Tag: ballers

2024 NBA Draft: Rob Dillingham is a must-draft if he falls to Sixers at No. 16 nba,draft,rob,dillingham,is,a,must,draft,if,he,falls,to,sixers,at,no,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Kentucky’s Robert Dillingham.

Coming off his freshman season, most draft analysts had Rob Dillingham as a surefire lottery pick. However, with the top of this draft’s murkiness, combined with other prospects rising, many around the league are thinking he could fall out of the lottery entirely. If he’s available at 16, should the Sixers take him despite not being the best fit? Let’s break it down.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 32 games, 23.3 minutes, 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 47.5% FG, 44.4% 3P, 79.6% FT

Team: Kentucky

Year: Freshman

Position: PG

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’1” | 164.2 lbs

Born: January 4th, 2005 (19 years old)

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

High School: Donda Academy (Simi Valley, California)

Strengths

Rob Dillingham shines offensively as a shot creator. He’s shifty and is more than capable changing directions on a whim. He gets to where he wants more times than not, finishing with runners or crafty layups. Dillingham also is a proven shooter, who hit nearly half of his catch-and-shoot threes during his freshman season. Whether it’s off movement or standard spot-ups, he’s solidified himself as one of the best shooters in this draft. Off ball, he’s more than willing to cut or even set screens, which could pair great with a playmaking big (cough, Joel Embiid, cough). Dillingham’s four assists per game don’t scream playmaker, but he’s very skilled; he’s capable of cross-court kickouts or wraparound passes. At Kentucky, Dillingham drastically improved as a passer, passing out of pick-and-rolls in 57 percent of possessions (per Synergy). Defensively, Dillingham plays with effort and chases shooters through screens and handoffs.

Weaknesses

Dillingham’s commendable defensive effort has come back to bite him at times. He’s been erratic at times, getting too handsy, lost, or out of position too often. Dillingham’s frame is small, both in size and weight. Unlike other guards (such as Tyrese Maxey who is 6-foot-2 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan), he doesn’t have a big wingspan which may limit his defensive potential even if he does add some weight or size. While Dillingham has improved as a passer, there’s still some room for more improvement — his passes often require his teammates to catch and adjust accordingly. At the college level, Dillingham proved to be a capable finisher but the NBA’s increased size and length may challenge his ability.

Positional Fit

Barring a huge growth spurt, Dillingham will almost certainly be a full-time point guard at the next level. He simply lacks the size or length to defend twos or other positions. Comparing his play style to other players, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Kemba Walker — a smaller guard who used his quickness, shiftiness and handle to break down defenders.

Draft Projection

SB Nation mock draft: No. 12th, OKC Thunder

Most have Rob Dillingham as a sure-fire lottery pick, however recent rumors and reports suggest that he might slip out of the top-14. If he’s available at 16, I think it would be a borderline no-brainer move to draft him. Dillingham’s talent alone is legit, and while there would be size concerns alongside Tyrese Maxey, they could ease him into the league in a backup/fringe rotation role. Or they could draft Dillingham and use him in a future deal. Several rebuilding teams need up-and-coming point guards and there would be a real market for him if he’s made available.

Report: Clippers could be ‘calling [Paul George’s] bluff’ in contract talks report,clippers,could,be,calling,paul,george,s,bluff,in,contract,talks,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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That’s a wrap on the NBA Season, and the dreaded Boston Celtics fans get to party in the streets for the 13th time since 1957.

If the Sixers want to beat a team with as much top-end firepower as the team that Danny Ainge (now with the Jazz, although he did most of the heavy lifting here), Mike Zarren and current President Brad Stevens have built, they’re going to need major reinforcements.

The name at the top of Daryl Morey’s wishlist is Clippers’ star Paul George. PG has a player option for the coming season worth $48.7M.

But we heard reports earlier this season that Steve Ballmer, by far the NBA’s richest owner worth an estimated $129.7B, was hesitant to allow his front office to offer PG more money than Kawhi Leonard on a potential extension.

Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, is the Clippers best player when healthy. But as Sixers fans know all too well, that “when healthy” distinction is kind of a big asterisk. PG, now 34, isn’t exactly an exemplar of perfect health himself, but he was the safer bet than Leonard to be healthy by playoff time. And he seems like the safer bet for the next three-four seasons as well.

On ESPN’s “Get UP” Monday, insider Brian Windhorst speculated on the latest from Clipperville:

“What is interesting to me is that is that the Clippers are very aware that somebody is going to offer [George] a four-year max contract. Whether that’s the 76ers or the Magic or a team could even trade for him. But there’s another thing with Paul George that I want to point out. He has an option in his contract. It’s known as ‘The Chris Paul Move.’ Where you come to a team and say ‘I’m either going to sign with this team over here, or you’re gonna pick up my option and trade me there.’ So even if you don’t have cap space, a team for example, like the New York Knicks. Okay, if they wanted Paul George they could say ‘okay, you could come to us, we’ll trade for you.’ You don’t have to sign him outright. Clippers know all this is gonna go on. And yet they’re still not making this offer. They’re still not [inaudible] to do this. And so if you get to July 1st, and the Clippers have done this, they’re gonna play hardball, that’s when you know he’s truly gonna be in the market. I suspect the Clippers read, at least on June 17th, is that they’re calling his bluff. They don’t actually think he’s gonna leave his hometown of L.A. to go to Philly or Orlando or some thing like that.”

This stalemate would seem to have begun back in January.

The Clippers essentially drew a line in the sand implying PG wasn’t deserving of what Kawhi was (three years, $152M) received last January, offering him less on an extension. PG wisely scoffed at the insulting, paltry bid. Now that miscalculation may bite them.

If George opts out, he is eligible to sign a four-year deal (the NBA’s “Over 38” rule forbids teams from offering him a fifth year) max deal worth up to roughly $221.1M. Possessing George’s Bird Rights, the Clips can offer the nine-time All-Star 8 percent raises, while all other teams can only offer 5 percent raises.

That means the Sixers can “only” offer George $212.5M over the same deal. Still, it’s only an $8.6M difference.

As one might expect in any ongoing negotiation, the PG-to-Philly barometer has swung a few times lately. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski back in May reported that, “The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.”

But Windy is, more recently at least, singing a different tune.

Examining that Chris Paul opt-in-and-trade scenario (the kind Daryl Morey, while in Houston, once famously executed to rescue Chris Paul from Doc Rivers the Clips), with an expanding salary cap, it does seem PG could make more money long-term by opting in.

But he’d have to wait six months, and if any player knows that catastrophic injuries can occur, it’s PG, who broke his leg in multiple places back in 2014 during USA Team play.

If I were deciding between $212M today or waiting I’m not sure I’d want to risk playing from November through January for the additional ~$12M. Additionally, PG could learn the “Carmelo Anthony” lesson, and try to avoid depleting whichever new team he wants to play for of precious draft assets they’d need later to beat the Celtics.

So the best news here is that it appears the Clippers are still playing hardball with George. They’ve done nothing to suggest thus far that they feel he’s worth every penny of a max deal. As stellar as the quintessential triple-threat-3-and-D wing has been, with a new arena set to open, deciding he couldn’t make as much as Leonard, now trying to catch a bluff? It’s all pretty weird. Imagine how Kawhi would feel if they wound up letting him walk for nothing in return?

Is there any chance they’re pulling a bit of a 2023 version of the Morey-with-Harden, and sending these silent signals in hopes he opts in, so that they can make a blockbuster move? Unlike Beard, PG has max offers elsewhere tempting him not to do that.

The less good news for the Sixers here is this idea that PG could ultimately make more money by opting in, which could give him incentive to listen to pitches from contenders without cap space. Yuck.

The Sixers can spend up to $65M in cap. But if other teams can trade for him — with plans to extend him come January for even more than the max he’ll command in July — well, you can see the problem there. Miami? Cleveland? New York?

George, a CAA client shares an agent with Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson. The Knicks have been linked to PG in some reports too.

If PG felt Brunson is a safer bet than Embiid to be healthy come next year’s playoffs… maybe that throws a monkeywrench in the works for Morey — even if things fall apart with PG and the Clips.

But let’s focus on the good news for today. The Clippers appear to think that PG won’t leave, they certainly aren’t rolling out any red carpets like Morey is, and are perhaps “calling a bluff.” That would, I’d argue, mark the second time they’ve insulted him in five months. First, by deciding he’s not worth what Leonard was last January, and again now, knowing that other teams are prepared to drop a full stack, while they quibble over an amount that equates to about 0.17% of Ballmer’s total net worth.

Report: Sixers work out former first-round pick Sam Dekker report,sixers,work,out,former,first,round,pick,sam,dekker,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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Well, the day after some team won the NBA Finals, there is a bit of Sixers slop … though maybe not the slop fans were hoping for.

The team reportedly worked out 2015 first-round pick Sam Dekker, per John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Dekker starred for a Wisconsin team that lost the 2015 national title game to Jahlil Okafor and Duke. Since being drafted by Daryl Morey — then with the Houston Rockets — Dekker has been unable to find solid footing in the NBA. He’s spent a good chunk of his pro career overseas, playing in Russia, Turkey and most recently in England. He was actually named the British Basketball League’s MVP for the 2022-23 season.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Dekker had NBA stints with the Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. He also had a cup of coffee in Toronto to start the 2021-22 season. The Raptors’ head coach at the time: Nick Nurse. Nurse also has plenty of experience coaching in the BBL, where Dekker most recently played.

Beyond connections with the current Sixers team, it is an outside-the-box idea to work out a player that showed so much promise but frankly hasn’t been good enough to stick in the league. Dekker, now 30, is athletic, long and skilled, but his shot has been inconsistent as a pro. He hit 35.5% of his threes for the London Lions this season, but didn’t shoot it as well the previous couple years.

For now, this is just a workout, but it’s easy to see why this is an avenue Morey is exploring. While the Sixers could have upwards of $65 million in cap space and multiple draft picks to move, if they’re able to land a big fish — hello, Paul George — Morey will have to get creative to fill out the rest of the roster. Signing someone like Dekker to a minimum contract would certainly be creative. Only time will tell if it’d be effective.

Sixers to once again take part in Salt Lake City Summer League sixers,to,once,again,take,part,in,salt,lake,city,summer,league,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-schedule

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With the 2024 NBA Draft rapidly approaching, more offseason dates have begun to be finalized. The Utah Jazz announced today their schedule for the three-day summer league that will take place in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The Sixers, who have become regulars in the Utah summer session, are one of four teams that will participate from July 8-10. They’ll kick things off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 8, then take on the Memphis Grizzlies on the 9th, and will wrap things up against the Jazz on the 10th.

Since they began participating in it back in 2016, the Utah summer league is a bit of an appetizer for the Vegas summer league, in which all 30 teams participate in a tournament.

The Sixers still have some time to fill out their summer league roster with the draft set to take place next week. It’s likely Terquavion Smith and Ricky Council IV will be out there based off of Daryl Morey’s exit interview comments. Only time will tell if the No. 16 and No. 41 overall picks will be joining them for Philly’s summer session.

2024 NBA Draft: Jalen Bridges has the makings of a 3-and-D player with upside at the next level. nba,draft,jalen,bridges,has,the,makings,of,a,and,d,player,with,upside,at,the,next,level,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Baylor’s Jalen Bridges.

After starting his collegiate career near home at West Virginia, Jalen Bridges transferred to Baylor for his final two seasons. As a redshirt senior in 2023-24, Bridges was a huge part of the Bears’ success, showing off the type of skillset that makes him an ideal 3-and-D wing prospect — and possibly more.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 35 games, 31.7 minutes, 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 46.6% FG, 41.2% 3P, 82.3% FT

Team: Baylor

Year: Redshirt senior

Position: SF/PF

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’6.75” | 213.4 lbs

Born: May 14, 2001 (23 years old)

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

High School: Fairmont Senior High School

Strengths

Jalen Bridges has developed into a dynamic shooter with clean mechanics, capable of shooting off of screens or off the dribble. He displayed some level of shot creation in some of his pull-up jumpers, showcasing in-out dribbles on drives and spin moves. He likely won’t ever be a full-time ball hander, but he can at least attack closeouts or take the ball up the court on fast breaks. Bridges is a smart player and moves well off the ball often relocating on the perimeter for threes or cutting at the right time for opportunities at the rim. Defensively, Bridges uses his 6-10 wingspan well and is able to switch onto a variety on positions. He slides his feet well, along with disrupting passing lanes. Baylor liked to use zone defense, with Bridges being effective within it.

Weaknesses

Bridges is one of the more refined prospects slated to go in the second round, meaning there aren’t too many holes in his game. Prior to this year, he was an inconsistent three-point shooter — shooting 34.4 percent from three throughout his first three collegiate seasons. Compared to other multi-year prospects, he was a low-usage player which suggests he’ll never be able to be a full-time creator.

Positional Fit

Bridges has the size and quickness to guard anywhere from 1-3; even capable of guarding smaller fours. On the court, he’ll be best optimized as a true wing next to a traditional point guard. He has a lot of Royce O’Neale to his game — a wing who can guard most players, hit threes at a high clip and provide secondary playmaking.

Draft Projection

Second round

The Sixers currently are slated to pick at 41st overall, which falls right into the range most expect Jalen Bridges to go. Bridges’ age makes his ceiling lower, but most label him as a surefire second-round pick that should be able to help teams fast compared to other prospects.

Is Daryl Morey setting expectations too high for Sixers fans in free agency? is,daryl,morey,setting,expectations,too,high,for,sixers,fans,in,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis

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A few weeks into last summer’s James Harden Trade Demand saga, Sixers president Daryl Morey went on the Anthony Gargano Show and revealed his long-term plan.

“What we’re attempting to do is have the best team possible this year, but also have the ability that, if we get into a next-season situation, to be a very unique team with the most cap room of a team that’s as good as us,” he said. “That’s a very unique situation to have.”

The Sixers now have the ability to create nearly $65 million in cap space this summer, which puts them in the neighborhood of the Detroit Pistons for the league lead. The Pistons certainly do not have an established MVP and a first-time All-Star as their top two players at the moment, so Morey is technically correct in that regard.

However, the Sixers aren’t the only playoff team with that type of flexibility this offseason. The Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder both aren’t far behind. And those two wouldn’t be the Sixers’ only threats for any stars that do become available.

Cole Anthony is Orlando’s highest-paid player under guaranteed contract next year at $12.9 million, as Jonathan Isaac’s $17.4 million contract is fully non-guaranteed until Jan. 10. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs both become extension-eligible this summer, and Paolo Banchero will follow next offseason, so the Magic won’t have cap space for long. But they have the ability to carve out more than $65 million in spending power this year.

The Thunder can’t quite meet those same heights. They can create up to $37.8 million in cap space at most, barring any trades. Still, they’re fresh off a Western Conference-leading 57-win season and an appearance in the conference semifinals. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams all under contract for at least the next two years, there’s no better time for them to strike than now.

Unlike the Sixers, who enter the offseason with virtually no one under contract, the Magic and Thunder could each offer young fliers to sweeten sign-and-trade offers as well. Josh Giddey’s stock took a beating this season, especially in the playoffs, but he could be a second-draft candidate who thrives in a more ball-dominant situation elsewhere. Cole Anthony, Jett Howard and Anthony Black should all have at least some modicum of trade value, too.

All things being equal, win-now veterans would likely prefer to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey than Banchero and Wagner, and OKC can’t carve out max cap space. That should still put the Sixers in the lead for Paul George, LeBron James or any other star that decides to leave their team in free agency this summer.

However, some of the Sixers’ top targets aren’t even guaranteed to become free agents. They could pick up the player options in their respective contracts, which would widen their list of potential destinations thanks to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Teams over the first apron—projected to be $178.7 million in 2024-25—can’t acquire players via sign-and-trade. Among others, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns all project to be over either the first or second apron next year, which would take them out of the running for any sign-and-trades unless they shed a significant amount of salary.

Anyone who picks up their player option rather than becoming a free agent wouldn’t have to worry about that. They’d just be subject to the league’s normal trade rules, which are far less restrictive for teams below both aprons. Teams above either apron aren’t allowed to take back more salary in a trade than they send out, and teams above the second apron can’t aggregate contracts in trades either. Meanwhile, teams below both aprons can take back 125 percent of the salary they send out plus $250,000 as long as they send out at least $29 million in salary.

Take Paul George, for instance. The Sixers’ Plan A, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. The Sixers and Magic could both afford to sign him to a max contract in free agency, although they wouldn’t be left with much cap space with which to round out their roster. Instead, George could pick up his player option and force his way to a specific destination via trade by threatening to leave the Clippers empty-handed in free agency if they didn’t comply.

That isn’t just baseless speculation, either. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that as a legitimate possibility during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

All of this is to say: It is far more likely than not that the Sixers will whiff on signing either George or James in free agency. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be doomed or that the cap-space plan was a mistake from the start, but it means Morey and the Sixers front office might have to get creative.

“I think the actual big transactions this summer will be trades,” Windhorst added on McAfee. “Teams taking on salary in trades. Philly, potentially, if they don’t get Paul George, try to trade for guys into their cap space.”

Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine may be the more realistic high-end targets available to the Sixers this offseason. Whether they acquire either one will likely come down to asking price and offers from other teams. And if they strike out on all of their top options, Morey plans to sign players to shorter-term deals to maintain his flexibility for the next star that hits the market.

“The main mistake that could be made—that we won’t make—is if some of the better options don’t go our way,” Morey said at his end-of-season press conference. “Trade into our cap space, free agents, turn our draft picks into things. If all of those things don’t yield what we want, we are definitely not going to just sign for a lot of money some player who’s just an OK player. That’s not happening. Because that will be where we can’t continue to build a contender around Joel and Tyrese. In those scenarios, we’ll be doing shorter deals and then using our draft picks to set ourselves up for trades or set ourselves up for the next opportunity when it comes.”

That’s all well and good, but it’s clear that the Sixers plan to go star-hunting this summer. Morey telegraphed it during his end-of-season presser, and reporting since then has confirmed it.

”Philadelphia, according to league sources, views its opportunity this summer as something just shy of Golden State’s rare opening to sign Durant as a free agent without the league’s cap smoothing in 2016,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported in late May. “Teams with an MVP and an All-Star can’t typically afford to sign a maximum-salary third banana into room, while holding other avenues to spend and mid-level levers to pull, plus a cupboard of draft picks. The penalties baked into the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement are almost designed to dissuade that exact coalition.”

The Durant signing led the Warriors to win two straight championships and make it to a third straight Finals before Durant and Klay Thompson both suffered major leg injuries. The Sixers would be lucky to make a single Finals thanks to whatever they do this offseason. It’s clear that they’re aiming high, though, which means they’re setting themselves up for criticism and setting fans up for disappointment if they come up short.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

2024 NBA Draft: Is Virginia’s Ryan Dunn the next Herb Jones? nba,draft,is,virginia,s,ryan,dunn,the,next,herb,jones,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Virginia’s Ryan Dunn.

Ryan Dunn was a defensive menace at Virginia, racking up steals and blocks last season on his way to being an ACC All-Defensive Team pick. Though there are offensive limitations, Dunn could very well be the most impactful defensive prospect in the draft.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 34 games, 27.5 minutes, 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks, 54.8% FG, 20% 3P, 53.2% FT

Team: Virginia

Year: Sophomore

Position: SG/SF

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’6.25” | 213.6 lbs

Born: January 7th, 2003 (21 years old)

Hometown: Brookville, New York

High School: Perkiomen School (Pennsburg, PA)

Strengths

Ryan Dunn is considered by many analysts to be the best defender in this draft. He has speed in general; able to close out under control and rotate on defense. He’s able to switch onto a variety of positions with ease, using his 7-foot-1.5” wingspan. He’s an elite rim protector given his position, with great timing and instincts on when to help. Albeit limited, Dunn also plays within his offensive role well, limiting turnovers and other mistakes. Dunn uses his athleticism well offensively and is great at attacking closeouts in a straight line. Capable of using both hands when finishing.

Weaknesses

Dunn is a limited shooter behind the arc, shooting 23.5 percent from three over his two collegiate seasons on less than an attempt per game. Doesn’t have any midrange game, either. Has shown very little, if any, shooting improvement. Barring significant shooting improvements, Dunn will need to be used closer to the rim or as a screener in the NBA — which could potentially limit his playing time. Offensively, he hasn’t shown any ability to create his own shot outside of the transition game or straight-line drives.

Positional Fit

Due to his lack of perimeter shooting, Dunn will likely be used as a power forward at the next level. Fortunately, he does finish well at the rim and rebounds well for his size — both of which should allow him to play around the rim at the dunker spot. Think of Andre Roberson if he was a better finisher around the rim and had a bit more size.

Draft Projection

Second round

Multiple contending teams will be looking at Dunn once the second round comes, however recent reports suggest that he might be gone well before then. HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto reports that some NBA executives say Dunn could be gone by pick No. 25. Teams are always in need of wing defenders and Dunn’s defense is arguably the realest in the entire draft. His limited offensive game will likely keep him from going really high, but it sounds like he might be one of this draft’s late risers.

2024 NBA Draft: Dillon Jones might be the most unique player in the entire draft nba,draft,dillon,jones,might,be,the,most,unique,player,in,the,entire,draft,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Weber State’s Dillon Jones.

Dillon Jones was a dominant force in the Big Sky, taking home the conference’s Player of the Year award in 2023-24. His usage rate and overall efficiency improved in all four of his collegiate seasons at Weber State. His versatility makes him one of the most unique prospects in this year’s draft.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 31 games, 37.0 minutes, 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.1 blocks, 48.9% FG, 32.4% 3P, 85.7% FT

Team: Weber State

Year: Redshirt Junior

Position: Forward

Height (without shoes) & Weight: 6’4.5” | 236.8 lbs

Born: October 9, 2001 (22 years old)

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

High School: Sunrise Christian Prep

Strengths

Jones is built like a tank and appears ready for the NBA from a physicality standpoint. What’s impressive is how smooth he is with the ball in his hands at that size. He possesses a strong handle and wide-ranging bag. He’s able to finish through and around defenders while looking mighty comfortable pulling up in the midrange. He’s a below-the-rim player, but has a quick first step which showed when he crushed the shuttle run at the combine. While he didn’t shoot it well from three, his success inside the arc and elite free throwing shooting make him a projectable threat to stretch the floor.

He will certainly be able to handle guarding bigger forwards thanks to his sturdy frame and 6-11 wingspan. He showed excellent off-ball instincts, recording two steals a game last season. He’s also an outstanding rebounder, averaging double-digit boards in two of his four seasons.

Weaknesses

As mentioned, Jones is not an elite athlete. While he might have enough craftiness and skill to overcome that on the offensive end, it might be tough for him to hang with quicker wings and guards. And while his shot from deep is projectable, it’s just that — a projection. The 32.4% from three he hit last season was easily a career high.

The bigger issue with evaluating Jones is going to be the level of competition he played against. Once upon a time, Damian Lillard starred at Weber State, became a top-10 pick and is now a future Hall of Famer. Outside of Lillard, there aren’t really any success stories out of that school.

Positional Fit

Jones will likely be a combo forward at the next level, but a very unique one. If he can improve his shot and guard smaller players, he has the makings of an extremely versatile player on both ends of the floor.

Draft Projection

Second round

Jones is fascinating player. I’d be leery of the small school factor, but he is just good at basketball. Players that can dribble, shoot and pass at that size don’t grow on trees. His long wingspan could help him overcome some of the athletic deficiencies at the next level. He feels like a player that could fit on just about any team, including the Sixers — if he can make threes consistently.

Joel Embiid seemingly recruits potential soon-to-be free agent Paul George on live TV at the NBA Finals joel,embiid,seemingly,recruits,potential,soon,to,be,free,agent,paul,george,on,live,tv,at,the,nba,finals,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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The Celtics are about to win the NBA Finals. Who cares?

The most important thing to happen ahead of Game 4 was Joel Embiid popping on NBA Countdown on ESPN — seated next to potential free-agent-to-be Paul George.

Social media was abuzz as soon as that picture went live. George, a nine-time All-Star, has a player option with the Clippers for the 2024-25 season. If he declines that option, he’ll hit free agency. If that happens, the Sixers are expected to be the top team after his services.

When Embiid spoke, he made sure to let everyone know how he felt about the basketball team from Boston:

Embiid has been steadfast over the years in saying that he doesn’t want to meddle with what the team’s front office is doing. But when the opportunity presented itself, he seemingly made a not-so-subtle pitch to George on live television. Below is a zoomed in look at the video above.

Embiid is a former MVP. One of the best players on the planet. Even at his size, there are few things he can’t do on a basketball court.

But subtlety has never been his strength.

For many Sixers fans, this is likely a welcomed sight (depending on how you feel about the team signing George). Embiid basically saying on ESPN, “Hey, Daryl, this is the player we should get!” is quite the departure from his previous offseason approaches.

For what it’s worth, George has admired Embiid from afar and the two have developed a relationship. Just this past season, George gushed about Embiid on his podcast, calling the big man this generation’s version of Shaquille O’Neal.

The funny thing is you would think Tyrese Maxey, who grew up in Garland, Texas, would be there in Dallas to join the recruitment wagon. Alas, Maxey appears to be in Paris for an event with New Balance. Perhaps Maxey joined Embiid and George for a late-night FaceTime call.

While we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves, Embiid being in Dallas at the NBA Finals while George is also there feels mighty purposeful.

2024 NBA Finals: Game 4 Thread nba,finals,game,thread,liberty,ballers,front-page

On: By: admin


We already basically know the Boston Celtics are our 2024 NBA Champions. (Excuse me while I choke down the vomit threatening to rise up the back of my throat.) NBA teams who go up 3-0 in a seven-game series are 151-0. Teams that go up 3-0 in the Finals are 12-0, and have completed the sweep seven out of 12 times. It would take something literally unprecedented in the history of the league for Boston to not emerge the victor. And we’re looking at about even money that the season ends tonight, which current betting lines agree with, as DraftKings lists the Dallas Mavericks as just one-point favorites in tonight’s Game 4.

The question remains as to how the Celtics will be crowned champions. Will they complete the sweep tonight, capping an incredibly efficient regular season and dominant postseason run, after which we’ll have to have a reckoning about their place among the better teams of all time? They were a star-studded superteam completely unselfish with the ball offensively and terrorizing at the point of attack on defense. I, for one, sure hope not. Or can Dallas fight back, winning a game or maybe even two? We can then return to thinking in the back of our minds, ‘Sure, Boston was a good team, but they had a super easy path laid out in front of them and we don’t know how they would have responded to a real challenge.’ That would be a nice, cozy place to go back to heading into the offseason.

On one final note, I don’t understand all the backlash towards Luka Doncic. Are there areas of his game he could improve upon? Sure. But the Mavericks fought through a tremendously talented Western Conference to reach the Finals with him as the centerpiece. The young man is getting pain-killing injections to go out there and play and his teammates largely haven’t stepped up against Boston like we saw in prior rounds. There’s really no shame in losing to a better team, and the fact that everyone wants to bury him for fouling out in Game 3 just seems a little misguided. Yeah, some of those fouls were really poor decisions on his part, but I also felt he got a rough whistle (perhaps because the refs are sick of him chirping at them), he’s playing hurt and soaking up a ton of usage, and Boston always seems to have some answer for what the Mavs throw at them. It’s understandable if Luka is getting a little frustrated during these games. It’ll be a good learning experience for him.

We’ll see what happens tonight and whether we’ll have a Game 5.

Game Details

Who: Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Watch: ABC
Follow: @LibertyBallers