2024 NBA Season and Playoffs

[Goldstar88]

Embiid was 3-8 from the FT line and had 7 turnovers. That’s just unacceptable.

Edit* Giannis was 3-9 from the FT line and also had 7 turnovers. 

[Who]

Bit ominous lakers are losing at the half at home to the suns without Booker or Beal. I don’t think they are gonna be able to keep this minutes restrictions on Lebron and win many games in the loaded west.

Yeah, I'd expect LAL to scrape in to the playoffs again. Not be one of the leaders in the conference.

Especially once AD and LeBron start missing games.

[Who]

I was surprised to see Jay Williams on ESPN pick Sacramento as the 2nd best team in the West. Not just 2nd regular season wise but in terms of having the 2nd best odds of winning the title.

They had a great year last season but I don't see them as having the talent to make a long playoff run. Just winning one playoff series would be a very successful year for them.

They had a lot of injury related / good health luck last year that boosted their standings. While others had bad luck. Even then, they were still very much a regular season type team. A regular season titan playoff pretender.

I have them somewhere around 6th or 7th in West in terms of chances of making the Finals.

[tazzmaniac]

Embiid is a black hole on offense. This is the elephant in the room that will prevent them from ever winning anything of consequence.

They also played idiotic defense down the stretch. Oubre in particular was abysmal at that end. They always look so discombobulated. It is ridiculous. I don't know how their fans put up with it.

Embiid had 6 assists including 4 in the 4th quarter.  He averaged 4.2 assists per game last season.  So not a black hole.  If Embiid shoots like he normally does from the line, they win the game without Harden playing. 

[Who]

That is a strange bench for LAL.

They have played two PFs in Hachimura and a PF/C in C Wood. A center in Jaxson Hayes. Another (low skill) SF in Cam Reddish. Only one guard in Gabe Vincent who is a low skilled defensive guard.

Strange bench. No help for Gabe Vincent in terms of ball-handling and passing from any of the other bench players. Lack of quality shooters. Reddish and Hachimura okay but not good. Nobody who can make a shot off the dribble other than Vincent (who isn't much good at it either, he just takes a lot of them).

Not a good looking bench. I suppose they got some versatility in the starters with D Russell, A Reaves and LeBron. Ball-handlers, passers and two shooting guards.

Not much shooting. Too big on the wings and at forward. Not enough skill.

[Who]

I am keeping an eye on Max Christie. I reckon he could make LAL's rotation before the season is done. They need another guard as an option off that bench.

[celticsclay]

Embiid is a black hole on offense. This is the elephant in the room that will prevent them from ever winning anything of consequence.

They also played idiotic defense down the stretch. Oubre in particular was abysmal at that end. They always look so discombobulated. It is ridiculous. I don't know how their fans put up with it.

Embiid had 6 assists including 4 in the 4th quarter.  He averaged 4.2 assists per game last season.  So not a black hole.  If Embiid shoots like he normally does from the line, they win the game without Harden playing.

6 assists against 7 turnovers is kind of relevant. He does try to pass but still struggles getting out of double teams.

[Who]

I don't like that Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura frontcourt off the bench.

I'd like to see LAL start C Wood at PF with LeBron at SF. Then use Hachimura as a backup PF/C like they did in the playoffs last year with J Hayes getting some backup C minutes when they need a bigger body.

I worry they will lose some of Hachimura's good offensive play by down-positioning him to SF where he has less of a skill-advantage. He can create matchup advantages at PF particularly against teams with low skill backup PFs which he did well in the playoffs. He won't get that anywhere near as much as SF.

The other option is to drop Jaxson Hayes from the picture and use C Wood exclusively as a center, as a backup center. Keep Hachimura at PF that way. I like Wood best as a combo player who switches between PF and C. At C he is a largely an offense-only guy. At PF he can be an asset on defense and offense but no longer a game-changer (matchup problem) on offense. Just good.

LAL doing even worse than trying to fit all three of these guys off the bench (instead of using just 2). They are trying to sandwhich in Cam Reddish into that frontcourt as well. Cluttered. Guys getting in each other's way. Making each other and the team worse. Not good. And then there is Taureen Prince who is another PF/SF and the injured Vanderbilt who is another defensive PF. Clutter, clutter, clutter. Getting in each other's way.

[Who]

Durant gets away with a lot of charges.

[Who]

Nurkic getting abused in the PnR by LeBron.

Ayton would have done much better.

[celticsclay]

Gutsy comeback win for the lakers but I don’t think they can pleased how much that took to beat a suns team wheee the second best player was Eric Gordon. Lebron played entire 4th and dominated down stretch.

[celticsclay]

I don't like that Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura frontcourt off the bench.

I'd like to see LAL start C Wood at PF with LeBron at SF. Then use Hachimura as a backup PF/C like they did in the playoffs last year with J Hayes getting some backup C minutes when they need a bigger body.

I worry they will lose some of Hachimura's good offensive play by down-positioning him to SF where he has less of a skill-advantage. He can create matchup advantages at PF particularly against teams with low skill backup PFs which he did well in the playoffs. He won't get that anywhere near as much as SF.

The other option is to drop Jaxson Hayes from the picture and use C Wood exclusively as a center, as a backup center. Keep Hachimura at PF that way. I like Wood best as a combo player who switches between PF and C. At C he is a largely an offense-only guy. At PF he can be an asset on defense and offense but no longer a game-changer (matchup problem) on offense. Just good.

LAL doing even worse than trying to fit all three of these guys off the bench (instead of using just 2). They are trying to sandwhich in Cam Reddish into that frontcourt as well. Cluttered. Guys getting in each other's way. Making each other and the team worse. Not good. And then there is Taureen Prince who is another PF/SF and the injured Vanderbilt who is another defensive PF. Clutter, clutter, clutter. Getting in each other's way.

Wood is not a good fit alongside Davis, Lebron and Russell. He looks for his own shot too much. It was probably a bad place for him to go on a short low money contract. Could be Thomas Bryant all over again. To his credit he did play good defense and work the glass tonight. Will be interesting to see if he keeps that up.

[SparzWizard]

Bit ominous lakers are losing at the half at home to the suns without Booker or Beal. I don’t think they are gonna be able to keep this minutes restrictions on Lebron and win many games in the loaded west.

Yeah, I'd expect LAL to scrape in to the playoffs again. Not be one of the leaders in the conference.

Especially once AD and LeBron start missing games.

Like last year. Win the play-ins, got in as the 7th seed. Took out Memphis and GSW without home-court advantage. Healthy and serious LeBron and AD will take them far, at least to the WCF. With their newest additions, they have some depth.

[kraidstar]

Embiid is a black hole on offense. This is the elephant in the room that will prevent them from ever winning anything of consequence.

They also played idiotic defense down the stretch. Oubre in particular was abysmal at that end. They always look so discombobulated. It is ridiculous. I don't know how their fans put up with it.

Embiid had 6 assists including 4 in the 4th quarter.  He averaged 4.2 assists per game last season.  So not a black hole.  If Embiid shoots like he normally does from the line, they win the game without Harden playing.

That assist total means squat if you're committing a lot of turnovers and forcing bad shots. See Russell Westbrook.

That Sixers offense has no flow at all.

[RMO]

Didn't see the game but looks like Phoenix really blew it late.  28-11 favoring the lakers in the fourth quarter and they won by five.

Oh well.