Rapper and Toronto Raptors ambassador Drake has a history of getting into it with NBA players, but he has some history with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.
Fast-forward to Monday night. The Raptors defeated the Sixers 101-96, and Embiid shockingly went scoreless on 0-of-11 shooting in 32 minutes while also amassing five fouls and committing four turnovers. Not good.
And here’s what Drake had to say about it toward Embiid. It would appear to be “MVP!”:
Drake was clapping at Joel Embiid who scored zero points against the Raptors 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/VliJQxGuts
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Which stars have stood out thus far?
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Leonard hasn’t been super effective in the three games that he’s played since returning from a left knee contusion. The Clippers managed to win all three contests (over the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans), but Leonard seems a bit limited. Sure, Kawhi at 70-80 percent is better than most players at 100 percent, but we dropped him down our rankings a bit as he gets back to full strength. It’s worth noting that Leonard has been much less efficient than usual this season, which is something that the 28-year-old will surely work on. He’s shooting just 43.5 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three-point range – both of which would easily be career-lows for Leonard. He’s only appeared in 12 games, though, so perhaps it’s just a small sample size. Fortunately for the Clippers (and basketball fans in general), Leonard and Paul George are finally playing together and it’s been fun to watch. So far, L.A. is undefeated when they have their two stars in the lineup at the same time.
Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls was a perfect example of how adding Carmelo Anthony may help the Blazers win some additional games this season. Lillard scored just 13 points on 40.0 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from three, but Portland still won because Anthony had 25 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and 57.1 percent from three. Lillard has been outstanding for the Blazers this year, but one player can only do so much. If Anthony continues to score this efficiently, it’ll be difficult for defenses to shut down Carmelo, Lillard and CJ McCollum. Lillard recently missed a game due to back spasms (insert joke about Dame carrying the Blazers on his back) and the point guard said that the issue is going to linger for a bit, so that may be why he’s struggling as of late. On the season, Lillard ranks fifth in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (6.9), seventh in Win Shares (2.4), seventh in Value Over Replacement Player (1.1) and 10th in Player Efficiency Rating (25.0).
This is Butler’s first time cracking our MVP rankings this season, but he’s been playing well all year for the Heat. Butler’s decision to leave the Philadelphia 76ers for Miami was one of the biggest surprises of this past offseason, but the 30-year-old forward has fit in perfectly with the Heat’s culture. With Butler leading the way on the perimeter, Miami currently has the second-best defense in the NBA (allowing just 100 points per 100 possessions). This has helped the Heat get off to a 12-4 start, which is the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Over the weekend, Butler returned to Philadelphia to face off against the Sixers for the first time since his departure and while he would’ve loved to have a monster showing and get the win, he finished with just 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 30.8 percent from the field (including 0-2 from three) in a losing effort. Still, Butler is having a strong campaign and he has the Heat near the top of the East, which is why he’s in our Top 10 this week.
Siakam has emerged as an elite scorer this season, while continuing to play the strong defense that we’ve seen from him in the past. At the moment, Siakam is ranked ninth among all players in Defensive Win Shares (0.9), 16th in Win Shares (1.8) and 18th in Value Over Replacement Player (.7). Interestingly, Siakam’s stats (25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.3 threes, 0.8 steals, 47.4 FG%, 37.4 3P%) are actually very similar to the numbers of his former teammate Kawhi Leonard (25.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 threes, 2.1 steals, 43.5 FG%, 30.0 3P%). Everyone expected the 25-year-old to take on a bigger role this season and show some progress in Leonard’s absence, but this kind of leap is just incredible. He’s becoming one of the game’s elite two-way players and he seems poised for superstardom. Not bad for someone who didn’t play organized basketball for the first time until he was nearly 18 years old!
Towns continues to shoot the ball extremely well, making 44.4 percent of his three-pointers on 9.0 attempts per game. He’s more than doubled his number of three-pointers per game this season, which has made him an even scarier offensive weapon for Minnesota. Believe it or not, Towns’ 57 three-pointers is third-best in the NBA behind only James Harden (79) and Devonte’ Graham (60). The 24-year-old’s game perfectly fits in the modern NBA. Between Towns’ strong play and Andrew Wiggins’drastic improvement, it’s possible that the Wolves could shock everyone and sneak into the playoffs for just the second time in 16 years. After winning three-straight games (including an impressive victory over the Miami Heat), Minnesota has the seventh-best record in the Western Conference at 9-8.
The Lakers’ roster features 11 new players (including Davis), but you’d never know it from watching this team play. Rather than struggling out of the gate as they try to develop chemistry and get everyone on the same page, L.A. opened their season by winning 15 of their first 17 games. Davis and LeBron James have been a terrific one-two punch out of the gate, bringing the best out of each other. Davis may not be posting the jaw-dropping stat lines we got used to seeing from him with the New Orleans Pelicans, but that’s because he has a better supporting cast now and the Lakers aren’t asking him to carry the team on his own. Still, he’s been a dominant rim protector (leading the league in blocks) and he’s capable of scoring from anywhere on the court (averaging a career-high 1.2 threes per game). It may be tough for Davis to win MVP because he’s playing alongside James (and vice versa, perhaps), but there’s no question that he’s having a terrific season. It’ll be interesting to see how this Lakers team looks at midseason once they’re even more cohesive (and once their schedule gets a bit more difficult).
Last week, we praised Harden’s offensive output and moved him up our rankings because the Rockets held the second-best record in the league and were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. Unfortunately, Houston went on to drop their next three games to tough teams (the Denver Nuggets, L.A. Clippers and Dallas Mavericks). Harden continues to score at will, despite constantly being double-teamed by opponents. He recently voiced his displeasure with the constant double-teaming, telling reporters: “The whole season, they’re running doubles teams at me. I’ve never seen that in an NBA game where you’ve got really good defenders and someone else running at the top of the key. Y’all let me know the last time you’ve seen that.” He uses this to his advantage at times, drawing contact from both defenders and getting to the foul line (which he’s doing more often than anyone since prime Wilt Chamberlain). With the Rockets’ current losing streak, Harden dropped one spot this week, but there’s no question that he’ll be in the mix for this award come the end of the season as long as he stays healthy.
The Bucks have now won 13 of their last 14 games (including eight-straight), climbing to No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings. Not only have they lost just one game in the month of November, they’re winning convincingly – as evidenced by their +9.3 average point differential, the highest in the NBA. That’s in large part due to Antetokounmpo, who continues to dominate on both ends of the floor. On Monday, he had perhaps his best outing of the season in a win over the Utah Jazz, finishing with 50 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 threes, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. The Jazz entered the game with the NBA’s top-ranked defense (allowing just 99.3 points per 100 possessions), yet Giannis did whatever he wanted against them. Antetokounmpo became just the second player in NBA history to hit all of those statistical marks in a single game, joining Michael Jordan (who did it against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989-90).
Recently, a courtside fan captured a funny interaction between James and a referee, with James saying, “I know you’ve been reading and they’re saying that I haven’t been playing defense these last couple of years, but it’s a new year!” Well, this season, it seems that James’ main focuses are defending and facilitating. His much-improved defense is perhaps the starkest difference between 2018-19 and this year. James ranks fifth in the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (+1.0) and 20th in Defensive Rating (101.9), and his effort on that end of the floor has been significantly better. Perhaps Anthony Davis deserves credit for this, as he’s been saying since the offseason that he was going to hold LeBron accountable and push him to play at an All-Defensive-Team level like he’s capable of doing. After Monday’s games, the Lakers actually have the best defense in the NBA (allowing just 99.7 points per 100 possessions). As for LeBron’s playmaking, he leads the league in assists per game (10.8) and assist percentage (50.7) by wide margins. In fact, he’s been involved in 49.0 percent of the Lakers’ points, which is easily the highest percentage among all NBA players this season. Los Angeles has won eight-straight and sit at 15-2, which is the NBA’s best record.
Early in the season, people were praising Doncic’s game while wondering when the sophomore would come back down to the Earth. Well, rather than regressing, Luka has only gotten better and he’s even closer to averaging 30-10-10. Doncic currently leads all NBA players in Win Shares (3.6), Box Plus/Minus (14.2), Value Over Replacement Player (2.2) and Player Efficiency Rating (33.3). In fact, his 33.3 PER puts him on pace for the best single-season efficiency rating of all-time. He makes the game look incredibly easy, destroying teams offensively. Not only does he have the league’s second-best scoring average (30.6), he ranks second in the NBA in assists per game (9.8) and assist percentage (48.9), showing just how many buckets he’s creating for himself and others. Doncic secured this week’s top spot after delivering an MVP-like performance in Dallas’ win over James Harden and the Houston Rockets, finishing with 41 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 steals and 1 block. And his production is translating into victories for the Mavs, as they’ve now won five-straight games. Dallas is 11-5, which is the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Right now, Doncic may be the frontrunner for the Most Valuable Player award and the Most Improved Player award.
Previewing Monday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets
The Toronto Raptors (11-4) host the rival Philadelphia 76ers (11-5) Monday at Scotiabank Arena in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the 76ers-Raptors odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
76ers at Raptors: Key injuries
76ers
C Kyle O’Quinn (calf) questionable
SF Furkan Korkmaz (ankle) questionable
Raptors
PG Kyle Lowry (thumb) out
C Serge Ibaka (ankle) doubtful
76ers at Raptors: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated 9:45 a.m. ET.
Both teams enter on winning streaks, with the Raptors (-110) taking three in a row and the SIXERS (-110) winning four straight. Toronto last beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-116 on the road Saturday. Philadelphia wrapped up a three-game homestand with a 113-86 rout of the Miami Heat.
The Raptors are a perfect 6-0 at home while the 76ers are 4-5 on the road. Toronto has the edge on offense with an average of 113.7 points per game to Philly’s 110.3 PPG, but the Sixers allow just 105.1 PPG to the Raptors’ 106.1 PPG allowed. The injuries to Lowry and Ibaka will cost the Raptors as they face their first opponent with a record better than .500 in over a week. Take the visitors in a pick ’em.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the 76ers to win outright returns a profit of $9.09.
Philly is 8-7 against the spread overall and 4-4 on the road. Toronto is 9-6 ATS overall and 5-1 on home court. Both teams are 5-5 ATS across their respective last 10 games. The Raptors have covered by an average of 6.4 points per game while the 76ers have covered by an average of just 0.6 points per game.
Again, with the injuries to Lowry and Ibaka, the 76ers will have the depth to pull out the outright win Monday. They’re a wiser pick on the moneyline with a greater profit margin than they are to cover the meager spread of +1.5 with -120 odds. The same $10 wager would return a profit of $8.33 with just one point of insurance in the event of a loss. PASS.
The Raptors are 9-6 against the Over/Under and top the projected total by an average of 1.4 points per game. The 76ers are 8-8 against the number and fall an average of 0.4 points per game shy of the point total. Back the UNDER 214.5 (-115) with Toronto needing to rely more heavily on the bottom end of its bench without the two stars.
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LeBron James has triple-doubles against all 30 NBA teams. Here is how he accomplished the feat.
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LeBron James completed the NBA cycle of triple-doubles on Tuesday. He made the Oklahoma City Thunder the 30th team he has accomplished the feat against.
We took a look at how he got there, addressing each of the teams that saw LeBron post a triple-double against it in his amazing career.
Atlanta Hawks
Kevin Liles/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron and the Cavaliers lost to the Atlanta Hawks by 126-125 in overtime on April 9, 2017. He played 47 minutes and put up a line of 32-16-10 in the defeat.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives their Top 10 candidates for this season’s Most Valuable Player award. Check out this week’s rankings.
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Siakam is making the Raptors look smart for giving him that four-year, $130 million extension. This is Siakam’s first appearance in our Top 10, but he’s been playing well all season. Even if he doesn’t receive significant MVP love this year because there are so many great candidates, it’s possible that he could become the first player in NBA history to win the Most Improved Player award twice. One could make the argument that his growth over the last year (+8.8 ppg, +1.7 rpg, +1.1 apg) is just as impressive as his sophomore-to-junior leap (+9.6 ppg, +2.4 rpg, +1.1 apg). Regardless of whether he wins MIP for a second-straight year, he’s made huge strides this season. Becoming a team’s No. 1 option and a 25-point-per-game scorer is extremely hard, but Siakam has made it look easy. The 25-year-old has essentially filled the Kawhi Leonard role in this offense and it’s been amazing to watch his development in recent years. He has the Raptors sitting at 9-4, which is the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Leonard dropped down our list over the last week because he’s missed three-straight games due to a left-knee contusion that he suffered in the Clippers’ loss to the Houston Rockets last Wednesday. Leonard has been terrific on both ends of the floor when he’s suited up, but he’s now missed five of a possible 14 games this season. As we wrote in this space last week, voters tend to reward players who haven’t missed significant time when considering Most Valuable Player. The last 15 MVP winners have missed an average of 3.93 games in the season in which they won the award (with no individual missing more than 10 games). The Clippers are likely going to be cautious with Leonard moving forward to ensure that he’ll be at 100 percent for their playoff run (like the Toronto Raptors’ approach that worked so well last year). Also, when two MVP candidates have teamed up in the past (like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors), voters weren’t sure what to do and they basically canceled each other out. It’s possible that could happen with Leonard and 2018-19 MVP finalist Paul George, who returned recently.
The big news in the NBA over the last week was the Trail Blazers’ decision to sign free agent Carmelo Anthony. After sustaining numerous injuries and getting off to a slow start (5-9, which is the third-worst record in the Western Conference), Portland is hoping that Anthony can help revitalize this team. Last time Anthony was in the NBA, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 threes while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three-point range in 10 games with the Houston Rockets. It remains to be seen how much this addition will impact Lillard and CJ McCollum, who are Portland’s top options on offense. Lillard is averaging career-highs across the board, but he’s received little help from his supporting cast, which is why the Blazers are struggling so much.
Not only has Towns been filling the stat sheet, he’s been extraordinarily efficient in the process. He’s shooting 51.2 percent from the field on 17.9 field goal attempts and he’s making 43.5 percent of his threes on 9.0 attempts. Only James Harden (4.9) is making more threes per game than Towns (3.9), and the big man’s three-point percentage is 6.5 percentage points higher than Harden’s. Also, Towns currently ranks fourth in Box Plus/Minus (+10.1), fourth in PER (30.4) and fifth in Value Over Replacement Player (1.2). With Towns making his presence felt all over the court and Andrew Wiggins playing the best basketball of his career, the Timberwolves are now 8-6 and holding the Western Conference’s eighth seed, putting them just 3.5 games back from the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
It didn’t take long for Davis and LeBron James long to develop chemistry, as they’ve been a terrific one-two punch for the Lakers thus far. As our Bryan Kalbroskynoted, James is passing the ball to Davis 25.2 times per 36 minutes, which is more than he dished to any other past teammate, including Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love. It’s clear that James trusts his big man and if they’re playing this well with very little time spent getting acclimated to each other (and their many new teammates), it’ll be interesting to see how well they’ll be playing together toward the end of the season when they’ve learned each other’s tendencies more. Davis is leading the NBA in blocks per game and he’s swatted 24 shots in his last seven games.
Kyrie Irving who? When news broke over the summer that Irving (and Al Horford) planned to leave Boston via free agency, it seemed like the Celtics were going to take a significant step back. It would’ve been understandable if they shifted their focus to developing Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. Instead, the Celtics found a terrific replacement for Irving in Kemba Walker. The 29-year-old is posting impressive numbers and he has Boston sitting at No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-2 record (which is also tied for the best record in the entire NBA). It seems that Walker brings production similar to that of Irving without the behind-the-scenes drama and chemistry issues that hurt the Celtics last year. If Boston can keep this up and sit atop the East, Walker would get some MVP consideration (and deservedly so) and Brad Stevens would likely get some Coach of the Year love. And as Walker gets more comfortable with his new team, his play should only improve. With that said, there seems to be a significant gap between the Top-4 players on this list and everyone else.
Doncic is used to having unprecedented success for someone his age. Remember, he won the Euroleague MVP award at 19 years old prior to entering the NBA. Now, as a 20-year-old sophomore in the Association, his numbers aren’t too far off from what Russell Westbrook averaged back in 2016-17 when he won MVP (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.6 steals). While posting triple-doubles no longer seems to draw the same jaw-dropping reaction since Westbrook normalized it, it’s unheard of for a 20-year-old to be having this kind of success. He had an MVP performance on Monday night, dropping 42 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 5 threes in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. Only two players in NBA history have posted a 40-point triple-double at age-20: Doncic and LeBron James. The sophomore is having a special campaign, his Mavericks are fifth in the West at 8-5 and he deserves to be high on this list as long as he keeps this up.
If the season ended today, Harden’s 39.2 scoring average would be the highest since Wilt Chamberlain posted 44.8 points per game in the 1962-63 season. In fact, Harden is on pace to join Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average 39 or more points in a season. (Michael Jordan came close in 1986-87, but he finished the campaign averaging 37.1 points). Harden’s shooting percentages aren’t pretty – 42.5 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from deep – but when Houston is winning and he’s averaging nearly 40 points and eight assists per game, it feels like nitpicking to complain about his efficiency. Also, it’s worth noting that his True Shooting Percentage (.618) is actually up from last season. The Rockets have won eight-straight games and are 11-3, which is the second-best record in the Western Conference (and the third-best record in the NBA). If Harden continues at this pace, this season will go down as one of the most impressive offensive displays in league history.
At this point, James has the “best player on the best team” argument going for him. He’s filling the stat sheet on a nightly basis and it’s translating into wins for the Lakers, who are an NBA-best 11-2 (with a league-best +10.2 average point differential) thus far. Can the Lakers sustain this level of play? That remains to be seen, but James will have a strong case as long as they do. If James were to win his fifth MVP award this season, he’d become the second-oldest MVP in NBA history behind only Karl Malone (who was named Most Valuable Player in his age-35 season). Malone was 35 years and 284 days old at the end of the 1998-99 regular season. James is also in his age-35 season, but he would only be 35 years and 107 days old at the end of this regular season. Whether he ultimately wins the honor or not, nobody can deny how impressive it is for James to be producing like this at 35 years old.
Antetokounmpo is having another incredible season and while it may not feel like past years because his cheat-code dominance is no longer fresh and surprising, at the end of the day, he’s the reigning MVP and he has somehow managed to improve his stats across the board. He’s averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage, Player Efficiency Rating, Box Plus/Minus, Defensive Rating and the list goes on and on. The advance stats love him too, as he leads all NBA players in Box Plus/Minus, Value Over Replacement Player and PER. He’s led the Bucks to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 10-3 (with an East-best +9.5 average point differential). He has the numbers, record and signature performances to potentially win back-to-back MVP awards. Also, he’s doing this without another star on his team, unlike LeBron James (who has Anthony Davis) and James Harden (who has Russell Westbrook). It remains to be seen if voters will take that into consideration, as they have in the past.
Could Sam Presti be a potential candidate for the Knicks if James Dolan decide to make changes in New York’s front office?
Rumors about trades and deals have been swirling around the Oklahoma City Thunder for months, ever since General Manager Sam Presti negotiated deals to send away OKC’s top two stars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
It seems no one has been immune to gossip. As it turns out, neither is Presti.
There’s a lot to unpack, but first, as difficult as a rebuild in Oklahoma City could be, at least the Thunder aren’t the New York Knicks.
The saga of James Dolan and David Fizdale continued this week, thanks in part to the Knicks’ 120-102 blowout loss to Chicago. Although they recovered nicely with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Fizdale is still considered to be on the hot seat, especially following the team’s previous loss to the Bulls—one in which rookie Coby White outscored the entire Knicks team by himself in the fourth quarter of the contest.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News believes that if Dolan moves to fire Fizdale during the regular season, it could also jeopardize the status of those in the front office. Should a scenario unfold where team president Steve Mills or GM Scott Perry be out of a job, one of the names reportedly being tossed around is Presti.
“There is already speculation around the league about potential front office replacements, with two names surfacing most often: Toronto president Masai Ujiri and Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti. Presti (meanwhile) sprouted from the Spurs tree and has served as the Thunder’s GM since 2007. He drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden but has been hamstrung by running a team in one the league’s smallest markets. After 12 years in OKC, it’s easy to envision him being tempted by New York.”
Right now, that’s certainly a lot of speculation. Fizdale, Mills, and Perry are all still employed and other names as potential candidates would likely come up should there be an opening in New York.
But it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable for the Knicks to make a run at Presti, should the opportunity present itself.
Myles Garrett of the Browns hit the Steelers Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet in an awful scene Thursday.
The rivalry between the Pittsburgh and Cleveland turned beyond ugly and brutal in the fourth quarter Thursday when Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett swung and hit Mason Rudolph in the head with the quarterback’s helmet in the final seconds.
AP Photo/David Richard
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was forceful in his comments about the melee with Erin Andrews after the game.
Pascal Siakam might be the Most Improved Player in the NBA….again
I wasn’t always completely sold on Pascal Siakam as the Raptors’ number one option on offense. Before you skewer me, it was a reasonable take! It’s not that Siakam was bad, it’s just that Kawhi Leonard was SO good.
It’s rare that we see a team lose what might be the best player in the league and still compete as a contender the very next season. We’ve seen it time and again — just look at the Warriors this year after losing Kevin Durant. We can even go back to the 2014 Miami Heat after they lost LeBron James. Those teams weren’t the same — in the Heat’s case, they’re only just now looking like a legit contender again.
The Raptors don’t have that problem. Why? Because of Siakam. He’s been special this year.
Siakam is Toronto’s new Kawhi Leonard
I don’t say that facetiously. It isn’t just the role he’s stepping into — it’s also the way he’s producing for the Raptors right now. Things get really interesting when digging into the numbers.
Siakam has basically been able to mirror Leonard’s production this season.
Only two players in NBA history have averaged at least 27 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting at least 35 percent from three on 50 attempts. They are Siakam and Larry Bird. That’s pretty good company if you ask me.
Obviously, he and Bird are two very different players from two very different eras. But it doesn’t matter — anytime you can be mentioned in the same breath as a Hall of Famer you’re absolutely doing something right.
He’s gotten to this point by completely changing his shot profile. He’s gone from feasting on the corners and in transition to being more of a shot creator who shoots deeper threes.
Here’s a heat map of his shot distribution from last season. The darkest spots are where he shot most from.
Now here’s the one from this season.
Big difference, right? Those darker spots are more spread out and wide ranging.
He’s creating a lot more off the dribble and taking more funky pull-up jumpers while creating separation.
Last season, that’s a Kawhi Leonard pull up. This year, it’s Siakam’s. He isn’t as good at it yet, but it’s become a legitimate tool in his tool box. Sometimes the threat of him taking these shots is just as important as his actual ability to hit them.
He’s also still a monster on the low block. He’s big enough to punish smaller guards who switch on to him and quick enough to get around burlier bigs trying to stonewall him. He scores 1.02 points per possession in the post per NBA.com’s player tracking tool.
He’s become a complete offensive player. He’s a solid shooter, a beast at the rim, a decent shot creator and a great passer at his position. The Raptors’ future is in good hands.
What Siakam is doing is incredibly rare
Let’s get a little perspective going here. Siakam has come a LONG way.
Pascal Siakam last season: 29% of 3-point attempts came from above the he break. He shot 27% on those.
Pascal Siakam this season: 75% of 3-point attempts have come from above the break. He's shooting 42% on those.
Two seasons ago, Pascal Siakam averaged 7 points per game
He went from being a role player on a playoff team that could never get over the hump two years ago to the second best player on a championship team last year. Now he’s the best player on a top seed in the conference. We rarely ever see that.
No player in NBA history has won the Most Improved Player award twice in their career. When you shatter expectations once, it’s hard repeat that. Yet, somehow, Siakam is doing it again.
I doubt he actually wins the award. He’ll be an All-Star this year and that’s more than enough recognition for the time being. But I can’t think of a player more worthy right now of MIP than the man who won it last year. That’s saying a lot.
The Orlando Magic are reportedly interested in acquiring DeMar DeRozan. How would he fit with their current players and offensive system?
DeMar DeRozan is the main asset the San Antonio Spurs received when they traded Kawhi Leonard, but he may not be in their long-term plans.
As noted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the four-time All-Star was “quite a ways apart” from agreeing to a contract extension with San Antonio before the season. As such, it remains possible that the Spurs decide to trade the 30-year-old wing before the deadline in February to get something back for the veteran shooting guard.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, one team that has expressed interest in DeRozan is the Orlando Magic (via The Ringer):
“The Spurs could always deal him sooner rather than let him walk for nothing. Multiple league sources say the Magic are scouring the trade market for scoring help and have already expressed interest in trading for DeRozan. It would surprise none of the front-office executives I’ve spoken with if the Spurs did move DeRozan.”
Orlando would certainly not be willing to part with Nikola Vucevic or Aaron Gordon for a 30-year-old DeRozan. But perhaps for one of the Magic’s more ancillary pieces, a deal would be realistic.
Considering that DeRozan is one of the most prolific mid-range shooters of the last decade, the first question is whether the Magic would allow him to play that style if such a transaction occurred.
First, to properly contextualize just how important this is to his offensive role, the San Antonio wing is currently averaging more mid-range field goal attempts per game (7.0) than any other player in the league. In fact, he has connected on more mid-range field goals (33) than six different NBA teams have so far this season.
Orlando would be a natural fit in this regard considering they rank third among all NBA teams in frequency of mid-range shots, per Cleaning the Glass.
Last season, Magic wing (and former DeRozan teammate) Terrence Ross ranked ninth in mid-range field goals attempted. Considering that coach Steve Clifford allowed Ross to fire so often in this zone, the expectation should be that DeRozan would be given a similar green light.
When including passes, DeRozan has finished nearly half of his offensive possessions as the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll. That would also make him a strong fit alongside Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, who leads all active players in scoring (6.6 ppg) from these sets.
Vucevic ranks Top 5 in total scoring on pick-and-pop opportunities and just a few slots behind current DeRozan teammate LaMarcus Aldridge. The two-man offense of Vucevic and DeRozan is quite a bit better than anything else Orlando has on their roster.
But perhaps the biggest need that the Magic have right now is a lack of any one-on-one scoring threat. The team currently ranks 29th in isolation points, averaging just 3.1 ppg.
DeRozan ranks Top 20 among all NBA players on ISOs (2.5 ppg), more than doubling the output of Orlando’s current isolation-scoring leader DJ Augustin (0.9 ppg). For context: DeRozan has finished Top 20 in isolation-scoring each season since 2012-13.
In fact, he averaged almost exactly as many points (4.1 ppg) on ISOs as the entire Magic roster (4.2 ppg) last season. When including his passes in 2018-10, only Houston’s James Harden produced more points per game on this play type.
For the Magic to return to the playoffs after making it last year, a scorer like DeRozan would go a long way. If San Antonio is willing to accept a discount on a trade just so they don’t lose him for nothing as a free agent in July, he could be an interesting addition for Orlando.
