Suns, Pelicans starting to look more like NBA contenders as Lakers flounder | ALL NBA Podcast

Suns, Pelicans starting to look more like NBA contenders as Lakers flounder | ALL NBA Podcast

[Applause] Welcome everyone to the All City show part of the all MBA podcast clearly I am not Adam Mar as your normal host I’m Gerald boray over with the phnx sports show uh an affiliate of All City and I can think of no better way to ring in

The New Year than to introduce my esteemed colleague Tim legler someone I have admired from afar for the way that he breaks down the game Tim Happy New Year to you how are you doing today Gerald happy New Year man good to be on with you looking forward to this um we

I’m doing great man I I had a relatively tame New Year’s Eve so I’m feeling fresh and uh fortunately had a couple of very interesting games I think that that where I think we’re going to kick this thing off with yeah absolutely it was a

Great way to ring in the new year with some of the basketball games we got to enjoy last night just a reminder before we get started the All City show is presented by DraftKings fantasy sports check out what DraftKings has to offer this season with code all-nba because

Life’s more fun when you’re in on the action DraftKings the crown is yours gambling problem call 1800 Gambler agent eligibility restrictions apply void where prohibited see draftkings.com for details well Tim let’s Jump Right In with our Weekend Warriors brought to you by DraftKings where we highlight teams

Or players who out to us over the weekend Tim who is your weekend warrior I’m going to go and this team only played one game on Saturday so they didn’t play Friday or Sunday it’s just one game one win but so impressive I’m going with the Indiana Pacers slash

Tyrese halberton right I I gota I can’t really differentiate between the two uh put up 140 on the Knicks um and the Knicks are a team that you know when I watch the league and I look around League Pass every night I’m flipping around some teams stand out as competing

A little bit harder and More Physical on that end of the floor and that’s the Knicks and so for the Pacers to just go for 140 uh no problem 40 assists as a team in that game it’s a rare rare rare rare Milestone when you see a team get

40 assists in the game and obviously tyes halberton right now what he’s doing he had 22 points 23 assists in that game two turnovers he’s got a two- game stretch going with 45 assists and two turnovers um and they really did whatever they wanted to against a

Pretty physical Knicks team for the most part um so impressive and the Pacers had a little bit of a lull Gerald after that inseason tournament uh run that they made had a little bit of a lull after that and they have found their swag again they’re they’re playing at that

Break neck Pace really hard to defend and halberton is the guy leading the way and I just thought that was a very entertaining game and impressive to operate that way offensively against the Knicks the Pacers are such an interesting team to me because like obviously we know they’re leading the

League in offensive rating number one putting up historic offensive efficiency on that end number 28 in defense so it really is a tale of one side of the basketball for them but you know they’re also number one in our league pass hearts for a lot of people I feel like

Um and and Tyrese I know out here in Phoenix like the Suns had an opportunity to draft him back when they took Jaylen Smith at number 10 and a lot of suns fans out here are still kicking themselves that the front office did not take C Burton because right now I mean

He looks like a more modernized version of Steve Nash honestly with the way that he’s able to orchestrate fast-pace offense maybe a little bit more of a scoring mentality than Nash had but uh he’s so much fun to watch and that whole team is just a blast to enjoy I’m glad

That they made it as far as they did in the inseason tournament so more people could be familiar with them um my weekend warrior I’m going to go with the Oklahoma City Thunder uh they’re a team that they’ve won four straight and they’ve beaten some really quality teams

Along the way they beat the Timberwolves uh the Knicks as you mentioned a physical defensive team the nuggets with everyone but Aaron Gordon healthy uh and then the Nets all three of those were by double figures and the other one was by nine points so they’re kind of uh

Steamrolling their way through the league only two of those were over the weekend obviously but uh Tim are we overlooking the Thunder a little bit we’re going to get into Overlook teams later in the show but it feels like the Thunder are one of those young fun teams

But are we at the point where we need to start taking them seriously as a legitimate contender in the west I’m glad you chose them Gerald because I think we definitely um we are definitely are at that point and and it’s really because for me of this stretch right now

That we’ve seen because they’re not just playing good teams and beating them they’re they’re they’re dismantling them and the balance that they have because this isn’t like they’re R they’re riding a heater at a sha gilis Alexander right now you know and who can be unguardable

At times that’s not what this is they’re they’re they’re getting great balance holr is playing he’s been great all year but he’s he’s he’s now reached a whole another level of production offensively Jaylen Williams has been spectacular throughout this L Dort gives them you know both ends of the floor supplemental

Offense so I I just been so impressed with with the way they’re getting this across the board um and led by a great offensive player uh who has the ball most of the time but they pass it they defend they play with great injury I think they’re very well coached

They’re prepared and I think now this recent run has elevated them now into the conversation in the Western Conference like I’m at the point now where it’s no longer you’re thinking this is a team that got off to a really good start and let’s see what happens no

I think they’re going to be in this thing they’re going to be in the top four in the west when this is all said and done they’re going to host a first round playoff series against somebody and that is a very difficult environment for anyone to go in now look Gerald the

West is crazy which means you know you could end up like the Kings last year you know they get homec court and your reward for doing that is the Golden State Warriors right getting everybody back getting Wiggins back and like you know and you you have to play a a four

You know four-time defending champion in the first round because that’s the way it worked out and that could happen with some of these teams at the top this year you might get a phoenix team you might get the Clippers like you don’t know who you’re going to get in that first round

And are they healthy and all of that Firepower so who knows what that means I just think that they’re going to host a series and they are going to probably be favored because of how difficult it is to win there so yeah I’m glad you touched on that man because even though

Boston is the only team in the league with a longer winning streak right now they theyve won six straight no one in this league is playing as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder are right now and that’s what’s been so impressive about this run and uh they’re they we talked

About Pacers being a team that you know you must see if they’re on you want to watch them just for sheer entertainment value kind of feel that way about the thunder uh except a combination of entertainment and am I watching this young team kind of grow into a contender right before my

Eyes that’s always a fun thing to do so excellent choice for your weekend warrior yeah they’re an interesting team to me as well because a lot of people are going to point to the lack of experience for them when it comes to playoff time obviously a lot of their

Core is younger and wasn’t around some of them for that last playoff appearance they made back when Chris Paul was still on the team but you know they said a lot of similar things about a sun team here in Phoenix that went to the finals just

Two years ago a lot of their guys had never played a single playoff minute to that point and obviously that Suns team had a little bit of an easier path with the injuries I think the West this year is going to be a bloodbath like you mentioned like there’s no guarantee

Having homecourt Advantage gets you a favorable first round matchup at all um but just the way that Shay is playing this year he’s replicating a lot of what he did last year but I think the Thunder have one of the best you know 25 and under trios in the League between Shay

Jaylen Williams and Chad and Chad is not playing like your typical rookie obviously he kind of red shirted last year whatever you want to call it but he has been phenomenal I feel like he’s kind of running away with this Rookie of the Year race and just the fluidity of

His game the ball handling the versatility of things he can do on both ends is not typical of a rookie that you would normally see so the Thunder interesting to I mean they’re one of three teams joining the Celtics and Sixers to be top six in both offensive

And defensive rating like they’re a legitimately great team on both ends so they’re going to be fun and one other point I want to make on them just to how impressive they have been particularly you know you mentioned you know their top three guys that because that’s what

We talk about all the time like that the top tier Talent on your roster is it enough so Jaylen Williams and ched hunger both of those guys I think initially were viewed as more of an impact right away defensively because Chad HR has tremendous instincts right

He covers a lot of ground he’s a great shot blocker he you when you watch him defensively he’s mature Beyond his years and what he sees and the way his head is on a swivel his communication ability he’s always early on his rotations like little stuff like that you know young

Players they don’t look like that and Jaylen Williams is a guy that he’s got the frame the long arms he’s physical he likes to get into guys so you thought okay they’re gonna you know take some time to ripen as offensive players and Shay’s gonna have to carry them most

Nights but they’re going to impact it defensively well you look up and and and these guys are averaging 30 combined but more importantly both players are at a 50 40 80 clip both of them I mean those are those are very difficult shooting numbers to attain even for like a top

Shelf two guard a 50 40 80 year very hard to come by because 50% from the field is hard when you take a lot of perimeter shots it’s just a tough tough number to get to 40 also from the three difficult 80 from the line I guess is a

Little bit more attainable but for both of those guys to be doing it that efficiently um and and giving a 35 a night between the two and like I think they’re both significantly better offensive players than they were the first month of the season so they’ve

Grown even you know as the season is going they’re so far from what where their ceiling is it’s really exciting times for Oklahoma City but it it’s just it’s spread out throughout Isaiah Joe is a guy I love who comes in and shoots the heck out of the ball it’s a perfect role

Player for them um spotting up Kendrick Williams gives him great minutes case Wallace so they’re interesting and and we we talked last week uh Adam and I were talking about this team and are they starting to now think internally man you know what we’re closer than we

Thought like now and do you parlay some of those picks that they have stockpiled into going after another top talent Lori marinin was the name that come up came up so it’s a really interesting discussion and the way they’re playing right now there’s also party who says

Well don’t mess with this at all like let’s just let’s just ride this and see what it looks like this year in the postseason and then make a determination maybe in the summer what you need so I think there’s two two lines of thinking with this team I think you can’t go

Wrong either way really but I just know that they’re they’re quickly grasping everyone’s attention in this league as a legitimate threat and it’s been fun absolutely and they’re going to be a team to keep an eye on at the trade deadline Isaiah Joe is a plus minus God

So I’m glad that you brought him up because those num numbers uh never cease to amaze me uh but we’re going to take our first break after the break we’re going to talk about Sun’s magic and the Suns possibly starting to Trend in the right direction uh but first Emma go

Ahead and take it away so I’m not Adam either but all I want for the holidays this year is some NBA action this week new customers can score 150 instantly in bonus bets just for betting five bucks an instant dub just for you download the draftking Sportsbook app now and use code all-nba

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Resources special shout out to Emma for saving my voice I am currently going through it with an illness so she saved me through doing that whole ad read appreciate you Emma uh let’s talk about Suns magic Tim because I know you had said you were looking forward to talking

About some of these games from last night uh Suns magic was a great one between a Suns team that is starting to Trend in the right direction and a magic team that is one of the best defenses in the NBA one of the surprises in the East

Uh Tim I’ll kick it over to you what stood out to you about this game between these two teams well go okay so first of all you know first thing I noticed was the way that the sun’s energy was at the start of the game and I’m not just

Talking about their starting lineup it’s it’s you know the guys on the bench the environment in the building there was an electricity about it and it kind of made me think because I I actually was pretty critical of Kevin Durant recently when they when they Dallas and lukea lit them

Up for 50 and I thought Kevin Durant’s body language in that game was horrific and I thought his you know and I I don’t ever say that about Kevin Durant the guy loves to play and he’ll show up and play against anybody he’ll take on Five Guys

By himself as he practically did in Brooklyn a few years ago when he played the Bucks in the playoffs we know that the guy loves to play and he competes and and I just you know I’ve always liked his demeanor he’s not a guy that’s incessantly winding at officials he

Doesn’t Yap his mouth a lot of other people he just goes out and plays that particular night he didn’t look he didn’t looked like he believed that they had a chance and and then there was some discussion well he’s he’s upset with he doesn’t think Supporting Cast is good

Enough and and I’m going man I disagree I think Supporting Cast and some of the pieces they’ve added I think it’s impressive to get a guy like Grayson Allen and get nurkic and um get Eric Gordon I mean these are guys that fit in really well with what you do Joshua kogi

Is a guy that I like a lot so I didn’t agree with it and I did really didn’t like the way he played that night and how negative he was and how disengaged he was at times so now fast forward to last night and and now Bradley Beal is

Back so it it you look I I have a two-year-old and we just you know celebrated Christmas so he got a bunch of toys and the analogy I’ll use is you know some of those toys come out of the box and they already have a battery in

Them you know but it’s kind of like run down a little bit so you know he’s got these little wooden trains and it starts to go and it’s kind of going and puttering along and then you go okay you know what let me go put a new battery in

That thing you put a new battery in it and that little that train is flying around a track that’s what it looked like that Bradley be provided for that last night this was they just looked like okay this is what it’s supposed to look like now we got all three guys so

They come out and they hit Orlando with some hay makers some runs where those guys got cooking the role players are playing well and they get up 15 at one point in the first half and you think they’re gonna they’re gonna Cruise give the magic a lot of credit first of all

This is this is a good basketball team and I made some jokes about them earlier in the year like let’s see you know when the bottom falls out on this hot start and everything else no they’re better than that and I’m gonna be the first to admit it they are better than that

Banero is a future star France vagr is is a really really good player and they they’ve got great chemistry on that team and they play really hard so they didn’t go away and they actually came all the way back took the lead in the fourth quarter before the Suns sort

Of settled matters and the way that they settled the game was the reason that when they put these three guys together I said this is going to be very difficult for anybody to stop it’s because of the mid-range play of their top three players right so mid-range those off the dribble creative

Get to 15 to 18 feet pull up shoot contested jumpers they have three of the best mid-range players in the league currently and I think in Kevin Durant um and and Devin Booker I think two of the best mid-range players of their generation period and you had Bradley

Beal who’s a great mid-range and that’s where they got separation when they needed it going to the mid-range pullup game because it’s the one area to floor where they can’t get double teamed um very difficult to time your jump so you can contest that when a guy knows when

He’s going to elevate you don’t and and you get a guy back pelling a little bit because you’re going off a live dribble stop on a dime Elevate shoot the basketball it’s really tough to get a real honest timed contest on that and these are three great shooting Strokes

So they’re going to make a high percentage of those shots and that is exactly what happened when they needed to have it in the middle of the fourth quarter and that’s kind of remind people I think everybody reminds them of what this can be when this gets humming with

15 20 25 games under the belt together you saw a little sample of it last night in the fourth quarter and they were able to hold off a really tough hard-nosed competitive Orlando Magic team yeah you touched on a couple of things that I wanted to talk about like obviously it’s

Only a three- game win streak and you could make the case like okay the Houston Rockets they’re around 500 that was the first win second win was the Charlotte Hornets okay this was a legitimate playoff team very good team and the third ranked defense in the NBA

And the suns were able to kind of build on the momentum that they had been building and I’m glad you mentioned kind of the joy aspect of it it is something that Bradley Beal touched on in his postgame comments about you know the first couple games coming back I was so

Focused on the pressure of you know returning from injury finally because I’ve been out for most of the year and showing people what this team can do and I kind of lost the joy that I’ve had since I was a child playing this game

And you could see it on the Suns like to your point Kevin Durant’s body language had been bad for those couple of weeks where they were really struggling um and I think it’s been much better like there have been some plays where he didn’t jog back on defense flash forward to the

Other night he’s playing the passing Lanes denying near half court and it’s just little things like that where it’s like okay you know as much as I think the the idea that he was frustrated with his Supporting Cast has been overblown when you’re losing the body language can

Get bad really quick and I think one thing we underrated with this whole process is just kind of the mental and emotional blow of having this guy come back and in his second game back he lands on somebody’s ankle and he’s out for another two weeks um I’ll use

Another Christmas analogy about 10 years ago I wanted nothing more for Christmas than a Nintendo Wii I wanted the new Nintendo video game system my parents were going to get it for me and what they did was they printed out a picture of a Nintendo Wii and gave it to me and

Said we couldn’t get one they were all sold out but here is your we’re going to get you one as soon as we can I feel like that’s what Bradley Beal has been for this team like you can see what it’s supposed to look like but it hasn’t

Gotten there yet thankfully my parents were just playing the cruelest prank and they actually gave me the Nintendo Wii five minutes later but like with this team they haven’t gotten that so they’ve had to look at this thing and not be able to put it together and I think now

That it’s finally whole like Bradley Beal doesn’t fix all of the issues we’ve seen during the win streak but just having him back allows them to finally build continuity uh the other game the other night was the first time they’ve had their top six guys available with

Grayson and Eric and nurkic as well um so I think the offense clicking as quickly as it has is not surprising I think it’s the defensive end obviously where they need more reps with their full rotation to build that continuity um but I I I am curious what you think

Of the Suns bench because it’s kind of had to be all over the place with guys in and out of the lineup uh and right now they’ve had udoka azuki a two-way guy filling in as their backup center they’ve had Sabin Lee playing some minutes with Josh aogi out uh I’m just

Curious what do you make of the sun’s supporting casts especially with with regards to that bench yeah well first I want to say that was a pretty coel prank your parents played on you but I don’t think it’s as mean one year my two older kids just to really mess with them I

Wrapped up some household items from around the house like my son was like 40 he opened up opened it up and it was a box of Band-Aids and like he thought that like that was a legitimate gift you know I G I think I gave my daughter a

Pack of rice packet of like instant rice they’re opening it up the looks on their faces it was pretty classic that was pretty mean um so your parents got you pretty good uh so look the the all right they’re an interesting team because like take for instance last night just look

At the box score and you go wow like there’s guys that didn’t even play that were playing significant minutes like last week week that were you know like B J and Goodwin these guys were playing and wanabi was he was he was in a rotation playing a ton of minutes start

Of the year and now they’re just kind of relegated to cheerleader mode last night look it’s it’s and part of the problem is for those guys is when you have B and Booker and Durant you have three of those guys obviously Frank vogo is gonna stagger their minutes in a way that they

Actually become your bench like those players Durant Booker and and Beal you know they are also your backup at another position um because you’re going to stagger those guys throughout the game um it’s not like you got a point a two in a center or a point a wing in a

Center right and and now you you know those guys have specific backups because they do certain things on the court well all three of these guys do pretty much everything offensively they’re just three Elite level wings um none of them are real point guards but I thought they

Did a pretty good job Beal Booker last night did a pretty good job handling the ball like point guards the ball got hopping pretty well um better it was less isolation play than I’ve seen out out out of Phoenix at times this year I thought they moved it pretty well and

Made good quick decisive decisions with it the bench is a work in progress I think going forward of what that would look like for instance you know playoff series and we’re we’re we know we’re few months away from having to figure that out and who knows what they do at the

Trading deadline or anything else and who might try to get later on if there’s a veteran they want to add that they can sign to bring in for the playoffs it’s it remains to be seen but last night it was pretty much just like two guys really playing the majority of those

Minutes and Eric Gordon he played 30 minutes took three shots which is is shocking to me I mean he he checks in the game I feel like he’s already taken five shots and he he took three in 30 minutes and he didn’t look comfortable really uh with how spread out those

Shots were so they gota make sure he stays Incorporated he’s going to be very valuable for them but to answer your question yeah it’s it’s it’s thin we knew the bench was going to be thin but I think it’s still very much to be determined what ultimately that looks like and who

Grabs those minutes going forward and for now I don’t think it’s G be a massive problem because of that starting five one last point I want to make if if you didn’t watch the game last night and you just pulled up the box score and you saw Grayson Allen’s

Line 10 points four boards you know uh 10 points two rebounds four assists a couple of steals you think okay whatever you know just a decent night average night for a guy like Grayson Allen if you watched the game and it watched every play the way I did I was so

Impressed with Grayson Allen’s all-around game last night he fights over picks he he’s he’s physical he takes on a challenge he’s tough he’s competitive he drives the ball to the basket like he had some plays that didn’t show up where he made a weak side slash caught the ball in the lane didn’t

Have an opportunity and then made the next pass and maybe that led to another pass for for a corner three but none of it happens without his recognition of when to cut what to do with it once he caught the ball not for something at The

Rim he had some driving shots he had some he had some standstill threes I just thought man this guy really giving them something because of his allaround game and he’s never really been recognized for that at the NBA level I was very impressed with Grayson Allen

Last night and I think he really fits in well and nurkic as well both of those guys fit in well you to call anything for them and they’re still going to be highly productive because they’re going to play hard take advantage of their opportunities and they’re going to be

Smart about what they’re doing offensively so I just wanted to point that out about really both of those guys but primarily Grayson Allen I thought he played a great game last night despite his line maybe not being overwhelming yeah with with Grayson it’s easy to get caught up in just the fact

That he’s you know a top 10 three-point shooter in terms of efficiency but to your point he’s been really good this season especially with Beal and Booker being out for stretches of adding the ball handling the playmaking the driving especially like his ability to attack Closeouts because teams are going to

Close out so hard on a top 10 three-point shooter is something that really makes a difference there was a play in the first half where Beal drove attracted a second help Defender kicked it out to KD KD attacked the close out kicked it to book book did the same

Thing and it wound up in Grayson Allen’s hands and he wound up with a layup like that’s the kind of impact that he’s able to make um when he’s sharing the court with those three especially uh you know he’s kind of been slotted in as that

Fifth starter for the time being uh and I think in 35 minutes very small sample size they’re a plus 17 together and they’ve shot the ball really well at like a 60% clip so he’s been pretty good filling out that spot so far I think to your point they still need to figure

Things out with Eric Gordon a little bit you know it was only a couple games ago that he got two shots and made those comments about you know we need to share the ball and he was kind of right in that regard the offense was stuck in the

Mud but then he goes from you know a franchise record 14 made threes over a two game span to last night only taking three shots so they’ve still got some things to figure out there but I do think like we knew the bench would be thin and come playoff time you’re only

Going to be playing eight maybe nine guys tops they already have their top six locked in I think now it’s a matter of figuring out who gets those last couple spots and and Frank vogle he said he’s going to do his due diligence getting different guys minutes experimenting with lineup so I think

We’re just kind of seeing that process play out but I did want to ask you about the magic because they’re a team that’s impressed me a lot young younger team defensive team very long and lengthy team uh what what have been your thoughts on the magic one of the bigger

Surprises in the East so far they’re an interesting team because they they’ve got a number of guards on their roster none of whom I don’t believe are a natural point guard like I don’t think I don’t think Suggs is a natural point guard I don’t think black is I don’t

Think Cole Anthony is Gary Harris none of these guys are natural point guards they’re they’re sort of like combo guards and I think more most of those guys are more comfortable when they can get some shots and try to score so despite that uh they have these two

Players in Vagner and banero who can win matchups and you saw Vagner go to work you know in the in the second half of this game he went to work any chance he got a switch he got the chance to isolate he’s very good with the live

Ball and and he’s got a good hesitation do his games he can get by people where he can stop and shoot a deep three B Caro you know when he going into the draft I said this is but clearly the most ready for the NBA guy right now

Like his body type his physicality his bounce his all around offensive game and you really have seen that from day one he has had he’s had at no point has he looked like a guy that was remotely uncomfortable and he saw it again last night and there are times like you know

Durant is is guarding him and really like down and and in a stance and like digging in he’s got a hand on a hand ready to go you can see his Readiness and yet B Caro still got where he wanted to go against Durant and it wasn’t you

Know there wasn’t even an off Factor there which you know could be there for a young player you know this is Kevin Durant man like you know I’m sure B Caro really idolized this guy watching when he was younger and now here you are you’re playing against him and he’s

Trying to lock you up and you’re just so comfortable to go do what you want and it’s I’ve just been impressed with his his versatility because he can post you he can run out and transition and finish he can shoot the ball off the dribble

From Deep um you know he’s still work in progress with his mid-range I think that’ll come though and his handle is is decent it’s not Elite you know he wants to continue to work on that and he could polish that up so he’s got a counter to

Great defense off the dribble now you have a guy that’s a perennial All-Star so I just been very impressed with their team the way that they play a hard they play and the fact that they don’t really have a guy that’s got a you know ball on the hip natural floor leader mentality

Amongst those guards they’re all just good players um it’s impressive what they’ve been able to do and you know sitting here 19 and 13 no no way you could have come close to predicting that this team would be 19 and 13 I you know I I would have said at

This point 32 in you know I would said 12 and 20 would have been probably more likely in my mind so I I’ve been pleasantly surprised by them and I really enjoy watching play because they compete on every possession yeah Jamal Mosley’s done a great job over there and I’m glad you

Brought up the physicality with B Carol because he’s you know he’s averaging a lot of free throw attempts which is something Kevin Durant pointed to the fact that he only took I think two last night and still wound up getting the point total that he did uh there was one

Play the an one that he got against Yousef nurkic where nurkic it looked like he was straight up but that’s a sturdy dude and and B Caro just went right into him absorbed the contact finished looked perfectly poised in midair and I was like my God this guy is

A strong individual for him to be able to finish that type of play um and to your point when he’s got the three ball going this is something KD mentioned as well he was very complimentary of Van Caro when he’s got that three ball going he is a really difficult player to stop

But um I I really like this young magic team I feel like they are kind of maybe to a much lesser degree but they’re kind of my thunder of the east in terms of a young team maybe EX ing expectations in terms of making that next step um the

Defense like you can’t say enough about such a young group being third in defensive rating to this point I was impressed with what I saw last night especially because you had mentioned it earlier like the Suns threw them a lot of Haymakers and they were able to stay

With it knock down some Threes And Take the Lead back um until the suns were able to close them out late in that game so I I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from the magic so far this season and they’re a pretty fun group uh anything left for from this game before

We move on Last Bow I want to put on this so you know Phoenix is is a team you know it’s been because of the you know Beal be being out and also just their own play even with Durant and Booker pretty disappointing to this point I think the way their season has

Gone and now they got be back they went three in a row you mentioned it two of them you know are basically bottom feeder type teams Lottery bound teams this is a good win against the magic still not a top tier Contender that they’ve beaten but if you look at you

Want to know a lot more about Phoenix I think and what these three guys are capable doing together I think you’re going to see that play out really over the next 10 days so they they got Portland tonight that that shouldn’t be hopefully a difficult game for them you

Wouldn’t think then it gets into a nice little stretch here of some teams that are going to challenge them you got the Clippers at home the heat at home Memphis at home just got job rant back then you go to the clip so you’ve got you got five games

Right now and some of those teams in that mix are teams that are either contender type teams or teams that like a team like Miami that you know is going to make you work and they’re they’re playing really really well right now so I just think you know you don’t we don’t

Want to get ahead of ourselves what we’ve seen out of Phoenix here just for a three- game sample size with who they played but it’s it’s encouraging what we’ve seen now there’s a little bit more of a test here over the next 10 days that I think will tell us a lot more

About ultimately how they stack up in in the league and in the Western Conference yeah this is a critical stretch for them especially with the number of games that they have at home on this home stand the ability to be in their own practice facility and kind of build on that

Momentum and and we’ve seen it like there was a three-game stretch there where Kevin Durant had 14 assists to 18 turnovers uh and over the last three games it’s been night and day 32 assists to just four turnovers they’ve experimented with using him more on the ball initiating offense which has been

Fun to watch now that they have those other two guys to allow him to do so uh they’re going to be a team to keep keep an eye on over this stretch for sure uh but we’re going to take another break on the other side we’re going to discuss

The Lakers falling to 500 and what our thoughts on the Pelicans are but first Emma wants to tell us a little bit about Factor so Emma go ahead and take it away all right you guys so I don’t know about you guys but I’m extremely busy so Factor meals comes in clutch every

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Again that’s code all mb50 ATF Factor meals.com all nb50 to get 50% off shout out once again to my old producer over at phnx Emma for sparing my voice from having to read through these ads uh Tim let’s talk some Lakers and Pelicans obviously we’re going to

Get to the Pelicans but I feel like everybody wants to talk about the Lakers right now they fell to 500 last night I think since that 44-point Beatdown of the Pelicans in the I uh inseason tournament I think they’re four and eight since then only a three game uh

Three- win Improvement compared to this point last year when they got off to that awful I think 14 and 20 start um are we concerned at all about the Lakers is this kind of what you expected from them given their Supporting Cast I I want to get your thoughts on this team

Because obviously you’ve got LeBron James and Anthony Davis still playing at a high level but for whatever reason it feels like this team is kind of grasping at straws at how to put the rest of it all together yeah that’s a good way to put it I think you know the the question

Always when you watch the Lakers is you know like I watched last night and I’m saying is this a team that I can truly Envision winning it or making another run the way they did a year ago then they ran into just a significantly better team Denver got swept but they’re

There in the Conference Finals so you’re you know you get to the Conference Finals you know you’re who knows you’re you know you’re one one rolled ankle away from somebody of making a legitimate run so you you put yourself in the mix by doing that so I why in

Them throughout the year and part of me is always saying well they’re impossible to judge in a regular season because they they’re not they’re not concerned with the regular season you know you got you got your best players in you know been in the league 20 years he’s not

Trying to put his foot on the accelerator every night and win as many games as he can Anthony Davis is going to miss games and has a TR has struggle at times just consistently showing up with with an aggressive mindset right so the regular season isn’t important isn’t

As important to a team like the Lakers that’s playing strictly to position themselves somewhere by the time they get to Mid April where everybody’s healthy and now they’ll go take their chances even if they have to go on the road for three straight series you know

You only have to win one road game in a series and you got home court right so with LeBron James on your roster and Anthony Davis like they think they’re always going to be in a position where they can go pull that off so they’re not

Trying to win the race in the regular season and so you always have to keep that in the back of your mind when you watch them having said that last night and look I’m GNA get we’re gonna get into Pelicans in a second and I got a

Little bit of a of a rant about them but they look Lakers last night comparatively looked slow they looked inept defensively I mean they’re going to a zone at times because they couldn’t guard them they went to his own defense for a stretch and just completely just

It looked like it zone defense that is never practiced you know and like a couple years ago you know the 2020 Lakers in the bubble employed a Zone and they had that giant front line and it was really effective and it became I think probably even unintentionally they

Threw it out there like hey this is working pretty good next thing you know they’re playing all kinds of Zone in the bubble and they win a championship that way you know Miami is a team that plays a lot of Zone they practice it all the time because it’s part of their identity

It’s not really a part of this Lakers team identity and so it it was a porest Zone and it just looked like we don’t really know how to guard these guys so let’s try zone for a little bit and I just felt like the Pelicans best guys

Really were all operating at a super high level and their role players gave them a ton of energy Jones and Alvarado in particular valent chunis was banging and then those three guys you know M McCullum and Ingram and Williamson all of those guys had Knights that looked

Like their best so all of that stacked up against the Lakers and you end up with a 20-point win U and and really the Pelicans got out to a lead they kind of just kept them there like stiff armed them it kept them you know 10 12 15

Points most of the time was not a real threat at any point and you know the Lakers three-point shooting lack of reared itself they’re they’re minus 21 from the three-point line it’s hard to overcome that in this league so some of so even though I say like the regular

Season doesn’t matter that much we can’t really judge them at the same time there are certain nights when you feel like they’re they’re they’re they’re trying to play hard and they just don’t have enough and that’s what it looked like to me last night and that was one of the

Best Pelicans games I’ve seen this year like they just top to bottom their entire roster both ends of the floor it’s a very complete game on the part of the Pelicans and there’s been a lot of nights I haven’t seen that out of them when you add those two things up

Together this is what you get a 20o win yeah I’m glad you mentioned that because it was one of the better games I’ve seen from the Pelicans this season as well um and we’ll talk a little bit about them and I’ll let you get to your rant but

For the Lakers I I mean they’ve gone to this new lineup with Ru haimura in their uh Tori and Prince LeBron and AD obviously uh and Jared Vanderbilt just a lot of length I think that group has a pretty good net rating it’s like plus 17 or something like that in very limited

Minutes but to your point about them not being as concerned about the regular season do you think all this experimenting with their starting lineup with the injuries that they’ve had and having to throw out different lineups out there do you think Darin ham is kind of playing that long game in terms of

Trying to get some sample sizes there that he can look at and say okay this works this doesn’t or does it really feel like he’s kind of trying to throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks yeah no probably a little bit of both and and again look if if they got

Bounced last year in the playin okay or they got bounced in the first round and they go out in five games and now you come into this year and you’re 534 games in there’s probably a much more significantly uh increased sense of urgency on the part of Darin ham and the

Lakers because at that point you start to go you know okay you go two years in a row coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis and you don’t look like you’re viable now you start to think about job security okay so the fact that they were able to salvage their season at the end

Last year with the Run they made to get to the Conference Finals and then everybody acknowledges they just ran into the best team in the NBA and and that team won a championship so you kind of go okay they’re just not quite on that level but it it really made you

Forget about a lot of the warts and a lot of the issues that they had because they sort of reinvented themselves at the All-Star break and then they made a run after that with some added pieces and then Austin Reeves you know second half of the year for Austin Reeves I

Think he was a different player than he was the first half that’s like almost adding another player to your roster even though he’s been there because he started playing with that much confidence and LeBron gives him that much confidence so you add up all that stuff D’Angelo Russell like you add in

Those guys and now it’s like okay hachimura like okay Salvage the year positive mindset so now here you are thir 34 games in you’re 17 and 17 and it’s almost like people are giving them the benefit of the doubt that okay don’t worry about it you saw what happened

Last year they still have LeBron they still have ad that you know they they could be a real threat in the west and I think that’s probably smart for us to view them that way but I do think think that Darin ham right now is probably trying to find plus minuses for

Particular groups of guys and give him a better sense of who needs to be playing more minutes together and and what combinations to use so I do think part of that is in there um and I just don’t think the Lakers are going to care as much with that you know that Readiness

Like up on the balls of your feet mentality that some of these teams have that are still desperately trying to prove something I I think the Lakers like they trying to prove anything they’re just trying to stay together and then make a run with two great players

That that’s what it feels like to me yeah no I see that I I did want to ask because you mention Austin Reeves like are we good with bringing him off the bench LeBron has hinted several times that he likes sharing the court with Austin Reeves I think last night was the

First time he played 30 minutes or more in like seven or eight games um what do you think about that yeah look I’m torn on that because yeah I he clearly he’s he’s one of their you know one of their top players so you would think in this

League that usually means you start right unless you’re just so um you know you’re so dialed into your role that you’ve been on for you know for a long long time as a sixth man and and an instant offense type guy off the bench then and that’s what this team is that’s

Not really who he is he’s an allaround player uh I think you mentioned that how LeBron feels about him I’ve said this before I think other than Dwayne Wade and Kyrie Irving I don’t think LeBron James has ever played with another player that he and trusted more to handle the ball

While he was on the floor and and think that’s a big statement because I just mentioned two guys that are two of the best offensive talents this League’s seen Hall of Famers and Austin Reed is in that category that’s how much LeBron trusts him the ball moves really well

And hops very well and I think Darin ham is probably thinking okay I got LeBron and I got Austin Reeds they’re the two main guys that can create with the dribble and kind of make the right decisions and I think he wants to stagger their minute sum so he’s always

Got one of those guys on the floor at all times but LeBron is saying no I think we can actually hit our Peak and ceiling as a team maximizing those minutes when we’re out there together so I think that’s a kind of a work in progress I would not be surprised if by

The time we got to the end of the year and got into the playoffs Austin Reed is gonna be starting for this team I’d be very surp surprised if he’s not yeah I I feel like it’s inevitable and kind of a temporary fix in terms of

Like you said always having one of them on the court um especially because they haven’t had you know Gabe Vincent a lot of the year they’ve had guys in and out so it feels like kind of a a Band-Aid on those minutes where you have to stagger

Certain guys um I do want to talk to you about the Pelicans though you you said you had a rant for us so let’s let’s hear what you’ve got on the Pelicans all right all right so let me start this with a question for you let’s let’s

Let’s talk about let’s talk about the top teams in this league and just go up and down if I if I said Boston do you know who their best player is do you have a definitive answer on who Boston’s best player is yep how about Milwaukee yep how about Philly yep how about

Denver yep hey how about uh we’ll go golden state yep I’m s Lakers yep yep okay so that’s and and here and here’s here’s here’s here’s my rant about this and and look maybe some people might view this as a good thing I don’t know who their best player is I

Don’t know who the Pelicans best player is okay and I watched the reason I said rant because I was watching the game last night and I’ve been critical of Zion because I don’t think Zion Williamson plays hard enough all the time I don’t think he pushes himself I

Think he he coasts I think he drifts I think he jogs too much very rarely do you see him in a dead Sprint in transition filling the lane even when he’s got the advantage and he’s got the angle and he’s got he’s up ahead a

Little bit he he kind of pulls up he should be rebounding at a much higher rate than he does based on his strength and athleticism particularly on the offensive glass um and then last night I watched him and I went man he played hard everything he did was a quick burst

He had a couple of plays wanted in particular stood out to me he got the defensive rebound he started the push he threw it ahead I don’t remember who the player was but they drove they missed the layup and guess who tipped it in Zion and that is rare for him to throw

It ahead the ball’s 30 40 feet ahead of him and he kept running and he got all the way to the rim and the guy missed the layup he tips it in and I’m just I’m say why why is it so hard to commit that level of energy every night because if

He did that every night my point being that is their best player but he’s not their best player every night and even even just asking that that do not now before people like jump down my throat and say well Jason tat is not the best player every night either that’s that’s not my

Point you know for a fact it’s a clear answer who’s their best player you know the answer to that yeah you’re right somebody Jaylen Brown will outplay him maybe even porzingis every now and then is the best player on that team Maxi some nights can be the best player in

Philly Lillard in Milwaukee I get it Jamal Murray and then right that happens but when I ask you who the best player is you’re talking about the consistent level of Excellence who sets the bar on that team and there’s an answer in every case and there isn’t one with this team

And there should be because it should be Zion Williamson but he leaves so much out there there’s more to grab for him and he just doesn’t do it consistently and it frustrates me because I love watching him and I think he’s a I think

He’s a you know good kid I think he’s he you know he he he seems like a really good teammate he’s mild mannered he doesn’t get too worked up about anything but there’s just more there for him and I thought last night he was excellent everything he did was sharp and hard and

He used his physical talent to overwhelm them even one time posting up Anthony Davison like took a middle and shot a jump hook over him Anthony Davis 7 feet tall and he did it like it was nothing and I’m going man look at that when he’s quick and

Decisive how that looks it’s not there all the time and I think that’s why I have a problem with New Orleans sometimes because I was like you see them last night you’re like clearly they have enough talent to contend in the Western Conference because I love their

Role players I mean I love their roster and all the things that those guys bring I just don’t know if Zion Williamson is committed to the level he needs to be to be their best player which would give them a greater identity and that’s that’s my ran on the Pelicans I’m

Curious to get your thoughts on that no that’s that’s a great point and it’s one of those things where you could ask a similar question of the Suns but obviously if you’re choosing between Devin Booker and Kevin Durant that’s very different compared to Zion and Ingram and CJ McCollum it’s it’s a

Different conundrum and I feel like for Zion he’s been difficult to talk about because a he’s been injured a lot and be you know a lot of people go directly to body shaming instead of the more legitimate questions that we have now about like effort level um just straight

Up conditioning um like work ethic that type of thing and I think it’s fair to ask to your point because of the inconsistencies that we see with him because we know he’s a god-given talent and we know that when he supplies that effort the second chance uh play that

You were talking about in particular being a good example of that like this team goes to another level and the Pelicans are already kind of a scary team because they’re so deep because like we saw out here in Phoenix how physical and Scrappy the Pelicans can be

In a playoff series when they took the Suns to six games in their 64- win season like that was without Zion so you add Zion to the equation you should think this team makes another leap it just hasn’t happened but to your point they have been better recently um I

Think since that 44o drubbing they took against the Lakers in in season tournament they’re seven and3 since then starting to move up the lad a little bit in the Western Conference and they are it’s one of those they’re another example of why the West is going to be a

Bloodbath in the first round because that’s a team that might not have homecourt Advantage but is fully capable of coming into your Arena and beating you up and stealing a game so they’re a tricky one to assess but they are I think starting to head in the right

Direction it’s such a great Point imagine you know being Minnesota or Oklahoma City this year with the years that they’ve had and let’s just say you know for argument sake they hold on to the top two spots in the west I’m not sure they will but let’s just say they

Will um and then you get the Pelicans like for instance that’s possible like you could get team like New Orleans rolling in there in the first round it’s like whoa they’ll probably be higher than a seven or eight I mean there’s a good chance of that but and look Brandon

Iner is nasty right he’s filthy he’s he’s he’s 611 terrific mid-range contested jump shooter right and that’s his game that’s his bread and butter that that sort of rock you you know sleepy type dribble boom he leans back goes into that 18f footer and it’s Unstoppable when he gets

It going um so you’ve got Elite level guard play with McCollum who could be a combo you know onew great ball screen operator and which is what this league is he’s really good at getting coming off ball screens tight getting into the gap or getting to into his shot you know

Definitely not necessarily A a prototypical point guard he’s he’s more of a combo guard can really score and then run the team when he needs to so you got the point you got the long Wing which is important I think in this league and then you got the power player

He doesn’t not a prototypical power package at the six7 but he’s a power player I he plays like a center basically the way that he scores so you’ve got each out of the floor covered and I think for me it’s going to hinge on staying healthy clearly Ingram’s had

His Shar injuries too and CJ’s been banged up this year and we know about Zion so let’s stay healthy first but but then it’s I want to see you the mantle get passed and like that torch grabbed by Zion so he’s the guy running out of the tunnel every night and you’re

Identifying him as the guy because he’s gonna consistently on a bad night he’s going to go for 25 because that’s what the great players in this league do even though nights they have bad shooting nights they’ll get to the line they’ll figure out a way to get to their number

And then they’re also gonna find other ways to beat you and even on bad nights they’ll still put together eight 10 points in the fourth quarter when you have to have it and win the game like those are what the guys on those other teams we mentioned that’s what those

Guys all do Zion is still like you don’t know exactly when you sit down to watch what am I’m about to see last night I thought was one of the best games I’ve seen him play this year because he was committed to pressuring you when he got

The ball and he isn’t always that way and that’s that’s why they’re going to be an interesting team for me to watch and his growth and maturity level and does it ever really click and look people want him to lose weight I don’t even know man his body type might not

Allow that it’s not even about that it’s about okay you can only play 30 minutes give me 30 hard minutes don’t give me 30 minutes and 22 of those are hard in eight minutes you’re kind of floating around while you’re resting because that’s what it looks like to me he’s

Always conserving himself go go for it because he’s an impossible matchup in this league because of of just this unique physical package that he brings to the table that’s the challenge for Zion and that ultimately I think will be the challenge for their team and whether or not they

Can win around you know were really threaten somebody in the second round where now they’re they’re in the mix as a contender right now I think they’re just on the outside of that right the the Pelicans are fascinating to me for that reason because of the question mark

About Zion like we saw it when the Suns played the Pelicans two years ago we saw Brandon Ingram in his first playoff series kind of step up and be the guy without Zion on the court and the Suns had no like they had male Bridges and

They had no answer for Brandon Ingram in that series I’m curious if you get to the playoffs with Zion does he make a similar leap is that complicated by the fact that Brandon Ingram has already done that sort of thing um it’s going to

Be fun to watch but for now I think the Pelicans are one of my more slept on teams just because of that potential um but I am curious is there a team that you feel maybe it’s one we’ve discussed maybe it’s one we haven’t that has been overlooked to this point um because

There are so many teams that fit that category in the west but I am curious is there anyone that has stood out as kind of your most overlooked team to this point I think the probably the most overlooked team for me in the in the Western Conference um would probably be the

Clippers to this point because of the start that they had in guys being out and now they’re starting to play much much better um and again I I was I was the whole time when they after they even before they got hardened and they made the trade I said it’s not about Harden

For me yeah he gives them I think more options in the regular season as an elite offensive player because kawhai is gonna miss time Paul George is probably gonna miss some time at some point um that for me is not why I would ever buy into the Clippers I buy into the

Clippers because I think Kawhi Leonard’s gonna be healthy like if I’m willing to make that bet and and slide some money onto that number on the roulette table that says kawhai healthy that’s why you believe in the Clippers because of kawh Leonard being healthy Harden gives them added depth offensively but he has

Struggled in the postseason so now this might be a great Lane for him because he’s their third best player and that might be a great Lane for James Harden uh where he feels less pressur because it’s gonna be back Kawaii and Paul George if they get to that point but we

Haven’t just until recently started talking about the Clippers and when you look at the talent up and down the roster and it’s you know it’s they’re top guys we know about but even like guy like Westbrook like just just how hard he plays every night no matter what role

He has I have so much respect for that that they brings something to your team zubot Terence man Like These Guys these guys fill great roles for them um so that probably them and in the East would probably be the Heat and we we barely talked about the Miami Heat all year um

They’ had a slow start there’s way sexier storylines in the East with what Boston did and adding guys with Milwaukee adding Lillard Philly gets rid of Harden and they’re better Max he’s assur Ascension you like all these story lines and then you got the heat who by

The way played the finals last year and now they’re getting their act together so I don’t think we’ve talked a whole lot about them in terms of you know do you think they can win the East again um because of how how topheavy it’s been Milwaukee and Boston uh but to me

They’re watch them they’re lurking they’re sneaky and they’ve got some really quality wins lately no those are both great picks the the Clippers in particular because it felt like after those first what was it five or six games whatever it was where they were really struggling to put together wins I

Think they’re they’ won 11 of their last 13 games they’ve really looked like a more dangerous team and to your point I think Harden is in a prime situation there because we all know about the playoff struggles and shortcomings when he’s the number one or the number two

Guy but if he’s setting up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George that takes a lot of pressure off of him to have those high-scoring nights that you know his past teams have needed from him in the playoffs like and that’s the other thing is if you get one or two of those games

In a playoff series that can legitimately swing a series and make life easier on kawhai and Paul George because go back to last year in Philly against the Celtics I’m pretty sure the two games that he went off in that series were Sixers wins so he’s fully

Capable of doing it when there’s less pressure on him um and and I think they’ you know they’re one of the deeper teams in basketball they’ve got all those wings like they’re a legitimately scary team if they stay healthy that’s always been the big if for them um but I think

This year we’re starting to see it during the regular season and it’s contributing to more wins than we’ve seen in the past because in the past it has kind of felt like they’re like let’s just get to the playoffs and hopefully we’ll be healthy experimenting with all kinds of different lineups and whatnot

This year it feels like there’s a little bit more of a purpose and to your point like Russell Westbrook was great in the playoffs they were out in five games but he was great in the playoffs for them last year and I think he just brings that different type of

Energy as for the heat like it it’s so funny how we consistently Overlook them as a team that’s made the finals in two different surprising finals runs with Jimmy Butler as the guy um you know I I I do think there’s a lot of focus on

Like Dame joining the Bucks and and the Sixers being Unleashed with the new head coach and Tyrese Maxi and all his other teams like the Celtics obviously the porzingis trade those are the the sexy storylines the heat upsetting some of those teams doing it again would not be

A sexy storyline I feel like some people are trying to like block it from their mind that that could possibly happen just because last year you know nuggets versus Heat was not everyone’s favorite finals matchup out of what we could have had but they are still a dangerous team

I think bam out a bio pound-for-pound one of the best defenders in the NBA Jimmy Butler we know what he’s capable of like they they’ve just got a solid Supporting Cast even after some of the the players they lost in free agency last year they’re a they’re a very

Tricky team for me come playoff time and Eric spola like I feel like we’ve said this for years but I don’t think the guy gets enough credit for the Tactical mind that he is and being able to incorporate all these new pieces year after year and still feel the team that is so

Competitive so dangerous in a playoff environment well I’m I’ve been on record for a while he’s the best coach in the NBA in my mind and if you told me I I had one group of guys 12 players you know whether you pick them for me or I

Get to pick 12 players and I got to go out and I got to win either one game or one series starting from scratch I’m taking Eric spoler that’s the guy that I want to figure that out and and you’re right he does it and H HW haak has been

Amazing because you get a rookie that’s dis polished and mature you plug him in like he’s a fiveyear vet that’s that’s a great bonus you know finish with this the bottom line is is the Western Conference is insane because to me there’s only three teams in the west

That aren’t really interesting uh I’d probably say Portland Utah and I’d say San Antonio even though they have Victor wanyama so if that makes him interesting to people just to watch him maybe they’re not even in that category because you know it’s kind of wow I haven’t seen anything look quite like

That before wouldn’t mind watching the Spurs tonight I’ll put them at but other than that I’m talking about just just you know interesting Talent storylines personalities whatever it be I think you got 12 teams in the West worth talking about uh because we didn’t even get to like

Teams like Dallas you know it’s who’s got great great players one of the best in the league you know like the Kings who were really kind of emerged last year and they’re sitting here now as we said they now are fifth in the west at 19 and 12 very solidly placed we haven’t

Even discussed them uh Lakers Warriors like where what spot are they going to be coming at people from you know at some point like you know think about the pedigree with those two teams so the West is just insane it’s loow we’re going to have probably the most compelling first round matchups we’ve

Ever seen in the Western Conference this year depending on how this plays out you’re gonna have juggernauts going at it in the first round it’s going to be crazy so uh this is just you know tip of the iceberg some of the teams we talked about today with New Orleans and the

Lakers and the west and talking about those teams um it’s it’s it’s just at Phoenix you know that’s really the teams we got into today in the west but there’s a whole long list of teams that deserve a lot of consideration I’m sure week by week it’ll be different who we

Hone in on yeah absolutely 2024 is going to be a good year for Hoops especially once the Western Conference playoffs roll around um but I think that’s going to do it for this special New Year’s edition of the all NBA podcast uh you can follow the show on Twitter at all

City NBA Adam will be back tomorrow as your normal host you can follow me on Twitter at Gerald Borg and of course you can follow the legend Tim legler legs SPN until next time we hope you all have a wonderful 2024 thanks for Watching we all sitting like the mayor

Star shooting guard Bradley Beal expressed disappointment with the Phoenix Suns’ defensive performance after their 112-107 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. In his post-game interview with reporters, Beal commented that the Suns’ defense “is a little tragic right now.” He acknowledged that he, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker are still a “work in progress” at the team’s core. Meanwhile, the Lakers suffered another critical injury during their loss to the Pelicans. Are we overlooking the Pelicans in the Western Conference?

0:00 Intro
1:20 Weekend Warrior
13:38 Suns-Magic deep dive
21:17 Suns roll players
27:39 Magic notes
35:40 Lakers-Pelicans notes
40:35 Lakers deep dive
45:50 Pelicans deep dive
56:00 Overlooked contenders

#nba #nbapodcast #phoenixsuns #magic #lakers #pelicans #okcthunder #bradleybeal #kd #devinbooker #lebronjames #zion

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