Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for the tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
There is no reason to pit Tyler Herro and Tyrese Maxey against one another right now, or frankly, ever in the future.
Both players, who attended the same college at Kentucky, are two of the more exciting young guards in the league. Both have made sacrifices for their team to step up and play in the second unit to give their team a better chance to succeed in the playoffs. The two of them have no business in a rivalry.
Except, earlier this, Dan Le Batard said that he believed Herro is better than Maxey. The sportscaster said he believes Herro is the best player Portland is able to get in a trade for Lillard.
He added, however, that Herro gets “disregarded” because he is white. The reality, however, is that skin color has nothing to do with Herro’s value.
Le Batard brought up Herro’s scoring averages but basketball is a more holistic game than that. There are a lot of other factors worth measuring, too.
Although advanced analytics are flawed, two of the most trusted “all-in-one” metrics both suggest Maxey has Herro beat by an obvious amount.
DARKO’s DPM and DunksAndThrees.com’s EPM both suggest that Maxey is, far and away, a superior player to Herro.
Now all of this doesn’t even consider the fact that Maxey has a much better track record of success in the postseason than Herro has ever shown.
But even if Herro were better than Maxey, it wouldn’t matter.
The reality, as noted by the outstanding Trail Blazers reporter Sean Highkin, is that Portland has no need for another ball-dominant guard. They are already loaded in the backcourt with Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons and even Shaedon Sharpe.
If the Trail Blazers end up making a trade for Lillard, they would likely want wings or frontcourt players and not another backcourt ball handler. That role is going to Scoot Henderson, folks.
Should they go for a guard, though, it likely isn’t going to be one who is owed $30 million average annual value until 2027. They would likely much prefer the player who is still on a cost-controlled rookie scale contract so they can negotiate his extension on their own terms.
Just don’t blame Herro or Maxey for why this trade is taking forever. This is simply a silly offseason debate meant to make your blood boil … and nothing more.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Mavericks center Marcus Bingham Jr. hilariously (and correctly!) dunked on the wrong basket in NBA Summer League. Mike Sykes explained why:
“We remember the fiasco with the Golden State Warriors this season that ended up in Mark Cuban actually protesting a loss because of a free basket the Warriors got behind an officiating mistake.
Now, the Mavs are finally on the right end of one of those mistakes. Summer Leaguer Marcus Bingham Jr. was the only person who realized it, though.
After a dead ball, the Mavericks were awarded the ball by the officials and just continued to play regularly. That is, until Marcus Bingham Jr. did the unthinkable.
He took the ball the other way and dunked it. It was HILARIOUS.”
You have to see this one to believe it.
Shootaround
— Sabrina Ionescu dominated the WNBA 3-point contest with a nearly perfect, record-setting final round
— 5 undrafted rookies on two-way deals who looked like steals during NBA Summer League
— Watch Steph Curry drain an unbelievable putt at American Century Championship while walking away
— HoopsHype trade rumors: Damian Lillard, Tyler Herro, Pascal Siakam, Knicks, Suns, Pacers, Nets, Mavericks, Hornets