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For those who know me, this is truly an exciting day. It’s a rebirth, in a sense, if you will.
You may know me from my days at SNY putting The Knicks Blog on the national map. Some of you may have landed on this page from Twitter, which I’ve been a mainstay since 2009 - minus the retirement a few months back. The hiatus was a much-needed break, which both recharged the batteries and got me focused on the next chapter of my career in sports content. Some of you may be continuing on this journey with me via Patreon, and for that I am equally grateful.
A few months back I retired from the bird app to promote my Modern Skill Rating concept, which consists of an algorithm and an application that is currently in development. I held meetings and got incredible feedback. But, without a doubt, the best validation that I received came in the form of the NBA Finals held between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. I knew the idea made sense and the numbers would reflect it. I also had a pretty good feeling that the formula, which supports my decade experience of covering and scouting the best sports league in the world would result in some really interesting content. This content will continue to present itself throughout the season and I’m happy to share it here with you.
Take Derrick Rose, for example.
Rose was toiling in the bowels of the Motor City on a team clearly committed to youth, but the idea of dealing assets for him came with a lot of question marks. Was he done after countless knee issues, or did he just need a jump start with a coach who he shared his greatest successes with? And at what cost?
MSR determined that at the right cost, Rose could be an asset to the resurging New York Knicks, but the results blew away any prediction. Rose would rejuvenate his career in Gotham City with a very minimal cost - Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick (via Charlotte) who would become Michigan’s Isaiah Livers. How badly did the #Knicks dominate the Rose trade? Forget the fact that the minute Rose slipped on the Knicks jersey it seemed to transport him back in time nearly a decade helping lead the team to the 4th seed in the playoffs. Also, I haven't heard 1 fan on Twitter complain about Livers, who the Pistons selected with the 2nd round pick, during Summer League. Speaks to the state of the front office amongst the team's fandom for sure.
Want further evidence of the importance of MSR? Look no further than the climb of the Milwaukee Bucks from small market door mat to NBA Champions. Yes, they hit a grand slam on drafting Giannis 15th overall in 2013. But their roster configuration has been nothing short of genius. Since I began tracking MSR in 2015, the three teams whose MSR’s have skyrocketed up the ranks the most have been the Bucks, the Phoenix Suns - who the Bucks defeated in an epic 7 game masterpiece this past June - and the Atlanta Hawks. In 2019-20, the Bucks lead the league in Team MSR (115.40) thanks to some key rotational pieces having ultra productive seasons, namely Donte D’Vincenzo. Those of you who know me know I’m a big believer in player/coach resumes about specialty players. I absolutely loved Buzz Williams players, especially at Marquette. Gregg Marshall was onto something at Wichita State with Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker etc.
In that same mold, Jay Wright has been building the Modern offense for several years now and his players are plug and play NBA ready. DiVincenzo was a standout college player and seamlessly fit into what the Bucks wanted to do after returning from his foot injury. At Villanova he had a TS% of .591 with a .541 3PTAr in his final campaign. He finished his career 130-344 (38%) from three and a DWs of 1.8. He fit seamlessly into Villanova’s modern offense culminating in the NCAA’s Most Outstanding player in 2018 leading Villanova to its second National Championship in 3 years. Despite playing just 23 MPG off the bench, DiVincenzo recorded a very strong MSR (9.094, 75th in NBA) in 2019-20. To compare, D’Angelo Russell had a (9.095 MSR) in 32.3 minutes. D’Vincenzo is under contract for 2 more years at roughly $7.6M total. Russell is owed $61M over the same time frame. For a more apples-to-apples comparison, Jordan Clarkson has an 8.64 MSR and is coming off a season where he is owed $13.4M after signing for 4 years $50M.
Which brings us to the Hawks. No team increased their MSR higher than Atlanta heading into the 2020-21 campaign than Atlanta, who made sure to surround their motor Trae Young with as many modern pieces as they could gather.
The Hawks surged to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference dismissing the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs in 5 games and overcame the 76ers in a spirited 7-game battle before losing to the eventual champion Bucks in 6 games. Travis Schlenk and staff were able to surround Trey Young with a cast of tough, skilled competitors via Free Agency and trades that perfectly complimented his skill set (22nd in NBA in MSR in 2019-20 8th in 2020-21). The Hawks are certainly a team that continues to be on the rise.
Want an idea of what the best of the best look like? We’ve included the “Gold Standards” at each position as litmus tests. These players vault to the top of the list thanks to their versatility and obvious “it” factor.
The Gold Standard Center: The Joker
Modern Era or not, the game has not seen a player of Jokic’s ability. The reigning MVP displays an array of versatility that starts with incredible feel passing and shooting the basketball. If you want to be considered one of the game’s truly skilled bigs, this is what you’re aspiring towards.
The Gold Standard Forward: Giannis
Giannis has developed from “wouldn’t it be scary if…” to “NBA Champion as a near-finished product”. The Modern franchise centerpiece combines lock down defense that can guard every position to an unstoppable transition beast who can get you a bucket (and some FTs) in a half-court-dominated playoff game. MVP or not, he’s the game’s most versatile player that will carry the Modern NBA into the Post Lebron Era and beyond.
The Gold Standard Guard: Luka
While there are holes defensively, few players this young in Doncic’s career have been so dominant offensively. He’s the game’s BMW - the ultimate driving machine who has court vision like few we’ve seen over the past few decades. Did we mention he’s an absolute dawg as well? Luka is the Gold Standard for the Modern Guard moving forward and he’s an absolute pleasure to watch.
As you can see, MSR is a great measure of versatility. When building a roster or looking to add talent to a team, it is a formula that tells a unique story.
I look forward to telling more of these stories as the seasons continue and I appreciate you joining me for the ride!