Rising Stars
Players of the Week:
Jaden Hardy, Dyson Daniels, Scoot Henderson & MarJon Beauchamp
Last week the NBA announced that Hardy (pictured), Daniels, Henderson & Beauchamp would be invited to attend the All-Star Weekend Rising Stars game and play against the best rookies and sophomores in the NBA. This type of invitation is both a great step forward for the league to attract more young talent to their program while also being a testament to how these four players have continued to develop during the G-League Ignite Tour. As a group, they are averaging 58.1 points, 17.9 rebounds and 12.5 assists per game and continue to work on elevating their game to the next level. While each player brings a different play style to the floor they continue to compete every night against NBA level talent. Allowing them to participate in the rising stars game, while a “fun and rewarding” experience, will help teams evaluate how they stack up against the best young talent today. The one issue that this has caused is the exclusion of Michael Foster Jr.. While he may not be the best prospect in the eyes of scouts, currently projected as a second round talent, he is arguably having the best season out of any player on the Ignite. Hopefully, the NBA considers using Foster Jr. as a replacement player because he has a chance to increase his draft stock even if it is in a more casual setting.
Who’s Hot:
Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers ended the trade deadline with a splash yesterday by trading two first round picks, Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry for James Harden. While the verdict is still out on the winners and losers of this trade we can go over the facts. Philadelphia has a, when healthy, top ten player paired with Joel Embiid for the first time in his career and was able to retain their promising young core in Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle. If Philadelphia can find a ball handling point guard by working the buyout market in an attempt to bolster their bench they will put themselves in a position to contend for the next 2-3 seasons. Brooklyn also addresses most of their needs in this deal and if all goes as expected, should be the team standing opposite of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Finals. While it is unclear how Harden will perform and if his hamstring will hold up into the playoffs, this is a step in the right direction for Philadelphia. Finally getting Simmons off the roster was the main goal and even when pressure from fans and media were at their highest, Morey never blinked in regards to the value Simmons holds. He could have settled for rotation pieces that “might” have put Philadelphia in the position they were prior to the trade; however, he waited and reeled in a superstar. It will be interesting to see how Harden fits but after picking up his player option in good faith, the Sixers will have a year and a half to figure it out.
Tyrese Haliburton: Haliburton was one player that felt like he fell too far down the draft board. Injured in his rookie season, Haliburton has had a breakout sophomore year in the turmoil that is Sacramento. He spoke of changing the culture going forward and up until this week was held out of trade talks, seen as untouchable by the Kings organization. Yet, for some reason that changed as Haliburton was traded to Indiana in a deal for Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento has always seemed to have a roster influx but after drafting Haliburton and Davion Mitchell it was assumed they had their back court of the future. In an ideal scenario the organization would have let the two young guards flourish in a back court together instead of shipping one of them out for a borderline All-Star to play with De'Aaron Fox. While Fox has been great for the Kings it was assumed he would be the trade chip this deadline not Haliburton. Year over year the former Iowa State guard has rapidly improved his passing, rebounding and defensive ability. Labeled a “glue-guy” during the draft process he has shown that he can be much more than that going forward. With a change of scenery, a veteran coach and a new drive to succeed, expect Haliburton to finish this season strong and rise to All-Star caliber in his third year.
Who’s Cold
Sacramento Kings: No surprises here, the Kings are staying Kings. Usually the goal is to develop their youth but they have found themselves shipping out young players instead of retaining and developing them. Marvin Bagley and Tyrese Haliburton can become good players in their new situations and while it didn’t always work on the Kings it is hard to imagine the organization abandoning the development process of two lottery picks in the same season. The pairing of Fox and Sabonis isn’t attractive enough to bring big time free agents to Sacramento and usually the idea of building a competitor would be through the draft. However, the acquisition of Sabonis makes the current Kings roster comparable to the Pacers of the West. A borderline playoff team that finds themselves at the bottom of the lottery only to draft less than ideal rotation players with minimal superstar potential. Obviously draft pools have become deeper and it is much more likely that they could find a diamond in the rough but if they are giving up on their young talent for B-Level stars it is hard to imagine a time when the Kings are true competitors again.
New York Knicks Rotation: Thibs currently has the New York Knicks between a rock and a hard place. A team that, on paper, should be contending for playoff position feels like they have no identity. Tensions have mounted, RJ Barrett was recently injured and newly acquired Cam Reddish finds himself on the end of the bench. So when is enough, enough? The Knicks have an array of young talent who should be starting on a nightly basis. Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin are all being impacted by the decision to go with veteran role players instead of working to develop the young talent they have. The lack of minutes, due to Thibodeau’s philosophy on playing his starters extensively has stunted the growth that could be happening right now. The trade deadline was a way to right the ship on a season that feels like it is slipping away. Moving Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker would have cleared the way for their young core to gain minutes the back half of the season. Instead, the Knicks decided they were content with the team as it is currently constructed. A sign that they do not believe the season is over and that they trust Thibs to push the right buttons to turn this around. In my opinion, the Knicks should have worked to move Noel, Walker and Burks to make way for the next generation of talent in The Garden. Even if it was in exchange for late draft capital, the depth of the upcoming classes would provide back rotation youth to fill the gaps. In the offseason, the organization needs to evaluate their current roster and find an identity. Ideally, the coaching staff decides that Reddish, who they gave up a first round pick for, and the rest of the young talent on their bench is a better option than their current rotation.
Top Three Rookies Benefitted by the Trade Deadline
When one door closes another opens and while seeing fellow backcourt member Tyrese Haliburton traded in a shocking move, Mitchell is going to be the beneficiary in the long run. It is safe to say that there was a bit of a back court log jam in Sacramento and while the presumed idea was that Fox would be traded, the “who” doesn’t really matter for Mitchell. Even though the Kings received Aaron Holiday in the deal, it would be surprising for the former Baylor guard not to crack the starting lineup in the upcoming weeks. A defensive menace with room to grow on the offensive end and opportunity at more minutes has come to the forefront for Mitchell, who is more than prepared for the moment.
2. Paul Reed
Paul Reed has been a borderline rotation player for Philadelphia in the last two years. Finding himself behind Dwight Howard and then Andre Drummond, Reed hasn’t been able to retain consistent minutes week to week. With the James Harden trade happening yesterday, and the Sixers sending Drummond to Brooklyn, there is a Paul Reed sized hole in the front court rotation. While he may not be a playoff constant, being able to get consistent minutes behind Embiid, instead of driving back and forth to Delaware should be a welcomed opportunity for Reed.
Sengun is the biggest beneficiary of the deadline because the Rockets have decided that he is ready for a larger role. Trading Daniel Thies and waiving Enes Freedom has given Sengun a chance to play second unit rotation minutes and could even find himself slotting in at the center position next to Christian Wood. Currently averaging 8.8/4.7/2.4 in 19 minutes, Sengun has the chance to make major strides in his development during the rest of the season. The Rockets decision to let their young players into their rotation will be a long term reward with Sengun and Jalen Green leading the charge.