SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #7 Denver Nuggets

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #7 Denver Nuggets

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Coming in at #7 on our Sneakerreporter Bubble Breakdown is the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets. For a team that has had so much success this year, it is odd how little hype the steam is getting heading into the Orlando re-start…or is it? For much of the NBA’s hiatus, the Nuggets roster has been in question heading into the return to action. The Nuggets All-Star forward was among the many players that tested positive for the Carona Virus Antibodies. Jokic underwent all of the correct procedures to rejoin his team in Orlando such as self-questioning on multiple occasions and eventually testing Negative for the COVID -19 Virus before entering the Bubble. Jokic is with the team and has been participating in practices and scrimmages up to this point so it would make sense to assume he will be in the starting lineup when play resumes in less than a week.

The real question with this team’s roster heading into the bubble surprisingly wasn’t the news about Jokic but surprisingly there were 3 others that didn’t make the trip when the team was supposed to arrive in Orlando. Gary Harris, Torrey Craig, and Michael Porter Jr. all did not make the trip down with the Nuggets to Florida. The Nuggets have not yet specified what led to the decisions of these players to sit out. Hopefully, for the Nuggets as the regular season games resume they can get at least Gary Harris and Torrey Craig back in action. If not they will be losing two staples to their team identity both offensively and defensively. Without these guys, the team will begin relying heavily on P.J. Dozier. Dozier signed during the transaction window and has been involved with the team extensively in-and-out of the G-League. They will also look to rookie phenom Bol Bol who was supposed to be out this whole year but with this break is now eligible to join the Orlando roster for the Nuggets. As exciting as it must be for the Nuggets to have Bol Bol in their lineup the worry with this current roster suggests that they are not going to be the same team. If this team seemed to be the same squad with the same mindset they have had this season they would have a lot more hype around them but with a depleted roster and accelerated schedule it’s hard to believe this team will get back to the prime form.

 

 

The only chance I see from the Nuggets is if some of the key guys that they have active on this roster step up in a big way. Nikola Jokic has been one of the most consistent player in the NBA this season averaging a killer 22 points 10 rebounds and 7 assists. His play has never been in question for this Nuggets team heading into the re start even after contracting the virus. The players on this team who I think have the most pressure heading into the restart will be Jamal Murray. Murray has had quite the regualr season this year himself averaging 20 points 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game but is really going to have to increase his numbers if he hopes to help this team win a playoff series. The 5 year 170 million dollar man, is going to have to prove his worth for the Nuggets in these playoffs. He’ll have to be capable of averaging big scoring numbers in the first round of the playoff if this team is going to progress.

 

 

 

Denver’s Season In Review (43-22, 3rd in West)

For much of this year, Denver has prided themself on being one of the deepest and more athletic teams in the league. This was a great transition basketball team able to put pressure on the rim with the rim running ability of Jokic to occupy the basket, strong three-point shooters to fill the wings and dynamic ball handlers to attack the basket. While they will still be able to attack in this way it is doubtful they will be able to do it as efficiently as before. The Nuggets ranked just ninth in Offensive Rating on the season, and though they progressed in the right direction for most of the season, the team dropped down to 13th in Offensive Rating post-All-Star break.  The Nuggets ranked 15th in 3-point percentage this year which was pretty average for a roster with so many capable good shooters. They also ranked 14th in free throw percentages which are an area they will need to improve if they dont want to be one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the playoffs.

 

via @NBABlackburn

Denver has scored a lot this year in transition and in spot-up situations because of Jokic’s playmaking ability from all levels. He can pass out of the post, create really dribble handoff mismatches, and find guys from his favorite spots in the mid-post. Head Coach Mike Malones offensive has tremendous movement and deception when Jokic has the ball that makes them hard to guard. For the Nuggets to maintain this same level of efficiency or improve they will have to find players who can help by scoring in the ways that they have alredy establiushed make them effective.

 

 

Looking into the Bubble:

The Nuggets won’t just be looking to star Jamal Murry to help carry the load for this team come playoffs but also to key guys like Jeremi Grant, Mason Plumlee, Troy Daniels, Paul Milsap, and Noah Vonleh to name a few. The Frontcourt will have to step up big time especially defensively if they hope to compete with the likes of Anthony Davis or Montrez Harrell at the top of the conference. The Nuggets also have the 3rd most difficult schedule heading into Orlando so they will need some real defensive firepower if they plan to at least hold on to the 3 seed in the west as the Jazz are only 2 games behind them.

 

 

The Nuggets are going to have a very tough task in Orlando only playing against two teams that might now make the playoffs. While the Nuggets do have the talent and the ability to make a playoff run its hard to find proof that they will execute with the way their roster looks right now. They simply are just not proven yet and i worry about them in this controlled setting in Orlando. They have competed well against the top of the west this year and I expect them to remain competitive but until one player or a few players can emerge as it factor for this team it’s likely they may have a simmilar playoff result as last year.

 

 

Jul 23, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #8 Miami Heat

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #8 Miami Heat

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The Miami Heat have been a topic of conversation for a while heading into this NBA restart. While many fans are tiring to predict who the dark horse from the east could be, you cant look past the Miami heat. A team that sits at 41-24 and sits at the fourth seed in the west certainly has all of the pieces to make a run to the eastern conference finals. This team is stacked with capable defenders and has the ability to guard some of the best players in the east with versatile guys deep in their roster.

The most recent acquisitions for this year’s Miami heat squad consisted of getting rid of the rarely used Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow, and James Johson and picking up the veterans Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill. A move that seemed it would work seamlessly on paper actually resulted in pretty average results where the team went 7-7 in the 14 games since the additions. Jimmy Butler missed a few games during this stretch and it was also evident that Iguodala was getting used to playing again after being out for the first four months of the season. The trade wasn’t made for its immediate implications. This was a very forward-thinking move on behalf of the Maimi Heat and we are going to see exactly why in Orlando.

 

 

Miami’s Season in Review (41-24, 4th in the East)

 

Adding two veterans in what now become right before the playoffs will pay dividends for this team and adding defenders as they did only boost their roster’s defensive capability. This Miami Heat team is dangerous in a lot of ways Last year’s Toronto Raptors team was. They have a group of young talented guys that play really hard. But this year for the Heat, like Toronto last season with Kahwi Leonard, have a go-to guy in Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler gives this team what heat fans hope will get this team back to the eastern conference finals. He fits perfectly with this team and has shown so this year most importantly on the defensive end. He has played with passion on the defensive end all year and leads the team in steal at about 2 per game. Butlers defensive savyniess has paired well with the emergence of all-star teammate Bam Adebayo. Adebayo is averaging 17 points, 5 assists, and 11 rebounds this year and has shown he is capable of during some of the best players in the east like Giannis Antetokounmpo. Adebayo leads the team in blocks with 1.4 per game and has shown he can protect the rim as well as guard on the perimeter.

 

 

The Miami Heat have a championship-level defense and two all-stars capable of winning them a playoff series but what really gives them a chance at the Eastern Conference finals in their shooting. For the first time in a while, the Miami Heat has a lot of shooters. The Heat have 9 players on the roster who are shooting above 30% from 3 point range this season. Guard Goran Dragic is shooting 37 % and Rookie Tyler Hero is shooting an impressive 39%. Gaurd Kendrick Nun also doesn’t fall much behind at 36% from 3.

 

 

 

Heat forward Duncan Robinson, has the most impressive of all the 3 point percentages for this team. His personal average of 44.8% comes on an average of 9 three’s per game. He is capable of getting hot, really hot. Robinson had a game-high 10 threes against the Hawks in December… finishing with 34 points.

 

 

Looking Into the Bubble:

The heat has all the pieces to be the Darkhorse of the Eastern conference now all that is left to do is execute. It’s obvious that this team needs to get the most out of their defense and all-stars of Butler and Adebayo night in and night out but they also need to be able to count on key role players. The Heat will need to be able to count on production from players like Goran Dragic, Tyler Hero, Derick Jones Jr, Myers Leonard, and Kelly Olynk to name a few. These are the guys that in the playoffs are going to have to make an impact for this team to win. Whether they help out over the course of one game or the whole series depends on the circumstance but, they will be called upon.

 

 

Head coach Eric Spoelstra and Heat trail the third-place Boston Celtics by 2 1/2 games and lead both the fifth-place Indiana Pacers and sixth-place Philadelphia 76ers by two games in the standings. If the season were to end as the standings as they are now the heat would match up with the pacers in the first round. Without Oladipo, the Pacers present a favorable matchup for the Heat and if they win that series they will most likely end up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the next round. It will be interesting to see how things shakeup in the east but this scenario is very likely. Not to look completely past the Indiana Pacers but the Heat have beaten the top-seeded Buck’s twice this season and seem to give them matchup problems so this route to the eastern conference finals could actually end up working out best for the Miami Heat.

 

 

 

Jul 22, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #9 Utah Jazz

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #9 Utah Jazz

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With only 10 days left until the season resumes its only right that we take a closer look at the team that had the first player in the league to test positive for the COVID-19 Virus. Rudy Gobert had tested positive for the virus back in early March after showing symptoms prior to the Utah Jazz game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since the Jazz center has recovered but did admit a few weeks back that he still hadn’t fully regained his sense of smell and taste. Gobert along with Utah Jazz all-star Donavan Mitchell both contracted the virus in the month of March but have both made full recoveries. They are in the Orlando Bubble and thankfully so because this Utah Jazz team, who will be without Bojan Bogdonavic for the rest of the season, will need huge contributions from their two All NBA Team selections if they hope to make something happen in the western conference playoffs.

The Utah Jazz have the 8th easiest schedule when the season returns next week. This team had an impressive showing in the first half of the year. They are in 4th place in the western conference and are only two games back of the 3rd seeded Denver Nuggets. If we were looking at the team they were for the majority of this year’s season they would have a real shot at competing for that 3 seed. However, with limited games and even worse, a limited roster, they will have more problems figuring out lineups than who they are even playing. As the season went on for the Utah Jazz they were finally starting to figure things out with guards Donavan Mitchel and Mike Conley were going to work. Conely and Mitchel are both gifted offensive scorers but for much of the year struggled to do so in unison. It has to be Utah’s hope that maybe with Bogdonavic out for the season with a wrist injury there will be more opportunity for Conely and Mitchel to find a consistent rhythm. Regardless The Jazz are going to need guys to step up in all positions on their roster. The Jazz have made some great additions and do have a roster of guys capable of stepping in for this team to produce similar to how they have all season. The problem though is that they just haven’t played with the lineups they are probable to throw out in Orlando. It will really depend on how quickly and consistently the Jazz will be able to form a defensive and offensive identity that will determine if this team is a depleted first round out or a reenergized western conference contender.

 

 

 

Utah Season In Review (41-23, 4th in the West)

Looking at what Utah has accomplished this year, it seems odd to even question if this team is a contender because of how well they have performed in a stacked Western Conference. They just are the same team however and will need to figure out how to replace the  21.2 points per game Bogdonavic provided for them all year along with his strong perimeter defense. Guard Jordan Clarkson was looking like the guy who was likely to fill in for where the Jazz missed “Bogey”. Clarkson was beginning to find his offensive rhythm for the Jazz this year after playing more significant minutes and growing more aggressive as he got comfortable with the Jazz. While I belive Clarkson is capable of scoring in bunches to help this team, I dont think he or anyone else that will fill in for this team has the defensive capability that Bogdonavic had. Bogdanovic ranks second in the league in points generated per touch (0.456), and this season proved he is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league shooting 41% from 3. The Jazz offense was centered around the effective pick and rolls with their guards and Rudy Gobert, and strong spot up shooters to space the floor. While they still have some strong shooters in Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson they will need them to also emulate Bogeys playmaking ability for this team to have success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking into the Bubble:

 

A big concern for Head Coach Quinn Synders team will be if Mike Connely and Donavan Mitchell can finally figure out how to play well with one another consistently. Mitchell was averaging 26 points per game this year to Connely’s 14. If this team hopes to compete with teams like the OKC Thunder, which is who they would match up with in the first round of the playoffs if everything stayed the same, Conley will need to get going…fast. Conely has struggled this year offensively mainly because he and donavan micthel like to operate in the same areas on the floor. Conley reluctantly deferred as Mitchell has already shown his offensive promise for the Jazz it made sense. If this team is actually going to make a playoff run Conely will have to find how he can be the point guard this team needs. Conely was able to find success in the pick in role game with Gobert before the season’s hiatus and hopefully, this can carry to Orlando. Coach Snyder credited his center being “arguably one of the best rollers in the league”, and hopefully he will continue to be for this team’s playoff hopes.

 

 

While I don’t think that there is one player on this roster capable of recreating what Bogdonavic brought individually, they have a chance to collectively. If players like Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, Emmanuel Mudiay and even Georges Niag (who is shooting over 40% from 3) can figure out a way to collectively bring a defensive presence at the wing position and space the floor the Jazz have a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

Jul 22, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #10 Oklahoma City Thunder

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #10 Oklahoma City Thunder

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In Today’s breakdown, we are going to look at a very impressive Oklahoma City Thunder squad that sits at the 5th spot in the Western Conference but, could position themself as best as 3rd by the time the playoff comes around. For a team that most people expected to be at the bottom half of the western conference playoff picture when the year began, OKC has been fuel by its veteran leadership from G Chris Paul in addition to a bunch of hungry young and talented players.

Gone are the Days of the MVP talents of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading this team to the playoffs but The Thunder will not be experiencing any type of playoff drought because of this. The team has a new identity and they have only improved as this year has gone on and the team is able to build more chemistry. The new selfless identity of this team that displays some of the most balanced scorings of an NBA roster, has put the Thunder not only in a playoff position but serious playoff contention.

Oklahoma City Season in Review (40-24, 5th in West)

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have an overall record of 40-24 this year to claim the 5th seed in the West. They are only 1 game behind the Utah Jazz who are in 5th place and 3 behind the Nuggets who are in 4th. With 8 games left I expect these three teams along with the Houston rockets who only sit a half-game behind the thunder to make the 3-6 seeding interesting. The Thunder’s success this season has a lot to do with their success on the road after starting off poorly.

After losing their first 6 road games the Thunder have won 19 of their last 24 games outside of Chesapeake Energy Arena. This has so much to do with G Chris Paul’s leadership role but also speaks to the maturity of the rest of this thunder squad. Leading Scorer for the Thunder, G Shai Gilgous-Alexander has emerged always been a talented multi-level scorer. It’s clear Shai didn’t want to be seen as just some guy in the Paul George trade he’s played aggressive all year long and it brought out the best in him and his teammates. The dynamic that he and Paul have been able to create for this team on a nightly basis has been incredibly fun to watch. They are both dynamic playmakers and have done a great job this year of getting the most out of the rest of the squad. Chris Paul has worked the pick and roll game with Steven Adams this year to perfection and their wings have shown the ability to be consistent enough from the field to keep the floor spaced. The 20 points per game that this team gets out of Danillo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder should also not go overlooked. Danillo has been a star in his role for this team mainly as a pick and pop guy all year long. The playmaking ability of all the guards whether it be Paul, Gilgous-Alexander, or Schroder has really unlocked part of Gallinari’s game. Schroder has always been a really underrated guy in my personal opinion. He’s always produced a great number over the course of his career no matter starting or coming off the bench. Like Shai, he can score on all levels and is always under control. This team is full of players that just don’t get rattled very easily so its no coincidence this team followed up their first 6 road losses with the second-best road record in the NBA behind the Los Angels Lakers.

 

 

 

 

The Thunder are a very smart team but they are also very young and athletic especially when you look deeper into the roster. With guards like Hamidou Diallo, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, and Terrance Ferguson they have depth and athleticism from the wing position which will really help defensively down the stretch. The Thunder have been great with utilizing their young guys this year and it seems like their rookies especially have gotten more confident as the year has gone on. Despite the well-balanced scoring, the Thunder gets every night, the Thunder’s defense is the strongest part of this team’s identity.

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly rank bottom-ten in the league in points per game, assists per game, 3-point percentage, field goals attempted, and several other offensive categories. The Thunder do the little things that result in wins. They rank first in the league in opponent free throw attempts holding their opponents to an average of 17.2 attempts from the line this year. OKC also is only letting up a 12.2 second-chance points per game that rank 2nd in the league. They are efficient and sound of defense this year and it hasn’t mattered whether its at home or on the road. Surprisingly enough the thunder has a better win percentage on the road this year than at home. I think this stat actually means a lot more than you think as the season restarts because this team has proven they don’t need to be home to win all year long and with no games, for the rest of this season being played inside the Chesapeake, this team looks certain to bring their defense to Orlando to make a deep run in the playoffs.      

 

 

 

 

 

Looking into the Bubble:

Looking into the bubble the biggest news for the thunder seems to be that G Dennis Schroder may not be able to play. Schroder announced to the media last week that his wife is pregnant with their second child and that she should be giving birth sometime during when the completion of the regular season. Schroder has made it clear to the organization and media that he intents to be there for his wife and is trying to work something out with the team where he can return to the team in the safest way possible.

 

 

 

While this might be tough to hear from a fan perspective, this is the right thing for Dennis Schroder to do during these crazy times. The man should be with his wife and newborn before all else and it’s good to see Coach Billy Donavan and the rest of the Organization are fully behind him.

 

With this being said, without Schroder this team is taking a massive hit at a time they will need him more than ever. Schroder’s scoring off the bench is crucial for this team. We are talking about a potential 20 points a game missing for 3-4 weeks in which cold be first-round playoff series. I don’t think this team will be able to replicate what they have done for most of the regular season without him but they have had players step up countless times this year but not quite for what seems to be an extended period of time.

 

 

 

Without Schroder, they will still have to make sure their defense stays as strong as its been. Schroder provides playoff experience for this team so losing him even though in different playoff circumstances hurts them even more. The young guys are really going to have to step up defensively to give these guys a boost and the scoring from Shai, CP3, and Gallinari with having to increase by volumes for this team to produce in the same way. The good news though is that they are capable. They are healthy they have the talent and now if they can just execute they could potentially get hot enough to really compete in the Western Conference playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jul 20, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #11 Philadelphia 76ers

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns: #11 Philadelphia 76ers

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As we are now only 12 days away from the resumption of the NBA season we look at the Philadelphia 76ers in this bubble breakdown. Another team in the middle of the pack in the eastern conference that has definitely benefitted from this time off because they now return to full strength. With Ben Simmons having time to have healed his back injury and the rest of the squad getting some rest to heal up some nagging injuries the 76ers now are treading as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. They have a healthy combo of the All-Star Talents of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and some of there rotational players that have underperformed for much of this year started to come on right before the season’s suspension and look to build upon that in Orland1

The most notable news coming from Sixers Coach Brett Brown over the past week is that in a new starting lineup for the Sixers, Ben Simmons will start at the power forward position not point guard. This change comes from a combination of factors. Simmonds hasn’t played in a game for the sixers since February 22nd. He missed the following 8 games after he suffered the back injury on the 22nd against The Milwaukee Bucks. When Simmons was out for the following 8 games he was replaced at the point guard position by G Shake Milton. In the 8 game stretch, Milton averaged 17 points per game when playing more meaningful minutes and even posted a high of 39 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on March first. Milton’s contributions meant so much in that 8 game span because it finally showed Philly had what they had been missing all year … efficient shooting in the backcourt.

 

Philadelphia’s Season in Review (39-26, 6th in the East)

This sixers team gets a lot of slack for underperforming this year but I feel like people are quick to forget just how much this team actually lost from a season ago. Losing Jimmy Butler and JJ Reddick was a huge blow for this team. This year’s Sixers guards although somewhat capable have shown just how valuable the contributions of Reddick and Butlers shooting really was. They haven’t been the same team because they haven’t gotten the same production from the positions that made this team successful a year ago. On top of that, they didn’t just lose two guys they also lost guys like TJ McConnell, James Ennis, and Amir Johnson. Although not the caliber of a Jimmy butler per se those guys still had an impact of the teams winning from the previous season. They certainly have more talent in the frontcourt adding Al Horford for a hefty price. Horford has been solid for the sixers this year averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds a game while being moved in and out of the starting lineup all year as well. The thing that is difficult for Horford is that he is a traditional pick and roll big that usually gets his numbers from running a two-man game with a guard who can shoot so it opens him up either rolling to the post or on the perimeter. He has not been able to get into that type of offensive rhythm that he had been able to previously because he hasn’t been able to find chemistry with a point guard on this roster capable of getting him the ball in scoring position. Because some of the injuries this team has endured have forced hin into the starting lineup more often than anticipated it has been another adjustment for the Sixers to get used to starting two traditional bigs in Horford and Embiid. The Horford and Embiid experiment hasn’t worked all too well for this team, they just seem to take up each other’s space and make it easier for the opposing team to key in on either one of them down on the post. They are both skill guys and like to operate in a lot of the same areas. Embiid is able to create his shot off the dribble but Horford needs more of a setup and to get the ball in the flow of the offense. The problem is that if both of them are occupying space in the post on it makes it hard to have any type of continuity on offense.

You can point to various places that this team needs to improve statistically whether it is shooting or on Defense but what the real problem for the Sixers has been lineups. They haven’t been able to find a consistent lineup that has success all year. Injuries play a huge factor in this of course but for a team as talented as this Sixers team, Bret Brown has to be able to find a way to get a consistent lineup that can compete with the best in the East. This interesting movie to put Ben Simmons at the power forward in the return in Orlando got my attention for two reasons. First, it made me question why this team would wait until now to make this change. I understand that this team could be potentially fighting for the 4 seed in the east so there is some desperation but shouldn’t they just try to build upon what they were doing this year now that they are finally healthy? Second, it made me realize Bret Brown hasn’t had much confidence in any of the lineups he’s thrown out there for the sixers this year so why not make a big change to try and sparks something. For his sake, I hope he is right because I believe if this change doesn’t work in the Sixers favor Bret Brown will be faced with a lot of criticism.

 

Looking into the Bubble:

The Sixers need their leading scorers in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to really get it going in the bubble. The addition of Milton in the starting lineup should give Emiid tons of space to work with and also gives him another shooter to kick it to from the post. Simmons, who you assume will still look to attack in transition even at the power forward, has to be aggressive in doing so. Simmons will also need to show his playmaking ability even more so in the halfcourt as hell have to especially come playoffs. Tobias Harris who is averaging about 20 points per game this year is another player that will benefit from not playing with such a big lineup. Tobias who is able to be a pick and pop guy both off the dribble and setting screens now has more room to work with but can go back to playing his natural position and score rather than playing the position this team needed him to be. The most compelling thing to me about this team as they look to beat out Indiana for the 5 seed and potentially steal the 4 is that they can really defend. This team’s real advantage could be on the defensive end now that they are finally healthy. Guys like Matisse Thybulle, Josh Richardson, and Glen Robinson III are all capable defenders. Known for their athleticism and skill these are the type of guys the Sixers are going to need to be able to count on if they think that the new starting lineup is going to work. Whatever way the guards fall into rotation in Orlando they will have to get production scoring off the bench for sure but if they can at least establish that their new identity is defensive rather than offensive than i do believe this team could be the dark horse in the eastern conference.

For an even more in-depth at the Sixers in Orlando Check Out Sixer Gaurd Matisse Thybulle’s VLOG on Youtube. I’ve been following each episode and think he gives amazing insights into the way things work in the NBA Bubble.

 

Jul 20, 2020 No Comments