Basketball Intelligence for 11/18/2022

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Nov 18, 2022

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PODCAST: The awesome Blazers, with Jason Quick
Ray LeBov/Mike Shearer, Basketball Intelligence

League-Wide Stories

Each NBA team’s biggest concern right now: From Warriors’ youth to tanking woes
Staff, The Athletic

Lowe's 10 things: Joel Embiid carrying the sludgy Sixers and serious issues in Golden State
Zach Lowe, ESPN+

We don't talk much about pace within half-court offenses, but that is the electric current powering the Kings' absolutely rollicking No. 2-ranked outfit. The Kings get out in transition with Fox, but they are not an outlier; they rank eighth in pace and fifth in fast-break points. They are flying through half-court sets with a burst and purpose that is catching defenses on the back foot, and makes for a jarring contrast with teams who operate at three-quarters speed.

How the NBA maximized shooting efficiency in an era of Stephen Curry's 3-point revolution
Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo! Sports

Nine faces in new places making their mark on NBA teams a month into season
Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today

Nine players taking a leap this season
Frank Urbina, HoopsHype

NBA Rookie Rankings: Pistons' Jaden Ivey drives way to top; Spurs' Jeremy Sochan showing off defensive chops
Jasmyn Wimbish, CBS Sports

Coach Spins' Clipboard: Role Player Appreciation w/ Sam Hauser, Usman Garuba, Isaiah Hartenstein & more
Adam Spinella, The Box And One

Hawks talk John Collins deals, Suns show interest as trade market begins to take shape: Shams’ Inside Pass
Shams Charania, The Athletic

Team-Specific Stories

ATL: Hawks rookie AJ Griffin capitalizes as team makes rotation adjustments
Lauren Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

CHI: Bulls Hot Takes After 1st Month of 2022-23 NBA Season
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report

CHI: There’s a good reason Patrick Williams is so good with his left hand
Will Gottlieb, CHGO

CLE: Are the Cavaliers Ready to Take the Next Step?
Logan Murdock, The Ringer

DEN: Nuggets rookie Christian Braun translating life with Kansas Jayhawks to life on NBA road
Vinny Benedetto, The Denver Gazette

GSW: The Whiteboard: What’s wrong with the Warriors bench?
Ian Levy, The Step Back

GSW: Turnovers, toughness killing the Warriors
David Thorpe, TrueHoop

GSW: Kawakami: Poole over Klay? Trade for Durant? Blow it all up? Ranking the Warriors’ options
Tim Kawakami, The Athletic

HOU: Grades for each Houston Rockets rotation player through 15 games
Michael Shapiro, Chron

HOU: Jalen Green’s decisiveness sets tone for Rockets to ‘keep’ building momentum
Kelly Iko, The Athletic

IND: Insider: What does Myles Turner’s improved play mean about his future with Pacers?
Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star

MIA: When It Comes to Bam Adebayo, Has The League Finally Learned Its Lesson?
Couper Moorhead, NBA.com

Over the past three seasons, Adebayo faced 5.1 isolations per 100. Nobody dealt with more sheer volume, as Adebayo defended 793 such possessions, nor did anyone do it better, with Adebayo’s 0.81 points-allowed per-isolation standing No. 1 among the 67 who faced at least 400…Through 14 games this season, care to guess how many isolations Adebayo has defended?
Eighteen.

MIL: From Splash Mountain to Bash Mountain: Brook Lopez is inevitable
Nekias Duncan, BasketballNews.com

MIL: The Milwaukee Bucks defense is moving forward by dropping back
Joe Viray, SBNation

MIN: Minnesota Timberwolves’ stopper Jaden McDaniels’ aggressive defense
Brennan Sims, Dunking With Wolves

MIN: Jaden McDaniels’ Offensive Improvements in Year Three
Gabe Schneider, Canis Hoopus

NYK: Can Jericho Sims help fix the Knicks’ lackluster defense?
Aidan Graham, AMNY

NYK: Cam Reddish’s emerging defense makes him key piece to Knicks’ lineup
Zach Braziller, New York Post

OKC: Thunder Comeback, Shai Game-Winner Were Weeks in the Making
Nick Gallo, NBA.com

OKC: Sam Presti’s Process is Putting the Thunder in a Prime Position
Anthony Puccio, Boardroom

[Sam Presti:] “Like I said, if I was a fan right now I’d shut my ears because this is not interesting, but if you’re trying to run an NBA franchise in 2022 and beyond, in 20 of the 30 cities, you’re going to be tuned into CBA, revenue sharing, and TV deal. Those things really set the cast for how you operate.”

ORL: Magic rookie Caleb Houstan staying ready to make winning plays
Cody Taylor, USA Today

PHI: Tyrese Maxey, Sixers discuss importance of running efficient offense
Ky Carlin, USA Today

PHI: The Sixers need to find balance — with and without James Harden
Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHO: Cam Payne is bouncing back with Suns starters, but will it carry over to bench?
Gerald Bourguet, PHNX

POR: The Curious Case Of Portland's Defense
Mike Shearer, Basketball Poetry

But the weird thing is that, despite significant personnel and schematic changes, the team is giving up the same shots as last season; opponents are just missing more often.

POR: Let’s talk about these Portland Trail Blazers
Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports

SAS: Spurs’ Charles Bassey benefiting from playing for ‘calm’ Gregg Popovich
Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News

SAS: Jeremy Sochan is already the wild card the Spurs were looking for
Bruno Passos, Pounding The Rock

SAS: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says Kings are ‘having fun playing together’ under Mike Brown
Chris Biderman, The Sacramento Bee

UTA: How does a good NBA team respond to a losing streak? Jazz think they have the right approach
Sarah Todd, Deseret News

UTA: Can the Jazz keep this up? NBA scout weighs in on Utah's hot start
Alex Kennedy, BasketballNews.com