Hot Summer Mics: Is this a make-or-break year for Zion Williamson? | NBA Today

Hot Summer Mics: Is this a make-or-break year for Zion Williamson? | NBA Today

we are way overdue for our first hot summer mics of the season so we saw you know a handful of teams introduce new players this week the Knicks the Mavericks the 76ers but we’re going to start in New Orleans as we welcome our reporter covering the Warriors Kendra Andrews on uh Thursday’s we wear pink absolutely let’s let’s start though down in The Big Easy Deonte Murray was introduced he spoke to reporters with Zion Williamson sitting in the front row that’s that’s our Superstar uh and I’m excited to push him I told him I’mma push him and this goes back before I was joining the team we both love the game so you know like I said when it comes to drills if I see something that I think he could be better at he SE something to me we’re going to be open to that preparations everything but I’m excited to push him to the next level CU he has a bunch of levels he could reach nice suit also deante uh but Superstar okay that that is what the Zion Williamson came into this league with the moniker of what does he need to do Bobby to live up to to that I mean it’s just one word health I mean that’s it he just has to stay healthy every year we kind of pencil in who our top five is for MVPs I have him in there I’ve had him in there the last two years going into the regular season okay but there’s an aster next to it it’s contingent on him staying healthy and I I think we certainly saw in that Laker playing game when he’s healthy he’s dominant when he’s hurt that team struggles here but for me it’s just about staying healthy what do you think Zach health and conditioning and we saw after that embarrassment against the Lakers in the inseason tournament he got in better shape and he started to dig in on defense and there were even a couple games where he insisted and took the kawh Leonard assignment against the Clippers and guarded him well and that’s the Zion they need he looks awesome when he’s able to be out on the floor I was talking to one of his teammates the other day and he said to me you know what I think that this is going to be the summer this is the summer when he locks in because the habits have to start now that are then going to carry over for the season so that we can all see the Zion Williamson that we are rooting for all right how about this let’s check in on the Miami Heat a little bit of a a lackluster off season Terry Rosier had some thoughts the fans is bored right now they want to put as much scenarios as they can together for us but uh at the end of the day we we we want to we want to run it back with our same team obvious What it looking like and we want to show the fans you know what we can bring you know to to Miami all right Zach can the heat though just afford to run it back as as Terry was saying I don’t know what other choice they have right now but the walls are starting to close in on the heat Jimmy Butler is a year older he’s in the last year of his contract we don’t know what happens there Caleb Martin’s departure is a huge loss for them he just filled out so many of their lineups and the top of the East is better look Tera your right we barely got to see this team play together healthy after they traded for him but it’s an uphill climb now this team has finished six their worst in the East three out of the the last four years I don’t know why we should expect a great regular season from them and it’s just hard to come from the bottom every year in the playoffs right I live in South Florida congratulations Heat fans well not right now it’s hot down there Heat fans want more they want more they see what Boston had did last year they see what New York has done they saw with um certainly Philadelphia as far as loading up here but as Zach said what else can you do they’re limited on their draft picks they can send out they would have loved to get the M de rozan they tried as heck to get Demar D Rose and nobody wanted Duncan Robinson no offense they had one first round pick to trade they wanted Ty Jones they couldn’t make a deal here so they’re basically kind of it’s about Fringe moves as far as what they can do yeah I mean that’s comes down to it right what can you do what teams can you work with in order to make move and as you look around the entire Association Eastern Conference Western Conference as other teams especially at top of those conferences keep getting better what can those middle of the pack teams do options are limited well yeah for Miami really the options are limited and it’s kind of funny because we always say you know don’t bet against a heat you can’t bet against Eric spola Jimmy Butler the performances we saw him put in the bubble but it feels like some of that magic at least is starting to run out particularly as the conference is just getting better around them but I would put Health in there too as Terry Rosier said if they can get that core Tyler hero bamama bio Jimmy Butler Terry all healthy at the same time that’s something we didn’t get to see a whole lot of uh last season all right next the San Antonio Spurs they introduced Chris Paul ahead of his 20th NBA season and here’s what he had to say I come to hoop you know uh I’m not a coach you know I mean so there’s definitely things to be learned and all stuff but I come in obviously with a lot of Knowledge from on the job training but I also come in trying to learn from these guys that’s probably been the coolest thing about my career he is clearly saying that I’m not an ornament I’m not here just to coach up some young players I’m here to win but the Spurs they were one of the bottom dwellers in a tough Western Conference last year Kendra how many games can they realistically expect to win what they won 22 games I think last season I think they’re going to win in the upper 30s they can get into 40 something win but I don’t think you’re going to see them break 50 that’s hard to do because they did struggle so much but look when I look at Chris Paul joining the Spurs and I covered him last season when he was in Golden State he says he’s not there to be a coach and he’s not but he is going to be a mentor something I observed with him with the Warriors players last season and you don’t see this a lot in the NBA more so in college in the middle of games during a dead ball before free throw he would huddle up the younger players and make sure everyone was on the same page before going to the next play that’s what he’s going to give to the Spurs he did that for NBA Countdown too before the next play all of us in and be like all right this is this is what we got to do you think this is a playoff team though I don’t I think the in a perfect world 30 wins be competitive get to the all-star break maybe you’re looking to maybe move off Harrison Barnes who you got in trade for more draft Equity 30 wins and get a top three pick in a perfect world I think that’s where you’re looking at for San Antonio so you say no playoffs Zach what say you in a perfect world I’ll bet Bobby right now over under 30 and a half wins I’ll take the over winner gets a steak dinner and a nice bottle of wine on the loser I think we’re going to get to April 1st and the Spurs are going to be in the play in race holding on and maybe trying to sneak into at least a play in ter I think this could be a 500 team cuz that kid Victor wanyama is ready he’s that good and it’s just hard to lose a lot of games when you got a player that good it took a lot of work for them to win 22 games last year and they’ve improved the roster let’s go for it win some games I I listen if that if Zach asked me next week s days into Las Vegas I’m going to agree to him I might even think they’ll they’ll lose and make it to the conference final what [Music] [Applause] I NBA is

I’m joined by Bobby Marks, Kendra Andrews and Zach Lowe discuss some offseason soundbites from Dejounte Murray on joining the New Orleans Pelicans, Terry Rozier’s thoughts on the Miami Heat and Chris Paul speaking about his goals with the San Antonio Spurs.

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