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Here’s the thing: the NBA is back.
That’s all.
Always applicable. Shoutout to Tom Ziller for the iconic picture.
Today’s Lineup
It Feels Like A Holiday: What are we looking forward to on opening night? 🎉
Steven Adams Out for Season: A brutal blow for the Memphis frontcourt 🙏
Extensions Galore: What players got a new deal before today’s deadline? 💰
Which point guard led the NBA finishing at the rim last season? (within five feet of the basket)scroll to the end of the newsletter for the answer! |
About That Time…
Make sure you leave out a Taco Tuesday plate and a glass of Bigface coffee for NBA Santa tonight, folks.
IT’S HERE! The NBA regular season will kick off on Tuesday with Lakers vs. Nuggets followed by Suns vs. Warriors, and each game has about 75 distinct storylines.
But we’re not going to hold our breath….
Point Brad: We’re not going to try and tell you that Phoenix’s roster isn’t stacked. It is. Clearly. But at the same time, they kind of, sort of, don’t really have a point guard. Enter Bradley Beal, we guess?
Revenge Games: Kind of. Chris Paul will play Phoenix for the first time after a three year stint in the desert that included a Finals appearance. Meanwhile, the Lakers will attempt to be the first team to come back from a 4-0 series deficit. Okay, we’re being told that’s not how this works…it’ll still be a good game, though.
Nugs begin Repeat Quest: Is anything tougher than winning an NBA title? Well, winning two in a row. Denver will begin the grueling journey of trying to repeat on Tuesday night…
Will Denver win another title and go back to back? |
Extensions Galore
The NBA season starting tomorrow can only mean one thing…today is the last day for players on the last year of their first-round rookie scale deals and extension-eligible veterans with two years left on their deals to get a contract extension! Woo hoo!
We kid, we kid. But a few players did get extended over the weekend, so let’s break down the deals and what they mean.
Zach Collins: Two years, $35 million
What It Means: San Antonio locks down Wemby’s frontcourt companion. Collins has always been a good player when he can stay on the floor (245 games played in his six-year career) and his development as a shooter (over 4% improvement in San Antonio vs. Portland) and passer (2.6 vs. 0.9 APG) have won over the Spurs.
Zach Collins is an EXCELLENT passer. We’re going to see a lot of this with he and Wemby
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA)
1:52 AM • Oct 19, 2023
Deni Avdija: Four years, $55 million
What It Means: Washington sees Avdija as part of its core. He’s quickly proved himself to be a reliable wing defender, but his shot remains a work in progress. Washington clearly saw enough from Deni to lock him down.
Curious to see what sort of offensive strides Deni Avdija can make next season because the point-of-attack defense is very impressive.
Size, range and discipline are all major pluses.
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf)
7:36 PM • Jul 24, 2023
Zeke Nnaji: Four years, $32 million
What It Means: Denver still believes. Nnaji was an upside pick when the Nuggets drafted him in the first round of the 2020 Draft, and the team evidently still believes he can unlock his potential. Denver did lose Bruce Brown this offseason, so Nnaji’s defensive versatility could earn him an uptick in minutes this year.
Zeke Nnaji was a monster at times defensively last season. His ability to guard and switch 1-5 is really rare and valuable to this Denver team.
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind)
3:04 AM • Oct 22, 2023
Steven Adams Out for Season
Hate it, hate it, hate it. The worst part of sports—injuries—changed the landscape of the Western Conference before the season even started. Grizzlies center Steven Adams will miss the entire season.
Grizzlies say Steven Adams will have surgery on his right posterior cruciate ligament “after non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability.” Memphis’ starting center has been sidelined since January due to knee issue.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
4:33 PM • Oct 22, 2023
Immense pain. Xavier Tillman will once again be the next man up for Memphis, who will be without some pretty important pieces when their season tips off Wednesday. Good luck with your recovery, Steven!
Frozen Moments
Wemby ending the preseason by doing very normal things…
Sengun to Thompson…this could get fun very quickly.
What We’re Enjoying
Lahai by Sampha: Oh, cool, the most talented artist of our generation released a new album. Might be worth checking out. Sampha, perhaps most recognizable for his appearances on Too Much and The Motion by Drake, just released his second solo album, Lahai, the follow-up to his 2018 masterpiece Process. While the first sentence was a tad bit subjective, this is not: the album is really, really beautiful.
Signing Off
If you stuck with us through the offseason, we love you. If you didn’t, and this is your first newsletter back…well, we still love you. Let’s Enjoy some basketball together this year, yeah? Cool, thanks. Talk soon.
Trivia Answer: De’Aaron Fox shot a truly outrageous 75% at the rim last season, leading all PG’s.
Before you go…
What are you most excited for on Opening Night? |
In your best Mike Breen impression, what did you think of today's newsletter? |
