Two Impressive Rookies, The Trade That Wasn't, And I'm Sad About AD
Quick thoughts as the NBA barrels toward All-Star weekend
We’re less than a week from the All-Star break and yet again, The Broken Press did not receive a press pass. Adam Silver’s vendetta against me continues and I will not forget that when the rapture befalls us.
Anyway, here are quick thoughts on a few things I’ve noticed recently around the league, starting with an impressive rookie in Minnesota and ending with the fallout of the Mark Williams trade that wasn’t.
Jaylen Clark is Moving Me in Minnesota
He’s played 11 games in his NBA career and Jaylen Clark is already rocketing up my list of favorite players to watch. When he checked in against Phoenix a few weeks ago, I scratched the hairs on my chinny chin chin trying to recall why that name sounded familiar; it’s because I loved watching him raise hell on defense at UCLA, where he won National DPOY as a senior in 2022-23.
He then tore his Achilles in his final regular season college game, was drafted 52nd by Minnesota, missed all of last season, and has finally returned to save the Minnesota Timberwolves from themselves.
Clark’s defensive flair took about 8 seconds to translate to the NBA. He’s 6’5 with wide shoulders and great strength, but his build doesn’t seem to inhibit his lateral movement when defending quick guards.
He gave Portland fits on Saturday, and Chris Finch seems comfortable assigning him guards or forwards, putting him on Simons, Henderson and Jerami Grant on a few possessions — here he is pretty impressively cutting off Grant without fouling:
Clark had three steals, one coming from simply caring a little more (and realizing that Jerami Grant’s sabotage game was in full effect):
Finchy sees the vision.
“Jaylen was awesome. He just impacts winning. I don’t know how many minutes straight he played, but I wasn’t going to take him out of the game. He was just doing such an amazing job of setting the tone on the ball and got the big steal.”
-Chris Finch (via John Meyer on Twitter)
Jaylen Clark started as a “might as well give it a shot” guy for Chris Finch and the Wolves, and he’s quickly become a presence they’re going to rely on nightly. He won’t make 50% of his threes all year like he is now, but the defensive pop is legit and Clark has more than earned consistent floor time.
Justin Edwards Earns a Standard Contract in Philly
My NBA Draft strategy of if you’re picking outside the top 20, just take the highly-ranked high school player has failed spectacularly numerous times, but when it hits… it hits, baby.
Justin Edwards was ranked higher than Jared McCain, Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham in ESPN’s 2023 Top 100, and then he went to Kentucky and… kinda sucked, so he went undrafted. Philly took a flyer and signed him to a two-way deal and about seven months later he’s earned a standard NBA contract.
Edwards possesses the Cam Reddish trait of If you saw this person playing in an empty gym you’d be sure he’s the greatest basketball player of all time.
He’s 6’7, smooth, can handle, finishes extremely well around the rim (69%) and shoots with plenty of confidence (37% from 3PT.) He’s scored 15-plus three different times, including a 25-point game against OKC last month and things can get a little wonky sometimes, as they do with all rookies, but I love what Edwards has shown so far.
Here’s an example of Edwards’ handle, bendiness and finishing ability. Granted, this isn’t what I’d call lockdown defense from Nikola Jovic, but it’s a nice take from Edwards regardless:
Another example of Edwards’ ability (and willingness) to get to the rim; he catches the pass on the run from Tyrese Maxey and immediately attacks, scoring over the smaller Kyrie Irving.
This is what Sixers fans wanted Tobias Harris to do for, like, five years. I digress.
Lastly, a few examples of his shooting confidence, which never, ever wavers. Bam Adebayo is defending Edwards here — pretty closely, I might — but the Sixers rook doesn’t seem bothered by “a defender” being “right in front of him.” Let it fly!
Sometimes it looks like this, for the record:
Probably didn’t need that shot with 19 on the shot clock, Justin, but I unironically love the confidence.
Overall, this is a (subtle) Daryl Morey masterclass. Love the idea of giving him a shot, love giving him a standard contract. The ultra-rare Sixers W.
Anthony Davis: Good and Cool (And Now Hurt — Fuck!)
Throughout most of Anthony Davis’ career, my view of him has been one of neutrality. I’ve always understood how good Davis is but his game has never drawn me in for whatever reason.
On Saturday, in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, it was impossible not to be drawn into AD’s emotionally charged evisceration of the Houston Rockets. Davis screaming “I’m here!” to a Mavericks crowd who aren’t sure if they’re ready to love again was cinematic, and must have been cathartic for Davis himself, a reminder to the world that he is still Anthony Davis after all.
Then he left the game in the third quarter, didn’t return, and will now miss at least a few weeks with an adductor strain, reminding us the universe is cold and objective and when things are bad they can, in fact, get worse.
I’m sad about AD’s injury — for Anthony Davis. What has been an incredibly emotional week appeared to be ending on a pretty big upswing… and then it crashed all the way down. Being traded without warning is enough of a gut punch — sustaining an injury in the first game after that trade has to be a pretty spirit-crushing feeling for AD. Best of luck to him. Anyone using this as a reason to dunk on AD for being injury-prone… is a weirdo! He didn’t ask for any of this!
Mark Williams is NOT the Lakers New Center
Lakers fans were, as they do, convincing themselves that Mark Williams was Hakeem Olajuwon, and while his perception was pretty far off from what he actually provides on the court (a great lob-catcher and reliable dump-off option who’s regressed on defense as his career progresses) but Williams was still going to be LA’s best center by a pretty wide margin because Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko are borderline NBA players.
Now he’s… not. Williams failed his physical with the Lakers and heads back to Charlotte, which has to be a little uncomfortable; how do you convince someone to buy into a team they were traded from about 96 hours prior?
“Hey mannnnn sorry about making you think you were moving 3000 miles across the country… really awesome to have you back!”
The on-court implications are pretty big; JJ Redick can’t, realistically, play Jaxson Hayes 30 minutes per night if this team is to remain competitive, so… Jarred Vanderbilt at starting center? Is it worth completely sacrificing size for a better defensive player? Could be!
A Reaves/Luka/Rui/LeBron/Vanderbilt lineup isn’t really small; positions 3-5 are all 6’8 and switchable. Plus, among the top 6 teams in the West right now, there’s only one that would really punish LA for going small — Denver — and LA got dogwalked by those guys when Anthony Davis was starting, so maybe size wasn’t the problem anyway.
Vanderbilt had 14 rebounds plus 2 stocks against Golden State last week, in a game that he played 21 minutes to Christian Koloko’s 4. Jaxson Hayes played 25 minutes and grabbed 3 rebounds. You’re seven feet tall my man, please crash the boards.
Point is, I’m really curious to see what Redick’s lineups look like with Luka in the mix.
What I’m Listening To: Lucinda Williams
I GOT A BIG CHAIN AROUND MY NECK
AND I’M BROKEN DOWN LIKE A TRAIN WRECK
One More Thing: Go Birds
Philadelphia is immensely proud of you. A great evil has been defeated… now please don’t go to the White House.
So happy someone wrote about Jaylen Clark on here. WHOOF has been outstanding. Feel like if this happened a couple weeks earlier we may have seen NAW or Donte shipped out