Ohonsi's NBA Blog

In game 1, Miami's offense struggled badly late in the 4th quarter and in OT primarily because of their 2 best players. It goes beyond their field goal percentages being downright awful. Jimmy has this annoying habit of driving to the rim then picking up his dribble without making a quick decision after which makes it so much harder to find an open teammate or create just enough room for a shot. This wasted too much time which led to bad shots and even worse, turnovers. I don't know why someone who's so good at drawing fouls by being physical when attacking the rack and is a good free throw shooter gets nervous this often. Bam has improved a lot this season at hitting open mid-range jumpers and taking defenders off the dribble for mid-range jumpers as well as shots at the cup. His 41 point performance in Brooklyn and game winner vs the Nets in Miami are great examples. However, it's criminal how often he doesn't do anything with the rock besides look for dribble han...

It's time for my all-NBA picks. Creating these lists the past 3 years, including my all star selections, has been very fun since it's a challenge to compare players to see who makes the cut. It's much harder/more intriguing this season due to the insane amount of hoopers that produced at an all-star level this season.  This is the order I use to decide my teams: production, eye test, games played, and team success vs supporting cast.  Eye test: The most important skill in basketball by far is being able to score in isolation (off the dribble, in the post, or facing up) at an all-star level. There are other important skills but this is the only one that if a player has, can make a team with a relatively weak supporting cast much better than it actually is (a perfect example: '01 Iverson).  The positions (guard, forward, and center) are based off of basketball reference and ESPN.  My website, link in bio, includes this and other NBA articles. Search "must read" ...

Fan voting ends on the 16th at 11:59 p.m. ET but I'm not sure of the date for the media and coaches. The starters are announced on the 18th while the reserves are revealed on the 23rd so my picks are based off of info before the 17th because of how soon the official slots are being released. Creating these lists the past 3 years has been very fun since it's a challenge to compare players to see who makes the cut. It's a lot harder this year due to a significantly shortened schedule and the ridiculous amount of all-star talent, especially in the east. So the snubs will be plenty during this go-round. My website, link in bio, includes this and other articles including some that are labeled must read (aka my best work). B = backcourt, F = frontcourt, WC = wild card West Starters B - Damian Lillard (Blazers) B - Luka Doncic (Mavs) F - Paul George (Clippers) F - LeBron James (Lakers) F - Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) Reserves B - Stephen Curry (Warriors) B - Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) F -...

The timing for this is random but I still feel like saying this (this'll take a few minutes). Over the course of Russ' career, he's struggled with playing out of control, bad shot selection, a weak 3 point shot, and inefficiency. There have been times when Westbrook has "statpadded" (which is really overblown since it's not unusual for star players to do so). Most of his legacy is about his flaws which is illogical considering how great he's been. Anyone with basketball common sense knows that the most important skill by far is being able to create your own shot at an all star level. Other skills are important but this is the only one that can make a team with a relatively weak supporting cast much better than it actually is. For example, think of Iverson in '01. Russell did the same thing in '17 while winning 47 games. Westbrook averaged about 32/11/10 without a teammate who came close to making the all-star or all-NBA team. But the amount of peop...

How many people can say that their 2 favorite players ever in any sport got traded for each other in their primes! Well history was made yesterday (unofficially 😄). If Wall gets back to an all star level, this trade will basically be even. That "if" is a big risk Houston took considering Russ might've had his best season outside of his MVP year and John played his last game in Dec 2018. Even though Westbrook is better when they're healthy, Wall should be a slightly better fit because he's a better and more willing passer. However, I don't see the Rockets as a legit threat to make it out of the west because John essentially has the same strengths and weaknesses as Russ. The true finals contenders in the conference are the 2 LA teams and Denver. As for Washington, Westbrook and Beal (at worst, 2 of the top 15 players in the NBA) might be able to drag the Wizards to the playoffs despite a very lackluster supporting cast but I wouldn't be surprised if they di...