What would Emmanuel Mudiay look like as a Knick? The world will probably never know
You wouldn't think a game between the two worst teams in the CSL would draw ratings, even if they're historically marquee franchises like the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet, there will be plenty of eyes glued to screens and Madison Square Garden when the 12-57 Knicks play host to the 11-58 Lakers. Orange and blue vs purple and gold. Yet, it's not about the clash of colors that is getting so much attention to two teams who are guaranteed to have a two game win streak after tomorrow night's contest. It's matchups at PG and PF that will have the whole league watching.
Two still young point guards trying to revive careers that began with so much promise before fizzling in disappointment. Two PFs who fell slightly below draft expectations in becoming the last pick in the first round and an early second round pick, whose games appear strikingly similar to observers.
All four projected key pieces in their franchises' long rebuild.
It's a game the two GMs have penned for months - initially because of the PF battle, then acquired greater significance after in-season trades involving high-profile talents and draft picks brought the PGs to their respective teams.
Emmanuel Mudiay vs George DePaula. Cheick Diallo vs Ivan Rabb. An entertaining spectacle awaits, with #1 lottery seed positioning adding more stakes to the drama.
The Tale of the Tape - Emmanuel Mudiay
I've written recently about him, but since that performance, [/b]the Congolese native has recorded 3 double-doubles in 8 games (including a 14/14 game in a win over Indiana and another in a victory I'll get to in a bit) and hasn't scored less than 13 points since his first two games, when lineup issues arose[/b]. His last 4 games:
In that four game stretch, he's shot 57.8% from the field and 50% from 3 point range.50 points, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover - 1 point L to Brooklyn
13 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers - blowout L to Golden State, but he held Cameron Payne to just 6 points
15 points, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers - respectable L to Miami, and held Damian Lilliard to a 6 of 17 night - 35.3% or 10% worse than his season average
18 points, 13 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover
His floor general numbers since coming to the Lakers? 7.6 assists, 2.3 turnovers, and a mesmerizing 3.3 A/TO ratio. And that's while averaging 18.6 points a game and raising his season Drive Stop Rate to 83.6% (0.5% increase since the Houston OT thriller) and maintaining his initial season drop to 0.95 PA/SF.
More significantly, the Lakers are 4-10 since he came to down, a single score in regulation away from 5-9. Even at 4-10, that's a respectable 40% win percentage, compared to the seasonal... well... you know.
Simply put, even with a cast of Diallo and bench players, some of whom would barely make a CSL roster starting (sorry, Troy Daniels and Abdel Nader, and maybe Joel Bolomboy too), and without Christian Wood and Austin Rivers, Mudiay is carrying this team on his back.
As the Houston Chronicle observed, "Mudiay's one of those guys who needs the ball in his hands to be successful, and he's doing that with the Lakers." Reported the Arizona Republic: "He's flourishing as an alpha dog where he struggled to be a supporting player in Utah".
And yet, that's not the whole story. Mudiay was the alpha in San Antonio to start the season, yet he was forced to play the 3, taking away the size advantage he enjoys at PG, and when he disappointed as a starter in Utah, he played SG. In other words, he's the inverse of Jrue Holiday. Too many teams have forced Holiday into a PG role based on scouting eye tests, yet the statistics reveal he does his best work at SG. Mudiay, in counterpoint, maximizes his ability at PG, despite scouts' perceptions he belongs at SG or even SF in some matchups.
George DePaula - the man with the massive hands
Tale of the Tape - George DePaula
At 6'6, 197, DePaula is one of the few PGs in the league able to best Mudiay in the length department. He also entered the CSL with great acclaim - ironically the Lakers' top priority in the draft that saw them crash in the lottery and take Walter Tavares. Many believed the-then 18 year old Brazilian would become the next superstar point guard - a franchise player in the making (Mudiay, on the other hand, was widely considered a solid starter, perhaps a borderline All-Star ceiling).
And then reality set in. He topped out at 15.8 points playing in Indiana (14.6 and 14.5 his other two seasons as a Pacer - also the three highest scoring totals of his career), then became a 13-14 point sidekick to Kyrie Irving upon his return to Cleveland. 13.2 points in his postseason appearances, shooting just 39% and 30% from 3 point range. He also struggled defensively until the Cavaliers coaching staff slimmed down to his ideal weight, but by that point, the verdict was clear - pretty good player who just couldn't put it all together to match his elite talent.
Thus, he arrived in the Big Apple, hoping to restore his luster. The Knicks' priority - make him the focal point of the offense as the Lakers would later do to Mudiay. And in his 27 starts in orange and blue, he's produced the following:
13.5 points, 5 assists, 2.4 turnovers, 2.1 A/TO ratio with just one double-double (33 points, 14 assists in the win over Charlotte last outing). Not even a full steal per game (0.8).
It's the same story that's haunted him his entire career - flashes of brilliance (2 games of 30+ points, 6 games of 20+ points) marred by stretches of passivity (11 games of single-digit scoring, or 40.7% of games where he's been virtually absent on the scoresheet).
His drive stop rate? Crashed back down to pre-weight loss 77.3%. PA/SF? 0.96 for the season (Pre-Knicks numbers not available). 1.7 TOFC is a team high, but that's saying little considering how absent New York is of any perimeter defense. It's not a problem of touches - His 63.9 is about league average, but his seasonal usage rate is just 18.9% (Mudiay is 24.5% in comparison).
Said one CSL official I talked to, "It's just frustrating. He has all this talent, and yet he plays so passively. He doesn't assert or involve himself like he should and I'm alarmed at his assist numbers in New York. I don't know - maybe the Knicks should be running an up-tempo scheme and try to force the ball even more into his hands."
Still, GDP has been on a comparative hot scoring streak of his own the last 4 games - 14, 16, 23, 33 points, with 5, 7, 8, and 14 assists. Maybe he's finally starting to figure it out.
The Knicks' record with him? 3-24, or one win less in 13 more games - a dismal win percentage of 11.1% - or even worse than the Lakers pre-Mudiay
Cheick Diallo has fashion sense as pretty as his rebounding ability
Lakers GM Jestor is known for his love of international players, so it's no surprise that his team's rebuild is starting with a Congolese native and a Malian citizen in Cheick Diallo (formerly a Greek player, too). Amusingly enough, Cheick Diallo was the last player on the team's list with their 2nd round pick, after all their top players went off the board. Diallo then blew up in training camp, earned the starting spot, and became a Lakers darling. Snubbed in Rookie of the Year voting, he nonetheless made the media's All-Rookie 2nd Team after being a Rookie Game reserve.
Expectations were high after a second straight solid training camp, but new head coach Erik Spolestra stuck him on the bench and it wasn't until late January that he finally found his way back to the starting lineup - where he's posted 10 double-doubles in 26 starts, In addition to being an excellent rebounder (17.3% rebounding rate), he's posted a 0.84 PA/SF ratio, showing surprisingly strong defense. And though his FT shooting is abysmal (not even 60% from the line so far), his ability to draw contact is a key part of his success.
Still, sources say he's furious over Spoelstra's mistreatment of him and is still smarting over the initial lack of enthusiasm when he was drafted. In fact, he's so upset he reportedly is mulling leaving the Lakers after next season - a loss that would be catastrophic for a front office that has grown to love him.
Ivan Rabb would like to remind you he's his own player - not a Diallo clone
All throughout the run-up to this past draft, the whispers were that Ivan Rabb was another Cheick Diallo. The California Golden Bear took exception to the comparisons and was further outraged when he needed to wait until the last pick in the first round before he was taken - narrowly avoiding Diallo's own fate.
And yet, their rebounding skills are completely indistinguishable as is their defense - though Rabb is admittedly a much better shotblocker and currently looks to take his own shot more. One key difference - the rookie has yet to learn how to draw fouls, let alone at the prodigal rate of his predecessor. Nor has he developed the more fluid shooting stroke of the Kansas alum - shooting just 42.4% from the floor, though some of it that is too many jumpers. Rabb's 0.93 PA/SF is also significantly worse.
"I still think they're going to end up really similar to each other in the end," a scout I talked to said. "Rabb might hate the comparison, but people made it for a reason. His production is even pretty close to Diallo's rookie year (10, 6.9, 0.9 steals to Rabb's 9.6, 6, 0.8 blocks). I can't wait to see them play each other."
Indeed, sources tell me that the Knicks and Lakers have agreed that despite Rabb presently operating as the 6th man combo big, Diallo and Rabb will square off against each other at PF in the upcoming contest.
Two long PGs - one who has shown signs of a renaissance in a new system in his partial season. The other still leaning on natural talent and trying to find his way. Two PFs who mirror each other - one angry at his organization, the other angry at not being considered his own separate, unique identity. Two teams at the bottom of the CSL - one trending up as the season draws to a close, the other in a prolonged funk.
It's compelling television and fascinating narrative. I know I'll be watching. I hope you will be, too.
