Record: 12-2
Off. Rating: 107.8 (5) | Def. Rating: 94.0 (1) | Net Rating: +13.8 (1)
Five takeaways from November
What a difference one summer can make.
After a massive roster overhaul that saw the additions of Gordon Hayward, Derrick Rose, Josh Jackson and others, everybody expected the Chicago Sharks to improve upon a somewhat positive, but still mediocre inaugural campaign from last season. However, I think we can safely assume that nobody - not even the Sharks front office - could have imagined they would be this good.
Riding on adrenaline, the Sharks came out firing on all cylinders to begin the 2017-18 season, winning their first 5 games before dropping their first game away at the Golden State against the defending champions. They would then go on to win 7 of the 8 remaining games of November and closed out the month on a 4 game winning streak and a 12-2 record, which ties the Warriors for the second-best record in the league (behind Cleveland).
So how have they done it so far? Here are our five takeaways from the month of November for the Chicago Sharks.
1. Gordon Hayward has been really, really good
The NBA’s Most Improved Player and first time All-Star last season, Gordon Hayward turned down a contract offer to remain with the Utah Jazz in the summer, opting instead to join a new project in Chicago with the 33-49 Sharks, and has not looked back since. In the first 14 games of his Sharks career thus far, Hayward has averaged a career high 23.3 points per game on a career high 50% shooting from the field and 34.5% from deep, while playing just 31.7 minutes per game compared to last season’s 35.0. Hayward’s consistency and efficient scoring is a massive reason as to how the offensively challenged Sharks have morphed into the 5th best offensive team in the league.
2. Ron Adams has taken the defense to another level
Anchored by Boban Marjanovic in the middle, the Chicago Sharks already had a very solid defense last season, and in fact it was because of their defense that they were able to conjure up a very respectable 33 wins in the franchise’s inaugural season. However, they have elevated that defense to a whole new level, taking it from very solid to tops in the league, and it’s down to two main additions in the offseason - drafting rookie Josh Jackson, and hiring Ron Adams to be assistant head coach under David Blatt.
The former lead assistant to Steve Kerr in Golden State and previously, Tom Thibodeau with the Chicago Bulls, Ron Adams is known around the league as a defensive guru and the Sharks area already reaping the rewards of having him on Blatt’s staff. Chicago was always good at generating turnovers, and Adams has made a point to shape the defensive scheme around those strengths, upping the team’s steals per game from 9.3 to a league leading 10.6 per, resulting in that ridiculous figure of 15.5 points off turnover per game, and just 81.7 field goal attempts allowed (42.4% oFG%, 4th best), which again leads the league.
3. Josh Jackson has been balling
Of course, these types of numbers cannot be done without a special defensive talent being on the floor, and that man happens to be rookie Josh Jackson, who the Sharks picked second overall in the draft. Tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player every night, the rookie has not shied away from the challenge, allowing just 5.8 points per game on a team-best 31.3% oFG%, and is also third on the team in steals (1.4). Defense might not win rookie of the year awards, but it wins championships and Jackson looks to be all in on that side of the floor.
His defense isn’t the only positive trait that he brings to the team either. Seen before the draft as being instable and somewhat of an enigma with an erratic jumper on the offensive end of the floor, Jackson has so far shattered those perceptions by accepting his role as the 4th option on the floor. He has shown fantastic patience and exhibited great shot selections, making his mark only in transition and on wide open looks, letting others create the chances for him in the half court. As a result, Jackson is shooting 61.2% from the field and 42.9% from deep, an improvement on his college rate of 54.9% and 37.8%, respectively. While those numbers will die down and he’ll eventually hit that rookie wall, as all rookies do, these mental attributes are a positive sign moving forward.
4. Derrick Rose is back…kind of
Many people had raised eyebrows when news broke of the Sharks giving Derrick Rose a $69.94 million for three years in the summer, but looking back on it now, they might have gotten a steal. Looking as healthy and explosive as he has ever been, Rose has produced his best averages since the 2011-12 season, is considerably more efficient than he was during his lone season in New York last year; and is even comfortable enough to throw down dunks on the break and in traffic so far this season, which is something that he almost actively avoided doing after his various knee injuries the past few seasons.
He may not be the MVP Rose anymore, and he may not ever return to those heights, but if he could stay healthy – and he did last season - and continue producing at this clip as the floor general and complement scorer to Gordon Hayward, the Sharks might just be able to not only get to the playoffs but make some noise when they get there.
5. They can make threes now
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Sharks last season was that there was no true deep threat on the team, with Patty Mills being one of only three players to shoot over 35% from three. In fact, the team was last in the league in three point shooting, taking and making the least at a woeful clip of just 31.3%.
This season saw the addition of actual shooters in the form of Gordon Hayward and career sharpshooter Kyle Korver, who has transformed the team’s offense completely. With the space opened up from their willingness to shoot the long ball, driving lanes are opened up for players like Derrick Rose, which in turn opens up shots for everybody else on the floor. As a result, Chicago is shooting the long ball at a rate of 34.4% from deep as a whole, good enough for 17th in the NBA and an increase of 3.1% from last season.
Most Impressive Performance: 110-80 victory over the Houston Rockets
If you ask most Sharks fans, they’ll probably point to the 40 point drubbing of cross-town rival Bulls just 2 days after the Rockets game, but objectively speaking, winning by 30 points over a Houston Rockets team that won 51 games last season is no small feat. Chicago clamped down on defense on a very good Rockets offense, and held them to just 36% shooting (33/90) from the field and 20% from deep (6/29). Eric Gordon in particular had a rough night, going 3 for 13 from the floor for just 9 points.
A Game To Forget: 100-105 defeat to LA Clippers
There wasn’t a whole lot of defeats to choose from, but losing to Golden State was almost unavoidable and totally understandable. Giving up 34 points in the fourth quarter and losing to a Deron Williams-led Clippers team is not. Williams may have had a resurgence last season after winning sixth man of the year with the Sonics, but it doesn’t excuse the defensive minded Sharks from letting the Clippers look like Chris Paul never left.