The hottest NBA Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Sports Topics

The Clippers smash through their closing championship window

Good Morning It's Basketball • 550 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Basketball NBA Championship Team Dynamics Free Agency
  1. The Clippers are extending contracts with their core players Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and potentially James Harden
  2. The team must compete for a title now due to aging core players and challenges from other teams in the West
  3. The Clippers need to make a championship push before younger teams in the Western Conference become dominant
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KD Trade: More to it than meets the eye

Marc Stein • 707 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🎾 Sports NBA Trade deadline
  1. The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline was historic with three players with eight All-Star appearances being traded.
  2. Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas, Russell Westbrook to Utah, and Kevin Durant to Phoenix in multi-team deals.
  3. The Kyrie Irving trade to Dallas set the tone for an intense week leading up to the trade deadline.

Wemby Mania

Marc Stein • 589 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🎾 Sports Basketball NBA
  1. Victor Wembanyama's NBA debut had its ups and downs.
  2. Despite foul trouble, Wembanyama impressed with a late nine-point flurry.
  3. Wembanyama rebounded well from a disappointing start in his debut game.

My One Neat Trick to Save the NBA

House of Strauss • 25 implied HN points • 02 Jan 25
🎾 Sports Basketball NBA Athletes Rules Coaching
  1. Allowing hand-checking behind the three-point line might help make the game more physical. This could encourage players to move more and not just rely on shooting threes.
  2. While adding some physicality could improve game dynamics, there's a risk of overdoing it and hurting the sport's appeal. Striking the right balance is key.
  3. Changing rules in basketball can be tricky, especially for referees. The idea is to allow some contact without making it too confusing or chaotic for players and officials.

What is the standard for NBA disappointment?

Good Morning It's Basketball • 491 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🎾 Sports NBA Teams Playoffs Expectations Success
  1. Teams like Portland, Washington, and San Antonio are not expected to do well and are aiming for high draft picks.
  2. Teams like Charlotte, Detroit, Brooklyn, and Utah would be disappointing if they weren't in the race for a play-in spot in the second half of the season.
  3. Teams like Toronto, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Oklahoma City need to go beyond the first round of the playoffs to have a successful season.

Re-tiering the NBA

Good Morning It's Basketball • 471 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🎾 Sports NBA Playoffs Teams
  1. Consider 8 teams as top contenders in the NBA.
  2. Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns are in Tier 1 of contenders.
  3. Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are also strong contenders.

Let the Real Games Begin

Knicks Film School • 694 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
🎾 Sports Basketball NBA Playoffs Defense Offense
  1. The Knicks are heading into the postseason with a pair of losses and uncertainties about Julius Randle's availability.
  2. Luka Doncic may want out of the Mavericks, and Kyrie Irving skipped his exit meeting, adding to the drama in Big D.
  3. Donovan Mitchell's pull-up 3-point shooting will be a key factor in the upcoming series between the Knicks and the Cavs.

Fake

TrueHoop • 294 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🎾 Sports Basketball Skills NBA Players Coaching
  1. Faking in basketball can disrupt the defender's timing and slow down the offensive player.
  2. Faking is a basic skill that all basketball players can do, but many NBA players don't utilize it effectively.
  3. Coaches often discourage NBA players from faking during games.

The Real Reason Adam Silver Wants To Shorten NBA Games

Huddle Up • 40 implied HN points • 31 Jan 25
🎾 Sports NBA Games Viewership Television
  1. Adam Silver wants to shorten NBA games to 40 minutes by changing quarters from 12 to 10 minutes. He thinks this would fit better with TV viewing habits today.
  2. He believes that shorter games could help boost the NBA's declining TV viewership. A two-hour game could make it more appealing as a televised sport.
  3. While team owners may support his revenue-focused ideas, fans might not agree with changes that could impact traditional game structure.

Prospect Watch: NBA scouts weigh in on Bronny James and D.J. Wagner

Chad Ford's NBA Big Board • 59 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Basketball Draft Prospects NBA Player analysis
  1. NBA scouts are discussing Bronny James and D.J. Wagner as top prospects for the 2024 NBA draft.
  2. Both players are sons of former NBA players and have high expectations, but are facing challenges in their current season.
  3. There is a possibility that they may not be first-round picks and might consider staying in college to improve their draft stock for the 2025 class.