John Wilmes
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
They would have to essentially move on from him to just get a couple of extra pieces and Because depth is really the big limiting factor for them. It's not the high-end talent. They have that. It's what happens when Jamal Murray is out or has to go on the bench. And what's amazing is Christian Brown, when we came to the season, we were thinking about him as a potential weak link
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And he's been excellent this year. It's more, what happens when you have to go to the bench? And that brings me to the Russell Westbrook question when we get to the playoffs. We saw the other night, and Russ, you live by Russ, you die by Russ sometimes. And we saw the way that the end of that Timberwolves game went the other night. What happens in the playoffs...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
when a rust situation arises you know is is michael malone willing to bench him to go to you know christian brown or or you know peyton watson or whatever i mean do you think that that he would be able to do that or or do you think he sticks with russ michael malone likes to play veterans so that is a concern there right maybe he'll just go with ross because ross is a veteran
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Yeah. Let's swing it over to the Bucs because the Bucs, this situation is a little bit different. They made a big move to bring in Damian Lillard last year. Obviously, they wind up having to make a coaching change. Look, if you go to Doc Rivers, you've had some problems. And Doc has not been able to solve them. Now, we go into the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
We don't know yet if Damian Lillard is going to be available. My guess is probably not, just given the gravity of what he's dealing with. It does feel as if this situation is much more tenuous than what you have with Jokic and Denver. There has been talk for years around Giannis potentially leaving, and he has never given an inclination that he would want to do that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
But man, it just feels like now... Middleton's gone. It's a whole new coaching staff. You know, everyone's there. It's probably we're probably in the twilight for Brooke Lopez in Milwaukee. It just I would be very nervous if I was a Bucs fan heading into this playoffs, because if it's a first round out, I would I would be very worried. Giannis would would push that button.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
To move, you know, and Damian Lillard is kind of old. That's right. And Damian Lillard is kind of old. Giannis, I mean, next year's his age 31 season, you know, not getting any younger. And so I had this thought, if OKC were to, I don't know, let's say the worst case scenario, they lose in the first round, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
What if OKC backs up the truck to Milwaukee and they say, hey, here's a bunch of stuff. Maybe it's Chet Jalen picks. I'm not sure what it would take. If you're the Bucks, you have to start thinking that way. Right. Because at this point, this team, I think you've gotten as much as you can possibly get out of them. You have to start thinking about what's next.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And whether that's with Giannis or without Giannis, I mean, I'm assuming their their preferences with him. But, you know, what if what if they get one of these overwhelming offers this summer? I mean, what what kind of a haul does Giannis bring in?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Yeah. Give me a give me a bold prediction for the playoffs. I know you've got one in you. Who do you have like a surprise championship winner?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I like it. I like it a lot. How are the Knicks going to guard Giannis? How are they going to guard Giannis? I don't know. It's a good question. Guys, go and read John over at Real GM. It's my homepage. It's the best place to pick up the quick news between that and The Athletic. It's got everything covered. That's going to do it for today's show, folks. Thank you, John, for hanging out with me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I am Dave DuFour, and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Yeah, listen, the Thunder have a reputation for being extremely physical. And I thought that the Lakers, whatever their game plan was, was on point. Number one, they came out just as physical as the Thunder. I thought they kind of raised the level of what a foul call was going to be pretty early on, which is good. Because usually I think the Thunder does this to other teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And by matching that intensity, I think it really, they punched the Thunder in the mouth a little bit. And it helps that, look, they wound up going 22 of 40 from three. So we can throw the results out to a certain degree because that is an aberrational shooting performance. But there were big takeaways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I thought on the defensive end in the half court, the way that the Lakers were both willing to switch a big Jackson Hayes out onto Shea Gildas Alexander. And then they were pre-rotating behind Jackson. the action to cut off the driving lanes. And part of that is that's what took away some of the free throws for Shea because there was just no one coming in with bad fouls.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I thought that the discipline that the Lakers showed, again, they seem like the veteran team that they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, John Wilmes from Real GM is here. We're going to talk about the Lakers dominating the Thunder and a couple of MVPs in purgatory as we head to the playoffs. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, John. John Wilmes, my good buddy who writes over at Real GM, filling in for Zena and S, who are both off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
This was supposed to be Jalen Williams. His time to shine, he puts up 16 points in the game, 4 of 14 from the field. You just really didn't feel him, and it reminds me a little bit of last year in the playoffs, right? They went down the stretch of last season, and they do this down the stretch of games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
A little bit back and forth, where, hey, Shea, you're going until they turn that water off, and now, Jalen, you go while the defense is just keyed in on Shea not touching the ball. And again, That's what we saw. Only Jalen Williams wasn't able to raise the level of play. I mean, I just don't know. You know, again, this is a title contender. I think they're the favorites in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I'm not going to take away too much from this one. But, you know, I'm going to put you on the spot to make a bold take off this game. And if I was going to do it, I would say... Jalen Williams has to step up if this team is going to not just win the finals, but make it to the finals. I mean, the playoffs in the West, it's so much closer than it maybe looks with the standings.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And I know like Oklahoma City has had just an incredible run. The playoffs just being a different beast. You need that second guy to be able to get a bucket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Okay. So if I, if I'm putting you on the spot, bold take for the thunder coming out of this game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I'll be honest here. Turn it off.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Two minutes left. Duke up sixty four fifty five. I was like, oh, this is done. So it wasn't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
All right, so let's swing it to the Lakers side of this. Number one, if you're a Mavericks fan, just turn it off. Just turn off the podcast. Go do something else. Luka Doncic really changes things for them. Number one, it has completely revitalized LeBron at both ends. And him being a play finisher, I think, has just been huge. We've been hitting this for weeks now on that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
But the Austin Reeves component of this and what it has done for him, where he's essentially become the second playmaker, but to a different degree than he was behind LeBron when LeBron was the primary guy. Like it really does feel like oftentimes Luka is handing the keys to Austin Reeves for multiple possessions in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And I really think that that's allowed them to have like it's a fastball and then a bit of a curveball with Luka.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I mean, Zena is not even off, to be honest with you. I mean, she's working like women's national championship game, which she's probably recording like right now. John, thanks for joining me. We just got done watching the Los Angeles Lakers. handily beat the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to an amazing shooting performance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I mean, maybe never legitimately, maybe never. I mean, and with the fun thing for me, you know, when you see a guy like LeBron and you, you can see that he's actually having fun offensively. He looks re-energized in a, in a way as this facilitator, which is funny because we've been talking so much about his play finishing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
But I do think like him being able to get the hot, like to be the middle man, And to get the assist instead of be the hockey assist guy, I think is I don't know. He seems to have woken up quite a bit in that role. Bold takeaway for the Lakers for me is J.J. Redick has this team ready to play every single big game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Every big game, they come out with a game plan that is it is very clear what they're trying to accomplish. And I think that nine times out of 10, like they're getting it done. I got to I got to tip the cap because I was one of the people that was I was skeptical guys come in. You know, he was a player and a good player, but he was coming off never coaching.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I think he coached like middle school basketball or something like that. And they put a really good staff together around him. And man, I mean, they've just been doing a great job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Yeah. Guys, stick around after the break. John and I are going to go a little bit deep on Giannis and Jokic and the seasons that they're in and the purgatory that faces them this summer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
I mean, I'm pretty sure they just hit another three-pointer in postgame that they're going to count. What's your big takeaway? I think that this is game one. They've got another matchup Tuesday night, so it's a back-to-back for them. What's your big takeaway from round one of the new look Lakers versus the Thunder?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
In any other season, if the Nuggets or the Bucs were the one seed in their conference, Giannis or Jokic would be the frontrunners for MVP with the numbers that they're putting up this year. I mean, Jokic is now on a five-year run of having the best season ever played. for anyone five years in a row. I mean, he could have just won every single MVP award.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Obviously, this year, it feels like it's Shea's award to lose, and I actually agree with that. I like the idea of best player on the best team, and especially because you can't argue against Shea's numbers. It's not like he's putting up 23 a game or something like that. I mean, he's putting up legitimate MVP numbers. He is going to win the MVP, and I think rightfully.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And I think Shea is an identity maker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
And I think it is a narrative award, right? More so. Baseball, man, I always go back to the season that A-Rod won the MVP on a 50-win team. That is a bad idea if you're trying to tell the story of the season with the award. And I think that's what the MVP should do. So Shea is the story. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the story. Perfect award winner. But...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
For both Giannis and Jokic, I think that this is an important playoff run. I mean, you know, Jokic, we saw them just have disappointment the last couple seasons since they won. This season has not gone to plan for them. I think it's been more of a struggle than a lot of us expected, especially considering we felt like they were at full health. You described this to me as MVPs in purgatory.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
what happens if the Nuggets just fail to produce in the playoffs? And what does that even mean? Like, do they have to make the conference finals? Or if they don't make the finals, is that a failure? Like, where would you put the bar?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Well, it's going to be matchup dependent, you know, and just I mean, I think that the styles make fights thing for the NBA right now, especially in the Western Conference is that's how it's all going to shake out. If the Oklahoma City Thunder ran into the Nuggets early, like a second round, I don't love that matchup for OKC because of what he's able to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Lakers are a nightmare for the Thunder + MVPs in purgatory
Yeah, so I do think that they've got as good of a shot as anyone in the West. I still put OKC first, but it's more the fallout if they don't perform in the playoffs. I think the MPJ contract situation is actually the one to key on because of the new CBA and the restrictions that are on teams that are in the position that Nuggets are in to build.