Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
Try to stop the threat of a Ben Simmons three!
(PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Slocum/AP.)
So in the NBA Twitter circles (and probably other places in the internet abyss), some people love to tell Ben Simmons, the oversized point guard of the Philadelphia 76ers, to SHOOT A THREE, COWARD. Just like most things on the internet, it’s not funny after seeing a bunch of people say it a jillion times (that supposed novelty of it wears off in five minutes) especially since, even if it’s supposed to be funny (it’s not), it has such a negative connotation.
Now I understand that it helps to have ALL the skills possible in basketball, especially for stars like Simmons. Yes, his game would be so much better if he could shoot the three; I’m not an imbecile. But of course, if Ben Simmons put up like five threes a game and shot like 20 percent, those same people would be quick to tell him NOT to shoot the three. Like I’ve said many times, you do what you’re comfortable or/and good at.
We want so many things from our stars that we take a lot of things for granted. We do know what we have in Ben Simmons, right?
Like I said, Ben Simmons is an oversized point guard. He’s 6’10”. HE PLAYS POINT GUARD. Do you know how long we clamored for a Magic Johnson-type of point guard? And yet we seem to complain more that he can’t make a three-pointer when he does SO many things well.
It seems like a nightmare to match up with the Sixers. They’re BIG. Their smallest guy in the starting line-up is normally Josh Richardson and he’s 6’6″. With Richardson out, they’ve used Furkan Korkmaz and he’s 6’7″. And what’s terrifying is that Simmons’ size makes him so versatile defensively which, in turn, makes it a lot easier for everyone else on the court. He can guard anyone, especially in the small ball packages. Witness him lock down Jimmy Butler. Or the time he played the most amazing free safety by getting three steals in 14 seconds against the Pacers. His defense leads to easy transition buckets for the Sixers.
Yes, he doesn’t have much of a jumper but he is so good at setting the table. His 8.4 assists per contest puts him 4th in the league. And again, it’s gotta be such a chore trying to guard him. The 6’10” Simmons can easily see over whoever is guarding him so making the reads on the court isn’t too hard for him. He’s also strong and nimble that he makes those drives look easy. And of course, with that height, he can post over someone.
Basically, he can do everything BUT shoot.
Yet against Cleveland on Saturday, he knew that they were giving him the jumper. He made a corner three without hesitation. It was his second career three-pointer and part of his career-best 34 points.
Like we say for other stars (Giannis Antetokounmpo, for one), if he develops a decent jumper, Simmons would be even harder to stop. As it is, he’s a 6’10” point guard that just does everything on the court. Even if he never develops that J, he’s certainly one of the more unique talents that we’ve ever seen. And I really think we should not take that for granted.
(Develop that perimeter shot, though, Ben, so that everyone can find something else to complain about.)
Bullet Passes
So maybe the parity that I was talking about really isn’t there. There were two games that saw HUGE blowouts. The Mavs continued their fiery run with a 46-point win over the Pelicans. That same Cavs/Sixers game was a lopsided 47-point win for Philly.
If y’all feel that’s too many blowouts in the 30-point range this season, I looked it up. We’ve had 15 NBA games so far this year that had that kind of result. Last season, there were 56 of those games.
30-POINT BLOWOUT GAMES BY SEASON
2019-20: 15 (so far)
2018-19: 56
2017-18: 40
2016-17: 49
2015-16: 35
2014-15: 41
So yeah, this season is outpacing last season’s. This might be another worry for the NBA’s competitive balance problem.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, right? When teams change coaches, that squad feels rejuvenated for, at least, a few days and they usually score a victory in the first game.
Well, it’s more like… the New York Knicks continue to find new ways to lose a game. Good grief, Julius Randle:
The Knicks are at the free throw line with 0.1 seconds left, and Julius Randle can’t convert.
After all that happened yesterday, this is how they end their game tonight.
Legitimately can’t make this stuff up pic.twitter.com/L56NbDtNBP
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) December 8, 2019
Man. That’s just… incredible.
So we mentioned that the Cavs lost by 47. Well, rookie Kevin Porter, Jr. was able to get a dunk on Norvel Pelle. He straight up flexed on him after the jam. I’m okay with this except…
The TV commentator was way more savage than Kevin Porter Jr.’s flex. 😂 pic.twitter.com/W1cQaiKZwi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 8, 2019
I mean, dude. They were down by 42 after that dunk. Time and place, Kevin.
Now I don’t know much about Norvel Pelle, even though I should be ashamed because he actually played high school ball very close to where I live. But he’s only played two games in the NBA… and both times, he got dunked on. Ironically, the first facial received was from Julius Randle.
Don’t look now but Ben McLemore might be going through the best stretch of his career. He’s scored 24 or more points in three of his last four games. Good for him and I hope he keeps it up.
Watch This Play
I can’t believe this didn’t make it to the usual Top 5/10 plays on the NBA YouTube channel. You know how much I love the no-look pass so check out this no-look alley-oop pass by Luka to Dwight Powell.
(VIDEO CREDIT: Sport Videos, whoever that may be.)
Luka is not only good but he’s SUCH a showman. Look at him hold up that hand after that incredible toss. He’s just so good at this.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.