NFL
By: Stephen Garner
Plays beginning to ramp up as we pass the first quarter mark of the 82-game marathon.
1.) Trae Young
After a pyrotechnic-like playoffs stage ingratiation last Summer, Trae took some time to reflect and find “weaknesses” in his individual game to improve upon.
Conversations after they fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals with Milwaukee with head coach Nate McMillan, a former point guard himself, led to Trae setting his sights on improving his touch and feel for the midrange.
A long time favorite player and mentor to Young, Chris Paul, has made a career-long dynamic and imprint on the league with this (to the thrill-seeking fans… as well as the analytically-inclined crowd.. both making up most in this age of basketball) shot. It’s CP3s patented and signature play as he gets attempts up in a multitude of crafty ways.
The longevity Paul has sustained is in large part due to this specific shot.
He’s recounted numerous times that, especially after his meniscus tear, he needed to add the shot to his game because before them most of his attempts came in the paint via floaters/runners/tear drops or three’s (not unlike Trae up until last season).
Forward thinking from Paul, now also adopted by Trae, reaped great benefits and made (for Paul) one of the most dynamic players even more dynamic. The same is holding true for Trae in this moment and time.
Trae Young came into the season saying, inspired by CP3, he wanted to add more midrange to his game:
– 90th %tile in fg% (49%) including a +11% from last season past 14ft (55%)
– A now 47% share of his FGAs, he's on pace for +100 FGAs from there than last seasonTime on task
pic.twitter.com/Ouc2BN5PZ4
— Stephen PridGeon
(@StayTrueSDot3) December 2, 2021
He’s fourth in the league in scoring (26.3 PPG) and is priming himself for the playoffs stage, this time better-equipped and as hungry as ever.
Trae adding the midrange to his game opens up the floor for the Hawks as well, who are humming at a different frequency of late, winning eight of their last nine.
He and McMillan combine for one vastly underrated coach-point guard tandem that is quietly ascending still.
They’re currently 7th at 12-10 in the East and trending upward.
2.) Patience not Panic with Pacers… yet
The Pacers are 13th in the East at 9-15, three games out of the 10th and final spot for the Play-In.
However, they have yet to have their full array of talent in rotation yet with TJ Warren expected to return sometime around the New Year.
They also made note of these rigors to come (2nd toughest strength of schedule per FiveThirtyEight) on media day, as elocuted by Rick Carlisle.
“Gonna have to be a team that does things together at a high level to become a team that’s relevant in the East; (Need a) high level of togetherness and defense.”
Last season they finished 14th in defensive efficiency, and this season they’re currently 14th there.
More on the schedule, Carlisle would note:
“The difficulty of it’s gonna have to be one of the things that helps bring us together and establish the togetherness we need to be a successful group.”
His point of emphasis with both the schedule and their anticipated rough patches early was being “process-oriented.”
Weirdly enough, they’re a +1.8 in differential even with a sub .500 record.
That indicates they have the potential to be a viable team, but they clearly haven’t hit that or even close to it just yet.
As the schedule loosens up into a more favorable slate as the calendar turns, that’s when I feel we’ll be able to properly assess and gauge them. By then they should be whole and have compiled a few games with their deemed core.
They’ve expected to be at or a few games under .500 at this juncture (through the rest of the year) with a plan in place to climb from there in January.
3.) Midrange Mastery
Take a few seconds to just sit back and appreciate this midrange master from Chris Paul and DeMar DeRozan, both at crucial junctures of hotly contentious games for their teams this week.
The audacity, the confidence, and the lack of a reaction from both after these shots stands out to me.
These are “bag” moves from both that come from their off-season workouts, so much to the point where they aren’t even thought out or pre-planned, they just happen in their rhythm and flow state.
They’re master’s at getting to their spots and converting those attempts with great frequency, as two of the best midrange shooters of all-time.
Appreciate the greatness of these two from the in-between
4.) Quick Hitting First Quarter Returns
We’ve now a quarter into the NBAs 75th season, with that here are a few standouts to my eye
The biggest standouts to me through the first quarter of the season is that continuity has proven to be a dynamic relevant through this stretch of the season, as four of John Schuhmann’s top-10 teams in continuity also are currently top-10 record wise in the league.
The Suns and the Warriors are currently laps ahead of everyone else in the league with no signs of change coming anytime soon.
Chicago made a few of the absolute best off-season acquisitions in DeRozan, Caruso, and Ball
Youthful exuberance and confidence has been plentiful as rookies (Mobley, Giddy, Green, Sengun, Barnes, Cunningham, Duarte, Mitchell) have displayed great confidence and advanced skill sets already.
5.) Historic margin of victory 
Thursday night the Memphis Grizzlies won by a record 73 points in a 152-79 win at home over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This is a score we’d typically had expected at a much later point in the season as players on teams sit players and jockey (legally or illegally) for the ensuing Draft.
Happening in the first quarter of the season, however, leads to even more confusion.
Yes the Thunder were without Alexander and Giddey, but this was still an outrageous differential for a professional basketball game.
The Grizzlies would score both more bench points (93), points in the second half (80) and paint points (82) than the Thunder did in the games entirety.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Five’s, here’s the weekends games to watch:
Friday: The ESPN slate, Sixers @ Hawks 6:30pm CST & Suns @ Warriors 9pm CST
Saturday: Bulls @ Nets 7pm NBA LP
Sunday: Hornets @ Hawks 5pm CST NBA LP
@StayTrueSdot3 
