NBA Season 2025-26

[Who]

GSW has used 43 different starting lineups this season.

That is insane.

[radiohead]

So Luka and Cade are exempted from the 65 game rule. What do you guys make of this? I?m with the ?if you make a rule, then stand by it? camp. I can?t help but feel that if Luka wasn?t involved this would not have happened. Or maybe i just really hate the Lakers. This development better not result in JB not making All NBA first team.

[Who]

Golden State got a light frontcourt rotation

G: Steph, G Payton II
G: Podz, D Melton
F: Gui Santos
F: Draymond
C: Porzingis, Horford

No backup forwards. Only 1 true wing player in Gui Santos and he is more of a 3/4 than a 3/2. Went small with 3 guards a lot.

I am surprised LAC didn't make more of the matchup advantages by running Kawhi / J Collins to the post when they got one of those guards on them. John Collins in particular. Give them some more shot creation.

That lack of depth in the frontcourt - only 4 frontcourt players - is going to cause them problems over a series if they get through the next game. Phoenix is a small team too so probably won't hurt them in the next play-in game.

[Goldstar88]

Kawhi Leonard had really hurt this team with his lack of competitiveness and just seem doesn?t care

I mean, Kawhi had a career year statistically. He averaged 28pts/6rebs/4ast. Not sure how that is a lack of competitiveness.

did you watch the game last night.  It was bad especially at the end.  1 of 2 in 4th, 0 ft,  so just 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, 1 foul.  He played over 8 minutes and didn't do a thing.  3rd quarter wasnt much better either.  4 total shots scoring 5 points, 3 turnovers, 1 foul and he played all 12 minutes.  So in the 2nd half of a win or go home game, Kawhi had 7 points on 6 shots, grabbed 1 rebound, turned it over 5 times and committed 2 fouls playing over 20 minutes.

Yeah, Draymond was all over him. He?s first team all defense. Clippers set very few picks to get Draymond off of Kawhi. Are we just going to ignore that?

[Moranis]

So Luka and Cade are exempted from the 65 game rule. What do you guys make of this? I?m with the ?if you make a rule, then stand by it? camp. I can?t help but feel that if Luka wasn?t involved this would not have happened. Or maybe i just really hate the Lakers. This development better not result in JB not making All NBA first team.

Brown played about 200 more minutes than Doncic, but Doncic scored more points, grabbed more rebounds, dished out more assists, blocked more shots, and generated mlte steals. 

[Celtics2021]

So Luka and Cade are exempted from the 65 game rule. What do you guys make of this? I?m with the ?if you make a rule, then stand by it? camp. I can?t help but feel that if Luka wasn?t involved this would not have happened. Or maybe i just really hate the Lakers. This development better not result in JB not making All NBA first team.

Brown played about 200 more minutes than Doncic, but Doncic scored more points, grabbed more rebounds, dished out more assists, blocked more shots, and generated mlte steals.

And lost more games on a team with better talent, because there is way more to defense than getting steals and blocking shots.

[Who]

Tyronn Lue and Darius Garland are the only two confirmed pieces of the Los Angeles Clippers' future following their play-in elimination loss to the Golden State Warriors, as the franchise heads into an offseason clouded by roster uncertainty and an ongoing NBA investigation.

Lue is under contract as head coach through 2029. Garland, acquired at the February trade deadline from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the James Harden deal, is signed through 2028. A league source told The Athletic that both will return next season.

I couldn't help but think this is another playoff loss & disappointment for Garland. He did well on offense but he was picked on several times on defense and conceded easy baskets.

Just not a playoff player ....

Kawhi Leonard has one year left on his contract, and the franchise must decide whether to extend him or pursue a trade. Another league source said the Clippers believe the NBA's investigation into an alleged salary cap circumvention scheme involving Leonard will not produce significant punishment and that his contract will not be voided.

The NBA draft lottery on May 10 looms as a pivotal date. If the Indiana Pacers' pick falls outside the top four, the Clippers would select fifth or sixth, a potential factor in whether Leonard and the club opt to run it back together.

If they do get that pick, that will almost certainly be a guard right? The top 4 looks locked. Almost all of the next 6 guys are guards.

And they already got Garland. They should consider trading Garland or trading the pick (if they get it).

John Collins enters unrestricted free agency. Bennedict Mathurin, a restricted free agent, wants a starting role. Bradley Beal is expected to return from hip surgery but carries a player option. Veteran role players Nicolas Batum, Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovic all carry team options the Clippers could decline.

They should bring back Brook Lopez if they are keeping Kawhi but the other two - Batum & Bogdan - should be jettisoned. Their young wings Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller have already surpassed them.

I don't think John Collins made much of an impact. They never worked to create a true role for him. I find it odd that several teams (LAC, UTA, ATL) have done this. They just want him to orbit around other players instead of looking at his specific strengths and weaknesses and trying to get more out of him. There is more there. A pity. I expect that will continue for the remainder of his career. LAC will need to replace him if he leaves. Kawhi needs some muscle at forward alongside him. He doesn't have the defensive energy or rebounding to be the only big forward on a team. He needs help.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Mathurin. Maybe not that important with Beal set to return.

[Moranis]

So Luka and Cade are exempted from the 65 game rule. What do you guys make of this? I?m with the ?if you make a rule, then stand by it? camp. I can?t help but feel that if Luka wasn?t involved this would not have happened. Or maybe i just really hate the Lakers. This development better not result in JB not making All NBA first team.

Brown played about 200 more minutes than Doncic, but Doncic scored more points, grabbed more rebounds, dished out more assists, blocked more shots, and generated mlte steals.

And lost more games on a team with better talent, because there is way more to defense than getting steals and blocking shots.

Boston was 9-2 without Brown and his on/off differential per 100 possessions was - 4.6.  Simply put Boston was better when Brown was not in the game. I personally don't think it matters as much for All NBA as it does for MVP, but those stats speak for themselves.

On the other hand, the Lakers were 10-8 without Luka and his on/off is +4.8. So the Lakers were absolutely worse team with Luka on the bench. Again, for All NBA those value numbers aren't as important, but what is is that Luka simply was better statistically not only per game, but also in total. That matters a lot. 

[Roy H.]

Simply put Boston was better when Brown was not in the game.

Yep, the one guy holding us back this year was definitely Jaylen Brown.

[Vermont Green]

The on-off numbers provide some context that should be considered but of course there is a lot more to this.  I feel that Doncic will end up ahead of Brown and Cunningham in MVP and All-NBA voting.  I am OK with that.  I get that defense has a bigger impact that is often recognized, but I still have Doncic ahead of these guys.

As to supporting casts, I am not sure between LAL, DET, and BOS how that would stack up.  The BOS supporting cast was much better than anyone expected.  The LAL supporting cast had a lot of injuries.  And DET I am not so sure of.

But if Doncic is healthy, he can carry that LAL team in a way that neither Brown or Cunningham can.  I also think that Luka's defense is under-rated some.  He takes possessions off and will play soft to avoid fouls.  But I have him at closer to an average defender overall (rebounding is a part of this equation).  Brown is a better defender for sure.  I am not sure about Cunningham.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Simply put Boston was better when Brown was not in the game.

Yep, the one guy holding us back this year was definitely Jaylen Brown.

Yeah, this is a misinterpretation of a stat.

Boston outscored other teams when Brown was not in the game, but that does not mean they were better without him.

Fact is Brown played the starter rotation. Pritchard and the other bench guys played the sub rotations and were really good this year (a credit to Mazz and the bench guys).

Brown carried the weight of the team in the starter minutes. The bench built leads in the sub minutes.

Counting stats used to be used just like this to shut down all conversation. "30 points a game. He must be a star!" But anyone who watched the game understood the impact, regardless of the stats. Advanced stats were supposed to help clarify what we saw on the court.

Now on-off or bpm is used the same way to shut down all conversation. Rather than the stat helping us to understand a player, they have become king. But anyone who watches the game understands that Brown was a big reason for our success this year.

[Vermont Green]

The discussion here is if Brown should be 6th or so in MVP and 2nd team all NBA or 4th or 5th in MVP and 1st team all NBA (at least it is for me).  This reflects that he had a tremendous season and is a very good player.  There were a lot of reasons this team was way better than people thought and Brown was a big part of that.

I think Luka should be a little higher in the MVP and/or All NBA voting though.

As to the on-off, Brown always seems to be an outlier for this stat.  I am not sure why.  I think they do have him out there quite a bit to bolster the line up when they are deeper into the bench.  That can pull his numbers down.  But he was at worst a top 6 player this season.  That is pretty good.

[Moranis]

Simply put Boston was better when Brown was not in the game.

Yep, the one guy holding us back this year was definitely Jaylen Brown.

Yeah, this is a misinterpretation of a stat.

Boston outscored other teams when Brown was not in the game, but that does not mean they were better without him.

Fact is Brown played the starter rotation. Pritchard and the other bench guys played the sub rotations and were really good this year (a credit to Mazz and the bench guys).

Brown carried the weight of the team in the starter minutes. The bench built leads in the sub minutes.

Counting stats used to be used just like this to shut down all conversation. "30 points a game. He must be a star!" But anyone who watched the game understood the impact, regardless of the stats. Advanced stats were supposed to help clarify what we saw on the court.

Now on-off or bpm is used the same way to shut down all conversation. Rather than the stat helping us to understand a player, they have become king. But anyone who watches the game understands that Brown was a big reason for our success this year.

Sure, but I do think this year it sort of shows the limitations of Brown as a #1.  Brown has the lowest +/- per 100 of the starters on the team at +6.2.  Queta led the team at +13 and also had the best differential at +9.8.  White's differential was +9.7, so just behind Queta.  Brown only had 6.9 WinShares.  That is 4th on the Celtics behind Queta, Pritchard, and White.  His VORP at 3.3 is 2nd to White on the team.

Brown put up excellent stats, but none of the advanced metrics like him at all. I do think a lot of this is simply, Brown is a poor ball handler and not a very good passer.  He led the league in total turnovers after all with 259.  He had just 364 assists for an assist to turnover ratio of 1.4, which is not good at all for a lead playmaker.  He did draw more fouls, 266, than he committed 191, but that isnt a great ratio either. For comparison Luka drew 306 fouls and committed just 153, while SGA drew 279 and committed just 139.   They both had much better assist to turnover ratios as well.  Brown's usage was 36.2, which is very high and he just doesnt have the skill set of the other wings up in that range, Luka led the league at 38.1 and SGA was at 33.4.  Cade is a much better passer, but actually committed more fouls than he drew.  Also had a much lower usage at 30.5. 

I think Brown should be on the 1st team ahead of Cade, but it certainly wouldn't be a snub if Cade made it ahead of him because of Cade's passing brilliance and that his team was better than Boston.  And Detroit's supporting cast isnt exactly good (after all Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson start and play the 3rd and 4th mpg).

[Who]

Queta led the team at +13 and also had the best differential at +9.8.  White's differential was +9.7, so just behind Queta.  Brown only had 6.9 WinShares.  That is 4th on the Celtics behind Queta, Pritchard, and White.  His VORP at 3.3 is 2nd to White on the team

I think Queta's +/- numbers are juiced by the lack of a quality backup big man.

(1) Queta is the only center on the team who can play defense. Luka Garza one of the worst defensive centers in the league.

(2) Garza doesn't defensive rebound well either. He is a great offensive rebounder but a poor defensive rebounder. All the Celtics small ball lineups on top of that which leave the team vulnerable on the boards. That spikes Queta's +/- numbers more because he is outlier on the team in terms of rebounding.

It gives Queta an outsized impact on this squad due to the lack of alternative players with similar qualities.

[Moranis]

Queta led the team at +13 and also had the best differential at +9.8.  White's differential was +9.7, so just behind Queta.  Brown only had 6.9 WinShares.  That is 4th on the Celtics behind Queta, Pritchard, and White.  His VORP at 3.3 is 2nd to White on the team

I think Queta's +/- numbers are juiced by the lack of a quality backup big man.

(1) Queta is the only center on the team who can play defense. Luka Garza one of the worst defensive centers in the league.

(2) Garza doesn't defensive rebound well either. He is a great offensive rebounder but a poor defensive rebounder. All the Celtics small ball lineups on top of that which leave the team vulnerable on the boards. That spikes Queta's +/- numbers more because he is outlier on the team in terms of rebounding.

that is probably some of it as Garza's differntial is -4.2 per 100, though the 2 main SF 's off the bench are Walsh -3.1 and Scheierman -1.3. The other part is Queta is just really efficient on both ends.  His shooting percentages are great, he rebounds, passes, defends, etc. really well. He does everything that contributes to winning basketball at a very high rate. That is why his WinShares are so high and he led the team.  The things he doesnt do well, like not commit fouls aren't critical to winning basketball (he also is a terrible 3 point shooter, but he took so few other doesnt matter).