Category: Analysis

Marcus Smart, Defensive Player of the Year?

The Texas native has been putting together one of the league’s most impressive performances in any year, never mind this one.

Patrick Beverley did not take kindly to the suggestion that Marcus Smart’s defensive intensity matched his own after the Los Angeles Clippers’ 107-104 win Wednesday night, and for good reason.

It’s not even close to being on the same level.

Now, before we get the torches and pitchforks out in the Flower Mound native’s defense, don’t presume that it’s Beverley who’s in the superior position here. While the Arkansas product is indeed one of the league’s most tenacious defenders, what Smart is doing this season is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from him before, and if we’re being honest, most players.

https://twitter.com/AdamHimmelsbach/status/1197939727753609217?s=19

The 6-foot-3 guard has been playing well beyond his stature on that side of the court, regularly guarding much bigger players all the way up to near 7-footers with considerable — at times, even remarkable — success, as noted by The Sporting News’ Carlan Gay.

For example, 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably the hardest player in the league to guard, was limited to just five points while guarded by Smart. Despite being 6-foot-4, Smart forced three turnovers in their sole meeting this season. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic didn’t fare any better, logging just four points on 1-of-5 shooting when covered by the Oklahoma State product.

More recently, he held one of the league’s top offensive threats in Kawhi Leonard to just three points and 1-of-7 shooting in Boston’s most recent loss.

Kevin Love, who has given Smart trouble in key moments in the past, has even taken note of the improved efforts against big men the undersized guard has been having.

“Oh, [Smart is] tough. … What they lack in size, they make up in effort,” Love noted (courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Darren Hartwell). “[T]hey’ll put him on the top player on every team. He’ll guard LeBron [James], … Giannis [Antetokounmpo], … James Harden, … Steph Curry … He can guard anybody 1 through 5, and he’s a difference-maker for the team.”

The six-year veteran has been putting in work behind the scenes, too.

“I scouted plays for Kevin Love for a long time now, so I picked up on tendencies and I’m such a great defender that I believe in myself and I’m always going to go with myself a hundred percent of the time,” Smart said of his efforts to cover big men like Love (via MassLive’s John Karalis).

“It’s about pride at that point and you got to dig down. So I always call the double team off every chance I get and try to take care of it myself.”

His former teammates and peers are taking note, with some former Celtics even openly calling for him to get the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award just a month or so into the season, despite the fact the sole non-big man winner in recent years in none other than Kawhi.

Smart is holding his opponents to 28.8% from deep and just 33.1% overall when he guards them while helping his team to own the sixth-best defense in the league. The Celtics have a 99.2 defensive rating with him on the court, and just 103.7 without.

It is undoubtedly far too early in the season to crown the former Cowboy the presumptive DPOY so soon into the 2019-20 NBA season. But with more and more performances like those he’s been turning in against such formidable opponents (and most of them in wins, which never hurts), it’s looking like the award is his to lose.

Smart’s tendency to take himself out of the game as much or more than any opponent with the collateral damage such consistent herculean efforts does to his body remains an ongoing threat to the former sixth overall pick’s health and availability.

But Smart has shown growing maturity in more ways than the defensive intensity that evidently opponent Patrick Beverley was unhappy to hear of on the evening of Nov. 20 and may take his foot off the gas to preserve his bodily integrity when push comes to shove, unlike in past seasons.

Not that that will improve the mood of Mr. 94 Feet, as Beverley is sometimes known.

Can you blame him?

Week 12 preview and prediction: Seahawks at Eagles

Previewing and predicting the Week 12 outcome between the Seattle Seahawks and the Eagles in Philadelphia.

It is officially the home stretch for the Seattle Seahawks. With only six games remaining in the regular season, and the most difficult schedule in terms of strength of opponents, the Seahawks are going to be pushed to their limits. First up on the docket is a road trip to the City of Brotherly Love to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This will be Seattle’s first trip to Philadelphia since 2014 when the Seahawks suffocated the Eagles in a 24-14 victory that was never nearly as competitive as the final score might indicate. In fact, the Seahawks have not lost to the Eagles since a 26-7 defeat at home in November of 2008.

Philadelphia was a trendy pick to win the NFC by many during this offseason. After last season’s injury-riddled 9-7 campaign following their Super Bowl run in 2017, the Eagles looked to bounce back and return to championship-caliber form.

So far, this has not happened. Despite Philly’s talented roster, the Eagles have stumbled to a disappointing 5-5 record, going 2-2 in the last month. While they have earned impressive road wins over Green Bay and Buffalo, they’ve also been dominated by Dallas, Minnesota, and were completely stymied by New England.

The injury bug has bitten once more, specifically in the secondary and wide receiving corps, which roughly translates to the Eagles receivers struggling to get open, while opposing receivers do not find such difficulty against Philadelphia.

Furthermore, the Eagles could very well be without running back Jordan Howard and right tackle Lane Johnson. Although Philadelphia has a solid backup in former Washington State standout Andre Dillard, this could present an opportunity for a surging Seahawks pass rush, should defensive end Jadeveon Clowney play on Sunday.

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Seahawks addressing mounting ball security concerns

After logging five fumbles and an interception against the 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks need to re-focus on protecting the football.

The Seahawks were able to narrowly escape the 49ers in Week 10 despite major issues in protecting the football. Against San Francisco, Seattle fumbled five times – including three for losses – and quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception.

Well into the second half of the regular season, ball security remains a major point of emphasis for Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

“We continue to address it, do some ball security circuits and things like that,” Schottenheimer said Thursday. “The thing we talk about with our guys – the fundamentals, we’ll continue to drill that – there’s also a philosophy.”

Schottenheimer explained there is a fine line, however, between protecting the ball and playing to win. He used running back Chris Carson as a prime example.

“We don’t want them to lose their competitiveness – that’s the way Chris runs, he runs competitive – but they’ve got to understand that there’s nothing more important than the ball,” Schottenheimer said. “We talked a little bit about that this week, our guys get it. They’re aware that we need to do it better, they can do it better, and we expect that we’ll start that this week.”

But to keep a playoff berth a realistic goal, the Seahawks will need to do more than just “start that this week” – they’ll need to prove it won’t be a major issue going forward in the homestretch of the season.

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DFS NBA Value Plays: Rookie players to target for Nov. 22

With some rookies playing particularly well as of late, we have chosen a few players to target on Friday that won’t break your budget.

With a full slate of NBA games set to tip-off Friday night, building your daily fantasy roster can be a bit taxing with so many players to choose from but there are some attractive options available to target.

Of course, players like James Harden, Luka Doncic, LeBron James and others will be hot commodities but the key to building a successful roster is drafting some under-the-radar players that are relatively inexpensive.

Rookie Wire has identified some of those players.

With some rookies playing particularly well as of late, we have chosen a few first-year players to target on Friday night that won’t break your budget and can help you win in your respective tournament.

SF: De’Andre Hunter, Hawks – $4,900 DK | $5,100 FD

Fresh off of a career night, Hunter has really started to turn the corner recently. Hunter scored a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks to finish with a season-high 46.3 fantasy points. After a slow start to the season, Hunter has now scored in double figures in six straight games and could be headed toward a seventh straight double-digit game on Friday against the Detroit Pistons.

PG: Cam Reddish, Hawks – $4,200 DK | $4,300 FD

Like Hunter, Reddish is also coming off of a career game after scoring 17 points and three rebounds for 23.8 fantasy points. Also like Hunter, Reddish appears to be coming around for the Hawks. Reddish scored in double figures just once over his first 10 games, tallying 55 total points over that span, but has scored 51 over his last four games. With such a low price tag, Reddish could be a player to target on Friday but be sure to double-check his status ahead of the game as he is listed as questionable with a left wrist sprain.

G: Tyler Herro, Heat – $4,700 FD | $4,900 DK

Herro has played like one of the top rookies to this point in the season and still has tremendous value across most fantasy formats. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has used Herro extensively and, given his ability to knock down 3-pointers, the first-round pick should be a prime target in your lineup. He is coming off of his second-best scoring output of the season with 22 points on Wednesday and appears to be in a nice groove as of late. Given his lower price tag, Herro could be the rookie on the Heat to target with Kendrick Nunn costing users $5,700 in FanDuel and $6,200 in DraftKings on Friday.

Buyer Beware

SG: Coby White, Bulls – $4,900 DK | $5,100 FD

The Bulls rookie has the boom-or-bust potential that often leaves fantasy users scratching their heads. White has caught fire several times this season but he has also had some sub-par performances sprinkled in, as well. He faces the top team against giving up fantasy points in the Heat so he has a tough matchup ahead but if you’re feeling risky, White has the potential to have a 40-plus fantasy scoring night.

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PFF names Jordan Poyer Bills’ most underrated player

Pro Football Focus tabbed every NFL team’s most “underrated player this season. For the Bills, it was safety Jordan Poyer. 

Pro Football Focus tabbed every NFL team’s most “underrated player this season. For the Bills, it was safety Jordan Poyer.

Crediting his all-around game, Poyer earned that nod from the analytics out.

Here’s why PFF picked Poyer:

BUFFALO BILLS: S JORDAN POYER
Having earned a PFF grade of 77.7 that ranks 15th among all safeties entering Week 12, Jordan Poyer has been great in all phases for the Bills. In his 390 coverage snaps in 2019, Poyer has allowed just nine receptions, with the longest being 18 yards. Along with that, his run defense has been stout, as he currently ranks 10th in PFF run-defense grade (79.1), and he has also made plays in the pass-rush with six pressures on his 24 pass-rushing snaps. Poyer is missing tackles at an impressively low rate, too, with just four misses on 73 attempts. No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, and Poyer has been an instrumental piece in that.

Along with Micah Hyde, the Bills sport one of the best safety tandems in the NFL which helps rank the Bills defense as one of the best in football. While Buffalo is the third-best defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed per game, their run defense ranks No. 18. The secondary leads the way in Buffalo.

Nationally, Poyer could be overlooked thanks to Hyde and Tre’Davious White, but all-around, these three have been staples in the Bills’ secondary since the team tabbed Sean McDermott their head coach in 2017. Currently PFF tabbed White the 26th best cornerback in the NFL currently, while Hyde slips in as the 12th best safety.

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4 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 12 matchup vs. Giants

Can the Bears contain Saquon? Will Mitchell Trubisky continue his positive string of performances? Our Bears’ bold predictions vs. Giants.

The Chicago Bears (4-6) are coming off a deflating 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (6-4), a loss that essentially ended any playoff hopes in a stacked NFC.

The Bears will be looking to get back on track against the struggling New York Giants (2-8), who have lost six straight games.

While this is definitely a game that the Bears should win, that hasn’t been the case this season. Chicago will need to reduce the missed opportunities and self-inflicted mistakes that doomed them against the Rams if they’re going to beat the Giants.

Here are four bold predictions for the Bears’ Week 12 matchup:

1. Bears defense holds Saquon Barkley under 70 yards rushing

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Despite losing defensive tackle Akiem Hicks to injured reserve, the Bears run defense has remained solid this season. But they’ll face a familiar challenge this week when they go up against New York Giants running back Saturn Barkley.

Last season, Barkley rushed for 125 yards on a Bears defense that included Hicks. But it won’t be a cakewalk for Chicago’s defense, who nearly gave up 100 yards on the ground to Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley last week.

After starting the season with back-to-back 100-yard performances, Barkley hasn’t been able to surpass 72 yards since returning from an ankle injury. And the trend will continue as the Bears will hold him to under 70 yards on Sunday.

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Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush is finally coming together

The Seattle Seahawks’ pass rush efforts got off to a slow start this season but things are improving in the second half of the year.

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The Seattle Seahawks got off to a slow start this season as far as the pass rush is concerned despite the offseason additions of Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney.

Things changed dramatically against the 49ers in primetime, when Seattle was finally able to make an impact.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. isn’t worried about the Seahawks production going forward.

“You just know, any time you play this game for a while, at some point, it’s going to all come together,” Norton told reporters Wednesday. “The guys have been working really hard at it. Hard work pays off. The main thing you’ve got to do is just keep on hitting it. You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but all of the sudden, it comes in bunches and they really put it together. The guys, they played well.”

Clowney, in particular, had himself an impressive outing, logging five tackles, five hits on the quarterback, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown – earning him the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.

“He was disruptive,” Norton said. “You just want to see that on consistency. You don’t want to be one of those hash in the pan nights. You want to consistently effect the quarterback. Consistently make the guys around you better. Let’s bottle that up and do that every week.”

The Seahawks hit the road this weekend to face off against the Eagles and Carson Wentz – who Norton and the defense will be eyeing closely.

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Brad Wanamaker stepping up in Gordon Hayward’s absence and it shows

A season after being buried deep in the Boston Celtics rotation, Brad Wanamaker has a chance to help out in Gordon Hayward’s absence.

Lost in the shuffle of too many mouths to feed on last season’s Boston Celtics, reserve point guard Brad Wanamaker’s shot at the NBA seemed doomed to irrelevance almost from the rip.

It’s not that he wasn’t capable.

That much was made clear in practice and the handful of games he actually played significant minutes.

Even then, with so many players above him in the pecking order desperate for touches, he rarely had a chance to score, instead being tasked with being relegated to garbage time scoring or simply being a competent floor general when injury struck.

So, one would understand if the Pitt product had decided to pass on returning to the team that simply couldn’t give Wanamaker the burn his budding NBA career needed to find firm footing. But when the team made an offer with few guarantees apart from the money it offered, the former Panther signed on anyway.

“That’s how it’s been my whole life,” explained the Philadelphia native via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “I’ve never had anything handed to me. I kind of like that approach. Keeps you hungry, keeps you wanting more.”

Now, with fewer mouths to feed and a key injury plaguing the franchise after Gordon Hayward fractured his hand against the San Antonio Spurs, it’s the Celtics who want more.

Of Wanamaker’s play, that is.

Finally granted an opportunity to show he can make meaningful contributions to a winning team, the 30-year-old floor general is doing precisely that. In 14 games, he’s boosted his production (6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game) significantly from his averages in the previous season averages (3.9 points, 1.1 boards, and 1.6 dishes per game).

Described by an emphatic Brad Stevens as having a “huge” impact for the Celtics (courtesy of the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach) over the course of their surprisingly successful season, the Celtics head coach was effusive in his praise for Wanamaker’s newly-expanded role with the team.

“[It’s] one of the more important things on our team, because you know what you’re getting every day. And he’s been really good. You can play with him with the ball, he can play off of it. He can guard bigger guys because he’s strong, and he’s very smart. So he makes the other players around him better when he’s in the game.”

One of many examples on this season’s roster currently exceeding the understandably low expectations fans and analysts had for the team coming into the season, Wanamaker’s improved play has not gone unnoticed by his teammates either.

In fact, quite the opposite:

“His work ethic is second to none,” said former NCAA foe and current teammate Kemba Walker. “It’s no surprise when he comes in and does what he does. He’s just solid … He’s a leader, man, a natural born leader. He’s a great guy, very high character. He gets along with everybody. He’s just one of those guys that you need around.”

One might expect to hear exactly this sort of thing about Walker himself, whose transformational leadership-by-example has been credited as a primary figure in Boston’s current success. No faint praise by any measure.

“He brings a certain poise and understanding of the game,” added third-year swingman Jayson Tatum. “He really is like a true point guard out there. Slows things down. He’s an OG.”

While his current opportunity will almost certainly be pared back once Hayward returns to health mid-December, Wanamaker has no plans to relax until someone else’s injury raises his profile in the rotation. He could easily have more nights like his 14-point, 5 assist nights off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Just go out there and produce every chance I get,” Wanamaker offered. “That’s the biggest key … You never know when your number is going to be called. So, you have to be ready.”

Precisely what Boston needs right now and, if truth be told, every day.

Bills ‘future QB situation’ ranked No. 8 in NFL

Forecasting forward, Touchdown Wire sees a bright future for Allen and the Bills under center.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has left something to be desired with his arm at times in 2019.

But the second-year pro has undoubtedly made strides in his sophomore season and has the Bills primed for a postseason berth this year.

Forecasting forward, Touchdown Wire sees a bright future for Allen and the Bills under center, as Buffalo’s situation was ranked the eighth-best in the NFL in terms of their future potential.

Here’s why:

Two of our panelists said Josh Allen is the most underrated of the new wave of quarterbacks. He’s efficient as a passer, dangerous as a runner and has the Bills in playoff contention. In just his second season, Allen, 23, has thrown for 2,175 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 331 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen already is a solid quarterback. But all four of our panelists agreed he could become elite within a couple of years.

The big concern for Allen might be his longevity. He still has several years under his belt that he will have elite athletic ability. But how long can Allen last taking hits like the ones he has? The Patriots haven’t had Tom Brady for two decades because of his excellent ability to take hits. It’s his ability to get rid of the ball quickly and keep himself standing upright.

Speaking of the Patriots, the Bills at No. 8 are the top team in the AFC East. The Patriots land at No. 14 with the Jets and Dolphins clocking in at No. 23 and dead last, respectively.

The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes lead the list as the top dog. The Seahawks and Cowboys land in second and third, respectively.

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Seahawks opposing QB preview: Eagles’ Carson Wentz

A closer look at the Seattle Seahawks’ opposing quarterback for Week 12, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz.

The Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a well-timed bye week and are now back to close out the home stretch of the season. First up following the break are the Philadelphia Eagles, led by quarterback Carson Wentz.

Ever since coming into the league as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Wentz has established himself as one of the most dynamic playmakers at the quarterback position. His size and athleticism make him one of the more difficult players to defend against.

In fact, his ability to escape and turn something out of nothing is almost Russell Wilson-esque, such as this remarkable 51-yard pass on third-and-13 to set up an almost equally impressive touchdown on another third-and-long two years ago at CenturyLink Field.

While he may not be on pace for numbers similar to his MVP-caliber season in 2017, Wentz is still enjoying a solid year. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns against only four interceptions while dealing with a receiving corps decimated by injuries.

This Sunday will mark the third time Wentz has faced the Seahawks, and the first time in Philadelphia. His last two trips to Seattle resulted in multiple-score losses, with him throwing for a combined three touchdowns but with four total turnovers.

Although Wentz has not thrown for more than 239 yards in his last four games, he has also not thrown more than one interception in any game during this stretch, despite playing the stout defenses of New England, Dallas, Buffalo and Chicago.

However, Wentz has had a penchant for putting the ball on the ground recently, as all five of his fumbles on the year have come during this stretch. The Seahawks are coming off their best defensive performance all year, and if they want to duplicate their success they will have to get to Wentz and force more fumbles as they did to San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Monday night in Week 10.

Getting to Wentz will be paramount for Seattle’s hopes at winning and keeping pace with the 9-1 49ers.

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