Tag: Zach Lowe

Could former Boston Celtic Kemba Walker be Los Angeles bound in a trade?

The UConn product is seen as a logical fit in either team based in the southern California city.

Could former Boston Celtics starting point guard Kemba Walker soon be calling Los Angeles home? According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe on a recent episode of his “Lowe Post” podcast, the eponymous host speculated that either the Clippers or the Lakers might have interest in the UConn standout.

“I think both the L.A. teams are going to be sniffing around Kemba Walker. I think that’s the market,” explained Lowe, connecting the dots between both team’s lack of backcourt scoring and the player Boston dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder to start their offseason. Whether either team has what the Thunder would want given their massive trove of draft assets is a question needing an answer before we see the former Celtic in La-La land, however.

“I don’t know if they have whatever Oklahoma City wants, but that’s the level that I think they can target,” observed the ESPN NBA insider.

While it might hurt the eyes of Celtics fans to see Walker in purple and gold, landing with either team would put the New Yorker in a position to impact winning in the way he most wants at this stage of his career.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Kenrich Williams makes Zach Lowe’s ‘Luke Walton All-Stars’ list

OKC Thunder forward Kenrich Williams has found his niche this season and earned a spot on Zach Lowe’s ‘Luke Walton All-Stars’ list.

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Each year, ESPN reporter Zach Lowe publishes a piece dubbed “The Luke Walton All-Stars” to recognize journeymen and role players in the league who have carved out a role for themselves and made an imprint on their team.

In this year’s rendition, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams made the team.

Well, “forward” might not quite be the right distinction. It’s not totally clear what position Williams plays, especially after he started at point guard on Tuesday and did reasonably well at it.

“I don’t even think I have a position anymore,” he said to Lowe.

That’s what has helped Williams become a perfect role player for this Thunder team that is trending toward relatively positionless basketball. His ability to guard anyone he was assigned to and switch onto any position made him a valuable piece of OKC.

He was so valuable that not only did teams come calling at the trade deadline, according to Lowe, but he was not traded even during a tanking season.

Prior to Williams’ senior year, his TCU coach Jamie Dixon told him that he only had one high-level skill. That would have to change if he wanted to reach the NBA. Lowe wrote:

“‘You have one NBA skill: rebounding,'” Dixon told him. “‘You can make the NBA if you become a 40% 3-point shooter.'”

He made 39.5% of his looks from deep as a senior, found a spot as an undrafted free agent, and was traded to the Thunder last offseason.

Williams took that leap from rebounder and hustler to true basketball player this year. His 44.4% 3-point shooting is the best on the Thunder, and his 2-point percentage of 56.8% is fourth-best, behind two centers and George Hill (excluding Darius Miller, who attempted six total shots inside arc this season).

Kenny Hustle, who played every Thunder game until he was forced to sit so the team could get playing time for players they were still evaluating, has found a role in the league that will last.

He should have no issue securing a second contract once this one is over following the 2022-23 season.

He’s not just a role player. He’s a Luke Walton All-Star.

Zach Lowe: ‘Gilgeous-Alexander belongs in the All-Star conversation’

ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote the 10 Things column that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves All-Star consideration for his play with the OKC Thunder.

Like Oklahoma City Thunder fans, ESPN’s Zach Lowe must have looked at the most recent round of all-star voting with a sigh of disapproval.

Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fell out of the top 10 guards of the Western Conference in the latest release of voting results Thursday.

This came less than a week after Gilgeous-Alexander made Lowe’s 10 Things column in which he writes about 10 things he likes (or doesn’t like). One of the “like” sections was the Thunder guard, a portion Lowe closed by writing:

“Gilgeous-Alexander belongs in the All-Star conversation.”

Lowe appreciates the way Gilgeous-Alexander has been able to seamlessly change his role on his team, going from a guard who played as much off-ball as he did on to a star on-ball.

“Gilgeous-Alexander might have the NBA’s hardest job, transitioning from hybrid guard on a playoff team to lead orchestrator amid a rebuild. The two veterans in Oklahoma City’s starting five — George Hill and Al Horford — have missed 13 games combined.” (Note: Since Lowe’s article was published, that has increased to 19 games).

Lowe added that neither Hill nor Horford are high-volume creators — “With or without them, the burden on Gilgeous-Alexander is gigantic.”

Yet the third-year guard has thrived in his first season as The Guy.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 22.6 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 50.6% from the floor and 38.2% from 3, both of which are career highs even with the increase in usage and shot attempts.

He makes the rebuilding team about average when he’s on the court.

Oklahoma City’s offense approaches league-average production with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, and craters without him: 95 points per 100 possessions, nine below the league’s clankiest team (as of Feb. 5). That says something about Gilgeous-Alexander’s untested backups and the Thunder’s overall roster — but also about how Gilgeous-Alexander has managed to lift that crew to respectability. (That said, keep an eye on Theo Maledon. He’s got something.)

That’s also a nice little compliment for Maledon, the Thunder rookie guard.

The Thunder need Gilgeous-Alexander back soon. In the last two games he has missed with a left knee sprain, Oklahoma City has lost by one point to the Los Angeles Lakers and by two to the Denver Nuggets. It was clear they needed a creator at the end of the game. While the offense has shown it can score even without a real point guard, there isn’t a player who can just call for an iso and go to work.

Gilgeous-Alexander has already proven he can do that. Lowe would not disagree.

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ESPN’s Zach Lowe details what went wrong for Pelicans inside bubble

Numerous things inside the bubble went wrong for the New Orleans Pelicans, ending in them bowing out after eight games.

The New Orleans Pelicans were one of the worst teams inside the NBA’s bubble. Their struggles in the NBA’s restart in Orlando were also amplified by their position coming in as one of the challengers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

There are a variety of things that changed for the Pelicans inside the bubble, some within their control and some not. The team was never able to replicate the chemistry they had before the bubble, one of the things out of their control. But they also did not execute at the level they did before the bubble either, which they could control.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe included New Orleans in his weekly “Ten NBA things I like and don’t like” column and tried to look at some of the reasons for New Orleans failures and what their outlook for the future is after falling flat in the bubble.

First, he discussed Lonzo Ball’s struggles and what his future holds.

“Lonzo Ball’s jumper deserted him (again) until it was too late.

…

If Ball remains in New Orleans — and remains engaged — he could evolve into a tweener guard specializing in kick-aheads, extra passes, lobs to Williamson, and (basketball gods willing) just enough spot-up 3s.”

As Lowe notes, Ball’s ability to hit spot-up 3s will determine how long and how successful a career he will have in the NBA. His junior season featured him breaking out as a shooter but whether it was a flash in the pan or turning a corner will yet be determined.

Lowe also looked at the biggest area of struggles for the Pelicans in their defensive woes.

“New Orleans was an unthinkable minus-58 in 104 bubble minutes with (Zion) Williamson on the floor. They allowed almost 130 points per 100 possessions — not quite the level where you’d be better off fouling the worst opposing free throw shooter, but not all that far away. It appears New Orleans’ improvement on defense with Williamson on the floor in February and March was part illusion — built on (among other things) random bricky 3-point shooting from meh opponents.”

The Pelicans’ defensive rating shot up after Williamson’s debut but it was a largely unsustainable improvement. Similarly, though, their performance inside the bubble is likely unsustainable in the other direction. Williamson, specifically, had a rough go of it on the defensive end in the bubble, as is often the case with rookies. He will only improve with more time in the NBA.

The entire section is worth a read for Pelicans fans as it paints both a grim picture of the Pelicans’ play in the bubble and also a bright picture for the future of the franchise.

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He confirmed that Wednesday with …

He confirmed that Wednesday with IndyStar: “This has been done for a while now.” It was signed in July. And the Pacers came to him about it. Former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy said on ESPN’s Zach Lowe’s podcast last week that McMillan’s job was “in trouble” which led to speculation about who his replacement might be. With his deal being done for more than month, that clearly had no impact on the Pacers getting the deal done now.

Zach Lowe puts Thunder PG Chris Paul on All-NBA Second Team ballot

Zach Lowe had Chris Paul on his All-NBA Second Team ballot and did not include former Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have less than a full season of hindsight, but they can already laugh knowing they got multiple draft picks to go with Chris Paul who was seen by some as simple salary cap filler in the Russell Westbrook trade.

Paul, who helped the Thunder far surpass expectations this year, was voted to the All-NBA Second Team on ESPN reporter Zach Lowe’s ballot, the analyst revealed Wednesday.

His second team is Paul, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic.

The first team guards were LeBron James and James Harden. Third team guards were Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum.

Lowe wrote that including Paul wasn’t a tough decision.

“Second team was pretty easy. Paul has a shockingly airtight case considering he averaged eight or 10 points fewer than most candidates. The advanced stats for Paul and Butler are overwhelming — way above Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Trae Young, Kyle Lowry, and, yes, Russell Westbrook.”

Paul’s traditional stats of 17.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds don’t stand out compared to the others, but his advanced stats and clutch time numbers showed just how impactful he was for the transitioning Thunder team.

“Those (advanced) numbers capture Paul’s value as an off-ball shooting threat and ace defender. He was the league’s best crunch-time player, and it was not close. He shot a preposterous 46-of-86 in the last five minutes of close games, and the Thunder were an uber-preposterous plus-109 in 160 such minutes with Paul on the floor.”

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Lowe also considered Paul for an All-Defensive team, calling him one of the six “toughest guard omissions.”

“Lowry and Paul are aging, surrounded by enough defensive talent that their teams often stash them against less dynamic spot-up guys. They are still massively valuable off to the side. They flash into driving and passing lanes at precisely the right moments.”

Perhaps the most notable part of Lowe’s list is that he didn’t include Westbrook. The guard had atrocious shooting numbers for much of the season and was actually left off Lowe’s All-Star ballot in late January.

Over the last few months of the season, Westbrook posted phenomenal numbers, including much-improved shooting, but it was too late of a surge.

Lowe called Westbrook one of the three toughest guard omissions for the All-NBA team, along with Lowry and Booker.

He called Westbrook’s stat line “bonkers”  but said advanced stats and the eye test both show how lacking his 3-point shot and defense are. His 2-point percentage also isn’t nearly as good as that of Simmons, who made the third team.

“Houston’s frenetic pace and team design — everyone stand around while these two dudes do everything — inflate Westbrook’s numbers a little.

Let me say it loudly: Westbrook was good, and then spectacular for two months. He will make lots of ballots, and that’s fine. He barely misses here.”

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Chris Paul mentioned by ESPN reporters in All-Defensive Team discussion

Chris Paul may not be in his prime, but he’s still among the better defensive guards in the league, Zach Lowe and Kevin Arnovitz agreed.

Chris Paul may have lost a step since his prime, but he hasn’t taken a leap backward.

Paul was mentioned by ESPN reporters Zach Lowe and Kevin Arnovitz as a dark-horse candidate for an NBA All-Defensive Team at guard, though he wasn’t on either reporter’s final list.

Neither went into detail about Paul, simply mentioning him as a player they considered while discussing honorable mentions for the award on The Lowe Post podcast.

Arnovitz said that right now — and it could change by the time ballots are submitted — he would go with Marcus Smart and Kyle Lowry on the First Team and Eric Bledsoe and Ben Simmons on the Second Team.

Lowe said his current ballot would have Smart and Simmons on the First Team with Kris Dunn and Jrue Holiday on the Second Team, though that final spot on the Second Team in particular may be changed.

“There’s bunch of guys, but this spot came down to Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Beverley, and Chris Paul, and I just thought Jrue Holiday was a little bit better,” Lowe said.

While Paul averaged 1.6 steals per game and ranked eighth among guards in defensive real plus-minus, other advanced stats including defensive rating and FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR were not as friendly.

But simply being a name brought up in his 15th season after getting back to the All-Star game for the first time in four years is an accomplishment.

Other players Lowe and Arnovitz mentioned as guards they considered included Beverley, Danny Green, Fred VanVleet, Gary Harris, Dejounte Murray, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Okogie, Alex Caruso, De’Anthony Melton, and Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, whichever Celtics player would be considered a guard.

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Jared Dudley: Lakers aren’t trying to win title ‘for Kobe,’ but there is added inspiration

Jared Dudley said on The Lowe Post that the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t trying to win the title “for Kobe,” but there is added inspiration.

Since the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, many outsiders have thought there could be a larger purpose for the Los Angeles Lakers’ season.

Winning the championship while honoring the memory of Bryant seems by many to be a greater accomplishment than winning a typical title.

Lakers forward Jared Dudley refuted that notion when he appeared as a guest on Zach Lowe of ESPN’s The Lowe Post podcast.

Dudley said there might be more inspiration for the Lakers, but he made clear the club isn’t trying to win the championship just for the fallen legend.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh let’s win this for Kobe.’ Yeah, I mean obviously you’d want to win for Kobe; we want to win for Laker Nation, we want to win for us… You don’t come to the Lakers with LeBron (James) and Anthony Davis not to win… If anything, it’s just more inspiration.”

On Feb. 24, the day the Lakers organization held a memorial honoring Bryant, Gianna and the other victims, Dudley opened up publicly on the Lowe Post.

He said the team mourned Bryant as a group and told stories of the legend in the days following the Jan. 26 helicopter crash.

“Everything that’s elephant in the room has been talked about. Talked about Kobe and what our mission is,” Dudley said. “The goal’s still the same. Yes, is there added pressure? Yeah, you could say that… I wouldn’t say it makes it harder, no — I think winning a championship’s hard enough.”

Dudley said that during one of the discussions, Bryant confidant Rob Lara told the team how Bryant spoke about some of the individual players over the course of his career, including how Anthony Davis “was a bad boy” and how Dudley “used to foul (Bryant) a lot in Phoenix.”

Learning new stories about Bryant and the way he viewed his peers meant a lot to the team.

“No one knows who that guy is behind the scenes, and how he was with Kobe night and day, his China trips, Germany, everywhere he went, and for him … (to) express that to us, we had a little bit more a piece of Kobe in us after that speech than I ever had before.”

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