LAYUP LINES: We are way too fixated on the future when it comes to the NBA

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What’s good, family! Welcome to Layup Lines. It’s your boy Sykes here to lead you into tonight’s NBA action. But first a quick thought.

I know things have been this way for a while, but can we stop looking so far ahead into the future when it comes to the NBA?

ESPN’s Jay Williams did just that today when he made waves on the internet by saying LaMelo Ball is not long for Charlotte. He’s literally putting the kid on the Lakers already.

Never mind the fact that he’s just finished his 2nd season as an NBA player or the fact that there’s this whole restricted free agency thing that makes it all the more likely he’ll be in Charlotte until, at least, 2027.

Forget all that. The dude is just a Laker already.

This is a huge problem with NBA coverage. And it’s not just a Jay Williams thing or an ESPN thing. People everywhere are more obsessed with the transactions in the NBA than basketball itself. This is what Kevin Durant meant when he said NBA fans don’t like anything about the NBA last year— there’s plenty to talk about, but we never talk about it.

Instead of talking about Ball being the youngest player ever to make 200 3-pointers in a year, we’re shipping him to the Lakers.  Before Giannis Antetokounmpo re-signed with the Bucks and won a title, we shipped him to the Warriors. You get the drift by now.

We’re way too focused on the future with the NBA and what will come as opposed to what’s happening right now. We just had 4 awesome play-in games. We’ve had a historic MVP race. There are plenty of awesome playoff matchups to talk about.

And instead? LaMelo to the Lakers dominated the online conversation. We need to do better. Much, much, much better.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Don’t trick yourself when it comes to the Hawks vs. the Cavaliers tonight. We tend to get a bit too caught up in the regular season at times, my colleague Prince Grimes writes.

But the Hawks than the Cavaliers coming into the season. They certainly feel like the better team right now. Roll with that.

Atlanta has a bottom five defensive rating over the course of the season but ranks 11th in the last 15 games, better than the Cavs who are 24th in that time. Paired with a top 10 offense in that span, the Hawks have the league’s seventh-best net rating. As hard as it is to do, I’m ignoring what we’ve seen over the course of most of 82 games and taking the Hawks to ride this momentum and end up in the playoffs where they always belonged.

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Clippers (-105) vs. Pelicans (-1.5, -115), O/U 215.5, 10 PM ET

Who’s in and out?

— Paul George (health and safety protocols) is out for Friday night’s game against the Pelicans

—Jarrett Allen (finger) is probable for the Cavaliers for Friday’s game against the Hawks.

—Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) is questionable for the Hawks for Friday’s action against the Cavs.

—Luka Doncic (calf strain) will miss game one against the Jazz on Saturday and will be day-to-day after that game.

—Steph Curry (foot) says he’ll be ready to go for game 1 against the Nuggets.

Shootaround