Our Concerns For the Lakers, Warriors, and Suns. Plus, Chet vs Wemby for ROY | OM3 THINGS

Our Concerns For the Lakers, Warriors, and Suns. Plus, Chet vs Wemby for ROY | OM3 THINGS

Welcome to the old man of the three things with JJ reck and the dunker spot Nas Duncan and Steve Jones fellas what’s going on on this Monday morning feeling good feeling good uh I will see if that holds in the next like 14 hours as we

Record on the Monday uh Philly has one job to do I’m going to need them to do that against Tampa so we’ll see oh okay I’m I’m feeling good feeling great I feel optimistic about the Eagles how about that okay thanks for the thanks for the friendly uh support

Here honestly we’re not an NFL podcast do they just clean house like what happens if they lose tonight and they end this they end this season on this losing streak they just clean house like everybody gets fired bare minimum new coordinators yeah that’s true I think that I think that has to happen

Regardless of what happens the rest of this all right we’re an NBA podcast stick in our lane stick in our lane all right guys I first thing today I want to check in on wemy and chat you guys posed an interesting question to me yesterday

I think it’s very clear and I think you guys will agree with me on this Chad holgren is the Rookie of the Year right now your question to me was what would have to happen What would Wy have to do how would the situation have to play out

For wmi to take over and and actually win the Rookie of the Year so where are we at with this I’m going to start with you Nik I I do agree with you like I think as of January 15th I think Chad is the Rookie of the Year I think what he’s

Been able to do on both ends the level of efficiency that he’s been able to play with he’s doing so on a winning team and it’s not like he’s just getting spoonfed like Stephen I talked about it on the rookie report last week the rate of unassisted baskets for Chad hram has

Continued to rise as The Season’s gone on the improved Comfort The increased comfort as a driver rather what he’s doing on these post-ups taking these ball to break threes his ability to grab a defensive rebound and push himself it’s not just him picking Roll spoonfed

By Shay and he just gets numbers on a good team like he’s played a pretty large part figuratively and literally for what OKC’s been able to do this year but what wimy is doing with a minutes restriction right now is insane to me and the fact that the efficiency is also

Starting to rise with him in addition to the holy crap plays that we see from him every night he has defended at borderline if not just a flat out all Defense level for most of the Year honestly and Steve I talked about this throughout the year with him at the four

Dolph value that he was bringing now with the five and navigating the drop as well as he is I’m just wondering like in the bot score numbers you just look at points rebounds blocks like he has chit beat especially if you just filter for December 8th which is the date that he

Shifted to fulltime Center in San Antonio versus starting with Zack Collins I just that’s what made the question jog my mind like these are I think these are the clear-cut top two unless someone gets hurt what would have the shift for wimy to overtake cck because I think the box

Score num is going to be there I wonder how much of an efficiency bump he needs because I don’t see the Spurs winning like 20 of the next 22 or something to make a play in push so I just wonder like how Wild the bot scor numbers will

Have to get how Wild the efficiency will have to get and if he actually has to if he actually makes an all defense team if that case becomes more prevalent nationally would that get him over check with what he’s doing so far hey Nas the 161 12 and 10 in 21

Minutes shift the needle for you at all that’s uh that’s pretty good that’s pretty good the man has three victory has three straight double doubles all in 25 minutes or left for me I think it’s the fact that OKC is not only winning but Chad’s impact on their winning that

Makes it tough for wom wom minyama the tough part is you know we talked about on the podcast it feels like the the Los Angeles Angles Angels era for wimy to where he’s putting up all these stats and all these great numbers and it’s like wait they lost again which I don’t

Think is necessarily his fault I don’t want to discredit him for that but I think with Chad being able to knock down those threes being able to finish in the restricted area his cutting off ball I don’t think he gets enough credit for the field there as far as the pressure

He puts on Defenders he’s a great fit for OKC but you look at his ability to relocate his ability to space Drive the sequences of I’m going a p pick and pop I’m going to hit this three in transition now I can pick and roll now

I’m going to drive past your close out and defensively he fits right in with what they’re doing so I think you can see what CAD does every night it’s contributing to winning I think that’s probably what shifts him over Victor unless is there a scenario that it could

Happen here’s a scenario here’s a scenario I actually I I couldn’t believe this and I know it’s such a small sample size relative to the rest of the season and there’s a couple games in there against the Pistons and hornets I could not believe this they shifted Trey Jones

To the starting lineup finally finally hello hello finally five games ago in that stretch they played the Bucks the Cavs two playoff teams Pistons hornets and the Bulls who’ve been resurgent since Zack LaVine was out and Kobe white took over they are seventh in offense 10th in defense and sixth in net

It’s almost like when Trey Jones is on the floor they’re a functional basketball team it’s interesting what if here’s a scenario what if they started Tre Jones the rest of the year and they continued to be a functional basketball team because I think some of the efficiency

Stuff uh with wemi versus Chad is the real talking point and to me that’s that’s it’s it’s not just the box score numbers it It ultimately voters are smarter and smarter it’s not who is the leading Point getter who is the leading rebounder like what Chad is doing on a

Great basketball team as a rookie is just it’s phenomenal and I I’m I’m trying to think like how many times have we seen a rookie this efficient on a top five basketball team and not just efficient productive like these are real these are real counting stats OKC is number three on

Defense number four on offense Chad defensively like I’m talk talk about wemi in a second CAD defensively has been so good better than I could have imagined and I think the impact on winning as long as OKC continues to win I don’t care what Wy does I think Chet’s chat’s gonna win

This thing you brought up December 8th 14 games for wemi 26 minutes a game he’s averaging 20 points 11 rebounds 3.7 assists 3.8 blocks for the year he’s averaging 4.2 stocks per game like both these guys are just monsters but I I think ultimately in this scenario Trey Jones has to continue to

Start hello uh and and wemi I I I think the efficiency has to go way up and and they’ve go a they’ve got to win games let’s say they’re I’ll throw out this hypo let’s say they’re essentially 40% win percentage the rest of the year and OKC which I

Don’t think is going to happen because they’re so good OKC is at like 40% win percentage the rest of the year and gets the six seed okay there’s a scenario is that gonna happen I don’t think so I don’t think so yeah you’d have to see a pretty

Drastic drop from OKC or again since we have the games played minimum like that could get wonky but obviously you don’t hope for any of that so I I guess for me like I wonder what Chad would have to do like because Stephen I talked about him seeing some more

Switches and OKC just trying to put more sides on Shay and trying to neutralize that pick and roll pairing which very quickly just got a quick chuckle while I was looking this up uh the Sha Chad pick and roll and the Trey Jones Victor wiama pick and roll both at around 1.07 points

Per possession so that’s a funny one um but like if you see more switches you neutralize some of the offensive stuff with Chad like do you see enough of a dip there and like Wy has the louder not only the higher box score numbers but the louder stuff

Offensively like does that start to shift it in the mind of some voters with the way the season closes out like maybe that’s a pathway I think for me with OKC it’s hard because you can’t necessarily pin them down with one thing even going Beyond Chad that’s been one of their the

Most fun things of watching them is that they adjust to what you’re trying to do defensively and you look at OKC they clear Wings to make sure they have space for these drives they start their screeners in the corner including Chad which is just an unnatural angle for

Defenses to like guard it turns into a step up almost every time so I just feel like they’re a little bit too far I don’t want to say too far ahead because then you end up sound like light years ahead and I don’t want to do that today

But oh we’re gonna get to that we’re gonna get to that but I think I think I don’t think you can pin him down and pin them down to the degree where it’s like okay I don’t think chat’s having that same impact I think you’re going to feel

That all year long and that’s a credit to him and the Thunder okay I like it um Phoenix Suns won the game last night against a very depleted Portland Trailblazers team they currently are in eighth place at 21 and 18 just a game back in the L

Column of seventh and two games back of Fifth and six with New Orleans and Sack being tied there um lot of talk about de Booker essentially being a little overextended at times as the the primary ball handler do the Suns need a point guard and better question can they even

Get a functional point guard at this point with their their uh just lack of assets and really lack of contracts to to send out because you know how I feel so I’m letting you go first all right fair enough uh I think for me like I can’t

Get to Phoenix needs a point guard point at least not yet like I do understand the clamoring for one since you do want to take a little bit of pressure off of Bradley Bill Bradley well you want to take some pressure off him too but you

Want to take some pressure off of Deon Booker with all he’s been asked to do on ball like career high and pick and roll usage career high and assist um the off-ball screen usage for him has dropped drastically from last year from the past couple of years so you want to

See more of a shift if for no other reason then just kind of recalibrate what his shot profile is so like I get it I’m also with JJ cuz I think this becomes a general question of what assets do you have to get a point guard and then within the context of what

Phoenix is doing is there a point guard on the market that you have the assets to acquire that is also better than SL more valuable than what Grace alla has provided you as a shooter Bo and I that’s a really tough needle to thread because Grace alla has been shooting the

Absolute leather off of the ball and like something that I brought up early in this year like I was never on the full get a point point guard train my thought was more okay Phoenix is going to have to have someone that can defend point guards and that’s where we talked

About the fifth starter what is Joshua K gonna look like with that group Etc again this has turned into Grayson Allen because of how well he’s played but I was more so focused on okay who can defend some of these guards so like Bill or Booker wouldn’t have to and so unless

You can find a guy that can knock down shots and also defend those type like it’s do you try to steal Javon Carter out of Chicago like I don’t think so I don’t think that really moves the needle for you and it’s not like Javon has been

Setting the world on fire like he did the second half last year anyway I don’t think you have to I don’t think you go there I think for me more than let’s get a point guard in the room let’s see the big three play together uh per cleaning the glass is 307

Possessions with Bill Booker and Durant on the floor which is somehow less than the Miami Trio of herob Butler bam and Jimmy hasn’t played since Thanksgiving it feels like and then beyond that like maybe you shift more of the stuff to Bradley Bill if you want to get Deon Booker off the

Ball more Bradley Bill Still Remains probably their most probably the driver with the most juice among those three even though Booker is obviously very good at it maybe that’s a way to get Bill involved and also get Booker and KD off ball you can create some more catch

And shoot opportunities for those guys that’s where my mind goes first I don’t think you I don’t know if tus Jones like fixes the Suns as good as he is I don’t think that the Suns need a point guard number one that Beal book ler Allan Durant nerk lineup has 132.0

Offensive rating why are we trying what are we why what are we doing number one what are we doing what is this point guard going to run is it going to change the Sun’s context did we not just see a playoff series where the Denver Nuggets said hey Chris Paul while you’re out

Here here’s this drop defense you don’t get to make any plays buddy what how does this change the Suns I wanted to ask JJ what he thinks a traditional point guard is in today’s then the ka’s rant unlocked something in my brain it’s less about needing a pure

Point guard and it’s more about the balance of what they run on offense for me at least you have Devin Booker you have Kevin Durant you have Bradley Beal you have pressure points you can use them in a variety of ways that’s what Phoenix has to do they’ve got to mix in

The pin Downs they’ve got to mix in the elbow action they’ve got to make sure they have a balance of movement when they get in trouble is when they go pure pick and roll or pure ISO and now you need the shot making the hit and you

Know you go back to a game like the Suns play the Clippers the Suns started out aggressive two on the ball against Devon Booker it eventually said you know what let’s just do drop let’s just drop back here here’s your shot now this is a team that can take

And make a bunch of them but their best actions are when they have this these pressure points that move Devon Booker at half court Bradley be at half court getting a quick pin down you try and deny I’m going the other way now I can

Go a handoff ner can go either way one side has Bradley Beal the other side might have Devon Booker and Kevin Durant they have to generate pressure in waves if they don’t have the movement that team looks very different a lot a lot of talk about their offense which is interesting to me

It it it’s it really is interesting um and this is a team that you know Devin Booker missed some time uh Bradley be obviously missed some time they’re 11th right now for the season in offense and they’re n away from essentially being a top seven or top eight

Offense I keep saying I want to see 20 games 25 games with the big three before I really make a a proclamation about what I think the suns are as a team right we know what they did in the off season we knew there was going to be some Growing

Pains here’s the thing though the early returns with the big three are great they’re great these guys have been on the court for 150 minutes together they’ve got 125 offensive rating and 110 defensive rating that’s pretty good that’s pretty good I think the Kai’s point is an important one

Which is the tradeoff as it stands with their current roster the tradeoff when you get to the playoffs of having a Josh aogi out there guarding a Jamal Murray having a Josh aogi out there guarding dear and fox what is the tradeoff to your offense because if you’re asking Grayson Allen

To do that if you’re asking Booker to do that even that that can be very taxing for Booker in a playoff series I I think Darren Fox right Jamal Murray like the amount of movement and dribble handoffs these are guys like that’s that’s a mismatch for Grayson Allen he competes

Defensively but that’s a mismatch I think the bigger question is if they do get another player because I’m not trading Grayson Allen and that’s really the only contract right they they metu has been good at times but you’re you’re not going to trade nage so everybody else is on a minimum there’s

Not really options so I I I think the the defensive part to me because I think they’re further away defensively than they are offensively the defensive part to me what is the tradeoff when we get into the playoffs with different matchups of having a Josh aogi out there versus 32 minutes of

Grayson Allen in the playoff series that’s the question mark to me um I want to touch on Steve’s question because you kind of threw that in there and then you you didn’t really allow me to talk what is a traditional point guard let’s address this what is a

Traditional point guard in today’s NBA what does that even mean CU to me it’s a Dying Breed it’s a Dying Breed and also like we just had fron Vagner on the Pod last night we were talking about this with with him he like there’s certainly still smaller guards that are the primary halfcourt

Facilitators but we’re seeing over and over now in today’s NBA the primary ball handlers are big Winks like who’s initiating the offense for the Boston Celtics who who really is when you get down to it who is it it’s Jason Tatum and Jaylen brown right it’s LeBron James it’s Kawhi Leonard it

Like that’s the NBA it’s fron Vagner for the Orlando Magic it’s Paulo banero for the Alando magic it’s big players so this like pre this this like old notion of like we need a smaller guard to bring the ball up and get guys into action it’s just not like there’s the Trey

Young’s of the world there’s the Donovan Mitchells and the Darius gardland like I get all that like those guys are not traditional point guards like Chris Paul’s the last guy he’s the last guy Rondo like the these these guys like who else is there who am I missing tus Jones

Okay tus Jones is tus Jones going to move the needle and get you to a championship no no that’s not what a point guard is anymore that’s not what a point guard there’s not even really positions it’s like you have your ball handler you have your off ball guys you have your

Big there you go who the cares what a point guard [Laughter] is thoughts that’s what I was looking for that’s what I was looking for right there um is wait well I ask one question so is so is Mike Mike connley now the best traditional point guard in oh

That’s a good one I like that yeah I I think I think we were talking about this privately I don’t know if it was with you guys we were talking about this privately a month ago I think it might have been with legs and Mike Conley came

Up that’s a good one that’s a good one I like that and Mike by the way Mike Conley think about this Mike Conley when he was in Memphis functioned as a traditional point guard I think when he could have just averaged 25 or 26 a game like he he almost did

Himself a disservice now he signed at one point the biggest contract in NBA history so it’s not like the guy like missed out on some some bags but in terms of like counting stats and Legacy and All-Star appearances like that guy that guy could have been a 25- seven guy

Now they played at a very slow pace and they posted gasul and Randolph and all that stuff and they had Tony Allen on the floor to up their spacing but like you know what I’m saying like he he could have been like a Donovan Mitchell or like a Trey young there’s no reason

To think that Mike Conley in his prime couldn’t have averaged 25 plus points a game very true that’s very true I just say just very quickly on the Phoenix ordeal just bouncing off something that Steve said about them finding the blend of what they’re trying to run just in

General I would like to see them run some things with juice that would be cool I think you really feel that in the fourth quarters it kind of Blends into like the overall I want to see this group play together for because once they get into some of the staggered okay

It’s KD beill plus bench guys that haven’t really played a ton because Bill’s missed a bunch of time and stuff like that you kind of see some of the pauses and the record scratches like opening possession of the Portland game fourth quarter last night Bradley bille

Walks the ball up the floor is chimi metu screening for KD to get to the opposite Wing entry to chimi metu Bill screens for KD KD comes off a handoff by the time KD gets the ball and turns around there’s 11 on the shot clock and

I’m just like what exactly are we what are we trying to get to here and then even as Portland got into trying to double KD or doubling Bradley Bill when they get their touches before Deon Booker G back in it’s double team guy on the opposite Wing okay now I’ll flash to

The middle but it’s taking forever to kind of diagnose I should be the one to flash and if he flash then the guy over here is goingon to go deeper in the corner he’s gonna cut it’s just little stuff like that that they don’t really

Have down yet and I wonder as they get to play more together if those kind of things become a little bit quicker like as I was looking this up earlier this morning uh Phoenix I think second slowest fourth quarter team in terms of average seconds per possession and lo

And behold they have the worst fourth quarter the worst fourth quarter net rating in the league right now like I think that’s part of it they’re trying to figure out how to play with each other yeah let’s give them some time I I I agree that’s good stuff um love that

Uh that pace thing in the fourth quarter because Tommy and I talked about this last week uh on the podcast intro how bad they’ve been in the fourth quarter and that’s interesting to note they slow it down all right we’ve got one last question one one last thing for today

And that is on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors two teams with high expectations coming into the season they are sitting at 11th and 12th Utah playing phenomenal basketball had their game Wednesday night where they blew out Denver 14-4 over their last 18 since they inserted Colin ston into the

Start starting lineup which teams if you were betting which teams do you think have the probably the the the I want to say the best because that sounds horrible but which teams have the the greatest chance of dropping and allowing the Lakers and the Warriors into at least the playin

Subsequently are we sure that either of these teams are actually going to be good at any point in the season I think I I would probably Circle Houston right now I’m probably going to go Houston right now one I don’t know how well what they do travels

Like obviously four and 13 on the row is not a great thing I’m a little concerned about their Tempo in the half court as especially as the teams get more film on them it’s slow and methodical for a reason but can you get to your secondary options can you get to your third

Options if a team feels comfortable switching Fred B and bleet can they double shenon like do they have the counters necessary offensively to help that defensive growth keep having the same impact I think the fact that Utah is just so good at home like obviously they’ve been a lot better with this

Lineup that they’ve had uh with sexon with Dunn with fonio with Collins with Markin and eight and one as starters and they have that homecourt Advantage you know I joked with nikayas because he was like hey they’re about to be in the playin and I was like no they got this

Big road trip and they but won all of them almost so and go to a six-game home stand six homeand yeah so that’s where it’s like okay Utah can kind of make up some ground create some distance they might need so I might just point to Houston uh right now just because I’m

Not sure how much of that can stick throughout the season great stuff but more concern I think well one I’m with you on the Houston part it’s probably being the prime candidate to slip because of the road struggles I was looking up the road stuff bottom third in the league in both

Offensive and defensive rating in their Road games this year so to your travel point it just hasn’t really happened and then just kind of eyeing I don’t really want to have the full jayen green conversation I feel like that’s just gone too far in the wrong direction and

Being extremely harsh with him but like I think he is an he is an important piece to how successful Houston’s going to be with the shift of him being more off ball like what is the shooting where is the shooting going to land for him how quick are the decisions being made

When he does have the ball um what kind of awareness does he showcase defensibly off the ball like we’ve seen incremental growth there but I think people have have expected a larger leap from him than what we’ve seen so far this year and so to Steve’s Pace Point offensively

If you are walking into your stuff and teams are kind of heed in into what you’re running and now you’re running into more late clot things where you need Fred to save you or alen shenon to save you or Jaylen green to save you it’s not the best formula outside of

Houston I’m kind of torn between Utah and Phoenix like I think Phoenix is a better team but because they are so topheavy like they are just a natural one injury away pick with that kind of thing and considering they’re still trying to work out what the defense is

To JJ point and the fourth quarter Wass that they’ve had like it wouldn’t surprise me if they have a ankle tweak somewhere or if it’s just we’re just a middling team in the fourth quarter and we just play 500 ball the rest of the way and the Lakers or Warriors find it

Like it could just be they’re still fine but this team has just been better um with Utah like there’s not only have they been winning a bunch of games you mentioned the road success as of late there really isn’t anything to like poke it they’ve just been really good schematically like I’ve enjoyed

Surprisingly I’ve enjoyed the defense and the M of the zones that they’ve been throwing out and everything they’re doing there offensively I love the way they space their players they’ll have Walker Kesler at the wing they flow into a whole bunch of different stuff then

You look at some of the stats like okay they’re on this win streak the defense has been good surely they’re getting some three-point luck over the last 15 games they’re 15 to three-point percentage and opponents are actually knocking down 38 and a half% of their threes against Utah over the last 15 so

The fact that they’re kind of losing the three-point luck and they’re still effectively like a top 10 defense over the last 15 it’s not even you can it’s not like you can point to some obvious regression point with Utah either like they just seem firmly good that’s that that was

The thing that really stood out as I was prepping for that game so I had them uh on Wednesday and going into that game they were 11 and4 in their last 15 and for the season they hadn’t shot it well from three and in that 15 game stretch

They hadn’t shot it well from three I think the thing that stood out to me the most and I had watched a number of their games but being there in person i’ love the way they play offense because it’s like the priority of spacing with them there’s no one in the

Paint ever unless it’s somebody driving or somebody or John Collins on a roll right and as soon as he rolls if he doesn’t get the ball he spaces back out so it’s just constant drive and kick and during this stretch I think they’re top five in the league and points in the

Paint so they’re making it up there defensively you know it it was interesting because I I I joked on the broadcast I called will Hardley hard a liar he told us before the game he was going to mix up coverages on joic right you can’t give great players the same

Coverage over and over and they get out to that lead in the game and they’re like nah it we’re just gonna let yic play oneon-one and and you know Denver couldn’t get anything going from three-point range till late in the game they hit some threes uh when when the

Starters were out and so like schematically defensively they mix up things they go to that zone seon’s been awesome like they’re playing with an identity and that’s the thing for me we talk about it all the time that’s the thing for me where I’m like all right I

Believe in this basketball team it’s the same thing with the magic like the magic are going to have some nights where they don’t look good offensively but they have an identity on the defensive end starts with jayen Suggs but I I I like I trust that team that night toight they’re going to

They’re going to look like a functional basketball team right now with the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers what is their identity what is it and you saw the other night you know I’m I’m calling the game on Wednesday and they get blown out golden

State gets blown out at home against the New Orleans Pelicans and Steve CER is talking about they’ve lost their belief they’ve lost their Spirit they’ve lost their confidence I cannot believe these numbers I cannot believe these numbers Steph Curry Klay Thompson both around 2.7 minus 2.7 minus 2.8 net rating

Looney at minus 3.9 Draymond Green I know he’s missed a ton of time minus 6.7 Andrew Wiggins minus 9.8 they came into the season thinking their starting Group which was great last year was like a staple those guys have lost their minutes we’re halfway through the season we’re halfway through the

Season I I I I cannot believe those number like Steph Curry is losing his minutes this year what is the identity of this team what is the identity with the Lakers look I think at times they can make up for their lack of three-point shooting because the amount

Of pressure they put on the paint they’re going to score at The Rim Anthony Davis and LeBron James are going to score at The Rim they’re not going to foul they’re going to get to the free throw line at a decent rate relative to NBA standards

Today again teams don’t shoot a lot of free throws anymore despite all the chatter on Twitter I think they’re sixth in in free throw attempts per game but they don’t foul so they make up for some of that lack of shooting there but they haven’t been a good

Defensive team right they’re 14th in defense they’re 23rd in offense we’re halfway through the season what is the identity of these teams so both of you brought brought up Houston and I’m like well Houston has an identity Steve I I totally agree with all the stuff you’re saying they have an

Identity if you’re Darin ham if you’re Steve Kerr like what is our identity and what do I want our identity to be because we don’t have one right now and we’re halfway through the season I’m I’m such a believer in LeBron James and Steph Curry’s greatness that there’s

Always a chance these guys are going to figure it out I think the Lakers record through this number of games is the same as it was last season they were in the Western Conference Finals I’m not I’m not counting them out but I am concerned and I think it’s fair to be

Concerned and I think to your point like this is why I’m glad you asked which team would we pick and then also do we have faith that the Lakers and Warriors could actually do it because I think to that point it’s hard to point to things things with either of these teams really

Because I think Steph on balance has been tremendous this year but he’s also in the midst of like this shooting slump now on top of the multiple lineup changes waves AR wildly at Draymond I think he’s back later today as we record on Monday morning so cool and so it just

Feels so Topsy tury with them like it’s both impressive and also a bit of an indictment the way that Golden State’s bench has saved them this year because you Circle back to the offseason okay we’re trading for Chris Paul we want to stabilize the bench because we always

Lose to step minutes and for it to be flipped this year is weird like congrats you achieved your goal but also now this other thing under the hood is broken and so like if you’re an optimist you look at the longer sample of what those starters have been once Dre mon hunts

Back and it’s like okay surely there’s a switch that can be flipped for the next two three months and then you hope the bench continues to be good even if it isn’t as good as it’s been so far this year and then you just have a good

Basketball team like I think I’m just I’m out on the Warriors and Lakers as like Championship contenders for sure and if I end up being wrong on that I would just take a mass ofil but like through January I’m definitely out on that front can they still make the

Playoff SL playin like I think they can I think even with the Lakers defense slipping like it is still with ad and LeBron on the floor like they still defend at a high level yes and I think that is enough of a foundation to where

They can push and run and then try to figure out some stuff and as I’m sure the Lakers will make a move before the deadline and we can see where they’re at but yeah it doesn’t look great right now well actually JJ I had a question for you as a player do you

Feel when you’re losing your identity or do you have the belief that hey we’re just this close away like if you’re the Lakers if we can just clean up our defense we have a clear path if you’re the Warriors hey if we can just clean up

Our defense or maybe we can get Stephen Clay going we have a path do you ever feel that where you have that success and you know what you can be or what you can do and you’re just not doing it what does that feel like feels like you’re on a uh wooden

Raft looking for land and you’re hoping nobody Falls overboard and the group splinters that’s what it feels like you feel lost cuz there are times there were times I should say in my career where you’re in a tough stretch you know I wasn’t on bad team teams I had was on a

Couple bad teams for stretches but even with the Orlando Magic in 2012 2013 I still felt like we had somewhat of an identity now defensively we were not good and our offensive rating wasn’t good but like we played a certain way night tonight that made it tough for

Teams to guard us there was a lot of movement there was a lot of cutting uh you know we we we had Josh McRoberts Gustavo Aon and Nick fuch as our bigs so like we had passing bigs so like it still felt fun to play on that

Team there were some good Orlando teams when I was with Stan where I remember specifically like what is our identity right now because we we weren’t as Elite defensively and the league had caught up to the spread pick and roll you know I remember dude I remember we played a

Game we played SP spread pick and roll every play essentially we played a game at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves and we had Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson as our four men and these guys shot for at the time a ton of Threes right it did not matter where Ryan

Anderson and Rashard Lewis were on the basketball floor they could have been at the top of the key whoever was guarding him would tag Dwight Howard and these guys just shot set wideopen threes now eventually you know the league caught up people started switching people got creative with their

Schemes people started playing drop didn’t allow Dwight to get behind and we lost that identity and I remember multiple times in those last year or two with Stan where I would go back to the coach’s cabin and we would just talk about the offense like what what is our

Identity offensively and it was hard to figure out and and you you like our group didn’t Splinter but like you feel lost man you feel lost as a player so that’s why I that’s why I say I’m a Believer in teams that have that identity there’s you know there’s some

Really good teams like I think Philly Boston OKC Denver for sure like these teams they know what they are defensively they know what they are offensively they’re really good some other good teams too like Min Minnesota’s good I get it that like when you are the Lakers of the

Warriors and you’re this far into the season and you’re asking yourself how can we win night tonight like how can we win that’s that’s troubling that’s troubling it’s a great question Steve guys we went way over time I hadn’t seen you literally since the day after Christmas so it’s always good

To catch up with we appreciate it we appreciate it all right this has been another episode of The Old Man of the three things with the dunker spot Ka Duncan and Steve Jones appreciate you guys fly Birds

JJ is joined by Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. of The Dunker Spot for this Monday’s episode of The Old Man and the Three Things. This week they break down the debate of Chet vs Wemby for this season’s Rookie of the Year, and share their thoughts, concerns, and if there’s any possible solutions for the current state of the Suns, Lakers and Warriors.

0:00 Intro
0:53 Chet vs. Wemby
9:36 Do the Suns need a point guard?
22:23 Will the Lakers & Warriors make the play-in?

Subscribe to The Old Man and The Three podcast w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.