The Kings’ ceiling is ALL GRAVY + Mavs’ ‘homerun record’ & Zion’s health | NBA Today YT Exclusive

The Kings’ ceiling is ALL GRAVY + Mavs’ ‘homerun record’ & Zion’s health | NBA Today YT Exclusive

Hey welcome inside our Los Angeles Studio Zack low Ramona shelburn Austin Rivers I’m Malika Andrew this is NBA today on YouTube this is the extra bits the stuff that we don’t get in the show and we usually get the top of the western standing teams and those teams

That are sort of swirling around the bottom into our hour of NBA today at 3:00 Eastern but as we put up the standings here we don’t often get into those teams that are chilling right in the middle that we feel good about not great about that could go up that could

Go down so I want to start with the Sacramento Kings not just because we got one of the most epic film session postgame press conference rant from Mike Brown who was find $50,000 for that demonstration shall we say Ted talk but because the Kings it was it was some big

Pat Beverly energy in terms of bringing up the video camera the table and everything um no notes but the kings are a team that when we were looking at them they were the team last year year Zach right they were the risers they were the surprise team that everyone wanted to

Buy stock into and it felt like this was the year that all of their guys would sort of take that next step they brought back most of their roster what do you make of the beginning of their season thus far what’s their ceiling this year on the surface it’s a success they’re 23

And 16 they’re on Pace to win about the same number of games they won last year they’re right in the thick what we’re really talking about is I think there’s a clear top four in the west Minnesota OKC Denver Clippers what that means is there’s going to be a really fun race

For five six to stay out of the play and the kings are at the top of that race their record is way better than their point differential they are barely barely a positive Point differential team if their record starts to fall toward their point differential that gets interesting particularly if that

Starts to happen in the next three weeks before the trade deadline I don’t know what the move is if there is a move I sometimes think the best move might be to just do nothing and one thing for sure they’re not going to trade Keegan Murray because that dude is starting to

Blow up right now and if he’s the third member of a of like whatever their big three is I think you just sort of like let’s not go crazy throwing out draft picks let’s just ride it out and some of that is last year they were healthy they were one of the

Healthiest teams all last year in terms of games missed by star players they’ve had some injuries this year I think that have cost them some games right until basically dearn Fox HT his finger in the play you could say that that injury that you know first real major injury is

Really what cost them the rest of that series I mean and look Steph Curry went for 50 in that last game okay so we’re going and Darren said if you know if he went for 37 we would have been that’s right and and you’re but you’re right I

Would have liked to see a healthy Daren fox in that last game dueling with Steph Curry in that 50 piece magn the game seven that he had but I I think the question for the Kings and they have to ask themselves if this is the year because I I covered that Series last

Year and I remember Mike Brown and a lot of the players talking about how much they needed to learn from this like this may not be the year that we break through but this is the year we need to learn from and I and I I remember

Thinking that a lot of that talk was almost premature cuz they were still in it it was still game seven they had blown the series lead they were up in that series they had a chance to knock out Golden State um but th this is the

Year you take the step forward right and if they don’t do that what do you start to wonder if your ceiling is high enough if with this group because I think Zach’s right I think Keegan Murray has taken that jump I think he can be the

Big three but is that does that give you a high enough ceiling I think it definitely raises the ceiling if if you weren’t having this type of play from Keegan then you start to have the concern whether do we need more Firepower do we need to add another guy

But when you have a third option who’s Elite and now puts your team in a different category and then you add to that the Firepower and the shooting that they have whether it’s uh Malik monk coming off the bench who’s always a sixthman of the Year candidate uh they

Have uh who’s the uh the redhead man Kevin my guy but he’s capable you know what I mean and even when a guy’s struggling if you’re classified in the NBA as a shooter on that scattering report is a guy you’re hugged up on and he creates space for that pick and rooll

Action with sabonis and and one of the most electrifying point guards in the NBA Daren Fox health is there they have a a talented passionate coach one of my favorite Clips is Mike Brown before the year screaming at Malik monk who’s a vet yeah to do something whatever it was in

Practice that just shows accountability where they’re at uh there is a little bit Nostalgia and like a little bit of just like the Energy’s gone just in terms of last year when you do it the first time everybody’s excited like the beam yeah like the beam the beam is

Amazing yeah the kings are here and all these things to come back I don’t know what signals we’re sending up there to other but you know think about the conversation we’re having about the Sacramento just for a second yeah talking about what their ceiling is how high is their ceiling sabonis and

Fox for 15 years they they didn’t have the ceiling had holes all over the place there was no functional it’s a gra it’s all gravy for the Kings right now it’s all good well is it all gravy for the Dallas Mavericks because they had one of the more if not

Most disappointing seasons in the NBA last year just fizzling out of the play completely there were questions bubbling up about Luca donic about Kyrie Irving about their long-term fit about Luca’s long-term future in Dallas they’ve had a bunch of injuries this year the emergence of Derek Lively uh thei has

Been one of the great stories of the NBA Luca’s been calling for I need a big I need a big I need a big that was their answer we don’t see rookies step into that role very often and yet now they’re they’re six in the west and they’re

Looking up at teams like you’ve established Z there really are four that we feel pretty good about sitting here in in mid January what do you think the Mavs need to do to get over that hum are you feeling good about that they need a

Tough guy right they need I mean if you had to draw a picture and a bio and a job description he would look something like Draymond Green something like that okay like they need somebody who is going to be Kyrie’s protector they need someone who’s going to protect Luca who

You’re going to drive into the lane and yeah well and and that wants to be he’s like the kind of like antagonist he can breathing on LeBron and Le going to roll his first month the second last couple months but like they need they need and they need some more

Perimeter defense okay they’ve had some injuries on the perimeter um but I think I think with the Mavericks they are that proverbial one player away like I I’m I’m sold on Luca and Kyrie I like that pairing but they need that third star and and and while Lively has been a

Great find for them giving that he he has that that gravity talk about space like there’s space on the perimeter there’s space for guys who can shoot and then there’s vertical space and that was what the Warriors us to talk about when they had jav McGee at

His Prime and that and that Ro and James wisman and well yeah theoretically you were going to roll your eyes IM theoretically I don’t think like Draymond Green I I just think the idea of any team trading for Draymond Green right now is very problematic on a lot

Of levels like not the least of which is do we think he’s do we trust him to be available to play basketball games I think Dallas has hit a home run to be 24 and 17 all their injuries there are teams in the NBA that have no lineups to have hit

100 minutes this year the Mavs are one of them the others are three really bad teams with injuries and the Miami Heat who are lurking yeah they always always lurking to me the mads record is a home run and they’re they may not have a third star right everybody wants the

Third third star but like all their role guys are playing pretty well right now J Hardy show signs of Life Josh Green Show sign of Life exam’s hurt Derrick Jones Jr miss the went for 40 like they’ve won they’ve won two recent games without Luca like this is a rock solid team and

Like I wouldn’t like Luca by himself is terrifying in the playoffs I wouldn’t want I wouldn’t be excited to play this team if they get in the playoffs they could definitely win around and KY had 40 two the last three games KY Kyrie is vindicating that trade I I didn’t like

That trade for the mads I was just in the I wouldn’t be in the Kyrie business right now he has paid that tradeoff he’s been outstanding I couldn’t agree more all right Austin let’s end end with the seventh seated New Orleans Pelicans we’ve often said this team will go as

Zion Williamson goes and for the large part of this year knock on wood you know we’re sitting here in I keep saying is it mid is it late January whatever and and Zion Williamson has largely been available for his team how are you feeling about New Orleans I like their

Team uh like you said a lot of it’s been predicated on Zion’s Health uh but he has been there he’s been available I love their size I love when they play Murray out there with Murphy uh Murphy out there with Jones and Zion and Ingram we’re talking about 68 610 610 68

They’re long they’re athletic they’re Scrappy you have guys like Jose Alvarado out there running around causing chaos Willie Green’s a fiery coach he’s young he’s proven they seem to believe in him there’s a lot of passion there um I I like their team uh this is a team that’s

Dangerous New Orleans is for me is are they a contending team no they are a matchup nightmare though for a lot of teams they’re a team that you get in the playoff series versus a certain team that struggles versus length and New Orleans could give a lot of problems to

Teams I think they’re one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference or maybe even in the whole league if you look at three through nine it was certainly CLA the other night against the Golden State Warriors right and even like that they they try to be deep almost out of

Necessity because their top two guys hurt a lot and Ingram and Zion and so the the the rest of the guys though like you you take any one of those guys three through 10 even Y and you put them on another team and they’re like hey we we

Found somebody who’s a key rotational player and there’s guys who get dnps who are not even who who don’t who who would start for other teams who’s that rookie they have the shooter yeah he’s man he’s big timean a champ I think they need to keep playing him he’s he’s recently beat

Out Alvarado for kind of the last spot in the rotation I know Jose Alvarado’s a great story he’s a good player I just think Hawkins skill set is not CL really really rare right Pelicans are are a nasty team they just let’s see them get

Some time to get this is what they nasty several times I’m I’m he’s crank Z Nasty Baby Zach nasty F him immediately please let’s give them some time to marinate like their crunch time offense has been really bad all season they’ve had a lot of bad late game losses but this team

Really in the scheme of things McCollum Ingram Zion have like barely played together let’s give all they’ve been craving is like can we get 30 straight games where we play together so let’s see it and may we’ll see what they have so there were some questions when when Z

On Zion Williamson’s contract right what was in there in terms of games played in order to sort of decipher for the Pelicans this is the time to sort of get into okay whether or not longterm they want to be in the Zion Williamson business if you will and this year it

Has been a step in the right direction for Zion we also know that free agents they don’t necessarily look at New Orleans as a a high destination Market when you’re looking at at going there right yeah Austin can speak to that if you are the New Orleans front office

Right now how are you feeling about that now versus at the same time last year I mean fine I think Zion has been very good this year he has not quite looked like the force that he looked like a couple of seasons ago when he was

Healthy and was a candidate to make all NBA I think he came close to making a just F fell just short but he’s been very good and he’s been mostly healthy and the next step is you know they’ve talked pretty openly about his conditioning and his defense and like

That’s if they get to the playoffs you better believe just like the Mavericks did yesterday Kyrie was like every single possession where’s Zion bring him up in a pick and roll that’s going to be the that is the next step for them is is Zion’s conditioning improving that I

Mean that literally is the next step from this team being a good Western team to being someone that can go in the playoffs and really make some real noise it’s it it it ends and begins with with Zion okay so we the Kings five the MAV 6

The pel 7 they’re looking up at the Timberwolves the Thunder the nuggets the Clippers do you feel of these three teams anyone that you feel good about moving up into the top four no I think that top four stays yeah same I agree top four whether they can upset one of

Those teams in the playoffs is it I got another team that’s somebody in the playoffs who’s your team that’s going to set somebody in the playoffs I don’t think people want to play Phoenix in the playoffs oh I I definitely do not I can say whatever they want about how they’re

Playing right now but you get all three of those guys healthy in the playoffs that is the last team you want to play in a seven game series well and I think they’re finally figuring out how to play together right so the the debate all

Year is who’s the point guard okay is it is it book is it Bradley I still think they need one that’s my personal opinion but yeah well you you play that position right of still in your early 30s I don’t know I’m just you I really appreciate

You advocating for me man that’s the second time she’s done that today happened on this show before it has Tristan went from the from the death to the what’s up man trist Thompson Tristan Thompson now we’re really off topic Tristan Thompson former colleague KR I don’t know what to call him that dude

Could be 65 years old you put him on the court for 15 minutes rebound throwing dudes out of the way they called him in the other day you know oh they miss a free throw just secure the offensive rebound he came in he got that rebound trying to box out

Tristan Thompson seems horrible that should be like an All-Star competition try to box out Tristan Thompson would you would you sign up for that no that would hurt you know what I would do a l I would do a l I think I would want to

See it for Phoenix I was just going to say this for Phoenix for Phoenix to to to be the team that we need yep we talk about them playing together yeah they need trist and Thompson they need Austin right they need myself are we talking about yourself on the third person now

Yeah I’ve through a whole new low right I think Malik Andrews now is saying no I can’t do it I can’t do the third person just I did we’re we’re we’re I can call myself Momo I do that Brad’s got to be the Ray Allen right I’m I just I like that

I like that yeah play more just he’s a great catch and shoot guy we don’t need any more ISO we have enough of it we need you to just be a lot of your plays has to be qu quick decision catch and shoot obviously the play in tournament

You know it it it exists but if you know the Timberwolves Suns that match up I mean nobody wants to face the Phoenix all right we have gone up round sideways all over the place but that’s what we do here on NBA today on YouTube we will see

You at 3:00 Eastern weekdays on ESPN Zack low uh he needs to take a before things get too uh nasty as you say Momo out Momo out Momo out all right and I’m speaking in third person let’s get

Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne and Austin Rivers join me on today’s NBA Today YouTube Exclusive to discuss:

0:00 Sacramento Kings’ ceiling & health
4:50 Dallas Mavericks needing “a Draymond Green”
7:58 New Orleans Pelicans & Zion Williamson’s conditioning

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