He even acknowledged the need to spread his game out saying “with how we want to play with two bigs, someone is going to have to space the floor.” To his credit, Stewart played two games in the Las Vegas Summer League and attempted 4.5 threes making 55.6 percent of them. Spreading Stewart’s range to the three-point line this season will allow the Pistons to play both bigs together. With the addition of Jalen Duren at the draft, meaning the paint will be crowded. During that time he has only taken a total of 109 threes, connecting on just 33 percent of them. In Stewart’s first two seasons in the NBA, he has predominantly been an inside presence for the Pistons. Stewart will have to change his shot profile, not just to help Detroit but to ensure more playing time. The Pistons have a very intriguing young squad headlined by Cade Cunningham but it is Isaiah Stewart who will need to take the biggest leap. Of his 157 three-point attempts, all but one of them were classified as either open (a defender being 4-6 feet away) or wide open (a defender not within 6).įor the Cavs to go from being a young upstart team to a serious player in the Eastern Conference, Okoro not only needs to shoot better from three but be more willing to take those shots to force the defense to have to defend him.Īrea of Improvement: Extending his shooting range Okoro shot 35 percent from three last season but that was the shot the defense was willing to give up. It makes it difficult to put him on the court since it will crowd the paint. He is a solid defender to help cover for the small backcourt the Cavs start but his lack of range is a liability. If those three can stay healthy and DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic keep up their offensive output, the Bulls could be in the mix for a top four finish in the East.Īrea of Improvement: Three-point shootingĬleveland has just about every young building block a team can ask for: a star guard in Darius Garland, and a strong defensive twin tower setup in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The talent is there, but once injuries hit the Bulls defense tumbled down to 23rd by the end of the year. The Bulls had a top 10 offensive and defensive team before the calendar changed. This would allow for coach Billy Donovan to play any mix of the trio if not all at once to cover for the defensive warts of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. With Ball returning healthy (he might be ready by training camp), Alex Caruso and Williams can form an even stronger defensive lineup for the Bulls. Williams missed most of the year, returning to play 17 games-but Ball was already out at that point. The Bulls had a great start last season but injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso took out their defensive backbone. The trio of Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams is the key to Chicago’s success. Adding that with the plethora of shooters Boston has will make a very tough team to defend even tougher.Īrea of Improvement: Creating a defensive unit He needs to become more consistent in seeing when to make that pass to the corner as well as delivering it properly.
Williams is capable of making the short roll pass he’s done it. Draymond Green has mastered it, but several centers are very good at it, including Boston’s own Al Horford. From there it is a four-on-three advantage for the offense and it is usually a center making the decisions.
But it would be a massive upgrade for the Celtics if Robert Wiliams can consistently develop the short roll pass.Ī brief explainer of the short roll pass: Off a pick-and-roll when defenses double the ball handler, the screen rolls to the free-throw line area creating a passing outlet for the ball handler. They are the favorites on DraftKings to win the title in 2023 and there is not much they need to build upon. The Boston Celtics were just two wins away from being NBA champions last season. It may be weird asking the Hawks two-time All-Star to have to change his game but to maximize Atlanta’s potential with Murray, Young must tweak his game and be more of a threat when the ball is not in his hands. There were only 24 Hawks offensive possessions where Young took a shot off of off-screen actions, according to synergy sports technology. He needs to work off screens more than last season. Young simply cannot give up the ball and stand three feet off the three-point line. It is more than just giving up the ball on offense it requires him to participate in those possessions. The key will be Young working off the ball to let Murray cook.
Murray was brought in to alleviate some of the ball handling and playmaking duties. But that move will only be successful if Trae Young is willing to change his game. Area of Improvement: Playing off the ballĪfter a disappointing 2021-22 season for the Atlanta Hawks, the front office made a move to acquire Dejounte Murray.
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