Move that may save Lakers’ mess; shock frontrunner ‘nobody’ can figure out — NBA Talking Points
Russell Westbrook’s transfer to the bench has flipped the script in L.A. whereas the Utah Jazz proceed to defy the percentages and develop into that a lot harder to work out.
Plus — a “rare” rookie is making historical past whereas a contender could also be regretting an enormous swing over the offseason.
That, and extra, in our NBA Talking Points.
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MOVE THAT MIGHT’VE SAVED RUSS’ CARER – AND HELPED THE LAKERS
Only a number of quick weeks in the past, many thought Russell Westbrook’s NBA profession was in severe jeopardy.
Perhaps unfairly scapegoated on a reeling Lakers staff whose larger problem has been a scarcity of out of doors taking pictures and depth, it’s no denying that Westbrook was struggling badly.
However his transfer to a sixth-man position just a little over every week into the season has fully flipped the script.
In his six video games since coming off the bench, Westbrook has averaged 19.3 factors, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds to enter Sixth Man of the Year conversations.
It’s a good enchancment from his averages of 10.3 factors, 6.7 assists and 4.3 assists as a starter – regardless that the 2-8 Lakers haven’t fared that a lot better as a staff because the transfer (though it’s proof that Westbrook isn’t their overruling drawback).
It comes after the previous MVP has been in commerce talks during the last 12 months, nevertheless the Lakers have been hesitant to make a transfer if it contains them surrendering their two future first-round picks.
Of course, suitors buying and selling for Westbrook comes with further danger on account of his erratic persona.
But may his renewed lease as a sixth man have improved his commerce worth sufficient to assist the Lakers cough up much less?
Moreover, would this revitalised model of Westbrook be the model a staff will get?
“Russ needs to keep this up and everybody is going to be on body language watch, words watch, scale of 1-10 how surly are the press conferences watch – all of that stuff,” Locked on Lakers’ Andy Kamenetzky mentioned.
“It’s likely going to be one of those things where a team may ask for permission to talk to Russ or his agent. You’re going to want to find out … was this he’s in LA trying for whatever reason make it work with this team, because he wanted to save face with the Lakers?
“Or has ‘Russ’ bought into this as a career path moving forward, or if nothing else, on a competitive team this season.
“Because if you really feel the intel is solid that the intel is yes, then yeah, Russ may have actually increased his practical trade value around the league.
“The way he’s playing right now, he could help any team in the league as a bench player.”
Westbrook’s $47 million expiring deal might be precious for a staff trying to open wage cap house within the low season. But given his contract is so massive, it nonetheless makes it sophisticated for the Lakers to tug off any kind of transfer.
Lakers ought to preserve Russ and commerce AD? | 01:14
LA has reportedly mentioned a take care of Indiana in a bundle that will ship Myles Turner and Buddy Hield again the opposite manner, though the Pacers have exceeded expectations up to now at 5-5 and should look to maintain their core collectively.
Similarly, Utah has additionally been linked to Westbrook, however the Jazz have blown pre-season expectations out of the park with the third finest document within the league at 9-3.
So as a substitute of shedding Westbrook’s wage together with a choose or two to get helpful items in return for quick assist, the Lakers may discover being sellers and transferring him to a staff trying to bolster their bench.
This would probably be a pure wage dump relying on what the Lakers take again in such a transfer, however the level is his uptick in kind as a reserve as opened up choices for the staff.
“It occurred to me as this experiment kept getting better that the one assumption that has definitely changed is that I don’t know if it’s clear that a team that acquires Westbrook would automatically send him home and he’s a number on a page,” Locked on Lakers’ Brian Kamenetzky added.
“He actually looks like he could be a valuable player for a team.”
‘RARE’ ROOKIE MAKING HISTORY FOR SURPRISE PACKETS
Bennedict Mathurin proved he was fearless earlier than even stepping foot on an NBA court docket when the rookie raised eyebrows with feedback about LeBron James earlier than he was drafted.
“A lot of people say he’s great,” Mathurin mentioned of James.
“I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”
It was not a lot that Mathurin was taking a shot at James or his standing within the sport however somewhat a present of confidence from the previous University of Arizona guard.
Mathurin knew he needed to again up these phrases and he’s doing simply that already, placing himself firmly within the Rookie of the Year dialog and even Sixth Man of the Year talks.
The Pacers rookie leads all bench gamers within the league in the case of factors, 3-pointers made, free throws and minutes.
Having fallen behind early in opposition to Denver on Thursday, Indiana was in determined want of spark of the bench and located it in Mathurin, who erupted for 18 factors within the second quarter.
It was probably the most factors by a rookie in any quarter within the franchise’s historical past, whereas he additionally put his title within the staff’s document books with 23 factors and 5 3-pointers within the first half.
“The second quarter was spectacular,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle mentioned.
“The one thing that I’m so impressed with him is he is just undaunted. He just continues to play his game, doesn’t get down and continues to have a strong belief in his abilities. He is an attacker. He is a rare young player that’s just unfazed.”
The Pacers fell simply quick in opposition to the Nuggets, happening 122-119 in the long run as back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic got here up clutch with 11 factors within the fourth quarter.
Mathurin (30 factors) and Tyrese Haliburton (21 factors, 11 assists) although proceed to be vivid spots for Indiana, with each shaping as long-term items for the staff to construct round.
It is just not like Mathurin’s sudden emergence is the product of merely turning up on the court docket both, as Haliburton defined in an interview with The Ringerthis week.
“He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen watch film with the head coach in the back of the plane,” Haliburton mentioned of his 20-year-old teammate.
“He’ll watch all of his. I watch film with our video guys and stuff. He goes back there with Coach and watches his film after games, good or bad. And that just shows he’s hungry, wants to get after it. You don’t see guys in the NBA do that. We’re young guys and we both just want to be great. But you see the hunger that he has.”
TIMBERWOLVES’ ALL-IN TRADE BACKFIRES BADLY
The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off one of many largest strikes within the low season in buying and selling a king’s ransom for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
Although there have been questions on how the 7-foot-1 massive man’s frontcourt pairing with Karl-Anthony Towns would operate, it was at the very least thought the dual towers could be a terror on the defensive finish to make up for any offensive shortcomings.
But the 5-6 Timberwolves are in an enormous droop, dropping 5 of their final six, and a few of the stats are damning.
Prior to Thursday’s video games, Minnesota’s beginning line-up had the worst offensive score within the NBA by a major margin at 95.1 (minimal 100 minutes), per Basketball Forever.
For context, the following worst within the NBA was the New York Knicks’ starters at 107.7.
At the opposite finish of the ground, they’ve merely been a center of the street – ranked 14th within the NBA in defensive score.
Then Gobert’s former staff, the 9-3 Utah Jazz, nobody may’ve predicted the commerce would backfire this badly.
The Jazz have shocked within the NBA world – sitting first within the Western Conference regardless of being one in all many rebuilding groups tanking for probably Pick 1 Victor Wembanyama – but have practically twice as many wins as a Timberwolves staff that went all in to push in the direction of title competition.
Utah additionally owns the Timberwolves’ 2023, 2025, 2026 (through a swap), 2026 and 2029 first spherical picks following the seismic commerce … yikes.
Not to say Pick 22 draftee Walker Kessler, who additionally joined the Jazz within the commerce, has proven promising indicators, together with a 12-point, six-rebound, three-block efficiency in 16 minutes in opposition to Atlanta.
It’s nonetheless solely early days within the season, however the two sides are performing a lot nearer to how the opposite was anticipated to in a exceptional flip of occasions.
The Wolves would desperately need their fortunes to show round – each for the now and the long run.
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‘NOBODY THOUGHT THAT’D BE THE CASE’: WHAT’S DOING IN UTAH?
This was not how issues had been alleged to be stepping into Utah.
When the Jazz tumbled out of the playoffs in humiliating vogue final season, a full-scale rebuild look to be on the playing cards — and some important trades appeared to all-but affirm it.
The two cornerstones of the franchise, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, had been each shipped off whereas Royce O’Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic had been additionally traded away.
Then you add within the truth a once-in-the-generation prospect like Victor Wembanyama was up for grabs. Put merely, there was added incentive for the Jazz to offer all of it away.
But no one anticipated the Jazz to be sitting in first place within the Western Conference after 13 video games with a 10-3 document.
Not solely that, they maintain one of the best defensive document within the league in the case of factors conceded per sport together with the tenth finest defensive effectivity.
“They traded away arguably the best defender in the NBA in the last decade and they traded away their best perimeter defender in Royce O’Neale and they changed coaches and completely changed half their roster,” ESPN insider Brian Windhorst mentioned on ‘NBA Today’.
“Guess what’s happened to their defence? It’s been the exact same. They were a top-10 defence last year, they are a top-10 defence this year. I’m telling you, nobody thought that would be the case. You’ve got to take your hat off to the way they’ve approached this season and Will Hardy for getting them into those habits.
“They have been tremendous defensively and then offensively, Lauri Markkanen has never played better, Jordan Clarkson has never played better, Mike Conley in my opinion has never played better. They pass the ball beautifully… they are for real.”
But are they? A couple of nameless entrance workplace executives talking to The Athleticdidn’t rule out Utah nonetheless transferring to commerce gamers like Conley and Clarkson, if the worth is true.
“I think Danny won’t break it all the way down,” one mentioned.
“I could see him keeping a guy like Markkanen, and (there’s a sense) that he doesn’t have the stomach for a true rebuild. That might be one team that doesn’t make moves to go that direction because Danny doesn’t believe in it.”
“Utah has generally been open for business,” one other added.
“I do think they’re the one that could accelerate taking it apart faster. But you’ve got to have the buyers in the market. And outside of the Lakers, who is that?”
Regardless of what Utah’s roster appears like, the franchise appears to have discovered a solution at coach in Will Hardy, who’s the surging favorite for Coach of the Year.
“He has shown himself very quickly to be one of the brightest young minds in the league,” mentioned NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
