Lynx 77 Mystics 66

Lauren Betts lead Washington with 13 points and six rebounds. Citron had 12. McMahon had 11.

Mystics had it rolling in the first half but fell apart in the second half. Stay tuned for postgame updates and reactions.

Winger in January: “I think our roster is a testament to the work that she’s done. She’s made a lot of trades. She drafted really really well. She’s assembled a team that loves playing together and they have a lot of versatility that they can lean on moving forward. I know she’s working her tail off to scout for this upcoming draft. I’m very, very pleased with job that Jamila’s done this first year.”

“In a lot of instances, he was the guy that they were going to which does a lot about the trust that they have in him... but he was definitely a guy that was a playmaker in big situations and so that tells you a lot. Versatility is real, legitimately, and the skill is real too.”

Season opener for the Wizards as they face off against the Bucks. They fall short 120-133 on the road. This was Khris Middleton’s first time back in Milwaukee since the trade last season and he looked like the championship version of himself. 23 points, 6 rebounds, and made three 3-pointers. Looked very healthy and had a great feel on the game. This is the healthiest he’s looked in years tbh. Kyshawn George started his second season very strong with 21 points nine rebounds and four assists. He also connected on three 3-pointers. For a stretch, he played point guard and looked very comfortable in that role. With no player on the roster showing they are a clear-cut point guard, it will be interesting to see him being put in that position more. Tre Johnson looked great in his debut, scoring 16 points and making four three-pointers. He also set some franchise records. His four three-pointers are tied with Jarrell Eddie a rookie in 2015 for most made threes in a Wizards rookie debut. His 16 points make him the first Wizards rookie since Tom Gugliotta in 1992 to score 15 or more in their NBA debut. The kid looked great, hitting multiple jumpers consecutively at a point. Alex Sarr put up 10 points and 12 rebounds. He did not attempt a single three-pointer this game, marking the first time he hasn’t shot one. He looked good on his rolls to the basket and I expect this aggression to keep up. Even though it was a loss, it was a good measuring game for the young wizards to see where they stand. They cut into the lead several times, showing resilience. Their next game will be on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Thanks for reading The Stop and Pop. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for the latest news in the basketball world. See you next week—and until then, keep your dribble tight and your release smooth.

Sarr has made an amazing effort on changing his game and being more assertive getting to the rim. With his shot diet changing, he can punish defenses utilizing his length and athleticism inside.

I mentioned in a previous newsletter that Sarr has two-way star potential. If he continues his great play on defense and simplifies his offense, he can become the star he was drafted to become.

How CJ McCollum plays with this young squad?

CJ McCollum has averaged 20 points per game for 10 straight seasons. I don’t expect that average to be broken yet, especially on a team that does not have a clear go-to scorer other than himself. He has embraced a mentor role with this young team so McCollum will be leaned on a lot for this team. Being a player who knows how to play on and off the ball, he can show the young squad how to score effectively on offense. But the next question would be, will he be with the team post-trade deadline?

What Vets will be with Washington after the Trade Deadline?

Veteran leadership is very important in this league. McCollum, Khris Middleton, Anthony Gill and Marvin Bagley are the only players on the team to have been in the league for at least five seasons. While all their roles are different, they are all valuable in some form for this team’s development. McCollum would be the one player who has the highest trade value, still being a high-scoring combo guard. Many contenders can use his services. Middleton picked up his player option and will be earning $33.3 million this season. A lot of teams might not want to take a chance on the former All-Star with his injury history over recent years.

Which Young Player will Make the Leap to Star?

My pick of which one of the young players will make the leap to become the star of the team is Kyshawn George. He talked about how the team is pushing him to become more of a leader on the team:

His defense is already ahead of schedule, showing great potential on that side during his rookie season. Now being asked to play a bigger role on offense. His added strength was paying dividends in the preseason.

The full offensive package was on display against the Pistons:

His strong play as a scorer, defender and playmaker will elevate him to become Washington’s best player out the young core.

Will There be Room to Develop All the Young Talent?

The Wizards are loaded with young players. This season will be crucial to see who emerges as the core of the future. My guess is that Carrington, Coulibaly, George and Sarr are the four the team will build around. The rest will have to show that their value to the team and prove why they belong. It will be hard because there are 12 players on the team with three years or less of NBA experience. Some will be the odd men out when it comes to the rebuild.

Got takes? Want to have your latest article featured in this newsletter? Hit the comment section, send a message or tag me on Threads @JL_On_Hoops and let’s talk.

⸻

Thanks for reading The Stop and Pop. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe for the latest news in the basketball world. See you next week—and until then, keep your dribble tight and your release smooth.

Bub Carrington went down with a knee injury in the first quarter and the team decided to sit him out the rest of the game. Hopeful his status is good to go on opening night. He was on the bench with the team at the end of the game so that is a good sign.

Kyshawn George played great this game scoring 20 points on 8/11 shooting. He played point for a short stretch of the game and looked great. He was also the primary defender on Cade Cunningham. His second year will be special as he is starting to grow more as a two way player.

Corey Kispert looked good as well. Even though he was 1/6 from shine the arc, he looked good going to the basket. Alex Sarr also was being aggressive, knocking down all six of his free throw attempts. He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Kispert finished with 12 points.

CJ McCollum finished with 17 points and four rebounds. He went 4/7 from the 3-point line.

The Wizards will finish their preseason 1-2. They will face off against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday October 22nd. I’m eager to see what starting lineup Brian Keefe decides to go with. I would think it would be Bub, Cj, Kyshawn, Khris Middleton and Sarr.

Got takes? Want to have your latest article featured in this newsletter? Hit the comment section, send a message or tag me on Threads “@JL_On_Hoops and let’s talk.

⸻

Thanks for reading The Stop and Pop. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe for the latest news in the basketball world. See you next week—and until then, keep your dribble tight and your release smooth.

Will Riley was great off the bench. He scored 17 points in 26 minutes, a team high for minutes. He was playing off cuts to the basket and his ability to create off the dribble was on display as well.

Both Tre and Will work really well off the ball which is a good sign for rookies. Young players who know how to play off the ball can help them transition into the pro game. Kyshawn George looks and plays stronger. Getting to the basket and able to take contact, holding his defender off by the hip on drives. He scored 11.

Bub had a nice bounce back game scoring 8 points and was 3/3 from the field while dishing out four assists.

Vukcevic came off the bench and provided good scoring with 15. He should be a lock for the backup center but Bagley played well also. Bagley got the start tonight and scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

This team has a lot of young talent and the coaching staff has some tough decisions to make as far as their rotation. But this is a good thing. The more talent on the roster which will bring out the competition for minutes, making everyone better.

The first takeaway is how Alex Sarr played with aggression. He only took one 3-pointer which resulted in a make. The majority of his touches, he was looking to attack the basket. He discussed his desire to become a more effective threat around the rim, and he demonstrated this during the game. He finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

The second takeaway was Kyshawn George’s defense. He did not have much going offensively but he was very active defensively with four blocks and nine rebounds. He also scored 11 points on 3/14 FG.

Next, the vets of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton. They played great in their minutes. McCollum had some plays within his midrange bag, scoring 19 points. I expect him to continue his streak of 20 ppg seasons. Middleton looked good as well, scoring 11 points but also grabbing nine boards and dishing out five assists. He may not be the same scoring threat he once was but if he can become a do-it-all player for Washington, that will be a key factor for the development of this young team. A veteran showing that you don’t need to score 20 to have an impact on the game will be a great lesson for the rest of the young core to learn.

Cam Whitmore came off the bench and scored 10. He looked good playing off the ball, scoring off cuts. Tre Johnson also looked great as the backup point guard in this game. He didn’t score much, only scoring eight but he grabbed seven rebounds. Some of his shots came from offensive rebounds. Will Riley had some nice plays as well, almost winning the game at the free-throw line before Sarr made the game-winner.

Overall I did like how the team played. Most of the players played in this game. Looking forward to how the team’s performance today carries over into tomorrow’s game against the Knicks.

Chase Hughes/X

&

Jarrett L. Spence

#ForTheDistrict

James Harden got off to a hot start, scoring 23 points in the first quarter. He scored 31 in the first half, which is his most points in a half since 2020, with the Houston Rockets. He finished with 43 points, the most he has scored in a Clippers uniform.

Here are the postgame interviews I had with Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, and Coach Keefe.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason seemed more centered around Bronny James being drafted to play with his father. But, Dalton Knecht might be the steal of the draft. In tonight’s preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, Knecht scored 35 points, connecting on eight 3-pointers. He scored 20 of the last 22 points for the Lakers, including this three-point bomb over Bol Bol to send the game into overtime:

After an impressive senior year with Tennessee, the 6-6 guard fell into Los Angeles’ laps with the 17th pick. Here’s a look at what he did:

Knecht is in the perfect situation. He is a shooter. His coach, JJ Redick is a great shooter and a well-decorated collegiete player. Those are two things that Knecht has in common with Redick. Redick was already drawing up plays for Knecht when they drafted him because they have such similar styles. Redick talked a lot about the Lakers needing a “movement shooter”, which Redick made a 15-year NBA career off of. Rob Pelinka and Redick both believe Knecht fits that category. But tonight, Knecht showed that he’s much more than just a shooter. He was scoring off pindowns, isolations, pull-ups, driving to the basket. He showed his full offensive arsenal.

Knecht can fit right into the Lakers and make an impact already. With all the open looks he will get from playing with a passer like LeBron, he can have a really impressive rookie year. Pelinka said the organization wasn’t sure if they will be able to keep the 17th pick because it was owned by the New Orleans Pelicans due to the Anthony Davis trade. But the Pels agreed to defer their rights to the pick until 2025, giving the Lakers the opportunity to draft Knecht Four. The City of Angels should be excited about this young player.

51.OG Anunoby

52.Franz Wagner

53.RJ Barrett

54.Alperen Sengun

55.Jaren Jackson Jr.

56.Dereck Lively II

57.Darius Garland

58.Coby White

59.Alex Caruso

60.Desmond Bane

61.Josh Hart

62.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

63.Khris Middleton

64.Immanuel Quickley

65.Malik Monk

66.Draymond Green

67.Cade Cunningham

68.Brandon Miller

69.Jalen Green

70.Bradley Beal

71.Klay Thompson

72.Austin Reaves

73.Jarrett Allen

74.Zach LaVine

No way Zach LaVine should be this low. Zach is an allstar, one of the best scorers in the league. If you want to say he doesn’t contribute to winning, when was the last time the bulls won anything? They have been an unstable franchise since Jordan. A team needs to pull the trigger on getting Zach and he can show how good he is again.

Anthony Edwards didn’t have just an ordinary summer. He spent his in Paris winning Gold in the Olympics. Accepting a role off the bench, Edwards was the fourth leading scorer on the squad that went 6-0. Being the youngest around all those great players, Antman was soaking up all that knowledge. He talked about learning to play off the ball from Stephen Curry. He was attached to Kevin Durant like a little brother on and off the court. As talented as he is, Ant has another level to reach, and that’s why I’m predicting that he will win MVP in the 2024-25 season.

Edwards is coming off a season where he averaged 25.9 points and 5.1 assists, both career-high averages so far. His game went to new heights in the postseason, averaging 27.6 points, seven rebounds and six and a half assists in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ run to the conference finals. Ant has shown the ability to be a dominant two-way basketball player, something that a player his age doesn’t commit to. He took on the responsibility of guarding the opposing team’s best player. It ultimately did take a toll on him, having to guard Kyrie Irving, wearing Edwards out.

Adding Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the team can serve well for the Wolves. Both Randle and DiVincenzo can create off their shots, as well as create for others. This will take pressure off Edwards to create offense for the whole team. As mentioned before, Edwards learned about moving off the ball more. This will add a new dimension to his game, playing off his new teammates. His offensive numbers can take another leap.

DiVincenzo also is a very capable defender, allowing Edwards to not use all his energy on defense every night. Edwards won’t have the burden of guarding the opposing team’s star and can play as a help-side defender. His steal numbers may go up, as Edwards has great anticipation as an off-the-ball defender.

The Wolves have shown that they are contenders in the west, knocking off the former defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. Adding those pieces and Antman only getting better, Minnesota is poised to win a lot of games and make another deep playoff run. Edwards, who is starting to become a likeable and marketable brand himself, will also get the push from the media. With all those things being considered, Edwards will have a very compelling argument why he should be the next MVP.

https://sacobserver.com/author/mark-haynes/

https://youtube.com/@threeinthepaint?si=OwtS6jhxzLyLse8x

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These are my predictions for the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

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These are my predictions for the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

For insightful basketball content, subscribe to the Stop and Pop newsletter. Don’t forget to share this post with your basketball junkie friends!

Has the Golden Era ended for the Warriors?

The Golden State Warriors with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have never missed the playoffs when all of them were healthy together. There have been some years when at least one of the big three has missed a season and they didn’t make the postseason. With all of them on the court, they rarely lose. With all the turmoil this season with Draymond, Klay’s streaky stretches, Steph has had a heavier burden to bear trying to wield his team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were only good for the 10th seed and ended up losing to the Sacramento Kings in the Play-In Tournament. Is it time to break up the big three?

No I don’t think so, but I do think a realignment would work for them. Klay was thriving off the bench as a sixth man but was reinserted back in the starting lineup. He finished the season shooting 0-10 from the field. Draymond has had his issues and can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Plus, his impact on the game is not the same as it used to be. I’m big on players staying with one team for their whole career (maybe I’m a little old fashioned), especially players who have built such a great legacy with that team. Ride it out until it’s time to hang it up. Think about Kobe, Dirk, Duncan. Klay and Draymond can still impact the game as players who come off the bench next season. They’re older, have a lot of mileage on their bodies, it would be best to take a lesser role for the benefit of the team. 

Are the Oklahoma City Thunder the weakest first seed in recent years?:

The Thunder have been amazing this season. Shannon Sharpe believes that this Thunder team is the worst first seed we have seen over recent years. I don’t think they are, but I think their youth will be their downfall. Young teams can get a lot of wins in the regular season due to them catching the older teams off guard. When playoff time comes around, the youth will show. The inexperience, the lack of discipline, not being able to close out PLAYOFF games. Closing out games in the playoffs and ultimately, an entire series is hard, especially for teams who've never experienced playoff basketball yet. This team is very young. Shai has only been in two playoff series, Lu Dort has only been in one. Experience matters. You have to fail before you succeed in this sport. I will give OKC possibly getting to the second round, but I think that’s the furthest they will go. 

The Lakers vs Nuggets Rematch

The Lakers beat the Pelicans to advance to the seventh seed. Their consolation prize? A rematch with the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. Darvin Ham said LA aren’t ducking any smoke, but the Nuggets are definitely about that action. Denver has looked like a well oiled machine all season long, and I don’t see them losing until possibly the conference finals. It’s going to take a lot to contain the beast that is Nikola Jokić. Anthony Davis and LeBron James have been playing fantastically, as well as D’Angelo Russell fitting in as the perfect third piece for this squad. The Lakers were able to make it to the conference finals last season, but I’m not sure if they will make it that far now.