Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
What’s happening, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you.
I know a lot of you have probably watched the Adam Silver interview on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast. If you haven’t, I recommend that you do. It’s a fantastic episode that Silver opens up on a ton about.
The most fascinating thing the two talked about to me, though, was the NBA’s media coverage. Particularly with the league searching for a new media rights deal soon. The NBA’s media deal expires at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season and it’d love to have something set in stone before then. To do that, the NBA has to be looked at as a strong media asset. Silver talked about doing his best to make sure that happens.
The thing that struck a chord with me was the way he talked about how the game was covered. He doesn’t like it — specifically when it comes to color commentary.
Adam Silver has some thoughts on the current state of NBA color commentary.
Full episode with @jj_redick: https://t.co/rtiQaQlQpf pic.twitter.com/Krc7gIi2Z1
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) November 9, 2023
“Part of my job is to take people who are fans of the game … and by definition create interest in whoever the teams are that are most successful. I think where we can all do a better job, and again I’m not just pointing to the media here, is talking more about the game. My frustration a bit, I think sometimes the color commentary in our games gets reduced to, ‘this team wanted it more’ or ‘this team tried harder.’”
He’s tired of the simplistic “player X wanted it more than player Y” analysis. He wants more complex and sophisticated breakdowns for fans in games.
Honestly, initially hearing that I scoffed at it. Because I do think there’s value in the simplistic analysis. Sports are supposed to be fun, right? That’s the fun part. Who wants it more? It’s what some of the most incredible plays in NBA history come down to.
But Silver isn’t talking about that, though. I realized that after watching more of the video and getting more context.
For so long the NBA has had an issue marketing itself because it’s always been about one star or about one superteam. LeBron James. The Golden State Warriors. Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Shaq and Kobe.
Well, James is in the twilight of his career. So are his peers. There’s no one stepping into that void. Nikola Jokic doesn’t seem to want the spotlight. Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t seem to, either. There aren’t any superteams anymore. So what does the league attach itself to now?
Basketball. The answer is basketball. The quality of the games that are played on a nightly basis has been incredible. Teams are as competitive as they’ve ever been. Parity has truly taken over the league. The NBA can’t just market one star or one player anymore — it has to be many now. What Silver is describing here is his strategy for doing that.
I think it can work. I hope it does. The game is in a great place right now and I hope plenty of people get to enjoy it in the same way we all do here.
Plus, maybe we’ll have fewer casuals constantly trying to argue with us online about GOAT discussions in the future. That’s a plus, right?
NBA offenses are going wild
We have a new best offense ever — again. For what feels like the 100th season in a row, a team is set to break the NBA’s record for offensive efficiency.
The Indiana Pacers’ offensive rating of 121.5 is set to break the Sacramento Kings 119.4 record from *checks notes* last season. I would call this an outlier, but it just keeps happening. The Kings broke the record of the 2021 Nets who broke the record of the 2020 Mavericks who broke the record of the 2017 Golden State Warriors who broke…well, you get it by now.
The offense is just out of control in the NBA today. The sample size is small. But if you look at the top offensive ratings from around the league so far this season they’re shattering records left and right.
If this stands, six of the 10 best offensive teams in league history will come from this season. All of them won’t last, but some of them surely will.
Can we bring back hand checking or something? Sheesh, man. Give defenses a break, will you, NBA?
Jimmy Butler doesn’t care about your bets
Talking trash to Jimmy Butler probably isn’t the smartest thing in the world to do. Neither is talking to him about your bets, either. He’ll probably embarrass you, as the homie Blake Schuster points out here.
One better kindly asked Butler to please score 20 points for him so that he could pay his mortgage. Butler responded by telling him he paid his own mortgage. In cash.
"20 man, score for me… Make this 3 for real."
He was trying to get Jimmy Butler to score so he could cash his bet 😂
(via TT: bowmanjonbowman)pic.twitter.com/KUEqweGTcQ
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 10, 2023
“Fan: Come on. Twenty, man. Score for me. Jimmy. I’ve got to pay my mortgage.
Butler: What? I paid mine. I bought my house cash.
Fan: Cash? Haha. Right here. Make this three. For real. I need this money.”
First of all, that’s got to be a wild interaction to watch in real time. The best part is how Butler just continuously tells the dude he won’t score for him and very clearly means it.
Second, buying your house in all cash is such a flex, man. Seriously. That’s wild.
Third, don’t ever talk trash with Jimmy Butler. It’s not going to go well for you.
Shootaround:
— Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky on how Jalen Johnson is the big winner of the John Collins trade
— Malik Beasley’s controller turned off in the middle of a game. How wild is this? Bryan has more.
— Just like Jimmy Butler, the Sacramento Kings don’t care about your bets, either. Just ask Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell. Here’s Prince Grimes.
— This Atlanta Hawks OnlyFans parody was WILD. Meghan Hall has more.
Thanks so much for reading, folks! We appreciate you. Have a fantastic weekend.
-Sykes ✌️
