Basketball Intelligence For 10/5/24
The day's best NBA reporting and analysis. (Apologies for the redundancy, I wanted to make sure there was no confusion regarding the date.)
TEAM STORIES
ATL: Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher making off-court adjustments to ensure smooth transition
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution
BOS: 10 takeaways as Jayson Tatum, Celtics begin title defense with preseason win over Nuggets
Tom Westerholm, Boston.com
CLE: Cleveland Cavaliers 2024-25 season preview: Can this core four hang with East elite?
Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports
CLE: How body transformation of second-year Cavaliers forward could propel NBA opportunities
Matthew Evans, Yardbarker
DAL: Spencer Dinwiddie lauds Mavericks’ depth, which suffers blow due to Dante Exum’s injury
Mike Curtis, The Dallas Morning News
DAL: PJ Washington is the skeleton key for the Dallas Mavericks
Jason M Worley, Mavs Moneyball
The questions concerning their potential will undoubtedly continue to focus on their ability to also play defense. And outside of their currently very strong rotation beneath the basket in centers Derreck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, others will need to step up at the perimeter to help protect the paint from vulnerabilities and to close out on sharpshooters. This will be essential in determining whether or not Dallas will be able to establish itself once more as elite among an increasingly talented Western conference.
DEN: Nikola Jokic’s “Timeline” Emphasizes Clock’s Ticking For Nuggets
Frederick Okocha, Last Word On Sports
DET: Pistons' Isaiah Stewart can't wait to move back to center: 'That's who I am', Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press
GSW: Draymond Green is here to build the Warriors’ next title, whenever it comes
Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
GSW: Warriors camp takeaways: Knox building on strong Summer League showing
Dalton Johnson, Yahoo Sports
GSW: What is the latest on Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors’ crowded frontcourt?
Anthony Slater, The Athletic
HOU: The Similarities Between Jalen Green and Steve Francis
Jimmy Vik, Last Word On Sports
Last season, Green averaged 42.3% from the field and 33.2% from three. Francis averaged 43.1% from the field and only 34.6% from three. It’s important to note that Green did attempt 7.4 threes per game compared with Francis’ mere 3.6. However, modern NBA teams on average shoot over twice as many threes as they did in the early 2000s. The fact is that Green hasn’t been a good shooter thus far in his career, combined with his lack of play-making prowess, makes him an awkward fit with Houston’s other star, Sengun, the Yao equivalent in this possible present-day retelling.
IND: How a more physical NBA could affect the Pacers
Caitlin Cooper, Basketball, She Wrote
IND: The Whiteboard: Bennedict Mathurin could give the Pacers another gear
Ian Levy, Fansided
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