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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 3/19/26
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ARTHUR HILL
11:01
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a Lakers question.
Embiid’s much shorter brother
11:01
It’s funny, but all season long I’ve been reading comments by both professional analysts and regular commenters here about how the Lakers don’t have what they need to make a serious run this year. They’ve now won 7 straight and have beaten Houston twice, plus Denver and Minnesota, all teams they were next to in the standings. I think with this recent surge, we are now looking at the number 3 seed in the West 👍.
ARTHUR HILL
11:09
The Lakers' recent surge includes two straight wins at Houston, along with victories over Denver and Minnesota, so they've definitely established themselves as the best team in the West outside of the top two. Luka Doncic has been playing at an MVP level, Austin Reaves is scoring big again and LeBron James is showing that he can still dominate on some nights at age 41. Questions remain about L.A.'s defense, but it has been good enough lately to support a high-powered offensive attack. The Rockets, Timberwolves and Nuggets have been playing below their talent level and have all suffered some inexplicable losses, including Denver's defeat last night at Memphis. The Lakers now hold tie-breakers over all three of them and are in excellent position to head into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
Tarunafish
11:09
When looking at the Rockets' playoff chances, is Reed Sheppard's ability to run the point the biggest obstacle to Houston making it past the first round?
ARTHUR HILL
11:17
The Rockets' offense is often ugly because there aren't many shot creators on the roster. There's nobody who consistently breaks down defenses and creates easy shots for teammates, so possessions tend to go late into the shot clock and they wind up with contested attempts. Kevin Durant often bails them out because he's still an elite shot maker, but it's not a recipe for success. Sheppard has come a long way in his second season, but that's not a role he's built to handle, especially in the playoffs. He's their best three-point shooter, and someone else should be setting him up for open looks. There are fundamental flaws to the Rockets' offense this season, and management will have to decide this summer if Fred VanVleet's return from injury is enough to solve them.
Scott S.
11:18
Is it worth reading into the latest Giannis/Bucks story about him not wanting to be shut down for the season? Does it make him any more or less likely to be traded?
ARTHUR HILL
11:25
The Bucks have a long history of trying to keep Giannis happy so he won't ask to be traded. They've never said no to him on anything major, so it will be fascinating to watch how this latest standoff plays out. There's no benefit to the team in having Giannis play again this season, and it creates an injury risk that could lower his eventual trade value. But Giannis is insisting on coming back, even though his team has little chance of reaching the postseason. If the Bucks have decided that they're definitely going to part with their franchise player this summer, then they'll hold firm and keep him out of the lineup. If he plays again, that's a sign that they're still willing to do anything they can to hold on to Giannis and won't move toward trading him unless he demands it.
Just Curious
11:25
I was looking at Kevin Huerter's stats the other day. He is someone I always thought was a capable NBA player. Despite his horrible 3-point shooting right now (30 percent for the year and 20% in his 16 games with the Pistons) he has a decent handle, a bit of a mid-range game, and while not a plus defender he is not a liability there. He moves well, is switchable, and is a good rebounder for a wing. I look at his advanced stats, EPM, BPM, RAPM and so on, and they are all positive. My question is what does an NBA front office use to evaluate Huerter and other players. I know they all have analytic teams. Are they interested at all in the ratings we look at? I'm sure they have their own datasets they use. And how much of a player's evaluation do you think is stat-based versus feedback from coaches?
ARTHUR HILL
11:32
All NBA teams use analytic measures to evaluate players, but some are more committed to it than others. Scouts and coaches still have a lot of say, and the ultimate decisions are a combination of all that input. In Huerter's case, he was a very good three-point shooter early in his career and shot well after being traded to Chicago last season. Overall, he's been below average from beyond the arc for the last two years, which could have been a warning sign for the Pistons, but there were other contributing factors as he wasn't surrounded by great talent with the Kings or Bulls. There's a lot of information to process, and the Pistons decided he was worth the gamble. There wasn't a huge market for Huerter at the deadline, so other teams saw it differently.
Pistons
11:32
Are the Pistons' hopes of making a deep playoff run in jeopardy after today's Cade news?
ARTHUR HILL
11:39
Shams Charania described Cunningham's condition as a "mild" collapsed lung, so it may be less catastrophic than it first appears. Doctors plan to reevaluate him in two weeks, and hopefully he'll show improvement by then. The Pistons hold a 3 1/2-game cushion for the No. 1 seed and have played well without Cunningham in a small sample size, so they should be able to get through the regular season in good shape. There's a danger of facing a surging opponent like the Hawks, Magic or Heat in the first round, and that wouldn't be an easy series without Cunningham. If it turns out to be a short-term condition, then I think the Pistons will be fine, but they can't make a long playoff run without their leader.
Corban
11:39
Any Draft Propsects you're keeping a close eye on as March Madness descends?
ARTHUR HILL
11:49
It will be fun to watch top prospects like Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer in a high-pressure environment, but there's plenty at stake outside of the top three picks. There are a lot of guard prospects projected to go in the middle and bottom part of the lottery, and this is a chance for some of them to stand out. Darius Acuff of Arkansas is a dynamic scorer and playmaker with questions about his defense, and he'll have to show scouts that he can contribute on both ends of the court. Houston's Kingston Flemings, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. are in that same range, but an injury will sideline Brown for at least the first two games. The field is wide open for bigger players outside the top four, so watch Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, Texas' Dailyn Swain and Tennessee's Nate Ament.
Corban
11:49
The Lakers are on quite I hot streak, winning their last 7 games and 10 of their last 11, all against mostly good quality oppnonents. At this point, they seem primed for the 3 seed. With them (hopefully) avoiding the OKC Thunder until the WCF, what do you think are their strengths and weaknesses against who I think are there two biggest threats: OKC and San Antonio?
ARTHUR HILL
11:59
The Lakers have enough firepower on offense to compete with anyone, so the challenge will be putting together a defensive game plan to slow down the Thunder or Spurs. SGA is in the midst of another brilliant season, and he's probably the best closer in the league. I'm not sure that the Lakers' perimeter defense is strong enough to contain him and OKC's other outside threats. Wemby is the obvious problem with San Antonio, and while he's a nightmare matchup for anyone, L.A. doesn't have enough quality big men to go against him in a playoff series. On the bright side, Luka Doncic is playing at an elite level and has shown that he can lead a team to the Finals. He and Austin Reaves provide a ton of scoring, and LeBron James has learned how to be effective while they handle the bulk of the offense. Luka has much better chemistry with his teammates than he did a year ago, and the Lakers won't be an easy out this time around.
Don
11:59
Is there a big out there that the Hawks can get this offseason to help move to the next level. I feel like our overall frontcourt size is the main limiting factor with this team. I believe that is why they swung for the fence with KP.
ARTHUR HILL
12:08
The top big men on the market this summer are Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler, who are both restricted and considered almost certain to remain with their current teams. With Porzingis unlikely to come back and Deandre Ayton probably staying with the Lakers, the best option to watch could be Isaiah Hartenstein. He's a proven playoff performer who contributes on both ends of the court, but the Thunder hold a $28.5MM team option for next season and their roster is already becoming extremely expensive. He could be available unless he's willing to accept a longer deal with a smaller annual salary. Onyeka Okongwu isn't a bad option if the Hawks can't find an upgrade, and he's under contract for two more years at a reasonable salary. The Hawks are finally playing at the level we've been expecting, and they'll have a mid- to high lottery pick to add from New Orleans this summer. They'll be fine even without another high-quality big man.
12:09
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next week.
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