There’s depth to the idea that we are our own worst enemies. It’s inherently appealing, in the sense that we are in control of our own destinies, the protagonists of our own realities. Nothing can stop us but us, context be damned. It’s akin to the Protestant ethic, of course, that tangible manifestations of our success reflect our internal compasses. But it goes deeper in the religious context; the Devil’s greatest weapon is deception. In other words, the Devil doesn’t wreck you unless you fail to check you. Perhaps a tad too deep in theology (Samson may need to check me at some point in this editing process), but you get the point.
But given that we are our own worst enemies, what if we … stop making life difficult for ourselves?
For a number of players in the NBA bubble, that’s become the new normal. At times, they make the game so hard on themselves that opponents really can’t change it one way or the other. But with this new fanless, dystopian, pure form of basketball, some players have emerged victorious so far.
In the first week of the bubble, we’ve seen De’Aaron Fox and the Kings remain their own worst enemies. For wing scorers like DeMar DeRozan and TJ Warren, though, bubble basketball has been simple. Put the ball in the net. No one can stop them but them, and it appears they’re not going to do that.
Time for some basketball talk. This week: your own worst enemy.
Looking Back - Folk
Hey! I was right!
Last week I talked about LeBron James eliminating chaos and exercising control on his march to success. On the same day we published, James closed out the Clippers with a game winning shot (on a rebound of his own miss) before locking down both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the game’s last possession. Now, it’s not very brave to predict that James will be good, but his last offensive and defensive stands of the game were creations of his own making, and the Lakers won on the strength of his control - so, pretty good.
I also talked about Kyle Lowry and the whirlwind of chaos in which he drowns opponents. He was a man possessed against the Lakers, cannonballing into the lane with reckless abandon. At least for one night, his chaos overpowered James’ control. Versus the Heat the Raptors flipped the Bam Adebayo matchup on it’s head with OG Anunoby. Not all Lowry, but enough to make me feel good about it.
Saved for a Later Date
I was going to write about the boundless and limitless Jaren Jackson Jr., who high-steps through the lane and around defenders with far too much grace for his size. A giant of a man with an unsightly jump-shot that he heaves at the rim with the same unhinged trigger-finger for which we’ve come to know Steph Curry. However (comma) ‘JJJ’ suffered a torn meniscus, so we’ll have to table these topics for when he comes back stronger than ever. But, you the reader, you are missing out on what would have been my magnum opus.
De’Aaron Fox
We’ve seen it many times before, and we’ll continue to see it as long as the NBA and the world continue to exist. There’s an uber-athletic point guard trying to strike the balance between driving and shooting jumpers, and his name is John Wa-, wait no, it’s Ja Mora-, no no wait, it’s Russell Wes-, wait, yes I’ve got it now - it’s De’Aaron Fox.
For maybe the first time in history, the NBA’s fastest player is not a heavily contested topic. The fastest player in the NBA is Fox, and quite frankly it isn’t close. He’s also huge for a point guard (6’5”) and his athleticism isn’t reserved for straight lines or starting blocks. Fox is rapid in every sense of the word.
Fox has had to deal with the inevitable walls that defenses put up, and those necessitate change, but he’s also had to navigate changes in playstyle because of front office decisions. Most recently, the move away from a fast paced style that thrived on transition under Dave Joerger, in favour of a slower pace that could prioritize defense. But here’s the thing - most good coaches and front offices tailor the team’s playstyle to maximize their best players, especially when those players are as promising as Fox. And the other thing, despite picking up better defensive players, the Kings still under-achieved on that end of the floor as a team. The Kings genuinely upgraded their roster: Richaun Holmes and Alex Len make for a very solid center rotation, Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes and Bogdan Bogdanovic fill the wings with high quality spot-up shotmaking with the capacity for more creation, and Fox made major strides as a pick n’ roll decision maker. And yet, no meaningful change. It’s not easy to make the jump to the playoffs, but the Kings made things way harder than they had to.
Taking away a chunk of Fox’s transition opportunities has left him with more agency in the minefield that is half-court decision making. As viewers we’ve been treated to a truly up and down experience. His shot chart receives unexpected spikes every other game, and he’s always willing to try out the most difficult shot available to him. Thankfully, he’s improved immensely at getting to the free throw line, and his change of speed and overall guile in the lane is oftentimes jaw-dropping. He’s near unstoppable at times. A physically imposing and lightning quick guard who shoots 66-percent at the rim, and above league average everywhere else, save for the 3-point line.
For a point of comparison, Westbrook recaptured so much of his “Russ-ness” in Houston when they traded Clint Capela and told Westbrook: “It’s okay, you can run at the rim. It’s what you do. You don’t have to shoot threes like this anymore.”
Westbrook is attempting 2 less 3-pointers per game since the trade, and bumped his shooting from 23% to 35% from downtown.
There’s wisdom in what the Rockets did, and perhaps something to glean from it when it comes to Fox. He’s adventurous, pulling up off-the-dribble, as most talented point guards are, but perhaps it’s best that he continues to do what he’s best at, and allows for moderate progression from downtown. After all, he’s surrounded by a bevy of talented shooters that help him space the floor, and Holmes is a dynamite roll man. It’s certainly not a bad thing to give the defense panic attacks when you go downhill, and to then let the offensive pieces around you thrive in the positions you’ve allowed them to play.
Of course it would be nice if Fox became a heat-pump from downtown, but that’s rarely the outcome of these situations. Not everyone treats progression as expeditiously as Pascal Siakam.
Watching Fox do what he’s good at, the things he can do that 99-percent of NBA players can’t, that’s what I’d like to see the Kings supercharge. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. You have the roadrunner and a pogo stick packaged into one player, let him wreak havoc with those attributes. The Kings need to stop being their own worst enemy.
Looking Forward - Zatzman
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan has a bag. It’s one of those bags from Harry Potter that fits anything and everything inside. Need a eurostep to floater? Spin-counter-spin pull-up? Free throw line jumper? Drop step in the post? Change of clothes? Your weekly medicine all laid out in a container labeled by day of the week? Who knows, but I’m not discounting anything. Kyrie Irving excepted, DeRozan has the most diverse collection of moves in the NBA, and when his shot is falling, there’s nothing defenders can do but marvel aghast, like earthbound onlookers gaping at Superman as he flies past, arms outstretched in feeble worship masquerading as defense.
So far through the first week of Bubble Basketball, DeRozan has been on a binge. He’s thrown up 23 non-heave pull-up jumpers, and none of those have been 3s. (Fun fact: the only players to remotely come close to that level of quantity and refusal to shoot triples are both also Spurs: Dejounte Murray - 23 pull-ups and only one 3 - and Rudy Gay - 16 pull-ups and zero 3s.) But DeRozan has connected on 13 of the 23 shots, and he’s led the Spurs to a 2-2 record with one loss coming on a late triple by super Shake Milton.
So where does that leave DeRozan and the Spurs? They have three games upcoming this week, and they’ll have to win even more to have a chance at the playoffs. The Spurs are in a dogfight 2.0 games out of the eighth seed.
The Spurs will face the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Houston Rockets. Yes, those teams employ very good wing defenders. No, it won’t really matter for DeRozan. He either will have more exceptional games, or he won’t, but the quality and style of defense won’t matter. DeRozan alone determines his reality, at least on the hardwood.
In that sense, it’s a quixotic quest to predict players like DeRozan. He may continue to dominate, or he may fizzle. But the only one determining which adventure he’ll choose is DeRozan himself.
TJ Warren
Introducing your 2020-2021 NBA Most Valuable Player TJ Waaaarrrrren! I can hear it now. He has bedeviled opponents in the bubble, scoring 19 points in his opening quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers and not slowing down from there. Because of his lavic hand, the Pacers are 3-0 in the bubble, ahead of the 76ers and closing fast on the Miami Heat.
As with DeRozan, Warren is hitting his pull-up jumpers. In fact, he’s been among the best players in the whole league there; he’s connected on 14 of 28 pull-ups, with the tenth-best effective field goal percentage, at 57.1 percent, among high-volume players in the whole NBA.
What are you supposed to do about a player who can reliably be both bull and china shop?
Warren is less grace and more force. While DeRozan hits the breaks before a pull-up, Warren throws the ball at the rim while maintaining his forward momentum. If a person is in his way, well, then a person gets knocked over.
The Pacers have four games this week. Three opponents will be from the West, but Warren will face the Heat on August 10. Miami’s defense offers no quarter. They keep you off the glass, get back in transition, and contest everything. Bam Adebayo is one of the best centers in the league at switching onto wings, and if Warren rains fire against drop coverage, Adebayo can happily switch and try to wrastle with Warren, holding him by the horns and forcing fadeaways.
Warren cares not. Like DeRozan, Warren will either score, or he won’t. Adebayo will have little to say in the matter. Warren won’t remain the best scorer in the bubble, averaging over 30 points a game. But he could lift Indiana’s surprisingly competent half-court offense past opponents this week, moving Indiana into the fourth seed. With the advantage derived from home court dwindling to nothing in the bubble, that wouldn’t matter. The Pacers will win, or they won’t, largely behind the results of Warren’s unflappable game. Thus earning meaningless home court advantage would be a fitting reward for the heroics of Warren, one of the last true nihilistic NBA gunslingers roaming the hardwood.
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