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Speaker 1: Welcome into NBA Pulsi production of id Heart Radio and the NBA. I'm Saracustack, NB analyst for they S Network. Today is Wednesday, January and from our terrific core group of and be A journalists were joined by NBA dot Com Steve Ashburner and ash We're excited, We're excited. You've got some good stuff here. This month's Defensive Ladder just dropped. We're gonna get into that into in a second, um, and then we're gonna talk about your weekly Ricky Ladder. How are things? How are you doing? Oh? Doing well. It's going to be with you again, Sarah. It's a we're sort of in the dog days of January, but you can you can see the highlights now, I mean all stars very close and then it's downhill, um, right to a playoff positioning and uh, in the postseason from there. So yeah, I think you know we're past the holiday hump and uh, it'll be it'll be good. You say downhill, I say uphill. It's all well, I don't know, I guess maybe easy downhill, but U But as I said, okay, So the defensive Ladder this month came out and Jaren Jackson Jr. Of Memphis jumped up to that number one spot. You've got brook Lopez number two, Nick Claxton number three, and then the next seven UH dropped down in in alphabetical order. But bam at a bio Jared Allen, O, Genna Noby, Dylan Brooks, Uh, Lucan's Dort Joel and Beide Miles Turner. Let's first talk about Jaren Jackson Jr. In his rise up to that top spot, averaging three point three blocks per game. That's an easy stat to look at defensively, UM, But there's so many other defensive metrics, both in numbers and in the eye tests that just have him jumping out in what has proven to help Memphis UM be so stout defensively? What was it about the way Jaren Jackson Jr. Has been playing? UH that gave him that number one spot? For you? Well, you're right, I mean the block shots is a traditional METRICUM by which a lot of defensive player winners have have snagged that award. UM. On the other hand, I think that with the UM the advancement of other stats, UM, you know that that that has to take a sort of its place in in order, and um, so you're gonna We've seen other types of players, but with with Jackson, I mean, his his nose for the ball, his ability to position himself and to get those shots, and to jump quickly a second time. I mean just just ways that he blocks those shots that aren't simply the big dramatic highlight send it into the fourth row kind of a things. His mobility is tremendous. I mean, to me, he's he's right now, he's sort of having a obam out of bio plus kind of a season. I mean, because out of bio his his ability to roam and and cover a lot of ground on the on the court, Jackson to me is doing that. He's he's a little bigger, I think, and um, you know, he's just really asserted himself. The only thing that held him back, um, prior to this month's defensive ladder, and might hold him back from some record type numbers this season is how much he's on the floor. He missed Memphis's first seventeen games and even now he averages twenty six a little over twenty six minutes a night. Um, when you think of the impact that he has, I mean, there they're the number one defense in the NBA by defensive rating, I think it's about a hundred and eight and change per one possessions. When he's on the floor, it's a two. So I mean that's that's incredibly um impactful. And if he could stay on the floor or whether it's you know, avoiding certain fouls, Um, nobody's gonna fault him if he's sitting out in the fourth quarter when Memphis has blown someone out. Again, Uh, those are those are not value able minutes. But it's just a manner of having him around, staying healthy and avoiding fal trouble will only increase the role he has, and particularly defensively. His offenses is not bad this season either, but defensively, to me, he's the best. Yeah. Yeah, I think that is always a point brought up to him, or has been, especially the early part of his career. UM. Susceptibility to fouling. So you mentioned availability in terms of staying healthy, staying on the corp, but also staying on the court. Um, not having that be an issue. Last season he played seventy eight games, But to your point, those prior fifty eight games, fifty seven games, eleven games, it's never average more than twenty eight minutes per game. Uh, offensively, you said it points per game. He's just about seventeen points per game. He's able to stretch you out. Shooting the three ball really well this season. So Jaren Jackson Jr. On the defensive end obviously a big factor for Memphis. When you look at this Grizzlies team, how they've been playing, the experience they got from the postseason last year, do you believe that they could be a true title contender? Oh? Absolutely, Um you know now, I thought early on when I saw them in Memphis the first week of the season or so, Um, you know, they weren't they weren't hot like they have been lately. But they seem to have all the pieces that they needed, with the possible exception of another shooter. I think that could help them if they if they had one more reliable or or one of their guys steps up into a more reliable role. I thought that they would, Um they would miss um SloMo um Anderson and and also the Anthony Melton, but other other players have stepped up a little bit. And um, yeah, I think I think they are forced in the West. I don't I don't see any shoeing to the finals from the West. I think Denver's the best team in Memphis is right behind them. And yeah, I'm very impressed with the Grizzlies. They have a you know, I guess all winning teams kind of feel this and might say this, but they had of a a tangible chemistry. Um, they're they're really a tight unit in the locker room. You look at them in the post game, on the floor, interviews, and you know they all hang out for for the other guys. I knew he's been a great of all day, so I have to go, you know there, there's gonna be a lot of times I have to go. Panther. That's the Black Panther. Yeah,
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my dog, it's a it's a fun bunch. And um yeah, I like I like seeing them live as often as I can. Yeah, that is evident the chemistry they have on and off the floor. What Taylor Jenkins has been able to do, they call they called Jaren Jackson Jr. The Black Panther. But speaking of that, you've got a couple other guys there in your top three is I said Brook Lopez number two with a different style of defensive player. In some regards Nick Klackson number three, his ability to guard one through five, similar to how you talked about uh J J. Just a lot of mobility in how he's been versatile, how he's been blocking shots, protecting the rim. But there's a guy in your next seven, O, G, N and NOBI for the Toronto Raptors. I know there's a lot of discussion on him, a lot of discussion on the Raptors. Just uh, frankly, what it is they may do as the trade trade deadline approaches. What has helped O G. Big wing, big defender, another versatile guy, but what has helped him be there in that group? For you? Well, I mean he's got the wingspan. Um he is Um. I would say, after those three big guys that I have in the top three spots, I would say, if if I did a fourth, we keep it to alphabetical order, because defense is so nebulous. It's it's it's really um. You know, hard to say, well, this guy is better than that. It's apples and oranges with the with the biggs versus the perimeter guys. But I would say he is sort of the the reigning for the moment on ball defender. O g does it again, following the script O G. A Bring I've heard that too. I mean, I've heard his name bandied about it. Obviously teams would love to add him. It's a matter of the raptors, you know, figuring out where they stand. You know, is it the kind of thing where they need to retool um, same with Fred VanVleet, but defensively with Antonobi Um or whether they can hold that core group together and improve enough around the fringes that they that they don't have to dip down before they before they try to rise up. So but antonobi is is great. I ended up with the top three of biggs because I think their work has been stellar. But Um, and you look at Toronto's record a little bit too, and that that plays into it as well. I mean, if defense might be hard to measure statistically, but you certainly can look at the winds and the losses, and like with Brook Lopez for instance, point you know it's a circular thing, right, And as his defense affects their winning, their winning affects how he's used as a defender. They've gotten into this habit now of giving up seventy plus points in the first half and that's gonna take a toll on anybody that wants to win Defensive Player of the Year. Um, you know, Brooke is tremendous. I think he has um differentiated himself from Janice in terms of what he means to that team's uh defense. But um, you know the numbers are up because opponents scoring is up against them. So uh, he he lost the top spot from December and I dropped him down. And you can speak to Nick Lackston
you know better better than I can. I mean, you see him nightly. Um, it just seems like his aggressiveness has has fed his confidence. Um. Some say, well, when when he gets bigger, when he gets a little older, a little stronger, you know, he'll only get better. But I kind of like the fact that he's he's sort of this blade that that can get into the scene and uh and assert himself without without having to take a big physical toll. Yeah, he's been terrific. The jump he's made this year has been very very impressive. Um, and all these guys fun to watch, fun to watch on that and no doubt, Okay, we're gonna take a quick break and coming back, we'll get into this week's Ricky Ladder. Welcome back to NBA falls the Acousta Joiner by Steve Ashburg ash your rookie ladder a little bit of movement, but not at the top. There has been impressive play in consistency by some of these rookies. Paulo van Caro has been terrific, uh for the Orlando Magic he stays at number one, Benedict Matherin at number two for the Indiana Pacers. You gotta jump by Jalen Williams of Oklahoma City Thunder up to number three, Jade and Ivy moves to number four of the Detroit Pistons. And you got Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz moving up into that top five spot. And he's someone that I'm most interested in. Did Jazz obviously have um surprised throughout the course of the season, currently tied in that number eight spot with Minnesota. What has really been the differentiating factor for you with Walker Kessler? Why he's been so impressive here in his first season? Well, I mean it's kind of surprising and um for a little aggravating for for people that are Timberwolves fans when they think about the fact that Walker Kessler was in that deal, but not even as a primary focus in that deal for Rudy Gobert. And yet here he goes. He turns into kind of play now that Rudy Gobert became known for with the Jazz twenty game as a rookie. That's something Gobert didn't even do. And you know that that's that's a little aggravating I think the Wolves fans because all those other pieces, all those picks, all the other players, that's all gravy. Right now, the Jazz have a guy who's nine years younger than Gobert. It costs them millions of dollars less than Rudy Gobert was earning, and they've kind of it's looking like plugged that hole with just one piece of that of that blockbuster trade. Um Kessler, My frustration with him too flew the first half of the season was, I guess more with the coaching staff and and the front office in Utah. They were determined to not throw too much at him early. They didn't want him to suffer in particularly tough matchups. They had him on the bench. He was routinely playing fewer than twenty minutes per game, and when you when you looked at his numbers and pro rated those out. I mean they were so impressive that you're like, get this guy more, you know, let him, let him be on the floor more. He'll do more. And now we see you know, he started some games. Um, the game in Minnesota, obviously on on MLK Day was just a massive performance from him. Gobert went out early, so it wasn't really a head to head, but everybody knew what that game represented in terms of UM, if not a passing of a baton, certainly a uh you know who who won the trade? A snapshot in that moment, and it looks very much like Utah won that trade. Plea for Kessler. Kessler's got a good, you know, serious work demeanor. UM, pretty unflappable. He's hard on himself. Everything I've heard and read that that he gets down on himself from missing shots. He has no business um blocking and UM that's good as long as it doesn't created his confidence. I mean that'll that'll propel him to more. Yeah, that's what's most interesting to me is that work ethic, those things that were not always privy to watching what they do in the practice facility, how much work they're pouring in twenty one years old, seven one. Um, he spent a year at UNC before going to Auburn, so it's not a ton of time in college where he has a whole load of experience. What do you think his ceiling is? How much more can he improve from some of the type of skill set and player that we're seeing here right now? You know, I I need to see more of him, Like I say, coming off the bench versus starting is one thing. Um, But you know, just looking at his numbers, I mean he seems like he can be a a double double machine. Um. You know, sixteen to eighteen points and and uh you know twelve the fourteen rebounds and get you three block shots per game blocks by Walter Kessler. I mean that's that's really about as much as you could hope for from a big in today's NBA, and you know, so much room for development. It's, uh, it's really a happy story for this season. Yeah, without a doubt, as you mentioned, already averaging nearly eight points, over seven rebounds, two blocks per game for the Utah Jazz. But all these all these individuals fun to watch and it's hard to ever speculate on the ceilings of kids that are getting themselves acclimated with the league as you're the best. I appreciate to um, and we'll continue reading all your stuff here on NBA dot Com. Hey, Sarah, I would love to have some jockeying for position at the top of the rookie ladder, But then I think back, I mean, how much did did Larry Bird, Magic Johnson fall off back in the I mean, everybody else lined up behind them, And it looks for now that Bankro and Mathron are sort of they've gotta they've got a firm grip on those times. Jamal Mosley and Rick Carlisle will have something to say to you about wanting any jockeying. They want the deal. They want that that style of play, in that consistency to remain for those guys. I appreciate you. Ash Michael's Right returns with a new m v P Ladder on Friday. NBA Pulse with Sarakustak is a production of the NBA and I Heart Radio. Please rate, review, and subscribe on the I Heart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.