that SGA bucket are you joking

bench mins

NYL ran this x2 out of timeout. Stewie is the ball-reversal, getting pressured 35 feet out. so enter it to Jonquel as a safety blanket, you can get to a post-up. great to have in the bank...but again, NYL can't spam the Stewie S.O.S. Button long-term:

seems to me that the Liberty have a decent grasp on their half-court offense right now, conceptually... but it's not so comfortable that they can withstand much ball-pressure right now. CT + WAS in the second half, Portland, now the Valkyries have all dragged them into the mud

Brief intro to the Liberty's spacing principles on offense, using pick-and-roll examples. Still much more to come, but a snippet right here: youtu.be/bdt953kgnTs

0.5 second (or "zero second") decision-making is *everything* Tobias Harris pointless dribble in a clear swing-swing situation. Look at Max Strus' (the rotating defender) momentum in each freeze-frame difference between an open Cade three and a tough Caris pu2

my officiating tangent:

3 seconds is tough but Astier's controller just died like she forgot about the rule there lol good call

Sarah Ashlee Barker with the buzzer-beating putback for the Fire’s first-ever win. Incredible finish.

MARINE WHAT THE HELL TO TIE THE GAME

Bek continues to make some strong cuts and Chris Shearn with a John Sterling homage :)

easier to see NYL (+ wheel) spacing principles when someone messes up Jonquel late on the baseline cut, Pauline trying to drift corner...turns into a long two instead of a corner three

shed a tear at this top-lock counter:

will be locked in on Lauren Betts' feel/processing this szn. key area for her:

So who are the Nets going to consider at #6? My early vote is for Mikel Brown Jr., if he gets there. Here's an updated article with some info about the names you're gonna be hearing over the next little while (with a corrected error on a Mikel stat): www.netsdaily.com/nets-news/10...

This outcome was not inevitable. All the Nets needed was a little bit of good fortune to swing --- okay, maybe it was inevitable: www.netsdaily.com/nets-news/10...

From preseason to opening night, a nice playcall: - wheel -> weakside pin - wheel -> flex great screen by Astier, good look for Stewie

What an incredible night for Julie Vanloo, who opened up about the struggles she's faced over the past couple seasons, most recently getting waived by the Sparks. What is life if not resilience? What does basketball provide if not a path to self-actualization?

That's one way to start a season:

that's the craziest part to me. idc about FTAs but let's take that out of it averages about 11 made field goals a game and a great many of them are accessed via GOAT-level handling/creativity/dexterity/footwork

the SGA hate is all very sad to me, I pity those that love basketball but can't enjoy one the very, very greatest scorers/players to ever do it

Article (but mainly a video) on why I think the Dallas Wings are going to be good and fun -- impressed with Jose Fernandez so far lucaskaplan.substack.com/p/im-calling...

+12 in a 3-point loss I'm gonna throw up

Kevin Harlan btw

Drake Powell season recap: www.netsdaily.com/nets-analysi...

Wrapping up my early thoughts on the New York Liberty's offense and a tremendous interview with Rebecca Allen:

didn't really mention was NYL implementing wheel spacing concepts, but that's been a big topic during training camp. will get into it as the season progresses but here's a very helpful explainer for those looking to learn: www.youtube.com/watch?si=WS5...

mapping out early returns from the New York Liberty's offense, this is just a little snippet from their first preseason game. Full takeaways here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHbF...

every teenager to take 10 3PA per 100 in NBA history:

On Egor, what I think his long-term ceiling might be, and strengths/concerns in light of NBA Playoff szn: www.netsdaily.com/nets-analysi...

For the Bluesky crowd, @lucaskaplan.bsky.social posted a good coaching clinic appearance Lynne Roberts (Sparks head coach) www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-W... Early on, she talks about the Sparks' cutting principles, so I made a quick cut with examples (one of Gabby's steals was one of these):

Nets fans, we have the distinction of other teams’ content creators providing us with exactly the kind of scouts we ourselves will need. @lucaskaplan.bsky.social will obviously have some stuff to say but Caitlin is a top pro.

brunson is so mind-numbingly skilled but something just has to change man

Did Noah Clowney take a leap this season? Or is he in danger of falling by the wayside?

Idk how good Noah Clowney is, but he's certainly unique. Only Garrison Mathews has ever matched his FTr/3PAr intersection (because he jumped halfway to the rim on his threes, drawing a million landing space fouls):

Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones each signed three-year deals, I’m told. Contracts lock up the Liberty’s big three through 2028.

every time Steph and Dray play a meaningful game it's a blessing that I'll never take for granted

One "big" takeaway from the WNBA Draft. The league is certainly changing, but are executives interpreting the change correctly? (read further for the Okot explanation) lucaskaplan.substack.com/p/one-final-...

new hobby yo

a bunch of nerdy stats/observations about this draft class, and a LOT of disagreement between us

one more plug on this, Betts is really good

Olivia Miles with Cheryl Reeve is going to rock, yo she is so smart in structure, knowing what each play-call is trying to accomplish

At exits, Jordi Fernández admitted losing stinks, Noah Clowney reflected on a slightly disappointing season, but most importantly... Sean Marks discussed MPJ, Day'Ron, and Josh Minott, all of whom have contract situations this summer: www.netsdaily.com/nets-news/10...

A big board is ofc not a mock draft, but it's also not necessarily a prediction of career success. Think it's more likely, for example, that Raven finds a stable environment as a low-minute contributor early on, leading to better outcomes, while Okot's current flaws stunt a brighter trajectory.

WNBA Draft day is here, this is how I'm feeling:

Sean Marks on Josh Minott (team option): "I look forward to seeing him healthy. He was playing, you know, on one leg with us for most of the time here. So it's nice to get that ankle taken care of, and then again, have another big summer for a young man like that."