Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and rebounds to speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat and Sacramento and this was a resounding message from Thompson that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat and Sacramento and this was a resounding message from Thompson that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat and this was a resounding message from Thompson that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat and Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**... No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f***ing retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f***ing retiring."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f***ing retiring... This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**..."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me. Never that. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f***ing retiring... This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**..."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Following the Sacramento Kings' 107-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, veteran big man Tristan Thompson went off on a rant about player motivation.
"No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me. Never that. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f***ing retiring... This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
MUST LISTEN FROM TRISTAN THOMPSON "No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them...I don't need no f---g coach to inspire me. Never have, never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me is the day I'm f----g retiring." <a href="https://t.co/V5PIF60Me4">pic.twitter.com/V5PIF60Me4</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1461303472205217796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
ANALYSIS: It's not surprising to see the veteran who's made a career out of hustling on defense and grabbing rebounds speak loudly about how he doesn't need extra motivation.
The Kings are just 6-9, but Thompson maintains that the team is still giving their all every night despite their disappointing results.
Luke Walton is nearing the hot seat, but Thompson made it clear that it is not on the coach to motivate the team.

Tristan Thompson sounded off, saying "This is not no freaking 'Glory Road' sh**! ... I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me."

Tristan Thompson: 'I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me'

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/BrettSiegelNBA">Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;An

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: Brett Siegel/<a href="https://twitter.com/BrettSiegelNBA">Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
&nbsp;

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam if they hope

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam and hope for an early recovery from on Pascal Siakam if they hope

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam and hope for an early recovery from Anunoby if they hope to make a playoff run in a competive East.

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam and hope for an early recovery from Anunoby if they hope to make a playoff run in a competive Eastern Conference.

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam and hope for an early recovery from Anunoby if they hope to make a playoff run in a competive Eastern Conference.
&nbsp;

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.

OG Anunoby could be out 'a while' from hip pointer injury

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
&nbsp;

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current record-holder of the worst record in NBA history are the 7-57 2012 Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current record-holder of the worst record in NBA history are the 7-57 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current record-holder of the worst record in NBA history are the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7-57.&nbsp; Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current owner of the worst record in NBA history are the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7-57.&nbsp; Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current owner of the worst record in NBA history are the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7-57.
That eam was coached by present-day Rockets coach Stephen Silas' father, Paul Silas..&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current owner of the worst record in NBA history are the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7-57.
That eam was coached by present-day Rockets coach Stephen Silas' father, Paul Silas.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1461360452672245770">StatMuse</a>
ANALYSIS:
While it's no shock the Rockets are amongst the worst in the team, no one expected a historically bad team from this group.
Houston added top draft choice Jalen Green and expected continued development from Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.
The current owner of the worst record in NBA history are the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished 7-57.
That eam was coached by present-day Rockets coach Stephen Silas' father, Paul Silas--it will be disappointing to see history repeat itself.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The Houston Rockets have started the season off 1-14. That's a pace of just five wins for the entire season, which would be the worst record of all time.

1-14 Rockets on-pace for worst record ever

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive; and great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 13 games in, and while all stars go through slumps this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him out, it is still shocking to see a bonafide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive; and great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 13 games in, and while all stars go through slumps this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him out, it is still shocking to see a bonafide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 13 games in, and while all stars go through slumps this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him out, it is still shocking to see a bonafide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in; and while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him out, it is still shocking to see a bonafide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bonafide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in their prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in his prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 14.7 points per game, connecting on a career best 39% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just two of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in his prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 15.3 points per game, connecting on a career best 38% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just 2 of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.5 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
&nbsp;
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in his prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 15.3 points per game, connecting on a career best 38% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just 2 of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.8 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
There have been more than a handful of players who have put their stamp on the league already.
So in our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? 
Alex Kennedy: When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes at No. 4 overall, I was a big fan of the pick because of his long-term outlook. I loved that he landed in Toronto since they do a fantastic job of developing prospects and helping them realize their full potential. I was on the Barnes bandwagon, but I expected it to be a slow ride that picked up steam after a year or two. Instead, Barnes is already barreling down the tracks. In his second game, the kid had 25 points and 13 rebounds (on 64.7/50.0/100.0 shooting splits) in a win over the Boston Celtics! He&rsquo;s not &ldquo;raw&rdquo; or a &ldquo;project&rdquo; like I expected; he&rsquo;s an absolute beast who can already impact a game in so many ways, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a steal. Now, after watching the first month of Barnes&rsquo; NBA career, I&rsquo;m even more excited about what the future holds.
Nekias Duncan: I recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-is-taking-the-reins-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about his second-year bump</a>, but I had no idea Tyrese Maxey was ready for this type of usage. He's grown tremendously as a shooter and processor, and has looked like the long-term answer at guard during his most recent stretch of play.
Spencer Davies: Can we show Cole Anthony a little love? This is a guy whose team drafted a point guard in Jalen Suggs, traded for another backcourt player in R.J. Hampton midseason and is a part of a Magic squad with many at his position &mdash; and yet, he's been the star of the show. The former No. 15 overall pick from 2020 is balling out, and nobody's batting in eye because of where the team sits in the standings. He's been a supremely confident scorer this year from the mid-range and outside, and has involved his teammates to boot. He's averaging just under 20 points a night and knocking down 37.3% of his 7.9 (!) triple tries per contest. His usage rate has also increased by almost 5%, as head coach Jamahl Mosley continues to roll with him as Option A. Among players taking at least five pull-up attempts per contest, Anthony's 56.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage ranks second in the NBA.
Ethan Fuller: It's honestly Evan Mobley. I knew he had a high ceiling coming out of USC, but the No. 3 overall pick is already an impact defender and finisher who doesn't appear to be as bothered by NBA strength as I expected. He has demonstrated some excellent craft around the basket and serious promise with his touch in the mid-range and from beyond the arc. I thought Mobley was much more of a long-term play for Cleveland; he's easily in the lead for Rookie of the Year. Hopefully, he gets healthy and recovers from his elbow injury soon.
Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably have to go with Cole Anthony, who I know well. I watched him in person in high school, did a few stories on him and interviewed his father Greg. I got a lot of love for my fellow New Yorkers. Sure, the Magic are dead last out East, but I didn&rsquo;t think Cole Anthony would be averaging 20 points per game in the NBA in just his second season. I didn&rsquo;t see it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
shoutout <a href="https://twitter.com/The_ColeAnthony?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_ColeAnthony</a> 29 PTS | 11 AST | 58% FG | 4 3PM <a href="https://t.co/LBKgaUxoiJ">pic.twitter.com/LBKgaUxoiJ</a>
&mdash; Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1460595415858954244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Evan Sidery: Miles Bridges is my answer. The way he&rsquo;s reinvented himself into the Hornets&rsquo; primary scorer has been so impressive to watch. Now, Bridges is positioning himself to secure a massive payday from Charlotte or elsewhere as a top restricted free agent. Bridges becoming a more consistent perimeter threat changes his offensive ceiling entirely.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges becoming a real offensive threat has been surprising. I do think he's been building up towards production like this, but the jump he's made to start this season has been impressive &mdash; and it's great timing for him financially.
Alexander Cohen: It's surprising to see how much Damian Lillard has struggled, especially after coming out and saying that he will not be asking out (again?), showing some signs of a player motivated to carry his team as usual. Instead, he's still having the worst season of his career 14 games in. And while All-Stars go through slumps, this is certainly prolonged. While he's been battling an injury that is now holding him back, it is still shocking to see a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest shooters and scorers of all time struggle so mightily in his prime.
Drew Maresca: There are a few major surprises, including a 48-point outburst by Anthony Edwards; but for me, it has to be Ricky Rubio. Rubio is averaging a career high 15.3 points per game, connecting on a career best 38% of his three-point attempts. His previous best was 36%, and he&rsquo;s shot over 35% in just 2 of his 10 seasons. While his marksmanship is impressive, the fact that he&rsquo;s getting up as many shots as he is, is equally impressive. Rubio is hoisting 5.8 three-point attempts per game; last season, he attempted just 3.1. Who said you can&rsquo;t teach old dogs new tricks?
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant. We all knew Morant was special and would work his way to the top of the league. I don&rsquo;t think many expected Morant would do it this early in his career. Morant has been shredding defenses and imposing his will on opponents on a nightly basis.

Over the first month, which player has surprised you most and why? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which player has surprised you in the first month?

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source:&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: Monumental Sports&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend Sheppard

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, Sheppard has seemilgy&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemilgy&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemingly put a competent roster&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemingly put a competent roster around Bradley Beal while weaving through&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemingly put a competent roster around Bradley Beal while weaving through large contracts in&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemingly put a competent roster around Bradley Beal while weaving through the large deals of John Wall and Russell Westbrook.&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/mse/status/1460990150452953089?s=21">Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment</a>
It is unsurprising to see the Wizards extend and promote Sheppard after the great work he has done in a short period of time.
While unlikely the Wizards will contend for a championship soon, since taking over in late 2019, Sheppard has seemingly retooled to put a competent roster around Bradley Beal while weaving through the large deals of John Wall and Russell Westbrook.&nbsp;

The Wizards announced they have promoted Tommy Sheppard to President and GM after a 10-3 start to their season.

Wizards promote, extend Tommy Sheppard

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JAYSON TATUM WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET! <a href="https://t.co/p5XvU1fFm4">pic.twitter.com/p5XvU1fFm4</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1459722121547063296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
&nbsp;
Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JAYSON TATUM WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET! <a href="https://t.co/p5XvU1fFm4">pic.twitter.com/p5XvU1fFm4</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1459722121547063296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off their slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JAYSON TATUM WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET! <a href="https://t.co/p5XvU1fFm4">pic.twitter.com/p5XvU1fFm4</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1459722121547063296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lilliard. I'm a big fan of Lilliard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JAYSON TATUM WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET! <a href="https://t.co/p5XvU1fFm4">pic.twitter.com/p5XvU1fFm4</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1459722121547063296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lillard. I'm a big fan of Lillard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lilliard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

We are nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and the standings are beginning to take shape. There have been a number of standout performances from well-known stars, a stacked rookie class and a handful of breakout players making a leap.
However, there are more All-Stars than usual who haven't been performing up to the ridiculously high standards that they've set for themselves over the course of their respective careers. It's been a bit of an unusual occurrence, but chances are that those talents will find their way eventually.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which player will shake off a slow start? 
Alex Kennedy: Damian Lillard hasn't looked like himself this season, averaging 20.3 points per game (his lowest scoring average since his rookie season). However, I&rsquo;m not too concerned about the six-time All-Star. It's clear that he's adjusting to the NBA's rule changes &mdash; and attempting a career-low 3.2 free throws per game has certainly affected him &mdash; but he&rsquo;s also missing the kinds of shots that he always makes. Lillard has acknowledged that he&rsquo;s in a strange shooting slump, as he&rsquo;s currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range. Lillard has had slumps before and they've never lasted very long. Knowing Dame, he&rsquo;ll probably hang 50 points on someone within the next week.
Nekias Duncan: I think people are sleeping on the offensive season Donovan Mitchell is having, mostly because the three-ball isn't falling for him yet. He's converting a career-high 54.8% of his twos behind a 69% mark inside of three feet. He's essentially traded mid-range shots for triples, but they're only falling at a 32% clip. He has a pull-up heavy diet, but his catch-shoot numbers are uncharacteristically low. After converting north of 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes in every season of his career, he's down to 31% so far this year. That's going to course-correct.
Spencer Davies: Since the Washington Wizards are doing it with defense this season and hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, nobody's really noticed that Bradley Beal is mired in a ghastly shooting slump. He's currently only made 40.7% of his attempts, and is converting on a career-low 25% from long distance. Digging deeper into the early returns, he's had the most success on pull-up mid-rangers (42.6%). But when you look at the catch-shoot stats, Beal is converting barely over 20% of his triple tries. Luckily for the Wizards, the team isn't entirely dependent on him having to be a scoring champion in order to compete. Plus, he has upped his playmaking alongside Spencer Dinwiddie to get others involved. At some point, Beal is going to get it going, and if Washington keeps pressing on as it has, the East will have an even bigger problem to deal with.
Ethan Fuller: Jayson Tatum is shooting just 54.5% within three feet of the basket and 31.6% from long range. Both are extremely low numbers, and Tatum has developed a track record as one of the most efficient wing scorers in the entire league. I expect him to find his touch as the Celtics try to get him easier attempts. Both of those numbers should fly back up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JAYSON TATUM WITH THE CLUTCH BUCKET! <a href="https://t.co/p5XvU1fFm4">pic.twitter.com/p5XvU1fFm4</a>
&mdash; Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1459722121547063296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Moke Hamilton: James Harden would seem to be a safe bet. Aside from the drubbing at home vs. the Warriors on Tuesday, the Nets have been looking pretty good lately, so it&rsquo;s easy to overlook Harden&rsquo;s futility. But he is averaging just 19.8 points per game &mdash; his lowest output since he wore a Thunder uniform. He&rsquo;s also shooting just over 42% from the field, which is his worst mark since his rookie season. In the long run, though, I think he&rsquo;ll be just fine.
Evan Sidery: It feels like the easy answer here is Damian Lillard. He&rsquo;s having a rough adjustment to the new Wilson ball right now, but you have to imagine he&rsquo;ll be consistently back to his All-NBA level in short order. Once that happens, Portland should jump up another tier in the Western Conference playoff race.
Blake Hairston: Damian Lillard. I'm a big fan of Lillard's game, and 20.3 points per game and 27.9% from beyond the arc isn't the Dame we know. I'm not sure if it's the new ball or new rules, but it feels like it's only a matter of time until we see a streak of big scoring games from Lillard.
Alexander Cohen: The Dallas Mavericks sit at 9-4 thanks to the heroics of Luka Dončić &mdash; or so you'd think. The Mavericks are a team-worst staggering 27.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Luka on the court <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Cleaning The Glass</a>. While that may oversell how poorly he's played, the young star is having the least efficient season of his career, averaging "just" 24.9 points just a 52% True Shooting percentage after 28 points per game on 59% his his prior two terrific seasons. It won't last, though. Dončić is a generational talent, and not even Jason Kidd can stop him. With a 32-point triple double against the Spurs a couple nights ago, it seems he's already on-track to put his poor play behind him. Of course, he'll have to kick a recently-suffered left ankle injury first.
Drew Maresca: Damian Lillard is posting more-than-respectable numbers so far. But they&rsquo;re not Lillard-esque. He&rsquo;s connecting on only 27% on his three-point attempts; Lillard&rsquo;s lowest three-point percentage for an entire season is 34.3%, followed by 36.1%. He&rsquo;s also connecting on a career low percent of attempts from three-10 feet (25%), while posting the third-worst field goal percentage of his career at the rim (54.7%). What&rsquo;re more, Dame is attempting a career-low 3.4 free throws per game, down from 7.2 last season. But Lillard is a proven commodity. He&rsquo;s playing under a new coach (Chauncey Billups), and under a tweaked officiating style that allows for more defensive intensity. Lillard is too young (31) to experience this type of a precipitous drop. And he&rsquo;s too good to keep playing like this. He&rsquo;ll snap back into form in due time.
Jesse Blancarte: James Harden. The NBA&rsquo;s new rules regarding fouls have impacted Harden&rsquo;s production early this season, but I expect he will adjust his game and get back on track. Harden may never get to the free-throw line as easily as he used to, but he is too gifted offensively to let that derail his offensive production.

Which player will shake off a slow start? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which player will shake off a slow start?

Source: Shams Charania/The Athletic

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>

<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__8pfo52l712l" class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en">Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right elbow sprain.</div>
</div>
</div>
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick&nbsp;

<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__8pfo52l712l" class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en">Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right elbow sprain.</div>
</div>
</div>
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__8pfo52l712l" class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en"></div>
</div>
</div>
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__8pfo52l712l" class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en">Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right elbow sprain.</div>
</div>
</div>
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right elbow sprain.
SOURCE: Shams Charania/The Athletic
ANALYSIS: Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right elbow sprain.
SOURCE: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1460664808961757187" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic </a>
ANALYSIS: Mobley has been one of the top rookies in the NBA so far. He became the fastest Cavalier ever to reach 200 career points and 100 career rebounds, doing so in just 14 games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

Mobley is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game to date.

Evan Mobley to miss 2-4 weeks with elbow sprain

&nbsp;
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460646546723295237" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>

There's growing optimism that LeBron James could make his return to the Lakers vs. Boston on Friday (ESPN, 7:30 PM), sources tell ESPN.
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460646546723295237" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;James has missed the past two weeks with an abdominal strain. The Lakers could certainly use his help, as the team has gone&nbsp;

There's growing optimism that LeBron James could make his return to the Lakers vs. Boston on Friday (ESPN, 7:30 PM), sources tell ESPN.
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460646546723295237" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;James has missed the past two weeks with an abdominal strain. The Lakers could certainly use his help, as the team has gone 3-4 since James last played on Nov. 2.&nbsp;

There's growing optimism that LeBron James could make his return to the Lakers vs. Boston on Friday (ESPN, 7:30 PM), sources tell ESPN.
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460646546723295237" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;James has missed the past two weeks with an abdominal strain. The Lakers could certainly use his help, as the team has gone 3-4 since James last played on Nov. 2. Most recently, L.A. lost to the&nbsp;

There's growing optimism that LeBron James could make his return to the Lakers vs. Boston on Friday (ESPN, 7:30 PM), sources tell ESPN.
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460646546723295237" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;James has missed the past two weeks with an abdominal strain. The Lakers could certainly use his help, as the team has gone 3-4 since James last played on Nov. 2. Most recently, L.A. lost to the Chicago Bulls, 121-103 on Monday night.

James has not played in two weeks after suffering an abdominal strain.

'Growing optimism' LeBron James could return Friday vs. Celtics

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Raleigh News and Observor</a>

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The News and Observor</a>

Two Duke basketball players face charges in Orange County following a driving while impaired arrest early Sunday morning. According to court records, Michael Savarino, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s grandson, was arrested for DWI while star freshman Paolo Banchero is charged with aiding and abetting DWI.
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The News and Observer</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;

Two Duke basketball players face charges in Orange County following a driving while impaired arrest early Sunday morning. According to court records, Michael Savarino, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s grandson, was arrested for DWI while star freshman Paolo Banchero is charged with aiding and abetting DWI.
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The News and Observer</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The story&nbsp;

Two Duke basketball players face charges in Orange County following a driving while impaired arrest early Sunday morning. According to court records, Michael Savarino, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s grandson, was arrested for DWI while star freshman Paolo Banchero is charged with aiding and abetting DWI.
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Wiseman/The News and Observer</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The story reports that the arrest happened at 1:10 a.m.

Two Duke basketball players face charges in Orange County following a driving while impaired arrest early Sunday morning. According to court records, Michael Savarino, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s grandson, was arrested for DWI while star freshman Paolo Banchero is charged with aiding and abetting DWI.
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Wiseman/The News and Observer</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The story reports that the arrest happened at 1:10 a.m. on Sunday. Banchero is one of the top prospects eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. It remains to be seen what&nbsp;

Two Duke basketball players face charges in Orange County following a driving while impaired arrest early Sunday morning. According to court records, Michael Savarino, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s grandson, was arrested for DWI while star freshman Paolo Banchero is charged with aiding and abetting DWI.
Source: <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article255858341.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Wiseman/The News and Observer</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The story reports that the arrest happened at 1:10 a.m. on Sunday. Banchero is one of the top prospects eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft, and was released by police at the site of the traffic stop, per the article. It remains to be seen what consequences could be levied by the courts or by Duke.

Banchero is one of the top prospects eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft, and was released by police at the site of the traffic stop, per the article.

Michael Savarino, Paolo Banchero facing DWI-related charges

&nbsp;
Source: Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means l

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it is just a

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it does serve of a reminder how&nbsp;

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it does serve of a reminder how wrong things have gone for the Timberwolves this season.
The 4-8 Wolves sit at 4-8&nbsp;

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it does serve of a reminder how wrong things have gone for the Timberwolves this season.
The Wolves sit at just 4-8&nbsp;

&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it does serve of a reminder how wrong things have gone for the Timberwolves this season.
The Wolves sit at just 4-8 after firing general manger Gersson Rosas right before the season started.

The Timberwolves have been fined $250k for organizing a team practice in the offseason in Miami, a violation of the league's rules against out-of-state team workouts.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1460349772443885568">Adrian Wojnarwoski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: In the grand scheme of things, this means little for the franchise, but it does serve of a reminder how wrong things have gone for the Timberwolves this season.
The Wolves sit at just 4-8 after firing general manger Gersson Rosas right before the season started.

The Timberwolves have been fined $250k for organizing a team practice in the offseason in Miami, a violation of the league's rules against out-of-state team workouts.

Timberwolves fined $250k for team workout outside of home market

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Allen spearheaded the Cavaliers on a 4-0 run of their own with 20.5 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. That included a monster 24 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in a three-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarrett Allen was in BEAST MODE 😤 24 PTS 9/13 FG 16 REB 3 BLK 57.2 FPTS&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/M5gvP4v9WQ">pic.twitter.com/M5gvP4v9WQ</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy)&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1455349135977091078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Allen spearheaded the Cavaliers on a 4-0 run of their own with 20.5 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. That included a monster 24 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in a three-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarrett Allen was in BEAST MODE 😤 24 PTS 9/13 FG 16 REB 3 BLK 57.2 FPTS&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/M5gvP4v9WQ">pic.twitter.com/M5gvP4v9WQ</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy)&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1455349135977091078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. That included a monster 24 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in a three-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarrett Allen was in BEAST MODE 😤 24 PTS 9/13 FG 16 REB 3 BLK 57.2 FPTS&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/M5gvP4v9WQ">pic.twitter.com/M5gvP4v9WQ</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy)&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1455349135977091078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a 30 point game against the Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts in .&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarrett Allen was in BEAST MODE 😤 24 PTS 9/13 FG 16 REB 3 BLK 57.2 FPTS&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/M5gvP4v9WQ">pic.twitter.com/M5gvP4v9WQ</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy)&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1455349135977091078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jarrett Allen was in BEAST MODE 😤 24 PTS 9/13 FG 16 REB 3 BLK 57.2 FPTS&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/M5gvP4v9WQ">pic.twitter.com/M5gvP4v9WQ</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy)&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1455349135977091078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Efficiency never looked so good 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a> <a href="https://t.co/oLIpWVnDke">pic.twitter.com/oLIpWVnDke</a>
&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1460056547212632067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
Eastern Conference: Cole Anthony (ORL), Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (MIA), Seth Curry (PHI), Kevin Durant (BKN), Myles Turner (IND)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Efficiency never looked so good 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a> <a href="https://t.co/oLIpWVnDke">pic.twitter.com/oLIpWVnDke</a>
&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1460056547212632067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Devin Booker, Chris Paul (PHX), Luka Doncic (DAL), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jordan Poole (GSW)
East: LaMelo Ball (CHA), Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner (IND), DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine (CHI)Darius Garland and Evan Mobley (CLE) and Montrezl Harrell (WAS)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.
Curry led the Warriors on a 3-1 week, improving the Warriors record to a league-leading 11-2, averaging 34.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 reboudns per game. He shined brightest with nine three pointers in a dazzling 40-point display that helped him pass Ray Allen for the most three pointers of all time.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry, man. Unreal. <a href="https://t.co/lL9TpmN4cy">pic.twitter.com/lL9TpmN4cy</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1460063391158988801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Durant also helped the Nets along to a 3-1 record as he dominantly averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with an unstoppable 62.9 field goal percentage. In a blowout win against the Orlando Magic, he missed just one of twelve attempts en route to a 30 point performance.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Efficiency never looked so good 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a> <a href="https://t.co/oLIpWVnDke">pic.twitter.com/oLIpWVnDke</a>
&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1460056547212632067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Other nominees for Player of the Week:
Western Conference: Anthony Davis (LAL), Luka Dončić (DAL), Lu Dort (OKC), Paul George (LAC), Nikola Jokić (DEN) and Chris Paul (PHX)
Eastern Conference: LaMelo Ball (CHA), Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner (IND), DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine (CHI)Darius Garland and Evan Mobley (CLE) and Montrezl Harrell (WAS)

The NBA announced that former teammates Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named NBA Players of the Week for Nov. 8-14 in their respective conferences.

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant named Players of the Week for Nov. 8 - 14

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
&nbsp;

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
However

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
However, it does seem like the Kings could be on pace for another bad season&nbsp;

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
However, it does seem like the Kings could be on pace for another bad season after getting blown out by&nbsp;

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
However, it does seem like the Kings could be on pace for another bad season after getting blown out by the Spurs and losing to the lowly Thunder,

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
The Kings could be on pace for another bad season after getting blown out by the Spurs and losing to the lowly Thunder,

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the 5-8 Kings continue to drop games.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/theathletic/status/1460285957744304138?s=21">The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;
It is rather suprising to see the Kings are already considering firing Walton after a four-game losing streak, considering they have remained with him at the helm after numerous losing seasons.
The Kings could be on pace for another bad season after getting blown out by the Spurs and losing to the lowly Thunder, and likely want to jump-start the team.

Luke Walton's job could be in danger if the Kings continue to drop games.