The Chicago Bulls have a logjam of point guards heading into training camp but retaining Ryan Arcidiacono could prove its value in the short and long run.
Heading into the offseason, there’s continuing and progressing buzz around the Bulls search for a starting point guard. However, one of last season’s most important players is up for a new contract and Chicago would be wise to keep him in town. Former Villanova Wildcats standout and current Chicago Bulls point guard Ryan Arcidiacono was a key component of the Bulls’ 2018-2019 roster and they’d be wise to retain him heading into next season.
Nothing about Arcidiacono’s game is flashy. During his second season of NBA basketball, he averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds, playing about 24 minutes per game, but shot an effective 44.7 percent from the field and 87.3 percent from the line. As the season wore on, Arcidiacono even started becoming a threat from three, shooting 37.3 percent from deep last season, but only on an average of 2.7 attempts per contest.
Read the full story at Fansided.
De’Anthony Melton Has Been An Unexpected, But Key, Find For The Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are ahead of schedule from where they are supposed to be. Per FiveThirtyEight, they have a 13% chance of making the playoffs. That’s 10th in the Western Conference, so they aren’t exactly favorites to make the playoffs. But about halfway through the season, Memphis currently has better odds than the eternally in playoffs Spurs or the Karl-Anthony Towns-led Timberwolves. That’s simply a better place than the Grizzlies could have hoped to be in.
There are two main reasons for that. First and foremost: Ja Morant is incredible. He is the clear Rookie of the Year favorite, assuming Zion Williamson doesn’t go full Thanos on the rest of the NBA when he returns. Jaren Jackson Jr. is also very good and an entirely unique player in year two. Taylor Jenkins also deserves credit and Brandon Clarke looks like a keeper too.
Read the full story at Forbes.com.
De’Anthony Melton is building momentum
Compared to other additions the Memphis Grizzlies made this summer, De’Anthony Melton was best described as a lottery ticket to take a chance on. Acquired from the Suns in exchange for Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter, Melton was viewed as an intriguing prospect more than a player that would make an instant impact. In fact, it was the impressive play of the other player that the Grizzlies acquired with Melton, Josh Jackson, that created significant buzz for some at the beginning of the season.
For the first quarter of the season, Melton was buried on the bench as Taylor Jenkins and his coaching staff were figuring out how to best utilize their roster. He played in just seven of the Grizzlies first 18 games, and only played double-digit minutes twice. However, as injuries began to limit roster options, Jenkins had little choice but to feature Melton in a bigger role. Now that he had his chance, Melton hit the floor running with every intention to take advantage of his opportunity.
Read the full story at GrizzlyBearBlues.com.
Chicago Bulls: Ryan Arcidiacono advanced stats prove value
The Chicago Bulls have a logjam of point guards heading into training camp but retaining Ryan Arcidiacono could prove its value in the short and long run.
Heading into the offseason, there’s continuing and progressing buzz around the Bulls search for a starting point guard. However, one of last season’s most important players is up for a new contract and Chicago would be wise to keep him in town. Former Villanova Wildcats standout and current Chicago Bulls point guard Ryan Arcidiacono was a key component of the Bulls’ 2018-2019 roster and they’d be wise to retain him heading into next season.
Nothing about Arcidiacono’s game is flashy. During his second season of NBA basketball, he averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds, playing about 24 minutes per game, but shot an effective 44.7 percent from the field and 87.3 percent from the line. As the season wore on, Arcidiacono even started becoming a threat from three, shooting 37.3 percent from deep last season, but only on an average of 2.7 attempts per contest.
Read the full story at Fansided.
Ryan Arcidiacono Hustled His Way to His New Deal
“They know I will be available to practice every day like I have been the last two years and that I am going to work and push the people around me to get better and be the best team we can be.”
uring the journey of an NBA season, there are memorable moments, instances and episodes which not only thrill and excite, but also symbolize and define a team or a person. Once such with the Bulls was late last season during the flicker of hope month after the trade for Otto Porter Jr. that the Bulls are hoping to extend much longer this season.
That 8-7 stretch of games with now the free agency additions of veterans Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky gives the Bulls some promise of better times. The denouement of that sequence came with a victory over the talented Philadelphia 76ers in the last game before injuries and ennui sent the Bulls careening to a 3-13 finish. Though before that trap door opened on the rest of the season, there was a wonderfully enlightening moment that separated talent and tenacity and should provide hope, if not motivation, to many who don’t possess all the talent. Don’t give up on your dreams just because everyone says you should.
Read the full story at NBA.com.