Stags

We're flipping our calendar at BasketballNews &mdash; but not before taking one look back at a memorable 2021.
Sports never cease to give us compelling storylines. Last year, they came from all places, from the pros in the U.S. and abroad, to college, to youth levels, and even off the basketball court. Below are some of our staff's best stories, arranged in several categories. Read the Best of BasketballNews 2021:
Best Features
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gary-payton-ii_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-raptors-905-gary-payton-ii-on-growing-up-in-fathers-shadow-we-have-two-different-paths">Gary Payton II on growing up in father's shadow: 'We have two different paths'</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro p</a><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparation</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-daniel-gafford-washington-wizards-russell-westbrook-bradley-beal-tony-falce-arkansas-razorbacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-dozier-took-a-whirlwind-journey-to-the-denver-nuggets-starting-lineup">Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/g-league-finals-mvp-devin-cannady-remains-focus-bigger-goals">NBA G League Finals MVP Devin Cannady remains focused on bigger goals</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-frank-ntilikinas-failure">There&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around for Frank Ntilikina&rsquo;s failure</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-vucevic-may-finally-get-credit-he-deserves-with-newlook-bulls">Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kristaps-porzingis-renewed-confidence-leading-to-resurgent-season-with-mavericks">Kristaps Porzingis' renewed confidence leading to resurgent season</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scoot-henderson-aspirations-far-exceed-any-hype-we-can-give-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA G League star Scoot Henderson's aspirations far exceed the hype</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
Best Interviews and Q&amp;As
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/markelle-fultz_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team">Richaun Holmes Q&amp;A: 'I definitely feel I&rsquo;m deserving of the All-Defensive Team'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling">Magic's R.J. Hampton Q&amp;A: 'I don&rsquo;t think you can put a cap on our ceiling'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry">The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins Episode 7 - Stephen Curry</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-10-episode-9-james-jones">The Rex Chapman Show: James Jones on Suns' culture change, player-to-GM leap</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">One-on-One: Derrick White, Spurs' youth trying to make a name for themselves</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-one-on-one-patrick-patterson-los-angeles-clippers-tyronn-lue-paul-george-kawhi-leonard-demarcus-cousins-kentucky-wildcats-basketball">One-on-One: Patrick Patterson opens up as Clippers begin playoff run</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing">Larry Nance Jr. Q&amp;A: 'I did not come out here to half-ass this thing'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jermaine-oneal-on-reconciling-with-ron-artest-i-didnt-know-about-mental-health">Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal on reconciling with Metta World Peace: 'I didn't know about mental health'</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/markelle-fultz-reveals-what-really-happened-with-his-shot-shoulder">Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-29-thad-young-on-getting-blindsided-by-trade-to-spurs,-dealing-with-recent-trade-rumors,-the-key-to-nba-longevity,-more-ep-29">Thad Young on being blindsided by Spurs trade, trade rumors, key to longevity</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
Best Player Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kyle-lowry_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/on-lock-how-jrue-holiday-became-the-nba-finals-xfactor-">On Lock: How Jrue Holiday became the NBA Finals&rsquo; X-Factor</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enough-no-bag-talk-giannis-antetokounmpo-put-the-nba-on-notice-finals-mvp-champion">Enough 'no bag' talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo put the NBA on notice</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat">Film study: What Kyle Lowry brings to the Miami Heat</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dime-fest-breaking-down-courtney-vandersloot-historic-night-wnba-playoffs">Dime Fest: Breaking down Courtney Vandersloot's historic night</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player">What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics? </a>&nbsp; &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gay-is-injecting-the-jazz-with-funk">Rudy Gay is injecting the Jazz with funk</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-jaren-jackson-jr-a-star-in-making-or-something-else">Is Jaren Jackson Jr. a star in the making, or something else?</a> &mdash; by Matt Brooks
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense">Dissecting Desmond Bane's growing role in the Grizzlies' offense</a> &mdash; by Jackson Frank
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-dave-bing-right-about-cade-cunningham">Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?</a> &mdash; by Mat Issa and Bryce Simon
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-nba-all-star-case-for-cavs-big-man-jarrett-allen">Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best Team and League Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jarrett-allen_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-to-tank-or-not-to-tank-analyzing-the-toronto-raptors-present-and-future">To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-draft-lottery-is-not-rigged-and-heres-why">The NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged, and here's why</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings">Why NBA bigs take more time to develop: 'They're used to imposing their will'</a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-the-offseason-revs-up-what-nba-teams-are-in-the-dead-money-doldrums">As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-create-unnecessarily-awkward-situation-not-signing-deandre-ayton-to-extension">Suns create unnecessarily awkward situation by not extending Ayton</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited">Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grindhouse-how-the-grizzlies-are-winning-with-defense">The Grindhouse: How the Grizzlies are winning with defense</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle">Tom Thibodeau isn&rsquo;t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-warriors-reclaim-top-spot-from-suns">NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns </a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Tommy Beer
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential">Hornets' embarrassing defense sinking their enticing potential</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
Best Opinion
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/draymond-green_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all">Injuries Galore: The NBA&rsquo;s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-can-the-nba-do-to-prevent-ugly-fan-incidents">What can the NBA do to prevent more ugly fan incidents?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rachel-nichols-maria-taylor-incident-exposes-espn-racism-sexism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN&rsquo;s racism, sexism&nbsp;</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The discourse around NBA stars and super-teams is tiresome</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-beginners-guide-to-nba-stats-written-by-a-beginner">A beginner's guide to NBA stats: The three types of statistics</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-players-could-have-realistically-played-in-the-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA players could have realistically played in the NFL?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone">No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nets-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves">The Nets should be ashamed of themselves</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/missing-the-forest-through-the-trees-on-christmas-day-games">Missing the forest through the trees on Christmas Day games</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season">NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best of the NBA Draft
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-bouknight_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training">Behind the scenes with projected lottery pick James Bouknight</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-demands-your-attention">Q&amp;A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-2021-nba-draft-intel-with-lead-draft-analyst-matt-babcock-rumors-offseason">2021 NBA Draft: Matt Babcock on rumors, trades, risers, fallers</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller and Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses">The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate">2022 NBA Draft Q&amp;A: French big man Ismael Kamagate</a> &mdash; by Jason Filippi
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-jean-montero-scouting-report">2022 NBA Draft: Jean Montero scouting report</a> &mdash; by Doc Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcocks-takeaways-jabari-smith-patrick-baldwin-jr-matthew-cleveland-more">Babcock&rsquo;s Takeaways: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-the-evolution-of-kansas-guard-ochai-agbaji">2022 NBA Draft: The evolution of Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji</a> &mdash; by Derek Murray
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-getting-to-know-alabamas-native-son-jd-davison">2022 NBA Draft: Getting to know JD Davison, Alabama's native son</a> &mdash; by Grant Aqui
Best Player Pieces
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-posey_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-troy-brown-jr-bradley-beal-russell-westbrook-outbreak-covid-19-coronavirus-virus-contract-health-safety-protocol">Behind the scenes of the Wizards' COVID-19 outbreak: 'It's been a wild season'</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-a-shame-carmelo-didnt-end-up-in-portland-sooner">It&rsquo;s a shame Carmelo Anthony didn&rsquo;t end up in Portland sooner</a> &mdash; by Kenyon Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-first-time-getting-traded-learning-what-its-like-to-be-dealt-in-the-nba">My first time getting traded: Learning what it's like to be dealt in the NBA</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kwame-brown-stephen-a-smith-stephen-jackson-matt-barnes-charlemagne-etan-thomas-washington-wizards-media">After 20 years of public degradation, Kwame Brown is fed up</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/paul-george-is-silencing-his-critics-los-angeles-clippers-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul George is silencing his critics</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-is-big-business-and-players-should-be-allowed-to-act-like-it">The NBA is a big business, and players should be allowed to act like it</a> &mdash; by James Posey
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-doesnt-seem-to-be-succumbing-to-father-time-just-yet">LeBron James doesn&rsquo;t seem to be succumbing to Father Time just yet</a> &mdash; by James Posey

BasketballNews highlights its best stories over the calendar 2021 year.

The Best of BasketballNews: 2021

Along the lines of which NBA player <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-has-surprised-you-in-the-first-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has suprised the most</a>, there is a curiosity surrounding who will actually take home a trophy for taking that next step from good to great.
While it's still very early, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers:
Who is your early favorite for the Most Improved Player award? 
Alex Kennedy: Miles Bridges has been sensational and I can absolutely see him winning the award if he keeps this up. He increased his scoring average by 8.9 points, and he&rsquo;s currently posting career-highs in points (21.6), rebounds (7.6), assists (3.4), steals (1.4), blocks (0.8), threes (2.4), player efficiency rating (18.9) and box plus/minus (+2.0). While some players get off to a hot start and then inevitably fizzle out, Bridges&rsquo; terrific play may just be sustainable. After all, he had a similarly impressive stretch toward the end of last season. Over the final 20 games of the 2020-21 campaign, the 23-year-old averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 threes, 2.8 assists, 1.0 block, 0.8 steals and 1.8 turnovers (while shooting 51.1% from the field, 43.5% from three and 83.9% from the free-throw line). Bridges&rsquo; production isn&rsquo;t some fluke, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if he continues to shine and takes home Most Improved.
Nekias Duncan: Ja Morant has given me pause, but I'm rolling with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/og-anunoby-is-putting-an-early-stamp-on-mip-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my preseason pick</a> &mdash; OG Anunoby. He's taken on much more on-ball responsibility and is holding his own. To become a 20-point scorer on a whim without sacrificing the defense &mdash; he's still hounding dudes at an All-Defensive team level &mdash; is wildly impressive.
Spencer Davies: Despite the Memphis Grizzlies&rsquo; inconsistencies as a team, Ja Morant is probably leading the charge. He&rsquo;s on track to make his first All-Star team with the kind of production he&rsquo;s putting forth &mdash; 25.1 points, 7.0 assists and a career-best 5.9 rebounds per contest. Adding the three-ball and willingly pulling up from distance, that makes him an entirely different threat as an offensive player. If the opposition begins to respect that outside shot and defends him too closely, with the agility and quick decision-making Morant possesses, it&rsquo;s going to be a long night for them. The Grizzlies really need to shore up that defense first, but No. 12 is on a tear.
Ethan Fuller: Miles Bridges is the leading scorer on a Charlotte Hornets team loaded with offensive firepower. That's a testament to his improvement creating for himself off the dribble. Bridges has produced more as a passer and rebounder, and is taking on a much larger role than the pure shooter and cutter he was in years past. As he acclimates to the increased responsibility, Bridges should see his efficiency go up and only solidify his MIP case.
Jannelle Moore: Miles Bridges is my early favorite for MIP. He has consistently stepped up as the Hornets' first scoring option. He's improved his shot and improved defensively, and has been more consistent than other players that have been up for consideration.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔥 Career-high for Miles Bridges 🔥 35 PTS | 10 REB | 50.5 FPTS <a href="https://t.co/IJXfKPXogI">pic.twitter.com/IJXfKPXogI</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1462257951822032898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Moke Hamilton: It&rsquo;s a two-man race between Miles Bridges and Jordan Poole, right? I lean Bridges. He&rsquo;s been more productive, and is also being relied upon a bit more heavily than Poole. I'm not sure who else could rightfully claim to be pushing those two right now.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going with Miles Bridges because his all-around growth has been so impressive to me. Ja Morant is likely the consensus favorite, but we all knew he had superstar upside. On the other hand, who expected this leap from Bridges? He&rsquo;s established himself as a primary core piece alongside LaMelo Ball in Charlotte.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges is the first to mind. The jump he's made from last season to this season is impressive, and he's really exuding confidence on a team that's looking to make some noise this year. If he can maintain 20-plus points per game on relative efficiency and career-highs in numerous statistical categories, then it's got to be his award.
Alexander Cohen: Miles Bridges has always been capable of having explosive games, but him scoring over 21 per game after scoring 13 a night the last two seasons has caught me off guard. He's been a great scorer in the early season, and just when it looked like he was cooling off, Bridges dropped a career-high 35 points in Atlanta. He had three 30-plus point games in his three-year career coming into this season and has five already in just 18 games. If Bridges can keep up this level of play, the Hornets' future becomes much brighter, and Bridges should run away with Most Improved.
Drew Maresca: It has to be between Miles Bridges and Ja Morant. Bridges is averaging 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 45.8% from the floor for the surprise Hornets (10-8). That&rsquo;s up from 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a 2.2 assists per game last season. Bridges' jump to stardom is impressive. But it's not quite as impressive as Morant&rsquo;s entry to superstardom. Though just 8-8 through 16 games, Morant has has averaged 25.1 points, 7.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.8% on three-point attempts. Last season, Morant averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, shooting 30.3% on three-pointers. Both of these guys will remain on radar for the foreseeable future.
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant's leap has been extremely fun to watch.

Who is your early favorite for the Most Improved Player award? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who is your early favorite for Most Improved Player?

One month into the 2021-22 NBA season, there's been no shortage of surprises. The Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets are top-five teams in the Eastern Conference, while the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks currently find themselves outside of the playoff picture.
While it's still very early, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers:
Which NBA team is better than its record currently indicates?
Alex Kennedy: The Milwaukee Bucks are the obvious answer since the defending champs currently sit at 10th in the East with an 8-8 record. Injuries are largely to blame for Milwaukee&rsquo;s early struggles; several Bucks have missed multiple games including Khris Middleton (COVID-19), Jrue Holiday (ankle), Bobby Portis (hamstring), Brook Lopez (back), Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) and Rodney Hood (foot). Now that Milwaukee is healthy, I&rsquo;m confident that they&rsquo;ll climb back up the standings. I think the Toronto Raptors are better than their 8-9 record too. They were without their best player, Pascal Siakam, for the first few weeks of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Now, he&rsquo;s back and beginning to look like himself again. I like Toronto&rsquo;s balanced attack, which features five players who average at least 16.0 points: OG Anunoby (20.1), Fred VanVleet (19.4), Siakam (17.0), Scottie Barnes (16.3) and Gary Trent Jr. (16.1). Don&rsquo;t be surprised if they are able to right this ship and make the playoffs.
Nekias Duncan: The Bucks are the easy one. It feels like their Big Three hasn't played since opening night. As they get healthier, they'll look like the title contenders that they are.
Spencer Davies: After the thrashing they put on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and their beatdown in Brooklyn on opening night, the Milwaukee Bucks have to be the answer. We can&rsquo;t just forget about Giannis Antetokounmpo because of this team&rsquo;s difficult, injury-riddled stretch; he&rsquo;s certainly given us every reason not to. Khris Middleton just got back on the court after missing eight games in the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols, Jrue Holiday missed the first two weeks of the season essentially with a bum ankle and Brook Lopez hasn&rsquo;t suited up for a whole month in dealing with a bad back. Oh, and Donte DiVincenzo is still on the mend recovering from ankle surgery. These are explanations more than excuses, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Bucks go on a huge midseason run when the band gets back together.
Moke Hamilton: There are a few teams here that you could go with, and Milwaukee is probably most obvious. I&rsquo;d probably take Atlanta, though. These guys are a solid ball club, but their 0-4 Western road trip really sank them in the standings. Although they&rsquo;ll be without De&rsquo;Andre Hunter for the foreseeable future, I think they&rsquo;ll end up battling for a top-four seed in the conference.
Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 8-9 and had been struggling with LeBron James sidelined. The roster was almost completely revamped this offseason and the team is still figuring out its rotations and how to play cohesively. Miscommunication and too much isolation on offense have been a problem, which may be smoothed over as we get deeper into the season and now that LeBron is back on the court.
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Ethan Fuller: The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are 6-8, but a lot of that has to do with availability. Jrue Holiday only recently returned from injury, Brook Lopez and George Hill were both recently out with back injuries, and Khris Middleton was in the health-and-safety protocols. Milwaukee has gotten nice contributions from guys like Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, but they can only do so much. This team will be fine once they get healthy.
Evan Sidery: Atlanta, because they&rsquo;re too talented not to be a top-five or six seed in the Eastern Conference. They&rsquo;ve gotten off to a slow start, plus De&rsquo;Andre Hunter is injured, but Trae Young should be able to steer the ship in the right direction in short order. Atlanta&rsquo;s depth is abundant, so once it all clicks, they should rise up the rankings significantly.
Blake Hairston: The easy answer is the Milwaukee Bucks. I don't think many expected the reigning champion would start the season 6-8 after 14 games, but missing Khris Middleton for eight games, Jrue Holiday for six games and so on doesn't help. Let them get back to full strength and they'll be back in the mix for the top of the East.
Alexander Cohen: The Los Angeles Clippers sit at a 9-7 record, which isn't horrible, but it's not a representation of how good this Clippers team is, even without Kawhi Leonard. Paul George is having another terrific regular season thus far and he&rsquo;s surrounded by excellent role players including new acquisitions in Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Hartenstein, who have both shined on their new team. The Clippers were finally having their great play reflected in the win column during their recent seven-game win streak, but then they dropped three of four games.
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Drew Maresca: The Hawks and Bucks should both be much better than their respective records, but they&rsquo;re dealing with different situations. The Bucks have dealt with major injury woes. Through 14 games, Khris Middleton had missed eight games, Brook Lopez had missed 13, and Jrue Holiday had missed six &mdash; and that&rsquo;s not even all of their injuries. The Bucks will inevitably get healthy, and that should solve most of their problems. The Hawks, on the other hand, have simply faced a brutal schedule. They&rsquo;ve played the league-leading Warriors once (0-1), the East-leading Wizards twice (1-1) and the championship-favorite Nets once (0-1). They&rsquo;ve also had games against the Suns, Nuggets, Jazz and Bucks &mdash; and only four of their 15 games came against sub-.500 teams. Once their schedule eases up, the Hawks should be just fine too.
Jannelle Moore: To me, the Charlotte Hornets are a better team than their record currently indicates. This is a team that has wins over the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, plus they gave the Los Angeles Lakers a scare in overtime. They won those games thanks to an offense that can attack in different ways. They are a big away from making significant noise.
Check out our other roundtable discussions, where we asked our writers about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-has-surprised-you-in-the-first-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which player has surprised them the most</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-will-shake-off-a-slow-start" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which star will be able to shake off their slow start</a>.

One month into the 2021-21 NBA season, which team is better than its record currently indicates? We our asked our writers.

NBA Roundtable: Which team is better than its record indicates?

Each week, we assemble our BasketballNews.com writers for a roundtable discussion where we ask them to share their thoughts on an NBA-related prompt. This week, we asked:
Who is a player that you're much higher on than the general consensus?
Nekias Duncan: Khris Middleton. I&rsquo;ve been on Khris Middleton Island for too many years &mdash; dating back to an article I wrote on his 2014-15 campaign for a now-defunct website &mdash; to not have him as my answer. Multi-time All-Star. All-NBA-caliber seasons under his belt. One win away from an NBA-Finals berth, in large part (not the largest, that&rsquo;s obviously Giannis Antetokounmpo) due to his creation burden. And it feels like people still don&rsquo;t entirely grasp how good he is.
Ethan Fuller: Andrew Wiggins. It's the hill I'll die on: Wiggins can absolutely be a core piece on a championship team. After shooting a career-high 38% from beyond the arc, he's proven to be a versatile scorer in all areas. Wiggins also has turned into a quietly stalwart defender, and I'll go to bat calling him one of the more underrated passers in the league. He should be a secondary ball-handler in Golden State, with Draymond Green and behind Steph Curry. I don't know if he warrants that max contract, but it's past time people give Wiggins credit as a legit weapon on both ends of the court.
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Alex Kennedy: Larry Nance Jr. Sure, Nance is a fan favorite in Cleveland, but he doesn&rsquo;t get nearly enough national attention. He had an injury-plagued season, but he was terrific for the Cavaliers when he was healthy. At one point in January, the Cavs had the NBA&rsquo;s top-ranked defense thanks in large part to Nance, who was leading the league in steal percentage (3.3%), steals (2.4), deflections (4.8) and loose-balls recovered (2.1), while ranking second in Defensive Win Shares (.9) and Defensive Box Plus-Minus (2.3). When Nance was on the floor, Cleveland held opponents to a 109.9 offensive rating; when he was off the court, that increased to 116.9. Nance is one of the NBA&rsquo;s most underrated players, which we <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-15-larry-nance-jr-on-his-breakout-season,-the-cavs-adding-jarrett-allen-taurean-prince,-his-terrific-defense,-sexland-and-more-ep-15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I asked him about on my podcast</a>. I love his defense, his motor, his hustle plays, his work ethic, his positivity, his loyalty to Cleveland (where he grew up), and his leadership. But, most of all, I love his story. Like me, Larry was diagnosed with Crohn&rsquo;s Disease as a kid, yet he was still able to achieve his NBA dream. After making it to the league, Larry started a foundation called Athletes vs. Crohn's &amp; Colitis, which pairs children who are suffering from Crohn&rsquo;s or Colitis with an athlete mentor who has the same disease. He&rsquo;s also making a difference locally, raising $322,000 for 72 small businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. Admittedly, I may be biased, but Larry is a great guy and I&rsquo;m a fan of everything he does &mdash; on and off the court.
Spencer Davies: Russell Westbrook. This is an easy one. Every year that we think he&rsquo;s going to step back athletically, it doesn&rsquo;t happen. Clearly hampered by an injury in the first month or two of the season, Westbrook delivered a triple-double run like this league has never seen before. Washington was 15 games under .500 on April 5, and if it wasn&rsquo;t for Westbrook&rsquo;s infectious energy, playmaking and aggressiveness, that team wouldn&rsquo;t have even sniffed the play-in tournament. They went 17-9 to close the season. Yes, Bradley Beal is the head of the snake and the best player the Wizards have, but when you talk about real leadership and giving it 150% every night, nobody comes close to the compete level of Westbrook, who surpassed the great Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history with his 32nd of the season on May 10 (he finished with 34 total, and his career mark is 184 and counting). By the time the postseason got here, Beal and Westbrook seemed exhausted from lifting the Wizards to that position. So while Russ has his questionable moments, and he has his inefficiencies from time-to-time, you cannot challenge his heart or his impact. His teammates <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stop-hating-on-the-brodie-russell-westbrook-legacy-shouldnt-be-complicated-washington-wizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will assure you of it</a>.
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Moke Hamilton: Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma seems to have gone from being slightly overrated to completely underrated. I think he&rsquo;s absolutely a starter in the NBA, but the arrival of LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles caused him to be miscast as a &ldquo;defensive-minded&rdquo; reserve wing. If he finds himself in a new situation where he&rsquo;s able to regain his confidence and have a bit of offensive freedom, I think we&rsquo;ll see a new player, especially given his newfound championship experience.
Jannelle Moore: Draymond Green. I&rsquo;m definitely higher on Green than the general consensus. Despite his issues scoring, Draymond is still terrific defensively. Also, his facilitating is still a very valuable part of the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; engine and will be even more so when Klay Thompson returns.
Check out some of our other NBA Roundtables including:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-former-player-would-fit-perfectly-in-todays-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which player from a previous era would fit perfectly in today's NBA?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-what-is-your-favorite-whatif-scenario-in-nba-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is your favorite "what-if" scenario in NBA history?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-is-the-most-untouchable-player-in-the-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who is the most untouchable player in the NBA?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-has-the-best-young-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA team has the best young core?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-contract-is-the-biggest-bargain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA contract is the biggest bargain?</a>

We asked our BasketballNews.com writers: Who is an NBA player that you're much higher on than the general consensus?

NBA Roundtable: Which player are you higher on than the consensus?

With the NBA six days into May and games winding down, the postseason is right around the corner. Teams are jockeying for position, and the competition is tightening up as we hit the home stretch in the Association.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Who is your dark-horse team to watch entering the playoffs?
Nekias Duncan: I think it&rsquo;s Miami, almost by default. As uneven as their season has been &mdash; due to injuries, COVID or otherwise &mdash; it&rsquo;s still hard to discount the type of playoff pedigree they have. Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo is a big three nobody in the East wants to deal with.
Spencer Davies: The team that nobody believes can do it, and that&rsquo;s the current top seed in the Western Conference: the Utah Jazz. Although I like the Los Angeles Clippers to come out of the West, it&rsquo;s going to take a lot to slow these Jazz down from deep. Their playing style, similar to the Phoenix Suns, is half-court-based, something fit for the postseason environment when execution matters the most. You&rsquo;ve got a number of All-Star talents such as Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert; however, Utah features a plethora of players that star in their roles -- Bojan Bogdanovic with his three-point barrages, Royce O&rsquo;Neale defending with a purpose, Jordan Clarkson being a microwave off the bench, Joe Ingles looking to consistently make the right play and even Georges Niang and Derrick Favors producing when their names are called.
Chris Sheridan: The dark-horse team to watch going into the playoffs is the Atlanta Hawks, because they have needed an entire season to achieve some chemistry. They are a nifty mix of young and old, and Nate McMillan has them peaking at the right time. Their size will be a problem for every single team in the East.
Alex Kennedy: All season, the Miami Heat have dealt with injuries and COVID absences, so this team is much better than their record indicates. We just saw this same group shock everyone last year when they became the first No. 5 seed to advance to the NBA Finals. They have a terrific coach (Erik Spoelstra), multiple stars (Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler), solid depth and a terrific culture. James Posey <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-james-posey-as-long-as-pat-riley-is-in-the-picture-the-miami-heat-have-a-shot-nba-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently wrote about why you can never count out the Heat</a>, and I agree with the three-time NBA champion.
Kelsea O'Brien: Remember that guy at the beginning of the season who bet $10,000 on the Wizards winning the Finals (which would result in a $5 MILLION payout)? He&rsquo;s not looking so silly anymore.
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Imman Adan: Oddly enough, I&rsquo;m picking a team that might not even make the playoffs, but what they&rsquo;re doing right now is hard to ignore. The Washington Wizards have won 13 of their last 17 games. At the time of this writing, over their last 10 games, they have the second-best offensive rating in the league (120.1), while also boasting the league&rsquo;s fourth-best net rating (8.3). The Wizards have been fantastic on both sides of the ball, playing their best basketball of the year heading into the play-in tournament. With Bradley Beal&rsquo;s scoring tear and point-GOAT Russell Westbrook activated, they are not a team anyone should want to see come playoff time.
Ethan Fuller: A lot of people crossed Denver off their contender lists when Jamal Murray tore his ACL. That is a brutal loss, but I sort of think people are sleeping on the rest of this roster. Nikola Jokic is the MVP frontrunner right now, and Michael Porter Jr. has quietly become a menacing three-level scorer. They'll need him and the rest of an extremely deep supporting cast to replace what Murray did last postseason. The Nuggets are a year removed from a Western Conference Finals appearance, and I fully expect them to make serious noise again.
Jonathan Concool: The Denver Nuggets. Since losing Jamal Murray, the Nuggets have won six of their last seven (and 10 of 12), and Michael Porter Jr. has been playing the best basketball of his young career over the past few games. We all know what we are going to get from MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, but Denver has a real supporting cast behind the Joker, so don&rsquo;t overlook the Nuggets just because Murray is lost for the season. They can still make some noise this postseason.
Yasmin Duale: My dark-horse team come playoff time is the Golden State Warriors. It feels weird to say, but if we end up seeing Steph Curry face off against the LeBron-led Lakers in the play-in tournament, I can&rsquo;t really say with certainty who&rsquo;d come out on the other side. All it&rsquo;d take is one possessed performance from the greatest shooter of all-time to usher in some chaos.&nbsp;
Jannelle Moore: My dark-horse playoff team to watch is Boston. Yeah, they have underachieved this season, but you can&rsquo;t underrate their experience and don&rsquo;t count out the possibility that they'll gain momentum as the season closes.

Who is the dark-horse team to watch entering the NBA Playoffs? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who is the dark-horse team to watch entering the playoffs?

In BasketballNews.com's latest roundtable discussion, we asked our staff the following question:
Which active NBA player would make the best coach someday?
Nekias Duncan: I think it has to be Chris Paul. His IQ is insane, he&rsquo;s a tremendous leader, and he has plenty of experience calling out sets on both ends. Heck, he already runs camps. It should be a pretty easy transition for him, if he ever wants to do it.
Alex Kennedy: Every offseason, the NBA does <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2020-21-gmsurvey">an annual GM survey</a> where they ask executives a bunch of questions about the upcoming season, and they always ask this. Over the years, the GMs have made some good calls; for example, they correctly predicted that Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups could become solid coaches someday. This year, their pick was Chris Paul (who received 36% of votes). Rajon Rondo (29%) was their runner-up, followed by Udonis Haslem (7%) and Garrett Temple (7%). Paul is the obvious choice, but Haslem and Temple were the first names that popped into my head. Haslem has basically been a well-paid assistant coach on the Miami Heat in recent years, and players really respect him. Temple has an incredible basketball IQ and he&rsquo;s known for being a terrific leader, plus he has a ton of relationships with players, coaches and executives around the NBA. After Troy Brown Jr. was traded to the Chicago Bulls recently, Temple told me that he was excited to take Troy under his wing, sharing some veteran tips with him and working on his defensive angles. Haslem and Temple seem more likely to take on a coaching gig than Paul, but all three would probably thrive.
Spencer Davies: When you think of the great cerebral minds in this league, the first man that comes to mind is LeBron James. Seriously, just listen to him replay scenarios and situations that happened verbatim. However, he&rsquo;s already shot down the idea of any coaching future. Chris Paul is definitely up there, just for the sheer fact that he can process things mentally probably better than anybody else in the NBA. Harrison Barnes seems to fit the bill as well. Something that&rsquo;s pretty common, though, is players who aren&rsquo;t exactly in the spotlight nor have the flashiest numbers during their career turning into top-tier leaders on the sidelines. So because of that, I&rsquo;ll go with two role players who could be solid coaches: Garrett Temple and Matthew Dellavedova.
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Jonathan Concool: Knowing that the high-profile players usually don&rsquo;t pursue coaching in their post-playing career, I&rsquo;m going to go with Jared Dudley. The 35-year-old has played 14 seasons and is currently on the Los Angeles Lakers, though he is currently sidelined with a torn MCL. Even when healthy though, Dudley hasn&rsquo;t seen the floor much, as the value he provides goes beyond on-court statistics. The Lakers coaching staff has praised Dudley for the leadership and basketball knowledge he brings to the team, and I think he could transition to some sort of coaching role when he retires.
Moke Hamilton: Being successful as a coach is just as much about having the requisite personality traits as it is about knowing the game. This question is also really one that should be answered based on personal experiences with a player and/or having relationships with guys who have shared a locker room with him. So without knowing every player in the league well, for me, the answer is Ed Davis. Davis has never really been a household name, so to speak, but I got to know him well during his time in Toronto and Brooklyn. You never find him without his iPad mini. He&rsquo;s always studying. He&rsquo;s taken a number of younger players under his wing, and strikes an excellent balance between challenging guys and teaching them. Years ago, I recall one of his understudies telling me that Davis has everything he needs to be a head coach, and I second that sentiment. There&rsquo;s a reason he&rsquo;s always able to find a job in the league.
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Mark Gunnels: Give me Rajon Rondo. First he was groomed by the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen at an early age and now he's widely recognized as one of the best floor generals of this generation.&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: I think Kyle Lowry brings everything you could ask for in a potential NBA coach. He has loads of playoff experience, including a championship run, and has always shined the spotlight away from himself and made his teammates better. Lowry's energy and I.Q. have manifested on the court. I've also never heard a bad word about him as a person. He'd be an ideal mentor, tactician and leader once his playing days are over.
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Jannelle Moore: Draymond Green would make the best coach in the future because his approach to the game is so cerebral. Think of how he makes his impact. His attention to detail is incredible, and he knows exactly how to pick apart defenses with his playmaking and how to disrupt offenses. And he&rsquo;d be able to disseminate this information in a way that his players can comprehend.&nbsp;

Which active NBA player will make the best coach someday? Our BasketballNews.com staff weighs in.

Roundtable: Which active NBA player will make the best coach someday?

Prior to this year's NBA Trade Deadline, BasketballNews.com rounded up its writers and asked them to share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Thursday's flurry of moves. Over the next few days, we'll be dropping a number of these Roundtable articles. Today, we asked our staffers:&nbsp;
Which team is in desperate need of a trade?
Nekias Duncan: Though I have my doubts about a Kyle Lowry deal getting done, Toronto absolutely should opt to take a step back. This season has never really been fair to them: relocation, injuries, COVID. On the flip side, they&rsquo;re now presented with an opportunity to sell high on at least one of Lowry or Norman Powell, nab a high lottery pick, and retool for next season and beyond.
Spencer Davies: If your answer isn&rsquo;t the Boston Celtics here, you&rsquo;d be crazy. Understanding how much COVID protocols, the recovery process, injury and lineup inconsistencies have affected their season, there is no reason a team with two All-Stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown should have a sub-.500 record. Our Ethan Fuller <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-boston-celtics-ball-movement-problems-go-beyond-eye-test-jayson-tatum-jeff-teague-kemba-walker-brad-stevens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailed the issues in his latest breakdown</a> of the C's obsession with isolation offense; there&rsquo;s a lack of ball movement. Is there a player out there that fixes that issue alone? No. But a Harrison Barnes certainly wouldn&rsquo;t hurt, nor would a George Hill-type.
Alex Kennedy: After losing 12 of 14 games, the Toronto Raptors should be active before the deadline. They should get as much as they can for Kyle Lowry rather losing him for nothing this offseason when he hits unrestricted free agency. Also, Norman Powell is playing his way into a huge payday this offseason, so trading him now may be Toronto's best move (if they aren't interested in matching the offers he's bound to receive). The Boston Celtics are an obvious pick to shake things up, but Toronto stands out to me.
Chris Sheridan: Boston. The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are the East's biggest underachievers. In fact, nobody is a close second (thanks to Nate McMillan in Atlanta). They are one game under .500 and need someone who can give them what Gordon Hayward gave them a year ago. Kemba Walker has never been a great shooter, but 39 percent this season is not getting it done. I would not be surprised to see Danny Ainge trade him.
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Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;d probably say the Celtics. When I look at the standings, they strike me as being the biggest underachiever relative to the expectations, and while that can be partially explained by their injury misfortunes, they&rsquo;re simply too talented to be the eighth seed out East. Fortunately, the Celtics have some assets that they could package in an attempt to land an impact player... Hopefully, for their sake, they manage to do something that&rsquo;ll change their fortunes.
Ethan Fuller: Honestly, quite a few teams need to make a move, but I'd pick the Celtics as a standout team right now. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are certified young stars, yet this team hangs below .500 over halfway through the season. Danny Ainge has also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-boston-celtics-danny-ainge-our-roster-obviously-is-not-good" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly criticized the makeup of the roster</a>. Now he has to back up his criticisms and bring in better-fitting talent.
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Danny Cunningham: There are a few teams that come to mind. The Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics certainly qualify, but the Denver Nuggets look like a team that needs a bit more to reach the level they were able to get to last year during the playoffs. If the Nuggets are going to only go as far as Nikola Jokic can take them, the playoffs probably won&rsquo;t be as fun this year as they were in 2020.
Jannelle Moore: The Golden State Warriors are in desperate need for a trade for the present and their immediate future. They need help offensively to make a significant push to avoid the play-in tournament this year and to solidify depth next year. However, I don't believe they will do much (if anything at all) because of salary-cap constraints, and not to mention taking their time in finding players that will fit.
Jonathan Concool: The Boston Celtics have underachieved in just about every way this season; they currently sit at 21-22 on the season, which is tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are a year removed from being a top three-team in the conference, and with their roster not changing much from last season, there are a lot of questions surrounding the team. I expect Danny Ainge to be very active this week in trying to acquire a notable player like Aaron Gordon or Jerami Grant.
Sharon Brown: The Boston Celtics need a big rebounder to help them in the postseason. The Celtics received a $28.5 million Traded Player Exception when Gordon Hayward was traded to the Charlotte Hornets via a sign-and-trade. Nikola Vucevic from Orlando might be what they're missing (although the Orlando Magic may not be willing to part with him). Vooch is averaraging 24.6 points and 11.8 rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;
MORE ROUNDTABLES: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-will-this-be-an-active-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will this be an active trade deadline?</a> <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-who-is-the-biggest-name-that-will-be-moved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who's the biggest name that will be dealt?</a>

Which NBA team desperately needs to shake things up prior to Thursday's trade deadline? BasketballNews.com's staff weighs in.

NBA Trade Deadline Roundtable: Which team is in desperate need of a trade?

Prior to this year's NBA Trade Deadline, BasketballNews.com rounded up its writers and asked them to share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Thursday's flurry of moves. Over the next few days, we'll be dropping a number of these Roundtable articles. Today, we asked our staffers:&nbsp;
Who's the biggest name that will be traded?
Alex Kennedy: NBA executives are expecting mostly minor moves prior to the trade deadline since many big names already found new homes earlier this season (including James Harden, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Victor Oladipo and Blake Griffin). However, there are a few notable players who could be dealt. It remains to be seen if the Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers can pull off a trade for Kyle Lowry, which would easily be the biggest deal. If Lowry isn't moved, I believe Oladipo will get dealt for the second time this season and be the biggest name to change teams.
Nekias Duncan: The easy answer is Kyle Lowry, especially since there seems to be a lot more smoke around a Miami push. I just have this sneaking suspicion that this ends with Lowry staying put. So with that, I&rsquo;d say Aaron Gordon goes elsewhere. A lot of teams could use that blend of athleticism, finishing, short-roll passing and defensive versatility.
Chris Sheridan: It seems clear that the Houston Rockets have no choice but to turn Victor Oladipo into a rental. He was the centerpiece player that they got back for James Harden, but he clearly wants out. Rafael Stone has to become an auctioneer, basically, so that the rebuild can continue. Aaron Gordon is not necessarily a "big name," but he could be the biggest impact player for a contending team that needs one more piece. But an Oladipo trade seems more of a certainty than a Gordon trade.
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Spencer Davies: From what we understand, this will not be a trade deadline involving too many eye-popping talents on the move, so don&rsquo;t expect fireworks. Victor Oladipo and Kyle Lowry are the flashiest talents that come to mind, and their respective situations seem to be leading to a change of scenery. Andre Drummond is another player to look out for in this regard, as Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has a reputation for surprising us before the 3 p.m. ET buzzer. Let&rsquo;s remember that it would likely take a three-team deal in order for these three players to be moved with their salaries, though.&nbsp;
Jannelle Moore: At this point, it seems like the biggest names that will be moved are Aaron Gordon and Lonzo Ball. Gordon officially requested a trade, and the Boston Celtics are reportedly the front-runners to acquire him. Ball is another name to watch since rumors have been gaining significant traction.
Moke Hamilton: Like most others, I&rsquo;d probably bet on Victor Oladipo. The Rockets clearly aren&rsquo;t building around him, and he&rsquo;s probably going to command a hefty salary this summer when he hits free agency. Houston simply can&rsquo;t afford to lose a player of his caliber for nothing, so dealing him to a fringe contender who thinks he can be a part of the solution would make a lot of sense. Seeing Aaron Gordon and Lonzo Ball with new uniforms would make a ton of sense, as well, but Oladipo is probably the biggest name.
Jonathan Concool: Lonzo Ball. This New Orleans Pelicans team has way too much talent to be sitting six games under .500, and I think Ball will be the fall guy as the deadline approaches. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are clearly the franchise's cornerstone pieces, and having a guard like Lonzo on the team is only hurting them. The Pelicans will benefit with Nickeil Alexander-Walker starting at guard, allowing Ingram and Williamson to take up the ball more.
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Sharon Brown: Maybe Andre Drummond? The 27-year-old hasn't been on the floor for the Cavaliers since Feb. 12. However, he's still owed nearly $29 million this season. It remains to be seen which team can absorb that significant contract. However, plenty of teams could use his 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
Danny Cunningham: This question is essentially a different way of asking whether Kyle Lowry will be dealt, and I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s going to be leaving Toronto/Tampa prior the deadline. That means the answer here is going to be Victor Oladipo. It&rsquo;s hard to see the Rockets hanging onto him, and if all the rumors are thought to be true, it doesn&rsquo;t sound like they&rsquo;re very interested in keeping him either.
Ethan Fuller: I think Kyle Lowry is the most probable star on the move, simply given the state Toronto is in and the need for a stable veteran point guard. The Heat and 76ers have been linked to Lowry in reports, and both teams would benefit from bringing him aboard. It ultimately comes down to how much the Raptors feel they can surge back into the playoffs, because parting with Lowry would be difficult for the fans.

In this roundtable discussion, the BBN staff weighs in on the notable players who could be dealt prior to Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

NBA Trade Deadline Roundtable: Who's the biggest name that will be dealt?

Elgin Baylor, the Lakers&rsquo; 11-time NBA All-Star who soared through the 1960s with a high-scoring style of basketball that became the model for the modern player, died Monday. He was 86.
The Lakers announced that Baylor died of natural causes in Los Angeles with his wife, Elaine, and daughter Krystal by his side.
With a silky-smooth jumper and fluid athleticism, Baylor played a major role in revolutionizing basketball from a ground-bound sport into an aerial show. He spent parts of 14 seasons with the Lakers in Minneapolis and Los Angeles during his Hall of Fame career, teaming with Jerry West throughout the &rsquo;60s in one of the most potent tandems in basketball history.
&ldquo;Elgin was THE superstar of his era &mdash; his many accolades speak to that,&rdquo; Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement announcing Baylor's death.
Baylor&rsquo;s second career as a personnel executive with the woebegone Los Angeles Clippers was much less successful. He worked for the Clippers from 1986 until 2008, when he left the team with acrimony and an unsuccessful lawsuit against owner Donald Sterling and the NBA, alleging age and race discrimination.
The 6-foot-5 Baylor played in an era before significant television coverage of basketball, and little of his play was ever captured on film. His spectacular style is best remembered by those who saw it in person &mdash; including West, who once called him &ldquo;one of the most spectacular shooters the world has ever seen.&rdquo;
Baylor had an uncanny ability to hang in mid-air indefinitely, inventing shots along the way with his head bobbing. Years before Julius Erving and Michael Jordan became international superstars with their similarly acrobatic games, Baylor created the blueprint for the modern superstar.
Baylor soared above most of his contemporaries, but never won a championship or led the NBA in scoring largely because he played at the same time as centers Bill Russell, who won all the rings, and Wilt Chamberlain, who claimed all the scoring titles. Knee injuries hampered much of the second half of Baylor&rsquo;s career, although he remained a regular All-Star.
West and Baylor were the first pair in the long tradition of dynamic duos with the Lakers, followed by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980s before Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three more titles in the 2000s.
But Baylor&rsquo;s Lakers lost six times in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics and another time to the New York Knicks. Los Angeles won the 1971-72 title, but only after Baylor retired nine games into the season.
Baylor arrived in the NBA in 1958 as the No. 1 draft pick out of Seattle University. He immediately set new superlatives for individual scoring, with a 55-point game in his Rookie-of-the-Year season before scoring 64 on Nov. 8, 1959 &mdash; then the NBA single-game record, and the Lakers record for 45 years until Bryant broke it.
Baylor became the first NBA player to surpass 70 points with a 71-point game Dec. 11, 1960, against New York. Chamberlain set the record of 100 points in 1962.
Baylor averaged 38 points in the 1961-62 season despite doing active duty as an Army reservist. He scored 61 points in a playoff game against Boston in 1962, a record that would stand for 24 years until Jordan broke it.
Baylor averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds during his 14-year career. He scored a total of 23,149 points in 846 games, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May 1977.
Elgin Gay Baylor was born in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16, 1934. He was named after his father&rsquo;s favorite watch, an &ldquo;Elgin&rdquo; timepiece. Although he starred at two high schools, Baylor struggled academically and briefly dropped out, working in a furniture store and playing in local recreational leagues.
Baylor went to the College of Idaho because he was given a scholarship to play both basketball and football, but the school fired its basketball coach and cut several scholarships a year later. Baylor transferred to Seattle and played from 1956-58, averaging 31.3 points per game and leading the team to the 1958 NCAA championship game, where it lost to coach Adolph Rupp&rsquo;s Kentucky Wildcats.
The year before the Lakers persuaded Baylor to leave college a year early, the club was near bankruptcy after finishing 19-53, falling far since their glory years in the late &rsquo;40s and early &lsquo;50s in Minneapolis with center George Mikan.
Baylor transformed the franchise with his scoring and style. Minneapolis beat the Detroit Pistons and the defending champion St. Louis Hawks in the 1959 playoffs to make it to the NBA Finals, losing to the fledgling Celtics dynasty.
Baylor averaged 24.9 points, fourth in the league, and was third in rebounding with 15 a game. He was easily voted Rookie of the Year.
The Lakers moved west to Los Angeles in 1960, and Baylor became the centerpiece of their Hollywood revival. He averaged 34.8 points in the Lakers&rsquo; first season in Los Angeles, second in the league to Chamberlain.
Jerry West arrived from West Virginia in 1960, and they immediately clicked, averaging 69.1 combined points per game. Baylor played in only 48 games on weekend passes because his military service, but the Lakers still won the Western Conference by 11 games.
Baylor&rsquo;s 61-point performance against the Celtics in Game 5 of the finals put the Lakers ahead 3-2 in the series, but they lost to the Celtics in overtime in Game 7 &mdash; the pinnacle of the Lakers&rsquo; suffering at Boston&rsquo;s hands.
Frank Selvy missed a 10-foot jumper that would have won the game in regulation. In film of that moment, Baylor appears poised to get Selvy&rsquo;s rebound, then disappears from the screen. Baylor contended he was pushed out of bounds by Boston&rsquo;s Sam Jones.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt that was our championship,&rdquo; Baylor told the Riverside Press-Enterprise in 2000.
He never got closer to a ring.
The following season Baylor became the first to finish in the NBA&rsquo;s top five in four different statistical categories: scoring, rebounding, assists and free-throw percentage. The Lakers reached the finals again &mdash; and lost to the Celtics again.
Knee problems that began in the 1963-64 season started a slow decline for Baylor. He never averaged more than 30 points a season again, though he remained a competent scorer.
Baylor played his last full season in 1968-69, and suited up only sporadically until retiring at 37 in the fall of 1971.
Baylor&rsquo;s post-playing career never lived up to the magic of his on-court skills.
The expansion New Orleans Jazz hired him as an assistant coach for their debut season in 1974, and he eventually replaced Butch van Breda Kolff as coach during the 1976-77 season, going 86-135 in parts of three seasons. Pete Maravich&rsquo;s Jazz never made the playoffs, and Baylor resigned after the 1978-79 season.
In April 1986, the Clippers hired Baylor as their vice president for basketball operations. The Clippers made the playoffs in 1992 and 1993, but the franchise became the modern model of sports ineptitude for most of his tenure with poor drafting, indifferent fans and skinflint financial dealings.
Sterling largely was blamed for the franchise&rsquo;s ineptitude, while Baylor received both admiration for his tenacity and ricidule for his inability to fix the Clippers&rsquo; woes.
Their 22-year relationship ended abruptly in October 2008 when the club put coach Mike Dunleavy in charge of personnel decisions.
Baylor, then 74, filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Clippers, Sterling and the NBA in February 2009, alleging he was fired because of his age and race. Baylor also said the Clippers grossly underpaid him.
The Clippers denied the allegations and said Baylor had resigned voluntarily. A Los Angeles County jury unanimously ruled in the Clippers&rsquo; favor in March 2011, refusing to award any damages.
Besides his wife and daughter, Baylor is survived by a son and daughter, Alan and Alison, from a previous marriage, and sister Gladys Baylor Barrett.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Elgin Baylor: Forever part of our Lakers Family. <a href="https://t.co/zcRhVUSSmx">pic.twitter.com/zcRhVUSSmx</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1374064950767804422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

___
Baylor played 14 seasons in the NBA, all with the Lakers -- both in Minneapolis and Los Angeles -- making the All-Star Game 11 times and the All-NBA team 10 times. In his career he averaged 27.4 points per game and 13.5 rebounds. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977.
<a href="http://basketballnews.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNews.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-1849">BasketballNews.com</a> extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to Baylor's loved ones at this difficult time.

Baylor died from natural causes, according to the Lakers.

Allan