The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that? By what Charles Darwin?

The volume. No, Oh my god, how could he do that? By what Charles Darwin?

The nerves is where it's at.

The nerves is where it's at.

Welcome everybody back into Nerd Sash as always, I'm Carson Brevern. Alongside me is Logan Kans And and we apologize for getting this episode up a little bit late on a Friday, but we were on the Joel Moran Show earlier today. So if you want to get some additional Nerd Sash yap, you can find it over there. But we've got some big NBA news to talk about today because, seemingly out of the blue, with ten games remaining until it is the postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies have fired Taylor Jenkins. What is your reaction to this, Logan.

Welcome everybody back into Nerd Sash as always, I'm Carson Brevern. Alongside me is Logan Kans And and we apologize for getting this episode up a little bit late on a Friday, but we were on the Joel Moran Show earlier today. So if you want to get some additional Nerd Sash yap, you can find it over there. But we've got some big NBA news to talk about today because, seemingly out of the blue, with ten games remaining until it is the postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies have fired Taylor Jenkins. What is your reaction to this, Logan.

I mean, something stinks to High Hill. There's something fishy about this. It doesn't make any sinks. Yeah, I don't know why the Memphis Grizzlies would do this. For whatever reason. I think Taylor Jenkins is a really excellent coach. I think he's one of the best coaches in the league today, and I think it's reflected by the consistent success that Memphis has had under him. Their tenth and win percentage among NBA teams in the regular season since he took over in the twenty nineteen twenty twenty season. Regardless of if his stars were healthy or not or not, he got consistent effort, energy, and production out of role players. The defense was consistently great under him. Like, I think all of those things were hallmarks of a great coach, and it's signals to me that you get buy in from your players, regardless of the situation or not. Like the guys played for him hard. Like, I don't know, man, it doesn't make sense. The timing of this is really strange, like you mentioned, considering the fact that we are so close to the playoffs. I wouldn't have done this if I was Memphis. Uh something stinks here.

I mean, something stinks to High Hill. There's something fishy about this. It doesn't make any sinks. Yeah, I don't know why the Memphis Grizzlies would do this. For whatever reason. I think Taylor Jenkins is a really excellent coach. I think he's one of the best coaches in the league today, and I think it's reflected by the consistent success that Memphis has had under him. Their tenth and win percentage among NBA teams in the regular season since he took over in the twenty nineteen twenty twenty season. Regardless of if his stars were healthy or not or not, he got consistent effort, energy, and production out of role players. The defense was consistently great under him. Like, I think all of those things were hallmarks of a great coach, and it's signals to me that you get buy in from your players, regardless of the situation or not. Like the guys played for him hard. Like, I don't know, man, it doesn't make sense. The timing of this is really strange, like you mentioned, considering the fact that we are so close to the playoffs. I wouldn't have done this if I was Memphis. Uh something stinks here.

Man, Yeah, No, there are clearly strange circumstances going on here because this is not something that happens under normal circumstances. I think that Taylor Jenkins is a good coach. You mentioned his ability to consistently put together high end team defenses going back even a few years to whin the Grizzlies were a super young team, but they've consistently been a young roster and still put forth really good team defenses. That is unusual. That's impressive. The ability organizationally to draft and develop diamonds in the rough and to maintain such elite depth, Like everybody deserves credit for that, but your head coach certainly deserves credit for that. And even this year, the biggest change that we've seen him make in terms of coaching philosophy, going more and more away from John Morant volume pick and roll, running fewer picking roles per game this season than any offense we've seen in the last half decade, making your offense more predicated upon ball movement, shifting the defense, anybody being empowered to attack a mismatch. That's led to the best offense that we've seen from Memphis, and a better half court offense than we ever saw when it was just Okay Jogo out there and run the show. So they've been consistently good. I understand if you have some little gripes with him as a basketball coach, but on court, the results have been good for them over the years, and this is just not something that you would ever do unless there was something crazy going on behind the scenes. I think that there's a couple possibilities there. The first one that comes to mind is that this is an actual scandal that has not yet come to light. Like you don't want to speculate on that, but generally when a good basketball coach just gets fired out of the blue at a crazy inopportune moment like this, there is something very very strange going on under the surface. The other possibility could be that this is a star driven decision. That is something that you see where organizations are forced to choose between a star player and a head coach. And again, all speculation at this point because we don't have concrete reporting, but I could see a world in which Jaw is saying, hey, why have we shifted the offense further away from my preferences? I'm our best player, I'm not at my most effective in this system. So I could see that being a component. But this is really really weird, and I guarantee you the thought process here was not, you know, Taylor, we think we want to give somebody else a shot with ten games to go before the playoffs, because obviously this puts you in a really, really difficult position. This is a crazy hard transition to have to make before the most important basketball of the year. You're gonna be in sort of a state of chaos and bad news for the Grizzlies. In terms of the basketball in the short term, I'm not optimistic about their ability to make a run. I wasn't before this. Like I do think this is the best team they've had, but there are just other teams out West who I have more confidence in still in terms of half court offense, who have proven superstars who I would take over Memphis. But this makes the job all that much tougher to go out there and try to win in the playoffs.

Man, Yeah, No, there are clearly strange circumstances going on here because this is not something that happens under normal circumstances. I think that Taylor Jenkins is a good coach. You mentioned his ability to consistently put together high end team defenses going back even a few years to whin the Grizzlies were a super young team, but they've consistently been a young roster and still put forth really good team defenses. That is unusual. That's impressive. The ability organizationally to draft and develop diamonds in the rough and to maintain such elite depth, Like everybody deserves credit for that, but your head coach certainly deserves credit for that. And even this year, the biggest change that we've seen him make in terms of coaching philosophy, going more and more away from John Morant volume pick and roll, running fewer picking roles per game this season than any offense we've seen in the last half decade, making your offense more predicated upon ball movement, shifting the defense, anybody being empowered to attack a mismatch. That's led to the best offense that we've seen from Memphis, and a better half court offense than we ever saw when it was just Okay Jogo out there and run the show. So they've been consistently good. I understand if you have some little gripes with him as a basketball coach, but on court, the results have been good for them over the years, and this is just not something that you would ever do unless there was something crazy going on behind the scenes. I think that there's a couple possibilities there. The first one that comes to mind is that this is an actual scandal that has not yet come to light. Like you don't want to speculate on that, but generally when a good basketball coach just gets fired out of the blue at a crazy inopportune moment like this, there is something very very strange going on under the surface. The other possibility could be that this is a star driven decision. That is something that you see where organizations are forced to choose between a star player and a head coach. And again, all speculation at this point because we don't have concrete reporting, but I could see a world in which Jaw is saying, hey, why have we shifted the offense further away from my preferences? I'm our best player, I'm not at my most effective in this system. So I could see that being a component. But this is really really weird, and I guarantee you the thought process here was not, you know, Taylor, we think we want to give somebody else a shot with ten games to go before the playoffs, because obviously this puts you in a really, really difficult position. This is a crazy hard transition to have to make before the most important basketball of the year. You're gonna be in sort of a state of chaos and bad news for the Grizzlies. In terms of the basketball in the short term, I'm not optimistic about their ability to make a run. I wasn't before this. Like I do think this is the best team they've had, but there are just other teams out West who I have more confidence in still in terms of half court offense, who have proven superstars who I would take over Memphis. But this makes the job all that much tougher to go out there and try to win in the playoffs.

Well, I was gonna say. I think that's what makes it. The most disappointing part of this is just the timing, the fact that now that everything seems like it's coming together for the Grizzlies, that they have finally figured out they haven't fully fixed their achilles heel, which is the half court offense, but they've at least addressed it.

Well, I was gonna say. I think that's what makes it. The most disappointing part of this is just the timing, the fact that now that everything seems like it's coming together for the Grizzlies, that they have finally figured out they haven't fully fixed their achilles heel, which is the half court offense, but they've at least addressed it.

And gone from bottom quarter, which they were every year previously, to being average. It's not ideal, but it's improvement exactly.

And gone from bottom quarter, which they were every year previously, to being average. It's not ideal, but it's improvement exactly.

And like you say, I do think there is a direct correlation to the stylistical difference of the Ja Morant heavy pick and roll oriented offense to what they're doing now. Specifically. And again, this is a big if I want to preface that this is speculative. If there's there was a rift between John Morant and Taylor Jenkins, I think it's really selfish if that is the case of John Morant, and he brought this to the table just because I think it's inarguable when you look at the team success that they have had on that end, I mean, they're just it's not even arguable they've been better with this style and on the court, I thought Joe was buying in. Maybe he is frustrated behind the scenes, but I thought it was working him moving the ball and swinging it more around the horn. You know, it's I think it is a lot more conducive to team offense. And if that is, it's a really hard decision to make. I can't necessarily blame the Memphis Grizzlies front office for making the decision if that is the rift to take the head coach or to take the star player, I don't really blame them. It's hard to just give up. You know. If like Taylor was like, all right, I need jogone if you know him or me situation, I understand why Memphis would decide this because it's hard to give up on a guy like Jaw and he is still your franchise player. Even though I do think Triple J is the best Grizzly, I still think Jah is the face, so to speak, of Memphis. But I'm not optimistic about their hopes in these playoffs now. I mean, this is a team that is now gonna be scrambling for an identity, that is scrambling to find leadership, and just it's just not something you want to be dealing with at the most important and crucial part of your season. And so yeah, this season, I think they're probably cooked and I just don't like this process and I don't like this decision for Memphis. It's hard to find such a stable coach like Taylor Jenkins, and that's what he's been. I think he's been a really among one of the elite coaches in the NBA today. Man, Like, I know what I'm getting with Taylor Jenkins. You know, that was one thing we didn't have to worry about Memphis. Like I mentioned earlier, injuries, who's out there, who's not, It doesn't matter Taylor Jenkins. It's like the Julian Edelman analogy he always used with Bill Belichick. He's gonna squeeze a towel when he's gonna get every drop of talent out of his players. And I think he's a really good coach. I'm really disappointed for Memphis and for him. Man, it's and that's the thing is, like, I just I don't know, Carson. These guys don't grow on trees. I just think it's gonna be hard finding a guy that's better at his job than Taylor Jenkins.

And like you say, I do think there is a direct correlation to the stylistical difference of the Ja Morant heavy pick and roll oriented offense to what they're doing now. Specifically. And again, this is a big if I want to preface that this is speculative. If there's there was a rift between John Morant and Taylor Jenkins, I think it's really selfish if that is the case of John Morant, and he brought this to the table just because I think it's inarguable when you look at the team success that they have had on that end, I mean, they're just it's not even arguable they've been better with this style and on the court, I thought Joe was buying in. Maybe he is frustrated behind the scenes, but I thought it was working him moving the ball and swinging it more around the horn. You know, it's I think it is a lot more conducive to team offense. And if that is, it's a really hard decision to make. I can't necessarily blame the Memphis Grizzlies front office for making the decision if that is the rift to take the head coach or to take the star player, I don't really blame them. It's hard to just give up. You know. If like Taylor was like, all right, I need jogone if you know him or me situation, I understand why Memphis would decide this because it's hard to give up on a guy like Jaw and he is still your franchise player. Even though I do think Triple J is the best Grizzly, I still think Jah is the face, so to speak, of Memphis. But I'm not optimistic about their hopes in these playoffs now. I mean, this is a team that is now gonna be scrambling for an identity, that is scrambling to find leadership, and just it's just not something you want to be dealing with at the most important and crucial part of your season. And so yeah, this season, I think they're probably cooked and I just don't like this process and I don't like this decision for Memphis. It's hard to find such a stable coach like Taylor Jenkins, and that's what he's been. I think he's been a really among one of the elite coaches in the NBA today. Man, Like, I know what I'm getting with Taylor Jenkins. You know, that was one thing we didn't have to worry about Memphis. Like I mentioned earlier, injuries, who's out there, who's not, It doesn't matter Taylor Jenkins. It's like the Julian Edelman analogy he always used with Bill Belichick. He's gonna squeeze a towel when he's gonna get every drop of talent out of his players. And I think he's a really good coach. I'm really disappointed for Memphis and for him. Man, it's and that's the thing is, like, I just I don't know, Carson. These guys don't grow on trees. I just think it's gonna be hard finding a guy that's better at his job than Taylor Jenkins.

Yeah. The weirdest part to me, though, is just the timing of it, because I've seen some people say, oh, well, the Grizzlies have been on a bit of a skid as of late. They've lost four or five. It's like, okay, they haven't had Jaw and they've been able to win without Job this year. They're above five hundred when Triple J plays without Job.

Yeah. The weirdest part to me, though, is just the timing of it, because I've seen some people say, oh, well, the Grizzlies have been on a bit of a skid as of late. They've lost four or five. It's like, okay, they haven't had Jaw and they've been able to win without Job this year. They're above five hundred when Triple J plays without Job.

But like, are you gonna over a season the.

But like, are you gonna over a season the.

Kid like that? In March, some people saying that he's lost the locker room. I just kind of struggle to believe that, considering that this has been one of the best effort teams in basketball throughout his tenure. And like, regardless, wait until after the season, like I would let things play out. It's just too many moving parts right now for me to have any confidence in Memphis making some sort of playoff run. So it's one of the weirdest firings in recent memory. And that's why I think the instinct is to look to some currently unseen, unknown explanation and we'll see if that emerges. But for now, Memphis like doesn't plummet in my hierarchy in the West. But this definitely doesn't make me feel better about them, and they're about the fifth sixth best team in the West. I'm not confident in them winning a first round series, especially because they are probably going to avoid the matchup that I would want most if I were a lower seed, which is Houston, because right now Houston's in the two seed. Memphis is too good to slip into that sort of play in range. So we'll see how this story progresses and we'll see how things wrap up for them. But you know Logan who sent Taylor Jenkins to his grave as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat them last night, and next thing you know, Taylor Jenkins is gone. The thing is the thunder beat just about everybody. And before they beat the Grizzlies, they had won seven straight games without Jadub and then Jadab came back yesterday they won again. What has stood out to you though about this recent stretch of OKC basketball logan in which they were winning without Jadub and they've won eight straight games overall.

Kid like that? In March, some people saying that he's lost the locker room. I just kind of struggle to believe that, considering that this has been one of the best effort teams in basketball throughout his tenure. And like, regardless, wait until after the season, like I would let things play out. It's just too many moving parts right now for me to have any confidence in Memphis making some sort of playoff run. So it's one of the weirdest firings in recent memory. And that's why I think the instinct is to look to some currently unseen, unknown explanation and we'll see if that emerges. But for now, Memphis like doesn't plummet in my hierarchy in the West. But this definitely doesn't make me feel better about them, and they're about the fifth sixth best team in the West. I'm not confident in them winning a first round series, especially because they are probably going to avoid the matchup that I would want most if I were a lower seed, which is Houston, because right now Houston's in the two seed. Memphis is too good to slip into that sort of play in range. So we'll see how this story progresses and we'll see how things wrap up for them. But you know Logan who sent Taylor Jenkins to his grave as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat them last night, and next thing you know, Taylor Jenkins is gone. The thing is the thunder beat just about everybody. And before they beat the Grizzlies, they had won seven straight games without Jadub and then Jadab came back yesterday they won again. What has stood out to you though about this recent stretch of OKC basketball logan in which they were winning without Jadub and they've won eight straight games overall.

I mean, more than anything else, it's just how Oklahoma City seems to have fully addressed and answered all the concerns that I had about them in the playoffs last season. Specifically, over this stretch, they've been dominant like they've been all year long. This is already a sixty win team, but over this eight game stretch specifically, they're third in offensive rating, they're number one in defensive rating, and they're number one in net rating. That's not anything new for Oklahoma City. That's just what this team does. This is a great basketball team. They've been doing it all year long. The things that have been most impressive to me. One is the surrounding shooting outside of shake gilges Alexander. This team is number two and three point percentage over this stretch, just behind the Clippers, and they that's ultimately one of the things that left this team short in the playoffs. Last year. They were ninth in the twenty four playoffs out of sixteen teams in three point shooting. You can't fully know just wipe that away and say this is going to be a great shooting team in this year's playoffs. They were number one last year in the regular season, but I'm more confident in their shooting this year. The thing that I think you can bank on this team being better at this year is definitely rebounding. And that's where I've been really impressed during this recent stretch. Their number one in defensive rebound percentage over this stretch and they're number two in rebound percentage over this stretch. Last season, they were twenty seventh in defensive rebounding percentage and they were twenty eighth in rebounding percentage in the regular season, and then in the playoffs they were the fourth worst team, so twelfth out of sixteen teams in the playoffs in both of those categories. And so to me, I look at this in totality, Sga has gotten even better than he was last year, and he was at an all NBA top five level. This is a good shooting team. Last year, I'm more confident in the shooting surrounding this year. This is a bad rebounding team that is now an elite rebounding team because of Chet Holmgreen, because of the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein, because of this collective effort, and I think they're far and away the best defense in basketball. And so I look at this in totality and they're just my favorite right now. They are my favorite to win the NBA Finals, like, and it makes it even It's so ridiculous, Carson that this team has two significant stretches down key personnel at three, fuck it, three different stretches down key personnel, and they've wiped all the competition every single time. Early in this year, when Chet Holmgren went down and Isaiah Hartenstein was hurt, Boom all small ball lineup, We're dogging everybody. Isaiah Hartenstein comes back, Chet is still out boom mowing down everybody. Now this recent stretch, you got Chet, you got heart, and you don't have Jada Boom wipe in everybody. Like, I just don't understand how if we're at this point in the season, you've been watching the whole way, if you don't have the utmost confidence in Oklahoma City top to bottom as a basketball team, and like, they don't have to be your favorite. I do think they have to be your West favorite, though, yea, And I just have no Like, I'm not even worried about them, man, I'm not stressing like it. I'm not all of these concerns. They're just to such a less extent. Like I think that if you're really focused on these things, you're hyper fixated on youth or something like that. Like I just don't see a whole man, I don't see an exploitable thing with Oklahoma City this year.

I mean, more than anything else, it's just how Oklahoma City seems to have fully addressed and answered all the concerns that I had about them in the playoffs last season. Specifically, over this stretch, they've been dominant like they've been all year long. This is already a sixty win team, but over this eight game stretch specifically, they're third in offensive rating, they're number one in defensive rating, and they're number one in net rating. That's not anything new for Oklahoma City. That's just what this team does. This is a great basketball team. They've been doing it all year long. The things that have been most impressive to me. One is the surrounding shooting outside of shake gilges Alexander. This team is number two and three point percentage over this stretch, just behind the Clippers, and they that's ultimately one of the things that left this team short in the playoffs. Last year. They were ninth in the twenty four playoffs out of sixteen teams in three point shooting. You can't fully know just wipe that away and say this is going to be a great shooting team in this year's playoffs. They were number one last year in the regular season, but I'm more confident in their shooting this year. The thing that I think you can bank on this team being better at this year is definitely rebounding. And that's where I've been really impressed during this recent stretch. Their number one in defensive rebound percentage over this stretch and they're number two in rebound percentage over this stretch. Last season, they were twenty seventh in defensive rebounding percentage and they were twenty eighth in rebounding percentage in the regular season, and then in the playoffs they were the fourth worst team, so twelfth out of sixteen teams in the playoffs in both of those categories. And so to me, I look at this in totality, Sga has gotten even better than he was last year, and he was at an all NBA top five level. This is a good shooting team. Last year, I'm more confident in the shooting surrounding this year. This is a bad rebounding team that is now an elite rebounding team because of Chet Holmgreen, because of the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein, because of this collective effort, and I think they're far and away the best defense in basketball. And so I look at this in totality and they're just my favorite right now. They are my favorite to win the NBA Finals, like, and it makes it even It's so ridiculous, Carson that this team has two significant stretches down key personnel at three, fuck it, three different stretches down key personnel, and they've wiped all the competition every single time. Early in this year, when Chet Holmgren went down and Isaiah Hartenstein was hurt, Boom all small ball lineup, We're dogging everybody. Isaiah Hartenstein comes back, Chet is still out boom mowing down everybody. Now this recent stretch, you got Chet, you got heart, and you don't have Jada Boom wipe in everybody. Like, I just don't understand how if we're at this point in the season, you've been watching the whole way, if you don't have the utmost confidence in Oklahoma City top to bottom as a basketball team, and like, they don't have to be your favorite. I do think they have to be your West favorite, though, yea, And I just have no Like, I'm not even worried about them, man, I'm not stressing like it. I'm not all of these concerns. They're just to such a less extent. Like I think that if you're really focused on these things, you're hyper fixated on youth or something like that. Like I just don't see a whole man, I don't see an exploitable thing with Oklahoma City this year.

They're unbelievable. And it's interesting when you put this in terms of comparing it to last year, because obviously they were a really really good team last year they won fifty seven games. But I've seen some people go out and say, like, Okay, so he's gonna run through the West this year, and then the response to that is, oh, well you said that last year too. It's just not true. Like, even as a huge OKC guy, biggest chet fan on the planet, huge SGA fans, somebody who said last year this is going to be a dynasty. Never did I say last year, this team is going to win the title. I picked them to lose in the second round. I picked them to lose to Dallas, Like what happened? Like that was a team that was incredibly talented, ascending so rapidly, but clearly had way more vulnerabilities with the rebounding, with the size, with the inexperience of the team in totality, with more offensive questions about Jadub and Chatt and the shooting. Like this is a team that is sixty one and twelve man their second all time in net rating, So obviously they have taken a leap in a number of ways compared to last year. But even addressing like the little micro concerns that I've had about this team this season, even having picked them to win the title before the year, in this recent stretch, they have been phenomenal on all of those fronts. Like early in the year, for half of the year, this was an offense that when Shay was off the floor, struggled. They just did not produce good results. But if you look at this second half of the year post All Star breaks, specifically, they have a one to twenty five offensive rating with Shay off the floor. I mean that is just unbelievable. That is a complete reversal from the first half of the year and an elite number flat out. And over the last thirty plus games they have a double digit net rating in minutes with Shae off the floor. So just think about that. That is such a testament to the totality of the talent on this basketball team. But specifically when it comes to them figuring out the offensive stuff, I think there's a couple of factors that play there. Number One, Jadab before he got hurt, was playing better. He went through a slump in like December where his shot was just off. But if you look at his last twenty games, Jadub's giving you almost twenty three points per game on fifty nine percent true shooting, and his three point shot has been back. So he has been better as that lead in the non Shay minutes and has been a more reliable number two offensive option. But to me, the really big thing that they figured out is the chet Hartenstein fit, because those double big lineups have just been killing people. They're plus thirteen in terms of net rating in CHET and I heart minutes. They have a one to twenty four offensive rating. They've been a dominant offense, And you mentioned the rebounding logan. I mean, talk about a reversal from last year where this was one of the worst rebounding teams in basketball. When those two bigs share the floor, they have a thirty six percent offensive rebound rate that would be top two in basketball. They have an eighty percent defensive rebound rate, utterly dominant rebounding on both sides of the floor. And I was really optimistic about the fit between these two bigs on both ends, But legitimately they compliment each other as well as any two bigs could offensively, Like they just have such an ability to play off of each other heart and is so effective as a screener, he's so effective as a passing hub, he's so good initiating handoffs. And then Chet just has wing skills. And they've been using Chet more and more like a big wing offensively as of late, where they are setting up a bunch of actions for him off ball, running him around screens, if that's to try and get open from three. If that's so he can attack from the nail right, curling around a downscreen that Hartenstein sets for him, and Chet has just gotten way better at playing from that free throw line area this year as a jump shooter, attacking off the bounce, getting to the rim, getting to the line, they set up off ball screens for him to cut to the basket. Like his offensive versatility is so so special, and it has made those double big lineups not just incredibly functional, but legitimately dominant. And if you look at Chet's production in non Shay minutes per seventy five possessions, he gives you twenty three and a half points on sixty six percent true shooting. Like he's producing like an offensive star when you ask him to step up and give you that sort of volume, and when you make him a focal point of your offense like that. And here's a crazy stat logan small sample here, but when chet is on the floor with Shay off ok See has a one twenty seven offensive rating. So I say just keep empowering chet Man because the biggest thing for him is just staying aggressive. We know that the ability is there as a shooter, as a driver, as a finisher, it's just a question of how consistently he is in attack mode. But when he is, I mean, he just does so much at a high level. And you can run four or five pick and roll with him at Hartenstein and he can make the reads and find Hartenstein off the roll. Like, it's just awesome what he's doing offensively, what the double big looks are doing offensively, in what okase is doing offensively, Logan, I'll take it to a much bigger sample size than this super recent stretch without Jadab. Since January first, ok See is number one and three point percentage and they are number one in offensive rating. So again, one of the things that you would nitpick with okaseee is outside of Shae, how does their offense look in totality, not just when he's off the floor entirely, but when it comes to making guys around him beat you with their spot up shooting. If you're sending multiple defenders at Shay consistently making him see multiple bodies, do they have the spot up shooting around him to still produce elite offense. They've been the best shooting team in basketball for several months now, so that is an extremely positive indicator. And like I think we can just say at this point with lou Dort, he's a forty percent three point shooter. Man. It's remarkable, remarkable development considering who he was as a prospect who he was as a shooter early in his career, but back to back years of him doing that now, like, I think you really really have to respect him. Jadab again went through a slump, but he's been significantly better as of late, so the shooting has been phenomenal. One of the other things people might nitpick with OKC is, oh, what about their clutch offense? What about their half court offense? They've been elite in both of those respects. Number four clutch offense, top five half court offense. So I just don't know what you're gonna question with this team.

They're unbelievable. And it's interesting when you put this in terms of comparing it to last year, because obviously they were a really really good team last year they won fifty seven games. But I've seen some people go out and say, like, Okay, so he's gonna run through the West this year, and then the response to that is, oh, well you said that last year too. It's just not true. Like, even as a huge OKC guy, biggest chet fan on the planet, huge SGA fans, somebody who said last year this is going to be a dynasty. Never did I say last year, this team is going to win the title. I picked them to lose in the second round. I picked them to lose to Dallas, Like what happened? Like that was a team that was incredibly talented, ascending so rapidly, but clearly had way more vulnerabilities with the rebounding, with the size, with the inexperience of the team in totality, with more offensive questions about Jadub and Chatt and the shooting. Like this is a team that is sixty one and twelve man their second all time in net rating, So obviously they have taken a leap in a number of ways compared to last year. But even addressing like the little micro concerns that I've had about this team this season, even having picked them to win the title before the year, in this recent stretch, they have been phenomenal on all of those fronts. Like early in the year, for half of the year, this was an offense that when Shay was off the floor, struggled. They just did not produce good results. But if you look at this second half of the year post All Star breaks, specifically, they have a one to twenty five offensive rating with Shay off the floor. I mean that is just unbelievable. That is a complete reversal from the first half of the year and an elite number flat out. And over the last thirty plus games they have a double digit net rating in minutes with Shae off the floor. So just think about that. That is such a testament to the totality of the talent on this basketball team. But specifically when it comes to them figuring out the offensive stuff, I think there's a couple of factors that play there. Number One, Jadab before he got hurt, was playing better. He went through a slump in like December where his shot was just off. But if you look at his last twenty games, Jadub's giving you almost twenty three points per game on fifty nine percent true shooting, and his three point shot has been back. So he has been better as that lead in the non Shay minutes and has been a more reliable number two offensive option. But to me, the really big thing that they figured out is the chet Hartenstein fit, because those double big lineups have just been killing people. They're plus thirteen in terms of net rating in CHET and I heart minutes. They have a one to twenty four offensive rating. They've been a dominant offense, And you mentioned the rebounding logan. I mean, talk about a reversal from last year where this was one of the worst rebounding teams in basketball. When those two bigs share the floor, they have a thirty six percent offensive rebound rate that would be top two in basketball. They have an eighty percent defensive rebound rate, utterly dominant rebounding on both sides of the floor. And I was really optimistic about the fit between these two bigs on both ends, But legitimately they compliment each other as well as any two bigs could offensively, Like they just have such an ability to play off of each other heart and is so effective as a screener, he's so effective as a passing hub, he's so good initiating handoffs. And then Chet just has wing skills. And they've been using Chet more and more like a big wing offensively as of late, where they are setting up a bunch of actions for him off ball, running him around screens, if that's to try and get open from three. If that's so he can attack from the nail right, curling around a downscreen that Hartenstein sets for him, and Chet has just gotten way better at playing from that free throw line area this year as a jump shooter, attacking off the bounce, getting to the rim, getting to the line, they set up off ball screens for him to cut to the basket. Like his offensive versatility is so so special, and it has made those double big lineups not just incredibly functional, but legitimately dominant. And if you look at Chet's production in non Shay minutes per seventy five possessions, he gives you twenty three and a half points on sixty six percent true shooting. Like he's producing like an offensive star when you ask him to step up and give you that sort of volume, and when you make him a focal point of your offense like that. And here's a crazy stat logan small sample here, but when chet is on the floor with Shay off ok See has a one twenty seven offensive rating. So I say just keep empowering chet Man because the biggest thing for him is just staying aggressive. We know that the ability is there as a shooter, as a driver, as a finisher, it's just a question of how consistently he is in attack mode. But when he is, I mean, he just does so much at a high level. And you can run four or five pick and roll with him at Hartenstein and he can make the reads and find Hartenstein off the roll. Like, it's just awesome what he's doing offensively, what the double big looks are doing offensively, in what okase is doing offensively, Logan, I'll take it to a much bigger sample size than this super recent stretch without Jadab. Since January first, ok See is number one and three point percentage and they are number one in offensive rating. So again, one of the things that you would nitpick with okaseee is outside of Shae, how does their offense look in totality, not just when he's off the floor entirely, but when it comes to making guys around him beat you with their spot up shooting. If you're sending multiple defenders at Shay consistently making him see multiple bodies, do they have the spot up shooting around him to still produce elite offense. They've been the best shooting team in basketball for several months now, so that is an extremely positive indicator. And like I think we can just say at this point with lou Dort, he's a forty percent three point shooter. Man. It's remarkable, remarkable development considering who he was as a prospect who he was as a shooter early in his career, but back to back years of him doing that now, like, I think you really really have to respect him. Jadab again went through a slump, but he's been significantly better as of late, so the shooting has been phenomenal. One of the other things people might nitpick with OKC is, oh, what about their clutch offense? What about their half court offense? They've been elite in both of those respects. Number four clutch offense, top five half court offense. So I just don't know what you're gonna question with this team.

Man.

Man.

They have a guy playing like a top two player on the planet, having a historic guard season leading to elite offensive results no matter what, one of the best scorers we've ever seen. Then they have a team around him that is now playing like an elite basketball team even when Shay is off the floor. They have the shooting around him, They have the offensive numbers two and three who are playing like the guys they would need to be for you to win a title around him. The totality of the role player production, I mean, we rave about it over and over again, but Cason Wallace Aaron Wiggins has progressed this year. Isaiah Joe Caruso, I think is only going to continue to play more and become more vital for them. I don't even know how Jay will is really going to figure into the playoff rotation. Not much, I don't think. But I've been so impressed by him this season, his defensive versatility, his rebounding, his passing, his three point shooting. Like they're just so complete top to bottom. They're on pace to win sixty nine games. So I would be absolutely shocked if they lost in the West. I'm at that point like I think everybody else is way more flawed. You give me a historic defense, which is what this group is. You give me a historic offensive player in Shay and an offensive supporting cast around him that has been playing so so well as of late. There's no chance I would pick anybody else in the West to beat them, which has been the case all year. But that gap just continues to grow, and I would pick them to win the title as well. Them versus Boston. It's like fifty one forty nine and Boston at full strength with KP is a scary thing. But we talked about this recently when we saw the Boston Okac had to head matchup. The key for me in that series is Okase's ability to defend Jalen Brown so unbelievably well, make him more uncomfortable than anybody else can. He's not comfortable dribbling against this defense. They just harass him. He can't attack mismatches against them, which is where he's at his best because there's no mismatches to attack. Everybody is that good defensively, and it's gonna come down to Jada and Chet being consistent offensively. But I'm a believer in both those guys, and they've been playing really good basketball as of late, especially Chet, Like he just had a clunker against Memphis offensively, and they're not gonna give him the touches every night for him to have a big performance, but when they do, he's been really, really damn good. So I'm just blown away by Okay. See I am. I truly think this is one of the great teams that we've seen ascending, because like, it's only up from here, man, I mean, these guys are only getting better. Chet's gonna get way better, Jada's gonna keep getting better. Shay, I don't know how much better he can get, but he's already at that all time level and they can absolutely do it this year.

They have a guy playing like a top two player on the planet, having a historic guard season leading to elite offensive results no matter what, one of the best scorers we've ever seen. Then they have a team around him that is now playing like an elite basketball team even when Shay is off the floor. They have the shooting around him, They have the offensive numbers two and three who are playing like the guys they would need to be for you to win a title around him. The totality of the role player production, I mean, we rave about it over and over again, but Cason Wallace Aaron Wiggins has progressed this year. Isaiah Joe Caruso, I think is only going to continue to play more and become more vital for them. I don't even know how Jay will is really going to figure into the playoff rotation. Not much, I don't think. But I've been so impressed by him this season, his defensive versatility, his rebounding, his passing, his three point shooting. Like they're just so complete top to bottom. They're on pace to win sixty nine games. So I would be absolutely shocked if they lost in the West. I'm at that point like I think everybody else is way more flawed. You give me a historic defense, which is what this group is. You give me a historic offensive player in Shay and an offensive supporting cast around him that has been playing so so well as of late. There's no chance I would pick anybody else in the West to beat them, which has been the case all year. But that gap just continues to grow, and I would pick them to win the title as well. Them versus Boston. It's like fifty one forty nine and Boston at full strength with KP is a scary thing. But we talked about this recently when we saw the Boston Okac had to head matchup. The key for me in that series is Okase's ability to defend Jalen Brown so unbelievably well, make him more uncomfortable than anybody else can. He's not comfortable dribbling against this defense. They just harass him. He can't attack mismatches against them, which is where he's at his best because there's no mismatches to attack. Everybody is that good defensively, and it's gonna come down to Jada and Chet being consistent offensively. But I'm a believer in both those guys, and they've been playing really good basketball as of late, especially Chet, Like he just had a clunker against Memphis offensively, and they're not gonna give him the touches every night for him to have a big performance, but when they do, he's been really, really damn good. So I'm just blown away by Okay. See I am. I truly think this is one of the great teams that we've seen ascending, because like, it's only up from here, man, I mean, these guys are only getting better. Chet's gonna get way better, Jada's gonna keep getting better. Shay, I don't know how much better he can get, but he's already at that all time level and they can absolutely do it this year.

I mean, it's just a basketball haven. Everybody spread out, everybody can shoot, everybody can handle, everybody can defend. The only thing I think you covered a lot of The only thing I just wanted to add is something that we touched on at the end of last episode. Doumble big look is coming back in a big way. Man. You're kinda you're kind of getting left in the dust if you don't have one of these like super skilled bigs and these jumbo sized lineups, Like they are coming back in a big way, and I don't think they're going anywhere, man, Like, you got to have that as an answer and as a look against some of these great teams. And if you don't have that look, you're not going extinct, but you're definitely missing something. And the Thunder have that this year. I just don't know how you could look at the totality of their resume and what they've put in court this year and have any doubts. Man. I'm I'm just so impressed And I don't know, man, It's like it would be so easy for Oklahoma City this year to like, you know, to let everybody down or to you know, it would just be easy to fall short of expectations. They're not. They've exceeded all of mine, even though they were already lofty coming in, you know, like I think they've gone past that. Like you told me before the year, this team's going win sixty nine games, I would have lost my mind. That's ridiculous for a group this young. That's so impressive.

I mean, it's just a basketball haven. Everybody spread out, everybody can shoot, everybody can handle, everybody can defend. The only thing I think you covered a lot of The only thing I just wanted to add is something that we touched on at the end of last episode. Doumble big look is coming back in a big way. Man. You're kinda you're kind of getting left in the dust if you don't have one of these like super skilled bigs and these jumbo sized lineups, Like they are coming back in a big way, and I don't think they're going anywhere, man, Like, you got to have that as an answer and as a look against some of these great teams. And if you don't have that look, you're not going extinct, but you're definitely missing something. And the Thunder have that this year. I just don't know how you could look at the totality of their resume and what they've put in court this year and have any doubts. Man. I'm I'm just so impressed And I don't know, man, It's like it would be so easy for Oklahoma City this year to like, you know, to let everybody down or to you know, it would just be easy to fall short of expectations. They're not. They've exceeded all of mine, even though they were already lofty coming in, you know, like I think they've gone past that. Like you told me before the year, this team's going win sixty nine games, I would have lost my mind. That's ridiculous for a group this young. That's so impressive.

I'll put it simply. Shay being historic is a given. This defense being historic is a given. We've known that if they also shoot forty percent from three and they convincingly win the non Shay minutes, and Jadub is the player he's been as of late, and Chet is the offensive version of himself that we know he's capable of winning.

I'll put it simply. Shay being historic is a given. This defense being historic is a given. We've known that if they also shoot forty percent from three and they convincingly win the non Shay minutes, and Jadub is the player he's been as of late, and Chet is the offensive version of himself that we know he's capable of winning.

Because of that, and Will said, and because of the defense, it gives those guys some extra leeway and margin.

Because of that, and Will said, and because of the defense, it gives those guys some extra leeway and margin.

I could not agree more. And I think that's something that people continue to kind of underestimate how phenomenal this defense really is. Their activity, their pressure, their rim protection. They're dounding now like he's such a crazy weapon. They can make anybody uncomfortable in a way that you do not see.

I could not agree more. And I think that's something that people continue to kind of underestimate how phenomenal this defense really is. Their activity, their pressure, their rim protection. They're dounding now like he's such a crazy weapon. They can make anybody uncomfortable in a way that you do not see.

Yeah, it's not like I don't want those guys to underperform, but it just gives them some little extra slack to miss some a few more three or to have an off night. And you're built to with stand against those things because your defense is so great, because your activity, because you're so great on the glass. Like like I said, there's no holes. There's no holes.

Yeah, it's not like I don't want those guys to underperform, but it just gives them some little extra slack to miss some a few more three or to have an off night. And you're built to with stand against those things because your defense is so great, because your activity, because you're so great on the glass. Like like I said, there's no holes. There's no holes.

There aren't. Man, I want to pull up real quick if I can. Their defensive rating just against the truly elite teams. Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and New York are the four who I pulled up. They have a one to eleven defensive rating, and that includes Denver having like the offensive performance of the season where they were shooting sixty percent from three against them. But you see the lows that they can put people in. You see the runs that they can go on turning defense into offense in transition. Like I think that they have way more fifteen to oher runs than anybody else in basketball as a stat that I saw. We saw them do it to Boston, we saw them do it to Cleveland in their second meeting. We saw them do it to the Knicks in both of their meetings this year. They slow you down, they turn defense into offense, and then when it comes down to it and they need to find out elite half court offense, they do that as well. They are just absolutely phenomenal. But Logan, I've seen a lot of talk about a certain trade that, in spite of all their success, people think the Oklahoma City Thunder lost, that being the Josh Giddy for Alex Caruso trade. And people are saying that because Giddy's putting up some big, gaudy numbers right now. And the Chicago Bulls have won nine of their last eleven games. They just beat the Lakers last night in one of the craziest finishes to an NBA game that you'll see, which ended on Giddy hitting a half. Sob bro, chill chill on him. But he's got a lot going. He's fighting stephen A, he's fighting me after that, and Giddy made a remarkable shot. Are you buying the hype, Logan? Are you in on what the Bulls are doing right now? Does this mean something?

There aren't. Man, I want to pull up real quick if I can. Their defensive rating just against the truly elite teams. Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and New York are the four who I pulled up. They have a one to eleven defensive rating, and that includes Denver having like the offensive performance of the season where they were shooting sixty percent from three against them. But you see the lows that they can put people in. You see the runs that they can go on turning defense into offense in transition. Like I think that they have way more fifteen to oher runs than anybody else in basketball as a stat that I saw. We saw them do it to Boston, we saw them do it to Cleveland in their second meeting. We saw them do it to the Knicks in both of their meetings this year. They slow you down, they turn defense into offense, and then when it comes down to it and they need to find out elite half court offense, they do that as well. They are just absolutely phenomenal. But Logan, I've seen a lot of talk about a certain trade that, in spite of all their success, people think the Oklahoma City Thunder lost, that being the Josh Giddy for Alex Caruso trade. And people are saying that because Giddy's putting up some big, gaudy numbers right now. And the Chicago Bulls have won nine of their last eleven games. They just beat the Lakers last night in one of the craziest finishes to an NBA game that you'll see, which ended on Giddy hitting a half. Sob bro, chill chill on him. But he's got a lot going. He's fighting stephen A, he's fighting me after that, and Giddy made a remarkable shot. Are you buying the hype, Logan? Are you in on what the Bulls are doing right now? Does this mean something?

It means something, Yeah, for sure. I mean I think I think the Bulls and God bless, I think Bulls fans finally have something to be excited about. I mean, I would hate to be a Bulls fan honestly post two thousand, Like it's just like pain and suffering and misery. Like you had one good run with Derrick Rose and then he got hurt and then you're like toiling.

It means something, Yeah, for sure. I mean I think I think the Bulls and God bless, I think Bulls fans finally have something to be excited about. I mean, I would hate to be a Bulls fan honestly post two thousand, Like it's just like pain and suffering and misery. Like you had one good run with Derrick Rose and then he got hurt and then you're like toiling.

Away with they remember what happened, Go easy on them.

Away with they remember what happened, Go easy on them.

I'm just saying there's not a whole lot to be happy about it. I'd be excited right now, though. I mean, you got young guys that I like a lot. Boozellis, I love Kobe White. We'll talk about those guys in a minute. I do want to focus on the thing you were introing us with the Giddy trade. I think it's an oversimplification when we say that Chicago won the trade. Well, of course they were always going to win the trade if you're just looking at like raw numbers. Personally, I think it's a very mutually beneficial deal. Josh Giddy was always going to look better in the role that Chicago wanted to cast him in than the role that he was playing in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City had their number one primary ball handler score facilitator in Shae Gilges Alexander. They had their secondary guy in Jadu or tertiary in Chet Holmgren, whichever role you want to cast them in. And so what was Josh Gitty as to do? He was playing fourth fiddle. Josh Getty's not a fourth fiddle. The best role that he's in is a primary ball handler because he's not as good with the ball out of his hands. And I thought you saw that last year in Oklahoma City when he's a bad spot up shooter and he's not a really good defender. And so the role that he was cast in just wasn't the right one. They were trying to have him be a supporting actor. He needed to be the main guy. And in Chicago they needed a guy like that. And so I just think it worked out really well on both sides. Caruso is a win now asset that fits better in the role they needed him to play in some supplementary ball handling from time to time, spot up shooting in defense. That being said, I will give Josh Getty credit, and the biggest thing I'll give him credit for is the shooting. I never thought Josh Getty was going to be a good shoot. I just never had faith. I thought you were looking at a guy that maybe could become a good intermediate scorer, like with floater touch and stuff like that, could be decent around the basket. You know, we liked him during the draft process, you like Josh Getty as the second round prospect, and then he ended up shooting up to the first round.

I'm just saying there's not a whole lot to be happy about it. I'd be excited right now, though. I mean, you got young guys that I like a lot. Boozellis, I love Kobe White. We'll talk about those guys in a minute. I do want to focus on the thing you were introing us with the Giddy trade. I think it's an oversimplification when we say that Chicago won the trade. Well, of course they were always going to win the trade if you're just looking at like raw numbers. Personally, I think it's a very mutually beneficial deal. Josh Giddy was always going to look better in the role that Chicago wanted to cast him in than the role that he was playing in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City had their number one primary ball handler score facilitator in Shae Gilges Alexander. They had their secondary guy in Jadu or tertiary in Chet Holmgren, whichever role you want to cast them in. And so what was Josh Gitty as to do? He was playing fourth fiddle. Josh Getty's not a fourth fiddle. The best role that he's in is a primary ball handler because he's not as good with the ball out of his hands. And I thought you saw that last year in Oklahoma City when he's a bad spot up shooter and he's not a really good defender. And so the role that he was cast in just wasn't the right one. They were trying to have him be a supporting actor. He needed to be the main guy. And in Chicago they needed a guy like that. And so I just think it worked out really well on both sides. Caruso is a win now asset that fits better in the role they needed him to play in some supplementary ball handling from time to time, spot up shooting in defense. That being said, I will give Josh Getty credit, and the biggest thing I'll give him credit for is the shooting. I never thought Josh Getty was going to be a good shoot. I just never had faith. I thought you were looking at a guy that maybe could become a good intermediate scorer, like with floater touch and stuff like that, could be decent around the basket. You know, we liked him during the draft process, you like Josh Getty as the second round prospect, and then he ended up shooting up to the first round.

And I was driving the giddy train when they were talking about him going in the twenties and then he went six and I said, whoa, whoa, Nelly. Yeah, well Hi.

And I was driving the giddy train when they were talking about him going in the twenties and then he went six and I said, whoa, whoa, Nelly. Yeah, well Hi.

When we started prospect stuff, he was like early second, and then he creeped up to late first and then mid first, and then Oklahoma City took him really early. And we love the stuff that he brought as a primary ball handler. Jumbo sized guy, could make passes over the tops of defenses, really good court vision, flashy playmaker with a nice handle. The question was always about scoring and shooting. He's looked way better in that regard, and he fills up the stat sheet like he's way better in this role. And I don't want to take anything away from him. I just think sometimes when people see these gaudy numbers, they just, you know, they'll just kind of fill in the blanks, you know what I mean, Like they'll just automatically. I'll get he's gonna figure this out in this I do think he has real limitations as like a high end scorer, but I do think he's better in this role. And I think he needed to go to a place where he could have the ball in his hands and grow. I think Oklahoma City was always gonna limit how much he could do because he was gonna be cast in that role. But Chicago's got a guy they can buy in for the future and can run their offense and is improving as a scorer. I don't want to put a ceiling on the guy, and there's a lot of young players like I mentioned that I really like in Chicago. Moozells to me is the diamond in the rough, the crown jewel. I just think he does so much defensively in transition. I always thought you could bank on him being great. He's giving you some offensive looks, but he's just so smart, Like just feel in positioning and IQ it just jumps off the page at you. You just see him. He's always in the right spot. That was my favorite thing about Boozellis loved Kobe White. He's a special scorer. They've got life. I wish they would have moved off Vuch. I wish they would have moved off to Rosen. I still don't love the front office in the organization, but the team's winning games, they're not in the bottom of the East, and there's something on the rise in for the future of Chicago.

When we started prospect stuff, he was like early second, and then he creeped up to late first and then mid first, and then Oklahoma City took him really early. And we love the stuff that he brought as a primary ball handler. Jumbo sized guy, could make passes over the tops of defenses, really good court vision, flashy playmaker with a nice handle. The question was always about scoring and shooting. He's looked way better in that regard, and he fills up the stat sheet like he's way better in this role. And I don't want to take anything away from him. I just think sometimes when people see these gaudy numbers, they just, you know, they'll just kind of fill in the blanks, you know what I mean, Like they'll just automatically. I'll get he's gonna figure this out in this I do think he has real limitations as like a high end scorer, but I do think he's better in this role. And I think he needed to go to a place where he could have the ball in his hands and grow. I think Oklahoma City was always gonna limit how much he could do because he was gonna be cast in that role. But Chicago's got a guy they can buy in for the future and can run their offense and is improving as a scorer. I don't want to put a ceiling on the guy, and there's a lot of young players like I mentioned that I really like in Chicago. Moozells to me is the diamond in the rough, the crown jewel. I just think he does so much defensively in transition. I always thought you could bank on him being great. He's giving you some offensive looks, but he's just so smart, Like just feel in positioning and IQ it just jumps off the page at you. You just see him. He's always in the right spot. That was my favorite thing about Boozellis loved Kobe White. He's a special scorer. They've got life. I wish they would have moved off Vuch. I wish they would have moved off to Rosen. I still don't love the front office in the organization, but the team's winning games, they're not in the bottom of the East, and there's something on the rise in for the future of Chicago.

Man, I.

Man, I.

I could see this team like being in the playoffs, like convincingly by next year. I don't think gets out of the realm of possibility. They could make it this year with like a play in push. But hm, I don't think it's team is super far away. I think they need a defensive anchor. I'd love if they could get like a five man that could That's obviously easier said than done, but if they could get a guy like that, I think this team could be a playoff team next year.

I could see this team like being in the playoffs, like convincingly by next year. I don't think gets out of the realm of possibility. They could make it this year with like a play in push. But hm, I don't think it's team is super far away. I think they need a defensive anchor. I'd love if they could get like a five man that could That's obviously easier said than done, but if they could get a guy like that, I think this team could be a playoff team next year.

A damper on this whole topic here.

A damper on this whole topic here.

No, Carson, it's Friday, man, don't be negative.

No, Carson, it's Friday, man, don't be negative.

I know it's Friday, but it's also March in the NBA, and you know what happens in March in the NBA logan fake shit, come on shit. For example, this March, Quenton Grimes is averaging twenty eight points per game on sixty three percent through shooting. Like qwenton, Grimes gonna go out on a limb and say that's not production that you expect George.

I know it's Friday, but it's also March in the NBA, and you know what happens in March in the NBA logan fake shit, come on shit. For example, this March, Quenton Grimes is averaging twenty eight points per game on sixty three percent through shooting. Like qwenton, Grimes gonna go out on a limb and say that's not production that you expect George.

And Yang said, Grimes is going back to Sidney.

And Yang said, Grimes is going back to Sidney.

I didn't like that. Why does George Yang talk so much shit?

I didn't like that. Why does George Yang talk so much shit?

Bro?

Bro?

It's probably because he has like the best winning percentage in the NBA over the last six years or something.

It's probably because he has like the best winning percentage in the NBA over the last six years or something.

Yeah, because he just doesn't matter.

Yeah, because he just doesn't matter.

He's a winner. He's a winner. He's not a bandwagon. He's be like a wagon.

He's a winner. He's a winner. He's not a bandwagon. He's be like a wagon.

He's been like a cinnamon roll.

He's been like a cinnamon roll.

He's a minivan. But I like Grimes, obviously, that's insane. Nausey Marshall, love nausey Marshall, Oh my god, averaging twenty one ten and four this month on sixty percent through shooting. Denny of Dia really good basketball player averaging twenty three five on sixty six percent through shooting. Logan, I'm just presenting facts for now. Brandon Williams shout out having a nice run for the MAVs. A lot of our fans viewers have probably never even heard of Brandon Williams. He's averaging seventeen four and five on sixty five percent through shooting this month and that's in ten plus games in March. Last year, Jalen Green veraged twenty eight points per game on sixty one percent true shooting. DeAndre Ayten averaged twenty three and a half and thirteen on sixty three percent tru shooting. Gary Trent Junior averaged twenty one points per game.

He's a minivan. But I like Grimes, obviously, that's insane. Nausey Marshall, love nausey Marshall, Oh my god, averaging twenty one ten and four this month on sixty percent through shooting. Denny of Dia really good basketball player averaging twenty three five on sixty six percent through shooting. Logan, I'm just presenting facts for now. Brandon Williams shout out having a nice run for the MAVs. A lot of our fans viewers have probably never even heard of Brandon Williams. He's averaging seventeen four and five on sixty five percent through shooting this month and that's in ten plus games in March. Last year, Jalen Green veraged twenty eight points per game on sixty one percent true shooting. DeAndre Ayten averaged twenty three and a half and thirteen on sixty three percent tru shooting. Gary Trent Junior averaged twenty one points per game.

So I think that context closure.

So I think that context closure.

I think it's important to acknowledge that this is the time of the year when a lot of dudes seeing the floor are not legitimate rotation caliber NBA players, when a lot of teams are either fully in tanking mode or maybe have taken their foot off the gas a little bit because they got their eyes on the postseason and they're resting up. That's why I think it is much more important to look at the bottom line numbers for any player who's having a crazy March. Look at their numbers this year in totality, And what are Josh Giddy's numbers this year in totality fourteen eight and seven on fifty seven percent true shooting. The offense is one point possessions better with him on the floor. That's all right, That's exactly My point is that not basically exactly what you would have pretted that his stat line would be this year, knowing that he'd be given the keys to the offense a good bit. Maybe it's one percent true, shooting higher than I would have guessed. I mean, I think I literally said he's gonna average fifteen to seven and seven.

I think it's important to acknowledge that this is the time of the year when a lot of dudes seeing the floor are not legitimate rotation caliber NBA players, when a lot of teams are either fully in tanking mode or maybe have taken their foot off the gas a little bit because they got their eyes on the postseason and they're resting up. That's why I think it is much more important to look at the bottom line numbers for any player who's having a crazy March. Look at their numbers this year in totality, And what are Josh Giddy's numbers this year in totality fourteen eight and seven on fifty seven percent true shooting. The offense is one point possessions better with him on the floor. That's all right, That's exactly My point is that not basically exactly what you would have pretted that his stat line would be this year, knowing that he'd be given the keys to the offense a good bit. Maybe it's one percent true, shooting higher than I would have guessed. I mean, I think I literally said he's gonna average fifteen to seven and seven.

Shit do you think are there bulls fans out there saying he's going to be a superstar.

Shit do you think are there bulls fans out there saying he's going to be a superstar.

I'm seeing a lot of hype going around. I mean a lot of this guy's averaging a twenty point triple double almost in March. Why is nobody talking about.

I'm seeing a lot of hype going around. I mean a lot of this guy's averaging a twenty point triple double almost in March. Why is nobody talking about.

A triple Doubles are created equal.

A triple Doubles are created equal.

That's for sure. And like a big part of this run that he's on right now is just that he is shooting the three ball way better than he ever has in his entire life. Like since the All Star Break, he's fifty two percent from three. That is absurd knowing who Josh Giddy always has been as a shooter, And before the All Star Break this year he was thirty four percent from deep. So the improvement from three, that's good to see that he's over thirty eight percent on the year. Like that's always been a big issue for him. He hasn't improved as a pull up shooter. He still does not have that in his bag. He's inefficient as a pull up shooter and doesn't do it with volume. But he's been shooting better off the catch, and that's good. But there are still a lot of the exact same issues that I have with Josh Getty. I don't think he's really changed as a basketball player. I do think that this is clearly the best role for him right having him playoff ball more, asking him to be a spot up shooter, not a primary ball handler and decision maker for you. That put him in a tough spot in OKSE and he was disastrous in that role, like he couldn't play alongside Shay. Just look at the playoffs last year and try to tell me that the thunder actually would prefer that player that Josh Giddy to Alex Caruso, who's bringing them some of the best guard defense on the planet, phenomenal team defense, can cut, can attack closeouts, and we'll still make a higher percentage of his threes than Josh Giitty was last year. This is a win win because at the time I was like, oh, man, Caruso is so good, you could have gotten picks attached. But like, they got a young player in Josh Gitty who's going to be productive for them. They didn't need Caruso with the construction of their roster as it was. They didn't need somebody who was going to be like that, really high impact winning player, but older guy not going to produce in the box score. That's not what Chicago's looking at. But I think you have to understand that context in that situation, because when I see people like try to compare stat lines between Josh Giddy and Alx Caruso just makes me want to pull my hair out.

That's for sure. And like a big part of this run that he's on right now is just that he is shooting the three ball way better than he ever has in his entire life. Like since the All Star Break, he's fifty two percent from three. That is absurd knowing who Josh Giddy always has been as a shooter, And before the All Star Break this year he was thirty four percent from deep. So the improvement from three, that's good to see that he's over thirty eight percent on the year. Like that's always been a big issue for him. He hasn't improved as a pull up shooter. He still does not have that in his bag. He's inefficient as a pull up shooter and doesn't do it with volume. But he's been shooting better off the catch, and that's good. But there are still a lot of the exact same issues that I have with Josh Getty. I don't think he's really changed as a basketball player. I do think that this is clearly the best role for him right having him playoff ball more, asking him to be a spot up shooter, not a primary ball handler and decision maker for you. That put him in a tough spot in OKSE and he was disastrous in that role, like he couldn't play alongside Shay. Just look at the playoffs last year and try to tell me that the thunder actually would prefer that player that Josh Giddy to Alex Caruso, who's bringing them some of the best guard defense on the planet, phenomenal team defense, can cut, can attack closeouts, and we'll still make a higher percentage of his threes than Josh Giitty was last year. This is a win win because at the time I was like, oh, man, Caruso is so good, you could have gotten picks attached. But like, they got a young player in Josh Gitty who's going to be productive for them. They didn't need Caruso with the construction of their roster as it was. They didn't need somebody who was going to be like that, really high impact winning player, but older guy not going to produce in the box score. That's not what Chicago's looking at. But I think you have to understand that context in that situation, because when I see people like try to compare stat lines between Josh Giddy and Alx Caruso just makes me want to pull my hair out.

I mean, it's brain. Did I did it for you? I did?

I mean, it's brain. Did I did it for you? I did?

It's absurd. Oh, thank you man. I appreciate that the sacrifices you make for me Logan, I will never forget, and in Valhalla, I will reward you immensely with an eternity of worldly pleasures. But when it comes to Gidey, man, it's like, yeah, obviously he's a super creative passer, always has been, as a bunch of angles available to him at his size. Still not a high end scoring threat, inefficient finisher at the rim fifty nine percent in the restricted area, solid from float range, but inefficient pull up shooter as well, so he's passing the ability makes it so that he is a very solid pick and roll ball handler. And then if he's shooting the ball like this, like he actually is a functional off ball player. The question is just is that going to be maintained. If it is, then Josh Kiddy's a good offensive player, still a bad defensive player. But I'm not sold that His shot just dramatically improved by that much in February and March of this year, so it's the best basketball he's played. Shout out to him. The guy's always had real ability as a playmaker, and his feel has always been so excellent, So I'm certainly not sold on it. I think that if Chicago pays him a lot of money, they will regret that because he is just kind of a funky player to build around, because he wants the ball in his hands so much. But is he a good enough offensive engine to justify that with his limitations elsewhere? I lean know if you're talking about him as being like your lead guard of the future, but listen, he's having a really good run right now elsewhere. I do think, like Kobe White, obviously you're still getting some March syndrome with him putting up these numbers. But he can score the basketball, coach, he can score the damn basketball. And we knew that last year obviously. I mean, he is just one of the elite shooters of the basketball in this league. Absolutely phenomenal spot up scorer, effective pick and roll score. And like you said, man, I really really like Bozells, Like he was one of my favorite prospects in the draft. Really nice downhill driver. His handle has looked better. That was one of the big questions about him as a prospect, and I shall want to see it improved.

It's absurd. Oh, thank you man. I appreciate that the sacrifices you make for me Logan, I will never forget, and in Valhalla, I will reward you immensely with an eternity of worldly pleasures. But when it comes to Gidey, man, it's like, yeah, obviously he's a super creative passer, always has been, as a bunch of angles available to him at his size. Still not a high end scoring threat, inefficient finisher at the rim fifty nine percent in the restricted area, solid from float range, but inefficient pull up shooter as well, so he's passing the ability makes it so that he is a very solid pick and roll ball handler. And then if he's shooting the ball like this, like he actually is a functional off ball player. The question is just is that going to be maintained. If it is, then Josh Kiddy's a good offensive player, still a bad defensive player. But I'm not sold that His shot just dramatically improved by that much in February and March of this year, so it's the best basketball he's played. Shout out to him. The guy's always had real ability as a playmaker, and his feel has always been so excellent, So I'm certainly not sold on it. I think that if Chicago pays him a lot of money, they will regret that because he is just kind of a funky player to build around, because he wants the ball in his hands so much. But is he a good enough offensive engine to justify that with his limitations elsewhere? I lean know if you're talking about him as being like your lead guard of the future, but listen, he's having a really good run right now elsewhere. I do think, like Kobe White, obviously you're still getting some March syndrome with him putting up these numbers. But he can score the basketball, coach, he can score the damn basketball. And we knew that last year obviously. I mean, he is just one of the elite shooters of the basketball in this league. Absolutely phenomenal spot up scorer, effective pick and roll score. And like you said, man, I really really like Bozells, Like he was one of my favorite prospects in the draft. Really nice downhill driver. His handle has looked better. That was one of the big questions about him as a prospect, and I shall want to see it improved.

But if that shot comes along, yeah, Boozells is gonna be so nasty, dude.

But if that shot comes along, yeah, Boozells is gonna be so nasty, dude.

And the shot has been better than I would have expected for his rookie year, thirty four percent from deep, eighty five percent plus from the line. Like, you still want to see it improve, but it's certainly an encouraging trajectory. And then the defensive versatility, the feel the shot blocking. As a wing, He's gonna be one of the best shot blocking wings in basketball. The Bulls are in a decent spot. Like I want to be clear, I'm not trying to rain on the parade here, but they are in that weird spot where they definitely do not have a cornerstone. Is there a future All Star on this roster? No, who do you think Kobe White?

And the shot has been better than I would have expected for his rookie year, thirty four percent from deep, eighty five percent plus from the line. Like, you still want to see it improve, but it's certainly an encouraging trajectory. And then the defensive versatility, the feel the shot blocking. As a wing, He's gonna be one of the best shot blocking wings in basketball. The Bulls are in a decent spot. Like I want to be clear, I'm not trying to rain on the parade here, but they are in that weird spot where they definitely do not have a cornerstone. Is there a future All Star on this roster? No, who do you think Kobe White?

No, I was saying zealous if it's gonna be somebody, But I mean that's still a long shot. Like I think is gonna be one of those like superstar role players, or he'll be.