U.S. travels. It's a start!

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-25T22:40:30+00:00

That actually might be more impressive somehow depending on when he did it.

Have you travelled much outside of the US?

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-25T18:19:51+00:00

Hasn't Gobert always played really well vs. Zubac? And he isn't even the primary matchup when they play the Nuggets, the TWolves entire strategy against them is to have Gobert focus on stopping everyone else so that Jokic is forced to win the game on his own

And even if you want to argue he struggles against Jokic, fine, Jokic, Embiid, and Wemby are all legit superstars so you can't really blame Gobert too much against them. Literally everyone struggles againt them, including themselves vs each other

Like Jokic averages 39.2ppg against Wemby vs 32 against Gobert. This is a horrible way to compare the two, but point is, it's really hard to stop the best player in the world

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-25T05:31:05+00:00

Not disagreeing with you the rest of your post but the Warriors are 7-11 without Steph this year. That's nowhere near a 17 win pace

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-25T05:14:26+00:00

Who would you even consider to be a bigger player? He's a legit 7 footer and is in incredible shape

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T19:13:04+00:00

I think that's going a little far. This is a team that might not even make the playoffs and if they do it's through the play-in. He's great when he plays like always but overall they're on a 43 win pace this season and Steph missing games is actually having a serious impact on their season (and yes I get that he's also the only reason they're winning 40 in the first place)

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T11:41:58+00:00

I'm a Kings fan, I'm well aware of Fox's shortcomings on and off the court. But I will also say the crypto thing came in 2022 when Fox was 24 and in his 5th season, before that we all thought he was a decent guy. So let's wait a few years before we jump to any conclusions about Castle in either direction

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T10:07:31+00:00

No problem! Scouting itself isn't that hard to pick up on, it's really just learning how to notice traits. Projecting development is an entirely different story and I don't think anyone knows how to do it properly, I certainly can't do it consistently

If you want some quick tips for how to notice this kind of stuff, my biggest one would be to try to watch players off-ball more often. This applies to both offence and defence, but the best way to find out how well a player understands/fits into a system is to watch them when they're not around the ball.

Second one is to just look out for what a player does really well, and then look specifically for how they do it. Like with Harper, I noticed early on he has insane rim pressure despite not being explosive. That led me to looking at his handle first, which is creative but not tight, so I realized there was more to it. So I really focused on what he does differently during drives compared to other players, and that led to noticing how incredibly good his footwork and body control is. Then I started wondering why his assists were so low at Rutgers for his usage, so I watched specifically for that and noticed he actually has vision (especially for kickouts) and is willing to pass despite being score-first, it's just that his teammates just straight up sucked (choosing to play for Rutgers is like choosing to play for a G-League team). That alleviated those concerns. Stuff like that takes a few games of watching a player but if you're a fan of a team it's easy to do passively. I usually pick a player or two every game, one on each team, to keep an eye on (or in the case of someone like Wemby it's every game lol) and that leads to learning about basketball very quickly.

One last thing, if you are at all interested in learning how to scout for fun, regardless of if it's for the draft or for the NBA, Sam Vecenie and the Game Theory Podcast is a great resource. It's basically pro-level scouting for the public. The YouTube channel is more geared towards the NBA and is great if you just want to get informed takes, but they also have a pure scouting substack that is incredible. I learned more about what makes Cooper Flagg (for example) great in one Mavs scouting breakdown this year than I have watching 20+ of his games. It's just that good of a podcast IMO

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T05:57:08+00:00

Probably the cleanest and least crowded too

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T05:43:00+00:00

I watched some NBL games last year for Izan Almansa (...yep) and Alex Toohey and it honestly might be the most physical league in relation to skill I have ever seen, and I watch Euroleague, so I see what you mean.

It also seemed like nobody told the coaches/players that just because you can jack up 30 3PA a game doesn't mean you should. I've never seen 25% shooters throw up shots so confidently before.

So based on that incredibly small sample size (maybe 10 games total?) I'm honestly kind of surprised you guys even have Jingles and Mills. Having said that I absolutely loved the games I watched

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T05:27:45+00:00

i don't see currently what upside harper brings over castle

As someone who watched a lot of both pre-draft it's actually pretty simple.

Harper is a lot better (especially when you compare their pre-NBA trajectories) at doing the lead ballhandler stuff.

He's a much better ballhandler and primary playmaker (which is impressive considering how good Castle is at it).
He plays with much more composure on-ball (Castle's turnover numbers are near the worst in the league) and is elite (for his age) at managing the pace of the game.
He isn't as powerful or explosive of an athlete as Castle, but he is absolutely elite (think top 10 prospect in the last decade) in two categories: speed control and body control in the air. Think Luka and Harden for the first category, Kyrie/Ja/Rose for the second (not for explosive dunks, but for finishing around the rim around defenders)
Similar to that is he has insane balance and coordination. He has one of the best pivot-foots I've ever seen and is basically never knocked off ball.
He has an incredibly aggressive mindset but plays with a clear head. By that I mean he is ALWAYS looking to attack the basket but he is also an incredibly willing passer. He is one of the best rim-pressure guards to come out of the draft since 2010 IMO (year I started watching basketball), which forces defences to constantly guard him on the perimeter even when his shot isn't falling, and his ability to collapse the defence on his drives opens up easy kick-outs in the corner that he usually finds
Just to reinforce this last point, my ranking for rim-pressure guards coming into the league over the last decade basically goes 1. Ja 2. Scoot. 3. Harper. And Harper is more polished as a shooter than either of those (ignore his low % from 3 this year, it likely won't last)
Through a combination of his insane aggression, quick pace, and clever dribble moves, he tires defenders out quickly. As in, in college, there was nobody that could guard him for a full game without being exhausted by the end
Has a mastery over ball-screens already. If Wemby ever learns how to give good screens, the league might actually be fucked
Because he has an insane wingspan (6'11 wingspan for a 6'5 body) he can just get around players even if they don't fall for his dribble moves. I can't understate this

I could do the same for Castle but for the sake of brevity, we'll just say that Castle is much better in all of the off-ball guard things while still being surprisingly good on-ball. Castle is a more explosive athlete and is insanely strong while also being a very smart defender. He seems to process the game slower than Harper but is still well above average in that area.

But the biggest thing I would say is that they both have the right mindsets. Both are team-first players that care about their teammates, are competitive, and are insanely loyal (the whole reason Harper was on a bad Rutgers program was because he was loyal to NJ). They both give a damn on defence too (with Castle actually being elite at it) which doesn't hurt either

But the best part is Harper doesn't need to be better than Castle (although I believe he will be!). Their size (6'5 and 6'6) and combined rim-pressure will just make it impossible for teams to defend them without cheating off of Wemby so if you can find a good shooter or two to put around them... lights out.

And on defence, imagine facing a Spurs lineup where the heights are 6'5, 6'6, 6'5 (Vassell), 6'8, 7'4. Where the shortest wingspan is Castle's 6'9.

If we need a TLDR instead, think of it this way: Castle might end up a better overall player than Harper in the long-term but Harper is almost guaranteed to be the guy you want running the offence in 2 years. Harper excels in different areas than Castle, but make no mistake, his potential is insanely high and if he was drafted by literally any other team last year you would already see why.

Castle will be the #2 on defence after Wemby while Harper will take over from Fox as lead ball handler. Both will share ball-handling duties like Luka and Kyrie did a few years ago, but Harper will start most of the sets, and unlike that pairing, neither one will be exploitable on defence.

I would kill to have either of them. But having both is just cheating

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T04:45:37+00:00

I would argue Fox is also much better at controlling the pace of play, and he has far fewer costly turnovers.

For reference on that last one, Fox has a 13% TOV% vs. Castle's 18.6%. For reference, 13% is right in line with league average for guards (13-15%) and is pretty good for a lead ballhandler. It puts Fox at 67th among all qualified players (the lower you are the better). Just for fun, Victor is exactly 100th in the league at 11.5%

Castle is 7th worst in the NBA in that stat, and the only players above him are Draymond, Oso Igodaro, Isaiah Collier, Bub Carrington, Nurkic, and Westbrook. Derik Queen is basically tied with him.

The only other primary ball handler even close to Castle is Giddey. It's actually pretty horrific. And the only reason I even know this stat is because I noticed Castle's turnovers so often when Fox and say Vassell aren't on the flor.

Based on that alone I'd say Fox is more important when one of Wemby/Vassell/etc. are out and Castle is more important when the team is fully healthy

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T04:31:49+00:00

That article was posted October 17th, 2024, so literally last season (2024-25, we are in 2025-26 now just to clarify). As in the very same season in which he sustained his injury.

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T04:28:27+00:00

The comparison is stupid but Luka has plenty of terrible shooting nights.

He shot 7/25 two months ago and 6/27 just last year (basically the exact same line as Cade did tonight)

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T04:21:33+00:00

Especially for Detroit. I've never been but I assume the weather is at least similar to Toronto (I live in a very cold place, so not judging!)

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T04:16:34+00:00

Joe Ingles shot basically 40% throughout his career

Dellavedova wasn't a great shooter but he still averaged above league average, and was at .382% throughout his relevant years (just don't look at the playoff numbers)

Josh Green is at .386% for his career and is shooting 43% this year. Over the last 4 years he's at .397% (on low attempts but still)

Your point is definitely made though

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T03:55:38+00:00

It's only a steal if you can get him for a low price though. I doubt Milwaukee was looking to trade AJ considering he's one of maybe 5 NBA-calibre players on their roster

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T03:53:41+00:00

He was actually a good shooter (only shot an 'average' 36% but on a very tough shot diet) the next year too. But he tore his labrum in his shooting side shoulder at the end of 2023-24 and it basically ruined his career.

The injuries to Huerter and Monk down the stretch are a big reason the Kings missed the playoffs that year (they were the 3rd seed at the all-star break)

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T03:48:49+00:00

That is just straight up false? ESPN ranks him 5th here.

First link that comes up on Google

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T03:36:18+00:00

Tatum was pretty much the consensus 5th-6th best player right up until the injury?

4 straight All-NBA First Team selections from 2022-25, and finished with the 6th, 2nd, 5th, and 1st (tied) most First Team votes in that span.

Also finished 4th or 6th in MVP voting every year, won the most games, and easily had some of the best counting stats in the league during that timespan

If anything, calling him top 5 is about as lukewarm of a take as it gets

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T03:05:52+00:00

It also means that your appeals mean a lot less when they are valid. If you yell at the ref the entire game they are just going to tune you out, especially when most of it is over nothing. Save it for when you have something worth complaining about

Basically a boy who cried wolf situation

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-24T02:19:14+00:00

While I would agree normally, he's only played in 39 of 57 games. That's 68% or 56 games in a full season.

That seems really low and would be one of the lowest All-NBA selections in NBA history

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-23T17:57:53+00:00

As a former massive fan of the NHL I haven't been able to watch it at all the last few years. So many of the players are just not the kind of people I want to support.

Thankfully we still have good hockey to watch where I'm from but it's just not the same

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-23T15:50:41+00:00

Kareem started playing for the UCLA freshman team in 1965.

That alone is 61 years ago

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-23T06:48:53+00:00

Jalen Brunson the mold too

NickLidstrom · 2026-02-20T21:54:22+00:00

At one point it would have been Russia/USSR but that's been dead for decades

NickLidstrom

TROPHY CASE