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Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam.I'm your host, Andrew Schlecht.With me, as always, is my good friend Alex Spears.Today on the show, we are going to go through some headlines.We're going to talk rookie of the year.
We are also going to go through our favorite things.And then at the tail end of the show, we're going to have our buddy Bryce Simon come on to discuss the Detroit Pistons.And of course, do some ridiculous trivia.That is very fun.
Very much looking forward to that.But before we get to any of the trivia, any of the chaos, Alex, tell me about the top stories in the NBA this week.
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was our first 50-point game of the season.In a game against Indiana, Paulo Bencaro bullied the Pacers, getting to the line 22 times en route to a 50-13-9 line.
Paulo's 37 points in the first half tied a franchise record for most points in a half previously set by Tracy McGrady. Through five games, Bankero is averaging 29 points per game for the 3-2 Magic.
Unfortunately, later in the week, we would find out that Paulo had a torn right oblique that will keep him out for the next four to six weeks.A significant blow for the young Magic team.
Paulo, who averaged 4.4 three-point attempts per game last season, took nine three-pointers in that 50-point game, another data point in what has been an historical start to the NBA season from three.
Currently, NBA teams are taking more than 40% of their shots from three, the highest attempt rate ever.
Owen Phillips noted in his blog, The F5, the rise in three-point attempts is largely coming from an increase in pull-up attempts from behind the arc.Take Anthony Edwards, for example.
Kevin O'Connor pointed out that Ant is taking 58.9% of his shots from three, a rate that is higher than any James Harden season, and that includes Ant taking nearly nine pull-up threes per game.
The Bulls, the freaking Bulls, who used to be allergic to threes during the DeRozan era, tied a franchise record this week for made three-pointers in a game with 25.When will this madness stop, Andrew?
I can remember watching Monte Ellis go out there and shoot 36% on eight mid-range attempts per game, and I liked it, Andrew.I liked that.I thought that was good.I liked it.
I would yell at my TV, I'd say, give it to the Mississippi bullet and let him try some stuff.Now, I'm watching these losers step back a couple feet and shoot the same percentage as Monte, and I'm barfing my guts out, Andrew.And speaking of barf...
The Nuggets had one of the more bad good weeks I've ever seen.They ended up going 2-1 a week.Solid result.The two wins both required overtime and were against two teams, the Raptors and the Nets, who are expected to be in the lottery this season.
And of note in the Raptors game, Scottie Barnes sustained an orbital fracture.He's going to be sidelined for at least three weeks. Now for the nuggets, they continue to be carried by Nikola Jokic.He's averaging 31, 12, and 9 on 57, 55, 78 shooting.
Now it's only four games.This will change.But as of right now, per Cleaning the Glass, Jokic's on-off number is plus 38.9.Now for reference, his previous high for a season was plus 24.8.
Jokic may be as good as ever, but Denver's bench may be as bad as ever.Dario Saric, one of Calvin Booth's top targets this summer.He said it was one of his top targets.We gotta get this guy.We have to land Dario Saric.
He played 39 minutes this season so far.The Nuggets have been outscored in those minutes by 30 points. Well, at least the good news for Nuggets fans is, you know, Calvin Booth didn't give Dario Sarch a player option for next season.What's that now?
What?Breaking news?Yeah, that's a rough one.It does distract me a little bit from the Zeke Najee contract, so maybe that was part of the idea.
You know what this is?This is an MVP rope-a-dope, is what this is.He knew what he was doing.He is decreasing the bench level to increase this number so that we can throw it around and get Jokic another MVP.That's all this is, everybody.
We call this the Samaj Christian tactic.It was used very successfully in 2017 when Russ won the MVP. Well, another former champ who isn't looking too hot is the Milwaukee Bucks, who have now lost four in a row.
They sit at one and four, tied with our Detroit Pistons.Now, some of those losses understandable, a competitive loss at Boston, but the Bucks have also dropped games against Chicago and Brooklyn, two teams you would expect them to beat.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks currently have the 23rd ranked offense and 26th ranked defense.
Chris Middleton remains out and the upcoming schedule doesn't do them any favors as their next two games are against the 5-0 Cavaliers, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league along with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cavs' last two wins included an impressive win at MSG over the Knicks and a complete blowout of the Lakers in Cleveland.
The Thunder continued their winning streak with a home win over the Spurs, a marquee matchup for the brewing Chet Wemby rivalry that got an extra boost this week when ESPN analyst Michael C. Wright said that Wemby, quote, will not even say the man's name.
referring to Chet.That sounds more than a rivalry.
Now, maybe he should try saying his name because whatever he did do to prepare for the Thunder game did not work, as Wemby was held to a career-low six points in the loss, but don't feel too bad for him, because in the very next game against the Utah Jazz, Wemby recorded the second five-by-five of his career, putting up 25-9-7 with five steals, five blocks,
And just for fun, four threes, the most three-pointers ever recorded in a five-by-five game.He was one three away from a five-by-six, Andrew.We've never even seen that.
He became only the third player in NBA history, along with Hakim and Andre Kirilenko, to have multiple five-by-five games in his career, and he did it by year two.
Another crazy stat from that game is that the Spurs were a plus 43 in Wemby's minutes and a minus 26 when he was off the court. Finally this week, we say farewell to a Hooper.Rudy Gay announced his retirement from the NBA.
This week, Rudy played 17 seasons in the NBA, accumulating over 17,000 points in his career.I'll remember Rudy mostly from his early Memphis days, where he was averaging 20 points per game by his second season.
And early on in his career, he felt like one of those guys who was always just about to fully break out and make the leap to all-star status.
It never really happened, but he still had a great career as a high-flying wing scorer, and he retires as the fifth leading scorer in Grizzlies franchise history.
So from all of us at Slammin' Jam, all of us, me and Andrew, we wish the great Rudini a wonderful retirement.And those are the top stories this week, Andrew.
What great stories we have in the NBA every single week.Now let's go to the BetMGM line of the week brought to you by BetMGM.We're looking at the Rookie of the Year odds.Currently the number one pick, believe it or not.
has the best odds to win rookie of the year at plus four 50 with, with Lakers rookie Dalton connect.There had to be a Lakers rookie sneaking in here.Dalton connect has had a nice start to his, to his season.
So far, Zach Yeady has fallen to the third best odds at plus five 50 Stefan castle plus seven 50 is Missy plus 900. Alex are next and then above Carrington a plus fourteen hundred and then everybody else.
Everybody else's odds are pretty, pretty much a long shot.But these have already changed quite a bit from where the preseason odds were with Reed Shepard second. don't really see his name here.
He's not really getting a lot of burn just because there's so many guys in Houston.We say we're recess.She was third.Matt is zealous.He's not playing a lot.Was plus 900 to start the season.
This is going to be interesting because I don't think this is going to be. Anywhere close to what the order is going to be in like, I don't know, like two months.You know what we see here today?I think it's going to change a lot.
It feels even more different from like the Malcolm Brogdon year, because at least that year you did have Embiid, who I think you only played like 31 games, but you know. super productive in those games.
I saw Tom Haberstroh had a tweet earlier this week that no rookies had scored 15 points yet.And then the very next night, we did get three on the same night.So Dalton Connect, Bub Carrington, and Recess Shea have all scored over 15 points.
But it's only those three, and the high score so far has been Dalton Connect with 18 points in a game.So yeah, it's a really interesting year.I think I would still favor Recess Shea, but
You know, this is such a weird year that even looking at someone like Ryan Dunn, a player who traditionally would never, that type of player would never be considered for Rookie of the Year, the impact he's already having on a team that is 4-1, playing really well, who knows?
Like, I went on last night just to see if his odds changed, and they had jumped from plus 2,000 to plus 1,500 already. So, yeah, it's going to be a really fascinating Rookie of the Year race.
I think I would still stick with Reese Eche, who is number one now.Yeah.But you could see any of these guys having like a hot month and a half and just shooting to the top and just being able to win the award based on that alone.
Because it doesn't feel like there's just going to be someone who's going to be dominant the entire year.
Yeah, it's just I mean, the whole league is just like, all right, somebody do something.If you can do something, you can win this award, which is just it's it's really interesting.Yeah, I think Bob Carrington has got a really good chance.
He's plus 1400 right now. Yeah, I bet MGM.And I think he's going to get the possessions, I think, as the year goes on, that they're going to continue to hand him a lot of possessions.That's that's what you need.
And he's been pretty efficient so far and is like one of the only guys averaging double digits in in this rookie of the year race.So I lean, Bob, I'm leaning, Bob.And I think some of that is just like somebody's got to score the points on a bad team.
And I think I think Bob's up to the task.
All right, Andrew, it's time for our Favorites of the Week segment, where we look back and we talk about all the favorite things that happened this week that we just loved and we just want to tell you about them.
And let's start with our favorite quote this week.Andrew, what was your favorite quote this week?
Continuing to talk about the rookies and one of the most fun names to say, Zachary, a researcher had a quote that was here on the athletic that back in France, I was super athletic and now I'm just a regular dude.
Which is just it's funny because I mean that that is certainly true amongst like any rookie coming into the NBA.But I saw research play in person.He looks really good.He's got really good size athletically.Yes.
Like he's not like a crazy athlete compared to a lot of these guys, but. I was impressed.I was impressed with him.And he's got a little humility about him here.I think this is like a pretty funny quote.I liked it.
I not only liked it because it was like a funny quote, but I think that it like shows a little side of his personality.And I just I think this guy's got a good chance to make it.
And a guy that, you know, I don't know how if he is ever like an all star or anything like that, but I can see this guy playing in the league for a long time.
Yeah, I, I agree with you.I think this is true for a lot of guys in the NBA.Like as long as you're not like John Morant or, you know, like Russell Westbrook coming into the league.I think most guys probably experienced this.
You just never hear guys say it like just a regular dude, especially a number one overall pick.Exactly.Yeah.We appreciate the humility. My favorite quote was actually a response to another Joe Mazzullo quote.
Joe Mazzullo had given us something every week.He said, quote, the biggest thing we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can't fight anymore.You know, people talking about the NBA ratings.Joe's got some ideas.What?
I wish you could bring back fighting.What's more entertaining than a little scuffle?You know what?Honestly, I agree.How come in baseball they're allowed to clear benches?Now, in response to this on Instagram, Steven Adams,
Thank God Steven Adams is back in our lives.Totally.Commented, $20, I punch Rudy Gobert square in the nose.So we're just happy to have Steven Adams back.All he's looking for is 20 bucks.That's all he needs in this scenario to punch Rudy in the nose.
I think there'll probably be more than one offer and probably a lot more than $20 handed over to Steve-O.
So now we move on to our favorite stat this week, and mine is the CP3 effect, which the guy's 40 years old, but it's still happening.
If you don't know what the CP3 effect is, it is that when CP3 comes to your team, he dramatically changes the pace at which they play.So yeah. I'm going to, I'm just going to go through his entire career.Okay.
Talking about the teams that he went to, what their pace was the year before he came and then what their pace was in their first year.
So for instance, when he went through the Clippers from New Orleans, they went from the 13th fastest pace team to 27th. The Rockets, when he went there, went from the 3rd fastest to 13th.The Thunder went from the 6th fastest to the 21st.
The Suns went from the 9th to the 24th.The Warriors went from the 1st, the fastest team in the league, to the 11th.And now, through five games, the Spurs Third fastest team last year, currently 23rd.
And I just think this is a really interesting thing to track going forward because if you look at something like the percentage of their plays that are in transition.
Last year, very common for like a young team with a bunch of young guys, athletic guys running up and down the court. They were second in the percentage of their plays that were in transition, and currently they're 21st.
So I'm just really interested to see how that affects someone like Wenbinyama, who obviously had an amazing game against Utah, but before that, kind of felt like he was getting off to a little bit of a slow start, at least for a lot of people who drafted him number one overall in fantasy basketball, but they were rewarded last night.
So I'm just interested to watch this CP3 effect and how it affects a young team, because usually when we're thinking about CP3 going to a team, it's usually a veteran team.I mean, all of these other cases were CP3 going to a veteran team.
So now he's going to this young rebuilding team, and for a lot of other teams, getting out in transition is always like a big thing for them, because it's easy buckets for a lot of these young guys. So now we have cp3 at the helm.
They have not been great in the half court so far But of course, it's only through five games, but just something I thought was interesting and and want to pay attention to going forward Mm-hmm
My fat of the week was this.I was shocked to see this.These are the bottom five teams and opponent field goal percentage in the restricted area.So what teams are shooting at the rim against these particular teams?So not not a lot of surprises here.
So coming in at number 26, the Utah Jazz opponents are shooting 73% at the rim. Seems pretty good.Makes sense.Chicago Bulls, 73.4% at the rim.Also makes sense.Still tracking the New York Knicks, who are without a really a lot of bigs.OK, I get it.
29th, the Washington Wizards, 75.8% at the rim.Totally get it.Totally get it.
We saw it last year with New Orleans.
Yeah.And so now you're thinking, OK, who is the worst team? And I'm going to let you just sit in this for a second, because I don't know that you know the answer, because I didn't know this answer until I saw it on NBA dot com.
And I had to refresh the page like 13 times because I just didn't believe it's true.The worst team.Teams are shooting 77% in the restricted area against this team.I checked it again this morning.I just had to know.
I just had to make sure this was true. Alex, it's the Los Angeles Lakers.Teams are shooting 70, 77% against the Los Angeles Lakers at the rim right now with Anthony Davis.I mean, that blew my mind.Is that, am I crazy?Does that not blow your mind?
I wonder how different it was before the Cavs game because, you know, obviously they got blown out by the Cavs.I'm sure Jared Allen, Evan Mobley, you know, did well in that game.
But that even the effects of one game to be at 77% is still pretty amazing.
Yeah, that that blew my mind.So just I mean, it's early.Most of these stats mean nothing.
Whenever people bring up offensive and defensive rating this early, it you played only a few teams like you don't have enough of a sample to know who's really that good on defense, who's really this good offensively.It's all.
unusable numbers for the most part.
And so I admit like this is probably an unusable number today, but it's certainly something to monitor because if if the Lakers are going to allow a high percentage at the rim throughout the season, that's that's going to be a that's a huge weak spot.
Like that's where teams want to go.I was talking to Mark Degnault of the Thunder the other day in a press conference, and we're talking about threes.And he said, we definitely want to take more threes.He said, but we'd rather have a dunk.
We'd rather have a layup, you know, when it comes down to it.And so if teams are shooting 77%, Which is just like an that's an unheard of percentage for teams.That's a big problem and something to monitor for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yeah, so I'm looking at the game by game on cleaning the glass. Phoenix in their two games against the Lakers at the rim shot 80% and 92.9%.The Kings shot 86.4%.The Cavs game, which I thought maybe that was the reason, 74.3%.
So that wasn't even- Wow, down.I know.They're improving, Andrew.
They're getting better.Listen, it's just getting slowly better.Progress is linear.We all know that.They'll be fine.
OK, Andrew, next category, our next favorite thing is our favorite player this week.Andrew, who is your favorite player to watch this week?
I have a couple.One, I just want to give a shout out to Lindy Waters, the third who played.He really just played one great game for the Golden State Warriors and then got the start in the next Pelicans game, which is just kind of funny.
They played that little baseball series there, but he had 21 points, eight boards, four assists and a steal off the bench.He had like a nice hammer dunk.He just looked great.He was plus 26 in that game.
He only scored three points in the next game, still plus 13.He's been very helpful to this team.Steve Kerr loves him personality wise. I don't know anybody that doesn't love this guy.
You know, he played for the Thunder and I got to know him a little bit.I mean, this is this is a really nice role player, and I'm glad that he's landed with a team where he can kind of flourish.
And I thought I mean, I thought from the beginning, like the Warriors is a great landing spot for him.It's good for him to show what he can do early on this season.But I'm going to go with Dennis Schroeder. Hmm.
The the Nets looks like a team through their first couple of games.You know, they lost to Atlanta in a close one.Then they got just dismantled by the Orlando Magic.And he thought, OK. This is this is the road we're heading down with with the Nets.
And the Dennis Schroeder has like ripped off like three really impressive games since then.They killed the Milwaukee Bucks, who we're going to talk about here shortly.He had twenty nine, four and six in that game.
They they played that really close game against Denver, where Schroeder had 28 points, zero rebounds before he assists.And then they beat the Memphis Grizzlies by 13, in which he had 33 points, two boards and eight assists.He's been really fun.
He looks like FIBA Schroeder out there.It's it's been great watching it.I'll flip on these games in the fourth quarter and it's just like Dennis Schroeder time.And I just wonder if. One, are the Nets like really going to bottom out here?
Are they going to make this make a decision here?I mean, Schroeder's on a one year contract.I think eventually he will get traded to somebody.And trying to find who that is, is is not super easy.
I wonder about a team like the Denver Nuggets, who you've already talked about the on offs there to have a guy like Dennis Schroeder coming off the bench for them, I think would be huge just because he
is a guy that can come off the bench and give you points consistently, which they just do not have.Now it's about a trade package that makes sense.
There are players on the nuggets that I don't know that you would necessarily want, but I did find one and it's hard to find a trade just because they're in the second apron and you have to match dollar for dollar.Yeah, but I found this.
I found this trade.And don't don't judge it until I'm done saying it, because. This is a great setup.It's a great setup.Zeke Najee, Jalen Pickett and Russell Westbrook and a lottery protected first for Dennis Schroeder.
Wouldn't the lottery protected first being like 31?
I have is I mean, it probably would.Yes.But, you know. The Nuggets don't have a whole lot to offer here.And like matching is really tough.
I tried to, I tried to come up with like a more complicated trade that included like MPJ and you, cause the Nets have like a lot of guys that I think would be great role players across the NBA, including Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, those kinds of guys.
And so I tried to like make a bigger trade that became way too complicated.And it was, it's, it's just tough to trade whenever you're in the second apron in general, but this one worked.I think this obviously would help the,
the nuggets in a pretty big way.Um, yeah, I would turn it down.
And the reason is because for a team in the second apron to get off of the Zeke Najee contract.Yeah.You should have to give up a pick just for that.He has played two minutes this year.
And if you don't, if you aren't familiar with the Zeke Najee contract, Next year, he makes 8.1.The year after, he makes 7.5.In three seasons, the 27-28 season, he has a player option for 7.5 million.
For a low-value contract, that is the worst contract in the NBA.
Hey, cap's rising, man.It's going to look better and better as the years go on. Caps rising.Don't worry.Don't worry, Brooklyn.The cap is rising.Just just please give us a player that is good, please.
So my favorite player this week.
Came as a result of me watching two full Wizards games this week two full Not just Wizards games Wizards Hawks games Yeah, it was the last time I could say that much less be willing to admit it But the times are changing Andrew and the Wizards are infinitely more watchable this season than they've been in years past and one of the major reasons Why is my favorite player this week?
Bilal Kulbali below.He is, listen, I remember during his draft cycle, you and I talked about him a lot because there were some rumors at the time that OKC was interested in him.And back then my feeling was, OK, I get the defensive upside makes sense.
You could see him coming in day one, being able to play on that end.But I didn't totally get the pitch on offense.And I didn't know if he'd get the time and freedom he'd need to develop those skills.
Well, he is getting that freedom right now in Washington and is taking full advantage and he absolutely pops off the screen.
Fans of any team know that feeling when you draft someone and you're like trying to talk yourself into them the whole time, you'll focus on like tiny moments during a game to make you feel better.Like,
Oh, did you see that cut he made at the beginning of the third?Did you see his cutting?Like, you don't have to squint to see what's awesome about Bilal because it's all right there in front of your face.Like his athleticism pops.
I think he had two or three putback dunks just in that last Hawks game.He's taking threes confidently with no hesitation.He's terrifying in transition.
You know, sometimes there will be guys who have great measurements, but you don't really feel it in the game.You absolutely notice Bilal's 7'2 wingspan.Like, he's jumping into passing lanes, he's coming from behind plays to block Trae Young's shot.
The jump we've already seen from last season to this season is incredible, and he's still so young.For comparison, he's about a month younger than Reed Shepard.Isn't that crazy?
It's hard not to watch him in these games and not think that he has star upside, which would obviously be massive for Washington, being a year or two of the rebuild.
And big picture, just think of the questions that we were asking Josh Robbins a couple years ago, like two years ago.We were saying things like, so Josh, they really want to build around Bradley Beal?That's really what they want to do?
And now they've got four young guys to get excited about.And speaking of Josh Robbins, he published an article on Ballal asking scouts their opinions, so go check that one out.
But yeah, I'm all in on Balal Kulbali, and going out of my way during that early game window, which out here is like 4 p.m.on the West Coast, just to watch Wizards games so I can see him.So shout out to Balal.And Andrew, that brings us...
to our favorite team to panic about this week.I mentioned them earlier.I'm in full-blown panic about the Milwaukee Bucks.Bro.As I said, one and four, four straight losses. The offense is bad.The defense is bad.Dame continues to underwhelm as a buck.
Middleton is still out.You know, if you want some positives, Giannis is great.Look, Brooke Lopez blocking a lot of shots for an old man.Doing good.
You know, hopefully Middleton comes back and he's healthy, but this team feels so stale and so far away from contender status.And I can't help but compare them to Phoenix.
who, you know, in this offseason, another older, top-heavy team who really needed to nail every single move around the margins to make it work because of the cap situation.And in the case of Phoenix, they seem to have pulled it off so far.
They're at 4-1, getting contributions from Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee.They're free agent signings.But it really feels like the move that is swinging the Sun's season is drafting Ryan Dunn, which sounds crazy.
But during the Lakers-Suns games, the co-hosts of the Suns podcast, The Timeline, which is a great pod, Sam Cooper and Mike Vigil, they tweeted within seconds of each other that Ryan Dunn had saved the Suns franchise.
And it might sound hyperbolic, but I honestly think I agree because it feels like if you're one of these, Andrew, if you're one of these capped out teams, whether it's like Milwaukee, Denver, even Minnesota,
You either have to make a big trade to open up a ton of flexibility, like the Julius Randle deal, or you have to nail a late first-round pick.
Just adding a couple of random free agents that are probably better in your head than they actually are in real life isn't enough anymore.And the Bucs have absolutely failed on that front.
Just this week, they declined the fourth-year option on Marjahn Beauchamp.They used the 22nd pick in this past draft on a guy who Sam Bassini said, quote,
I'd take a flyer on him in the top 40 at some point if I had a strong, developmentally conscious organization that I believe would be able to get his frame up to speed within the next two years.
Is there any franchise you would describe as less developmentally conscious than the Bucks based on their recent draft history? And that's why I'm so down on them right now.Like there's no hope in the pipeline for this version of the Bucks.
This management has proven they are unable to draft and develop talent, even while acknowledging how hard it is to pull it off when you only get late first and seconds.And so the only option is to play this thing out with who they've got.
And it's just becoming increasingly clear that that might just not be enough.In the same way, it might not have been enough for the Suns if they had drafted someone else.
I mean, I know that sounds crazy because through the first couple games, Ryan Dunn was only playing about 15 minutes a game.He ends up playing a lot in the most recent game.
But if you take him off of that team, I'm just not so sure that we aren't having a similar conversation about the Suns.Now, maybe they're not one and four, But he has been super important.
I mean, the game he played against the Lakers was super important.And this is, obviously he's having just the craziest developmental story ever with his three-point shooting.
But everything that draft pundits talked about his defense being ready from day one, that's all been there.And we knew that at the draft.
And so credit the Suns for taking him and getting, whether it's luck or something they've done developmentally to help him suddenly become a good shooter and hit more threes through these couple games than he ever hit at Virginia.
That's just been awesome.But on the flip side with the Bucks, it's just, you look at the end of their roster, like, Where could we find a spark?Where could we find someone?And there's just nothing there.
It's either guys like Marjan Bochamp, who they've kind of just given up on, or guys like who they took in the draft this year, who just feel like they're a couple years away from you even having hope that they could start to contribute.
So, yeah, I'm freaking out about the Bucks.It could still work out because, and listen, in the offseason, you and I were both into the Bucks.I think we both took their over.And part of it for me was looking at their lineup data from last year.
All of their most played lineups were incredible.Like legitimately good.Their starting lineup last year was like a plus 13 or something on cleaning the glass.A really good lineup.And so I just felt like,
Okay, last year was just a weird year, but they've got enough pieces to make this work.The Middleton thing is huge, and if he comes back and can play, that's great, and maybe they'll start looking normal.
I'm not expecting this team to be a lottery team.I'm assuming they will figure it out.A team with Giannis has to figure it out.But, man, in terms of their, like, upside and ceiling, I'm so much lower than I might have been in the preseason.
Yeah, it also shows like what a short sighted move can do to your franchise because they have.I mean, their their last like decent pick that they had, they had the 17th pick in 2018 that took Dante DiVincenzo.It's a great pick, but they traded him.
Do you remember what they got back?They made there was a four team trade in which they got back.They got back Serge Ibaka. in the trade, who just never really amounted to a whole lot in Milwaukee.And so they they traded him to the Kings.
And, you know, Dante's had to bounce around before he's really figured it out.But yeah, wouldn't they love to have a guy like Dante DiVincenzo, you know, on their roster right now?Even Sam Merrill. who was the 60th pick for them in 2020.
They cut him loose.But, you know, after that, you're right.Like they took Andre Jackson at 36.He was a guy that everybody knew really couldn't shoot.Marshawn Beauchamp, similar story.
You know, the other guys that they're picking are really toward the end of the second round.And then this past year, like you said, you know, AJ Johnson was a was a strange pick.Everybody talked about it after the draft.
You know, this is not like recency bias of like trying to watch this guy.It's like, Man, they just clearly struggle athletically.And I don't know how they turn this thing around.
But we are seeing like a product of like short-sighted moves that don't have any vision beyond, you know, just like a few games and how that can hurt your franchise.
And in their defense, maybe that Andre Jackson pick scared them off of potentially taking Ryan Dunn this past summer, you know?Yeah.So, yeah. So Andrew, who's your favorite team to panic about this week?
Man, the New Orleans Pelicans are just in a weird spot.You know, sometimes things are so bad that your pessimism can actually turn into optimism because you just think there's no way that it can be this bad moving forward.
And I kind of feel that way about this Pelicans team. Right now, they're just dealing with a ton of injuries.Trey Murphy's out with a hamstring.The Jeanette Murray broke his hand.Daniel Tice with his ankle.CJ McCollum with the abductor.
Herb Jones with his shoulder.We just got an update from ESPN saying that Herb Jones will be out for two to four weeks with a right shoulder strain, a partial tear in his rotator cuff, which is I mean, that's really bad.
And CJ McCollum is out two to three weeks with a right with that right abductor strain.That's brutal. But what's been even more discouraging to me is just the play of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson together in the lineup.
It's funny because we've known this team to have injury issues, but right now they still have their stars and they just cannot get it together. You know, they got beat by the Blazers and by the Steph Curry list warriors twice.
So this was supposed to be a really big season for Zion with him coming into the season healthy, looking all svelte.But Zion Williamson started the season with literally the worst four game stretch of his career in terms of efficiency.
He's shooting 36, 25, 61. right now, which is just I mean, that is will Guillory put this on the athletic.That is actually the worst four games of his career.
And it's just a really bad way to start.Now there's there's news out there about him being like struggling with like an illness.And so like there's definitely like grace for that.But this is just looked really bad.He's not only
Not efficient, but he's averaging a career high turnovers right now.I mean, this is a guy shooting 36% of the field.His career average is 58%.I mean, this is a guy that is just a monster going to the basket, and he has not been that.
And I think things will level out. if and when they get healthy.But I'm certainly panicked in a crowded West like this when you start like this and you already have a team that you knew didn't really fit together.
Now, having all these injuries, it makes it harder to make trades and makes it harder to maneuver, you know, in the direction that you want to go with this with this franchise.
And I would be pretty concerned because whoever finishes 11th in the West is going to have a lot of good players. And it's going to be a team that people looked at before the season and said, this is a good team going into the season.
And so I fear for the Pelicans now with the injuries and then just the play of Zion and B.I.that this is just not this is not looking good.And it feels oddly familiar for a New Orleans franchise that has been through this kind of stuff before.
Oh, it's terrible.And the swing from preseason where we're talking about like, oh, maybe Brandon Ingram will take on a lesser role, you know, so that, so that you could potentially get a bigger payday down the line.
And now it's like, they need him so bad because definitely, I don't know if I've ever seen a team have this many injuries to major parts of their rotation.
Yeah, with, with like Desjante and Herb and CJ, all these guys and Trey Murphy, all being out for weeks.It's not just like a day-to-day thing.
So yeah, you definitely feel for Pelicans fans who've probably just feel like they're living the same horrible season over and over again.Yeah, totally.So to end the week on a happy note, Andrew.
Let's talk finally about our favorite moment this week.Could be anything.What was your favorite moment this week, Andrew?
This happened on Thursday night.John Morant was sitting on the court, sitting on his butt on the court with the basketball, looking for somewhere to go with it.And he remained pretty patient until he saw Santiago Aldama
running toward the rim and he throws an alley-oop from his butt. to Santiago Dama, he finishes it incredible.It was so fun.I suggest you definitely go see it.
It made me think about Josh Giddy last year against the Rockets was sitting in a similar situation, but inside the paint job was like actually closer to the three point line when he threw this.
But Josh Giddy was sitting in the middle of the paint and decided to just shoot the ball from his butt and made it.I thought it reminded me of that.And then I also reminded of Jordan Poole, who he didn't end up like really doing much.
But I just remember the whoever was on the call that night for the Wizards.Jordan Poole is sitting down in a similar position to jaw at the three point line, like near the three point line with the basketball in his hands.
And the announcers just start saying. He better not shoot that.Like Jordan, don't shoot that.You know, they're just so afraid that he was going to try to shoot it from a pretty deep range, sit on his butt on the court.But I love that.
I love that moment.I'm so glad John Morant is back in the NBA and the Grizzlies are looking looking pretty good.They've had some good moments so far.
And my favorite moment was a clip from the Spurs Houston game, which I think there were two of them.But in one of the games, there was a great clip of Wimby trying to box out Steven Adams.
And it was just funny because, you know, Wimby's an incredible player.He's so amazing.He's doing things we've never ever seen.He's 7'6".
But even with all of that, at some point in your career, there's gonna be someone like Steven Adams, who just has something that you have no answer for.And Steven Adams thing is just girth and strength.
And he can just stand in a spot and not be moved on that spot, no matter what.
And just seeing Wemby trying to push him, it reminded me of like being a little kid, like being eight and trying to like push your dad and just feeling like you're going into a brick wall every time.You just like cannot move them.
And it was just a really funny moment seeing him like that.Again, great to have Steven Adams back.
Great to have Steve-O back.Great to have Steve-O back.Something else that's great to have back is Bryce Simon coming back on the pod.He's talking Detroit Pistons right after this quick break.
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And we're back after that quick break.Alex, it's time for the Wheel of Fandom, where we spun a digital wheel and that wheel landed last week on the Detroit Pistons and the first name that I thought of.In fact, they even said it on the show.
was my buddy Bryce Simon, who you can find at Motor City Hoops on Twitter.And he hosts a great Pistons podcast.It's called the Pistons Pulse.I've been on it one time and it was awesome.So it's a great show.
And then you probably know him from the Game Theory podcast with Sam Bassini, who is obviously a great friend of the program.And Bryce has been on this show before talking draft.But now we're talking Pistons.Bryce, welcome to the show.
What's up, guys?Man, thanks for having me.Yeah, things are not great record-wise in Detroit, but the vibes are better, even though they are 1 and 4.And we're recording this after a win, which was nice.A much-needed win for the Detroit Pistons.
Yeah.So the Pistons are one and four, as you just said, after facing a pretty difficult early schedule.That record is somehow worse than last year's team, who started off two and one before dropping 28 straight.
So while the results may not quite be there yet, what are some aspects of the process that you think are significantly improved from last year?
the defense, like it's crazy.The defense is so much better.And that wasn't the side of the ball that I thought was going to see much improvement.
I know JB is kind of known as a defensive coach, but I don't know how many quote unquote good defenders were on this team whenever you looked at it in the preseason.And I will tell two guys that have really made great strides are the young
Kate Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.Um, and obviously offensively, um, a lot of good things from those two as well, but defensively, those two have really locked in.
I've kind of made the joke that in just a couple of games, we've seen more weak side rotation X outs than all of last season from this team and just some really good possessions overall.
So JB's really put a stamp on the defensive end early on in the season.
Do you, are you feeling better about the rotations?Cause I know that was a big sticking point last season.
Yeah.Like, you know, Jaden Ivy, former number five over no pick is starting, which is always nice to see.
I think the stat that really stands out to me, they, they showed it on the broadcast on Wednesday night, last season, Cade and or J I were only on the court for like 70 some percent of the, of the minutes.
And so far this year it's right under a hundred percent. which essentially means they're either playing together or they're getting staggered, which always seemed like the right play with those two guys, right?
You start them together, then you staggered J.I.to the second unit, and J.B.has been able to figure that out and unlock it.
So if that is the glass half full take, what is the glass half empty take?Because they are one and four.What do you see as this team's major weaknesses right now?
Yeah, so I mean, They've been competitive.They lost a game to Boston.They probably should have won.They lost to Indiana on opening night in a game.They probably should have won.So you got to figure out how to win.
And it's not just at the end of the game, guys, like there's points throughout a game that this team saw us to figure out, end of the second quarter, start of the second half, those type of things.
I would say the quote unquote, disappointing, like Tobias Harris hasn't got off to a great start, even though his gravity is fell on the offensive end and is rebounding a SAR Thompson.
Uh, the most recent, not the most recent second, most recent number five overall pick.There's so many, it gets confusing, right?When you pick number five, three years in a row, you kind of get lost.
It's so weird.It's so bizarre that that happened.
It's ridiculous.Um, has still hasn't played, um, because of the blood clots from last year. And Jalen Duren hasn't been the same factor and force that we saw last year.
And definitely at least, at the very least, Jalen Duren hasn't taken any strides forward.
I was reading some Pistons fan comments and it seems like a lot of fans see a need for a backup point guard.Do you share that feeling?
So I think where I differ from a lot of fans is they need like a third point guard who's comfortable not playing on nights whenever JI is under control and can handle the second unit. but then can come in and calm things down whenever he doesn't.
Or the big worry guys is, I mean, Cade and J.I.aren't going to play 82 games this year.So what happens?Who plays the backup point guard whenever those guys aren't both available?
So I think that's where a lot of the veteran point guard conversation comes from.
Is there a name?Not like, yeah, we should go get this guy, but just like the idea of a guy that would make sense in that role.
Yeah.Monte Morris, the guy they signed last year who only played seven games and then they traded, um, on Monte was her.And then, um, but you know, just a guy that can still space Tyus Jones would have been like the perfect name.Right.
But like, that's way over there, you know, ability, like people bring up Markel Fultz and Dennis Smith jr.I just don't think those guys are the right type of guys.
Cause if you do bring them in and want to play a minutes, they need to be able to really space the floor.And neither of those guys do that alone. You know, with the things they do, do well.And I'm also like, do Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr.
want to sign up for a Pistons team when they know they're going to play third fiddle?You know, being a creator behind Cade and J.I., so.
Yeah, that makes sense.So one of the big changes out of the gate this season is Jaden Ivey being a key part of the rotation and not playing behind Killian Hayes.
You said it, not me.Who's not in the NBA.Killian Hayes, who's not in the NBA.Killian Hayes is not currently in the NBA.And listen, I like Killian, but it was crazy.
I didn't try to put him to the moon like Tim bomb temps, but like, I just want to emphasize he's not in the NBA right now.
Yup.Uh, for good reason.Uh, so Ivy is averaging 21, four and four while shooting 43% from three on over five and a half attempts a game.So what are the early impressions of Ivy's play and how he might fit long-term with Cade?
I've always thought that they could play together guys.And I feel like I've been in the minority there, but I thought J I was a little bit of an off the ball player.I didn't think he was primarily an on ball guy.
I think he's a stagger into the second unit and let him run the second unit against other teams.Second unit on ball guy, but not as a starter.J I has turned himself into a good offensive rebounder.
He here's why it looks really good right now if like I want to be fair is he's knocking down catch and shoot threes as you mentioned the three point percentage, but he can cut off the ball.
He can come off zoom actions and staggers and those type of things.I think he fits perfectly fine.And here's where it helps to
When you have gravity like Tim Hardaway, Jr., even Tobias Harris, even though he's not shooting it well right now, Malik Beasley, having those guys is, you know, third and fourth options offensively help with the overall spacing of the team as well.
Mm hmm.And then like as far as like Cade and Ivy go, like give me give me the vision for like what this looks like in like a couple of years.
Yeah, I mean, I think we're seeing it right now.And again, I know it hasn't always turned into wins, but guys, those both of those guys are playing really well on both ends of the court.
And that's what they're not one in four because of Cade and J.I.'s play.Now, if you want to critique anything, the turnovers have been pretty bad from Cade.They're over five per game right now, and he's had a couple of really bad ones.
But it's because right now Tobias Harris is shooting 15% from three and averaging 12 points a game.And because a star Thompson isn't in the lineup and Ron Holland's playing 13 minutes a night and, you know, really isn't ready offensively.
Fontechio hasn't found his game.Duran isn't playing his best.
I think what we're seeing right now where these guys are on the floor for almost 100% of the time, either together or one of, is exactly the vision this organization should have for those two.
And I want to point this out real quick, JI is taking the primary defensive matchups.He guarded Donovan Mitchell, he guarded Tyrese Maxey, he guarded Tyrese Halliburton while he's doing these things on the offensive end.
So I wanna ask you about a player whose role has significantly changed, Isaiah Stewart.
His last season, according to basketball reference, he played 76% of his minutes at the four, whereas through the first five games this season, beef stew 100% of his minutes at backup center.
He has also only taken one three this season, whereas last year he attempted 3.8 per game, he shot 38%.What do you think about him being deployed exclusively as a backup center and the apparent de-emphasis on his three-point shot?
All for the move to permanent five man.
I think this is what Isaiah Stewart's ultimate role in the NBA is, is as a backup five who can moonlight at a four if you take on certain matchups, say, you know, what we used to see from the Minnesota Timberwolves, or if you're taking on the Nuggets and you feel like you need to put somebody on Jokic and have another bigger guy off the ball, whatever.
But I think it should be like an 80 20 split in the second unit. I do not like the three point usage going the way it's going.I do not understand.
I'm not sure why JB recently had a quote from my co-host Amari Sanco for the second, who's the beat writer for the Detroit free press.And JB kind of took the quote unquote blame for that saying they had really emphasized Isaiah rolling to the rim.
And, and he is a really good offensive rebounder.If you see the offensive rebounding numbers, they're awesome for his minutes per game, but really that's not his game.He's not a rim gravity guy.
I do think Stu needs to be able to space the floor, pick and pop trail threes, corner threes, stuff like that.So I'm hoping he's able to figure that part out, even though I do like seeing the majority of his minutes at the five off the bench.
Mm hmm.Well, where do you think the season's going for the Pistons?Like if you were to like crystal ball, like what what happens at the end of 82 games for this Detroit Pistons team?
Yeah.I'm trying not to be like overly optimistic about one in four start, but it's just, it has truly been competitive guys.This team had the Celtics down six with two minutes to go.
And if it weren't for drew holiday, actually banging back to back threes and then a great defensive play, they probably beat the Celtics.
And so it really has looked better.I think they're top 20 in both offense and defense, which I know most listeners are like, come on, dude, like top 20, but whenever you've lived in the realm that I've lived in watching this team,
dude, top 20 is hilarious thing to say about your team.Like this on a positive note, top 20 out of how many teams doesn't matter.Don't worry about how many teams it is.Total.
Listen, when you've lived it, listen guys, I came in in 2020 I'm not a lifelong Pistons fan as we will find out whenever I get crushed at trivia a little bit later.
I came in in 2020 when they decided to trade Blake or no, sorry, wave, Blake trade, Derrick Rose buy into Sekou Dumbouya in the start of Killian Hayes.That's all I've ever covered.That's all I've ever talked about on my podcast.
That's all the film breakdowns I've ever got to do.So seeing a top 20 defense in a borderline top 20 offense at the same time, is amazing for me.
I'm not a spoiled Oklahoma city thunder fan who has a top three offense and defense and all the draft picks and all the best young players in the league.It is, I don't know if I can cuss or not, but it is BS.
Hey, we had to watch Poku for a few seasons, okay?It wasn't all great.God forbid you watch this interesting seven footer with a crazy skill set that plays on the wing.
And creates his own fanny packs with a local company.I mean, come on.
It is kind of crazy though.
I'm on cleaning the glass and there are 17th, which in defense, which is kind of impressive when you think about the guys they added, like Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, like none of these guys are thought of as like really good defensive players.
And last year they were 25th in defense according to cleaning the glass.So that is pretty impressive that even just making that jump through this early part of the season against a really tough schedule.
Yeah.I mean, I said about the JB hiring, some people questioned it like, Oh, he couldn't get teams over the hump.And I'm like, who cares?You know how far away this team is from getting over the hump in the playoffs.
If, if JB gets this team to the point where we're questioning his ability to get them through the second round of the playoffs, he, he did his job.Like
build the statue, hopefully better than Dwayne Wade's and then fire him and hire the coach that does get them over the hump because like that's what this team needs.They need to go from almost unwatchable and non-competitive to
what we've seen through five games.I'm just terrified that I'm getting excited about it after five games, and we're not gonna see it for... I mean, it's not gonna be 82 games, right?Like, every team has their nights.
But if they can do this for 75-80% of their games this year, this is a real step forward, because it's on the back of the two guys that I think matter the most in Kade and JI.
Yeah.I hope, I hope this is right.I just hope, I hope that this is like, it feels like a normal season.Cause I sat down with James Edwards after the two in one start.
Hey, talk about James, James Edwards just cuts bait and goes and covers the second best team in the East.Like I love James, but come on, man.Like fight through it with the rest of us.
A direct quote from James as I'm sitting and eating dinner with him in Oklahoma City right before Thunder Pistons, which I think was the first loss of that streak of the 20 of the 28 loss streak.
He said, I know what a bad team looks like, and this is not a bad team.And then they lost 28 straight games.So I really hope.I mean, it's just like it kind of feels like enough is enough.Like, OK, come on.Like, let's get it together.
Bryce, do you remember how long it took you last year to give up hope?Because that two-in-one start, I even came on slam and jam and I was like, oh, I think the Pistons might have found a defensive identity.You did.That's true.I said that.
So how long into that losing streak did it take for you were like, oh my gosh, this is really.
Okay.So here's the thing is I'm not, here's why I think I do a decent job covering the team is I don't have a lot of fandom.The only, the only team that I'm fanatic about are the Kansas city chiefs in football.Like that, that's it.
Like I'm a fanatic.I live, breathe, die like by them winning and losing.It ruins my night when they lose. with the Pistons, it's not as much, but here's the thing for your listeners.You don't know.My real job is as a teacher.
My students don't understand that concept.
So do you know what it's like going to school every day teaching 12, 13, 14 year olds and the team that you podcast about is on a 20 game losing streak and a 22 game losing streak and a 26 game losing streak and
And mind you, these kids know nothing about basketball, actually.God love them.But they just come in and they just talk trash to you.And what am I supposed to say?Like, the team I cover sucks, and there's nothing I can do about it.
Well, Bryce, we appreciate you answering all of our questions about the Detroit Pistons.We are very hopeful for their season.It is now time to play, though.Andrew versus the Beat!
Andrew, I want to remind you, you came on Game Theory, and I rigged the game for you to win.Do you remember that?How I helped you win?
Yeah, that was so, so kind.You did?I didn't know you did that.
I just want to remind you before we start this game.
Interesting, interesting. Okay, so Andrew versus the Beat.Andrew goes head-to-head against the Beat Rider.In this case, we are talking to Bryce Simon.You can find him on Pistons Pulse.You can find him Game Theory at Motor City Hoops on Twitter.
Okay, Bryce, how this works, eight questions all related to the Pistons.Some are easy, some are hard, and I'm gonna be, I say this every week, but this week I really mean it.There are some easy ones this week, I feel like.
Yeah, it was hard for me to come up with super hard ones.Uh, so you're gonna give me a number between one and eight.It'll correspond to a question.If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and we'll go back and forth till all the questions have been asked and answered.So what number would you like to start with, Bryce?
Honestly, I was hoping you'd say they were all ridiculously hard, so everybody's like, oh, I didn't know that.Why would Bryce know that?
Yeah, that's true.It's almost worse to say, oh, these are all easy, and then we're going to both get them all wrong.
OK, lucky number three.Lucky number three.Let's see if I can start off with a correct one.
OK, here we go.Lucky number three.The Pistons only have three players with more than five years of NBA experience. there are only two other teams in the league who have fewer players with less than, or with more than five years of experience.
Name them both, and you get one point per correct answer.So these teams- You said two?Two other teams?Yeah, two other teams.So these teams have- The Wizards.That is incorrect, Bryce.You came out really hot, though.
Well, they just started like the youngest lineup in their franchise's history, so they must have-
They did.So, I mean, they have Valanchunas.That would be one.Kuzma.They have Rashawn Holmes, Malcolm Brock.See, you got screwed by people who aren't even playing.Guys that aren't playing.
Kuzma.I just went young, guys.Okay.
All right.My bad.Good guess, though.
I mean, if we were talking about guys who are actually playing, probably would have been correct.Andrew. What's the stat again?So they have to have fewer than three players who have had more than five years of NBA experience.
Fewer than three players.And there's two teams.
What about Charlotte?Charlotte, Andrew?That is correct.They have two.Can you name the other one?
Um... Two with five or more.
Two with five or more?Correct, yeah.
Okay.Shoot.I don't know if I know the other one.
Welcome to take a guess Andrew.Just throw out any team.I know.I would say don't go with the Bucks.
Don't choose the Bucks.Don't choose the Bucks.The Sixers.Don't choose the Sixers.
Oh my gosh, yeah, when I went to the Sixers roster and sorted, there were so many double digits.
Um, I don't, I mean, I know this isn't right because I can, I know three that are, but I'll just say San Antonio for time's sake, but I think they have three guys that are at least three.
Andrew, that is correct.You got it right.Uh, congratulations.Um, yeah, so they have, uh,
I mean, they do have, sorry, they just have to have three or fewer, sorry, I might have not said that correctly, but it's Zach Collins, Harrison Barnes, and Chris Paul.Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul.Yeah, just saw him last night.
The Sixers have five guys with double-digit years of experience coming into this year.That's really impressive.Okay, Andrew, you have two points, and you have control of the board. What number?Number one.Question number one.
The worst start to a season in Pistons history was 2012, when the Pistons lost their first eight games in a row.Similar to recent Pistons teams, spacing was an issue for that team, as they took the sixth fewest threes per game.
Who were the top two on the 2012-2013 Pistons team in total three-pointers made? You get one point per correct answer.
So 2012, 2013 Pistons.Pistons.Most three-pointers made.Total three-pointers.Oh my gosh.Top two.What about Kyle Singler?Andrew's so close.He was number three, but that's not what I'm looking for.I'm looking for the top two.
So Bryce, you have a chance to steal. You can give me the top two.
So, the first name that came to mind was actually Charlie Villanueva.
Bryce, that is correct.He was number two.Can you name who had the most threes for the 2012-2013 Pistons?Dang.Charlie V. What a free agent class that was.
Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva.
Ben Gordon.Was Josh Smith in a different free agent class?
Yeah, I don't think that was the same one.
That would have been too much.I don't think this is the right year.
That would have been too much.
Brandon Jennings. Oh my gosh, you had the first name right.It is Brandon Knight.Wow.
Oh, Brandon Knight.Remember when Zach Lowe, he wrote an article, he almost picked Brandon Knight to be an all-star?Wasn't that cool?I mean like, Brandon Knight was good.Sometimes you forget.He was good.He was good.Okay, Bryce, you're on the board.
It's two to one and you have control of the board.
So, you know what's funny?I've always wondered how you guys kept track of the numbers that have been selected so well, and now I see the little trick behind the scene.I love it.Number eight.
Okay, this is a good one.Hooper is the name of the Pistons mascot.He is a horse, which is a reference to the horsepower in a car.What bodily function can a horse not do?So I'm gonna name you five bodily functions.
One of them a horse is not able to do, okay?So here we go.Sweat. Vomit, sneeze, cry, or cough.Once again, that is sweat, vomit.Bryce, I have terrible news.Horses can sweat.They do it to cool themselves down, similar to humans.It makes sense.
Andrew, so you get to guess the other possible answers.Vomit, sneeze, cry, or cough.
I'll say cough.I don't know.No, not cough, not cough.Cry.I don't know.That's really cool.
When you change the answer, I was like, oh my gosh, he's going to get the right one.But you got both of them wrong.You picked two wrong ones.Horses cannot vomit.Really?They can't do it.Yeah.
I remember we had a question a while back about rodents, because no rodent can vomit either.And I learned in researching Hooper that horses can't vomit as well.All right, Andrew, the board is yours.
You really could have went easier.You could have just asked me the name of the Piston's mascot, and I still would have missed that.
Oh, really?Would you have known the Piston's former mascot before Hooper?No. Oh, okay.Cause I didn't know that you, you started following in 2020 cause I really wanted to use that as a question, but I was like, Oh, he's a Pistons fan.
He's going to know it for sure.
I like, uh, yeah, I, I probably wouldn't have got Hooper.Okay.Yeah.Hooper.Cause it was Sir Slamalot.And I just really wanted to hear that name on the podcast.Sir Slamalot.Sir Slamalot.Okay.Andrew, the board is yours.Uh, number two.
Question number two. Spacing was obviously a big point of emphasis in the Pistons offseason plans.Which active NBA player has hit the most three-pointers as a member of the Pistons?
So, this is a player, he can be on the current Pistons roster, he could be a player on another team who once played for the Pistons, but when they were on the Pistons, they hit the most amount of threes of anyone who currently has ever played on the Pistons in their career.
So it has to be threes made while they were on the pistons.
Correct.Threes made while a piston currently active on a roster somewhere.Oh.I don't know.Luke Kinnard.Luke Kinnard, that's a great guess, Andrew.It's not right, but it was a great guess.Bryce, you have a chance to steal.What about KCP?
a really good guess because he missed out by two, three pointers.So the correct answer, which this was going to be really hard, but it's a Sadiq Bay who is on a roster.
Technically he is not currently playing cause he is injured, but he is on the wizards.So it does count. All right, Bryce, it is still 2-1.He had a lot of threes, isn't that kind of impressive?
He had more than KCP.So his rookie season, he would have set the rookie record if it would have been an 82-game season.
I'm pretty sure if you look at what he was making per game, if you take it out over 82 games, but it was that first year after the COVID year, so it was 72 or however many they played.Wow.He had a 50-point game too, right? Against the Orlando magic.
Yep.Yep, Sadiq.Okay Bryce the board is yours.You're only down by one Four Question number four.Tobias Harris was brought to Detroit in part for his shooting.And while he's currently shooting three of 20 from three, better days are surely ahead.
What is the most amount of three-pointers Tobias has ever made as a piston?Now you get to choose who answers first, okay?So you can make Andrew answer first, and then you can go higher or lower.
Or you can answer first, and then Andrew would go higher or lower.However, If you make Andrew answer and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point.So this is the most amount of threes Tobias has ever made as a piston in a game.
I will let Andrew guess.All right, Andrew.If you get it exactly correct, you'd get a nice little bonus point.Six. Alright, so Andrew has set the bar at 6.Bryce, would you like to go higher or lower than 6?
That's a really good bar, Andrew.Thank you.Because if it was 5, I definitely would have went over.
I'm going to go over still.Over.Andrew, you were within 1 of the correct answer.
I think I did this last week too, where I was within one of whatever it was.
You got it wrong last week, but this week you also got it wrong because it is seven.So Bryce gets the points.Look at that.And Bryce pulls ahead.He's now up three to two.Three questions left, Andrew. Five.Question number five.
In honor of the Pistons theoretically getting more shooters, let's name the top ten in franchise history for total made threes.
So how this works, Andrew will give me a name, then Bryce will give me a name, we'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles.So franchise history, total made threes as a Piston.
Guys, OK, Chauncey Billups, Chauncey Billups, number two over to Bryce Joe Dumars, Joe Dumars, number one.
I mean, City Bay has to be on this list, right?He is.
Would you have known that, Andrew, if we hadn't had that question first?
I would not have been on the forefront of my mind.OK, OK.
All right. Back to Bryce.So that means Contavious Caldwell-Pope is also on this list.A great guess.
He's number eight, right behind Sadiq Bae.Back to Andrew.
This guy didn't shoot a lot of threes, but he just played for the Pistons for so long on the wing.Rip Hamilton.
Andrew coming in at number 10 rip Hamilton that is correct over to Bryce Sheed Sheed Wallace number four on the list back to Andrew Andrew it's getting it's getting dicey for you.
I only have one more that I think might be on the list.I have two more I
What about Tayshawn Prince?That's one of them.Tayshawn Prince, Andrew?Number five, Tayshawn.
All right, Bryce, what was your other name?So I just know this guy got a ton of buckets for the Pistons.I don't know if there's enough threes, though.Jerry Stackhouse.
Jerry Stackhouse, he was not on the list, which means Andrew gets the points.The other names, number three, Lindsey Hunter. Third all time.Lindsey Hunter.A lot of seasons.Third.Third all time.
Number six all time.Terry Mills.You guys big Terry Mills fans?Not a huge Mills guy over here.First time hearing that name in my life.Is Reggie Jackson on this list?Reggie Jackson was number nine, Andrew.Okay, two questions left.
Bryce, you're now down by one.Six or seven?Seven.Seven. Through his first 133 games, Jalen Durden has already had 65 double-doubles.Actually, that's not true.Well, yes it is true, but that's not the question I meant to ask.
I'm realizing I looked up the wrong stat.I actually meant to say the amount of games he had with double-digit rebounds, which is actually like 74 or something. Okay, so we're talking about double-digit rebounds.
There are only three active NBA players who had more double-digit rebound games through their first 133 games.How many can you name?You get one point per correct answer.
So these are currently active players who, through their first 133 games, had more double-digit rebound games than Jalen Dern.And there's only three of them.So we're thinking like 75 or more of these games. So Andre Drummond?
Andre Drummond is incorrect.Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
Yo, that was like, that was going to be my guess too.It was Andre Drummond.It sounds so right.I might look it up.
Well, that makes me feel better then, because I was like, I feel like this is the obvious one for me to say, so.
Yeah, that sounds very right.How is that wrong?Let's look it up, Alex.Maybe I messed up.
Yeah, that's yeah, that's I don't know.I mean, I have no idea.So active players that had double digit rebound games.
OK.Oh, man. Who's getting bounds?I'm doing my search right now.Vooch.
OK, no, that is incorrect.Drummond didn't play that much as rookie year.
So Dryden actually had the exact same amount of double-digit rebound games as Jalen Duren.That was a very good guess.And Andrew Vucevic, he was number seven.He had 64.The top three names.So, like, it's a bonus one?
No, because he played in Oklahoma City and he didn't do anything.
He was a stretch for a minute.
Wow, he's actually really far down.Any other guesses, though, for fun?For fun?Just for fun?One player had 95 of his first 133 games, double-digit rebounds.Whoa.And that player was Carl Anthony Towns.
And the other two guys were DeAndre Ayton, Yeah.And Joel Embiid.Joel Embiid.
Feels like cheating.Embiid feels like cheating.
I thought you might go back to the DeAndre Jordan.Well.
You know, it crossed my mind, it crossed my mind, but I but I know that he was a third string center for the Clippers for a long time.So very smart.Yeah.
Even Rudy, Rudy had 44.Okay, Andrew, this is the final question.You get it right, you win the week.You get it wrong, Bryce will have a chance to steal and tie the game, sending it into overtime.Oh boy.
Kate Cunningham has scored 2,886 points through 143 career games. Which active former number one overall pick scored the most points through their first 143 games with 3,583?
So this is an active player, former number one overall pick, most points scored total through their first 143 games.Active player, former number one overall pick.
That is right.Okay.Okay.Is it just LeBron James?
It is dumb.I mean, it sounds obvious.It sounds like it should be right, but it's not right.Bryce, you have a chance to steal.That's wild.
So my first thought was actually Kyrie.
Kyrie Irving.That is also incorrect, which means Andrew wins the week.The correct answer.Any other guesses?Anthony Davis.No.Derrick Rose?No!Not active. Oh shit.
Um, Zion, I don't know who Zion Zion.
Oh really?Most points through 142.
That was, he was, I mean, I thought about him, but I, he's had such a strange career.It's been so choppy.It's been so choppy, but when he's played, he's yeah.
But when he's played, cause it was just the games he's actually played.So the games he missed doesn't don't matter.
They don't count.Yeah.Yeah. That was a good game.4-3.Congrats, Andrew.
What a game.Hey, go listen to the Pistons Pulse podcast. I love listening to your shows.I even listen to your to your offseason shows.I just I just like listening to you guys.So please go check that out.
And then, of course, check out the Game Theory podcast with our guys, Sam Vassini and Bryce.It's it's a great show.If you were just like a person, if you're listening to this, of course, you just love basketball.
But if you just love basketball, it's like another one that should be heavy in your rotation.So please go check that out.Bryce, thanks so much for coming on.
No, thanks guys.I had a blast.Always down to join anytime you get the pistons on the wheel again or NBA draft or whatever.So thanks for having me and I'm glad I didn't embarrass myself too much in trivia.
This is two times, two times I haven't acted too much of a fool.So thanks guys.
Alright folks, that was Pistons Week.Detroit Pistons, the first team on Wheel of Fandom of this season of Slam & Jam.Wheel of Fandom, where each week we spin a digital wheel, it lands on a team, we become fans of that team for the next week.
And this week, who is the Wheel of Fandom team gonna be?Well let's spin the wheel and see who it's gonna be.This week's Wheel of Fandom team will be... The Los Angeles Lakers.The Lakers.The Lakers.Let's see who the Lakers are playing.
Let's see who the Lakers are playing next week.Lakers.Wow.They've been living in a mixed bag.Mixed bag, the Lakers.
I mean, yeah, they got blown out by Cleveland, but Cleveland's undefeated.Yeah.That game against Phoenix at Phoenix, that was a great game.It was a great game. Oh my gosh, listen, they're playing at Toronto.Scott is out.Yeah, great.
It's Friday at Detroit on Monday.Oh, no, our pistons at Memphis on Wednesday.OK, that's that's a somewhat.
That's a good one.Memphis played great this week.Yeah. So there we go.Three road games, Toronto, Detroit, Memphis.They're on a five-game road trip right now.So we'll see how the Lakers do.
Wow.We'll also see how our listeners do with five-star reviews.If you will leave us a five-star review, we will read it on the podcast.So this review comes from W B's wreck Slam Jam five stars a year ago.
I wrote a review of this and then stopped listening for some reason.Glad to see it's back and better than ever.The best Saturday NBA podcast out there.Of course, it is only Saturday NBA.It's the only Saturday NBA podcast out there, but still.
Unlike many, there is a remembrance that sports is supposed to be fun and that it is OK to laugh and usually informative.I listen every week.Thank you so much for that review.
This next one comes from Schwozay in the United States, says a real basketball podcast.Sounds obvious enough, right?
Well here's the thing, if you expect to skip the first 10ish minutes of a basketball pod because one of the hosts is giving you updates on their kid's AAU team, or his house, or his back pain, this is not the program for you.
Or if you want the host to suddenly pivot to talking about football on a basketball pod.Again, don't bother with this one.
And if you want the host's personalities to grate on your nerves as you wait for them to finally make some salient points, you get the picture.This pod is pure hoops. every day, and it's awesome.
Every episode is packed with opinions and updates, perspectives.The hosts are simultaneously approachable and wildly, wildly knowledgeable.Thank you for putting this together.
It's clearly a labor of love for the game and the fans who can't get enough of real basketball talk.Thank you so much for that review.If you will leave us a five star review again, we'll read it on the podcast.
Sounds like that last person listens to some podcasts.They hate Andrew.Listen,
It doesn't seem to be going too well on the other podcast.
I was really specific.Imagine if you're an NBA podcaster out there with some back pain, you're like, oh, my gosh, is he talking about me?
Shwaza is not holding back on the other basketball pods that they're listening to.Please do leave us a five star review and we'll read on the podcast.Would very much appreciate that.I hope you guys enjoy your weekend and the basketball.
And we will talk to you guys again next week.
