On this weeks 13 Guidelines: Random NBA Ideas Steve Purciello dives shares extra random NBA ideas. NBA 40-20 Rule, MVP Race Shake-Up, and the League’s Greatest Surprises. Ensure that to pay attention and add the 13 Guidelines: NBA Random Ideas podcast the Shot Clock Pod to your listing!
NBA 40-20 Rule Defined
For these of you that haven’t heard of the NBA 40-20 rule, I’ll clarify it. Years in the past, Phil Jackson acknowledged a crew should attain 40 wins earlier than dropping 20 video games to be a professional title contender. This yr, solely three groups have achieved this: the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs. Forty-one of the final forty-five league champions have succeeded as 40-win groups earlier than dropping 20 video games. The exceptions are the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 2005-06 Miami Warmth, and the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks. This implies the 40-20 rule has been appropriate 91% of the time.
The Clippers’ Midseason Shift
The LA Clippers started the season 6-21; since then, they’ve gone 21-10. A lot of their success was because of the excellent play of James Harden and a rejuvenated Kawhi Leonard. With Harden passed by commerce and the Clippers starting their rebuild, it doesn’t appear to be their good stretch will proceed.
This week’s participant to observe is Collin Gillespie of the Phoenix Suns. This season, Gillespie is averaging 28.2 minutes performed per recreation and scoring 13.5 factors per recreation. These are solely truthful numbers; nevertheless, once you dive deeper, you see that he’s capturing over 42% from three. Gillespie is barely making $2.38 million and will probably be an unrestricted free agent on the finish of the season. It appears like Gillespie will probably be getting a pleasant pay improve.
The Timberwolves’ Ongoing Potential
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an fascinating crew. It appears yearly individuals are predicting huge issues for them. This yr, they’re 37-23 and sit in fifth place. They’re all the time mentioned to be a crew with nice potential. This jogs my memory of the outdated saying, “potential is unfulfilled promise.” The large questions are: when will the Timberwolves get away and get to the Finals, and when will Anthony Edwards attain true famous person standing and lead his crew there?
Trivia Nook
Fast query: who’s the one NBA crew above .500 that’s giving up extra factors than they rating? Reply: the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Tightening MVP Race
An fascinating scenario within the MVP race has come about. Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are, on the present time, thought-about the favorites. Nevertheless, if Jokić misses two video games and Gilgeous-Alexander seven, they won’t be eligible as a result of they won’t have reached the required sixty-five video games. If that have been to occur, Cade Cunningham, Jaylen Brown, and Victor Wembanyama enter the dialog, with Wembanyama the favourite. It’s doable that Wembanyama may win Defensive Participant of the Yr as nicely. To actually complicate the matter, Wembanyama has solely performed forty-five video games and may solely miss 4 extra.
Atlanta’s Acquainted Struggles
The Atlanta Hawks got here into the season as darkish horses within the Jap Convention. Presently, they’re 30-31. They’ve traded Trae Younger, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Luke Kennard—gamers that helped make them darkish horses. Jalen Johnson has change into their greatest participant, so there was loads of change. For the Hawks, by way of their file, the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.
