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Key Highlights
Another edition of “Four Things With Frank” is here, with a slant toward the young guys and one veteran turning back the clock.
Let’s get to it.
Alperen Şengün Is Expanding His Game
In his third season, Sengun is asserting himself as a bona fide star for the upstart Houston Rockets, which find themselves 8-8 and amid the crowded playoff race out West. Through 16 contests, the Turkish center is averaging 21.0 points (60.6 percent true shooting), 8.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He’s been especially potent as a scorer lately, averaging 23.1 points over his last nine games, compared to 18.3 points during his initial seven outings.
Scoring is the biggest leap for the 21-year-old. In his first two seasons, he averaged 23.7 points per 100 possessions. This year, he’s averaging 32.1 points per 100 possessions. Much of this growth stems from his newfound, versatile intermediate game.
A year ago, his midrange frequency spiked from 24 percent as a rookie to 40 percent and has steadied to 42 percent in 2023-24. Yet he only converted 45 percent (54th percentile) of those looks in 2022-23. It was clearly a work in progress as he expanded his arsenal beyond the rim and free-throw line.
It’s not been an issue to open this season. He’s drilling 52 percent (84th percentile) of his midrange jumpers and holsters an assortment of moves: the one-legged fadeaway, a shotput floater, a pull-up off the catch, and comfort scoring through contact.
His bag is an amalgamation of some premier scoring big man. The fadeaway is a nod to Dirk Nowitzki. The floater honors Nikola Jokic. The jump-stop-into-the-jumper is a move Joel Embiid frequents these days. Sengun’s arsenal has embers of each.
During his rookie season, Sengun came off the bench and often pummeled backups with his physicality, strength and flexibility to live at the foul line. But given his lack of vertical leaping, length and size, I was hesitant about how he’d scale up into a starting role and continue dominating as a scorer against longer, more physically equipped centers. While he’s seemingly become quicker and more explosive, his midrange prowess is among the leading factors for why I’ve been so wrong and why he’s blossomed.
His .279 free-throw rate is nearly half his rookie year clip of .442. He doesn’t rely on the charity stripe like he used to, yet his true shooting percentage is the highest it’s ever been (60.6). He’s knocking down a career-best 61.1 percent of his two-pointers as well — up from 53.9 percent in 2021-22 and 57.0 in 2022-23.
Whenever All-Star teams are announced in a few months, Sengun should be included. He’s a tremendously good player who’s developed considerably to reach this level, and the heart of that development resides in the midrange.
Have The Cavs Discovered A Juggernaut Lineup?
With linchpins Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen all missing time, the first month of the season has been a bumpy ride for the 10-8 Cavaliers, which are trending up and have won six of their past eight games. As their core regains full health, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Co. are now afforded options to establish the optimal lineups. And recently, they might’ve landed on quite the lethal unit that’s rampaged opponents thus far: Garland, Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Max Strus and Evan Mobley.
In their 128-105 rout of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, that group shared the floor for nine minutes and outscored the Hawks, 28-20. On the season, they’ve played 25 minutes together. Cleveland has won those minutes, 70-43.
The appeal is wide-ranging and obvious. It puts four ball-handlers and floor-spacers around a dominant defensive anchor and excellent play-finishing center. Each of those perimeter players are physical defensively and capable of holding up. The Cavs switch 1-5 in this lineup and Mobley’s ground coverage ensures nobody is really left on an island. The offense hums with this quintet. I could — and maybe already did — watch the following clip on repeat for hours.
Poetry in motion pic.twitter.com/ayMvitHhK6
— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) November 29, 2023
The benefit of signing both Strus and Georges Niang last summer is there’s some interchange available with this identity. Swap Niang in for Garland and Cleveland is plus-22 in 39 minutes. Swap Niang for Mitchell and it’s plus-three in 13 minutes. Niang for LeVert? Plus-four in eight minutes.
A singular game against the Atlanta Hawks, the league’s 23rd-ranked defense, cannot be the only affirmation, nor can the entire, brief 25-minute sample. Whether it’s Niang or Strus, the lack of size and mobility at the 4-spot could spell trouble. It’s not matchup-proof.
But the intrigue is easy to understand and the early returns are encouraging. It should help inform how Cleveland approaches upgrades this season and long-term around Mobley. In the interim, trading for Kelly Olynyk would be a savvy move. He’s an excellent shooter and savvy connective playmaker who can drive closeouts and survive defensively. He’s also 6’11” and offers legitimate size at the 4, despite not being a rim protector.
At some point, it feels like the Cavaliers must make a decision about the Mobley-Allen frontcourt. It doesn’t have to be immediate. They shouldn’t rush to move Allen, who’s a very good player helping fortify a menacing defense. But given his offensive limitations — minimal shooting and true ball skills — I’m dubious he’s the ideal player next to Mobley as the budding star reaches his prime.
The allure and promise of this new lineup could shape Cleveland’s future plans and amplify its present goals.
Deni Avdija Is A Bright Spot Amid Washington’s Bleak Season
The Washington Wizards are really bad. The roster is funky, and not in a good way. They play disjointed basketball. They’re last in defensive rating by more than two points per 100 possessions. Needless to say, if you’ve avoided catching much of this team, nobody will hold your feet to the fire.
Nestled within this murky brand of basketball, though, is fourth-year wing Deni Avdija taking a leap that’s escaped him the past couple seasons. In his first three years, Avdija’s defense, cutting and playmaking rendered him the sort of connective tissue any winning environment covets. Yet he never could put the ball in the basket efficiently and it was a major hindrance.
He averaged 8.1 points on 53.1 percent true shooting, netted only 31 percent of his threes and got to the line just 1.6 times per game. He was a very bad and limited scorer. This year, he’s been handed a larger share of on-ball responsibilities and responded with vital aggression, averaging a career-high 12.6 points on a career-high 62.2 percent true shooting.
Prior to 2023-24, he’d never posted a true shooting percentage less than three points below league average. Now, his mark stands 4.7 points above league average — all while creating for himself more.
Each year, Avdija’s increasingly leaned into his strengths — driving, finishing — and drifted away from his weakness: long-range shooting. As a rookie, 51 percent of shots came beyond the arc; that’s down to 27 percent in 2023-24. As a rookie, 26 percent of his shots occurred at the rim; that’s up to 48 percent in 2023-24. He’s embracing the advantage his blend of size, strength and ball-handling comfort lend him at 6’9″, 210 pounds.
He’s relentless in transition, pile-drives through mismatches in the half-court and is decisive when he shoots from deep (40 percent). Even if or when the three-point regression occurs, his retooled approach and confidence as a slasher are here to stay. Showcasing an intrepid, improvisational demeanor downhill, he’s shooting a career-high 72 percent at the rim (76th percentile among forwards). So many defenders stand no chance against him.
According to PBPStats, a career-high 50.9 percent of his field goal attempts are self-created (defined as shots on which the player held the ball for 2 or more seconds). His effective field goal percentage of 58.3 on those looks is also a career-high. Before this year, he’d never eclipsed 39.9 percent or 49.6 percent in those respective categories.
Avdija will probably never blossom into some devastating scorer, but his 9.3 field goals per game feel too low. Washington should use this season to see what he can do with even more on his plate because he’s earned another promotion.
The Reggie Jackson Renaissance
Earlier this week, on a Monday sporting only five NBA games and a single West Coast battle, Reggie Jackson detonated against his old team, the Los Angeles Clippers. With Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon all sidelined, the veteran point guard led the shorthanded Denver Nuggets to a 113-104 road win behind a captivating 35 points (15-of-19 shooting) and 13 dimes. The dude held court all evening long.
It marked his final start before Murray returned from a three-week absence. During those 11 starts, Jackson averaged 15.6 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds on a .527/.432/.714 slash line (61.3 percent true shooting). Subtract Monday’s performance and he still slapped down a nightly 14-4-3 on 57.3 percent true shooting in place of Murray.
For the year, he’s averaging 12.9 points (58.2 percent true shooting), 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds. He’s shooting 44 percent on catch-and-shoot triples and 56.1 percent on two-pointers. Monday may have been his blow-the-roof-off bonanza, but it was far from the lone time he’s stepped up and played well this season.
Jackson operates with such a distinct, joyful verve. He slaloms, skips and bounds his way into buckets. It’s like he’s playing hop-scotch and there simply happens to be a basketball hoop nearby. Whether it’s at the rim (67 percent, 62nd percentile), in the midrange (49 percent, 69th percentile) or beyond the arc (41 percent, 86th percentile), the 33-year-old is cooking.
Jackson’s been candid about how he would have retired years ago if it weren’t for Paul George. He’s talked about once losing his joy for the game of basketball. But here he is, an NBA champion thriving in a crucial role for a title contender. It’s a pleasure to watch.
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