BIG MAD SPECIAL FEATURE - NBA League Pass Can’t Misses ft. Scotty Owen
Our first NBA feature from the great Scotty O
Hello everyone,
This week I am featuring an article by a fellow hoop junkie and my future lawyer Scott Owen. Even though Scotty is a Knicks fan, he’s got a great mind for basketball and he’ll be featuring on Big Mad through the season. Please enjoy!!
Warriors
Shocker, a team with Stephen Curry is a must watch, but it’s much more than that. My mind may be stuck in 2015, but the Warriors, not the Lakers, are the real contenders against the Nets this season.
Steph Curry seems to be entering a stratosphere previously unattainable averaging 32/6/6 on 48/42/92. Also, he took a mind-boggling 12.7 threes a night. You are getting kicked out of your YMCA pick-up games if you are shooting that many threes. He’s still elite, he’s still the player going toe to toe with a prime LeBron, and he’s still the player who was splashing triples over Matthew Dellavedova’s impeccable perimeter defense.
However, it does not stop there. Bearded Klay is set to return to the team by Christmas, January, All-Star break? It doesn’t matter. They say the last thing to go for a basketball player is their jump shot and Klay’s is smoother than Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Now that’s smooth. I think Klay will come back and be efficient on offense. The jury is still out as to whether he will have the lateral mobility to keep up with the opponent’s best scorer on defense.
Which leads me to my next point: very interesting signings by the Warriors front office. Otto Porter Jr. is a masterful defender who has length for days, Avery Bradley hasn’t had it in years but he was a good defender at a time, and the same goes for Kent Bazemore. I am betting on a reinvigoration spurred by Klay and Curry’s greatness. Andrew Wiggins has the tools to defend and shot a career high 38% from three last year-it must be something in the San Francisco water. Gary Payton II is a defensive terror. James Wiseman will take another step under the tutelage of Kerr, Draymond Green, and others. Moses Moody and Kuminga add length, athleticism, and scoring intrigue. Lastly, have y’all been watching pre-season? Scott favorite, Jordan Poole, has been straight cooking people. It’s a fact and it’s going to be fun to watch.
Other notables: Bjelica will add a floor spacing pick and pop partner that Draymond has never been. Iguadala still plays basketball.
Projected Rotation:
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, James Wiseman
Jordan Poole, Andre Iguadala, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Kevon Looney
Rockets
Let’s go to the other side of the spectrum. The Rockets will lose a zillion games this year, but man, they will be fun.
The main reason? Essentially, they have three aspiring JR Smith’s on their roster and each are capable of going 0-21 in a game or drop fifty. Of course, I am talking about prized Jalen Green, to whom I could not be higher, Kevin Porter Jr., and Josh Christopher, who had the commentators going absolutely bananas during a pre-season game against the Wizards. It’s hilarious, I would check it out.
Besides, that they have just intriguing players that are going to be all over the board this season. Christian Wood may finally get recognition as a consistent 20/10 guy with an outside stroke and could be an immensely intriguing trade chip because he plays winning basketball which Eastern Texas should be allergic to this season. Dante Exum is a reclamation project who has those flashes sashaying into the paint that make you think that he could still have a chance especially with the lack of point guard talent on the team. Sorry, DJ Augustin. Jae’sean Tate was a waiver wire darling in fantasy last year and has an interesting 3 and D game. Kenyon Martin Jr. has trampolines in his shoes, plays defense like a man on fire, and is so hot and cold from three he might as well be called Lu Dort.
The Rockets sport a million rookies as well which is a main reason I check into teams on league pass. Jalen Green ROY campaign. Alperen Seguin making cross court feeds from the short roll and then getting embarrassed over and over by a lead guard defending the pick and roll. Usman Garuba, notably, defended KD during the olympics and was propped up as the best defender in last years draft. I am including Tyler Bey as well from the 2020 draft because I was extremely high on the Colorado product and he has an intriguing 3D game that could translate this season with ample time.
Watching this team is like watching Love Island, it’s going to be a lovable mess.
Other notables: John Wall lol. Wow, there are a lot of people on this roster who are not great but deserve time. It’s a classic 2017 Knicks problem.
Projected Rotation:
DJ Augustin, Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Daniel House Jr., Christian Wood
Dante Exum, Eric Gordon, David Nwaba, Kenyon Martin Jr., Alperen Seguin
Sixers
He just showed up. This team’s intrigue surrounds two people obviously. Furkan Korkmaz and Paul Reed or Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. I’ll give you twelve guesses as to which pairing is the intriguing one.
Ben Simmons and the Sixers do not like each other. Living in Delaware, I can tell you that Sixers’ fans do not like Ben Simmons. Joel Embiid does not like Ben Simmons. Get him out of town. I will leave a league pass spot reserved for whichever team he joins because the f*** you tour that Simmons is about to go on will happen-as long as it is within the restricted area.
Embiid finally gets the proper spacing that he deserves. My god, centers around the world, not just professional centers even AAU centers may quit their jobs as Embiid ends the best center in the league conversation. Jokic you’re a one of a kind talent but Embiid will take your lunch money. Imagine Embiid surrounded by Seth Curry, Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, and Tobias Harris. All the other teams know that the ball is going to Embiid and it will not matter. One on one, the man is dropping fifty. Double him, and let four great shooters take open jump shots. I am sure that I could score at least 3 points a game with Embiid’s gravity.
Unfortunately, the rest of the roster doesn’t scream intrigue. Matisse Thybulle is their premier defensive wing but can he hit a jump shot. Isaiah Joe is another 2020 draft prospect that I was wild about and he could play spot minutes. Paul Reed out of DePaul is another 2020 draft prospect but I am not too thrilled about him playing much. Jaden Springer…meh.
Other Notables: Andre Drummond is on this team. Joel Embiid used to clown him on Twitter daily. If Andre accepts the spot minutes roll fully, it is going to be painful to watch second units be unable to end defensive possessions. The question becomes will the back up guards be good enough to punish him defensively.
Projected Rotation:
Seth Curry, Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang, Andre Drummond
Grizzlies
The Grizzlies in my mind are going to take the biggest leap. Unlike some of the other teams on this list, it isn’t because of radical roster changes. You can project out that a lot of the talent on this team will progress-Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jalen Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman Jr., Brandon Clarke, Tyus Jones, and even Killian Tillie.
What draws me to this team is that they will be going toe-to-toe with the elite of the elite. Ja is still unguardable and the jump shot is slow as hell but seems to be going in more frequently. To the point where you have to respect it. I LOVE JAREN JACKSON JR. I will go out on a limb here and say, when healthy, the gap between him and Anthony Davis isn’t absurd…AD is definitely better, but for a rangy inside out four Jackson Jr. may be the second best in the league. How much better would the Mavericks be if Triple J was on the team instead of Kristaps Porzingis????
Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones looked like some of the best players in the summer league, berating opponents from three point range. Same goes from Killian Tillie who would have been a top 20 pick in 2020 if it weren’t for a debilitating back injury while at Gonzaga. I really think that he can get some quality spot minutes. Xavier Tillman is a prototypical Tom Izzy defensive savant and Brandon Clarke has his weirdly efficient big man floater game. This team just has a ton of blue collar, no nonsense basketball players. Naismith is smiling watching this team.
Lastly, a team with Steven Adams is almost automatically in the league pass category. The antics, the bone rattling screens, the tremendous flow, how could you not watch 10 to 15 Adams games a year.
Likewise, Kyle “Slowmo” Anderson continues to behoove me as to how he is actually in the NBA and extremely good in the NBA. He moves like molasses. It’s a must watch.
Sign me up for the Grizzlies experience.
Other notables: I was about as high on Zaire Williams as one could be. The talent was palpable, the stats were lacking. He dealt with a lot of off-court issues while at Stanford last year. I had him as high as seven in my mock drafts, I hope he can show out. Also, trade Dillon Brooks, he does not vibe with the blue collar energy.
Projected Rotation:
Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams
Tyus Jones, DeAnthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman
Magic
This is just a weird, weird roster construction.
Let’s look at the guards. Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris Jr., and Michael Carter-Williams.
Let’s look at the “Bigs”. Mo Bomba, Wendell Carter Jr., Robin Lopez, Mo Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac.
Where are the minutes going? Who’s going to score? The answer is not to play Isaac at the three, the Magic have been doing it for years with Aaron Gordon and it simply has not worked.
What might happen, and I eluded to this in previous articles is that this team just becomes your worst nightmare defensively and scores 80 points a night. A line up of Jalen Suggs, Terrance Ross, Franz Wager, Jonathan Isaa, and Wendell Carter Jr. sounds switchable as hell. Imagine if they devolve to a Thibodeau like pace, just running Terrance Ross around a zillion off-ball screens for 22 seconds a possession and never turning the ball over. It would drive teams crazy and would be hilarious to watch.
Mainly, this is a team that has nothing to lose, so press the envelop. Who cares if you lose if you play a line up of Fultz, Anthony, Suggs, Wagner, and Isaac. It would be fricken cool. What about the other way and play MCW, Ross, Isaac, Bomba, and Carter Jr., just a massive line up. Experimentation is the spice of life and this team has the chance to do it!
I would be remiss if I did not mention that they are my dream location for Ben Simmons.
Other notables: Robin Lopez…get your popcorn ready. Watch out mascots. From the sweeping sky hooks to the hair, the man is a treasure. Never change Robin Lopez.
Projected Rotation:
Jalen Suggs, RJ Hampton, Terrance Ross, Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr.
Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, Chuma Okeke, Mo Bomba
Pistons
I am mostly here to watch the Pistons botch the Cade Cunningham experiment as they attempted to do during the summer league. I don’t care who is on your roster, Cade plays point guard. Killian Hayes is not Damien Lillard or Stephen Curry, he can be a secondary ball handler. The tools that Cade exhibited while at Oklahoma State are LeBron-esq capability of always making the right play. He’s a savvy, smart basketball player-capable of playing off the ball-but made to be a lead guard. It’s possible to have two ball dominant players, heck the Nets have three right now. Let Cade Cook man please, Dwayne Casey I beg you.
In other news, Jerami Grant continues on his campaign for best Syracuse Basketball player since 2003. He’s really good man, a fun game is who would you take right now: Jerami Grant, Aaron Gordon, or Jonathan Isaac? Jerami Grant seemingly is capable of scoring on all three levels out of nowhere and proved that he can average 20 a night. If I were the Pistons, I could potentially look to shop him to a contender.
Saddiq Bey was really good last season and could take a step forward. He is truly proof that if you shoot three pointers and play defense, you have a home in the league. The skill set that is most essential. Killian Hayes is really intriguing because he was injured all last season and couldn’t find a rhythm. If Ben Simmons could win a Rookie of the Year award, Killian Hayes should be in the competition this year. Kelly Olynyk, I am convinced, could be a starter somewhere. I don’t care about defense, give me points.
Other notables: If Detroit gets blown out as much as I think they will, we should see plenty of Luka Garza, who makes Enes Kanter look like Hakeem Olajuwon on defense. (Editors note: this is scientifically impossible.)
Projected Rotation:
Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart
Frank Jackson, Hamidou Diablo, Josh Jackson, Trey Lyes, Kelly Olynyk.
Raptors
I miss Kyle Lowery in Canada already. The doughboy himself is not designed for the Miami life style. He is meant to be surviving the cold up in Canada. I am watching this team to see how they cope without their physical, mental, and spiritual leader. I think Fred Van Fleet is about to go off this year because this team does not have a bunch of scoring punches. Goran Dragic will assist him if he starts, I might have Goran come off the bench with this roster.
Precious Achuiwa is one of my favorite young centers after I saw him replace James Wiseman at Memphis. He’s exactly what you want from the position with wing lateral quickness and vertical spacing. This young core can be fun.
I was laughed out of the building when I suggested Scottie Barnes goes a head of Jalen Suggs in last years draft. Here we are. Scottie showed way more offensive wiggle than I thought he would be in the Summer League. He adds to the most switchable team in the NBA with Precious, Chris Boucher, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunby. This team is a terror of length.
Speaking of Siakam, I think he has a bounce back year. Florida is not for everyone, it’s not even for the vast majority of people, and I think it got to Siakam. There were off court issues as well. I think he rounds back to form.
This team can be really, really good.
Special shoutout to Dalano Banton. 6’9” prospect out of Nebraska who has a build like Brandon Ingram. These click-bait Instagram accounts like BR-Hoops or House of Highlights are going bonkers over BJ Boston because he was a highly touted high school prospect. Give me a guy like Dalano for half the price and you get the same potential. He might not get a shot on this team but keep doing your thing in the G-League and your time will come young buck.
Other notables: American hero Sam Dekker is listed on the roster. I sure hope he is, the kid is electric. I didn’t mention Gary Trent Jr., he could be a sneaky Most Improved Player of the year candidate. Malachi Flynn could establish himself as a top-5 back up point guard this year.
Honestly, the more I look at this team the more I am enamored with this roster. Khem Birch was rock solid on the magic for years, Isaac Bongo is an out-of-control 6’8” point guard, Svi Mykhailiuk is an elite sniper who has killed the Knicks over and over again, and David Johnson is an interesting prospect out of Louisville.
Please include the above in my other notable section.
Projected Rotation:
Fred Van Fleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa
Malachi Flynn, Goran Dragic, Scottie Barnes, Chris Bouche, Khem Birch