Here we go with another batch of 10 things, including a few borderline All-Stars, old man LeBron James moves and some Dallas Mavericks deception.
1. The Utah Jazz defense, on a string
Umm, so, Utah has won 20 of 21 -- with 18 (!) of those wins coming by at least 10 points. That is historic (regular-season) dominance.
Most of the adulation has gone to the offense -- a meld of individual brilliance and Quin Snyder's whirring "advantage basketball" system. But you don't win that many games by that many points without being great at everything, and Utah is up to No. 2 in points allowed per possession -- defending with the same synchrony that powers their offense.
That's a ho-hum possession, and its normal-ness is what caught my eye -- the ease with which several players make seemingly trivial interconnected decisions.
Duncan Robinson pops free around that Bam Adebayo hand-off. Robinson with daylight is a five-alarm fire. Utah's response is notable both for what happens and what doesn't.
Bojan Bogdanovic stunts off Kelly Olynyk, invading Robinson's line of sight long enough to make him think. Olynyk cuts backdoor. No problem. Royce O'Neale, guarding Jimmy Butler in the corner, slides in to patrol Olynyk. Bogdanovic drifts into the passing lane to Butler. Joe Ingles pursues Robinson instead of assuming the job now belongs to someone else. Gobert cuts off any Adebayo give-and-go with Robinson.
That leaves one option: Adebayo's long 2. That's a good shot, but it is the least of all evils: a 2-pointer unlikely to lead to free throws or an offensive rebound.
Donovan Mitchell never strays from Kendrick Nunn on the right wing. Nunn isn't a great shooter, but he's by himself there. If Mitchell helps inside, there is no one nearby to help him. Utah helps from the side of the floor where Miami has two shooters -- so one defender (O'Neale) can zone up between both, giving the Jazz a chance to contest any 3-pointer.
Lots of teams plot rotations to avoid helping from the "single side." Few get it right consistently. Fewer still can toggle on the fly from one scheme to another depending on the specifics. One false step, and you're dead.
Utah nails this stuff, possession after possession. Gobert is the keystone. Perimeter defenders stay home on shooters, knowing Gobert can handle emergencies in the paint. Gobert barricades the basket.
Only seven teams yield fewer shots at the rim, per Cleaning The Glass. Only 32% of opponent shots against Utah come from deep -- second lowest. Only one team gives up fewer free throws. The Jazz rank fifth in defensive rebounding.
That is an equation come to life. Even Utah's one weakness -- forcing turnovers -- is baked into its style and personnel.
This is a special level of chemistry and connectivity. It emerges only when smart players grow together, and when they believe in one another in a profound and almost unspoken way -- when each believes the next guy will cover for him, and that if they buy in, they can win big. This sort of nirvana is rare, and powerful.
It doesn't mean Utah will win the title, or even make the conference finals. They don't have great one-on-one defenders around Gobert -- no vice-grip wing. But the Jazz have arrived.
2. Old man Bron
When I see plays like this, I'm almost excited for James to show his age more:
That's not James' first sky hook, but it might be the most classically smooth. It is an old man move.
James has long been perhaps both the league's smartest and most athletic player. He has lost some bounce, but not as much as you would expect for a 36-year-old who ranks third all-time in minutes.
When will James have to get by even more on guile, and what will that look like? He's a good 3-point shooter. The chessmaster passing will always be there. He has toyed with a Dirk Nowitzki-style one-legged shot. This is a textbook Junior Hook. What other YMCA stuff lurks?
It has been fashionable to say this stretch without Anthony Davis will make or break James' case for his fifth MVP -- potentially tying Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. I'm not convinced that's 100% true. Blitzing the league without Davis could make James' case. I'm not sure anything in the next two weeks can break it. It's not like the Lakers will go 1-8 without Davis now. (They are 5-2 without him after last night's loss to the getting-scary Brooklyn Nets.)
James has a strong statistical case. It's not as strong now as those of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, but it's strong enough if you very reasonably believe James remains the best player when it counts. It would not look out of place among MVP seasons.
But this is a race. Anyone bellowing that a vote for Embiid or Jokic is absurd has not taken a deep enough look at what those guys are doing. Other candidates loom: Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard -- molten lava in crunch time, carrying a ravaged Portland Trail Blazers team to No. 4 in the West.
In the end, James will not have the best statistical case. More than perhaps any single-season MVP candidate ever, James' case will transcend normal criteria, statistical and otherwise -- including swing segments like the current one, without Davis, often considered referendums. And that can be OK. It would be impossible -- inhuman, robotic -- not to consider LeBron in a slightly different light.
He didn't have the strongest statistical dossier last season, when he finished runner-up behind the best player on the best (regular-season) team. It appears there will be no rival this time boasting the trump card combination of historic individual greatness and team success above what the Lakers are doing..
This is going to be fun. There is a lot of season left. Let's see how it unfolds.
3. The quirks of Devin Booker's playmaking
Booker's assists have dropped, but isolate his minutes without Chris Paul and those numbers normalize. The Phoenix Suns have won Booker-only minutes by 11.5 points per 100 possessions -- a big arrow in Booker's All-Star quiver. (There are going to be brutal omissions in the West, but at least one Phoenix guard should get in given their record and how little difference there is otherwise between a dozen-ish candidates for the final spots.)
Booker dots his playmaking with unusual tics of style and cadence. Those quirks keep defenses off-balance without confusing Booker's teammates.
That hard spin-back is snazzy. Booker then baits the double -- and drags Patrick Beverley into help duty on Deandre Ayton -- with a languid backward dribble before slicing into a crossover. He looks like he's about to accelerate before pulling up, glancing at Mikal Bridges in the left corner -- freezing Beverley for a precious half-second -- and zipping a laser to Ayton.
Dribbling toward corner shooters can sometimes snuff openings by bringing the defense toward them. Not here. Booker proceeds slowly, eyes darting, sowing uncertainty in the LA Clippers' defense and watching for cracks to open. He waits for Bridges to cut inside, taking one last defender with him -- and unlocking that Jae Crowder triple.
Booker makes every potential option a threat here, including his silky midrange jumper. (Some smart internet person should produce one of those side-by-side mirror image videos of Booker and Paul snaking for right elbow pull-ups.)
The Pacers don't know which to react to -- until Booker appears to make the decision for them by rising up. Even as the Pacers swarm, that shot is still pretty open. By doing good work early, Booker gives himself choices in mid-air.
After a first dozen or so games that probably fell below expectations following Booker's bubble explosion, he is continuing his ascent to All-NBA-level stardom -- regardless of whether he makes All-Star.
4. Go up strong, Aron Baynes! (Plus: Here come the Raptors!)
Some lumbering, ground-bound bigs just can't finish around the basket at a high level. Count Baynes in that group. Even when he catches it deep with a guard on him, he struggles to power up:
Baynes often brings the ball down while loading those aging knees. You can't do that around pesky guards. It gives opposing bigs time to recover.
Toronto's two starting guards -- borderline All-Stars Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet -- give any rolling big man plenty of chances, but Baynes too often fails to convert them. He's shooting 57% at the rim, awful for a behemoth, per Cleaning The Glass. Baynes goes up a little soft; he has attempted only 11 free throws.
The Raptors face some interesting decisions as the trade deadline approaches. They are 12-7 since opening 2-8, and up to sixth in the East -- only two games out of third. Presuming Lowry returns soon, the Raps will be fully healthy for the first time in ages.
OG Anunoby has shown intermittent signs of making the semi-leap a lot of folks expected. Toronto has used him more in the pick-and-roll, and he has improved making plays as both ball handler and screener. He is a five-position wrecker on defense. He obliterated the reeling Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday -- Toronto's second win this week in Milwaukee -- with three bruising fourth-quarter buckets and a driving drop pass to DeAndre' Bembry for a dunk.
With Anunoby back from injury Tuesday, Nick Nurse started Pascal Siakam at center surrounded by the team's four best perimeter players -- Lowry, VanVleet, Anunoby, and Norman Powell. (He started that same lineup with Bembry in Lowry's place Thursday.) Nurse can use that lineup more now.
That raises the question of whether the Raptors need to trade for a center, and how much they should give up for one. I'd be surprised if they flipped anything of consequence for Andre Drummond. Toronto would have to include a core player -- Powell's salary fits as ballast -- and Powell might be better than Drummond straight up. (There is an argument that Powell's skill set is less essential to this Raptors team than Drummond's would be, but it's not one I find terribly persuasive.)
The Raptors are not satisfied being a middling playoff team. They won't sacrifice meaningful assets in any deal that doesn't dramatically move the needle. Would Nikola Vucevic -- should the Orlando Magic even make him available, let alone for what Toronto can realistically offer -- fit the bill? (The Magic are so far projecting patience and optimism about bringing back their healthy core next season, league sources say. The exception -- and this is purely my speculation -- might concern Evan Fournier, given his expiring contract.)
The Raptors are also likely too good, and too well-coached, to trade themselves down the standings. They might have a big run in them soon.
5. One area for Anthony Edwards to iron out
In fits and starts, Edwards is trending the right way. Starting alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and Malik Beasley has opened the floor when Edwards attacks scrambled defenses off the catch. That's not super sexy. You don't draft wings No. 1 because they can beat close-outs. But it is step one for a wing with Edwards' rare athleticism. Harder parts of shot creation will come.
Edwards' shooting on 2s is climbing. He's stepping into 3s with confidence. Every game features some hopeful moment amid the rookie haze -- a stutter-stepping pick-and-roll, some next-level pass.
Some stars are so good on offense, it almost doesn't matter if they top out as average or worse defenders. It's unclear if Edwards will reach that level as a scorer -- which raises the question: How good can he get on defense?
It's way too early to tell. Edwards is a lump of clay. He has the physical tools to be a two-way player. One pitfall: ogling the ball while his man cuts backdoor. This happens a lot.
Some mistakes don't destroy the integrity of the defense. They are recoverable with quick flashes of help and churning effort. Others explode the entire scheme.
Lots of young players kick this habit as they digest what the NBA looks and feels like. Some don't.
6. Take fouls gone wrong!
I will never cease my crusade against these clotheslines. They are a blight. It is the NBA's responsibility to try legislating them away.
The plague (sorry) was already insidious when players used the "strategy" effectively. It's getting worse as players sabotage their teams by resorting to this tomfoolery at obviously bad times:
That is Reggie Bullock hacking with the New York Knicks in the penalty and a larger defender behind him.
Embiid has ambitions of winning Defensive Player of the Year. So: Play some freaking defense!
Embiid is committing only 2.7 fouls per 36 minutes, by far the lowest mark of his career, but I don't want my star center wasting an early foul. (Jokic is the worst at this, though he slaps more out of frustration.)
7. Myles Turner, transition protector
Here's what can happen when a Defensive Player of the Year candidate decides to defend a fast break:
You cannot play that 2-on-1 any better. Turner stays in between Garrett Temple and Zach LaVine, ready to pounce in any direction. Most defenders in this situation are prey for manipulation. Turner keeps Temple guessing. He manipulates.
The Pacers have been a solid transition defense team, and even better with Turner on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass. Turner often spots up around the top of the arc -- placing him in ideal position to retreat fast. That is one of the semi-hidden benefits of having a 3-point shooting big man. (That can cut the other way when Turner spots up in the corners.)
Most Pacers-themed All-Star discussion has focused on Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon, but Indiana has a third candidate in Turner. He leads the league in blocked shots, and he's shrinking opponent field goal percentages everywhere. Opponents have hit just 45.7% at the rim with Turner nearby, one of the five lowest marks in the league among rotation players, per NBA.com.
Solo Myles is happening: The Pacers have outscored opponents by a monstrous 18.5 points per 100 possessions in 215 minutes Turner has played without Sabonis. Those minutes were a weak spot last season.
8. Does Saddiq Bey have a mean streak?
Bey, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is shooting 41% from deep on 8.2 attempts per 36 minutes -- a great early sign.
Whatever Bey becomes, the rest of his game will flow from that one skill. The Detroit Pistons will try to diversify it -- with Bey jacking more catch-and-shoots out of movement, and daring more off the dribble. (Bey is 4-of-17 on pull-up 3s.)
Beyond that, you are really hoping only for glimpses of skills that might grow into useful tools someday. Detroit has given Bey some freedom to work on the block against smaller players, and the very early results have been encouraging:
Dwane Casey is calling some scripted sets -- with Delon Wright screening for Bey in the corners -- that produce mismatches for Bey.
Some of those sets have ended with no-hope fadeaways -- a reminder of how much work remains:
The idea is not that Bey will become a high-volume post player. It is that in some theoretical future playoff matchup, he can manufacture a few points against switches when nothing else is working -- points that might swing one quarter, which could swing one game, which could swing one series.
The Pistons and Troy Weaver, their GM, have to be happy with what they have seen from two of their three 2020 first-round picks -- Bey and the relentless Isaiah Stewart. Both look like solid rotation players.
9. A cool zone counter
The Dallas Mavericks under Rick Carlisle have been zone defense innovators for a decade-plus, so it's no surprise they bust out one of the coolest counters to standard 2-3s:
(Kindly ignore the airball.)
Most offenses screen the top of zones toward the outside. The Mavs play against expectations by having Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke criss-cross -- and screen inside, leaving a gaping hole for Luka Doncic down the gut. It works. More important, it looks cool. (More coaches should design plays just because they look cool. Everyone loved the Golden State Warriors' "elevator doors" action during the Mark Jackson era, even when the play didn't work.)
You can get away with this only once or twice per game. Other teams have used it. Opponents have it scouted. Later in this game, Phoenix backup Frank Kaminsky called it out -- signaling an X with his arms -- as the Mavs brought the ball up. But when teams gear up for those inside screens, Dallas will sometimes fake that -- and then screen toward the outside, catching the defense off-guard. Deception atop deception.
10. DeMar DeRozan: Committed to the bit
I am not sure how many humans are as devoted to some flourish of their craft as DeRozan is to high-fiving teammates between free throws.
DeRozan turned high-fiving invisible teammates on technical free throws into art.
If you do the bit, do it all the way.
In Atlanta last week, DeRozan showed he expects the same ritualistic fealty from teammates. Dissatisfied with their first low-five attempt, DeRozan chased Dejounte Murray toward midcourt and pawed at Murray's wrist until they got it right:
Check out Gregg Popovich on the bench. He claps with some sternness as DeRozan hunts Murray. Is he disappointed with Murray's lack of enthusiasm? Does he want DeRozan to just get on with it? What do you think would happen if I hopped into a Popovich media availability on Zoom to ask this question?