In this weeks 13 Rules: Random NBA Thoughts Steve dives into random NBA thoughts from Week 13 NBA games – NBA Rising Stars, Conference Favorites & NBA Tanking Fixes. Make sure to listen and add the 13 Rules: NBA Random Thoughts podcast the Shot Clock Pod to your list!
Fixing NBA Tanking
Everybody in NBA circles seems to be talking about tanking. Tanking is teams intentionally losing to get higher draft picks. There are many solutions being offered out there, so I’ll give my thoughts. First, use the standings up until March 1st to make the order of picks. Games after March 1st don’t count when considering placement. Second, buyouts of players can only happen after March 1st and until March 10th. This forces teams tanking to keep their players until after the draft standings are set. This may not completely solve the problem, but it’s a start.
Eastern Conference Title Hopefuls
Looking at the Eastern Conference right now, it looks like Detroit is the top team although the Knicks have more talent and still may figure it out. Boston, if they get Jayson Tatum and he is 80% of his ability, also has a shot. Teams are fairly close with no real prohibitive favorite, so before you can say anybody is a favorite, we have to see what trades are made. By the way, don’t give up on Cleveland.
Western Conference Top Matchups
Looking at the Western Conference, the series everyone wants to see is San Antonio against Oklahoma City, and they probably are the two best teams. I would make OKC the favorite. Don’t count out Denver if they get healthy and Minnesota, especially if they get a point guard.
NBA Rising Stars: Under-the-Radar NBA Stars, 41% from deep
A couple of players that are putting up interesting numbers while under the radar. The first is Caleb Love for the Portland Trail Blazers. Love, a shooting guard, was not drafted and signed as a two-way player. Love went to college at North Carolina and Arizona. A good shooter who is only averaging 10.9 points in 21.6 minutes this season. However, in his last 13 games, he’s averaging 16.7 points in a little over 28 minutes. In those 13 games, he’s shooting 41% from three.
NBA Rising Stars: Under-the-Radar NBA Stars, nugget in Denver
The other player is Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets. Watson is in his fourth year and has played well of late. In his last fourteen games, he is averaging over 18 points in 35.4 minutes, mostly as a starter. On the year, he’s averaging 13.8 points. Denver has believed in him since they drafted him, and he is starting to pay off. It will be interesting how Denver handles his impending restricted free agency.
Timberwolves Point Guard Crisis
As I previously mentioned, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ need for a point guard has become quite apparent. The position has been shared by Mike Conley, Bones Hyland, and Rob Dillingham, with none of the three doing much. They are averaging 7.4 assists per game. The team is so desperate that they have used Hyland in that role though he came into the league as a shooting guard. They also have tried Donte DiVincenzo as their point guard. Interestingly, Julius Randle leads their team in assists with 5.6 per game. If Minnesota can trade for a point guard, they have a real shot at coming out of the West.
Joel Embiid Bounce Back
Don’t look now, but it appears Joel Embiid is beginning to show some of his old form. On the year, he’s averaging 24 points in only 29.5 minutes. Where he is lacking is in his rebounding, grabbing only 6.9 rebounds a game. This is the lowest rebounding average he’s ever had as a pro. In his last thirteen games, he’s averaging 27.9 points. Embiid is doing this while struggling to get lift as a rebounder and also playing more on the perimeter and less in the post.
