Does Paul George give the Sixers the best big 3 in the NBA? | ALL NBA Podcast

Does Paul George give the Sixers the best big 3 in the NBA? | ALL NBA Podcast

[Music] [Applause] [Music] what is up everybody and welcome to the all NBA show part of the All City Podcast Network I’m your host Adam mes I’m joined by my esteemed colleague Tim legler the man that’s always driving or flying five hours this way or that way thans how you doing today I’m good and that’s going to be my officially I think my last really long drive for a while I that was my last day of the season for uh either being in New York DC or Bristol for ESPN uh that’s on the books as of now I’ve got some Vegas stuff to do for them for summer league but that’s that’s it and actually Adam as I walked out of there today and as I do every year my contract’s been up uh since I’ve been at ESPN you always wonder is this the last time in walking off campus you just you just never know after 23 years of that being a second home so I did that last night and uh that was my last long drive for a while well I doubt it I think we’re going to get more legs at least I’m praying and hoping we’re getting more legs on all these platforms but certainly on this one we are in free agency we’ve had two full days of free agency now we’re in day three so we’ve got plenty to talk about and on today’s show we’re going to talk about the Dallas Mavericks adding Klay Thompson and a couple other pieces that I actually really like in fact legs one of my guys was traded to the Dallas Mavericks we’ll talk about him on the other side we’ll also do the 76ers who get Paul George are they the best big three in the league now we’ll talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder oh man this is all my guys I might be the star of the show today legs hartenstein going to Oklahoma City you can guess how I feel about that yeah yeah no kidding he’s he’s he’s he’s closer to you geographically I think that’s a good thing for you yeah I might have to make the drive and then the Orlando Magic get kcp uh we’ll go there as well but we’re going to start with our Dallas Mavericks Klay Thompson is leaving oh my a little spite been a little cold after such a phenomenal the all-time runs with that Golden State Warriors team he has headed to Dallas completely different type of Team nji Marshall will be going as well from New Orleans who’s an interesting Prospect and then my guy Quinton Grimes who is definitely at the top of my second draft list guys who have not panned out yet but I think are poised to pan out coming up those three guys are in out the door is Josh Green Derek Jones Jr and Tim Hardway so all right let’s start with Klay Thompson here legs what what do you just make of the fit with the Dallas Mavericks is he going to fit in there and how different of style do you think it’s going to be for him making that adjustment yeah well I’m glad you you put that in your question because that’s kind of how I’m feeling about this well let’s just start with the fact that obviously this is a significant upgrade over the guys that are asked to spot up around Luca and Kyrie and make shots um and you could see the disparity in the finals last year you know when you have that kind of disparity from the three-point line very difficult to win in this league and the guys that they had sort of filling that role were just not consistent enough uh up and down the board and a lot of those guys are gone Josh Green is a guy that I I talked about repeatedly during that series he plays hard and he defends and all that and he had a decent year shooting the ball from the three but he did not shoot the ball well in that series and he had good clean looks Tim Hardway Jr obviously had an injury late and it kind of took him out of the rotation he never really made it back in Derrik Jones Jr was a very valuable player for them but again you know and even just looking at his mechanics that’s not a pure shooter spotting up off the ball you just brought in you just brought in one of the purest Shooters that’s ever lived and look I’m still confident Klay Thompson is gonna shoot a high percentage from the three-point line what’s going to be different for him is the fact that there’s gon to be nothing coming really for him out of movement yep other than other than running the floor into transition he’ll get he’ll get he’ll get those he’ll get you know throwa heads or the ball’s pushed and he kind of trails into one he’ll get some of that but he’s not going to get the stuff he was getting in Golden state with that involved off theball movement with multiple players the curl action he would run and then he would come out the other side off a pin down like the post-split action that he was so good at reading he’s not getting any of that it’s GNA be really your old traditional stand spot up and wait and so I’m very interested to see how that affects Klay Thompson’s Rhythm because it is going to be a totally different because that’s what Dallas does they’re going to run high ball screen they’re going to run isos that’s what they do all the time so you know and look I will say the ball will find you I mean Luca’s gonna Luca’s gonna get you the ball and they’ve got other pieces with their lob threat that require people to pinch in so like those kickout passes are gonna be there klay’s gonna get his share uh who knows maybe for his stage of his career Adam with what he’s been through physically maybe this is exactly what Klay Thompson needs like more shots where he’s kind of already standing there set and not moving into the flow of the shot because in Golden State they never really changed that for him once he came back from all these injuries he just kept playing the same way but the ball wasn’t going in nearly as often when he was on the move so this might be the best thing that could happen to him but it’s going to definitely be an adjustment and as I said at the very beginning the bottom line is this is a massive upgrade in terms of expectations and accuracy on those shots that there are a lot to be had in a in a given game with Luka donic and Kyrie Irving playing together so I totally get why Dallas wanted them it’s a little bit of a sad thing for me you know it’s it’s one of those pairings clay and Steph ad that you kind of wanted to see if they could be one of that rare tandems that spends their whole career together and maybe if they don’t go out the same year or whatever but close to it but regardless only wear one uniform because they’re so they’re so synonymous with each other and and the Splash Brothers and of that and and and now Clay is in a different uniform man different city uh and less money and it’s interesting you know that he made that decision and what was going through his head I haven’t heard really talk about it yet but uh it’s it’s a sad day I think for the Warriors organization I think for fans in general it’s a little bit weird because you want I know that’s a Dying Breed but you thought maybe this would be that pairing that could do that that’s not going to happen now uh clay moved on and now we we see what impact he has on Dallas I think it’ll be significant but it’s going to be an adjustment for sure let’s put the Warriors piece of this to the side for a second I do want to come back to it you talked about the lack of player movement and you know some teams are very stagnant some teams move the ball or move players around a lot golden state was the far extreme of the of the player movement part Dallas is a far extreme to the other thing their guys stand in the corner and they wait Luca breaks down the defense he collapses it and then the shots are open do you think though that Dallas because I wonder this with Denver too Denver can be very stagnant even though they run the dribble handoff game and they do a bunch of stuff Pi pick dribble handoff Michael Porter kcp formerly was in the corners and they just kind of stood there there wasn’t they weren’t running off of pin downs and a whole bunch of action do you think Dallas would be smart to work some of that into their offense or do you think because you have Luca you don’t need to no I think they definitely should I just don’t think they ever will it’s the same it’s the same thing and that I would say about James Harden all those years in Houston like you know the the the possessions James Harden wasn’t initiating or wasn’t the primary driver of the offense I mean go back and look at the film he’d Stand Out by the logo basically with his hand on his hips you’re not going to get him because what it requires Adam is everyone being willing to move without the ball now they can run some specific hitting action for clay that they don’t run now for anybody else because they don’t have that kind of personnel a little bit of this they ran for Tim Hardaway Jr when he was healthy and in Rhythm and he was playing well they would run some action specifically for Tim Hardway Jr where he would maybe do some screen to screener action where he’d set a pick then come off a pick and and running into a shot off a down screen toward the top of the key or up to the Elbow they they you know they’d be smart to include some of that for clay so he’s not totally at the mercy of a team face guarding him or just saying hey no help responsibility we’re gonna stay home with Klay Thompson and still dare the ball to be funneled to whoever that else whoever else that guy is whether it’s PJ Washington or whoever’s on the weak side of the court let the ball get funneled there we’re going to stay chest to chest with Clay like you can’t just allow him to be guarded that way all the time so I think they should put in some sets specifically designed for Klay Thompson to get some stuff off the move but in terms of a general philosophy about their offense I just don’t think that’s ever going to change because of the style that Luca wants to play and that Luca’s been very successful to this point in his life playing very hard to get those guys to buy in to a different style uh where they don’t have it as much and by the way they’re willing to move too because that’s what it takes you can’t just have a guy say okay you know what fine I’ll give the ball up a little bit more earlier and see if we can get the ball hopping around but I’m not gonna move no it doesn’t work doesn’t work because you require those five Defenders to be moving and communicating right and that’s that’s what it’s all predicated on you have to force Communications on screens and switches and hedges all that stuff and if you’re not if you’re if you’re not willing to move and you’re the most important player on the team that then it’s just not going to be something that’s going to flow so be interesting to see what they do differently specifically for clay but I don’t think stylistically you’re going to see much of a change well I think even the word you use there is they could put in some sets and that’s different than what the Warriors did the Warriors had sets but more than anything they had continuity offense they had read and react and that’s where when you talk about the ball getting popping that’s where that happened is because okay this action led to that one and some of the most iconic Warriors sequences and really it was a thing we saw and their Heyday we would see it every game you know a handful of times where it was just one action into the next into the next into the next the next thing you know Klay Thompson’s wide open at the above the break with eight seconds to set his feet and shoot it and I just don’t think that’s not a trait you can even say oh we want to add that to we want to add that to our game it’s easier said than done that has to be a complete overhaul of your identity and I just don’t see that happening at all as well that being said I think Klay Thompson’s a great enough shooter that if he’s comfortable with it he’ll be able to get set shots uh somewhat frequently here’s a question for you though he took 15 shots a game second leading field goal attempt taker for the Warriors last year Luca 24 a game Kyrie 20 a game behind them last year was Tim Hardway Jr at 12 and a half so if you just knowing that the third leading shooter was 12 and a half and below that PJ Washington 10 and a half what would you guess Klay Thompson’s field goal attempts is going to be per game next year definitely not going to be 15 I’d almost put good money on it’s not going to be 15 it’s coming down off his number in Golden State probably somewhere in that 12 range I would imagine mean 10 10’s not enough you know for a guy like Klay Thompson so let’s you 12’s a good number you know and you got to remember like he never was a super high volume free throw shooter but he’s not going to get hardly any free throws going forward these are all going to be I mean I’d almost predict 70% of his shots are going to be catch and shoot threes um that’s what that’s what it’s going to be for the remainder of his career most likely now now there’s another component to this I think Klay Thompson is not the defender that he was at his Peak clearly and a lot of that has to do with the injuries and age you slow down a little bit the injuries probably took a toll his reaction time in being able to laterally slide or backpedal stop and you know a fraction of a second after the offensive player decides to shoot it react extend and contest like that that reaction time is slower for Klay Thompson that’s what I’ve noticed over the last couple of years but I’ll say this he’s still an excellent Defender and he’s big he slides his feet well he’s able to get shoulders squared on on guys that are trying to penetrate on him he just doesn’t react as well when guys then separate from him that reaction time to then extend forward and contest he just doesn’t have the impact that he used to he’s still a better Defender than Tim Hardway Jr there’s no question in my mind so they they pick up that added bonus he’s bigger and he’s just better his instincts are better he I think he cares more about it so there’s a there’s going to be also a marginal increase there now certainly I don’t think he’s necessarily in the category of a Derek Jones Jr right now athletically and quickness wise Josh Green I don’t know probably probably somewhere in the Josh Green territory but he’s certainly better than what they got out of Tim Hardway Jr who played most of those minutes in the regular season at that spot so there’s an increase there his shot number are going to come down overall the quality of the shots could actually go up because I felt like Klay Thompson was continuing to play like Klay Thompson of five years ago and taking really difficult shots and I I I would say it about him on a nightly basis like man and he’d be struggling and he’d come out and right off the bat take a dribble hand off where he’s falling out of bounds in the right corner and I’m like man that’s a tough way to start your night because he’s still thinking about like he can do these things yeah and he just can’t at such a high level well this offense is not going to even allow for that so the quality of shots and the number of shots he takes on balance will be better I just need to see to what extent our team’s able to just stay home with him and and the movement that he used to use to create space because he doesn’t need much time you know that he’s the quickest catching releases we’ve ever seen and he’s six7 it but that was predicated off movement and a guy getting there half a count late when he’d come off that last screen well now he’s going to be standing in one spot most of the time so so can teams just say we’re not rotating off of this now obviously the lob threat plays into that you’re only so many lob dunks you’re gonna give up before that weak side corner guy says you know what I gotta pinch and now here goes a kick off kick out the clay this is all going to be something that’s going to take some time to evolve for them um and I’m fascinated by it I love I love it for Dallas I really do this is obviously an upgrade of just a pure shot making capab ility of that spot and they really need that another guy that they got that I really love is Quinton Grimes I I mentioned earlier you know the the move they got is basically you lose Josh Green you add Quinton Grimes they’re very similar I think Grimes a little bit smaller and you could see this here Klay Thompson Nai Marshall Quinton Grimes you lose Josh Green Derrick Jones Tim Hardway Jr but Quinton Grimes I want to start here because he’s a guy that I like his jumper I like his three-point shot he’s quick he has a quick trigger on it you know almost to where you the Knicks I think had to tell him you know to scale down a little bit but he makes his threes he’s willing shooter he can uh he can get hot but he also plays with a almost Reckless level of intensity he’s a good Defender I think he’s a guy that didn’t work out in New York the biggest red flag to me is he seems like a guy Tom Tibido should love and he didn’t work out there so that’s the biggest red flag to me but he’s a guy that I look at and I go okay three and D you replace Josh green with a better what I think is going to be a better three-point shooter I think he’s a guy that could have a bounceback in Dallas what did you think of that move I thought it was a sneaky good move for Dallas now I will say this Quenton Grimes you’re right he does defend he’s active he’s 65 so he’s got pretty good size for that spot I’ll say this for me the ball’s never gone in at a consistent enough rate from the three-point line so let’s see I mean he’s I think he’s 37 for his career that’s not horrible but he’s never been over 40 ever in five years in the league he’s never been over 40% so let’s see if if he can do that now with the type of shots we’re talking about that that may be a little bit higher quality where he’s got a little bit more time because that’s one thing about Luca he puts the ball across the floor with such velocity and accuracy that you do typically when you are gonna you know open enough to take a shot it is a little bit more uncontested than what you’re used to and that helps guys that are marginal three-point Shooters and I think he’s he’s got to show me he can be better than that his best for his career was 38% his first year in the league third and then 38 33 36 very small sample size last year six games or uh six games with Detroit um so that’s that doesn’t even counts but so he’s in that mid to upper 30s let’s see if he can improve on that and be a little bit more consistent when the shot quality is better and the ball’s getting to you faster and more accurately as it will with Luca I I mean it’s kind of the same career percentage as Josh Green Quint Grimes took nine per third roughly 8 and a half to nine per 36 minutes Josh Green about four and a half so Quinton Grimes is just such a more willing shooter and I think a the willingness to be a shooter even if you’re the same percentage the willingness to be a shooter is so big playing with Luca because you need guys that if they have the daylight if Luca threw the pass it’s because he thinks you’re open you got to be willing to shoot it you can’t record scratch on those because that can clog up the offense so I just like him I would not be surprised he has a a career year there and if you look at Klay Thompson replacing Tim Hardway Jr okay I like that Quinton Grimes replacing Josh Green I like that and the last piece here is you basically look at Naji Marshall replacing Derrick Jones Jr this is the one I’m not so sure about I just love what Derrick Jones Jr provided them Naji Marshall is thicker tougher um I don’t know how he fits in here what did you think of that move I like Naji Marshall a lot man he’s got a lot of dog in him and he is he is a big yeah he’s a big strong dude he likes to mix it up he gives them a level of toughness I loved what Derrick Jones did for this team make no mistake about it I just his energy that he brought every night I thought he was a perfect fit with his ability to slash and catch lobs um and then defensively but he’s a little bit more wiry the Naji Marshall’s built like a tank Naji Marshall I think can guard certain types of players that Derek Jones Jr could not as far as the shooting I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference there they’re both streaky they’re capable of making shots I think Marshall’s probably got a little bit better just mechanics but it doesn’t go in it goes in at about the same rate as Derrick Jones Jr um there’s a trade-off I think Jerick Jones Jr is better off guarding some of the quicker guys that can change Direction with a live dribble I think he could do a better job of turning his hips and keeping those guys in front but I think Naji Marshall would be more equipped to guard a guy say like Jaylen Brown if they find that matchup again because Jaylen Brown can you know he likes to hit you with that shoulder a couple times before tries to go Naji Marshall is more equipped for guys like that guarding you know a LeBron James type of player Naji Marshall is going to give you a little bit more there in terms of the strength and just physical toughness so overall I think it’s a slight upgrade for Dallas um because I think the physical profile lets you guard I think more types of guys than DK Jones Jr was able to and the shooting to me is a wash so let’s take a break now tomorrow I’m not going to ask the big picture which is did the Mavericks get a lot better this or that we’re going to save it for tomorrow where we’re going to really talk about all the teams that were aggressive in free agency Dallas is as aggressive as anybody you know outside of Philadelphia they made a bunch of moves and we’ll talk about that tomorrow on the show but now let’s take a break on the other side we’ll get to the 76ers who added Paul George and Eric Gordon do they have the best big three in the NBA that’ll be the question for the other side first we tell you about our sponsors fellas do you 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300,000 people all right back here segment two let’s move on to the next team here legs 76ers made a big splash long rumored that they were targeting him even during the finals you you remember Joel embiid kind of doing the side eye thing saying that’s who they want let’s pull up the graphic here they’ve get Paul George Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond out the door is Nick patum Tobias Harris De Anthony Melton let’s just start with Paul George how does he fit in with the 76ers ah man oh man I’m I’m so torn on this one um Paul George is a significant upgrade in Talent from what they had they finally got out from the Tobias Harris contract um Paul George because of his ball handling ability playmaking ability is just a different level player at that Wing Spot so certainly the talent level’s better uh he’s going to require the ball more earlier than Tobias Harris did certainly so that’s an interesting effect on Tyrese Maxi embiid and and and how they’re going to operate their offense um he gives you a an insurance policy for embid when he misses 15 to 20 games in the regular season which he is guaranteed to do and you can pencil that in he’s gonna he’s GNA Miss 20 games or more at some point um last year they were sub 500 in those games that affects you overall in in an Eastern Conference that it’s it’s you know got Boston New York improved you’ve got Orlando I think got better you’ve got Indiana in the mix right you it’s that seating matters man there’s regular season wins in terms of tiebreakers and all kinds of stuff that’s going to come into play so to be able to weather the storm a lot better without and be that’s important I think in the regular season for me this entire thing comes down to assuming they fit and like you don’t notice any sort of negative effect on Maxi because it’s not going to affect him be maxy assuming that that’s that’s fine there’s no issue there this whole thing comes down to do you expect Paul George to be able to thrive in the environment that Philadelphia creates for their basketball team in the postseason because I’m just telling you and I I look I I say this in a way that because I’ve had such you know close ties to the city all these years I’m saying it kind of in a positive way in that they want it so bad the pressure just we’re 40 plus years in in a a city that is one of the best basketball cities in the country okay college and pro and they’ve had one title they’ve had no title since 1983 40 plus years okay so they’re they’re you can feel the pressure and the anxiety build every year when the playoffs start and it’s melted guys it’s melted guys okay so Paul George has had an inconsistent playoff track record and that’s my concern so this might be something where it in the regular season we might all be loving it and at some point they might really hit their stride like wow that’s a lot of talent man you got the point guard position covered which is important in this league you got a big man that might be the most dominant individual scoring force in this league and now you’ve got a top shelf Wing scorer you got all three all three areas of the floor covered with Elite level Talent wow like and they hit us they hit the role man at some point they win 10 straight and it looks like wow the Sixers are going to challenge Boston everything else you won’t know anything until you get into a tight spot in the postseason and and that’s what that’s what this is all because embiid’s had issues in the past I don’t worry about Maxi he seems like he’s just cut differently like he doesn’t think about that stuff you know Paul Georg and and beid I think it’s fair these are fair points just based on their history and be’s a lot of it had to do with injuries but he still did not play well on nights when they absolutely had to have it and Paul George has had those issues too uh in Oklahoma City and with the Clippers um so for me that’s what this whole thing’s about so I’ll get your opinion do you buy in that he will be the Difference Maker for the Philadelphia 76ers to finally in the Joel embiid era see at least a Conference Final if not potentially challenge the Celtics for overall Supremacy in the East and maybe make the finals do you think this does that for them I can’t go that far just because I think the Celtics are so dominant this year they’re bringing their guys back so I don’t I I still think you’re chased I think there’s a team in the tier of their own and everybody else has to prove it before you put them in there but here’s what I think about this move I like the fit 135 I like that you have a point guard a small forward and a center I always think that’s the best if you’re going to put together a big three that’s the best way to do it you all kind of occupy different spots in the court different responsibilities the thing that I think and I think Paul George is phenomenal I’m higher on Paul George than most people I know all of his flaws that are more almost personality and can’t he handle it flaws but as a player I just love his defense I love his shooting I love his ball handling he’s got so many talents here’s the thing I think about the 76ers and I thought it last year even when embiid was healthy and was the clear MVP favorite the way he plays to me does not necessarily maximize the teams’s flexibility I always think that him and and and Maxi early on in the season I thought they had a great two-man game and the team kind of skewed even more and more towards embiid’s game and away from the two-man game of them when now you add a third piece my question is what are they going to be trying to develop throughout the course of the year if you develop a great Maxi embiid two-man game and a great Paul George embiid twom game and maybe even a great Maxi Paul George Twan game then I would say I love it if they if that is their goal going into the season how do we not just make each other individually dominant but how do we find a two-man game between us I think that the pieces are there for that to happen I just that’s one of my big criticisms of Joel embiid is he gets hot and it’s almost like just feed me everybody get out the way and just feed me and that really works in the regular season he’s one of the best all time at that but to me the season is all about cultivating that flexibility to win multiple different ways and with multiple two-man games and if they do that they’ll do they’ll be very good I think it’s great analysis on your part I really do um and I think that’s why it’s this is not the kind of thing that you can definitively be an expert on but when this happens like we don’t know we don’t we we you know I know what it looks like relative to last year’s team he’s better than what they had and Paul George is really smooth really talented player and I really like Paul George like personally like I there’s a lot of positive things to say about him any guards like he plays both ends he’s a certainly a better defensive player than Tobias Harris so you pick up that as well um so I really like it on paper I’ve got to see what this looks like man I’ve got to see how this fits how it works one thing I do like about this the Sixers were I think bottom five in the League last year on catch and shoot uh across the board attempts makes percentage Paul George cat catch and shoot last year’s 46% from the three so and there’s there’s going to be opportunities obviously with embiid with Maxi’s speed and what that could create he’s going to get you know more more opportunities that where it looks like it’s going in than Tobias Harris ever did at that spot so to me this is something that’s going to be a work in progress I’ll tell you this I will say this uh I I more than any fan base kind of connected to the Phil Philadelphia fan base because I like all of my friends are Sixers fans and just in general man like Social Media stuff I look at and everything else it’s just it’s very heavily Philly based I’m paying attention to that stuff all the time I wasn’t sensing a tremendous level of excitement over this at all that’s crazy to me that’s crazy I I’m excited I think it’s a very good and entertaining team it has question marks but I’m excited you know what it is man I really think and it could be so maybe this this was a little bit misleading what I just said and what this really could be is this Phillies Phillies are rolling football’s around a corner football’s around a corner right everybody knows how this team this city feels about the Eagles the Sixers Seasons a ways off it was another typical Here We Go Again Sixers season and I just think I don’t know what it would take at this point I don’t know what it would take or who it would take to get their juices flowing where they would start really legitimately think and oh by the way also the the the city and the team that they probably hate the most just won the championship so it’s just like all that out yeah add it all up and I just think they’re kind of like let’s just that’s just what enjoy the Phillies right now who are really really good and then the Eagles are around the corner before you know it we’ll be in training camp for the Eagles and then their season starts this is so far off and they’ve given us very little to be excited that they’re a legitimate threat so let’s revisit this around Christmas that’s what I think the the what I’m actually picking up but usually you know a big name like this comes to your city in the summer like this time of year like free agency just started this one of the big names and you got them I you would have thought there’d be a lot more exuberance and I just wasn’t sensing it the thing I would fear about this my last note here is you know Daryl M I think traditionally and look this is a different team but I think traditionally has enjoyed the thing we were just talking about with Klay Thompson put some guys that are great Shooters in the corner and now you’ve got Eric Gordon by the way so you add another shooter that can stand in above the break and and knock deep down deep threes you got Paul George does he just get relegated to Corner three-point shooter even if he does it’s still great spacing around Maxi driving and beid posting up so you should have a lot of spacing they lost Nick Batum who I thought was a very good connective piece for him maybe they don’t again don’t value that uh because this game is gonna almost get simplified in a way to where you just have spacing around two players doing their thing but then they also lost to Bas Harris which might be addition by subtraction quite frankly I think his time had run its course there so for me I look at this and I go Eric Gordon and and Paul George give you some reliable three-point spacing and that’s why I think there’s a high floor to it but the ceiling right now should be championship and that question will all just come down to how they develop his style and and one last thing on it you know just to tie them Ty put a bow on the Sixers he also signed Andre Drummond yeah they resigned Kelly UB at a Bargain Basement number yeah so that they gotta be thrilled about that because UB played well for them and and he likes to guard like he’s he’s committed Defender and he could score so they they got him back at a really palatable number for the organization they bring in Andre Drummond you know on the cheap for a veteran’s minimum and and now you got that massive size on the court at all times if you want to go that route so look overall you have to feel better about the Sixers now than when the season ended right there’s no question question about it you feel better about them next year and I think they are the team that might be like the biggest X Factor in the east in terms of let’s revisit this when we’ve seen this for 2025 games you’re G to have a much better feel of of where they are relative to the Celtics and that’s the same thing we could say about two or three other teams because that is the measuring stick and Philadelphia I think they closed some ground on the Boston Celtics the question is how do the Sixers stack up now with really the Knicks magic like those teams that are Indiana those teams that are going to be vying for that second spot in the Eastern Conference that’s really what we’re talking about here and we won’t know that until we get closer to camp and then in the beginning bding stages of the Season let’s move on now to Oklahoma City who we talked about them last week but they made another move my favorite move of the whole offseason legs adding Isaiah hartenstein they of course added Alex Caruso we talked about that the other day they lose Josh giddy they lose Lindy ERS not a lot there and then they resigned Isaiah Joe four years 48 million Aaron Wiggins five for 47 they get some of those middleof the road contracts that can be very tradable I like Isaiah Joe but adding hartenstein here so the the mo for this team legs has been that they’ve had Chad holgren as an under siiz Center but a great shot blocker but he’s not quite big enough to battle the big guys and they’ve had this lots of spacing with all these drivers they’re probably not going to be able to get away with that now you’re going to play hartenstein at five and and Chad at four a lot although will have a lot of staggered options where only one of them is on the court but it looks like your starting lineup will feature the both of those guys so how does that change things for them do do you think this is gonna completely change their personality now having a true Center I don’t think so and one of the things I love about hartenstein is that you you don’t have to run a single thing for him you don’t have to run anything for him like there’s nothing you got to put in the ball’s not going to the post and kind of stand around you don’t have to put in any action designed to give him the ball in certain spots he is incredible at finding open pockets for that little touch push shot that he’s got off penetration and then and then he pounds the offensive glass um so he creates opportunities for himself he’s a committed screen diver he’s one of those guys that will do it 50 times a game hard even if he doesn’t touch the ball that’s very rare it’s why he became an icon in New York man multiple dives by the way because some guys will run one pick and roll roll hard and it’s like I’m done he’ll do it four or five times in one possession full speed yep and the only other guy in the league I think that’s in that category with that that level of effort on the screen dive not touching the ball is Rudy goar goar will do it two three times on the same trip hardenstein doeses that kind of thing as well I look it’s definitely G to be a different look for them um with with you know that much size on the court at the same time and R rebounding was a problem for them it was it was something we were worried about they addressed it and they addressed it in a way that he’s not just a guy that’s on the court like to protect the rim and rebound he’s not that he’s he can score he can put the ball in the basket he’s got great touch and feel on the other end of the floor holgren is is versatile enough defensively that he’s going to be able to spend a little bit more time on the perimeter and you’re not going to get beat up that bad um with hartenstein more patrolling the lane in the rim and a little bit more physical in there so he’s got more Brawn I absolutely love what Oklahoma City has done between ading Caruso and hartenstein the level of just competitive toughness now that you know they’ve taken it up two notches by adding those guys and retain a a couple key pieces in Joe and Wiggins uh I love Oklahoma City’s offseason so far and this team was the number one seed in the Western Conference but it was clear they weren’t ready to make that kind of a run against the teams you were gonna have to beat and this this absolutely makes it more of a legitimate Vibe because I didn’t I never as you know I never really ever said Oklahoma City was capable of winning the western conference right all year I never felt that way I know probably people in Oklahoma City upset with me but that’s okay as it turns out I was right they lost to Dallas um and that was that so they weren’t ready they weren’t deep enough they probably weren’t ripe enough and I thought they needed to improve some areas of their team they have done that in a big way now I think they’ve pushed that coners they’ve pushed themselves into that conversation where now it’s legitimate like they’re a legitimate threat to win the West as we sit here on July 2nd I I think that they look for phenomenal uh are they’re going to look phenomenal and I’m with you I think they’re the clear favorite now in the Western Conference they got two players to me that answer questions that they had not not just good players but it’s like nope that fills an exact need that you have they were already good all of their core players every single one of them should better next year when he talk about um you know Shay gildas Alexander Jaylen Williams should be better even Dort should be better Chad holgren should be better I just look at them and I say they’re they’re the clear favorites now to me uh heading into the season and I think they’re going to be a tough one a tough one in the west all right the other last team that we have here Orlando they added cavius calwell Pope they resigned Gary Harris and Goa paze but this is a funny graphic because it’s only the one player but kcp was the finishing piece twice to a roster once with the Lakers and then once of course with the Denver Nuggets I don’t know if we’re looking at Orlando as a team that is as close to the doorstep as those two teams were when kcp arrived but they’re not that far off they’re a team already on the ascent they have a good young core they needed shooting while maintaining their defense and I look at that and I go I really like him there I think that’s a guy that that makes the difference he he takes you up one whole level and they were on the doorstep of that like not favorites but contenders I think this raises them up into that second tier in the Eastern Conference that’ll be chasing the Boston Celtics I agree with you so they last year you know started off hot you know I was pretty skeptical I how long is this going to last turns out you know just watching their team as the year went on um they they played well together they have a legitimate star player to build their offense around a pretty good secondary player they weren’t ready to make that kind of leap but look they had a seven game series in the first round um you know this was a team that stayed in there we kept waiting for them to fall off they never did a lot of it had to do with they play defense every possession and they play well together um I kept saying repeatedly like I I wish they had a legitimate natural point guard because I think they’ve got like four combo guards on their roster you know Suggs is the closest but he’s not a natural point guard and he’s look he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA so he brings that to the table and he got better offensively as the year went on it’s amazing to think that a role player which is what kcp is I mean I don’t necessarily use that term all the time the way other people will he’s a role player man and he very few times are you going to see a guy change teams that have like his numbers that you think can have this big of an impact and I actually do that’s how much he means the winning that he has experienced uh to this point in his career the guys he has played with the culture of the organizations he’s been with that won that is gonna that alone is going to bring so much to the Orlando Magic a young team trying to find what their ceiling’s going to be a year older year more mature next year and now you bring in a guy like this that that plays that hard defensively you put Suggs and kcp on the court that that’s arguably the best defensive back in the NBA they already had combos like that that were just tenacious but now you have one that can also shoot the ball which I think is part of why this helps so much exactly that’s the thing and he’s not he’s not a stiff on the other end he can go down there and contribute on that end as well he’s got great energy about him he’s a pro the way he way he competes great great addition uh for the Orlando Magic and I just I love that they went out and they targeted a winner that fits their culture and weren’t weren’t just trying to throw money around they they said you know what we want this kind of guy on our team and it’s a big loss for Denver man that’s as you can tell I know you know more than anybody the reaction to him leaving Denver has been pretty substantial like people are pretty upset about that and there’s a reason and that’s why Orlando targeted him and they got him so here’s how I would frame it with kcp when you’re a team like Orlando that’s that’s hasn’t made it over the hump yet you’re just you’re you’re an On The Rise team it could break a couple different ways you never get over the hump you know you’re that team that kept kept climbing but never quite got there and then it’s over the window closes to get over the hump you need winners you need guys one that have been there before to kind of show you the next step here’s the let me Shepherd you guys here on what we need to do to get there but also just have the talent and the skill and to me I look at that and I go Orlando was not a Surefire thing to keep going they could be a team that just hit a ceiling and never got past that ceiling but but now I would bet on them to make the leap that a team like Indiana did last year to me they’re in that tier with Cleveland and Milwaukee and Indiana teams that are very good but we’re waiting on to see if they can be great if they can be that level they’ve vaulted up to that and look they just went to a game seven against the Cav so you could argue they were already in that tier but for me I look at it and I say they’re more firmly in that tier now where they can CH challenge the top teams and maybe have a Cinderella run the way the Knicks did the Pacers did and and get to a situation where anything’s possible so I love that move for him I think it’s a great fit um and it’s going to be a move that I think pays dividends not just for the time he’s there but but possibly for years to come all right we got a couple super chats Emma what do we have Victor Bellow says here’s a little money to help Adam buy his new Harin Jersey there we go we’re five dollar closer Emma get me the price on that uh hartenstein Jersey we’re five we’re five dollar closer I think I’m probably about $100 away still I know which one hey I know which one I could already tell you’ve already been looking and you you want that powder blue OKC 55 I know that’s what you’re looking for man pretty Jersey man I’ll rock it summer Le no they got got great colors man no doubt hey he’s moving he’s moved geographically closer to you so let’s see you know let’s see I’ll actually tell you this I am worried because you know you make a prediction I make a prediction I’m worried Denver’s going to lose in the playoffs because of hardenstein like it might be the difference man the worst way of to be right when when you’re right and it ends up costing your own Team all right what else do we have Emma Teddy Wayman says what are your thoughts on the Jazz and Lowry Markin should they trade him or build around him thanks guys interesting question actually here from Teddy rumored to that you know they would be willing to move off from him maybe they’re too far away from a rebuild to think they can get there in his time what do you think legs I think that’s probably what it is they just look at the landscape in the west where they are currently and don’t think that’s something that’s viable in his prime years and the amount of money down the road you have to commit to him to build around him when that money not be enough is probably what they’re thinking is I mean it’s a shame because I I I love the guy and I you know there there are teams his name comes up in certain rumors with certain teams and your your head starts to spin a little bit thinking about man adding Lorie marinin like to teams that are close that could be the absolute piece to put them over the top so let’s let let’s keep an eye on that see what happens what is there a spot you think you would really love to see him if not Utah oh man top of my head I have to think about that it kind of caught me off guard I’ve heard I’ve heard Sacramento’s me name mentioned you know New Orleans maybe or the team that I would really think would work great would be Minnesota if you paired him if you swapped him in Carl Anthony towns’ spot you know they both shoot the three they both do similar things but he’s more of a true stretch but I look at you know what it is Adam these names come up and I’m gonna be honest any of these guys on this level first thing I always think about I start scouring the East I start scouring the Eastern Conference because because the West is just so tough man and you’re just like okay you just going to change you know from one team to another in the west and like other teams added guys to I’d always look at the East as they being an opportunity I know the Celtics are over there but in terms of hey you know adding a piece that at least gets you into the running for maybe being that last team to take the Celtics on because we know nobody’s gonna close that Gap in the off season or through the draft no one’s going to do that with the Celtics right now but there’s still still certainly less potholes in the East that you have to navigate as opposed to the Western Conference so that’s when you said it to me I started immediately thinking about Eastern Conference teams right um all right well that does it for today q that outro music tomorrow I expect some more deals I sure hope some more deals come through this has been a very stunted uh I feel a very stunted and slow free agency period but hopefully some things pick up here in the next 24 hours either way we’ll start grading some of the teams that made big moves and talk about that on the other side and then of course we’re only a week away from heading down to Summer League thanks everybody for tuning in do us a favor leave us a comment let us know what you think of what we talked about today what teams do you want to hear us talk about and make sure you hit that subscribe button so you never miss the show we’ll see you on the other [Music] side we all sitting like the mayor

Which team had the best free agency so far? The Dallas Mavericks added Klay Thompson. What impact will Paul George make on the Philadelphia 76ers? Isaiah Hartenstein agreed to an $87 million deal with the Thunder. We’ve seen big moves, expected re-signings, head-scratchers, great value signings, and more below. Let’s review all of them from Day 1 with grades for some.

Join Tim Legler and Adam Mares for today’s ALL NBA Podcast!

00:00 – Intro
03:09 – Dallas Mavericks additions and departures
07:30 – What is Klay Thompson’s roll?
11:05 – Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. and how that impacts Klay
15:20 – Quentin Grimes notes
18:05 – Naji Marshall notes
22:10 – Philadelphia 76ers additions and departures
22:15 – How does Paul George fit in?
33:45 – OKC Thunder additions and departures
34:40 – How does Isaiah Hartenstein fit?
38:06 – Orlando Magic additions and departures
39:00 – KCP and how he fits

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