Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Michael Wallace have been covering the NBA since shorts were short and socks were long, but their opinions about the League don’t always mesh. #IMHO is their weekly chance to weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
1. The LeBron-in-Los Angeles era has gotten off to a rocky start, with the Lakers losing each of their first three games (with a few punches thrown along the way). Is this just a slow start, or should we be worried about the way the Lakers are constructed?
When’s the last time a LeBron-led team needed to worry about anything shy of the NBA Finals? Perspective is key. The Lakers faced three straight playoff teams to open the season. Sans the chaos, they’d still likely start 0-3. Brandon Ingram’s temper tantrum and Rajon Rondo’s left jab that netted suspensions won’t exactly fast track continuity. But at least the Lakers’ wrath is directed at the other squad. I covered LeBron during ‘BumpGate’ his first year in Miami with Erik Spoelstra, amid the Heat’s rocky 9-8 start. All turned out just fine then. If LeBron’s Lakers are struggling after three months – not three games – then there might be real issues.
It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as LeBron James: When a team LeBron plays on gets off to a slow start, EVERYONE FREAKS OUT. Thing is, I think things are a bit different in Los Angeles than they were in Miami and in Cleveland. What we’ve seen, particularly in recent years, is that the best way to win with LeBron is to surround him with shooters and let him pick defenses apart. The Lake Show has its share of intrigue and characters this season, but what they don’t have is a ton of long-range shooters to sprinkle around the perimeter. If you thought LeBron was going to show up in La La Land and magically make instant champs out of a team that won 35 games a season ago, you thought wrong.
2. With LeBron gone from the East, everyone picked Boston to win the Conference. But as the Celts go 2-2 early, should we be looking elsewhere for an Eastern Conference champ?
The Celtics are an intriguing favorite, but they shouldn’t be crowned prematurely as the presumptive conference champs. LeBron leaving the conference to head West was akin to Floyd Mayweather leaving the welterweight division after dominating it for decades. The field is now more wide open than anticipated. Keep checking that rearview mirror, because Toronto, Washington, Indiana and Philly are closer than they appear.
Nah. The Celts may be off to a slow start, but to me these are growing pains more than gateway errors. We can see Brad Stevens juggle lineups and rotations, and watch as Gordon Hayward plays his way into the pecking order. And perhaps most importantly, Kyrie has mostly been not Kyrie so far, which will likely change soon. This team has way too much talent, both on the court and along the sideline, to be average for too long.
3. OK, the season just started, we know, but which rookie has caught your eye in the early going?
Since Jaren Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic have maintained my eye from the outset, the rookie that’s done the most to unexpectedly garner my attention has been Clippers point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The no. 11 overall pick has fit in comfortably with a coach (Doc Rivers) who has high standards for his floor leaders. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 8.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 25 minutes. The Clippers are plus-5.5 in plus/minus when he’s on the floor, which is the team’s second-highest mark and behind only Lou Williams.
I’ll admit it: I did not think Atlanta’s Trae Young would be as effective as he has been, especially this early in the season. I didn’t watch many of his complete games at Oklahoma, instead mostly just catching highlights on Twitter, which his game is tailor-made for. But after seeing Young in person last week, it’s clear that he’s a much more complete offensive player than I anticipated. Sure, he can knock down jump shots from way outside I-285, but he’s also a gifted passer who can see the floor and give his teammates the ball in places where they can be successful. He’s still too slight to do much of anything on defense, and only time will tell if he’s able to sustain the level of effort and strength needed to compete over an 82-game season. But at least for now, I think I see what the Hawks saw when they traded down from the third pick to grab Young.
4. Images leaked online of what appear to be Minnesota’s new alternate uniforms, a homage to Minnesota native Prince. Which team has had your favorite alternate uniforms over the last year, since Nike took over the uniform deal?
I’ve always been partial to the Charlotte Hornets’ “Buzz City” joints, with the black base and teal/purple side trimming. What really sets it apart is that it is the NBA’s only Nike jersey with the Jumpman logo instead of the Swoosh. I guess Michael Jordan’s ownership of the team has its privileges.
People who work in marketing and advertising love to use the term “storytelling” in reference to products, which quietly infuriates the writer in me. “Let’s get into the storytelling of this new sneaker,” they’ll say. Hey, you know what tells me a story? A story. A book. Words. Not a product or a shoe. All that being said, the moment I saw last season’s Grizzlies’ City Edition uniforms, my jaw dropped. By using a similar design to the “I AM A MAN” protest signs from fifty years earlier, those Grizzlies uniforms really did tell a powerful, impactful story of both a city and a country, at least to those willing to listen.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Lang Whitaker and Michael Wallace are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. Their sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and they have no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.