Basketball is a team sport, first and foremost, but itâs also a star-driven game. One or two elite players can often lift a team above an opponent with more collective talent. Such is the case at the FIBA World Cup where depth matters but stars ultimately win games. After the first two rounds of group…
The 2019-20 NBA season is just around the corner. After an offseason chock-full of player movement, the title race appears as wide-open as it has been in years. Over the coming weeks, we will examine one big question hanging over each team heading into the season. We’ll start today with the Atlantic Division, where the…
After an entertaining, yet tumultuous pre-tournament schedule, Gregg Popovich’s men’s national squad arrived in China to defend its throne at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He experimented with a variety of lineups throughout the exhibition slate, and it’s time to hone in on some optimal combinations. While the U.S. hasn’t lost a World Cup or…
The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup is almost here. As part of the eventâs rebrand, the number of teams incorporated will expand from 24 to 32. The tournament is being held in China and will crown a champion of international basketballâwith the added bonus of seven countries securing a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Brandon Jefferson (@Jefferson_Hoops) of The Basketball Writers preview the 2019 FIBA World Cup. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Team USA’s roster? Which teams pose the biggest threat to the Americans? Is Team USA in legitimate danger of…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) rank the top 10 duos in the NBA today. Where do Russell Westbrook and James Harden rank after joining forces this summer? How high are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the wake of the former’s Achilles injury? Which L.A. duo…
Caution: The following includes overall plus-minus and lineup analytics to color optimism about the upcoming season. Put this power into the wrong hands and those conclusions can be drawn incorrectly. An over-emphasis on lineup statistics and metrics can lead to seeing players as the sole reason their lineups performed poorly, which is never the case.…
Team USA has been the single most dominant team in all of basketball over the last decade. In 2008, the âRedeem Teamâ won Olympic gold. They dominated the FIBA World Championship during 2010. 2012’s team was arguably more talented than the original 1992 Dream Team. By 2014, they claimed back-to-back FIBA World Championship victories. They…
The Charlotte Hornets had an understated offseason from a volume perspective, but there were still headlines as the club could not come to an agreement with Kemba Walker and eventually settled on point guard Terry Rozier in a double sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics. Walker was eligible for the $221 million supermax deal to remain…
The biggest theme of the 2019 offseason was an unprecedented deluge of blockbuster trades and monstrous free agency moves. Unlike some recent offseasons, this yearâs shuffling produced a slew of new dynamic duos rather than trios or superteams. Now that the dust is starting to settle, itâs time to examine exactly how impactful these new…