NBA: Ben Simmons put on an impressive performance in the Brooklyn Nets 123 - 103 win over the Spurs.
The NBA trade deadline has passed and while no Australians are on the move, there were some key calls made by their respective teams that could have a flow-on effect.
Add in the emergence of Chet Holmgren in his rookie season and Giddey has quickly found himself relegated to the fourth option, if that, and it is not a role his game is built for. Now, the expectation isn’t that Giddey will be putting up 24 points or even double figures on a consistent basis.He just needs to improve his outside shooting to a respectable rate while his rebounding in particular is another area Giddey could really be of value to a Thunder team that has often been dominated on the glass this season.
All of this is not to say Giddey is suddenly a bad player. He is still a very talented playmaker who is just being asked to do the one thing he has never been that good at.Put him in a team of shooters that needs one primary facilitator to pass the ball around and Giddey would start looking like the record-breaking rookie that put the NBA on notice.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault did not seem too worried post-game though, telling reporters the team had also tried a number of different tactics to combat the strategy which has been employed by a number of teams to neutralise OKC’s halfcourt offence.“We want to have a diversity of attacks against it, which includes the cutting and includes using him as a screener depending on who the five is. We thought that was effective today.
Simmons was more aggressive as a scorer against San Antonio, setting the tone early even if it led to a turnover as he attacked the rim on a play with 8:30 left in the opening quarter. You only have to look at Simmons’ scoreless game against the Sixers, where he did not attempt a single shot and yet was impactful on both ends of the floor in a 136-121 victory.
While Daniels’ offensive game remains a work in progress the Pelicans will miss his elite defence, which was continuing to see him earn consistent minutes as part of their rotation. An anticipatory Daniels then pounced on a pass from Westbrook as he attempted to keep the ball in, taking it to the rim for the dunk.
But Green has been enjoying the best statistical stretch of his career as of late, averaging 17.0 points while shooting 50.8 per cent from deep in his first five games to open February. The improvement of Green’s outside shooting has been particularly important in helping space out Dallas’ offence, leaving Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to handle the ball more and in turn create open looks for the Australian and his teammates as defences lock in on the superstar pair.
Exum had a stellar December, averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 53.3 per cent from downtown before being restricted to just 12 minutes due to injury in a 127-90 loss to the Jazz. Now, having only been guaranteed one season of his four-year $32 million contract he signed with Houston in free agency last summer, Landale’s future at the franchise is in the air.
Orlando was tipped to be one of the more active teams at the deadline but didn’t make a single move to its roster, which in a way isn’t that surprising given the team needed to weigh up the benefits of any potential move with the threat it posed to the squad’s strong chemistry. Just one glimpse into how Ingles and this young Magic core have seemingly become a match made in heaven, with the Australian’s playmaking and decision-making proving a key asset to help run the second unit.The Blazers are another team that didn’t do much at the deadline, acquiring backup forward Dalano Banton from the Boston Celtics for a protected second-round pick.