What Jayson Tatum has added to his game

Welcome to issue #4 of A Farewell to Takes. Now that the season has started, there is a lot going on around the NBA. Each week we will look to highlight a few players and teams that are worth discussing. This week we have some thoughts on:

• The 76ers slow start

• What Jayson Tatum has added to his game

• An unsung hero for the Pelicans

Also included in this issue:

• Our Wine of the Week (made by some friends you'll be familiar with)

• Tommy's Best Thing I Ate This Week 

• An installment of Gallagher TV+

Please share and tell your friends to subscribe. Thanks, as always!

—JJ

The Stat of the Week is 34

The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a surprising 0-3 start. You can’t necessarily fault them for losing opening night at Boston when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown exploded for 35 points each (on highly efficient shooting). The 76ers followed up that loss with a loss at home to the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks. Then, on Saturday night, the 76ers lost at home to the Spurs — a team that is expected to finish near the bottom of the league in a quest to get to the #1 pick and secure the right to draft Victor Wembanyama. There are many factors you can point to for why Philadelphia is off to such a slow start. For one, they have not shot the ball well (31.5% on 3s) and their opponents have made 13 more threes than them through 3 games. Prior to the Spurs game, Joel Embiid hadn’t been at his best and there are reports that plantar fasciitis has slowed his ability to get round into peak form. However, what has stood out the most is the lack of bench scoring. So far this season, Philadelphia has 34 bench points, tied for the fewest by any team through its first 3 games of a season since starters were first tracked in 1970-71. I fully believe the 76ers will figure things out and be right in the thick of Eastern Conference contention, but first they must improve their bench production. —JJ

Something to Watch: Jayson Tatum’s float game

Let’s acknowledge that Jayson Tatum made a big leap last year. He was phenomenal on defense (he actually led the Celtics in Defensive Win Shares in both the regular season and playoffs), earned a 1st Team All-NBA spot, and was the best player on a team that was two wins away from an NBA championship. However, at times during the playoffs, Tatum struggled with decision making and turnovers. One of the things I highlighted a few times on OM3 and on ESPN was when Tatum would get in the paint and leave his feet to pass or try and draw a foul. Oftentimes this would lead to a difficult shot or a turnover. Although it’s early in the season, we have already seen Tatum use his floater in this position a few times — including this gorgeous move and floater against Miami:

Tatum has the size and touch to use his floater whenever he wants. I’d love to see more of it. —JJ

One Bold Prediction: The Pelicans fate will rise and fall with Jonas Valanciunas

As we discussed in Thursday's episode, you all know how high both JJ and I are on the Pelicans this year. Zion is back and looks awesome; BI has the potential to be a top 5 scorer in the league; Herb Jones and Alvarado are so fun to watch; they have one of the league's best coaches; and somehow CJ is still kind of underrated at this point. There are a lot of different ways they can win this year, but through two games, the Pels dominance in the paint seems like the early story. In the first half of their opener against the Nets, they rebounded 45 percent of their misses, just overwhelming an opponent that could not physically keep up. Valanciunas's presence allows Zion to focus on getting to his spots offensively and clears space for Ingram to do his thing. On Friday night, Jonas Valanciunas scored 30 points at 73% clip, but it was his 17 rebounds that really showed the impact he's going to have for the Pels this year. —Tommy

Best Thing I Ate This Week: Bison Au Poivre from Le Rock

I promise this segment will not be exclusive to New York food spots but — with the exception of 24 hours in Cleveland — that's all I've been to this week. Le Rock, a 3-month-old restaurant nestled between 30 Rock and Radio City Music Hall, is probably the most exciting thing to happen to midtown Manhattan in years. Everything on the menu is good ( the chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson opened Frenchette in Tribeca before this), but Le Rock operates on another level. The bison filet, with a side of au poivre sauce, is about as tender a piece of meat as you're going to get in the city. I would not point you in the direction of Midtown if this wasn't as special as it is. —Tommy

Le Rock | Instagram | 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111

This Week on Gallagher TV+: BANGS

In this installment of Gallagher TV+, Jason replaced all the Halloween trailer jump scares with Mike Breen's iconic "BANGS." Enjoy!

Last week, Donovan Mitchell joined the show for Episode 130. We talk about the night the NBA shut down, wanting to run it back with Rudy and the Jazz, the failed trade to the Knicks, and more.

YouTube | Wondery+ | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | wherever you get your podcasts

Wine of the Week: 2021 Chosen Family Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

After three weeks of Old World wine recommendations, I finally have a rec from right here in the US. Chosen Family is a wine brand that was started a couple years amongst friends (also, these guys are all MY friends). The brand was formed by Channing Frye, Jacob Gray, Chase Renton, and Kevin Love. Chosen Family works with a collective of amazing wine makers to deliver a world class product. The 2021 Chosen Family Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is available now. This is an easy drinking red that also has a lot of character and nuance. While the wine has a low ABV (13.4%) and is fruit forward, there are notes of spice and forest floor (one of my favorite wine descriptions). As Willamette Valley Pinots continue to gain popularity, the prices have also risen. This particular WV Pinot is a fantastic value at just $39. Order a few! —JJ

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