Basketball Intelligence For 11/25/24
Ty Jerome bringing it home, the Rockets are taking off, the Sixers need a new process, and more...
LEAGUE NEWS
Basketball Bytes: The Rockets' Ascent Continues
Neil Paine, Neil’s Substack
Sure enough, what seemed possible a season ago is looking relatively likely now. In that same forecast model, Houston went into Sunday with a 67 percent chance to make the playoffs, nearly double what their odds were at any point last season.1 In the early going, the Rockets rank fifth in the NBA in net rating and No. 2 on defense specifically, which is Udoka’s calling card (and would be the team’s best placement on the defensive side since leading the league in 2017-18).
Tom's Title Tiers: #7
Tom Haberstroh, The Finder With Tom Haberstroh
Three League-Wide Observations Including The Thunder's New Dimension
Aaron Runk, The Role Player
What's below rock bottom? The Philadelphia 76ers
Tom Ziller, Good Morning It’s Basketball
Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: Tari Eason Will Wreck Your Offense
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball
WNBA NEWS
GSV Expansion Draft Prediction: Indiana Fever
Eric Apricot, Valkyrie Nation
Five Out: First Blood in the NCAA, the WNBA coaching carousel turns, Unrivaled and a frenzy for expansion
Andrew Haubner, No Cap Space WBB
NBA DRAFT
Labaron Philon is Checking Boxes
Maxwell Baumbach, No Ceilings
There are multiple reasons that Philon has managed to pressure the rim and convert inside. It starts with his comfort as a ball-handler. One thing I look for early in the year is how long a smaller player is willing to keep putting the ball on the deck. To be clear, I certainly don’t want a prospect to dribble the air out of the ball. But if a player who projects to play a guard spot at the NBA level isn’t comfortable taking more than one or two dribbles, it raises questions about which other areas they will need to produce in to cover up for such a severe positional deficiency. Philon passes this test with flying colors. He’s more than comfortable stringing out opponents and digging deep into his bag of counters if he doesn’t create an immediate advantage. There’s real juice to him as an on-ball self-creator.
TEAM NEWS
BOS: Derrick White continues to master the big moments to help Boston win ... and have some fun along the way
John Karalis, Boston Sports Journal
BOS: Jaylen Brown leads Celtics over Timberwolves with hot start, big shot late: 9 takeaways
Tom Westerholm, Boston.com
BKN: Nets' Jordi Fernandez reveals Cam Thomas version he wants to see after Kings win
Erik Slater, Clutch Points
BKN: Nets dethrone Kings 108-103 behind 3-point barrage
C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News
BKN: Nets having tough time trying to cover opponents' backcourts
Evan Barnes, Newsday
BKN: Clowney Takes Major Step Forward At Center In Frisky Nets Road Win
Steve Lichtenstein, Steve’s Newsletter
CHI: It's a hard-knock life for Bulls' defense after Alex Caruso's departure
Joe Cowley, Chicago Sun-Times
The Bulls were 21st last season, and that was with Andre Drummond and All-NBA first-team defender Alex Caruso. Drummond left via free agency, and Caruso was traded to the Thunder for Josh Giddey. Subtraction by addition defensively.
And, oh, by the way, the Thunder were the top team in defensive efficiency as of Sunday. Caruso only averages 5.0 points, but he’s second on the team in defensive efficiency, has drawn five charges and leads Oklahoma City with 51 deflections.
CHA: What makes the back court duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller so potent?
Matt Alquiza, SI.com
CLE: Cavaliers Unsung Hero Dazzles Again In Win Over Raptors
Spencer German, SI.com
CLE: ‘I have no doubt he’ll continue’: How good is Cavs guard Ty Jerome?
Jackson Flickinger, Fear The Sword
CLE: Ty Jerome: Cerebral floor general, 3-point marksman and Cavs’ early-season MVP?
Chris Fedor, Cleveland.com