There’s a notable starting lineup change for the Warriors tonight vs Lakers, I’m told. Draymond Green is back in at center next to a Kuminga/Wiggins wing combo. Profiles as their best two-way unit.
If Wiggs returns to anything resembling his 2022 playoff run, this team has a real chance.
Barring that, I'm just glad to see signs of life. I know they aren't going to win every game, so I don't expect that. But I hate those games where it looks like they're just laying down. The end of the Kings game was frustrating, but they were in it.
This. They were both gonna lose minutes with dray’s return. With JK’s rise, they’re losing more. But I really hope Kerr didn’t play them together on the bench unit.
Just started listening, but he starts with the hilarious lol - I’m just not used to having the ball in my hands so much and everyone trusting me so much.
Excellent. As I discussed in my video, JK and Steph don’t look like they’ve had that much time to figure out how to play with each other… I think there is a lot of untapped potential.
I don't think so. Two years ago, JK was not the player he is today. And today, Steph is not quite the player he was two years ago. They need more time together on the court /now/ to see what is possible. And I'm optimistic enough to co-sign Eric's assessment. Hope springs eternal!
JK’s development as a player is exciting to watch. As good as he is becoming, Curry’s gravity has really been beneficial to JK. Having one or more defenders always stuck on Curry leaves JK with more opportunity for open looks. Curry’s production and/or efficiency may have dropped this season but it must be exhausting running around and setting screens for your teammates. I mean, do you see any superstar player doing that?
Yes, running actions is a good thing for a team. But Kuminga isn’t nuts to think just give me the ball. It’s not that he emulates Kobe and that’s his error. It’s actually the case that it’s almost impossible to defend him one on one. Maybe Giannis or Kawhi could do it. Everyone else is in trouble. Name one dude on Sacto who stood a chance, including Sabonehead. If you’re small Kuminga is too big. If you’re slow he’s too fast. If you have stopped one of his moves, he has many more.
Of course he doesn’t always perform perfectly but he jsut has built in advantages and skills and at a certain point it’s silly to pretend he doesn’t.
> Name one dude on Sacto who stood a chance, including Sabonehead
I mean, Saboner is about the least threatening big man JK is gonna run into on the block. I actually took mild issue with Eric’s characterization of that one turnaround as “unblockable” … it might have been unblockable for Sabonis, with his short, normal-guy arms and lack of hops, but I think guys like Wemby, Chet and Gobert could have swatted it pretty easily, unless completely faked out of their shoes.
Generally, tho: I’m PRO Kuminga from the middy — so long as it’s more of a Kawhi-like easy turnaround from 8-12 after getting deep position than a Kobe-like tough fadeaway from 18 that looks cool when it goes in but is actually the biggest reason he had a shitty .541 career TS in the playoffs.
Agree, but I think we're still in the stages where the coaches expect the ball to go to Curry. The coaches and players need to have a conversation where they give JK the green light to attack in that situation.
Do you use Adobe Premiere Pro? That's what I use. I started out on Final Cut about 12 years ago but when the upgraded and destroyed my learning curve I switched.
LeBron is starting the ASG, Steph might not even go, or off the bench at best. Does LBJ really want to be exposed by the Petty King on national TV right after the selection? I think he skips out.
He doesn't seem like he has the temperament for it, but I wish Wiggs would just explode tonight for his revenge on James. He doesn't need to go through him -- LBJ has a big weight and strength advantage -- but he could surely out-quick him. Keep beating him to the hoop. Dunk on his head. Make him look like the old man that he is.
I'm not in love with Kuminga's fadeaway. It seems like he's making that his go-to shot.
He's making it at a high rate, so it's probably stupid to be kvetching about it, but I think minimizes his greatest asset (his physicality).
I want to see him go AT people, for two reasons: 1. if the fadeaway becomes his bread and butter shot, he becomes easier to defend. I can see teams single covering him, living with that shot, and hoping it doesn't fall.
2. He's in better position to rebound the ball if he's not eight feet away falling away from the hoop.
Yes, he will miss some shots if he's trying to go through people.
But, like the way Klay's shots still keep the defense honest even when they're not falling, Kuminga going aggressively at the rim is going to pin a second defender down there to help. That will open up some options to pass to a shooter.
To kind of echo Bayes, without a fadeaway, moves like the nasty "spin → pump fake the fadeaway → step through" layup he made on Jalen Johnson aren't there. He needs that shot to be threatening enough that defenses can't just give it to him. And since most half court offenses are ~1ppp, being able to hit >50% on them is a worthy threat.
I think its necessary to have a really solid fadeaway, because it allows him to mix it up on opponents. They don’t know whether he’s going to be pushing through or jumping away so they can’t anticipate and defend/block the shot as well. His shots are still like 70% drives and dunks, he’s not going full iso Kobe or Carmello (yet). Definitely all about having the right balance though.
Are you suggesting he's gone from the "it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean" strategy, to the "We're gonna need a bigger boat" strategy?
Yeah, he had some learning to do. Still, a good coach getting such a high-skill lottery pick would have seen JK had the potential to contribute right away, and would probably have devised ONE or TWO plays for Kuminga (and 1 or 2 for Wiseman and 1 or 2 for Moody) in their rookie year. Not only would that have proven of value in some games when the team throws a new wrinkle at the opponent (like a football coach subbing out the starting QB for one play that throws the defense for a loop)m but also to start building a relationship based on the player's belief that you believe in them, instead of trying to build a relationship (like Dray seems to) based on "I've won rings and few have so you should listen to what I say and do exactly that and nothing different or you will accumulate DNPs faster than the national debt."
He was absolutely not a high-skill lottery pick. He was a very athletic, very raw athlete who could barely dribble three times before he had to pick the ball up. Didn't know where to be, didn't pick up the plays quickly, etc. etc.
I think he's still going to be an amazing player, and I'm incredibly happy we have him, but that's rewriting history. Coming out of Ignite, he was a project, everyone knew he was a project, and Moody was much more NBA-ready than he was.
Let's say I agree with you. How does that change a single thing I said? In my job you have the equivalent situation, new people coming in. Part of my job is to get value out of them and get development of them. That happens a LOT faster if I make a small space where the design is for THEM to shine. The same applies here. There are 82 games in a season. Each game has 48 minutes, minimum. Each minute has 60 seconds, and the maximum length of a possession is 24 seconds. So, MINIMUM, there are 120 possessions a game. That's, MINUMUM, 9,840 possessions a year. Cut that in half, and the Dubs have a minimum of 4,920 possessions a year.
Is it your contention that designing ONE play that centers Kuminga, to run ONE of those 4,920 possessions, was impossible given his skill set? Would have somehow tanked the season?
I'm not buying it. Kerr could have innovated with JK (and Wiseman and Moody) a LOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG time ago. He choose not to do so. And THAT's why JK's agent had to step in.
"The last two games, Kuminga and Wiggins are plus-22 in 28 minutes together. Since Green has returned, the quartet of Kuminga, Wiggins, Green and Curry are plus-30 in 32 minutes together."
It could also be because JK has been very positive - as a single player he was +16 in the last game while all the starters including Wiggs were a negative
It could also be because Dray has been very positive - as a single player he was +14 in the last game while all the starters including Wiggs were a negative
Q: in a text forum like this, the pronunciation of common abbreviations like “Podz” may not be that important, but are we going with Eric’s choice of “Podge”? I always think of it as “Pods” — but I get why “Podge” is a more faithful shortening of “Pajemskee”…
To my ear “podge” sounds a lot like “pudge” and that feels wrong, even in an ironic way. Podz is so not pudge-like. He’s all not pudge. So I go with Podz pronounced “pods”.
When I write Podz, in my head I hear “pods.” Is there a difference in English between “pods” and “podz”? But when I say his full name I pronounce it as you noted (puh-JEM-skee).
I’m excited for this lakers game. JK has got to prove he can keep scoring against AD and LBJ. Prove that the old guys can’t keep up with you, JK!
Love for him to go at LeBron and dunk -- hard.
I will acknowledge that LBJ is pretty amazing in his old age.
Betting line has moved to Dubs by 2.5… is that from the “Kerr starting best players instead of other guys” or is LeBron out?
Nvm, line back at 1.5
Slater on threads:
There’s a notable starting lineup change for the Warriors tonight vs Lakers, I’m told. Draymond Green is back in at center next to a Kuminga/Wiggins wing combo. Profiles as their best two-way unit.
Steph Curry
Klay Thompson
Andrew Wiggins
Jonathan Kuminga
Draymond Green
https://www.threads.net/@anthony_slater/post/C2n8clIPRNg
Lfg!!!
Did Slater really post Lfg? JK
Really though, is that the best two way lineup available, or is it still theoretically the best if Wiggins improves?
If Wiggs returns to anything resembling his 2022 playoff run, this team has a real chance.
Barring that, I'm just glad to see signs of life. I know they aren't going to win every game, so I don't expect that. But I hate those games where it looks like they're just laying down. The end of the Kings game was frustrating, but they were in it.
Lets hope this begins a serious turnaround point for the season
“Sleepy Kerr” (as the Light Years kids call him) is reading DNHQ, it seems.
Let’s goooooooooo!!!!
No more Saric-Looney combo, yes! I was afraid Kerr would use that combo again, which would allow DLo and Reaves to go off.
I think it just means the saric-looney combo comes off the bench
I don’t think they can really play together… can’t cover each other’s weakness in straight rim protection. Both need Dray beside them.
Dray's gotta rest sometime but TJD can play with Saric.
This. They were both gonna lose minutes with dray’s return. With JK’s rise, they’re losing more. But I really hope Kerr didn’t play them together on the bench unit.
Sea Dubs at 5..
Is this the game thread?
Game thread scheduled for 5pm
Running a blog takes a lot more planning than I have previously imagined...
Chris Haynes 1-on-1 18 min interview with JK.
https://youtu.be/LowmiCas_E8?si=LzZJUktIyjdN82bK
Just started listening, but he starts with the hilarious lol - I’m just not used to having the ball in my hands so much and everyone trusting me so much.
Second point talks about how he’s now learning to play with Steph/Klay/Dray/Wiggs [instead of second group], and that a long of him.
That’s great news for those of us salivating for that lineup
Excellent. As I discussed in my video, JK and Steph don’t look like they’ve had that much time to figure out how to play with each other… I think there is a lot of untapped potential.
They’ve had 3 years 😑
I don't think so. Two years ago, JK was not the player he is today. And today, Steph is not quite the player he was two years ago. They need more time together on the court /now/ to see what is possible. And I'm optimistic enough to co-sign Eric's assessment. Hope springs eternal!
Not really. JK usually used to practice with the second team
DFLATT Collectibles
@dflattcollects
Joel Embiid (Good Team) out tonight vs. Nuggets
5:39 PM · Jan 27, 2024
https://twitter.com/dflattcollects/status/1751374519791399135
JK’s development as a player is exciting to watch. As good as he is becoming, Curry’s gravity has really been beneficial to JK. Having one or more defenders always stuck on Curry leaves JK with more opportunity for open looks. Curry’s production and/or efficiency may have dropped this season but it must be exhausting running around and setting screens for your teammates. I mean, do you see any superstar player doing that?
Yes, running actions is a good thing for a team. But Kuminga isn’t nuts to think just give me the ball. It’s not that he emulates Kobe and that’s his error. It’s actually the case that it’s almost impossible to defend him one on one. Maybe Giannis or Kawhi could do it. Everyone else is in trouble. Name one dude on Sacto who stood a chance, including Sabonehead. If you’re small Kuminga is too big. If you’re slow he’s too fast. If you have stopped one of his moves, he has many more.
Of course he doesn’t always perform perfectly but he jsut has built in advantages and skills and at a certain point it’s silly to pretend he doesn’t.
> Name one dude on Sacto who stood a chance, including Sabonehead
I mean, Saboner is about the least threatening big man JK is gonna run into on the block. I actually took mild issue with Eric’s characterization of that one turnaround as “unblockable” … it might have been unblockable for Sabonis, with his short, normal-guy arms and lack of hops, but I think guys like Wemby, Chet and Gobert could have swatted it pretty easily, unless completely faked out of their shoes.
Generally, tho: I’m PRO Kuminga from the middy — so long as it’s more of a Kawhi-like easy turnaround from 8-12 after getting deep position than a Kobe-like tough fadeaway from 18 that looks cool when it goes in but is actually the biggest reason he had a shitty .541 career TS in the playoffs.
^ this
Yeah, that midrange he has is really nice. With his pogo-stick jump, he gets way above most contests and gets a great look, even in the key.
I really wish he had faked that pass to Steph at the end last game… the Kings were 100% expecting a Steph initiated play.
Agree, but I think we're still in the stages where the coaches expect the ball to go to Curry. The coaches and players need to have a conversation where they give JK the green light to attack in that situation.
Alc is 100% on point here: https://youtu.be/Gqj6wTLub6o?si=28qfPXdooYLN_4Vy
Kerr cannot start Dario and Looney.
@EA Was that a purposeful video cut at 3:06 in the YT vid? We don’t get to see JK smoking bbq Kevin.
No, I’m having some tech difficulties with the new version of my editor, grrrrr
Do you use Adobe Premiere Pro? That's what I use. I started out on Final Cut about 12 years ago but when the upgraded and destroyed my learning curve I switched.
Didn’t want to Huertem
Please Hammer, Don't...
Anybody hearing if LeBron/AD will/wont play? I’m assuming they will, but you never know
Lebron never misses the chance to play against Steph to show the world he’s better.
LeBron is starting the ASG, Steph might not even go, or off the bench at best. Does LBJ really want to be exposed by the Petty King on national TV right after the selection? I think he skips out.
zero chance Steph isn't an All Star
Is this the first time Wiggins has played with LeBron, since LeBron rammed him in the sternum?
He doesn't seem like he has the temperament for it, but I wish Wiggs would just explode tonight for his revenge on James. He doesn't need to go through him -- LBJ has a big weight and strength advantage -- but he could surely out-quick him. Keep beating him to the hoop. Dunk on his head. Make him look like the old man that he is.
It’s the first Dubs/Lakers game this season… so yeah
I thought we opened the season against the flakers
Those were pre-season games
That was last season. First game of this season was against PHX
At the risk of getting hammered:
I'm not in love with Kuminga's fadeaway. It seems like he's making that his go-to shot.
He's making it at a high rate, so it's probably stupid to be kvetching about it, but I think minimizes his greatest asset (his physicality).
I want to see him go AT people, for two reasons: 1. if the fadeaway becomes his bread and butter shot, he becomes easier to defend. I can see teams single covering him, living with that shot, and hoping it doesn't fall.
2. He's in better position to rebound the ball if he's not eight feet away falling away from the hoop.
Yes, he will miss some shots if he's trying to go through people.
But, like the way Klay's shots still keep the defense honest even when they're not falling, Kuminga going aggressively at the rim is going to pin a second defender down there to help. That will open up some options to pass to a shooter.
Yeah I hate fadeaways unless they are hit at very high percentage. The shooter doesn’t draw fouls and takes himself out of rebound position
I think his first option is to go at the person and the fadeaway is his second option
Exactly. "No one can Fog King stop you!"
To kind of echo Bayes, without a fadeaway, moves like the nasty "spin → pump fake the fadeaway → step through" layup he made on Jalen Johnson aren't there. He needs that shot to be threatening enough that defenses can't just give it to him. And since most half court offenses are ~1ppp, being able to hit >50% on them is a worthy threat.
I think its necessary to have a really solid fadeaway, because it allows him to mix it up on opponents. They don’t know whether he’s going to be pushing through or jumping away so they can’t anticipate and defend/block the shot as well. His shots are still like 70% drives and dunks, he’s not going full iso Kobe or Carmello (yet). Definitely all about having the right balance though.
Completely agree that he needs one, I just don't want the fadeaway to to be his first and favorite iso move.
I want chalk outlines under the rim. :)
And police crime scene tape.
Such innovation by Kerr.
Screen sharks are the latest addition to the ocean offense.
Screen Sharks are tricky, but Land Sharks are dangerous!
Are you suggesting he's gone from the "it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean" strategy, to the "We're gonna need a bigger boat" strategy?
> Such innovation by Kerr.
Only took 3 years.
My comment was in jest, but if you think Kuminga could have done this in year 1, refer down to Asher's post below.
He had some learning to do to exploit his teammates and play a team game. Not exactly unexpected, since he wanted to model his game after Kobe.
Yeah, he had some learning to do. Still, a good coach getting such a high-skill lottery pick would have seen JK had the potential to contribute right away, and would probably have devised ONE or TWO plays for Kuminga (and 1 or 2 for Wiseman and 1 or 2 for Moody) in their rookie year. Not only would that have proven of value in some games when the team throws a new wrinkle at the opponent (like a football coach subbing out the starting QB for one play that throws the defense for a loop)m but also to start building a relationship based on the player's belief that you believe in them, instead of trying to build a relationship (like Dray seems to) based on "I've won rings and few have so you should listen to what I say and do exactly that and nothing different or you will accumulate DNPs faster than the national debt."
He was absolutely not a high-skill lottery pick. He was a very athletic, very raw athlete who could barely dribble three times before he had to pick the ball up. Didn't know where to be, didn't pick up the plays quickly, etc. etc.
I think he's still going to be an amazing player, and I'm incredibly happy we have him, but that's rewriting history. Coming out of Ignite, he was a project, everyone knew he was a project, and Moody was much more NBA-ready than he was.
Let's say I agree with you. How does that change a single thing I said? In my job you have the equivalent situation, new people coming in. Part of my job is to get value out of them and get development of them. That happens a LOT faster if I make a small space where the design is for THEM to shine. The same applies here. There are 82 games in a season. Each game has 48 minutes, minimum. Each minute has 60 seconds, and the maximum length of a possession is 24 seconds. So, MINIMUM, there are 120 possessions a game. That's, MINUMUM, 9,840 possessions a year. Cut that in half, and the Dubs have a minimum of 4,920 possessions a year.
Is it your contention that designing ONE play that centers Kuminga, to run ONE of those 4,920 possessions, was impossible given his skill set? Would have somehow tanked the season?
I'm not buying it. Kerr could have innovated with JK (and Wiseman and Moody) a LOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG time ago. He choose not to do so. And THAT's why JK's agent had to step in.
"The last two games, Kuminga and Wiggins are plus-22 in 28 minutes together. Since Green has returned, the quartet of Kuminga, Wiggins, Green and Curry are plus-30 in 32 minutes together."
Small sample size but interesting nonetheless.
It could also be because JK has been very positive - as a single player he was +16 in the last game while all the starters including Wiggs were a negative
It could also be because Dray has been very positive - as a single player he was +14 in the last game while all the starters including Wiggs were a negative
yep, basically starters suck and the bench is great!
Does Klay not see this?!?!? He should be DEMANDING that Kerr stop putting him in the horrible starting lineup!
It could be because Kerr is doing his iguodala strategy of bringing his second and third best players off the bench.
Which might be overkill since the starting unit isn’t amazing right now.
Yeah... that starting unit has been a flabbergastingly low bar all year...
Q: in a text forum like this, the pronunciation of common abbreviations like “Podz” may not be that important, but are we going with Eric’s choice of “Podge”? I always think of it as “Pods” — but I get why “Podge” is a more faithful shortening of “Pajemskee”…
I have to stick with the admittedly dubious Podz with a "z" so I can keep up my bit about Podzilla's occasional rampages.
I’ve been doing Poj or podge and have trained myself away from pods or podz
I can avoid the controversy by calling him BP like the team does, but I haven’t developed the habit yet
Podz is not correct, but clear who you mean. Plus it seems to be the most common contraction. So, that's what I use.
Puj ("Pudge") sounds like that baseball player (was it Fisk)?
The baseball player that comes to my mind is Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez
Forgot about him. Fisk was also nicknamed Pudge, per Google.
I guess it was a catcher thing.
Oh cool! I didn't know that
I always pronounced his name as "Brandin"
I find it easier to just use his full name 😬
To my ear “podge” sounds a lot like “pudge” and that feels wrong, even in an ironic way. Podz is so not pudge-like. He’s all not pudge. So I go with Podz pronounced “pods”.
There’s definitely a hodge-podge of possibilities!
A hudg pudg
I was thinking it was more like poe-dz
Interesting. I guess if you think of the full version as “POH-jem-skee” that makes sense, too. I definitely think of it as “puh-JEM-skee”…
Yes that’s it but he’s still Podz to my nick-name brain.
So when you write Podz, do you think “Pods” or “Podge”? Or neither…?
When I write Podz, in my head I hear “pods.” Is there a difference in English between “pods” and “podz”? But when I say his full name I pronounce it as you noted (puh-JEM-skee).
> Is there a difference in English between “pods” and “podz”
No difference — without the context of how you say his full name. Which is why I found the choice of “Podge” interesting.