A basketball fans outlook

Sunday & Monday-Wednesday-Friday & Saturday

A breakthrough…maybe

The Lakers beat the Nuggets in OT Saturday evening, the final score 127-125. Luka the Don hit the game winner with seconds remaining on the clock. The question is asked, was this game a breakthrough? The Nuggets, especially the Joker, has been Kryptonite to the Lakers in recent years. Now the Lakers hold on to the third slot in the Western Conference standings, the win became the 5th in a row and only the Hawks (9) have a longer winning streak in the NBA as this is written.

The questions regarding the Lakers cannot be fully assessed until the end of the regular season and perhaps the playoffs. The defense while not outstanding appears to be improved over that we saw at points during the season. Marcus Smart at times cannot throw the ball in the ocean but the veteran certainly has been able to provide a defensive stance. He’s replaced Rui Hachimura in the starting lineup, Rui wasn’t sent to the bench because he was playing poorly. It was an exchange, the defense of Smart was exchanged for the offense of Rui. We shall see over the next several weeks if the new look Lakers are for real.

There’s movement

The three NBA mock drafts that I regularly monitor have updated their top selections ending last week. Previously, Darryn Peterson, who plays at Kansas has consistently held the top spot on all three sites for most of the collegiate season. He’s been supplanted at the top spot if only on a temporary basis. While these projections are speculative and not definitive, they may offer some insight into current thinking among NBA front offices.

AJ Dybansta from BYU is now projected as the leading pick, with Peterson moving to second—and, in one case, third. Should this scenario materialize, it would not necessarily be a setback for Peterson if we check the following information. From SI.com; “No 1 pick estimated $62.7 million total over 4 years, with a 13.8 million rookie year salary. The Top 4 picks are anticipated to receive salaries roughly between $10 million and $13.8 million in their first year depending on the exact salary cap.” As for Peterson it is highly unlikely he will be hurt immensely even if he dropped to number two. There are deals of an unspecified nature working with Adidas and Fanatics.

Meanwhile….

I found this comparison and thought it interesting, a year 3 stat comparison between former Spurs forward Tim Duncan and current forward Victor Wembanyama. Please keep in mind I’m not stating Victor Wembanyama is on the same level of Tim Duncan but the comparison is noteworthy in addition the season is not compete for Wemby

Tim Duncan                                                      Victor Wembanyama

23.3                              PPG                             23.7

12.2                              RBG                             11.2

2.2                                BPG                             2.9

49.0                              FG%                             50.1

I’m watching the Warriors-Thunder game and the television camera focuses on Kristaps Porzingis prior to the start of the game. The announcer mentioned Porzingis has been cleared to play. There have been health issues since his arrival with the Warriors, tonight is just his second game. He’s now in year 10 in the NBA and at 30 years of age has become a journeyman player. Keep in mind I didn’t say he wasn’t talented it’s just the fact he must keep a suitcase packed. After being drafted by the Knicks in 2015 he’s traveled plenty during his career. He’s called Madison Square Garden home, then it was American Airlines Center (Dallas), TD Boston Garden, Capital One Arena (Washington DC), State Farm Arena (Atlanta) and now Chase Center (San Francisco).  

The Greater Toronto, Ontario, Canada area appears to be a hotbed for developing Canadian basketball talent. We knew that was home for last season’s MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander but he’s not the only one. Andrew Wiggins, Dillon Brooks and Jamal Murray are just a few of the names. According to information I uncovered on opening night last fall, there were 25 Canadian players on rosters across the 30 NBA teams, according to my findings. My research results indicate that only 8 of these players are from regions outside the Greater Toronto Area. I didn’t realize until I began this project, basketball is played in Canadian high schools although ice hockey remains the most popular sport in the nation.

Malloy Smith is a rising prospect, the 6-foot 6 Smith is a combo guard from Santa Ana California in the Class of 2026, he is enrolled at Mater Dei High School. Smith has committed to play in the fall for North Carolina, just in case the last name sounds familiar to you it should. Malloy is the son of Kenny “The Jet” Smith, of course longtime viewers of Inside the NBA are familiar with The Jet, the portion most might be unaware he had a 10 year NBA career. The Jet was also two-time NBA champion with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995.