and 3-point field goals have seen an increase indicating there’s a level of shot creation that he’s tapping into during the Pelicans season so far. I think Trey Murphy can be an All-Star personally and make an All-NBA defensive team, but he’ll need to keep this production up on a team that isn’t 6-29 35 games into the regular season.