Basketball Intelligence For 9/16/24

Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis

TEAM-SPECIFIC

ATL: Video Breakdown: What the Hawks can expect from Dominick Barlow
Malik Brown, Peachtree Hoops

CHI: Bulls’ Season Preview
Jared Dubin, Last Night In Basketball

CHI: Bulls begin shift toward more youthful core
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

DEN: The Realist: Michael Porter Jr. And The Denver Nuggets
Jack Tien-Dana, Real GM

This year, Porter is a load-bearing pillar of the Nuggets’ offense; even if he can’t create his own shot in a traditional sense, he needs to leverage his presence and his movement to create shots for the whole team. 

On a roster mostly devoid of shooting, there’s no substitute for what he provides. He’s the underlying bridge that allows Denver’s finest moments to sing. The Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll works best when Porter clears out the space for them to run it; Jokic can connect on alley-oops with Gordon because Porter removes the low-man from the equation. When he’s active and aggressive, Porter functions as a giant-sized Klay Thompson, yanking help defenders out of position as he roams around the court. Conversely, when he’s passive, he just kinda stands there. 

As such, Porter's performance this season represents the Nuggets’ first major inflection point.

DET: Pistons look to shake off worst season in franchise history
Shaun Powell, NBA.com

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