As I watched hours upon hours of sports on Christmas Day, only leaving my couch to check on the prime rib in the oven, it dawned on me that I learn something new from every weekend of my sports viewing.
In the world of sports, thoughts and opinions change on a dime. It wasn’t all that long ago when Michigan getting into the College Football Playoff was a laughable thought. And yet, Jim Harbaugh will lead his Wolverines into the Orange Bowl against No. 2 Georgia on December 31st.
So, while I’m well aware that my opinions will change and you’ll be able to call me out for the inevitably incorrect thoughts, I’m going to provide them anyway.
The Lakers are a hot mess
When the Los Angeles Lakers made the trade to acquire Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in the offseason, his addition alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis was touted as the new “Big Three.” The Lakers were the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, an opportunity for James to win his fifth NBA championship.
Why? I can only assume that oddsmakers either know nothing about basketball or haven’t been watching Westbrook play for the past 14 seasons.
The fit never made sense, and it wasn’t just the bizarre Westbrook addition that was confusing to the trained eye. The Lakers added Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, two players well past their primes. But the Westbrook trade was the most glaring mistake by vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
Westbrook is making more than $44 million this season and will make a whopping $47 million for the 2022-2023 season. He won’t be improving with age. Throughout his career, Westbrook has relied on his superior athleticism, something that is beginning to fade.
Now, Westbrook is durable — he’s played in all 34 games this season — and he’ll always put up his stats. He’s averaging 19.6 points, 8.1 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game in 36 minutes per, but he can’t shoot. He’s a career 30.3% shooter from three, and is shooting 30.4% through 34 games from beyond the arc on 3.7 attempts per game.
In today’s game — especially with James’ telepathic ability to find the open man — shooters are everything. Why the Lakers decided not to go through with the reported trade for Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield in the offseason will be questioned for years to come. Hield would have provided the Lakers with floor spacing and shooting, something the Lakers could desperately use.
Following the Lakers 122-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets — which dropped them to 16-18 on the season — James backed Westbrook after his poor performance.
“He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can’t stand [failing to convert] as well,” James said following Westbrooks 4-20 game. “But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It’s a make-or-miss league.”
James can say whatever he wants to the media. The fit never made sense, and the Lakers are an afterthought in the Western Conference.
The duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum isn’t the right fit in Boston
How many times do we have to watch the same thing before we finally say “this isn’t working?” For the past five seasons, we’ve watched Brown and Tatum play together, getting the Celtics to multiple Eastern Conference Finals. The two appeared to be the league’s next great duo, adding another winning run to the Celtics organization.
It hasn’t played out that way, and based on what we’ve seen so far in the 2021-2022 season, it seems a long shot to ever happen.
The Celtics are 16-17, currently 9th in the Eastern Conference, good enough to earn them a play-in game if the playoffs started today. Yes, the Celtics have been hit hard by injuries and by COVID-19, but so has everyone else. It’s the way the Celtics play that points to Brown and Tatum not being the right fit next to each other.
First year head coach Ime Udoka wants Boston to play fast and move the ball. Neither has happened, with the Celtics ranked 23rd in assists per game and 21st in pace. The “my turn, your turn” offense with Brown and Tatum lends itself to a stagnant offense, one which bothered Boston’s Marcus Smart so much that he felt the need to call out the two stars in November.
“I would just like to play basketball. Every team knows we’re going to Jayson and Jaylen, and every team is programmed and studies to stop Jayson and Jaylen,” Smart said. “I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys try and pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball and that’s something that they’re going to learn. They’re still learning and we’re proud of the progress they are making, but they’re going to have to make another step and find ways to not only create for themselves but create for others on this team, to open up the court for them later in the game where they don’t always have to take those tough shots or take tough matchups when they do get the 1-on-1 and then you bring in a trap.”
The Celtics don’t have the roster to compete with the Milwaukees and Brooklyns of the world, and there will be a time in the near future when president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has to decide whether Brown and Tatum are the two stars he wants to continue building around.
Mac Jones and New England are a year away
New England’s bounceback season has been incredible to watch, a quick turnaround aided by quarterback Mac Jones dropping into their laps with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Following their incredible week 13 win over the Buffalo Bills, analysts all over the country hailed New England as the team to beat once again in the AFC East.
But it was just one game, and an odd one at that.
The Patriots ran the ball 46 times for 222 yards in their 14-10 win in ridiculous weather conditions in Buffalo. Jones dropped back to pass just three times, relegated to handing the ball off for the entirety of the game. But the Pats won’t be able to get away with that again, needing Jones to make plays with his arm in order to win big games in December and January.
On Sunday in New England, it was Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen who made the plays, with his arm and his feet.
Allen was spectacular, throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for another 64 on the ground. He was far and away the best player on the field, casting a massive shadow over the rookie quarterback on the other sideline.
The Patriots have found their quarterback of the future, but it’s hard to see Jones carrying the Patriots to a deep playoff run in his rookie season. On Sunday, Jones was unable to make the big plays required to beat Buffalo, throwing for just 145 yards and two interceptions on the day (his second interception came on a Hail Mary at the end of the game.) He’s now thrown four interceptions in the last two games.
His first interception came in the second quarter, when he failed to see Buffalo linebacker A.J. Klein dropping back into coverage. Klein was able to get a hand on the pass, knocking the ball into the air for Buffalo safety Micah Hyde to intercept.
“There’s no excuses, and there’s really nothing to talk about. I didn’t play great,” Jones said after the game. “I can play better and I can lead a lot better. It starts with me.”
I think New England is a really good football team, I just tend to go with more experienced quarterbacks. The Patriots are a year away.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Source: Dailywire
