ESPN analyst ranks Blazers backcourt ahead of Splash Brothers

November can’t get here soon enough.

There’s no more player movement in terms of free agency. No more speculation , and not even rumors to occupy time between now and the tip off of the 2019-20 NBA Season. All that’s left is sports personalities being loud and wrong simultaneously.

The latest example? ESPN’s Jalen and Jacoby released the top five backcourts in the West, and guest host Ryan Hollins came through in the clutch with some particularly hot takes.

Both Jalen and Jacoby and Hollins have the Rockets’ James Harden and Russell Westbrook as number one. Granted, this duo won two of the last three MVPs. They also won four of the last five scoring titles. I get it. However, despite how formidable they look on paper, it still doesn’t negate the fact that these are two ball dominant guards and there will be times where they will struggle in the process of adapting to each other’s games.

While Jalen and Jacoby listed Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at two, Hollins listed Portland’s Damian Lillard and CJ Mccollum at two, and Curry and Thompson at three. Hollins tried to justify his reasoning by using Thompson’s injury.

What Hollins fail to mention or even acknowledge is not much, if anything at all, will change for Thompson offensively. Why? because his game isn’t predicated on athleticism. Thompson driving to the basket or even putting the ball on the floor is rare. He will still shoot the lights out off the catch. Defensively, is where matters may get complicated, and he may struggle with lateral movement.

But that still doesn’t excuse Hollins’ pick. Last time that I checked, the Warriors swept the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals and the recent playoff record is obscenely lopsided in favor of the Splash Brothers — this is not up for debate.

All this notion is up for is some damn good bulletin board material for Curry, Thompson, and the rest of the ‘Dubs, and probably some premium clicks and aggregation.