Official Around the NBA Thread: December 2022

Yeah, his stats since he returned are crazy.

"34.4 points, shooting 50.1% from the field and 50.7% from three-point range."

That won't continue, but as you said, his numbers do seem to become easier with what appear to be more catch-and-shoot opportunities.

 

Some vocal voices here criticize Billups for playing him that way, but I've long felt that's what's needed to maximize Dame's talent. He's too easy to defend in the playoffs as a mediocre passer (being a bit harsh) dominating the ball. Lately, moving off the ball, he's been a nightmare for defenders to contain. Then he gets a bit complacent in the 2nd half and starts probing for shots at the point of attack, and his percentages invariably fall off.

 

Yeah, that is a good example of basing things on analytics that makes no sense. Just because a player doesn't have a history of doing something....... doesn't mean he can't do it. Dame is one of the greatest outside shooters of all time. There was never any doubt in mind that he could if given the opportunity.

 

this was a wild notion when people said it. his catch and shoot numbers always were higher than his efficiency off the dribble.

that said, his usage % is currently higher than ever in his career. clearly i have misunderstood how that stat is calculated because it certainly does not seem like it on the court.

 

This is just fucking frightening for the rest of the league.

 

Huh ? He's literally already averaging more points on much better efficiency...

 

Missed too many games bro.
Let’s see where he is 10 games from now.

 

Hypothetical....If the Pels are 100% healthy come playoffs, can they win the west and contend for a ring?
I think they could.

 

Sure. I think the same is true of about six other teams, Blazers included, depending on relative health of other teams.

 

NBA Rookie Rankings 2022-23 - Hashtag Basketballhttps://hashtagbasketball.com › nba-rookie-rankings

 

IMO, the way Dame is being utilized now is a lot different than he was to start the season. I was 'tracking' the touches numbers, and after about 7 games Dame was averaging around 73-74 touches a game, IIRC. Now he is averaging 87 touches a game

what I've seen is that for the first part of the season there were times when another Blazer would bring the ball up the court, Dame would be off the ball, and he'd never touch the ball. Now, he's usually the 2nd or 3rd touch. Portland is making sure he's a primary ball-handler on most possessions instead of a secondary one on some possessions

something else, comparing Dame's touch stats this season to his touch stats in 2020-21 (his last healthy season):

touches a game: 2021-22-->81.3....2022-23-->86.9
average seconds/touch: 2021-22-->6.16....2022-23-->4.83
average dribbles/touch: 2021-22-->5.62....2022-23-->4.12

maybe he's dribbling less and holding the ball less because he's getting the ball later in the shot clock, so more urgency. Or maybe it's because the it's-my-turn/it's-your-turn dynamic with CJ isn't present anymore (by the way, Simons is actually averaging more seconds and dribbles per touch than Dame)

* in 2020-21, only 5.2% of Dame's shots were spot-up; this year it's 7.9%...still very low. Dame is in the 91st percentile in spot-up averaging 1.30 points. 17% of Ant's shots are spot-up and he's averaging 1.09 points which is the 66th percentile. 28% of Grant's shots are spot-up; he's averaging 1.18 points which is the 77th percentile (I would have guessed the reverse of that before the season)

* Dame is averaging 4.8 catch-&-shoot shots this season. An eFG of 55.2%. By the way, Simons was elite last year with a .712 eFG%. This season he's at .592. Likely was a lot easier last season when he was 'the man' and the games didn't matter

* I also noticed that earlier in the season, Dame's assist rate was at an 8 year low around 28%. It's currently at 34.7%, which happens to be a career high

# Dame's assisted FG rate this season is 38.1%; and his assisted rate on three's is 50%. In 2020-21 his rates were 27.6% on FG's and 37.1% on three's. In 2019-20 his assisted rates were 18.1% on FG's and 30.2% on three's. I think this is the biggest change in Dame's game; he doesn't have to create a high percentage of his own offense while also creating for his teammates. He has less of a burden this season

in other words, I'd dispute that Dame is really playing off the ball more. His touches are at a career high and his assist rate is at a career high as well. He also has the highest FT rate of his career. All that requires the ball in his hands. But he's getting the ball in different positions on the floor than before, and he's getting the ball when the offense is already in motion, rather than having to initiate that motion himself

it also helps that Cronin actually added players that can pass. In 2020-21, Blazers had 3 rotational players with an assist rate of 12% or better. This season they have 7

 

Wow the Bucks are getting boat raced by the Grizz. Just getting crushed!

 

Yeesh. CJ dribbling 15 seconds off the clock (22 down to 7) with his team trailing by 3 in OT at Utah. The Jazz played good defense, but there was no urgency whatsoever.

 

One other observation about the Pels: As good as Zion is on offense, he's a huge liability on defense. Jazz got him to switch onto the ballhandler every time late in the fourth and in OT. He's just totally immobile at that end. Even watching him move side to side or get up and down the floor is painful.

Someone mentioned in the game thread about Nurk losing weight. My first thought was not so much how Nurk at 15-20 pounds lighter might extend his career and save his legs, but does that also take away the thing that makes him special on offense, in that he can overpower almost anyone on the low block. That's even more the question with Zion; he makes Nurk look like he should be on "Dancing with the Stars." I'd hate to be him at 50 years old with the beating all that heft is putting on his joints. He'll be rich, but he'll be in pain.

 

Hope Dame breaks Clydes record in Houston!

 

I hope he doesn’t have to do much while we are winning easily the rest of this trip and he does it at home.

 

The irony of Joe Ingles playing before GP2...

 

Lmao