Tag: Tim Legler

ESPN’s Tim Legler sees ‘big-time player’ in Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard

ESPN’s Tim Legler on Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard: “He is a big-time player, and he’s gonna be a big-time starting point guard in the league for a long time.”

Earlier this week, ESPN analyst Tim Legler served as television analyst for an NBA summer-league game between the Rockets and Wizards. In that game, rookie guard Reed Sheppard was a clear standout as Houston routed Washington in an emphatic victory.

A few days later, Legler reflected on that experience from Las Vegas as part of his latest episode of The ALL NBA Podcast.

Regarding Sheppard, the No. 3 overall draft pick of the 2024 first round, Legler said (hat tip Chris Gorman, X):

I got to call a game of his, and I got to really see him up close.

He’s the real deal, man. They got themselves a player. He is a big-time player, and he’s gonna be a big-time starting point guard in the league for a long time, because can do it every which way.

He can make plays off the dribble for other people. He has got a nice float game. Deep range. He shot a ridiculous percentage in college on NBA-distance 3s, over 50%. He is strong, he’s good defensively. Laterally, his footwork, his active hands…

This guy has got the whole package. He’s quick, he’s athletic, he’s smart, he’s tough. He makes plays with his passing, and every kind of shot imaginable on the court. I was very, very impressed with Reed Sheppard, and I think he’s going to have a great career.

Extended audio clips of Legler’s podcast comments on Sheppard are available below. A former player himself, Legler won the NBA’s annual 3-point contest at its 1996 All-Star weekend.

As for Sheppard, in four games from Las Vegas, he’s averaging 20.0 points (50.0% FG), 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 steals — though he is averaging a team-high 4.8 turnovers, as well. He’ll finish up summer-league play Sunday when Houston faces Portland.

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Tim Legler jokingly outlined how the Celtics should draft Bronny James to hold him hostage from the Lakers

The Celtics have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever.

We’re on Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft, and one crucial thread remains unpulled.

After it was suggested he’d inevitably join his dad, LeBron James, on the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny James still does not have a team.

That opens the door to any of the other 29 NBA franchises doing the funniest possible thing on Thursday night. They can draft Bronny and effectively hold him for ransom from the Lakers, knowing that they likely want to appease LeBron at all costs. According to ESPN’s Tim Legler, the Boston Celtics should spearhead this kind of audacious plan. It probably also helps that Joe Mazzulla seems to have the stomach for these kinds of “crimes.”

During Thursday’s episode of First Take, the analyst jokingly suggested that Boston should “renew its Cold War” with Los Angeles by drafting Bronny in the second round and holding him hostage in return for a sizable trade asset. Like, say, Austin Reaves.

It’s so silly and so funny, but it really just might work:

Could you imagine if the Celtics, of all teams, really pulled this off?

I love the framing of Boston being this kind of bad guy from a bog-standard action movie, and LeBron has to come to rescue his son from languishing on, uh, the reigning NBA champion. And after watching so much of The Town, Mazzulla’s fake intimidating voice over the phone has probably been perfected. The pieces are all there.

If not the Celtics, I’d also like to submit the Denver Nuggets for this “hostage” plan.

Nikola Jokic’s crew has been one of the rare teams to completely vex LeBron on the court during his career. The Nuggets have won eight of their last nine games against the Lakers and have sent them home packing twice in the last two postseasons. That means Denver using a pick to purely bait LeBron and L.A. would be hilarious drama.

One thing’s for sure here. If the Lakers don’t draft James and someone else swoops in, we might be in for a wild and unnecessary saga.

Tim Legler roasted Jamal Murray for his silly (and incredibly inaccurate) heat pack toss

What a brilliant roast of Jamal Murray.

Monday night was a rough one for the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. Denver officially fell behind 2-0 in its second-round series with the juggernaut Minnesota Timberwolves and looked utterly lifeless in the process. The player who probably had the toughest night was Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray.

While getting flustered by the aggressive Minnesota defense, an injured Murray started cracking under the pressure. Things boiled over so much that he even threw a heat pack at referee Marc Davis from the sideline. According to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, the incident is reportedly being reviewed by the league.

ESPN analyst Tim Legler had a unique take on the bizarre situation.

He used Murray’s abysmal Game 2 performance (3-of-18 from the field! more turnovers than assists!) to roast him over missing Davis with the heat pack:

Oof. Man. How do you ever live this down if you’re Murray? Not only did he get rattled in a big game, he completely lost his composure in the worst possible way. Roasts like this from Legler are well-earned.

ESPN’s Tim Legler says Sixers won James Harden trade with Clippers

ESPN’s Tim Legler loves the James Harden trade to the Los Angeles Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off the trade everybody was waiting for in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday when they agreed to send James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. The future Hall of Famer had requested a trade in June and was waiting for it to be fulfilled.

After it seemed a stalemate had developed between the Sixers and the Clippers, the two sides came to an agreement. Philadelphia sent Harden, PJ Tucker and rookie Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for the expiring contracts of Marcus Morris Sr., Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin and multiple draft picks.

ESPN’s Tim Legler hopped on “First Take” to give his thoughts on the trade claiming the Sixers got the better end of the deal:

Philadelphia got better. Now, did they get to the point where they’re looking Boston in the eye? They’re looking Milwaukee in the eye? Probably not. They’re probably on that next tier, but I think to me, this is the third-best team in the Eastern Conference because of Joel Embiid and because we are finally getting a taste early here in the year and I think now continuing that Harden’s gone of the ceiling of Tyrese Maxey and if you’re not watching Tyrese Maxey every night and thinking you are watching a star player in the making, then you don’t really know the game because that is what he is.

Actually, there’s another component to it as well guys, James Harden was a guy that dramatically affected Joel Embiid’s demeanor, body language frustration. You’d see James Harden go into these dark places in the playoff game. Take a look at Joel Embiid when that was going on. Now, I’m not I’m not gonna say he’s blameless because he had some games he didn’t play as well either, but it was obvious. He’s looking at this dude saying ‘wait a second man. You’re an MVP or All-NBA caliber player and now here we are middle of the second quarter of a Game 5, it’s 2-2, and you have two points in middle the second quarter. You’re not shooting the ball. You don’t look aggressive. You’re turning it over’ and all of a sudden here goes Embiid’s shoulders. They dropped and now you’ve got two stars in a bad place mentally. That is now gone. The black cloud has been lifted from the Sixers’ organization.

They are moving forward with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid and now you’ve added supplemental parts that fit that roster better. I love this for Philly. I love Tyrese Maxey. Let’s move forward.

Time will tell whether the Sixers actually keep any of the pieces they obtained in exchange for Harden. While the pieces they received theoretically fit around Maxey and Embiid, they don’t necessarily put them in the same conversation as the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia will likely flip these pieces for an impact player before the February trade deadline.

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ESPN’s Tim Legler explains why Sixers’ Joel Embiid should win MVP

ESPN’s Tim Legler explains why Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid should win the 2023 MVP award.

With only a handful of games remaining in the 2022-23 regular season, the debate of who is the MVP continues to rage. It will once again come down to two star big men: Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Both have a compelling case. Embiid has been on one of the more impressive scoring rampages anyone will see for a guy his size. He has scored 30-plus points in 10 straight games, and he is leading the league in scoring at 33.6 points per game. Jokic is averaging a triple-double for the Nuggets who are No. 1 in the Western Conference.

However, a big difference is on the defensive end. Embiid continues to dominate on that end. ESPN’s Tim Legler broke down on “The Old Man and the Three” why that should be the deciding factor in the MVP debate:

For me, it’s Embiid. Something happened the other night I was watching the Cleveland game. He made a play in that game defensively that really just was kind of like just a wow moment for me like my goodness, like he’s the only guy in the league that could have made that play. It was a play where Cedi Osman drove down the left slot, came hard at the rim, Embiid went all in on the block. I mean, jumped as high as he could, had his fingertips like by the top of the square with his full chest facing Osman on the left side of the rim. Osman goes up and then wraps the ball around his back to (Evan) Mobley who’s standing right under the rim. A seven-footer, quick off his feet athletic ability, Embiid hit the ground from the first jump without really finding Mobley just turned and jumped spinning his body: 180 degrees, jumped, and caught the ball at the front of the rim as Mobley was trying to dunk it and it triggered a fast-break layup for James Harden going the other way.

Legler continued to build the case for Embiid. The defensive performance he continues to put in should give him an edge:

I look at the comparison because I think it’s between Embiid and Jokic. They’d be my two favorites, and obviously Embiid is the better raw scorer. I mean, he’s just a dominant scorer. Jokic is clearly better offense generator, facilitates everything and gets his number every night. Rebounding both dominant. So how about that end of the floor man and the impact that Embiid has? And I think for me, if we’re talking about those two guys, and I think they are the two leaders that is a differentiating factor for me. They basically have the same number of wins. Denver has won in the West, but the way Philly’s played for last two and a half, three months. I think they’ve had the best record in the league. I believe over that time. The impact that he has on that into the floor as the last line of defense and an altered of what teams can do? That I think for me this year, is the differentiating factor because of these ridiculous numbers he’s putting up to go with it.

Embiid and Jokic will have one more clash on March 27 in Denver in a matchup that could decide the debate.

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ESPN’s Tim Legler ranks Celtics the third best team in the NBA

ESPN analyst and former NBA player Tim Legler on why he has the Celtics ahead of the 76ers in the East.

The Boston Celtics are trying to play their way through a tough stretch of losses stalling their momentum as the final month of the season approaches. The team currently sits 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the top record in the league, with the Philadelphia 76ers on their heels.

The 5-5 record over the past ten games has featured losses to the struggling Houston Rockets and a late-game collapse to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Marcus Smart recently criticized his defensive performance during the timespan, further adding to the speculation of uncertainty in the locker room.

ESPN analyst and former NBA player Tim Legler appeared on the network’s morning show “Get Up” to share his thoughts on the Celtics. He explained why Boston is still his pick as the third-best team in the league, slightly over the surging 76ers.

“Gonna be a toss-up between these two teams. But ultimately, I’m going to go with Boston. Still, I know they have not played well over the last month. But I’m going for their season-long body of work. And I think Jayson Tatum is going to find his mojo.” Said Legler.

“Once again. I just love their depth. And I think this is a team right now that’s finding themselves a little bit out of rhythm. They’ve got to find it before you get into the postseason because if you have to play Philadelphia or something like that in a second round, they could go home early, so I’m still gonna go with Boston with a slight nod.”

The Celtics’ remaining schedule could determine more than their postseason standing but more about their team’s mindset. The rough patch since the All-Star break has created some concern, but Legler’s assessment showed that many experts believe they will turn things around for another NBA Finals run.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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ESPN’s Tim Legler picks Sixers to win East, says they have much to prove

ESPN’s Tim Legler is picking the Philadelphia 76ers to win the East, but adds that they have much to prove.

The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the more formidable duos in the NBA in the form of James Harden and Joel Embiid as they throw their hat in the ring for the Eastern Conference crown in the 2022 playoffs. Harden and Embiid are going to be extremely tough to stop as they complement each other well.

The Sixers are 5-0 in games Harden plays as he continues to make his teammates better both with his scoring and his playmaking and Philadelphia looks like they should be the favorites in the East. Harden is obviously a huge help while Embiid has been playing at an MVP level all season long and continues his rampage even with The Beard in town.

With 18 games left for the Sixers before the playoffs begin, the debate now becomes whether they are the favorites in the East. They will have to contend with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, the red-hot Boston Celtics, and the big question mark continues to be the Brooklyn Nets, but Philadelphia will be one team that will have all eyes on them.

Tim Legler hopped on ESPN’s First Take and he’s picking the Sixers to win the East:

For me, yes, they’re the favorite and the reason is this: Joel Embiid is a different guy this year. When you look at what the Bucks did last year, and I’m not going to take anything away from your championship run because they had a major breakthrough last year, but when you look at their path, it did involve a guy like this and Joel Embiid for me, the transformation in his mindset, his conditioning, his professionalism, his leadership, his maturity, he’s a completely different player. I’m as impressed with his evolution in all of those areas, as I have been with any player at this stage of their career from one season to the next. So this is a different dude. Also last year, the Bucks not deal with anything like this guy healthy in the postseason. Just look at what they dealt with on their path to the finals. There was nothing that look like this. There was nothing like James Harden. This is the most potent offensive combination in the league. They control the game at the line, in the paint, from deep if that’s what it takes. They can make any shot required in a moment. The key is obviously gonna be the supporting cast. Do they have enough shooting? That’s always gonna be a concern with them.

On the flip side, the star duo does have a lot to prove. Harden, especially, does have some randomly poor playoff games in big moments. The biggest example was in the 2017 playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 at home when the Houston Rockets had a chance to force a Game 7 and he shot 2-for-11 for 10 points in an elimination game.

Legler added:

Biggest case against it: past playoff moments where scratched your head with him. Joel Embiid also had a little bit of that against Toronto when they got eliminated. He didn’t play great against Boston in the bubble when they got eliminated so he has a lot to prove, but he just looks like he’s different this year. I’m not worried about him. James Harden has had a couple moments where you’re watching at home where you go ‘was he really playing like this tonight? In this moment in the middle of a series?’ The San Antonio one, I will never forget that night. When San Antonio is sitting everybody. They’re conceding Game 6. He took two shots in the first 16 minutes of the game and Mike D’Antoni’s going ‘Didn’t you lead the league in field goal attempts? What is going on?’ So they have a lot to prove. That, to me, is the greatest argument why you would favor Milwaukee. They’re playoff histories and Doc also.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the playoffs as all eyes will be on the duo, but there aren’t a lot of teams in this league who can do what the Sixers can do with the talent they have on this roster.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Tim Legler calls it ‘smart’ to include Pelicans, Zion in NBA restart

Former 10-year NBA veteran Tim Legler said he doesn’t blame the league for wanting to include the Pelicans in the season restart plan.

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Former 10-year NBA veteran Tim Legler said that he doesn’t blame the league for wanting to include the New Orleans Pelicans in the reported season restart plan.

Legler, speaking on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday morning, called the 22-team restart plan a smart business decision by the NBA to include the Pelicans since No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson has emerged as one of the most entertaining players in the NBA.

The belief around the NBA was commissioner Adam Silver wanted to have several teams in contention to make the playoffs during a return. The Pelicans, and the five other teams included, were on the outside looking in prior to the season suspension but will now the opportunity to qualify.

“If you’re the league, you can’t blame them,” Legler said. “[The season suspension] has been devastating financially for the league what they’ve gone through so, certainly, when you have a guy like [Williamson] and is that entertaining, I think at the time when this thing shut down, he was as close to must-see TV as anybody in the league.

To include him, for a minimum of eight games, and potentially more than that, I think that’s a smart business decision for the league. Fortunately for them, the Pelicans were within striking distance that you can make a really solid argument that they should be included in this. Also, when you look at the strength of schedule the rest of the year with Memphis and New Orleans, I think Memphis was going to have a really difficult time with their schedule to hold these teams off and hold onto that last spot.

Last week, a report surfaced stating the NBA was working on plans to include the Pelicans in the return to play. Williamson has emerged as one of the most popular players in the NBA this season and would be highly marketable for the league should the Pelicans qualify for the postseason.

The Pelicans project to have a difficult timing qualifying for the postseason, based on a few variables, but having the organization in contention over the final eight games of the season should be a small victory for the NBA.

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