The NBA is back! I feel like I was just watching the Bubble Finals a month ago (shoutout to the Lakers). So much has happened in such a short time since then that I feel like the whole league is different now. Teams made big moves, with players and coaches, that I think will have big results. Some results we’ll see right away, and some we won’t see until closer to playoff time. Regardless, if you’re a hoop fan like me then you’re excited for all of it and can’t wait to see it play out.
Like I said, a lot of teams made moves but some really, really stood out to me and caught my attention…
PHOENIX SUNS
If you follow hoops then you already know where I am going with this— Chris Paul is in Phoenix! This is such a huge pickup for them for many reasons. One, it’s an upgrade from Ricky Rubio. Don’t get me wrong, Rubio is good but he is no CP3. I’m not just basing that off statistical reasons either. Paul brings a diffeRent level of competitiveness, a different level of IQ, and most importantly, a different level of leadership. The Phoenix Suns have some super talented young pieces. Of course you’ve got the obvious, D Book and Deandre Ayton. But they also have Mikal Bridges, a perfect 3 & D type wing in todays NBA. They have a sniper in Cam Johnson. Then they added some solid vets to mix in with that: Jae Crowder brings toughness and perimeter shooting, E’Twaun Moore and Langston Galloway bring defense and perimeter playmaking. Looking at their roster without CP3, it’s like “damn, they’re solid.” So adding Paul to that make for a dangerous team. Chris is going to help Book and Ayton a ton, too. We’ve seen his work when it comes to bigs; he makes them All-Stars even if they aren’t the most talented offensively. Tyson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan are proof of that. Ayton is way better offensively than both those guys so he is going to benefit greatly. I am not guaranteeing and All-Star season this year for Ayton, but he will play very well.
“What about D Book? Won’t having Chris Paul take the ball away from him?” Yes it will, but that won’t matter. Book can score just as well without the ball as he can with it because of his shooting ability. With the way Chris Paul carves up defenses and lives in the paint, Book is going to get a lot fo easy looks. And when Book has the ball in his hands, CP3 will be a catch and shoot threat, too. This really isn’t even the area that I think Book will benefit the most by having Paul out there though. I think he will benefit the most mentally. Chris is a dog. He is going to push you and challenge you every time out. You’re either going to rise to his level or you will get eaten. I’ve witnessed this up close. Quick story time… It was Fall 2008, I was on an unofficial at Wake Forest. This was the year Jeff Teague cooked! CP told me and my dad that he was going to kill and be in the league the following year; he was spot on. Anyways, we were playing pickup and CP was laying into one of the big guys the whole time. If you were watching hoops for the first time you might have even thought it was border line bullying. He was really just challenging him though. He was seeing how the dude was going to respond. Well the dude didn’t. He started bickering and complaining, then eventually just shut down. Wrong thing to do. Chris turned it up even more on him. It was hilarious to me. At the same time though, it was eye opening. I had never been around a player like that. He demanded so much, even in a pick up game. It was crazy. Back to the Suns… Paul is going to challenge Book in practice, and unlike that Wake Forest big, Book is going to respond the correct way. He will meet CP at that elite level. All hoop heads no that Book can go. He’s got another gear that he can tap into. I mean he scored 70 in a game. That’s wild. I know they lost, blah blah, but 70 is 70; that’s a lot of damn baskets. In my opinion though, so far in his career, D Book has lacked two major things: one, the ability to sustain that level of play for an entire season and two, the ability to lead and elevate his team. CP is going to help him in both of those areas. He is going to hold him accountable to be a dog every game, he is going to teach him how to lead and elevate, and he is going to take some of the load in handling those responsibilities.
I don’t know where they will finish up in the playoff race, but I do believe the Phoenix Suns will be in the playoffs. At least the play-in rounds. The west is loaded this year, but we saw what they did in the bubble. The Suns are definitely on the come up for sure. Monty Williams leading the way is huge, too. He’s a helluva coach and an even better person. He makes them better.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Nobody knows what Giannis is going to do, so I don’t even want to dive too much into that. I think he will stay with the Bucks this year to feel it out and make his decision after the season. Even though the Bogdonavic signing fell through, the Bucks still added some nice pieces. Jrue Holiday is an upgrade from Bledsoe. He brings playmaking, scoring, while also being one of the best defenders in the league regardless of position. Bobby Portis will be a good for them off the bench along with DJ Augustine as a solid backup point and Bryan Forbes being a sniper. Holiday is the pickup that I think is more valuable than most are giving credit for. Not for what he is going to do in games though; it’s what he is going to bring in practice. I was watching a clip on Instagram the other day and saw Holiday guarding Giannis. Of course, he was in his chest with it. They didn’t show the shot result, but I am pretty sure Giannis scored. It was a really tough, contested shot though. Giannis getting reps in against that level of defense every day is going to make him so good. If you’re a fan, you watch Giannis and you see this amazing player who’s catching hella bodies, euro-stepping from damn near half court, winning MVPs, you name it. If you’re a real hooper though, you see an amazing player who’s not really all that skilled. No disrespect to him, he is great and I am a fan, but what does Giannis do well besides dunk and play hard? He is a force in transition, but can he shoot the middy or three consistently? Does he have wiggle to his game to make and create plays off the dribble? Is he a guaranteed bucket from the post? Nah, not really. He cooks in the regular season then the playoffs come and the game slows down, and he isn’t as effective. Defenses get a little more physical. They start loading up more and muck up the paint. They force Giannis to shoot tough shots and make plays. Plays that look very similar to the post I saw on Instagram. So Giannis competing against a defender like Jrue is going to help him a lot. You might not see it throughout the regular season because dudes aren’t that committed to the defensive end then. You will for sure see the benefit of it come playoff time though. When the game slows down and they force Giannis to play face-up and make a play. He is going to feel a lot more comfortable because he’s been doing it against one of the best in the league all season long in practice.
Will it be enough to make the finals? I doubt it. I just don’t think the Bucks have enough fire power overall to get there. Giannis is going to do his thing. Middleton will add in his buckets. And Jrue is going to cook, too. After that though, it’s just not enough. I think the biggest benefit will be individual success [for Giannis] rather than team success. As a hooper, I love to see that. As a player, it was fun to win but now that I am a trainer it’s more fun to see the development of players individually.
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