Wembanyama vs. Holmgren previews NBAs future + are the Warriors, Pelicans OK?

Publish date: 2024-06-06

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You’re absolutely unprepared for the yellow Lakers court hitting your televisions tonight.

The Future Is Here

Wemby v. Chet

Step right up to the In-Season Tournament! Tonight, the NBA’s tallest, lankiest rookie matchup ever happens when Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren square off in a real game. Yes, the Spurs are bad and the Thunder are good. But we’re here to see two alien-esque lifeforms play basketball for our hearts and admiration.

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Here’s how they compare in their budding rivalry.

Tale of the Tape 

History: These two squared off twice prior to tonight’s meeting. At the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, Team USA beat France 83-81 in Latvia. Wemby fouled out with 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks. Chet had 10 points and five rebounds but won tournament MVP.

Last month, they had a preseason matchup. Wemby powered through Chet for a bucket and flexed. The latter complained on Twitter about a headbutt.

Look at the length: Here are some release points on their respective fadeaway jumpers. Please excuse Chet’s shot clearly being filmed on the same camera used for scouting Darko Miličić in 2003.

Bam is an all-world defender and couldn’t offer a decent contest on this Wemby jumper. Jokić’s hand barely reached wrist level on Chet’s shot.

What should we expect? Pretend you’re watching basketball in a funhouse mirror. Avoid social media for this one — just go enjoy it and leave out the hot takes. There will be plenty of time for that later. Tune into TNT at 7:30 p.m. ET to watch the future unfold.

All Hart

Maybe Josh is joining And1?

Last night, the Knicks took on the Celtics but ultimately just couldn’t keep up. New York ended up losing 114-98 to Boston, but this Josh Hart play will live all over highlight reels this season.

Josh Hart 😏😏😏 pic.twitter.com/YO9hFVLoNC

— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) November 14, 2023

This actually cut the Celtics’ lead to six with 8:45 remaining, so it could have been a big bucket for the Knicks. But alas, it was simply really cool.

Warriors Struggles

Curry currently has no help

I’m not often stopped in my tracks by a statistic, but I was dumbfounded by this note from Anthony Slater’s latest on Golden State:

“Among the most shocking Warriors stats a few weeks into the season: Nobody on the team besides Stephen Curry has scored more than 20 points in a game. Šarić reached exactly 20 in Oklahoma City. Thompson’s season high is 19. Andrew Wiggins’ is 17. Chris Paul’s is 17.”

Far be it for me to fact-check a stat that has already gone to print, but that’s exactly what I did, going through every Warriors box score just to be sure. Turns out it’s absolutely true! How is that possible?

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Steph has been ridiculous. Check out these two seasons:

Season B is this season (11-game sample size). Season A is his unanimous MVP 2015-16 run. Neither season’s production is far off from the other, based on some raw data given out of context. Let’s be honest, though: It’s the best kind of data.

Wiggins, Thompson and Paul are shooting a combined 40.5 percent overall and 26 percent from deep. Wiggins (only 10.5 points per game) and CP3 (8.2) are posting career-low scoring averages. Thompson’s (16.1) hasn’t been this low since his rookie season (12.5).

Despite all this, the Warriors are somehow top 10 in offensive rating. I still believe this team’s peak is that of a title contender, but Steph is currently playing the role of Sisyphus, pushing all of these bricks from his teammates up the Rocky Mountains, where the Nuggets reside.

What’s Up With Zion?

Are the Pelicans keeping him down?

Things are all bad with the Pelicans right now. They’ve lost five straight games and are getting destroyed most nights. Yet, that’s not the most concerning thing. That would be Zion Williamson’s comment after their 136-124 loss to the Mavs on Sunday.

Via Will Guillory:

“Last year, we had a team meeting, and we brought up some things I can do better, especially with buying into the program. Right now, it’s tough. I’m taking a little bit of a backseat right now. I’m trusting the process. I’m trying my best to buy in right now.”

What does that mean? Let’s examine his last two seasons:

Beyond usage, his numbers are quite comparable. Though Zion has regressed some this season, he’s also seemed to be holding back a bit. Maybe that’s where the disconnect is with his comments. He also doesn’t seem as explosive and quick as we’re used to seeing.

The biggest difference, though? Zion’s efficiency in the restricted area is its lowest since his rookie season. Is this about how he’s being used? Maybe. Could it be that lack of explosion/quickness I think I’m seeing? Possibly. The biggest change in Zion’s shot profile has been him isolating more, except he’s been worse at that as well.

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Maybe the Pelicans should just tell him to go be himself and fill in everything around their attack.

Bounce Passes

It’s not too early for Mock Draft SZN! Sam Vecenie has a surprise No. 1.

John Hollinger is wondering if the Clippers actually need James Harden.

The Bucks’ Jae Crowder will miss eight weeks after surgery.

Toronto closed out Washington with a 22-1 run. Why did they need that to win by four?

Screen Game (All times Eastern)

(Top photo: Logan Riely / Getty Images)

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