NBA Off Topic Thread

[DamnYanks2]

I don't think people have watched enough of the Joker. That dude is ridiculous. The only knock you can put on him is he's not some great defender.

He took a roster of role players at best to the playoffs. He's as dominant as anyone on the offensive end. Whether he's bullying dudes. Using elite footwork or dishing like a pg.

He's easily a top 5 player imo. Dude is a ****ing beast.

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[J_Posse]

Quote: Originally Posted by DamnYanks2

I don't think people have watched enough of the Joker. That dude is ridiculous. The only knock you can put on him is he's not some great defender. He took a roster of role players at best to the playoffs. He's as dominant as anyone on the offensive end. Whether he's bullying dudes. Using elite footwork or dishing like a pg. He's easily a top 5 player imo. Dude is a ****ing beast. Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Right, and except for the elite passing the same can be said of Embiid. He took a bunch role players, one fringe all - star (maybe) in Tobia Harris and a clearing either declining or "out of shape" James Harden to the 2nd round.

To say either guy isn't "worthy" of being a top 5 player is preposterous. I feel like this is the same argument me and Cima had about Giannis. We all saw how that played out.

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

[dubcity]

Embiid being out of the top 5 wouldn't really bother me. The guy is a stat monster, but so was Russ a while back. I'd have zero issue putting KD ahead of him. If I'm trying to win a ring this season I would 1000x rather have him.

[J_Posse]

Quote: Originally Posted by dubcity

Embiid being out of the top 5 wouldn't really bother me. The guy is a stat monster, but so was Russ a while back. I'd have zero issue putting KD ahead of him. If I'm trying to win a ring this season I would 1000x rather have him.

Comparing Russell Westbrook with Joel Embiid? I'm done....

Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

[ojandpizza]

Joker has been INSANE in the playoffs though. To say his playoff resume isn’t great is just wild to me. 31/13/6 this season on 64 TS%. Had the 5th highest playoff PER of all time (I know this ultimately means nothing)..

Like yeah they lost (to the champs lol) but what other player in the top 10 are you even holding to such a high standard that not beating the champs with Will Barton as the next highest minute man is viewed as a playoff failure?

With Joel I get that argument to an extent because he hasn’t had the type of individual playoff performances Joker has the past couple of years. And even though it’s not something he can control he’s yet to really stay 100% healthy for a playoff run either. Which to me both things can matter a bit in these rankings. Nobody has really seen Joel have the impact on a series the other 6-7 guys in the top 7ish have had. So I understand it a bit with him, just depends how much that matters to the voter I guess.

[dubcity]

Quote: Originally Posted by J_Posse

Comparing Russell Westbrook with Joel Embiid? I'm done.... Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

I'm talking about MVP era Westbrook, when people had him as a world-beater even though he never won a thing.

[cima]

Quote: Originally Posted by J_Posse

Their "postseason" resume has little to do with ranking them going into this year. I love both LBJ & KD, but it is more than understandable to say that the two best centers are both better than them as they enter the 39 year old & 34 year old seasons, respectively. Especially with the seasons Emiid & Jokic just had while they are both in their physical prime (unlike LBJ & KD). Official HQ of Bills Backer/Spurs Nation

At the end of the day player rankings are subjective, which is why you never see any media outlet or talking head or anyone with the exact same top 5. People value different things and to me winning matters and Embiid/Joker haven't figured that out yet. Jokic at least got to the WCF when Murray went HAM but Embiid hasn't taken over and done a carry-job yet. In fact his PPG in that second round loss you alluded to last season dropped by 11 from his regular season average. That doesn't usually happen with top 5 guys.

[illwill10]

This is a year where I would like Embiid to not focus on the MVP. I rather him put more emphasis back on defense like it was a couple of years ago. The hope is Harden bounces back some and Maxey gets a bigger role on offense. Unless they are a top 2 seed, I don't see him winning MVP. I think last year was his peak stats. With a better supporting cast, I don't want him to feel like he has to do everything him self. .


I do think #11 is too high for Harden, even 20 seems high. Unless they feel he will have big bounce back, that seems too high. For me, stats-wise he could remain the same. I just want to see higher efficient percentages. Being a Sixers fan, summer videos don't mean much to me. But, I do hope he does incorporate a lot more mid range shots this year. This year, it felt like it was just step back threes and trying to draw fouls(which lead to a lot of turnovers)