Hoops Tonight - SGA vs. Luka debate, why Warriors are struggling, Victor Wembanyama vs. Nikola Jokic | NBA Mailbag

Good hoops tonight and a quick mailbag for a heavy Tuesday. Holiday week means no shows Wednesday or Thursday, so drop future mailbag questions in the YouTube comments and let’s talk some basketball.

Question: Why compare Shay winning with an elite OKC roster to Luka on a thinner Lakers team, and say Luka should look in the mirror if he doesn’t win?

Answer: I rank players in a vacuum, not by team trophies, and I had Luka slightly ahead based on his 2024 level and playmaking, but this season flipped it. Luka’s efficiency and turnovers slipped while Shay’s jumped, so the gap now favors Shay regardless of team context.

Question: Are you ignoring true shooting by leaning on field goal percentage?

Answer: True shooting is great for big-picture efficiency, but it can hide shot quality and volatility from whistle reliance. The Lakers’ high true shooting is fueled by free throws, and Luka leans on the line more than Shay, while Shay simply makes more twos and threes and turns it over less, which cuts opponent transition; I like the framing that Luka fails more.

I’m rooting for Luka and the Lakers to win, not for stat-chasing, and these are nitpicky calls among the very best guys.

Question: Wemby said Jokic is the best on offense but not defense, and that the best overall is himself, Giannis, or SGA; how should we value two-way impact versus a one-way offensive great like Jokic?

Answer: Elite offense is harder to manufacture than elite defense, so an offensive engine who bends defenses is usually more valuable than a defensive anchor who can’t create advantages. Give me Jokic with solid defenders over Wemby with average offense, and we’ve seen teams build strong defenses around great offensive stars, like the Nuggets in 2023 and the Mavs until Boston’s five-shooter matchup exposed them.

Question: Who’s most responsible for the Warriors’ slide since 2022—the players, coach, or front office?

Answer: It starts with ownership and the front office for not moving Jonathan Kuminga when his value was high, missing chances for players like Siakam or Anunoby and later even Malik Monk, which left them without another creator when Steph sits; add veteran slippage, a drop from Draymond defensively, and a rough early schedule, and it snowballed.

Question: Would the Lakers be worse if they traded Austin Reaves for Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard?

Answer: Reed’s shooting is real, including off the dribble, and I was wrong on him early, but the defensive gap is massive—he’s small and gets targeted—so right now he profiles more as a sixth man; he’s not ready to be Luka’s number two on this timeline.

Question: How are Giannis and Wemby on your top ten with missed time, and where are Brunson, Jamal Murray, and Austin Reaves?

Answer: That list was about who’s had the best seasons so far, not my global rankings, and the sample is small. You could make cases for Brunson, Maxey, Sengun, Donovan, Murray, and others—the league’s insanely deep—so we’ll revisit with a full season and playoffs when the cuts get even tougher.

That’s it for today—appreciate you all. Enjoy the holidays with friends and family, and I’ll be back Friday with Christmas Day reactions.