NBA News and Rumor Roundup 6/19/2024
Boston brings it home, draft rumors up ahead, and did Jay Williams just leak the Lakers' coaching plans?
Aaaaand we’re back!
Not only are we back, but we have officially crossed the end point of the 2023-24 season, with the Celtics taking it all the way to the bank. While Game 5 marked the conclusion of the current NBA calendar, we still have much more to talk about; namely free agency and the draft, which is looking more wide open than ever if the rumors are to be believed.
Let’s get right into it, starting with the big green elephant in the room…
Boston Makes Good On Their Potential
There’s so much to unpack here, even more than the average NBA Finals. In Game 5 there wasn’t much to write home about from a play standpoint, with the Celtics wiping the Mavs out in a 106-88 win. Luka Doncic didn’t play very well (especially in the first half of play) and seemed to revert to his previous defensively-challenged ways after a great performance in Game 4, Kyrie Irving had a horrendous performance with just 15 points on 31% shooting, and PJ Washington went 0-for-5 from three. In other words, the Mavs never looked like they had a chance in Monday night’s finale. The Celtics, on the other hand, were almost too stacked.
Jayson Tatum still struggled from deep (1-for-7) but ended up with 31 points and 11 assists anyway, 9 of which assists came in the first half. In the end, however, it was the other Jay — Jaylen Brown — who came away with Finals MVP, averaging 20 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.6 steals on 44% shooting throughout the series.
Brown’s incredible defense on Luka bolstered his case significantly; this is the main one I want you to pay attention to:
Luka Doncic FG% In The Finals: 47%
Luka Doncic FG% When Guarded By Jaylen Brown: 40%
JB seemed to be one step ahead of Luka at times, predicting the next move he was going to make a couple of seconds before he actually did it. This is the one play that stood out to me from a defensive standpoint, with Brown picking up the Slovenian from beyond half-court and anticipating the behind-the-back move to pick his pocket:
In the end, it feels almost ironic that after years of fans wondering whether Tatum could helm a championship team alongside Jaylen Brown, it was the latter that won Finals MVP — not that it truly matters in the end, anyway. A ‘chip is a ‘chip.
But seriously, there were some great storylines out of this year’s Finals. Kristaps Porzingis got the chance to get back into the fray after a nasty knee injury that will now require surgery, and while he couldn’t be nearly as effective as he once was, just being out there felt like a victory for the former Maverick.
Separately, as I mentioned in my contribution to
’s roundup yesterday, Al Horford finally got his championship after 17 years of being in the NBA. Horford’s father, Tito, is a former NBA player who never got to sniff the heights that his son has reached, and now, being the only Dominican-born player to win a championship, Al has reached the pinnacle of solidifying not only his own legacy, but his father’s as well.Lastly, when it comes to the Celtics, both Derrick White and Jrue Holiday couldn’t have been more indispensable in this series. White got his face smashed into the floor, chipping his front tooth in the process, but traded a chip for a ‘chip due to his tenacious defense and ever-underrated offensive production both on and off the ball. Holiday, on the other hand, has been here before, but continues to show why his combination of unselfishness and on-ball defense make him one of the NBA’s most valuable assets. In the end, the Celtics finally made good on their years-long promise, showing that the Tatum/Brown pairing can in fact work.
The Mavs Go Back To The Drawing Board
Despite almost nobody expecting them to even get to this stage, it still feels like something of a disappointment for Dallas. I briefly noted the woes of both Luka and Kyrie (especially the latter) earlier, but this team feels oh-so-close to something bigger. In a way, it feels oddly similar to the Celtics’ 2022 Finals run that ended up falling short. A team with a previously questionable fit between its two key stars made the Finals, looked like they might be able to compete on paper, and faltered once it got to crunch time. That could bode well for the Mavs, but there are still questions to be had.
Namely, Luka Doncic’s defense needs to improve if this squad wants to really chase a ring. Doncic’s defense in Game 4 was the best we’d ever seen from him, full stop. Tenacious on-ball D, navigating screens with sheer force, and what looked like a mentality of “I need this win.” Unfortunately, that performance did not carry over to Game 5, with Luka’s defense once again falling off a cliff — without some level of consistency on D, this team’s ceiling feels capped. Even if he could up his on-ball defense to an NBA-average level it would feel like a success. I suppose we’ll have to wait till next season for that.
In terms of Kyrie Irving’s performance, there’s definitely some level of concern there. You do have to wonder whether or not him playing in Boston contributed significantly to his poor performance, and, if so, whether he can overcome his past. For the Mavs, it’s encouraging to see that the Luka/Kyrie pairing can work, but it still, as they say, needs some work.
The most important thing to watch for next season for the Mavs will be the continued development of Dereck Lively after such an incredible rookie season for the youngin’. If he can continue to develop his pick-and-roll game with Luka/Kyrie and maybe, just maybe look to extend his range, he could end up being the guy that pushes this squad over the hump.
A disappointing performance to be sure, but there’s progress here for Dallas. Now they turn their eyes to the offseason — as do we.
Jay Williams May Have Slipped Up
This one’s a quick report, but it seems that ESPN’s Get Up attendee Jay Williams may have let it slip that JJ Redick has already accepted a position as the Lakers’ new head coach — whoops! Here’s the quote in question:
It appears that Williams may know something that the rest of us don’t (yet). Mike Greenberg then asked Get Up attendee Monica McNutt why she was reacting so strangely to Williams’ comment, which she then somewhat squirmed at but noted that “we've all been hearing sort of, kind of, not officially,” that Redick has the job.
Unless there’s some strange buffoonery going on here, it seems like the Lakers have their head coach, though no Woj bomb has dropped yet.
The Draft Rumors Continue
With the NBA Draft coming up on the 26th (and the 27th, since it’s two days now), teams are starting to leak out rumors that may or may not be smokescreens, but it’d be foolish not to report on them anyway! Here’s a mini collection of them:
In something of a will-they-won’t-they kind of scenario, “rival teams” claim that the Rockets #3 selection is “for sale” due to the fact that they aren’t looking to add another young project, supposedly.
According to ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony, the Spurs have French prospect Zaccharie Risacher pretty high on their board and may look to draft him with the #4 overall selection if he falls to them. I’m less high on Risacher — he’s 5th on my current big board — but the intrigue of a 6-foot-8 wing with a well-rounded game is obvious. Plus, maybe the Spurs want to start The Second French Revolution, which would likely end in surrender based on past history (sorry, bad joke).
In another Spurs report (and another French prospect rumor), San Antonio may be looking to draft LNB Pro A player Tidjane Salaun with their 8th overall selection. Salaun is 6’9” with a 7’2” wingspan, is a great in-transition player, and won’t even be 19 yet when the draft happens. The main detractor for Salaun is he’s incredibly raw, but in a draft largely devoid of eye-test star power, the Spurs might see him as a worthwhile selection.
According to Darren Wolfson of KSTP (an ABC station in Wisconsin), the Jazz worked out French prospect (there’s a trend here) Melvin Ajinca, Cameroonian prospect Ulrich Chomche, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, and Wisconsin forward Tyler Wahl, who is likely the source for the report as Wolfson is connected with Wahl. Kolek is the most high-profile player of the bunch and is a super crafty offensive engine and is likely to be considered for the Jazz’s 29th overall selection, while Chomche and Ajinca are highly intriguing international prospects who could be selected in the second round.
Per John Gambadoro — a Phoenix-area talk show host — the Suns will look to select a player with the #22 overall selection instead of trading it for a win-now guy, though they are open to trading down to secure more assets.
Dropping this here just in case I end up being right, but the Magic just worked out one of the higher-potential steals of the 2024 Draft in Carlton “Bub” Carrington. Carrington is a fast-twitch shot-creating guard out of Pitt, where he played his freshman year and showed off his very real talent. I have Carrington 14th overall on my big board, but I could easily see him ending up as one of the best players in this draft. I know a couple of people who feel similarly, but if I’m wrong, you can forget I ever wrote this…
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
According to multiple reports, Klay Thompson will in fact test free agency and is looking for “at least” a three-year contract for his services. Putting up a lot of money for Thompson for three years or more feels like a massive risk at this point, considering he’s 34 and only getting older by the day. Previous rumors imply the Orlando Magic could go after him as well as the Pistons and, most interestingly, the OKC Thunder.
One of the more underrated free agents this summer will be Andre Drummond, who has historically provided absurd rebounding numbers and could be a great piece off the bench for a contending team. While we don’t know where he’s going quite yet, we know that it probably isn’t going to include a return to the Bulls if one report is correct. According to Joe Cowley of Chicago Sun Times, Drummond is expected to leave Chicago for greener pastures in free agency.
After working for the Celtics’ basketball operations department, former NBA coach and broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy is joining Ty Lue’s staff on the Clippers as the lead assistant coach. In other words, Van Gundy got a ‘chip, dipped, and is probably feeling pretty darn good right now.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Raptors are looking to pick up Bruce Brown’s $23 million option — and then trade him at the first juncture. It makes sense, as Brown feels more valuable to contending teams than the rebuilding Raptors, and $23 million can match the salary of a solid young player or two if the Raptors are willing to play ball with draft assets and whatnot.
Atlanta Hawks GM Landry Fields is adamant that the team is keeping its #1 overall selection and will not trade down, though his phone lines “remain open.” In this draft, it feels almost like a burden to have the first selection, as there isn’t a de facto #1 overall guy at the moment. Not entertaining the idea of trading back feels somewhat risky, but doesn’t really matter if the Hawks one player in particular over everyone else — after all, that’s the point of being first.
According to Bloomberg, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken may have a new sister team if their owner gets what she wants. Samantha Holloway — the Kraken’s owner — is reportedly “attempting to snag” an NBA team in Seattle to return the city to its former basketball glory. It’s highly likely that Seattle gets a team based on Adam Silver’s recent comments, but who receives it (or when it happens) is still up in the air right now.
Despite the record-breaking beginning of the WNBA season, the league is still set to lose $50 million this year, which, while better than previous years, is still not ideal. However, the silver lining here involves the WNBA’s new media rights deal come 2025, which could triple their broadcasting revenue to $180 million total. That, plus the Golden State Valkyries expansion team paying the $50 million expansion fee, could give the WNBA a path to profitability. With the league finally getting a real chance to show off its talent, things are looking up for the women’s side of the game.
On this day in NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal is named unanimous Most Valuable Player of NBA Finals 2000 following the Lakers’ 116-111 Game 6 victory, receiving all seven votes from a national media panel. O’Neal averaged 38 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.67 blocks in the six-game Finals series — which is insane, frankly. It’s all about rings, Erneh!
Also, side note, how am I just coming across this Tim Duncan interview from three weeks ago now? Getting Duncan to come on a podcast/interview/anything involving public social interaction is a rarity, and his dry sense of humor and calm demeanor are hilarious alongside Richard Jefferson.
My Favorite Reads This Week
- is doing some of the best and most underrated analytics work in the collegiate basketball space, and he’s back with a really cool study on roster construction at the college level. You can find that here.
PJ Hall is an intriguing prospect in the sense that he does a lot of things well but isn’t an expert at anything quite yet, but in this draft, that might just be enough.
of just wrote a great profile on Hall and his prospects in this year’s draft — you can find that here.Here’s a nice little throwback piece from
, reflecting on the incredible incompleteness of both Yao Ming’s and Brandon Roy’s careers — all encompassed in the same exact game at the same exact time. Once again, go check out Quinn’s piece here.The great
put together a list of 14 bullet points for the 14-season career of the late #44, Jerry West. You can find that list here.’- wrote a piece on what Luka Doncic needs to do to learn from his past mistakes on the Finals stage before the series was over, and it feels even more fitting now. Could Luka use the Nikola Jokic playbook to get Nikola Jokic-like results? We’ll find out, but in the meantime, you can go read Mike’s piece.
Just took a look at what
is doing over at his Profluence Sports platform, and I figured I’d drop a mention here. Essentially, Andrew has put together what appears (to me) like an accelerator/alumni network program for sports companies, founders, and influencers — and it looks pretty cool! He’s got some big names behind this, and it seems like a great investment if you’re in the sports business space. Read about that right here.
That’s it for this week’s roundup! Since we now find ourselves in the post-postseason, many of the upcoming pieces will be draft-related. Once the draft is over I have some interesting ideas lined up, though nothing concrete yet — I am looking to do some deeper data analysis pieces again, however, as that was one of the original tenets of this Substack almost a year ago. Team overviews are also on the table. Regardless, content is on the way, as always!
Great article!
For what its worth, Darren Wolfson is associated with the Twin Cities area, not Wisconsin.