Huffing and puffing

[elementally morale]

So. In the last 5 games:

47 shots made on 53 attempts. That is 6 missed shots in 5 games. 88.7% from the field. 4 out of 4 three pointers which is... like 100%. And since the 20th of December he missed 1 free throw. Made 36 or 37 something like that. It's hard playing a more efficient bunch of games.

He needs to get into shape though.

[Xiao Yao You]

So. In the last 5 games:

47 shots made on 53 attempts. That is 6 missed shots in 5 games. 88.7% from the field. 4 out of 4 three pointers which is... like 100%. And since the 20th of December he missed 1 free throw. Made 36 or 37 something like that. It's hard playing a more efficient bunch of games.

He needs to get into shape though.

Clearly not Jordan Clarkson.

Couldn't be in better shape

[elementally morale]

I missed the game. This is the 1st game this season I missed. By the box score:

Someone had 16 assists in 24 minutes? And took 3 shots? Looks like a serious stamina issue, LOL.

(If anyone saw the game: What happened?)

Edit: 5 blocks as well? In 24 minutes? Something is not right.

[Duffy Pratt]

I missed the game. This is the 1st game this season I missed. By the box score:

Someone had 16 assists in 24 minutes? And took 3 shots? Looks like a serious stamina issue, LOL.

(If anyone saw the game: What happened?)

Edit: 5 blocks as well? In 24 minutes? Something is not right.

It was one of those games where he simply refused to shoot. It happens from time to time, typically against weaker teams. And other guys were hitting their shots, hence the 16 assists by middle of the third.

Then Joker complained that he was pushed from behind by two hands, causing him to fumble a pass. Because he complained, the refs gave him a flopping T. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one. If that was a flop, they should call about 100 in every game. It looked clear that Joker was going to get himself a second T, but D.Jordan pulled him away. Immediately thereafter, the refs called Joker for an off the ball foul for a push that was clearly less than how he had been pushed. It was his fourth, and strikes me as a deliberate call to force him to sit.

The bench took care of business, expanding the lead to 23, and he never had to come back in. (This sort of thing would never happen with Embid. He feasts on these awful teams, and then needs to nurse a minor injury when they face a tough team. Of all his missed games this season, only one has been against a sub-500 team.)

[elementally morale]

^^ Thank you.

On the Embiid related observation: it is absolutely clear but on the one hand I don't want to sound like a hater and I actually want Embiid to succeed (and not doing this kind of thing would be a great start) and on the other hand in the playoffs there is no place to hide. If you don't play it's a bit worse than if you are playing subpar. We shall see what happens. If Nick Nurse can't make the 76ers to reach at least the Conference Finals, it's time to give up on Joel and arrive at the conclusion he simply doesn't have 'it'. The league would be a lot more interesting if he turned it around. I'd really like to see a 76ers-Nuggets Finals.

(On another note: Jokic was ejected in Detroit for I don't know what and if it happened again...)

[Duffy Pratt]

^^ Thank you.

On the Embiid related observation: it is absolutely clear but on the one hand I don't want to sound like a hater and I actually want Embiid to succeed (and not doing this kind of thing would be a great start) and on the other hand in the playoffs there is no place to hide. If you don't play it's a bit worse than if you are playing subpar. We shall see what happens. If Nick Nurse can't make the 76ers to reach at least the Conference Finals, it's time to give up on Joel and arrive at the conclusion he simply doesn't have 'it'. The league would be a lot more interesting if he turned it around. I'd really like to see a 76ers-Nuggets Finals.

(On another note: Jokic was ejected in Detroit for I don't know what and if it happened again...)

Completely agree on Embid. It would be great if he started regularly playing the tougher competition and upped his game so that they could move on deeper in the playoffs. And yeah, I’d love to see a Denver/Philly matchup (more so than Boston, Milwaukee or Miami).

[elementally morale]

Completely agree on Embid. It would be great if he started regularly playing the tougher competition and upped his game so that they could move on deeper in the playoffs. And yeah, I’d love to see a Denver/Philly matchup (more so than Boston, Milwaukee or Miami).

DeAndre Jordan is still a lot better than his playing time would make you think. Out of curiosity, I'd experiment having him and Jokic in the lineup at the same time. It may lead to better defense if the other team has two bigs or one very good big. When I saw DeAndre play he didn't really disappoint.

[SATAN]

Some real nice passing tonight. Making it look easy.

[elementally morale]

I'd rate today's performance: An efficient day at the office.

Triple double and the win. 11/17 from the field, 4/4 from the FT line, 10 rebounds, 14 assists.
He is shooting 73% in his last 5 games. 4 of 5 on 3 pointers and 23/25 from the line (80% and 92%, respectively.)

Not his best game still, but slowly returning to where he was to start the season which is insanity territory. One other thing worth mentioning: he missed only 1 game all year. That's what you want from your star player. Being the most valuable is also being available.

[elementally morale]

Sombor double today. 49th of his career. It's like the 6th or 7th this season. So it is either a triple double (of which he has 12) or a Sombor double every other night.

25/12/9 but came with 7 TOs. On the other hand: 12/13 from the field. I took a look at the last 9 games.

Since the 20th of December: 81% from the field, 85 of 105. 75% on 3 pointers, 6 of 8. 85% on FTs, 28 of 33. That is 'only' 20 ppg (179 points in 9 meetings) but on crazy efficiency. In this period he averaged 8.6 assists to go with the 20 points. He played 40 games out of 41.

[tontoz]

Jokic was struggling with his shooting to start the season but it looks like the change in the calendar has done him some good. This month his TS is 80.4%.

[elementally morale]

Jokic was struggling with his shooting to start the season but it looks like the change in the calendar has done him some good. This month his TS is 80.4%.

I know where you are coming from so just for a bit more clarity: At the start of the season he was great. In his 1st 10 games he was 120 of 198 at 60.6% His troubles started mid November and he had a series of awful games late November and especially early December. That's where his shooting averages went all the way down. He had a 4 game stretch when he went 6 of 29 from behind the 3 point line and two consecutive game where he was 18 of 58 from the field. A very uncharacteristic 32 and 26 shots in back to back games, and 7 and 8 three pointers attempted in consecutive games.

So he had a rough 3-4 week stretch with only a couple of good games shooting. Interestingly, when all that happened his assists and rebounding exceeded his season average. So even when he played bad he wasn't really bad.

[Xiao Yao You]

I'd say he's played himself into shape but I've been told he couldn't possibly be in better shape

[elementally morale]

I'd say he's played himself into shape but I've been told he couldn't possibly be in better shape

He seemed to be in good enough shape to start the season. You may have a point though because when Murray went down Jokic was still elite for a couple of games but fatigue definitely showed at the tail end of Jamal's absence. And in January he usage is clearly down, so he is visibly more efficient when doing less (it usually is the case with players who don't need the ball all the time to perform). He will never be in 'shape' like some other players or at least won't show it. His game is not really centered around athleticism, LOL. I guess that bad month could be more attributed to mental fatigue but of course I don't have the information so it is just guessing.

However, playing 40 games out of 41 with 25/12/9 on 58% shooting and 33 minutes per game is not bad conditioning. He can do what he does every night as far as his stamina is concerned. How many stars do we have on an 80 games played per season pace? I don't know the answer but it must be a really low number.

[elementally morale]

He had a 4 game stretch when he went 6 of 29 from behind the 3 point line and two consecutive game where he was 18 of 58 from the field. A very uncharacteristic 32 and 26 shots in back to back games, and 7 and 8 three pointers attempted in consecutive games.

I just deleted those 2 really bad shooting nights on high volume and those 4 games with the insane amount of threes. If those didn't exist, he would be at 61% shooting for the season and 40% on three pointers. Of course those games did exist, so it is just mental gymnastics but it clearly shows how much those few games count in terms of overall percentages and what you expect on a regular night. (10 made baskets on 60% FG, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, basically.)