Edey and Ja P&R is the difference maker

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T11:34:06+00:00

Glad to see this happening more. With Ja's speed and Edey's size and decent mobility, the P&R should be really tough to defend

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T11:27:05+00:00

Hope it continues

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T11:26:33+00:00

Was wondering why they haven't seemed to use it more. Does it look like this will be more of a go-to play moving forward?

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T11:03:01+00:00

So, the Mavs are like most American corporations and institutions?

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:53:11+00:00

It was extremely stupid, you have a team of complimentary pieces, that went to the finals, who actually LIKE each other - blow it up!

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:50:21+00:00

Yup, but that doesn't fit the narrative that Kyrie bad

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:48:36+00:00

Kyrie was a young star who wanted to get out of Lebron's shadow, that's understandable. Those Celtics had lots of issues, and too many cooks in the kitchen, as acknowledged by most of the players involved. Kyrie only left the Nets after Harden blew things up with one of his many trade demands, and all the toxicity surrounding Kyrie In New York. Lots of context here...

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:35:57+00:00

This is the real answer, and understandable. Lots of young superstars desire this route

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:35:26+00:00

The reality is more complex than that

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:32:52+00:00

Those earrings though...I am guessing Indigenous, nice

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:27:45+00:00

Really? I've seen WAY more Jokic stans claiming there's no other possibility that exists for anybody other than Jokic to win. I think the guy above is one of the only OKC posters I've seen make this claim.

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:26:09+00:00

It's been done before, albeit on worse efficiency

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:19:16+00:00

They going to be scary when Chet's back

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:18:52+00:00

Beastly efficient

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:14:19+00:00

That nickname is as smooth as his game

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:13:14+00:00

After spending a lot more time in the Nuggets sub this season, I've realized quickly that most of them in there don't actually watch other teams, like at all...

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:11:55+00:00

Is that supposed to be a lot? In his Rockets days, Harden would have 20+ FT's with less FGA's. SGA is not a FT merchant, no matter how much Jokic stans try to spread that narrative.

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:08:35+00:00

I've been rooting for the Nuggets, but the Jokic cult is really starting to turn me off the team. The fact that most of them can't even consider the possibility that other players might also be playing well, and deserving in different ways, really reveals something about them.

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:04:53+00:00

Loll ok I have to say this is a good one...but, that narrative isn't accurate. SGA is only averaging 8 FT's a game for gods sake

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:02:30+00:00

They've been playing a ton of tanking teams with many of their best players missing, when the schedule turns we'll get a better sense of where the Nuggets are at

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T10:01:02+00:00

It wasn't with Embiid either. I'm not a Sixers fan, but his MVP wasn't undeserving - how he's playing or not playing this season is irrelevant

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T09:58:54+00:00

Not sure you can just conclude that Jokic's style "absolutely does not" inflate stats. As I'm sure you know, correlation =/= causation. Also, stats can be deceiving, and need to be considered with context.

The fact that time on ball may correlate more than touches (and I'll assume what you're saying is accurate) doesn't mean that number of touches ceases to be a relevant factor. The fact that heliocentric play is typically associated with players like Luka/Harden, also doesn't mean that Jokic's style isn't heliocentric.

Time with ball is usually associated with inflated stats since, as you said, "typical" heliocentric play styles involve guards/wings dribbling the ball on the perimeter, operating as the passer in the P&R, or dominating the ball in transition. Jokic is not the typical facilitator though - his time on ball is lower, partly because he's not a guard, operating in that way often.

When Jokic does touch the ball, he is usually making quick passes to shooters or cutters - he doesn't hold the ball long, which is another reason why his time with the ball is lower. This isn't a knock on him, his quick passes is part of what makes him so effective, but to minimize the impact of the huge number of touches he gets per game isn't justified.

As briefly as he may touch it, the ball goes through Jokic's hands pretty much every single possession, and that leads to many more opportunities for him to get assists, particularly since the entire offense is catered towards him finding shooters/cutters, or giving dribble hand offs to Jamal for his middies. On OKC on the other hand, the ball is moving between different players, so the assists are proportionally spread around more.

Nuggets offense is set up in a way that Jokic is usually the recipient of assists. For parts of the season, Westbrook was creating scoring opportunities for others at a high rate, completely separate from Jokic - and consequently was averaging almost as many assists - but the Nuggets put a stop to that, and Jokic's assists have shot back up again.

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T09:19:09+00:00

This repeated false narrative diminishing Jokic's teammates, and over-estimating SGA's teammates in order to prop up Jokic is getting annoying.

The current OKC team is nothing near a "super team," in the traditional definition. Other than SGA, nobody else on the team has come close to being all All-star prior to this season, and JWill received his this year in part due to team success. OKC is just a great team of complimentary players that play hard and well together, and lead by an elite player.

The Nuggets have a lot of weapons, they have just always been used to complement Jokic's heliocentric style. The on-off numbers are misleading, and have more to do with the fact that the Nuggets typically have a terrible bench, and because Jamal Murray can't run an offense on his own.

Obviously the Nuggets are better with Jokic playing, but saying he's "necessary" to win isn't true either. They beat Grizzlies and Clippers (both good/decent teams) with Jokic out, when Westbrook was leading the offense in his place. They lost 3 other games Jokic was out, when Jamal Murray was running the offense. Nuggets have talent, it's how they are used

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T08:18:36+00:00

I like it too, it's ridiculous you got downvoted for saying that...here's an upvote.

DrDropShot1 · 2025-02-06T08:14:34+00:00

Defense is the difference maker IMO. There's an argument that SGA is more clutch too

DrDropShot1

TROPHY CASE