NBA news: Nuggets place in history, NBA Draft prospects to know

Today on The Whiteboard, we’re running through the latest NBA news, including new coaching hires, NBA Draft prospects to know and the Nuggets’ place in history.

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of their first NBA title, with three more chances to get their series-clinching win. But while they are firmly in the driver’s seat but some are already rushing to pencil in an asterisk next to their name in the record books.

It’s true that, by some measures, the Nuggets have had a relatively easy path through the Western Conference. If they do beat the Heat, the four teams they’ll have bested were ranked No. 9 (Suns), No. 16 (Lakers), No. 18 (Timberwolves), and No. 21 (Heat) in regular-season net rating. That data point alone doesn’t quite capture the difficulty of beating the Suns with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, the rebuilt Lakers or this version of the Heat.

Still, all the Nuggets can do is beat the teams in front of them. And they won’t just have beaten the teams in front of them, they’ll have thrashed them at a historically impressive level.

Where would a Nuggets title rank in terms of historic dominance?

The signature of this Nuggets’ playoff run is their offense and, through the first four games of the NBA Finals, they’ve been scoring at a rate of 120.7 points per 100 possessions in the postseason. That would make them the most efficient postseason offense of the 3-point era, of teams that played at least 12 games.

Their average margin of victory across this postseason — plus-8.47 — is the 15th-best of the 3-point era among teams that played at least 12 games. It’s a better mark than four of Michael Jordan’s title-winning Bulls teams managed. Only eight of the marks better than theirs have come in the past 20 years.

Finally, the Nuggets have already piled up nine double-digit wins this postseason. A 10th would tie them with nine other teams in the 3-point era. Only seven teams in that era have managed 11. Just four teams have managed 12.

No championship deserves an asterisk but if we’re going to put one on the Nuggets. Let’s leave it there as a reminder that they were perhaps the best postseason offense in NBA history and that they didn’t just sneak through a weakened field, they made the most of their opportunities and bulldozed their way to a title.

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Better know an NBA Draft prospect:

We’re less than two weeks away from the NBA Draft and as the top few picks begin to come together, it’s worth shifting some focus to prospects who could be selected later in the lottery or first-round. Over the next few days, we’ll share some brief capsules on several of these prospects. But don’t forget to check out Chris Kline’s excellent scouting reports for more details.

Taylor Hendricks

• Height: 6-foot-9
• Weight: 210 pounds
• Position: Power Forward/Small Forward
• Offensive Role: Spacer, play finisher
• Defensive Role: Switchable wing/big
• Projected Draft Range: 5-14
• Team with rumored interest: Pacers, Pistons, Mavericks, Thunder, Jazz
• Scouting report summary: “The quintessential 3-and-D player of the 2023 draft, Hendricks has obvious plug-and-play potential. He was central to everything the Knights did on both ends, guarding all areas of the floor and averaging 15.1 points per game on strong efficiency.Don’t be surprised if Hendricks’ name continues to trend upward in the weeks to come. He might not have the sky-high offensive ceiling of his lottery counterparts, but it’s hard to win in the NBA without an elite defense. Hendricks has the potential to reshape and elevate his team’s entire scheme.” — READ MORE

Bilal Coulibaly

• Height: 6-foot-6
• Weight: 230 pounds
• Position: Small Forward
• Offensive Role: Slasher/Off-ball finisher
• Defensive Role: Versatile P.O.A. defender, roamer
• Projected Draft Range: 10-30
• Team with rumored interest: Jazz, Raptors, Thunder
• Scouting report summary: “Coulibaly isn’t the most polished offensive player on the board, but his top-shelf athleticism and flashes of touch around the rim suggest long-term upside. On the defensive end, he profiles as maybe the top wing stopper in the draft. NBA teams will be infatuated with his physical tools and growth potential.” — READ MORE

NBA news and content from around the FanSided network

• The biggest reaction to the Raptors’ new head coaching hire is surprise.
• 3-point shooting, interior scoring and an answer for Nikola Jokic — that’s all the Heat need to get back into the NBA Finals.
• These NBA Finals could be selling several fringe contenders on the value of continuity.

NBA coaching updates

• Toronto Raptors: The Raptors finally settled on a new head coach, hiring former Grizzlies’ assistant Darko Rajakovic to succeed Nick Nurse. He had previously worked as an assistant with the Thunder and Suns.
• Boston Celtics: The Celtics have hired Charles Lee as the lead assistant to work under Joe Mazzulla. Lee was a finalist for the head coaching positions in Detroit and Toronto. He has worked under Mike Budenholzer for the last nine years and will join Sam Cassell on a revamped assistant coaching team with Mazzulla.
• Philadelphia 76ers: Kings legend Bobby Jackson is taking a role as an assistant with the 76ers under Nick Nurse. Jackson played six seasons with the Kings during his 12-year career and spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Chris Paul rumors:

Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Chris Paul are three of the biggest names who could be changing teams this offseason and they’re especially interesting because it, increasingly, sounds like their fates may be linked.

• James Harden is, reportedly, still split between re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers or heading home to the Houston Rockets.
• According to Marc Stein, the Rockets may pivot and pursue Irving if they miss out on James Harden.
• Late last week, rumors emerged about a possible James Harden-for-Chris Paul sign-and-trade, sending Paul to the 76ers and Harden to the Suns.
• The Suns, also, per Jake Fischer, aren’t completely out of the hunt for Kyrie Irving and there are scenarios where moving Chris Paul could end up with Kyrie coming to Phoenix.
• The Lakers have said they aren’t interested in Kyrie Irving but if Chris Paul becomes is waived and willing to be accommodating on salary they could be very interested.

So, that’s the fates of five teams — the Lakers, Suns, Rockets, 76ers, Mavericks — and potentially the power structure in both conferences wrapped up in the futures and decisions of these three players.