NBA News and Rumor Roundup 5/22/2024
The Timberwolves take the leap, the Conference Finals take shape, and offseason/draft rumors abound...
Aaaaand we’re back!
We’re officially one step closer to determining who the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy will be awarded to. After a wildly entertaining Conference Semifinals, we now turn to the Conference Finals, the contestants of which might bring about the next era of the NBA itself.
We’ll briefly touch on where we are with our Conference Finals matchups, as well as some rumors surrounding the eliminated teams. Plus, as is always the case this time of year, we have some draft rumors and reports to break down — let’s get into it, shall we?
Conference Semifinals Takeaways/Conference Finals Matchups
Playoff Matchup Tally:
(5) Mavericks vs. (3) Timberwolves (Series starts today at 8:30 PM Central Time)
(1) Celtics vs. (6) Pacers (Celtics lead 1-0)
What a fine group of teams that is, huh?
The Mavs/Timberwolves matchup appears, on paper, to be the most intriguing. Dallas is coming off of a gritty win over a young and feisty OKC Thunder squad and seems to have solved its biggest issue: Luka Doncic heliocentricism.
While Doncic nearly averaged a triple-double (24 points, 10.5 rebounds. 8.7 assists) in the series, the Mavs got multiple 20+ point performances from mid-season acquisition PJ Washington, a 42% 3-point shooting clip from Kyrie Irving, and a combined 4.5 blocks per game from Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Derrick Jones Jr.
Washington, in particular, was spectacular. His willingness to drive into the lane and rise up through contact was something you didn’t see as much during his Charlotte days — possibly due to not having a consistent facilitator to get him the ball, considering LaMelo Ball’s injury-prone self — as he consistently knocked down shots like these over solid defense:
Really, that play encapsulated how the Mavs have wanted to play for years. Yes, Doncic is still going to be the lead ball-handler regardless of who’s by his side, but being able to go from defense to offense — all without Doncic ever holding the ball for more than a single second — is a boon for this team’s title chances.
Minnesota, on the other hand, has seen the incredible rise of Anthony Edwards and the even more incredible Rudy Gobert fadeaway. Those words have likely never been said in history but here we are:
Gobert ended up averaging a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double throughout the series, while his big man running mate, Karl-Anthony Towns, shot nearly 40% from three and averaged 19 points per game. And, of course, we are all thinking about Anthony Edwards.
Edwards has been the most exciting storyline of the playoffs, appearing to take on the mantle of the next face of the NBA — though Victor Wembanyama will likely dispute that title sometime soon. His shotmaking has been otherwordly, his swagger is unmatched, and his usefulness to Minnesota’s tourism industry is unparalleled.
All jokes aside, this series should have it all. Doncic vs. Edwards, Kyrie vs., uh, Mike Conley (don’t sleep on Conley!), KAT vs. Lively, Gobert vs. Gafford, and lots of other sub-matchups that are far too numerous to list here. It’s bound to be a good one.
Pregame Recap, Celtics/Pacers (AKA, written before Game 1)
As for the Celtics and Pacers, both have had extremely different paths to get here. Boston has had quite the easy-going despite Kristaps Porzingis’ injury woes, as they’ve dropped no less than 2 total games to get here. The Jays — Tatum and Brown — averaged a combined 50.2 points per game, while Tatum alone produced a 108 defensive rating, which is statistically more staunch than Rudy Gobert in the Denver series.
Most pundits and fans alike don’t see Boston having too much trouble with the Pacers, as there’s a general narrative that Indiana has benefitted from opponent injuries and therefore are not “deserving” of being here, which is only half true. Yet, there is ample concern to be had about Jayson Tatum’s horrific 27% shooting clip from range and the Celtics’ overall lack of clutch time experience this postseason.
On the Pacers’ side of things, the injuries to their opponents have definitely helped their case, but that doesn’t mean they should be completely written off against the Celtics. Despite some inconsistent (yet sometimes exhilarating) play from Tyrese Haliburton, the entire Pacers squad has really stepped up to the spotlight the playoffs bring about. Pascal Siakam has become a perfect fit for this fast-paced Pacers offense while providing enough defensive juice to get stops, which was one of the Pacers’ biggest issues during the regular season for this team. Check out this pitbull-level tenacious defense on Miles McBride, for example:
The question for the Pacers is whether or not they’re able to exploit Porzingis’ absence via the escapades of both Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam. Thus far, the Celtics have gotten by with Al Horford and Luke Kornet, but Turner and Siakam provide much more floor spacing than any big they’ve come across during their postseason run. The Pacers are definitely outmatched on paper, but we’ve seen crazier things happen this time of year.
Postgame Recap, Celtics/Pacers (AKA, written after Game 1)
Well, that was an NBA game alright.
After being 115-108 with under 2 minutes remaining, the Celtics turned on the afterburners and got the score all the way back to 114-117. Then, against all odds, Jaylen Brown hit what is possibly the most impressive and consequential shot of his semi-young career:
After that, Boston never really looked back, going on an 8-0 run to close out the game, winning 133-128. But seriously, what a game!
Tyrese Haliburton looked like himself, scoring 25 points to go with a nice platter of 10 assists, but it was truly a balanced effort from this upstart Pacers squad. Seven of Indiana’s players scored double-digits last night, playing some really balanced basketball — and shockingly, defensively solid.
On the Celtics’ side of things, they scraped by with a steal of a win. Jayson Tatum still hasn’t found his three-point shot (25% from three) but he still came away from this game with a 36-point, 12-rebound, 4-assist game in which he was a team-high +20 while on the floor. Yet, the real star of this game was Jrue Holiday, who scored a somehow quiet 28 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals on a ridiculous 50% clip from downtown. Beautiful basketball from the former Buck.
Tomorrow we’ll get to see how the Pacers react to a deflating loss like this, but the Celtics appear to have more competition than we may have assumed at first glance.
The Draft Rumor Cycle Picks Up
This year’s draft appears to be the most chaotic in recent memory due to no clear-cut superstars being positioned at the top. For example, Stephon Castle is projected to go 5th overall by Jonathan Wasserman over at Bleacher Report, while he’s projected to go 10th overall by the folks over at The Ringer. Things get even more polarizing toward the second round, where some early second-round selections from some mock drafts go undrafted in others — in other words, nobody knows what will happen at this point.
Rockets #3 Pick Report
Some recent draft rumors surround the Rockets’ #3 overall pick. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic — Iko is widely respected as a Rockets insider — Houston has a “handful of teams” interested in that #3 selection, yet nothing has really taken shape yet.
One possibility noted by Iko is a potential trade for Donovan Mitchell, which would involve the #3 pick and other high-profile assets. Bringing on Mitchell would likely involve getting rid of Jalen Green due to their overlapping games, but that could be a tough pill to swallow for some Green supporters (including me!).
Kings Look to Trade Up?
An interesting development toward the back half of the lottery involves the Sacramento Kings, who currently hold the #13 overall selection. Per Sean Cunningham of FOX40 (a local Chicago station), the Kings have worked out 10 projected lottery picks at the Combine, including projected top picks like Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr, and Cody Williams.
The involvement of Sarr, who holds the largest general consensus as a #1 selection, involves that the Kings may be looking to trade up into the top half of the lottery. Doing so would be something of a pivot for Sacramento, which has largely looked to contend with its current core — though not super successfully, mind you.
Bronny James Opinions Continue to Fly
Whether you believe he should or not, Bronny James is getting drafted this year. One report states that the Lakers are seen as “the floor” for Bronny’s draft position, which would put him at #55 overall. However, other sources believe that another team like the Utah Jazz could get ahead of the Lakers in a bid to draw LeBron to town. There’s also one (frankly ridiculous) report that teams have considered drafting Bronny in the first round simply to use as a piece of LeBron bait. I would hope that GMs aren’t willing to risk their jobs that much.
Regardless, there does seem to be something of an NBA player in Bronny. Offensively, there isn’t much there at the moment outside of some glimpses of outside shooting. However, as an on-ball defender, Bronny may be able to carve out a niche akin to Jevon Carter, Patrick Beverly, or Davion Mitchell, who have all been mentioned as comparisons for the younger James. Still, Bronny should likely have gone back to college for a year to really refine his game, let alone get a full healthy season under his belt.
Other News, Rumors, and Fun Facts
Speaking of the Rockets’ draft reports, here’s another interesting one for you. The Rockets are reportedly interested in the future Suns’ draft picks that are controlled by the Nets via the KD trade. Any trade involving those picks would have to involve the Nets’ picks that the Rockets own from the Harden trade, creating a rapidly descending spiral of the Harden/KD trade multiverse — but I digress.
As the Lakers continue to search for a new head coach, more and more JJ Redick reports come out. Now, one source believes that Redick is “Pat Riley-like” as a coaching prospect, which seems like a bit of hyperbole but whatever. The point is, Redick seems like the favorite for the gig at this point.
Depending on how the Donovan Mitchell saga plays out, the Cavs could be interested in dealing former All-Star center Jarrett Allen. At just 26 years of age, Allen reportedly has drawn interest from “numerous” teams, though his price tag may not be very cheap. He’s also the NBA’s premier Legend of Zelda fan, which doesn’t add to his trade value but I thought was important to mention nonetheless.
In another trade rumor about one of the NBA’s best lob threats, Clint Capela is reportedly being shopped by the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the draft. With the Hawks expected to take a big man akin to Alex Sarr with their #1 selection, this shouldn’t be entirely shocking. The 30-year-old is on an expiring $22.2 million contract but still provides enough productivity to be added to an upstart squad.
According to recent reports, TNT (Warner Brothers Discovery) is still fighting to keep its NBA rights in light of offers from NBC, Amazon, and Netflix. If TNT cannot re-up its rights, it is likely we will see no more of the greatest sports show on earth, Inside The NBA, which would be a real shame.
The NBA’s All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams have been released, with Victor Wembanyama showing up on both first teams. For the sake of brevity, you can find each team right here: Defensive and Rookie.
As an aside, I find it incredible that one of Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, or Tyrese Haliburton will be getting a ring this year. It may seem obvious, but it does feel like a proper changing of the guard.
On this day in 1994, Toronto, which was about to enter the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1995-96, unveiled Raptors as the team’s nickname. The team held a nationwide contest to determine the team name and received over 2,000 suggestions from fans, but ultimately the pull of 1993’s Jurassic Park blockbuster was too much to resist. And yet, ironically, the Raptors are red, not Blue (please laugh).
My Favorite Reads This Week
I was honored to have contributed to the similarity model utilized in a recent
piece for . Using a nice conglomerate of formulas, Jared (with a little help from yours truly) was able to compare some of the top prospects’ bSPARQ athleticism scores with past ones, which created some very intriguing comparisons. Check that out here.KJ Simpson has steadily risen up draft boards as of late due to his combination of shooting and athleticism that he showed off at the Combine.
, who also runs the social media accounts over at , just did a phenomenal profile on what makes Simpson such a great value prospect. You can go read that one right here.A group of phenomenal NBA Substackers (and little ol’ me) got together over at
’s Substack to talk underrated NBA playoff storylines, and there’s a lot of great content in there. If you want to give that a read, you can find it here.- pulls random statistics out of the seemingly bottomless pit of his analytical reservoir and somehow combines them into coherent, thought-provoking pieces. His recent piece on the Pacers/Knicks rivalry is no less impressive, and it really shows that, despite the injuries on the Knicks’ side of things, Indiana really does own New York. Go read that article here.
- has been putting out tons of great (not necessarily Mavs-specific) scouting reports for this year’s draft in his first few months on Substack. The most recent report involves Matas Buzelis, who I’m unreasonably high on this year due to his tantalizing combination of playmaking and 6-foot-10 frame. Go read that scouting report right here.
TEAM-SPECIFIC SUBSTACK: With the playoffs eliminating more and more teams, we’ve got fewer and fewer options for team-specific Substacks. And yet, we have one! Here’s a great review of the Mavs’ win over OKC in Game 7 via
, the DFW’s (the Dallas-Fort Worth area, for those of you out of the Texan loop) premier ‘Stack.That’s it for this week’s roundup! As always, more content is on the way as the playoffs continue to unfurl. Till then, enjoy this week’s favorite reads from the best Substackers in the business!