I think this piece by Kevin O'Connor is an interesting read. I especially thought the bit about Westbrook was interesting. https://www.theringer.com/nba-previ...kings-denver-miami-portland-finals-contenders
I really am worried about our depth as well. Wish Clark and Hart could show some development but they still seem unready Iguadola would be great but we see that seems unlikely...who else is available?? I trust in the Harden/Westbrook dynamic.
stopped reading here and immediately bet my life savings on the Rockets winning it all this year. smart play.
It's a fair assessment. He only has 4 teams in the 'sure-fire contender' bucket, and with the possible exception of the Lakers - who have the same depth issues we do - all are much safer bets to at least make the Finals. The Clippers are loaded and the other two are the clear favorites in the East. I do think the Lakers are getting a bit of the 'shiny toy' benefit of the doubt, but the fit between LBJ and Brow is cleaner than Harden/RW. He also has us ahead of the Jazz and well ahead of the Warriors, unlike some others. The Nuggets being ahead is also debatable, but defensible given their continuity. Overall, fair.
I don't think any analytics guy would agree with this. Analytics likes the three because almost all NBA players who shoot them make 33%+. Westbrook is 27% on the preseason, the equivalent of a 40% midrange shooter.
The thing is Westbrook has only one area of the floor where he shoots above 40% and that’s the 0-3 feet range. So even Westbrook taking 3s at his crap percentage is better than anything else he could shoot other than a shot right at the basket.