The All-Star Game 2022 is history – high time for us to empty the mailbox again. We look at the trade additions that could have the biggest positive impact in the playoffs, dig into the Thibodeau Dilemma in New York, and celebrate the Grizzlies.
After the All-Star weekend, the focus is slowly shifting back to the end of the season in the association. SPOX-Editor Philipp Jakob answers your questions about the NBA. For the next issue of the Mailbag you can already send us your questions via Twitter @ph_jakob send.
NBA: Why Seth Curry can become decisive for the Nets
Stefanie: Which signing before the trade deadline will have the most positive impact on each team in the playoffs?
The simple answer would be to name the James Harden/Ben Simmons blockbuster here. I truly believe this trade is a win/win for both teams. If both are fit or ready for the playoffs, both the Sixers and the Nets have become stronger in the title race. But if we look away from the superstars to answer this question, I’m staying in Brooklyn and staying with this trade. My pick: Seth Curry.
The Nets reportedly wanted MVP’s younger brother and god of three Steph as part of the Harden trade, and for good reason. Where Seth is a toe-length ahead of his brother this season: The 31-year-old is an absolutely deadly shooter because of the high percentage. That’s exactly what the Nets have been missing since Joe Harris’ injury in recent months.
It is still unclear at this time whether Harris actually needs a second operation on his injured ankle. If this is the case, he will be missing for a while, Curry could fill this gap on the topic of spacing. He’s hitting 41.0 percent of his long-range shots (5.7 attempts per game) this season, which is actually a career low since his first full season with the association – so the brothers are similar in that regard.
Curry is far more than a simple catch-and-shoot specialist. The 1.88 meter man is able to create for himself – with a 53.6 percent true shooting on pullups he is among the most efficient players in this category. And he’s an underrated playmaker. Should Kyrie Irving also miss home games in the playoffs, Curry could give the Nets important minutes to relieve Kevin Durant.
When the superstar trio KD, Kyrie and Simmons are on the court together, Curry’s qualities as a shooter are in demand. Incidentally, the guard can not only make an important contribution to the Nets this season plus playoffs, he is also under contract for 2022/23. He earned a whopping $8.5 million, a real steal for Brooklyn. Curry will therefore also be one of the most important role players in this team in the coming season.
NBA Mailbag: Second Tier Playoff Heroes
SPOX user Grand_J: Which player could unexpectedly come up trumps in the playoffs this year and help a team win the title?
And SPOX user Slash_59: Which player from the second row will be an important game changer or have an important influence on his team in the playoffs?
I admit I’m a little cheating on this question. Because Jamal Murray is not a second-row player, nor is he someone from whom playoff exploits would come terribly unexpected. See Disney Bubble 2020. But due to his long injury break, the adjective “unexpected” is justifiable.
The Canadian played his last NBA game on April 12, 2021 before a cruciate ligament rupture wiped out last year’s title hopes for the Nuggets in one fell swoop. Now, in best MVP fashion, Nikola Jokic is keeping the Nuggets afloat with no second best and no third best (Michael Porter Jr.) teammates in the playoff race and could use some help.
A Murray comeback before the postseason seems possible, as confirmed by team president Tim Connelly in mid-February. The big question is at what level the 24-year-old will return and if he can immediately deliver additional scoring. You shouldn’t expect too much after such a long injury break. But Murray, if fit, has the potential to take the Nuggets to a Contender level alongside the Joker.
But I would now like to go into a few names that can play an important role in the playoffs from the second row. I’ve outlined the arguments for Seth Curry above, but the Nets recently added another candidate for this category in the person of Goran Dragic. Looking at the other conference, it is noticeable that the Golden State Warriors feel like they have an entire armada of such players in their ranks.
A Jordan Poole probably doesn’t meet the definition of “second row” anymore, but Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II will play important roles in the well-known “Strength in Numbers” style. And even a Jonathan Kuminga could help in the playoffs.
With the Suns, who currently have to be treated as the top favorite in the West due to the scarcely any weaknesses, Cam Johnson is capable of such a role. The elite shooter has already delivered good production in the past playoffs. Now he has improved again (43.0 percent rate of three with 5.7 attempts per game).
In Miami, Max Strus has established himself as a shooter over the course of the regular season and can be trusted to run absolutely hot in a playoff series. And defensively, the Bulls would certainly appreciate a return from Patrick Williams, who could have a big and much-needed impact for Chicago on his own end of the court.
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