Beating the Dead Horse
For those who have been following my writings over the past six weeks, another analysis about short basketball players would come as no surprise. The analysis isn’t going to get too deep this week. The reality is I had a hard time this week getting ANY analysis done. It turns out my full-time job doesn’t pay me to work on my side project (greedy corporate capitalists haha), and I actually enjoy being at home when I am there (another shocking development).
I spent some time this week picking up Python, which I am hoping will help me as I gather and analyze additional data in the coming weeks and months. A lot of the analyses I would like to do are on hold for the time being.
The Hope of Spring
With some warm weather arriving here in Utah, two of my favorite things are beginning to take shape: the NBA playoffs and the NBA draft. Playoffs aside, the basketball offseason is a time of year that most basketball fans seem to have little interest in. For me, it is one of the most exciting times of the year.
Regardless of the level of competition, the offseason is where the most significant progress is often made. It gives players an opportunity to recover from injury and dedicate significant time to developing their game. For teams, it offers a chance to evaluate and improve rosters. For me as a fan, I have the chance to see players in the early stages of their career.
It is so interesting to me to see the entire arc of a player’s career. It is incredibly difficult (in the majority of cases) to know which players can develop from NBA novices into “Hall of Fame” stars. I love watching summer league and seeing star players in the infancy of their careers.
2024 NBA Draft
This year hosts an all new class of players who are hoping to ink their names into NBA history. The current class of players is considered by many to have no obvious “stars” that you can build a team around. That fact, for me, makes it all the more interesting. How do you evaluate potential? It is a question that has plagued talent scouts in different fields of expertise for generations.
Every year in the NBA there are 60 draft picks. The past three years (including this year) will only feature 58 picks. You can thank the 76ers and Phoenix Suns for that. Those teams were penalized for breaking free agency tampering rules (fun fact of the day). There are probably thousands of mock drafts in existence with different people guessing what players will get picked at what spots in the draft. Most of the mock drafts generally contain the same names. One such list of names can be seen here:
An Ode to the Average (Height) Joe
If you paid attention to the list of players likely to be chosen in the upcoming NBA draft, they are quite tall (surprise surprise). This list of 58 players stands at an average of 6’ 7” tall. So, in tribute to those few players on the list that are short when compared to the standard of their peers, I have included some highlight videos. These videos feature the 5 highest projected draft picks that are a little closer to the ground (In this case they are all 6’ 3” tall). Enjoy!
#1- Rob Dillingham
#2- Reed Sheppard
#3- Jared McCain
#4- Devin Carter
#5- Tyler Kolek
Training Update
This past week was really great for my recovery. My shoulder health seems to be improving significantly. I am experiencing much less pain in my AC joint, and have felt little to no pain in my shins all week. I checked in at 168.8 lbs. this morning which is also a good sign. I am going to remain cautious with both my shoulders and my shins. Even though I don’t feel my shin splints actively, I did a “sanity check” this morning and I can tell that the bone is still tender.
This week was a “de-load” week for me. My previous training cycle was coming to a close and my volume on many of the movements was lower. For example, on Wednesday, April 10 I did 5x7 squat jumps working up to 40 lb. dumbbells. This past week was 3x7 squat jumps working up to 40 lb. dumbbells. The previous week was 4x14 barbell back squat. This week was 2x15 barbell back squat. You get the picture. The idea is to have a week of lower intensity to give muscles and tendons a chance to recover and adapt before starting a new cycle.
You can see some of my lifts below:
When my jump day rolled around on Saturday, I felt like it was going to be my week to get my head into the net on a height check jump. I am still not quite there. I felt like my head was inside the net, but alas the video does not lie, my head is still just below the net. I may have to grow my hair out and style it into a mohawk. Somehow, some way, I am going to get my head up into that net!
Happy jumping! I would love to hear from everyone! Please share with family and friends!