'25-26 NBA Thread

[lostpassword]

I've never
There have never been officials more in the bag

Was at the game.  It was... interesting to say the least.  It was also the first game where officials had headset communication to New Jersey. Bucks defense sucked though and I won't suggest anyone was in the bag when it can be attributed to incompetence.  The clear goaltend, Westbrook's common foul (that was reviewed), 4-0 technical fouls (with GTJ's being the most bizarre T I think I've seen), and don't forget the last play.  Not sure how this is missed other than being distracted by your headset or simply not watching the game.

https://x.com/PensareBBall/status/1984769989149118908?t=wzFTXVxV2LRkXmtMiuIIXw&s=19

[MuggsyB]

Nm

[MU82]

Kon with 24, 6 and 5 as Hornets beat Utah even with LaMelo out.

Raise a banner!!

[wadesworld]

Kon with 24, 6 and 5 as Hornets beat Utah even with LaMelo out.

Raise a banner!!

While Kon won't hunt his shot enough to be more of a scorer, he will do more to help a team win than Tyler Herro does in his career.

[JWags85]

While Kon won't hunt his shot enough to be more of a scorer, he will do more to help a team win than Tyler Herro does in his career.

We're crowning him as better than the guy who was averaging the same/slightly better scoring numbers of the bench on a playoff team from the jump his rookie year, who then became the 6th man of the year on a team that was the 1 seed and made the conference finals..because he had a good game after he went 3/15 (2/12) over 2 games?  Alright.

I'll go out on a limb and say Herro played in more playoff games, as a key cog on the Heat, by the time he was 22 (through 3 seasons) than Kon will play in by his late 20s.

[wadesworld]

We're crowning him as better than the guy who was averaging the same/slightly better scoring numbers of the bench on a playoff team from the jump his rookie year, who then became the 6th man of the year on a team that was the 1 seed and made the conference finals..because he had a good game after he went 3/15 (2/12) over 2 games?  Alright.

I'll go out on a limb and say Herro played in more playoff games, as a key cog on the Heat, by the time he was 22 (through 3 seasons) than Kon will play in by his late 20s.

I'm "crowning" him (if making a prediction about a rookie's future is "crowning" a guy) because I think he'll be a much more efficient player and I don't think Kon's team will start playing better when he gets hurt, like the Heat do when Herro is out.  I'd bet the Heat will start to look like the average team people thought they would be when Herro returns to the court this season.

Might want to take a look at Herro's Playoff performances.  They aren't exactly pretty.  Outside of a 1 game sample size in 2022-2023 in which he played 19 minutes and took 9 shots, he's never shot above 43% from the field and only once shot above 35% from 3.  He's an empty calory guy who got to play alongside one of the best Playoff performers of this generation.

I'm not looking at one game from Kon.  I'm looking at what he's been from high school to his one year at Duke to what he's been through an admittedly tiny sample size in the NBA.  Even with his 2 bad games, he's averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 46% from the field and 43% from 3 and predicting that he'll be a very good NBA player.  Will he get to play alongside a Jimmy Butler level player in his first 3 years in the League like Tyler Herro did?  Probably not.

[JWags85]

I'm "crowning" him (if making a prediction about a rookie's future is "crowning" a guy) because I think he'll be a much more efficient player and I don't think Kon's team will start playing better when he gets hurt, like the Heat do when Herro is out.  I'd bet the Heat will start to look like the average team people thought they would be when Herro returns to the court this season.

Might want to take a look at Herro's Playoff performances.  They aren't exactly pretty.  Outside of a 1 game sample size in 2022-2023 in which he played 19 minutes and took 9 shots, he's never shot above 43% from the field and only once shot above 35% from 3.  He's an empty calory guy who got to play alongside one of the best Playoff performers of this generation.

I'm not looking at one game from Kon.  I'm looking at what he's been from high school to his one year at Duke to what he's been through an admittedly tiny sample size in the NBA.  Even with his 2 bad games, he's averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 46% from the field and 43% from 3 and predicting that he'll be a very good NBA player.  Will he get to play alongside a Jimmy Butler level player in his first 4 years 3 years in the League like Tyler Herro did?  Probably not.

Obviously crowning was hyperbole, but I'm not sure how Herro averaging what he does on a playoff level team is anymore empty calories than averaging similar on a team that averages 120+ a game but doesn't win many games.  Points aside, Herro put up the same kind of R/A/S/B that Kon does.

I get it, you've always been very high Kon and always been a loud and proud Herro hater, just seems silly to choose take shots at a successful and accomplished NBA vet (who most NBA writers have as a top 50 guy in the league) in the support of a rookie who has had as many very bad NBA games as very good games.

[MuggsyB]

Ja Morant has a few issues.  It's very disappointing because he's an incredible talent. 

[wadesworld]

Obviously crowning was hyperbole, but I'm not sure how Herro averaging what he does on a playoff level team is anymore empty calories than averaging similar on a team that averages 120+ a game but doesn't win many games.  Points aside, Herro put up the same kind of R/A/S/B that Kon does.

I get it, you've always been very high Kon and always been a loud and proud Herro hater, just seems silly to choose take shots at a successful and accomplished NBA vet (who most NBA writers have as a top 50 guy in the league) in the support of a rookie who has had as many very bad NBA games as very good games.

It wasn't really a shot at Herro.  I just believe in Kon, and so far in his basketball playing career he hasn't given me any reason to not believe in him.

But I can make it a "shot" at Herro, I guess.  The Heat have a 56% winning percentage with Tyler Herro in the lineup in his career and a 54% winning percentage with Tyler Herro unavailable in his career.  So they're slightly better with him than without him.  For a guy who has averaged about 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game from his third season on, you'd think he'd impact winning games more than that slight difference.  He had a good Playoff run his rookie season where they made the Finals in the bubble, they made the Conference Finals with him playing poorly off the bench in 2022, and then they went on a run to the Finals when he got injured in game 1 of round 1 and didn't play after that.  We'll see what the Heat can do post Jimmy being a Playoff monster.

[wadesworld]

Second quarter free throws 17 for the Pacers, 1 for the Bucks.

[Jockey]

While Kon won't hunt his shot enough to be more of a scorer, he will do more to help a team win than Tyler Herro does in his career.

My comp for Kon was Ernie Grunfeld. I thought his lack of athleticism would limit his career.

But he may be better than I thought he was gonna be.

[wadesworld]

My comp for Kon was Ernie Grunfeld. I thought his lack of athleticism would limit his career.

But he may be better than I thought he was gonna be.

Never saw Grunfeld play.  It's far from a perfect comparison and I don't think Kon will ever be the second best player on a title winning team, but I see Kon as somewhat similar to Khris Middleton.  Not overly athletic, very smooth, shoots it well, can make plays for others but you don't want him to be your main ball handler, defense is fine but not a lockdown guy, fairly similar size and body types.

[JWags85]

Good lord Kuzma stinks

[GB Warrior]

Good lord Kuzma stinks

I was getting worried I'd need to start cheering for him after 2 good games in a row

[wadesworld]

Doc went NINE straight game minutes with either 5 bench players or 4 bench players plus one of Gary Trent or AJ Green. It's truly unbelievable this guy continues to get NBA coaching jobs.

If I was a conspiracy theorist I'd be all in on the NBA giving Haslem some incentives to get in on the Bucks ownership group and bringing Doc into the Bucks to get Giannis so sick of losing he asks out.

[GB Warrior]

Doc went NINE straight game minutes with either 5 bench players or 4 bench players plus one of Gary Trent or AJ Green. It's truly unbelievable this guy continues to get NBA coaching jobs.

If I was a conspiracy theorist I'd be all in on the NBA giving Haslem some incentives to get in on the Bucks ownership group and bringing Doc into the Bucks to get Giannis so sick of losing he asks out.

He's been doing hockey style lineups. Presumably because it's easier and he can fit in mid-game naps

[MuggsyB]

Maxey is torching the Bulls. 

[Pakuni]

Maxey is torching the Bulls. 

Giddey wrecked the Sixers.

[Shaka Shart]

Why would the refs make the bucks lose by 28 tonight