*Full Disclosure: This was written before Boogie Cousins and John Wall got injured thereby making Paul George and Andre Drummond no longer snubs. Well such is the case of writing about sports.*
Hey there! I am an avid NBA fan and will be posting my musings on this website every Friday-ish(Other than last Friday. I had a toothache. It hurt real bad). If you enjoy what you read then tell everyone, if you don't then I ask you kindly to shut it.
Its that time of year again, where the NBA All-Stars are chosen and we get to hear about who 'deserved' to be one ad nauseum for a good month. Funnily enough despite all the outrage regarding specific persons who are not in the most meaningless sporting event of the year, media members never seem to point out the people who should not have made the team. Huh. I wonder why. ( I know why. Cause they are gutless cowards with no integrity, my kind of people). That being stated I have decided to join them in this endeavor and look at some dudes who have played well this season but just not quite well enough.
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
6-9 Small Forward, 27 Years Old (Born 1990)
All stats are from current 2017-2018 season, via basketball reference, except for net rating
Normal Person Stats:
21pts/5reb/3ast
43% overall from the field
42% from three
81% from the line
Lame Nerd Stats:
18.1 P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating)
56.8% TS (True Shooting)
25.2% USG (Usage Rate)
4.9 WS (Win Shares)
-2.9 Net Rating (via cleaning the glass)
Those of you who follow the NBA in at least a cursory fashion should be familiar with Paul George's work. He has been an elite two way wing for years now, a balanced player with few, if any, real flaws in his game. Generally considered a top fifteen or twenty player in the league. However sharing the floor with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony has turned him into a jump shooter, with a large portion of his shots coming from mid-range and looks at the rim being scarce. You watch the games and he doesn't look as dominant or influential on offense as he has in past seasons. Keep in mind that this is a guy who started on the Olympic team just under two years ago.
So why is he a snub then? This is why...
Also this...
Paul George is currently leading the NBA in steals. He seems to get a steal and run out for a layup at least once a game. In a season where the premiere defensive players are not having their typical impact on that end ( Kawhi and Gobert injured, Draymond having a bit of a down year), Paul George has been one of the best defensive players in the NBA, and in my opinion is slated for an all-defense nod at the end of the season. He has these inspector gadget arms and just feasts on those terrible passes to the perimeter that players make once they realized their drive is going nowhere. (see above)
You know when you are playing miniature golf and having fun, then you get to the damn windmill hole? The hole where you have to time hitting your golf ball so it doesn't get ricocheted back at your feet by the windmill rotating right in front of the hole, simultaneously taunting you and serving as an allegory for the human experience? So you try differentiating your timing or stroke but you still end up right back where you started? Then your date will say something like " We can just skip this hole it's no big deal", or "There are people waiting", not realizing that if you do skip the hole then that means the windmill has won...
Paul George is that windmill.
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
6-11 Center, 24 Years Old (Born 1993)
All stats are from current 2017-2018 season, via basketball reference, except for net rating
Normal Person Stats:
15pts/15reb/4ast
55% overall from the field
63% from the line
Lame Nerd Stats:
23.9 P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating)
57.5% TS (True Shooting)
20.9% USG (Usage Rate)
6.9 WS (Win Shares)
+1.2 Net Rating (via cleaning the glass)
If you ever find yourself wondering, "What would a bear wearing an NBA jersey look like?" , Andre Drummond is the answer. The dude is a beast. League leader in rebounding, weighs two hundred and seventy-nine pounds, and every time he runs he shakes my entire living room. The big man is a low(ish) usage, quality player who has made notable improvements in his game from last season. So why isn't he an all star? In short, inconsistent rim protection.
Similarly to DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond has never really figured out how to effectively wall off the rim using his size. Good rim protectors (like Rudy Gobert, Draymond Green, and Joel Embiid) understand how the point is not to block a shot but to make all attempts around the rim as difficult as possible for opposing teams. Unfortunately this is an area Andre Drummond has not been able to improve in, making him only an above average defender at best when he could be more.
However Andre is rather effective at corralling ball handlers on defense, using his fast hands to get deflections and steals. Case in point:
That is Andre Drummond getting a deflection, which leads to a good fastbreak opportunity (where Avery Bradley missed a wide open three. What a Dingus.). Drummond will catch ball-handlers by surprise with his active hands, as most guards are accustomed to centers being very conservative in their defensive principles. And honestly, they just don't expect such a large dude to be that quick. If you watch the clip closely you see that he gets the deflection with a lightning quick jab, closing the space between him and the offensive player with a speed that Alec Burks( the ballhandler) clearly was not expecting. The irony with Drummond is that with his size one would think he would struggle on the perimeter and excel at walling off the rim, when the opposite is true. Unfortunately for big Andre, rim protection is simply more important than some switching ability at center.
Prior to this season the most assists Drummond had ever averaged was one. He is now averaging just shy of four. Detroit's coach, Stan Van Gundy, completely remodeled the Piston's offense this past season, putting the ball in Andre's massive hands and running dribble hand offs as well as cuts off ball. Like this:
That is a dribble hand off set with an option for a backdoor if Avery Bradley's defender over commits, which he did, so Bradley cut right to the basket for layup, and Drummond hit him with a nice assist. Drummond will get a few of these every game, and these kind of sets are the basis of their offense when he is in the game.
It is always interesting to me when stuff like this happens out of nowhere after an offseason. To reiterate, Andre Drummond averaged either one or under one assist his previous five seasons in the NBA, but now he is one the highest assisting centers in the league. Did he get bitten by some radioactive spider known for it's unselfishness? Did Stan Van Gundy awaken in a sweat last July and jot down "centers...can...pass" , a note which would be the foundation for the reinvention of the Pistons' entire offense? Or was it that their pick and roll offense was so dismal last year that Van Gundy was willing to try anything else? Yeah. Its that last one.
Anyway Andre "Literally Averages One Assist in his Career" Drummond is one of the best passing giants in the NBA right now. The world we live in.
Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers
(My usual google of *players' name*+"funny" did not turn up any good stuff while Lou was wearing a Clippers jersey, so instead I opted for a photo of this creepy bobble-head from when he was on the 76ers a couple years back)
6-1 Combo Guard, 31 Years Old (Born 1986)
All stats are from current 2017-2018 season, via basketball reference, except for net rating
Normal Person Stats:
24pts/3reb/5ast
45% overall from the field
40% from three
90% from the line
Lame Nerd Stats:
23.0 P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating)
60.9 TS (True Shooting)
30% USG (Usage Rate)
5.6 WS (Win Shares)
+4.7 Net Rating (via cleaning the glass)
Lou Williams has been killing it this season(on offense). The man came off the bench for the first month of the season, yet managed to put up this incredible statline. Moreover his efficiency for a player with his usage rate is remarkable, a feat he has accomplished by making every shot from every place. Examples you ask?
That's a pull up off the dribble from thirty feet. One of my greater accomplishments in life was in a pickup game where I pulled up from thirty and against all odds was able to not airball. It was amazing. Everyone started cheering and we celebrated for a fortnight in recognition of the incredible feat.
You ever find yourself watching a sporting event and in between drinking your beer and putting a handful of cheetos in your mouth you think to yourself "How am I the same species as them?". No? Yeah...me neither. *Ponders personal insignificance*
But I digress, in addition to being an absolutely lights out shooter this season, Lou has been getting into the lane and finishing at a nice rate at the rim for his size. He has great coordination with either hand and throws defenders off with nice changes of speed along with acrobatic finishes. Such as:
Impressive, yes? In addition to the finishing and crazy shot making, these two clips show how complete his handle is. Multiple change of direction moves utilized seamlessly one after the other. He makes decisions quickly, and plays with a certain aesthetic grace that is enthralling. He makes quick passes out of double teams, and despite having a massive usage rate doesn't seem to force many bad shots. Absolutely fantastic offensive player.
On defense? He isn't good. Can't guard outside his position, struggles to get over screens, can't really disrupt ball handlers. His defense is what really hampered his All-Star chances, he is definitely a below average defender in the league.
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
6-6 Shooting Guard, 21 Years Old (Born 1996)
All stats are from current 2017-2018 season, via basketball reference, except for net rating
Normal Person Stats:
25pts/5reb/5ast
43% overall from the field
38% from three
89% from the line
Lame Nerd Stats:
18.9 P.E.R. (Player Efficiency Rating)
56.9 TS (True Shooting)
31% USG (Usage Rate)
2.4 WS (Win Shares)
-2.6 Net Rating (via cleaning the glass)
The incredibly young and talented Devin Booker! Putting up some nice numbers on a young Phoenix Suns team. Massive usage rate, average efficiency, and seeing as how the Suns' overall net rating is negative seven, a negative two and a half is pretty damn good. Shown improvement this year in creating for teammates, as evidenced by an uptick in assists. Shoots a nice portion of his shots from three...likes eating Burgers...has a nice haircut...um...
Ok, I am going to be real with you. I have watched exactly one Phoenix Suns game this year. I'm sorry. Actually I am not sorry. They are absolutely terrible. The Kings and them are historically awful and are actually lucky to have won as many games as they have. When a team is as terrible as the Suns are it is hard to judge how good a player like Devin Booker is because of the abysmal situation. But his numbers are fine so he's in the All-Star conversation. I guess.
My Imaginary All-Star Ballot
Listed in order of most deserving(following the position rules)
West Starters:
Guard James Harden
Guard Jimmy Butler
Forward Anthony Davis
Forward Kevin Durant
Center LaMarcus Aldridge
West Reserves:
Guard Stephen Curry
Guard Russell Westbrook
Frontcourt Paul George
Frontcourt Demarcus Cousins
Frontcourt Karl-Anthony Towns
Wild Card Damian Lillard
Wild Card Klay Thompson
East Starters:
Guard DeMar Derozan
Guard Victor Oladipo
Forward Lebron James
Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center Joel Embiid
West Reserves:
Guard Kyrie Irving
Guard Kyle Lowry
Frontcourt Al Horford
Frontcourt Kristaps Porzingis
Frontcourt Andre Drummond
Wild Card Kemba Walker*
Wild Card Bradley Beal
*Kemba Walker would have been in this piece if I hadn't written about him a couple weeks ago here. Possibly Nikola Jokic as well whom I wrote about here.
Well that's all folks, see you next week!
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