Five NBA Things I may or may not have Liked: Small Sample Size Theater
My favorite and least favorite things from the basketball world (October 24-31)
Steven Adams 3-Point Blocks
Who doesn’t love a good block? Nothing is quite as disrespectful as watching a big guy send a shot in the opposite direction. Sure, steals are probably more valuable, but blocks are a defense’s last line of defense, saying, “not today.” With Victor Wembanyama literally on pace to rewrite the blocks record book, it's worth remembering that blocks are in serious decline. As 3-point volume has increased over the past two decades, blocks have gone the way of the Moa. It’s just much harder to block a three than a layup, which is what makes Steven Adams’ exploits against the Raptors such a welcome sight.
Adams isn’t the most fleet of foot or explosive, but his athleticism has always been a bit underrated. His first swat against RJ Barrett is your classic, “get that shit outta here!” block, while his block on Gradey Dick was actually classified as a missed field goal. I have no idea if he grazed the ball, but it sure as hell seems like he did. Dick not only has the NBA’s most hilarious name, but he’s a damn good shooter who has been nails from the corner. I think it’s more likely that Adams ever so slightly caught the ball than it is that Dick literally shot the ball onto the side of the backboard.
End of Quarter Plays
Austin Reaves has been on a heater. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic out, the Lakers have leaned hard into Reaves as their lead creator, and he has done more than enough to keep them afloat. Over the past three games, all solo Reaves ventures, he is averaging 40 points and 10 assists per game, on 50/41.4/93 shooting splits. While the highlight of his heroball run was his floater as time expired to beat the Timberwolves, I want to highlight an awesome end-of-quarter play from JJ Reddick to get Reaves a great shot.
I love this play design. The Lakers want Reaves to get the final shot, and the Wolves are selling out to make sure he never touches the ball. The Lakers set up like they’re going to screen for Reaves, but that’s only a decoy. Instead, Jake LaRavia launches the ball up to Deandre Ayton around the 3-point line, and Reaves takes off as the Wolves defenders are left communicating over a screen that’s never going to happen. The Wolves actually do a great job and execute a seamless switch, but by getting the ball to Ayton and Reaves at full speed, the Lakers have created a perfect handoff situation that gets Reaves downhill with only a half-second having elapsed. Reaves turns the corner and runs his man into Gobert to get a relatively clean look at the rim. He ultimately misses the shot, but to get the ball into your best player’s hands and go from the backcourt-sideline to the rim in 2.5 seconds is mighty fine play design.
Buck-aroo
Entering the season, the Milwaukee Bucks looked like a dead franchise walking. They had mortgaged their future for the third time in five seasons to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then, right as the season was about to start, it was revealed that the Bucks and Knicks had held trade talks over the summer about Giannis. To put it bluntly, no one would have been shocked if this season were an absolute dumpster fire that led to Antetokounmpo finally being traded. Instead, they’ve gotten off to a roaring start. They’re 4-1 with a net rating of +6.6 and own top ten defensive and offensive ratings. Giannis, despite a wandering eye, has been absurd, averaging 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. However, their most impressive feat happened last night. The Bucks beat the 4-1, now 4-2, Golden State Warriors 120-110 without Giannis. It’s early, Giannis is playing like a madman, and so are some of the Bucks’ role players, but the Bucks have also been really solid. I don’t think they’re contenders to win the East, but if they can keep playing this hard around Giannis, 50 wins is on the table. I’ve long been a Doc Rivers skeptic, but I think I’ve finally figured him out. He’ll get a ton out of a mediocre roster, but stinks at maximizing super-talented teams.
Pure Cam Thomas Extract
The Brooklyn Nets are awful, but Cam Thomas is still doing Cam Thomas things. He’s taking a ton of shots, scoring points not that efficiently, passing only out of despair, and generally doing all the things that made the Nets not want to pay him, and made him think he deserves to get paid. I don’t like Thomas’ style of play, but I do when someone is committed to the bit. On October 26th, Cam Thomas had the most Cam Thomas of all Cam Thomas games. He scored 41 points on 11 of 25 shooting, grabbed two rebounds, committed zero fouls, and dished exactly zero assists. Unsurprisingly, the Nets lost by 11, but good god did Cam Thomas Cam Thomas. I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t seen the light, but I actually respect how committed he is to the bit. Once a month, I’m hoping for a Cam Thomas special, a 40-piece with no sauce.
Pelican Disbelief
Remember when everyone was like, “What the fuck are you doing trading your first round pick in 2026 to move up in the 2025 draft?” Obviously, the Pelicans knew better, you rubes. Four games in, the Pelicans are 0-4 and own the league’s worst net rating at -18.9. Technically, the only way to go is up, but at the same time, they’re only 29th in defensive and offensive rating, so maybe there’s still more to this bottomless pit of despair. For as bad as this whole situation is, it actually gets worse. The Pelicans traded the Pacers’ 2026 draft pick for their 2025 draft pick. Why? Well, obviously, the Pelicans knew better, you tool. The Pacers are also 0-4 with a net rating of -8.6. I’m not saying this will happen, but there is a very real chance the Pelicans traded the top two picks in the 2026 draft to get the 13th pick in the 2025 draft. In all likelihood, it won’t be that bad. It’ll probably only be two top ten picks. But then again, this is the Pelicans we’re talking about. They seem to only know how to keep digging.
For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.