https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/bkn.png

Nets

French duo Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr have been selected as the top overall picks in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
Risacher, a 6-foot-10 wing out of France who played for French pro league team JL Bourg, has been selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks.&nbsp;
Sarr, a 7&rsquo;1 forward/center out of France who last played for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL in Australia, goes second overall to the Washington Wizards.
ANALYSIS: This is the second straight year that a player from France has been selected first overall in the NBA Draft after the San Antonio Spurs selected eventual Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama last year. This is also the first time a country outside the US has players picked No. 1 in back-to-back years (Canada in 2013 and 2014 with Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins).&nbsp;
Furthermore, with yet another French player picked in the top 6 in Tidjane Salaun going to the Charlotte Hornets, this likely signals a new French revolution era in the NBA with more and more players from France getting picked in the lottery and being significant contributors and building blocks in respective NBA teams.

French duo Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr were selected as the top overall picks in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

French duo Risacher, Sarr go 1-2 in 2024 NBA Draft

As an NBA fan, there's a special thrill in discovering diamonds in the rough who exceed all expectations relative to their draft slot.
The NBA Draft isn't an exact science, and there are many examples of prospects who slip through the cracks and become franchise-changing players.&nbsp;
Today, let's look back on some of the biggest draft steals in NBA history.
Nikola Jokic, No. 41 overall in 2014
Coming from Serbia, Nikola Jokic was relatively unknown entering the 2014 NBA Draft. When the Denver Nuggets snagged the versatile big man with the No. 41 overall pick, nobody could have expected him to become a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP and one of most skilled centers of all-time. Jokic is the lowest-drafted MVP in NBA history and it isn't close, since every other Most Valuable Player was a top-15 pick. Just to give you an idea of how overlooked Jokic was entering the NBA, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly wasn't asked a single question about Jokic during his post-draft press conference back in 2014. Every question from the assembled media was about Jusuf Nurkic or Gary Harris, causing Connelly to comment, "So, no one wants to ask about our second-round pick Nikola Jokic? We are really excited about him.&rdquo; Perhaps the lack of buzz was due to the fact that Jokic was selected during a Taco Bell commercial.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
As the broadcast mentioned, Nikola Jokic was the No. 41 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. But let&rsquo;s not forget that Jokic was selected during a Taco Bell commercial. 😅 <a href="https://t.co/m8zm1kxZDt">pic.twitter.com/m8zm1kxZDt</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1667343901374521347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Giannis Antetokounmpo, No. 15 overall in 2013
Entering the 2013 NBA Draft, there was a bit of buzz about Giannis Antetokounmpo given his length and athleticism, but he was incredibly raw. Some scouts and executives had seen him play overseas, but the competition was deemed to be weak. Nobody knew what to expect from the young, lanky project from Greece. The Milwaukee Bucks decided to draft him with the No. 15 overall pick, and their gamble paid off spectacularly. Antetokounmpo developed into a generational talent, winning multiple MVP awards and leading the Bucks to their first NBA championship in decades. What makes Giannis slipping to No. 15 look even worse is the fact that many players who went ahead of him ultimately struggled, including Anthony Bennett (No. 1), Cody Zeller (No. 4), Alex Len (No. 5), Nerlens Noel (No. 6), Ben McLemore (No. 7), Trey Burke (No. 9), Michael Carter-Williams (No. 10) and Shabazz Muhammad (No. 14).
Kobe Bryant, No. 13 overall in 1996
In 1996, the Charlotte Hornets selected a teenage Kobe Bryant with the 13th pick and immediately traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. This move was undoubtedly one of the biggest draft blunders in NBA history, as Bryant became one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. His work ethic, talent and competitive spirit allowed him to become a five-time NBA champion, an NBA MVP and one of the game's all-time greats. While <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 1996 NBA Draft was loaded</a>, players like Todd Fuller, Samaki Walker and Vitaly Potapenko had no business being drafted before Kobe. It's worth noting that Bryant was the first guard to enter the NBA straight out of high school, which scared some teams off.
Draymond Green, No. 35 overall in 2012
Draymond Green slipped to the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft because he was viewed as a "tweener" without a clear-cut position. However, Green's success helped eradicate that term, as teams started seeing the value in versatile players who could fill multiple roles. Green's defensive prowess and basketball IQ have been instrumental during the Golden State Warriors' dynastic run. With his fiery leadership and two-way impact, Draymond is widely regarded as the Warriors' heart and soul. Also, his resume is incredible: four NBA championships, a Defensive Player of the Year award, four All-Star appearances, two All-NBA selections and eight All-Defensive Team nods.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/1232313350-0.jpg" alt="" width="743" height="447" />
Kawhi Leonard, No. 15 overall in 2011
One of the most shocking storylines during the 2011 NBA Draft was Kawhi Leonard slipping outside of the lottery. Finally, the Indiana Pacers drafted Leonard with the 15th overall pick and quickly traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill. It didn't take long for Leonard to make the teams that passed on him look foolish. Right away, Leonard made an impact with his lockdown defense and improved jumpshot. He played a huge role in the Spurs' 2014 title, taking home the Finals MVP award. Leonard just kept getting better and better until it became clear that he was a superstar and one of the game's most dominant two-way threats. Now, he's a two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-NBA selection, as well as a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
Manu Ginobili, No. 57 overall in 1999
Manu Ginobili spent the first few years of his career playing overseas, where he was very successful. While he was drafted with the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, Ginobili would ultimately remain abroad until the 2002-03 NBA season when he finally joined the Spurs as a 25-year-old. Ginobili's fearless style of play and exceptional basketball IQ turned him into a key cog in the Spurs' dynasty. Ginobili became a four-time NBA champion, an Olympic goal medalist, a Sixth Man of the Year and a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Not bad for someone who was nearly Mr. Irrelevant!
Isaiah Thomas, No. 60 overall in 2011
Speaking of Mr. Irrelevant, Isaiah Thomas was the 60th and final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Thomas thrived in Sacramento and had a brief stint in Phoenix, but he played his best basketball in Boston. At the height of his stint with the Celtics, Thomas averaged nearly 30 points per game &ndash; becoming a two-time All-Star and a fan favorite. Thomas is the ultimate underdog, from his draft-day story to his 5-foot-9 frame. Thomas proved his doubters wrong and became one of the league's most exciting scorers before injuries impacted his game.
Gilbert Arenas, No. 31 overall in 2001
Gilbert Arenas slipped to the 31st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, where he was ultimately selected by the Golden State Warriors. Despite slipping into the second round, Arenas' terrific scoring ability allowed him to become one of the most exciting guards of his era. His time with the Wizards was particularly memorable, as "Agent Zero" was a three-time All-Star during his stint in Washington. It's worth noting that Arenas played so well as a second-rounder that the NBA added <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/03/hoops-rumors-glossary-gilbert-arenas-provision-4.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Gilbert Arenas Provision</a> in the CBA, which made it easier for teams to keep talented second-rounders or undrafted players who hit restricted free agency after breaking out.
Steve Nash, No. 15 overall in 1996
Selected with the 15th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash was not an immediate superstar. However, with his exceptional court vision and terrific work ethic, he transformed himself into one of the most skilled point guards of his generation. While leading the Suns' high-octane offense, Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. In addition to being a two-time NBA MVP, Nash would become an eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, five-time assist champion, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

Alex Kennedy looks back on some of the biggest draft steals in NBA history, including Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and more.

Hidden gems: Examining the 9 biggest draft steals in NBA history

The Oklahoma City Thunder came out of last Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the night&rsquo;s runner-up, taking home the No. 2 overall pick.&nbsp;
The Thunder have never received the first-overall pick in their franchise history, which technically goes back to 1967 when they were still the Seattle Supersonics. They have selected second on two occasions though, and both worked out really well (Kevin Durant in 2007 and Gary Payton in 1990).
The Thunder have a war-chest of draft picks in the coming years, but those picks are meaningless if they don&rsquo;t select a franchise-altering talent. Fortunately, the No. 2 pick should provide an opportunity to do so. The 2022 draft class features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects, including Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All three have their pros and cons, but adding any of them to the existing core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey should work out beautifully.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder made six selections, but they traded three of those players. They added Giddey (who was named to the 2021-22 All-Rookie Second Team), Tre Mann and Aaron Wiggins &ndash; none of whom are bigs. The Thunder did trade for a seven-footer in the 2020 draft (Aleksej Pokusevski), but he&rsquo;s still extremely raw and is not the same caliber of player as the top-three prospects.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done through the scouting process to effectively evaluate all three of this draft's most-coveted prospects, but a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals a murkier history than one might assume. After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-the-success-of-teams-selecting-first-in-the-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft</a> last week, let's look at how recent No. 2 overall picks have fared.&nbsp;
2012 NBA Draft: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
The Hornets bombed with the second pick in 2012. Kidd-Gilchrist had a fine career, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game across eight seasons in the NBA. The thing is, Bradley Beal was selected third and Damian Lillard was selected fifth, and both of those guys are All-NBA-caliber players annually. Comparatively, that&rsquo;s a huge miss for Charlotte.
Verdict: Failure.
2013 NBA Draft: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
The Cavaliers certainly surprised many of us by picking Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick, but the Magic stuck to the script. Oladipo was universally seen as a top-three player in this draft, and he became the second-best player in the class before knee and quad injuries derailed his career.
As much as injuries have robbed much of what Oladipo was, he is still an intriguing player, and he&rsquo;ll probably command some decent free-agent offers this offseason. Obiously, CJ McCollumn (selected 10th) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (selected 15th) are better players, but neither was being considered by the Magic. Considering that Oladipo is a two-time All-Star, an All-Defensive selection and a one-time All-NBA selection, I&rsquo;d say the Magic did a fine job in picking Oladipo.
Verdict: Success
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H5-mCm7rAds" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
2014 NBA Draft: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
The 2014 draft was a weird one. Neither the first nor the second pick ended up being the best player from this draft class. Andrew Wiggins found a good role, even if he is far less successful than most thought he&rsquo;d be, but Jabari Parker really underwhelmed. Granted, Parker stuck around in the league for eight seasons, including some of the current one, but his career simply never materialized even if it&rsquo;s not his (nor Milwaukee&rsquo;s) fault.
Parker tore his ACL twice. He looked like he was becoming a pretty darn good player (even if he was a defensive liability) before the second ACL injury, averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2016-17. However good Parker could have been, the fact of the matter is that Joel Embiid was intriguing enough as of draft night to be taken one pick later, and that stings.
Verdict: Failure
2015 NBA Draft: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Here&rsquo;s an instance where a player actually was worth a top-three pick. The problem is that the Lakers had the second pick, and there&rsquo;s a big difference between Karl-Anthony Towns or Devin Booker and Russell. Making matters worse, the Lakers sent Russell to Brooklyn before he matured. His immaturity was part of the reason he was traded, but that doesn&rsquo;t change the fact that the Lakers picked him and moved on very quickly. Russell may or may not end up being a franchise-altering talent, but he hasn&rsquo;t realized his full potential yet, and he clearly won&rsquo;t do so for the Lakers.
Verdict: Failure
2016 NBA Draft: Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
Ingram is one of the best No. 2 picks in the last 10 drafts. He&rsquo;s a true number one option on a playoff team, a career 18.5 points-per-game scorer and a one-time All-Star. It&rsquo;s debatable that Jaylen Brown (selected third) and/or Jamal Murray (selected seventh) are as good or better players, but both have played alongside more talented teammates throughout their careers.
Ingram has been the best player on the New Orleans Pelicans for a few years now, and we shouldn&rsquo;t take for granted the fact that Ingram led a playoff team this season. Sure, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t cash in on him specifically, but he was part of the package that led to Anthony Davis landing in Los Angeles. So, it worked out for them too.
Verdict: Success
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
2017 NBA Draft: Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers picked second overall again in 2017. They weren&rsquo;t as successful this time around. First, there&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum to consider. Tatum was selected third and is the best player in the 2017 draft class. Being selected by the Lakers wouldn&rsquo;t have changed that, and that should be enough. But there&rsquo;s also Ball&rsquo;s rough shooting mechanics to consider. Sure, he&rsquo;s grown into a good shooter, but the Lakers didn&rsquo;t benefit from that. It&rsquo;s hard to categorize Ball&rsquo;s selection as an outright failure because like Ingram, he helped facilitate Davis to the Lakers. Still, it's tough to classify his selection a success.
Verdict: Push
2018 NBA Draft: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
Bagley might be the worst second pick in the last 10 years. The 2018 NBA Draft will forever be remembered as the Luka Doncic class. The Kings could have drafted Doncic, as he was still on the board, but they chose to go with Bagley instead. Bagley isn&rsquo;t even on the Kings any longer, and his time in Sacramento was not memorable.
Bagley is a sub-par defender and three-point shooter. He&rsquo;s scored the ball at a decent pace, averaging 19.5 points per-36 minutes, but he&rsquo;s never earned a big enough role to demonstrate what he can really do, and he&rsquo;s exclusively been on losing teams. Comparatively, Doncic and Trae Young (selected No. 5 in 2018) have turned their franchises around.
Verdict: Failure
2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Ingram was the best second pick in the last 10 years, until 2019. Morant stole that made-up accolade almost immediately in his rookie season. The thing is, the 2019 NBA Draft was supposed to be all about Zion Williamson. However, unlike Williamson, Morant has backed up all the hype and then some. So, while Williamson has dealt with injuries for much of his young career, Morant has brazenly become the face of his draft class.
Morant is drawing comparisons to numerous superstars, and he was named to the 2021-22 All-NBA Second Team. No one selected after him comes close to making the Grizzlies think twice about their decision.
Verdict: HUGE success
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/928PEn9h-J0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
2020 NBA Draft: James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
Unlike his brother Lonzo, LaMelo Ball was deserving of the second pick in 2020. Instead, the Golden State Warriors went with James Wiseman, though the logic behind the pick is clear, even in retrospect. The Warriors already had two All-NBA guards. The thing is, Jordan Poole looks pretty good alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, doesn&rsquo;t he? So, it&rsquo;s feasible to assume that Ball would have fit too.
After two seasons, Ball is a significantly better player, but he&rsquo;s also had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate that fact. Wiseman has had terrible health-related luck. He played in 39 of the Warriors' first 53 games in 2020-21, but he tore his meniscus in Golden State&rsquo;s 53rd&nbsp;game of the season and hasn&rsquo;t been seen since. Wiseman could still be a serious contributor, as his per-36 numbers were impressive for a rookie (19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 assists on .542/.316/.628 shooting). This is one we&rsquo;ll have to continue monitoring.
Verdict: Unclear
2021 NBA Draft: Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
Basing the success of a pick on only a rookie season is tough. Green posted an impressive rookie campaign, but his defensive deficiencies were clear. That&rsquo;s an understandable flaw for a rookie. Green was the assumed second-best player in the class. Having the luxury of hindsight, we now know that Scottie Barnes (selected fourth) and Evan Mobley (selected third) translated to the NBA incredibly well. But wing scorers have a tougher time making the jump, as they must shoot deeper three-pointers and compete against far more athletic competition. Green&rsquo;s floor may be lower than that of Barnes and Mobley, but I'd argue that his ceiling is still higher. Let&rsquo;s give him a little more time.
Verdict: Unclear&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the second overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just three times (2013, 2016 and 2019).&nbsp;
A deeper examination of No. 2 overall picks reveals a limited number of franchise-altering talents. For every Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Earl Monroe and Bill Russell, there are a number of players who didn't live up to expectations. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 2 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction. Either way, No. 2 hasn&rsquo;t produced as many all-time greats as you might expect, but there have been quite a few significant contributors.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Oklahoma City will pick No. 2 in the 2022 draft. A look back at the last 10 drafts reveals that there are no guarantees for No. 2 picks.

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 2 in the NBA Draft

The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the big winners, winning the No. 1 overall pick for the fourth time in franchise history.
Winning the lottery is a big deal for any team, as it gives them a tremendous opportunity to add an elite young talent. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 draft class</a> features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects who have already adequately separated themselves from the other top youngsters. Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero are easily the most electrifying players in the 2022 class.
All three of these prospects are versatile big men, which is a role that the Magic would be well-served in addressing. Orlando had two lottery picks in 2021, which they used on Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs and Michigan small forward Franz Wagner. If the Magic add a big man who grows into a superstar, their roster will be mostly set for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the allure of prospects wears off almost immediately after the draft. Ignoring the scouting process and all the work that goes into prosect evaluation, a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals that first-overall picks are far from the sure things we make them out to be:
2012 NBA Draft: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Ten years ago, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick. Davis grew into a superstar quickly, and his impact on the Pelicans was clear almost immediately. He led the Pelicans to the playoffs twice, in 2014-15 and 2017-18. The 2017-18 team was particularly good, winning 48 games in the regular season with a core of Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday. Cousins&rsquo; injury played a major role in Davis departing the Pelicans, as New Orleans failed to replace Davis&rsquo; friend and running mate. Had Cousins stayed healthy, who knows how good New Orleans could have been?
Still, Davis is clearly a great player who was absolutely worthy of the No. 1 pick. He has become an eight-time All-Star and earned a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Davis helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship in 2020, and he has career averages 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds 2.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Verdict: Success, although not necessarily for New Orleans.
2013 NBA Draft: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers 2014 NBA Draft: Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland Cavaliers 
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked first overall in 2013 and 2014. The strange thing about both picks is that neither Anthony Bennett nor Andrew Wiggins made an impact in Cleveland. Both were sent to Minnesota in a package for Kevin Love. Bennett played one uneventful season with the Cavaliers, and Wiggins was sent out prior to the start of his rookie season. So, which team do we assess? Cleveland or Minnesota? Let&rsquo;s review both.
Technically, getting two consecutive first overall picks and trading them to the Timberwolves helped Cleveland win their first championship in franchise history. That&rsquo;s a big win for the Cavaliers, even if it cost them both players. Cleveland&rsquo;s championship was more so a product of LeBron James (and Kyrie Irving to a lesser extent), but Love was impactful and the trade worked out.
Conversely, Minnesota did not fare well with Wiggins and Bennett. They qualified for the playoffs only once in Wiggins&rsquo; five-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota, and Bennett was off the team after only one season. Wiggins seems to have found a home in Golden State, but he's the team&rsquo;s fourth-best player, which is not what most people expect from No. 1 picks (especially one with Wiggins' hype).
Verdict: Both are failures relative to expectations, but Wiggins has become a significant contributor.
2015 NBA Draft: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Speaking of Minnesota, they fared so poorly following the aforementioned Love-for-Wiggins-and-Bennett trade that they received the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. Yes, that means they technically had the first overall picks from three consecutive drafts on their roster, at least for a short period of time.
The pick in 2015 turned out to be Karl-Anthony Towns, who has now played seven seasons in Minnesota. Until recently, the Timberwolves' front office failed to surround him with the talent needed to compete. Towns has led Minnesota to the playoffs only twice, but regardless how one views the lack of team success, Towns was a good pick. He's a career 20-and-10 guy who shoots an unbelievable 40% from three-point range. The 26-year-old is a perfect big man for today's NBA.
Verdict: The Towns pick is a relative success.
2016 NBA Draft: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft: Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers
We can&rsquo;t really discuss the first overall picks of the past 10 seasons without diving into Sam Hinke&rsquo;s Philadelphia 76ers. Hinke led the &ldquo;Trust the Process&rdquo; 76ers from 2013-2016, during which time he received significant scorn from the NBA, media and basketball purists who felt he was cheapening the game by blatantly losing to increase the odds of being awarded the first overall pick.
Thoughts on Hinke&rsquo;s philosophy aside, he picked first overall in two consecutive seasons. Philadelphia won the draft lottery in 2016, selecting Ben Simmons. Then, they traded up to No. 1 overall in 2017 to nab the rights to Markelle Fultz.
Neither Simmons nor Fultz fulfilled their potential in Philadelphia. Fultz had a misdiagnosed shoulder injury, which resulted in an awkward shooting motion. After two sub-par seasons in Philadelphia, he was traded to Orlando, where he&rsquo;s played better but still nowhere near what's expected from a No. 1 pick.
Simmons was better for the 76ers, co-leading them to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. But Simmons&rsquo; time in Philadelphia ended infamously last season, culminating with him forcing his way to Brooklyn after a lengthy holdout.
Verdict: Degrees of failure, though Fultz was considerably more disappointing than Simmons. At least Simmons became a three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.
2018 NBA Draft: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns picked first in the 2018 NBA Draft, which is another strange case. Objectively, Deandre Ayton is a major piece on Phoenix&rsquo;s roster. In his fourth NBA season, he averaged an impressive 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Can we really analyze players in a vacuum though? Ayton was picked a few selections before Luka Doncic, who received serious first-overall-pick buzz that June. Imagine if the Suns had paired Doncic with Devin Booker? Like the Rockets and Trail Blazers both did in 1984, the Suns simply overthought this one.
2018 is too recent to accurately judge the long-term impact of this pick. Ayton could very possibly end up being a major contributor on a championship team. Still, this is a push at best, and if he ends up signing elsewhere this offseason, that makes the Ayton selection look even worse.
Verdict: Who the hell knows?
2019 NBA Draft: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans also picked first overall in 2019, selecting the electric athlete, Zion Williamson, who is the toughest first pick to grade in the last 10 years. In his lone injury-free season, he averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 62% on two-point attempts.
But injuries make it far more difficult to grade him. Williamson has played in only 85 of a possible 202 career games, missing the entire 2021-22 season.
Verdict: Time will tell.
2020 NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is experiencing a major resurgence, and the credit belongs to Towns and the 2020 first overall pick Anthony Edwards. Edwards had a good rookie season, but he exploded in his sophomore campaign.
This season, he helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs, averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 44.1/35.7/78.6 shooting splits. In the postseason, he took his game to another level, contributing 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.8 threes, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks on 45.5/40.4/82.4 shooting splits.
Verdict: After only two seasons, Edwards looks like a huge win for Minnesota.
2021 NBA Draft: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Last but not least, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham first overall in 2021. Despite playing alongside less talent than most of his peers, Cunningham's rookie campaign was successful. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds, was named a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection and placed third in Rookie of the Year voting.
One season is too small of a sample size to grade a young player, but Cunningham looks like the absolute right pick.
Verdict: Success (so far).&nbsp; &nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the first overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just four times (2012, 2015, 2020 and 2021). He has been a complete dud twice (2013 and 2017), a good player twice (2014 and 2018), a malcontent once (2016) and an injury-prone player once (2019). Five of the last 10 first picks were traded too. If Ayton is allowed to leave this offseason, then six of the last 10 are no longer with the team that drafted them, erasing the benefit of player development.
For every franchise-changing No. 1 overall pick &mdash; such as LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; there are a handful of players who didn't work out in the long run. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 1 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery with the first overall pick. How successful does history suggest they will be?

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft

The 2021-22 season wasn&rsquo;t supposed to end this way for the Phoenix Suns... not even close. After a shocking exit in the Western Conference semifinals, where do the Suns turn now? With how well-built Phoenix&rsquo;s roster is, there actually aren&rsquo;t many holes. However, the potential domino effects are franchise-altering and there are a number of different directions the team may go.
The future of Deandre Ayton is now <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/uncertain-future-of-deandre-ayton-becomes-top-topic-for-suns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murkier than expected</a> following Phoenix's shocking Game 7 blowout defeat on its home court against the Dallas Mavericks. Ayton only played 17 minutes, which included a verbal skirmish with Suns head coach Monty Williams.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s internal,&rdquo; Williams said of why Ayton was benched in Game 7.
Ayton will be a restricted free agent after the Suns decided not to extend a five-year, rookie-scale max offer his way before the regular season began. He was the NBA's first No. 1 pick since Anthony Bennett to not sign a contract extension before entering the final year of his rookie deal.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
There&rsquo;s a potentially awkward dynamic on the horizon between Ayton and the Suns. Ayton wants the highest possible dollar amount, but Phoenix&rsquo;s stance at this point is unknown. ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in October that the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player who deserved a five-year contract. Is it possible that the Suns&rsquo; stance has changed after Ayton&rsquo;s 2021-22 campaign?
Suns general manager James Jones said Wednesday during his season-ending press conference that the team's main theme will be continuity, foreshadowing the likelihood of Phoenix running it all back with a core that set a new franchise record for wins.
&ldquo;We want to continue to keep our consistency, our continuity,&rdquo; Jones said.
Robert Sarver, the Suns' owner since 2004, also spoke on-record recently to BasketballNews.com about Ayton&rsquo;s future in Phoenix. It sure feels like Phoenix values the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, but at what cost?
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s so divisive here,&rdquo; Sarver told BasketballNews.com last month. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s shown that he&rsquo;s improved each year, helps us on both the defense and the offense. I think offensively, you see this year he&rsquo;s taken another good step in terms of his touch and his ability to score around the basket. So, he&rsquo;s been a key part of what we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Whichever direction the Suns decide to go with Ayton will have a significant impact on this offseason. It could be relatively boring summer in the Valley, or Ayton&rsquo;s value could be parlayed into going all-out for a superstar.
Expect to see the Suns let Ayton test the open market in July. If he receives a max offer sheet, that&rsquo;s when the clock officially begins to tick on how explosive Phoenix&rsquo;s plans could become.
Another housekeeping note for Phoenix related to contracts is a massive one set to be signed this summer. Once Devin Booker officially is announced on an All-NBA team, he will become eligible for a four-year, $211 million supermax contract. It&rsquo;s an easy decision for Booker and the Suns, so a hefty new contract for Booker will keep him in Phoenix through at least 2027-28.
2022-23: $33.8 million
2023-24: $36.0 million
2024-25: $47.1 million
2025-26: $50.9 million
2026-27: $54.7 million
2027-28: $58.5 million
Add in the Ayton situation on top of a looming Booker supermax, and Phoenix is ready to fully commit to paying deep into the luxury tax. Don&rsquo;t forget that Cameron Johnson is another significant piece to the puzzle for Phoenix and he could be signing his own extension this summer that keeps him in Phoenix long-term through his prime years.
Running it back with this core feels like the route that will be traveled, and you can't blame the Suns for that line of thinking considering their immense success over the last two seasons after toiling in obscurity.
&ldquo;As your team improves, typically your payroll increases,&rdquo; Jones said Wednesday when asked about potential luxury-tax issues.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eYJBdaBM-c8" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
As mentioned, this builds upon what Sarver already confirmed to BasketballNews.com last month. For the first time since 2009-10, Phoenix will be paying the luxury tax and continue to do so for the next few years, too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we&rsquo;re a market that can be in it for 10 years in a row, but when you get to a certain level where you have a chance to compete and you&rsquo;re a top-four, top-six, top-eight team, [you pay it],&rdquo; Sarver said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re at that level where you have a legitimate chance to compete &mdash; get to your Conference Finals and maybe win a championship &mdash; then I think you go in the tax; you pay and you do what you gotta do.&rdquo;
Committing to being a full-time tax team is a huge change of pace from years past for the Suns, but the time is now to compete for their first NBA title.
Outside of the contractual angles that cloud the current in Phoenix, what moves need to be made in order to improve their roster?
After witnessing the failures behind Chris Paul and Booker in the backcourt &mdash; mainly from backup point guard Cameron Payne, who finished the postseason with a ghastly 35.2% True Shooting percentage &mdash; finding more creators is of the utmost importance.
The Suns had a golden opportunity at the trade deadline to acquire Eric Gordon, but haggling over a future first-round draft pick ended those discussions. It&rsquo;s hard to deny how much a player like Gordon would&rsquo;ve helped Phoenix&rsquo;s offense when it began to sink against Dallas. If the Suns had a competent starting-level third guard, there&rsquo;s a good chance they'd be playing the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals instead of the Mavericks.
Whether it be signing a free agent or utilizing the trade market, some potentially available backup guard options who could help Phoenix immediately include: Jordan Clarkson (trade), Eric Gordon (trade), Derrick Rose (trade), Terrence Ross (trade), Ricky Rubio, Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones, Delon Wright and Goran Dragic.
The Suns&rsquo; roster is already filled with quality depth pieces, but how can this team take the next step? Will Ayton be part of their long-term vision alongside Booker and Mikal Bridges? Can the Suns take advantage of their flexibility with $30-plus million in expiring contracts? Is star-hunting actually in the cards?
Following one of the most disappointing playoff performances in recent memory, how the Suns respond moving forward will show how resilient this group truly is.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

After a shocking postseason exit for the Suns, what's next ahead? Evan Sidery previews an interesting offseason ahead.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Phoenix Suns?

If you&rsquo;ve been overly consumed with the NBA and college basketball, are locked into other things in the world, or mainly come here for film stuff and have no idea who I am or what this is about to be, then welcome to the biggest international fiesta on BasketballNews.com!
There&rsquo;s only one window left in Round 1 of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, but a bunch of countries have already punched their tickets to the next phase this past week. That means your ancestors might be somewhere between thrilled or pissed depending on how the squad from your homeland performed.
To briefly reiterate, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/things-to-monitor-as-the-next-fiba-world-cups-next-qualifying-window-arrives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in case you missed it</a>: this past week was the second window of FIBA World Cup qualifiers for men&rsquo;s basketball. The qualifying windows run through February 2023, which will determine the 32 qualified teams competing in next summer&rsquo;s World Cup. These six qualifying windows are split into two rounds &mdash; three windows each &mdash; the first of which concludes this coming June and July. Now, you&rsquo;ll see why so many teams have qualified to Round 2 automatically.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Americas Region 
Automatically Advancing: Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Canada, Dominican Republic, United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico&nbsp;
Already Eliminated: Cuba
Group A: World No. 17 Venezuela, who's seen recent international success with appearances in the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2019 World Cup, is off to a 4-0 start in qualifying. Venezuela notably defeated world No. 7 Argentina 71-58 in Buenos Aires, and is likely en route to another World Cup bid if their play continues. Panama, who is No. 50, nearly defeated Argentina as well, losing just 65-58 in Buenos Aires, and were leading 51-49 heading into the third quarter. Panama is 1-3, though, after blowing out Paraguay 81-59, the closest Paraguay kept any game in qualifiers so far. You probably know where this is going &hellip;
Group B: Similar to Group A, Brazil at 4-0 and Uruguay at 3-1, are atop the table and will advance to Round 2. No. 15 Brazil is one of the mainstays of the Americas, having qualified for every World Cup since 1950, which includes two gold medals in 1959 and 1963. Brazil has a +115 point-differential and hasn&rsquo;t had a victory by fewer than 19 points. Uruguay, who is No. 41, hasn&rsquo;t qualified for the World Cup since 1986 after fairly regularly competing at the level from the 1950s through 1980s. 1-3 Chile will compete with 0-4 Colombia for the last spot.
Group C: With an excess of NBA talent eligible if they were to qualify for the World Cup and Olympics, No. 18 Canada is off to a strong 4-0 start, led by names you&rsquo;ll recognize, like Kyle Wiltjer, Kyle Alexander and Anthony Bennett (yup, that one). Canada, as talented as they&rsquo;ve been, finished 21st in the 2019 World Cup, didn&rsquo;t qualify for 2014, finished 22nd in 2010 and didn&rsquo;t qualify in 2006. In that same vein, they&rsquo;ve been Olympic sober since their 2000 appearance. Otherwise, in this group, the Dominican Republic is 3-1, with their only loss being 85-79 to Canada, and still have a +85 point differential because of their one blowout win over the Bahamas, and two wide victories over the 0-4 Virgin Islands. The Bahamas, who defeated the Virgin Islands, now have two World Cup qualifying wins ever, and have a pathway to Round 2.
Group D: Team USA and Mexico are both 3-1, but Team USA avenged their November loss to Mexico with a 89-67 blowout win in Washington D.C., giving them a +35 point differential, thanks to the Joe Johnson-led group from February. Because Team USA is No. 1, Mexico&rsquo;s No. 24 ranking shouldn&rsquo;t take much of a hit given how they&rsquo;ve overachieved so far. Puerto Rico, who is 2-2, automatically moves on due to both their wins coming against Cuba. Puerto Rico also has a narrow 90-86 loss to Mexico from November, and are the only team in this group who has not yet played a home game. All of the November games were in Mexico, while Cuba and the United States only played home games last week. If the July games are held in, for example, San Juan, Puerto Rico will host the United States and Mexico in an effort to move up the standings.
(I&rsquo;m Puerto Rican, so you&rsquo;re getting our highlights.)
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QHmYd6ZNkGc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers">MORE INFO ON THE AMERICAS REGION</a>
African Region 
No one in the African Region has officially moved on yet because everyone&rsquo;s played three games, meaning everyone has three more. That said, the best story coming out of the second window &mdash; maybe in the entire qualifying pool &mdash; is South Sudan.
Group B: A few months ago, South Sudan was ranked No. 94 in the world, and moved up to No. 82 on the most recent early December poll reveal. In three games in as many days, they handled No. 84 Rwanda 68-56, shocked 2021 AfroBasket champions and world No. 28 Tunisia &mdash; the second highest-ranked team in the African region &mdash; 72-64, then outlasted Cameroon 74-68, holding a firm lead in Group B as one of two African teams to go undefeated last week.
(The other is Group C&rsquo;s Cote d'Ivoire, but Group C didn&rsquo;t play in this window and will return in July.)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
One of the best moments you'll see all day. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://t.co/XwZCjUxYLD">https://t.co/XwZCjUxYLD</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1497655417303973891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

South Sudan finished seventh in AfroBasket in 2021, and have not yet qualified for a World Cup since joining FIBA in 2013.
Group D: The only others to play in this window, featuring Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Kenya. Senegal, DR Congo and Egypt are all 2-1. Senegal beat Egypt and Kenya but lost to DR Congo. DR Congo overcame Kenya and Senegal but were defeated by Egypt. And Egypt won against Kenya and DR Congo but lost to Senegal. Thankfully, they can figure out all that in July&hellip;
Among the 2-1 teams in Group D, only Senegal qualified in the 2019 World Cup, who went 0-3 in group play and finished 30th in the final standings.
<a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/african-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MORE INFO ON THE AFRICAN REGION</a>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Asian Region 
Automatically Advancing: New Zealand, Philippines, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Iran, Japan
Disqualified: South Korea 
Group A: In last week&rsquo;s update, it was noted that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/amp/joe-johnsons-beautiful-game-and-more-fiba-friday-notes-from-world-cup-qualifiers">South Korea forfeited a game due to COVID-19 cases</a>, and they <a href="https://sports.inquirer.net/453043/south-korea-appeal-on-fiba-world-cup-qualifying-forfeiture-denied-report">have since been disqualified</a>, meaning New Zealand and India will instantly move on from Group A, as well as the Philippines &mdash; but they&rsquo;re in anyway as World Cup hosts. They&rsquo;re all just playing for position in June and July. It also makes South Korea officially the first 2019 World Cup participant that&rsquo;ll miss the 2023 tournament. Currently, after defeating India 101-46 and 95-60, also beating the Philippines 88-63, New Zealand has a stranglehold on first place, with only a game against the Philippines remaining.
Group B: Australia marched out to a 3-0 record with wins over Japan, China and Chinese Taipei all of which were by at least 16 points. China, who is 2-0 after beating Japan twice, will challenge Australia for first place in June, where they&rsquo;re scheduled to face off twice. Japan is currently 1-3, only having beaten Chinese Taipei by five &mdash;in a game that was held in Japan &mdash; so they&rsquo;ll duke it out for the final spot in the group that&rsquo;ll make Round 2. Regardless, Japan is one of the host countries for the World Cup, so they&rsquo;ll automatically qualify.
Group C: Jordan and Lebanon, both of whom are 3-1, will move onto Round 2. Jordan has qualified for two World Cups in its history, including 2019, where they defeated Senegal, their first and only World Cup win. Jordan defeated them in their head-to-head last week, 74-63, giving them first place. Saudi Arabia, who is 2-2 and in third, gave Jordan their only loss, 72-64, in Jeddah. Indonesia, again, is hosting the World Cup with the Philippines and Japan, does not have their qualification guaranteed, and you&rsquo;re seeing why. Of all the teams in World Cup qualifications, they have the worst point differential, -163, and the next closest is Paraguay, at -136. Indonesia has lost games by the following scores: 96-38, 110-64, 95-66, and 94-64.
Group D: Challenging South Sudan for the best story of the World Cup is no. 70 Kazakhstan, who is 4-0, and even defeated No. 23 Iran in Tehran 73-69. Kazakhstan has never qualified for a World Cup, so this gives them their best chance to do so &mdash; even as teams like Australia, and China will await them when groups merge. Iran is 3-1, and both them and Kazakhstan have put beatings on Syria and Bahrain, who will compete for third place this summer.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xk_Kd01ZEmI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/asian-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MORE INFO ON THE ASIAN REGION</a>
European Region 
Automatically Advancing: Serbia, Latvia, Greece, Finland, Germany, France, Lithuania, Georgia, 
Group A: Serbia and Latvia are 3-1 each, though Serbia won their head-to-head in November, 101-100, in one of the best games of qualifying so far. Belgium, who is 2-2 here, defeated Serbia 73-69 in November, and only lost 66-65 to and 68-63 to Latvia last week. They&rsquo;ll get to pick on 0-4 Slovakia once before getting a chance to knock off Serbia again this summer &mdash; though this time, it won&rsquo;t be in Mons. Still, expect them to move on.
Group B: The Antetokounmpo-less Greek squad is 3-1 after a 2-0 week, and only lost to Great Britain in November. No one else in this group, which also features Turkey and Belarus, has more than a single win. Here&rsquo;s why: first, Turkey is 1-3, putting their World Cup qualification streak of five, including a 2010 silver medal, in jeopardy. Great Britain and Belarus were scheduled to play each other twice last week, but both games were canceled and are now TBD. Why? The United Kingdom <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/belarus-basketball-ukraine-russia-war-b2024043.html">canceled Belarus&rsquo; visas because of the country&rsquo;s stance as a Russian ally amid the Russia-Ukraine invasion</a>. More on that in a bit &hellip;
Group C: Finland, who is No. 35 in the world, has two wins over No. 4 Slovenia (without Luka Dončić, it should be noted), and another over No. 21 Croatia, surprisingly standing atop the table for what could be their second World Cup appearance ever &mdash; if they continue at this pace. Slovenia and Sweden are 2-2 each, and Croatia is just 1-3. Croatia's only win came in double overtime over Sweden, 105-98 on Feb. 28.
Group D: Germany&rsquo;s had a drop-off post -Dirk Nowitzki, who led them to a bronze medal in the 2002 World Cup. They did qualify in 2019 after missing in 2014, but finished in 18th and missed the knockout stage. Still, they&rsquo;re No. 11 in the world and are 3-1 in first place despite only a +8 point differential, squeezing out wins over Poland, Israel and Estonia. Poland is 1-3 and alone in last place, and after finishing eighth in the last World Cup they&rsquo;ll have to close with force this summer in match-ups against Israel and Germany.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h-eMmKOPS_E" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Group E: Less than a year removed from an Olympic silver medal, and less than three from a second consecutive World Cup bronze, France is 4-0 to the surprise of no one. Montenegro and Hungary, each at 2-2, will likely be able to hold-off 0-4 Portugal, who has lost their games by a combined 71 points. Hungary has never made a World Cup before, and Montenegro&rsquo;s first appearance came in 2019, finishing 25th out of 32 teams.
Group F: Lithuania, at 4-0, will win the group due to their two victories over Bosnia last week, who is 2-2 and in second place. Bulgaria is 1-3 as is Czech Republic who, like Poland, stunned fans with a sixth place finish in the 2019 World Cup &mdash; they are struggling now in qualifiers. Czech Republic has only beaten Bulgaria, 83-80, in their home turf of Pardubice. They&rsquo;ll play Bosnia and Czech Republic in July, further adding to the prospect of them not being able to repeat their 2019 showing, which was their World Cup debut.
Group G: So, Ukraine is in this group, let&rsquo;s start there. They did play on Feb. 24, losing 88-74 to Spain, but saw their Feb. 27 rematch postponed due to Russia&rsquo;s invasion on their land. As of now, they&rsquo;ll likely make that game up in July, which isn&rsquo;t even secondary due to them literally fighting for their lives as you&rsquo;re reading this. More on that fallout in Group H.
As far as the basketball goes, Georgia has advanced and is 3-1, though Spain hasn&rsquo;t, even at 3-0, they will because &hellip; they&rsquo;re Spain and this is basketball. Georgia, whose only loss was 89-61 to Spain in November, has never qualified for a World Cup. Ukraine is 1-2, with a win over North Macedonia from November. North Macedonia is 0-4 and in last place.
Group H: Russia is 3-0, but because their president is buggin' out and trying to invade Ukraine, killing civilians and evidently forming <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/sanctions-russians-belarusians/index.html">a misguided partnership with Belarus in the process</a>, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/fiba-suspends-russian-teams-officials-from-international-basketball-competitions-until-further-notice/">they&rsquo;re suspended until further notice</a>. They had defeated the Netherlands 80-69 on Feb. 24, and were slated to face them again on the 27th, which was canceled due to their invasion attempt. As of now, they&rsquo;re scheduled to play Italy and Iceland in July, but ain&rsquo;t no telling what could happen between now and then.
The women&rsquo;s basketball World Cup, which is scheduled to take place this year from September through October, will be held in Australia. <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/news/australia-announced-as-host-of-the-fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-2022">Russia was the other finalist</a> to host the women&rsquo;s World Cup, and now, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/news/fiba-statement-on-russian-teams-and-officials">they&rsquo;re expelled from the 2022 Cup entirely</a> due to their actions against Ukraine. Something to monitor as this progresses, obviously &mdash; albeit less so from a basketball standpoint.
Otherwise, Italy and Iceland are each 2-2, and the Netherlands sits at 0-3. If Russia gets disqualified, they&rsquo;d all move on, and it feels like that may eventually happen given the direction we&rsquo;re going.
<a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MORE INFO ON THE EUROPEAN REGION</a>
The third window, which will end Round 1, will take place beginning in late June and into early July.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Bryan Fonseca reviews the action from the second window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers by region.

Where things stand after the FIBA World Cup qualifiers' second window

Players like Andrew Wiggins make being a coach worth it.
The NBA&rsquo;s 2022 All-Star Weekend is in my hometown of Cleveland and even though I won&rsquo;t be there in person, I&rsquo;ll be paying close attention to the All-Star Game. I can&rsquo;t wait to see Wiggins take that court.
Being a coach can be a thankless job &mdash; long days, short nights and countless hours. Most of the time, coaches spend more time with their teams than they do with their families, and when things don&rsquo;t work out, we&rsquo;re usually the first to get blamed &mdash; whether fair or not. That&rsquo;s part of what makes it tough.
What also makes it tough is when you have players who don&rsquo;t want to be held to standards or don&rsquo;t want to work.&nbsp;
A good coach is supposed to push you and challenge you. A good coach is supposed to hold you accountable. And truth is, some players just aren&rsquo;t receptive to that&hellip;&nbsp;
But others? They&rsquo;re like Wiggins.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
I got to know him pretty well during our brief time together during the NBA Summer League in 2014, and I became a believer in him almost immediately.
Eight years later, I&rsquo;m going to be so proud to see him take the court as not only an All-Star from the Western Conference, but as a starter.
I first heard about Andrew when he was at Kansas, and I never imagined I&rsquo;d be one of his first NBA coaches &mdash; but that&rsquo;s how things worked out for us.&nbsp;
I was just coming off of my first season as an assistant with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers&rsquo; G League affiliate. In May of that year, Cleveland won the draft lottery for the second year in a row (and third time in four years).&nbsp;
They had Kyrie Irving, who they picked first in 2011, and Anthony Bennett (selected first in 2012). Now, they had won the draft lottery again and were expected to select Wiggins first overall.&nbsp;
Me? I was fortunate to get the call to be an assistant coach for the Cavs in the Summer League. I was looking forward to it, especially to have the opportunity to help develop that young talent. I was still getting my feet wet as a coach, and when they did ended up picking Wiggins with the first pick, we were joined.&nbsp;
Andrew, believe it or not, made it easy for us.&nbsp;
With the hype surrounding him, it would have been easy for him to have an attitude or to have a big head or to not be receptive to being coached and pushed, but he was the total opposite. He was kind, patient and absorbed everything like a sponge. It was refreshing.
Even though I was an assistant coach, I worked with him a lot. I was constantly in his ear.
What I respected most about Andrew, and I&rsquo;m not sure I ever told him directly, was how he handled himself after LeBron announced that he was coming back to Cleveland. We had conversations about it, and I advised him &mdash; but he just handled himself like such an adult.
The main thing I tried to get him to understand was that there was going to be an adjustment period for him going from college to the pros and to not put too much pressure on himself. Focus on having fun and take your craft seriously. He did just that.
He was a rare combination of someone who was talented, gifted and confident &mdash; yet also calm, quiet and focused. That&rsquo;s not always the case with young players with promise.
Especially for those who have accolades and notoriety, those players can give off an impression that makes you wonder if they feel like playing in summer leagues or pickup games is almost beneath them. They don&rsquo;t give it 100% and don&rsquo;t seem like they&rsquo;re taking the lower levels of play seriously.
That wasn&rsquo;t Andrew.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
As a coach, you want the best for all your players, but there are some who you actually root for &mdash;&nbsp;whether it be because of their work ethic, their character or your personal relationship. And yeah, Andrew immediately became one of those players I rooted for.
In Vegas, after LeBron announced he was going back to Cleveland, Andrew immediately became the topic of discussion and rumors because everyone assumed that he would be traded for someone who could help LeBron win immediately.&nbsp;
During Summer League, he couldn&rsquo;t go anywhere without people asking him about the rumors, asking him if he was actually going to play for the Cavs and stuff like that &mdash; despite it all, he was so positive and upbeat. He remained focused on our common goal.
We had a few conversations about the situation and about his future in the NBA. I&rsquo;ll never forget Andrew&rsquo;s perspective. He considered himself blessed to be fulfilling his dream, and his sole focus was to become the best player he could be. He was looking forward to being LeBron&rsquo;s understudy and learning from him, but knew that it was possible that he wouldn&rsquo;t get that opportunity.&nbsp;
And if he got traded? He simply knew he was going to give it his all to become the best player he could be for that team that did acquire him.&nbsp;
Either way, he always wanted to be with his coaches in the gym. And he wanted us to push him. No wasted days.
I knew, even back then, that he was going to make it.&nbsp;
Attitude and humility &mdash; knowing that you&rsquo;ve got a lot to learn and taking what your coaches have to say seriously &mdash; that&rsquo;s a big factor when it comes to young guys becoming the best players they can be. And it often makes the difference between someone having a five-year career, and someone having a 15-year career.
Things didn&rsquo;t work out in Cleveland for obvious reasons, but Andrew developed nicely in Minnesota. There were a lot of questions about his drive and about his ability to fulfill his potential, and that probably contributed to Minnesota trading him to Golden State for D&rsquo;Angelo Russell.
At the end of the day, though, everyone lands where they&rsquo;re supposed to.&nbsp;
D&rsquo;Angelo is doing well in Minnesota with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew looks like he just might be the piece that the Warriors need to get back on top.
The young Canadian kid, obviously &mdash; he&rsquo;s figured things out in San Francisco.
And you know what? I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m surprised.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve believed in him since fate brought us together in Las Vegas back in 2014.
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

James Posey discusses the experience he had coaching Andrew Wiggins back in 2014, and how the young man made him a believer.

Coaching Andrew Wiggins in 2014 NBA Summer League made me a believer

It's a new NBA season, which means the Sour Rankings are back!&nbsp;
Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well-under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and general underwhelming play will all be considered.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Some teams value wins this season and paths to a title, while others are looking down the road at long-term pieces.&nbsp;
This week is not a "preview" installment; it is rather a barometer of the general vibe around a franchise as things get underway. The NBA preseason is generally filled with optimism; 10 teams make the Sour Rankings, but that doesn't mean they're all in dire straits, as I'll note.
So without further ado, let's get to it!
10. Washington Wizards
Given the circumstances, the Wizards had a satisfactory 2021 offseason. They returned three rotation-caliber players from the Russell Westbrook trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, and then went out and found a strong backcourt partner for Bradley Beal in Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
Washington could be a very solid team on paper with improved depth &mdash; but is that enough to make considerable playoff noise in the Eastern Conference? Beal's looming 2022 free-agent status shines a harsh spotlight on the current Wizards. Their star has stuck it out through multiple years of mediocrity. Maybe he'll re-up with the team that drafted him, but Beal would undoubtedly appreciate some serious postseason contention before having to decide.
9. Indiana Pacers
The injury bug simply will not let go of the Pacers. T.J. Warren still appears to be a ways off from recovering from a foot injury that held him to just four games last season. Caris LeVert will <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2021/10/16/pacers-caris-levert-getting-closer-but-miss-first-four-games/8489876002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly miss at least the first four games</a> of the regular season as he works to return from a stress fracture in his back. These are two top-scoring options out of the short-term picture.
Indiana largely opted to stay the course in a suddenly crowded East. The Pacers can't afford to fall behind early, and these absences certainly won't help.
8. New Orleans Pelicans
Another team hampered by health, this ranking is entirely due to Zion Williamson's injury status. The superstar forward has suffered a sprained knee, torn meniscus and foot fracture in the past years, and is now without a return timetable as he recovers from that foot surgery. Without Williamson, the Pelicans are nowhere near the playoff sleeper they could be &mdash; even with a new head coach and some positive roster moves. They need their centerpiece, and his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/we-should-be-worried-about-zion-williamson-ability-to-stay-healthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developing pattern of injuries is concerning</a>.
7. Phoenix Suns
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Mikal Bridges on being there for Deandre Ayton after not signing a new contract: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s way more mature with everything. He has great people around him. I try to do the best I can to clear his mind, but it&rsquo;s tough. .. Being around him every single day, I don&rsquo;t want to lose that.&rdquo;
&mdash; Evan Sidery (@esidery) <a href="https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1450186692871135232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Three hours before writing this, I would not have remotely considered the Suns to be in the Sour Rankings. But the rookie extension deadline has passed without Deandre Ayton securing a long-term deal, the first No. 1 pick since Anthony Bennett not to do so.
Suns general manager James Jones did not negotiate a maximum contract extension with the Bahamian big man, perhaps at the direction of team owner Robert Sarver &mdash; but the team did agree to a 4-year, $43 million extension with draft classmate Landry Shamet. As Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/evan-sidery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in regards to Ayton</a>, that's blasphemous, and it could fragment an extremely fun, likable Phoenix squad.
6. Sacramento Kings
Your 2021 Las Vegas Summer League champs are back to fight the longest postseason drought in the league. The Kings are making strides with their young talent, highlighted by the preseason success of No. 9 overall pick Davion Mitchell, and retained a core piece in Richaun Holmes.&nbsp;
But does it feel like Sacramento is any closer to the playoffs? Buddy Hield was all-but-traded to the Lakers, and his future is now uncertain as the Kings see if a De'Aaron Fox-Tyrese-Haliburton-Mitchell lineup has potential. What about 2018 No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III, who was not extended at Monday's deadline? He's as big of a question mark as one can exist among young prospects league-wide.&nbsp;
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
There's definitely reason for optimism with the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards had a phenomenal second half to the 2020-21 season and an overall stellar rookie year. Karl-Anthony Towns can be rid of the awful, awful year-plus he has endured personally. D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley can get buckets, Jaden McDaniels and Jarred Vanderbilt are intriguing defensive pieces and Chris Finch had a summer to prep for all of this as head coach.&nbsp;
But the Gersson Rosas firing and fallout feels all too Timberwolves-y. It's yet another reset for Towns, who was vocally frustrated at training camp. Is the front office in position to guide the team with the season about to start?&nbsp;
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Larry Nance Jr.'s acquisition partially salvaged what was a wildly terrible offseason in Portland between the Chauncey Billups hiring and the Damian Lillard trade rumors. It appears Lillard is content to stick with the Blazers this season and see how the team operates under its first-year head coach. That's admirable, but it also means the entire season will be laced with tension.
Portland should run back a fun, high-scoring offense. Will the defense improve with Nance in the frontcourt? That's the big question. If not, the Blazers will return to playoff mediocrity and potentially push Lillard closer to the exit door.&nbsp;
3. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks were one of my picks for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-worst-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worst NBA offseason</a> (Jackson Frank also picked them), and nothing in recent weeks has made me feel any better. Mark me down as adamantly opposed to the Jason Kidd hiring. Reggie Bullock is a fine individual player; he is not going to dramatically alter things on the offensive end. Plus, Dallas recently released 2020 draft pick Tyrell Terry, and we haven't seen much of 2020 first-rounder Josh Green. Where does the optimism come from outside of Luka Doncic?
2. Brooklyn Nets
I'm not going to get deep into the Kyrie Irving situation from a public health perspective, celebrity responsibility perspective or general common sense perspective. I don't have anything major to add to those discussions, other than to reinforce that Irving is carelessly and dangerously misusing his power as a public figure.&nbsp;
This section is about the Nets, who are paying the price for Irving's choices. The NBA title should have traveled through Brooklyn and its Big Three, and the Nets are still an elite basketball team with improved depth. But, remove an All-NBA-caliber player and the ceiling significantly lowers. Instead of being the overwhelming favorite, the Nets have become just another contender.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons has given us the Hollywood trade drama we had missed since, well, last winter. Simmons was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-thrown-out-of-practice-suspended-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tossed out of practice and suspended Tuesday</a>, so the months-long firestorm appears to still be getting hotter. But while that's a win for NBA/TMZ crossover fans, it's a serious loss for the 76ers, who now have to take this show into the regular season.
Joel Embiid has never played more than 64 games in a season, and is coming off of two shortened offseasons sandwiching an East Finals run. That should cause concern. The backcourt is fun, but nowhere near close to replicating Simmons' impact. Maybe Simmons actually does suit up in games &mdash; will he bring a positive on-court presence to a team that has publicly denounced his game?
Until Philly finally makes a trade &mdash; and who knows when it could happen &mdash; the Sixers' season could range from awkward to disastrous.

Ethan Fuller ranks the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises ahead of the season.

NBA Sour Rankings: Chaos among the contenders?

Opening night of the NBA season is just 16 days away, which means this year's top rookies will soon see their dreams come true when they step onto a professional court.&nbsp;
Between the close-to-normal offseason, Las Vegas Summer League and upcoming preseason, we now have a decent grasp on who each player is and what skills they could bring to the court. And while it takes years (decades, arguably) to ultimately assess a career, some young talents can outshine their draft position in a single season.
I'm writing this week's Stats Notebook on the All-Rookie teams, and I'll end by making my predictions for the squads. But the train of thought left the station a few days ago with this stat:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
At least one non-top-20 draft pick has made an All-Rookie First Team in 7 of the last 8 seasons. Who could it be this year 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/5PkFWcaVov">pic.twitter.com/5PkFWcaVov</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1443983998343159842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Patterns exist in recent All-Rookie history; some are obvious, while others are more subtle. I'm going to put them to work to create my teams. First off, let's start with the top picks: Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. I would consider them both locks to be on the All-Rookie First Team in spring.
Since 2008-09, No. 1 overall draft picks have appeared on all but three All-Rookie First Teams. The exceptions: 2009-10 (when Blake Griffin missed the season due to injury), 2013-14 (Anthony Bennett... didn't work out) and 2016-17 (Ben Simmons did not play due to injury). Griffin and Simmons both were awarded the following season; only Bennett and Markelle Fultz never made an All-Rookie first team. So unless you have an extremely negative view on Cunningham, I'd pencil him in.
Green is perhaps the best scorer in this rookie class. Since 2008-09, 30 qualifying rookies have averaged at least 15 points per game, according to Sportradar. Only three &mdash; Eric Gordon (2008-09), Dennis Smith Jr. (2017-18) and Collin Sexton (2018-19) &mdash; did not make the All-Rookie First Team, and they all landed on the Second Team. If you buy Green as a day-one bucket, which I do, he'll make it.
Jalen Suggs may be another score-first addition to the list. He's not nearly as polished as Jalen counterpart, but the Orlando Magic are a rebuilding team that should prioritize his development. Suggs might be the leading scorer on the team as a rookie, even with a crowded backcourt.&nbsp;
Here's another noteworthy factor: age. At least one player over 21 years old (as of Feb. 1 of that season) has made all but two First Teams since 2008, with the outliers being 2018-19 and 2015-16. I'm a firm nonbeliever of the "age equals NBA-readiness" agenda. But a statistic is a statistic.
The top-five picks who will clear age-21 by February are: Davion Mitchell, James Bouknight, Chris Duarte, Corey Kispert and Trey Murphy III. Depending on your thoughts regarding each player's available minutes, I'd consider them as the primary options to check this box.&nbsp;
Finally, we'll return to the Twitter stat, and spell out those surprise players who made the All-Rookie First Team:
<ul>
<li>2020-21: Jae'Sean Tate (undrafted)</li>
<li>2019-20: Brandon Clarke (No. 21), Eric Paschall (No. 41) and Kendrick Nunn (undrafted)</li>
<li>2018-19: None (The All-Rookie First Team was literally the top five draft picks)</li>
<li>2017-18: Kyle Kuzma (No. 27)</li>
<li>2016-17: Malcolm Brogdon (No. 36), Willy Hernangomez (No. 35)</li>
<li>2015-16: Nikola Jokic (No. 41 in 2014)</li>
<li>2014-15: Jordan Clarkson (No. 46)</li>
<li>2013-14: Mason Plumlee (No. 22), Tim Hardaway Jr. (No. 24)</li>
<li>2012-13: None (lowest was No. 7 pick Harrison Barnes)</li>
<li>2011-12: Kenneth Faried (No. 24)</li>
</ul>
So in eight of the last 10 seasons, a player selected after pick No. 20 cracked the All-Rookie First Team. That's a pretty large pool, but we can try to narrow it.&nbsp;
Four of these honorees made the list on playoff teams: Kenneth Faried with the Denver Nuggets, Mason Plumlee with the Brooklyn Nets, and Kendrick Nunn with the Miami Heat. Also, only Plumlee and Willy Hernangomez averaged less than 20 minutes per game. So following the trend, this selection would have to have a clear path to playing time, and that probably happens with a franchise unlikely to make the postseason.
It's still a bit of a wild-card selection, but Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher immediately stand out as potential options on the Houston Rockets. Second-round picks Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins could receive opportunities with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Logical fallacies exist with this layout &mdash; some "qualifiers" could overlap with each other. But given all of this, here's how my All-Rookie First Team looks:
Preseason All-Rookie First Team: Cade Cunningham (G), Jalen Suggs (G), Jalen Green (G), Trey Murphy III (F), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (F)
For the Second Team, I'll only add one additional note. Four of the last five eligible (2018-19 doesn't work for obvious reasons) lists included at least one top-five pick on an All-Rookie Second Team. Given that Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley should both have rotation roles with their respective squads, I feel good about marking them down. Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland makes the cut because he could be an electric microwave scorer in Denver with the absence of Jamal Murray.
Preseason All-Rookie Second Team: Davion Mitchell (G), Bones Hyland (G), Scottie Barnes (F), Evan Mobley (F), Alperen Sengun (C)
As always, remember that these are just All-Rookie teams and not career projections. Based on some of the earlier names I mentioned, it's pretty clear that making an All-Rookie team isn't exactly a ticket to Springfield. But with such a deep rookie class, I think the races this year could be extremely fun to track.

Ethan Fuller looks at past All-Rookie honorees to predict this year's teams.

Stats Notebook: Predicting the NBA All-Rookie teams from past trends

With NBA training camps open for business, teams are getting back in the swing of things. We are just one day away from the first preseason game between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers (Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET), meaning the 2021-22 campaign is right around the corner.
Currently, there are 30 teams preparing to tip-off their respective seasons, but what if the NBA shook the league up a little by adding a pair of new franchises?
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Should the NBA add two expansion teams? If so, where? 
Alex Kennedy: In December, Adam Silver <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/adam-silver-opens-door-again-for-possibility-of-nba-expansion-its-a-decision-well-continue-to-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that the pandemic &ldquo;caused [the NBA] to maybe dust off some of the analyses on the economic and competitive impacts of expansion,&rdquo; adding that the league office is &ldquo;spending a little bit more time on it than we were pre-pandemic." This makes sense since the pandemic cost the NBA a lot of money. There was a report that the NBA would charge a $2.5 billion fee to any expansion team, but Silver actually said that this number seems &ldquo;very low.&rdquo; Adding two expansion teams would help the NBA make up for lost revenue, while continuing to grow the league. One argument against expansion is that there isn&rsquo;t enough talent and that the NBA would be diluting its on-court product; however, I completely disagree. There are plenty of talented players, and increasing the number of roster spots from 450 to 480 (excluding two-way contracts) isn&rsquo;t going to ruin the league. I think the NBA should seriously consider adding expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas. It seems inevitable that Seattle will get the SuperSonics back at some point, and there&rsquo;s no question that the NBA has been watching the success of the Golden Knights and Raiders closely. I'd love to see a team in my hometown of Tampa, but it&rsquo;s hard to imagine the NBA passing on Seattle and Las Vegas if they do ultimately decide to expand.
Nekias Duncan: It&rsquo;s probably rude of me, but I&rsquo;d rather see relocation than expansion in the NBA right now. As far as the markets go, it&rsquo;d be nice to see Seattle and Las Vegas get teams. Maybe we could get New Orleans and Memphis in the East to even things up.
Spencer Davies: Sure, why not? It's not as if there isn't enough talent to spread around! As an unabashed Seattle SuperSonics fan growing up (thanks to Shawn Kemp, who ended up playing for my hometown Cleveland Cavaliers), I would love to see their return to the Pacific Northwest. They have such a great fanbase and a plethora of upcoming talent in grassroots programs, and the excitement would be palpable throughout the entire NBA. As for a second place that could field a team, Las Vegas makes the most sense, doesn't it? There's an annual summer league already there and a community that is incredibly supportive of basketball with the WNBA's Aces and the NHL's Golden Knights. Plus, Vegas is absolutely a destination city that could attract potential free agents in the future even if things don't get off to a great start. It wouldn't be enviable to be in charge of the conference/division shifting and upsetting that balance, but if it were to happen, that'd be the next step.
Ethan Fuller: The talent is overflowing in today's NBA; there should absolutely be two expansion teams. Of course, Seattle is an obvious choice for one city given its rich history and thriving hoops community today. And honestly, you don't have to go too far to find the other best choice: Vancouver. Canada deserves a second NBA franchise given its rising place in the basketball world. Vancouver is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.7 million people. Montreal (second-largest) and Calgary (fourth-largest) would also make sense, but it should definitely be a Canadian city.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2021-10-02-092729_lg.png" alt="" width="650" height="388" />
Moke Hamilton: No, I don&rsquo;t think so. I think 30 teams is perfect, and I like the symmetry that the league has with six divisions and five teams in each of them. That said, if the league did decide to expand, Las Vegas and Seattle would seem to be the obvious choices. Vegas presents a bit of an issue considering the fact that NBA games are still on the books out there, but considering Adam Silver&rsquo;s attitudes towards gambling (and the state of legalized sports gambling across the country), that may now be a moot point. If the league did expand, I would hope that we&rsquo;d also get some conference realignment. New Orleans and Memphis, geographically speaking, should be in the Eastern Conference. They, along with Portland, are probably at a bit of a disadvantage considering they have to deal with the traveling. Memphis is much closer to Atlanta than Dallas, for what it&rsquo;s worth. And New Orleans is actually a smidge further East than Memphis... That&rsquo;s something that should be taken into account.
Jackson Frank: I think it makes sense. There&rsquo;s an abundance of NBA-level talent without the requisite opportunities to parallel that talent. Of course, Seattle should be atop the list of expansion markets, given its history and the rich tradition of hoops in the Emerald City. I also like the idea of St. Louis or Louisville getting a team, particularly the latter, which already has a vocal fan base of support for the University of Louisville Cardinals men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s basketball programs.
Drew Maresca: Ultimately, the NBA is a business. So, it comes down to the question of sustainability &mdash; can profitability be sustained (or increased) through expansion? But from a competition standpoint, probably not. There is an ungodly amount of talent in the NBA, and it&rsquo;s technically enough to support more teams. The problem is that it happens to be centralized on a select few teams. The league should look to address that before expanding because, as currently constructed, expansion would just lead to more non-competitive teams. Disclaimer: I do feel like Seattle needs an NBA franchise. I just don&rsquo;t know if expansion is the best path to doing so.
Jesse Blancarte: I am not sure if the NBA should add two new teams in the near future, but I think adding two new teams at some point down the road is a good idea. The NBA is always looking to refine and improve its product, and I think adding two new teams would be an exciting move. If the NBA added two new teams, I would want them to be in Seattle and Las Vegas.
Chris Sheridan: Easy. Las Vegas and Seattle. Vegas has the facilities and has become a major-league town. Seattle is missed (as is Vancouver), and an expansion team there would get to keep the Sonics' records (that was part of the deal when the franchise moved to Oklahoma City).
Alexander Cohen: I think with the always-increasing talent pool in the NBA, it would not be the worst idea to add teams. I want Isaiah Thomas, Joe Johnson, and Anthony Bennett back in the NBA! I&rsquo;m no expert on which cities should get the teams, but I think you have to at least give Seattle another team, which is a proven sports location. Kansas City would probably make the most sense to put the other one.

Should the NBA add two expansion teams to the league? If so, where? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Should the NBA add two expansion teams? If so, where?

Ricky Rubio has been here before.&nbsp;
Maybe not physically in the city of Cleveland, but in the same predicament.
For the fourth time in as many seasons, the 30-year-old will enter training camp playing for a different organization that&rsquo;s trying to show significant growth with its youthful roster, this time around with the Cavaliers. The feeling isn&rsquo;t so unfamiliar for the veteran point guard.
&ldquo;It doesn't help when you don't have stability because your role or your teammates change a lot, so it's a little different,&rdquo; Rubio told reporters in his Cavs introductory press conference. &ldquo;But my experience says that it doesn't matter where you play &mdash; if you play your best, you're gonna have the role you're looking for. So I feel like I can have a good impact right away. I feel like I grew up a lot from the mistakes I did in the past, the things I've learned too as well. So I feel ready for the challenge.&rdquo;
In the middle of playing for his home country of Spain in this past summer&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wolves-dealing-ricky-rubio-2022-pick-to-cleveland-for-taurean-prince" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota Timberwolves traded Rubio to the Cavs for Taurean Prince and a 2022 second-round draft pick</a>.
Between the second and third game of group play, he found out on the morning of Usman Garuba&rsquo;s draft party. Ready to celebrate his teammate getting selected after a good night&rsquo;s rest, Rubio turned his phone on and was immediately bombarded by a plethora of messages, heartfelt goodbyes from Minnesota and welcomes from Cleveland. At the time, a surprised Rubio had to block it out. Spain had to gameplan for Luka Doncic and Slovenia, and competing with the national team was his priority. That doesn&rsquo;t mean it wasn&rsquo;t on his mind, though.
&ldquo;When you get traded, there&rsquo;s a lot going on,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;Especially with a guy with a family, it&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;Where are we going to go, how are we going to do this&rsquo; and all this stuff. At the end of the day, is this going to be the end stop or not?&rdquo;
Being dealt was another thing that added to Rubio&rsquo;s plate. Following what he called a &ldquo;bad year&rdquo; with the Wolves, he was set on standing out on the international stage and carrying that momentum into this NBA season. He referred to his MVP run at the FIBA World Cup in 2019 when Spain won the championship in convincing fashion. Rubio went on to have his &ldquo;best year in the league&rdquo; with the Phoenix Suns after he built his confidence there.&nbsp;
Having just averaged 25.5 points and 6.0 assists on 52.2% from the field (47.8% on threes) over four Olympic games, including a record 38-point outburst against many of his old NBA teammates on Team USA, Rubio is hoping to repeat history with the Cavs in the 2021-22 campaign.
&ldquo;It felt good to play that way, especially after getting traded and all that stuff. You want to show that you're worth it,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;I think I'm on the best momentum I ever had in my career with the national team, and I feel great shape-wise.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was feeling great in Phoenix, and then the pandemic happened, and then kind of hit my routine, kind of hit all the timing&rsquo;s off... But I think I'm back on track, and I feel like I'm in my prime with my career. So I can bring a lot to the table.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vsFMfrxq2eM" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
While he hasn&rsquo;t spoken in-depth with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff quite yet about what the team will ask him to do, in scanning over the Cavs roster, it&rsquo;s become clear to Rubio that he&rsquo;ll be assuming the mentorship role in his next pro stint. (Although he doesn&rsquo;t feel like the old guy yet, he joked: &ldquo;'&rsquo;Damn, I'm gonna play with people who were born in the 2000s.' That's gonna be crazy.&rdquo;)&nbsp;
Rubio enjoys being a wise, seasoned player with a wealth of knowledge to bestow upon the next generation. It&rsquo;s not like he always knew the tricks of the trade; he too had to soak up advice and compete against veterans. Rubio credits longtime international guard and Badalona teammate Elmer Bennett for always challenging him when he first started his pro career. The same goes for Gianluca Basile when he and Rubio were together in Barcelona in 2009.
&ldquo;He's Italian, and the first year I got to Barcelona, we won the Euroleague,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;He came to me like, &lsquo;I'm chasing the Euroleague [title] for 20 years, and you come here at the age of 20 and you win in the first year. That's not easy.&rsquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Then the international team, of course, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, [Juan Carlos Navarro] &mdash; all these guys who won the World Cup in 2006. And I got there in 2008 when I was 17 years old, and in practice, it was amazing just being able to be there.&rdquo;
Just as his vets did with him, Rubio will demand the best out of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and the like in Cleveland&rsquo;s locker room.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I love it because I'm good at talking to [young players] and letting them know that they are good, but they can be even better. When I was growing up &mdash; I was 16 years old playing professionally here in Spain &mdash; I had some mentors like that, who would challenge me every day saying like, &lsquo;You're good, but you're too young to know what I know.&rsquo; And you have to go through a lot of stuff before you know all the stuff. So I'm trying to give them my experience.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But until they go through that experience, they're not gonna, like, really listen to me. So what I can do is give it to them. And if they take it, it's there for them... A good example this year [is] with Anthony Edwards; I was pulling examples of the league, like Damian Lilliard or other guys who had really good rookie seasons, but they took everything that it takes to be better the year after that. So I'm looking forward to being in the role, and let's see how the young guys really accept the challenge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
"He's the best leader I've been around all my life," Edwards <a href="https://twitter.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1370417504829472771?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in March</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Lot of people wondered who&rsquo;s gonna be Anthony Edwards vet to teach him the ropes Great to see Rubio coaching Antman up after he made a mistake. <a href="https://t.co/ndA42GNh6c">pic.twitter.com/ndA42GNh6c</a>
&mdash; Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 (@The_Barftender) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Barftender/status/1348115283207065600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Rubio contends that putting together a better year after having a great season prior is one of the hardest things to accomplish. There&rsquo;s a certain amount of attention and pressure for players in those scenarios due to the expectations stemming from their own doing. Asked how he&rsquo;ll approach this with Garland, a savvy Rubio replied that it will be a test of mentality.
&ldquo;&lsquo;Do I have what it takes to be even better?&rsquo; It takes a lot of energy to have the year that Garland] had last year. He had great numbers, great year. But that can translate to a winning team? [Can that] be translated to help the team to win?&rdquo; Rubio sternly stated. &ldquo;That's what I'm going to have to challenge him [with] in that area. I'm going to bring my experience the same way I did with [Devin] Booker, the same way I did with Donovan Mitchell, the same way I did with the young stars that I had on my team...&rdquo;
These cold-hard truths don&rsquo;t just exist on the individual level either. Entering his 11th season in the NBA, his first as a part of the Eastern Conference, Rubio&rsquo;s seen his fair share of players. It&rsquo;s those that buy into the concept of something bigger than themselves that tend to stick.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a lot of talent, but that doesn't make a good team. What makes a good team is putting the pieces together and [making] it work. So we will see how everything works out,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;And as a veteran, it's part of my job to really make that work. Seeing where and how the young talent has to sacrifice something for the team. Because a lot of people, a lot of players come to the league knowing I can do that, I can do this, I can do a lot of stuff. But at the end of the day, what the team needs from you is what makes sense for the team.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If you are a rebounder and you want to score, but your job is to rebound the ball and pass it to another guy, I know you can score &mdash; but at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for the team. And at the same time, the team has to help the other players grow and make the best opportunity for everybody. But at the same time, not everybody can score, not everybody can shine at that level. And I think there's a lot of winning teams that show that the 15th guy has to be the best guy, the best 15th guy in the league to win. That being said, everybody has to have a role and accept the role and be the best they can be in that role. So I'm pretty excited [about] helping this team make that happen.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It always helps to have a familiar face around to ease the transition. Granted Kevin Love stays with Cleveland and isn&rsquo;t moved or bought out, Rubio will reunite with his former Wolves friend for the first time in eight years. (Rubio has a great deal of respect for him championing mental health and admits that Love&rsquo;s courage to speak up has helped him when he&rsquo;s struggled.)&nbsp;
He crossed paths with Bickerstaff as a rookie in that same Minnesota environment with Love; however, due to Rick Adelman&rsquo;s hiring and the departure of his predecessor Kurt Rambis, it was short-lived. Rubio did receive a vote of confidence from Marc Gasol regarding Bickerstaff, who coached the former All-Star big man during their time together with the Memphis Grizzlies three seasons ago.
Aware that his career clock is ticking, and that his timeline doesn&rsquo;t exactly match Cleveland&rsquo;s, Rubio is honest about his desire to compete for an NBA championship. He understands that there are phases to a professional basketball career. It usually starts with personal stats and evolves into a hunger to win. A player in his position usually doesn&rsquo;t backtrack, particularly reverting to another rebuild. And <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisFedor/status/1435731716874784770?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who's to say he'll even end the season where he starts it</a>?
Rubio knows how much energy and focus it&rsquo;ll take to combat that realization. That&rsquo;s why, as he issues challenges to the others, he&rsquo;s treating this opportunity as one of his own.
"I think one of my main things is I lead by example,&rdquo; Rubio said. So I'm not going to be just talking, talking, talking and sitting on the side saying you have to do that or this. I'm going to be the first one over there in practice, diving on the floor, whatever it takes to really get it going. So I think they expect all that from me, from the conversations I had, and having like a good impact on the team right away...
&ldquo;...[Can] this young team take the next step? I've been on teams that did that, and I've been on teams that haven't done that. So I know things that work and [don't] work, but at the end of the day, every team is different. We have to know each other. We have to go to training camp with that mentality that we want to win every game. But we want to win every day, get better every day.&rdquo;

Ricky Rubio is looking forward to challenging the Cavaliers' youth and himself this upcoming season, writes Spencer Davies.

Ricky Rubio will demand the best out of young Cavs, himself

Sportswriters pride themselves on being objective. That doesn't mean they can't be stubborn.
Fans and analysts often have specific beliefs they're absolutely convinced are true, even if a cacophony of critics stand on the other side. It's the hill they will die on &mdash; a core philosophy, or "scorching-hot take" that they'll shout from the rooftops with passion.
We've already had roundtable discussions about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-what-is-your-bold-prediction-for-the-202122-nba-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our bold predictions</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which players we expect to break out</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-who-is-your-mustwatch-league-pass-team-in-202122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who will be our favorite League-Pass team</a>&nbsp;and more. Today, we asked our writers:
What is an NBA-related hill that you will die on?
Alex Kennedy: That the current iteration of the NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged. This is one of the biggest conspiracy theories in all of sports, but there&rsquo;s no way that the league could actually rig the current process. I recently explained why <a href="https://youtu.be/4D90nm9i_PU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this video</a>.
Spencer Davies: I don&rsquo;t know for the life of me why specialists are looked down upon by fans. Not everybody can be a do-it-all player on the court. This applies to executives&rsquo; judgments too. Cameron Thomas just lit up summer league with incredible scoring performances and won MVP in Las Vegas &mdash; yet he was taken No. 27 in the NBA Draft and fell to the Brooklyn Nets. If you made me choose between somebody who&rsquo;s elite at one particular skill vs. somebody who&rsquo;s alright at three things, I&rsquo;d take the former every time. There&rsquo;s always a chance that a player develops those other areas. But a lockdown defender? A three-point assassin? A quintessential playmaker? Sign me up and we&rsquo;ll worry about the other areas later &mdash; especially if it fits a team need right away.
Ethan Fuller: <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-are-you-higher-on-than-the-consensus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did the Andrew Wiggins thing already</a>, so I'll go off the beaten path and say that Anthony Bennett would have made it back to an NBA roster if not for an untimely knee surgery while with the Houston Rockets for 2019 training camp. Yes, the former No. 1 overall pick did not have the career many had hoped, but he was quietly producing in the NBA G League before the injury. Bennett had developed into a lethal stretch forward and knocked down over 43% of his threes in a two-year period with the Maine Red Claws, Northern Arizona Suns and Agua Caliente Clippers. Unfortunately, it seems like the knee injury derailed what was a promising opportunity with Houston.
Moke Hamilton: During NBA All-Star Weekend in 2016, before the game in Toronto, I asked Commissioner Adam Silver whether the league would consider removing the center position for the All-NBA teams, as it had done in 2012 for the All-Star game. He responded that they were not planning to do so, and I thought that it was interesting considering the fact that the center position was removed from the All-Star ballots. I was never a fan of that move. I understand that the league has a significant number of talented &ldquo;frontcourt&rdquo; players, however, removing centers was essentially the league taking a stance that said, loudly and clearly, that centers were less important than the other position players. I don&rsquo;t understand the inconsistency. If centers are removed from the All-Star ballot, then they should also be removed from the All-NBA ballot, and vice versa. Just my opinion.
Chris Sheridan: Defense wins championships. Give me one Patrick Beverley or Alex Caruso or Robert Covington and I will give you one contender that is a heck of a lot better than if it didn't have a terrific on-the-ball defender. With NBA rules favoring offensive players so much, these guys are hard to come by and are worth their weight in gold because they always show up in the postseason.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Drew Maresca: The Bulls overplayed their hand. They made a hard run at building a playoff team, and they&rsquo;ll probably succeed at that, but they invested a lot of money and traded away some good, young players (e.g., Wendell Carter Jr.) to build a better-than-average roster&hellip;that won&rsquo;t advance past the first-round of the playoffs. And it&rsquo;s not like Chicago will be get better in the next few seasons. There&rsquo;s some good young talent &mdash; like Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Coby White &mdash; but their core pieces, Nikola Vucevic (30) and DeMar DeRozan (32), are in their primes now. And unfortunately, there is simply too much talent around the league for this to end well for Chicago.
Evan Sidery: After the Suns&rsquo; run to the 2021 NBA Finals, this may not seem bold anymore, but Devin Booker&rsquo;s star status is my topic. I don&rsquo;t blame you if you haven&rsquo;t watched Phoenix Suns basketball over the years, but Booker has been a star-caliber player since 2017-18. Booker is finally receiving national accolades that he&rsquo;s deserved for years. Now, with a competent organization revolving around Booker, he should continue to take the leap forward to superstardom &mdash; potentially a top 15 player &mdash; by the end of this season. Over the last three years though, Booker has already been a top 20 player.
Sharon &ldquo;Shy&rdquo; Brown: I wish we could ban &ldquo;who's-the-greatest-NBA-player&rdquo; arguments. I'm tired of the MJ and LeBron comparisons. Can we just elevate one without tearing the other one down? Can we just focus on how some of us had a chance to watch greatness from both? They are different players from different eras.

What is an NBA-related hill you will die on? Our staff answered.

Roundtable: What is an NBA-related hill that you'll die on?

Even at 39 years old, Joe Johnson can still get buckets and embarrass defenders one-on-one.
Johnson is currently playing for Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers, in part to show professional teams that he still has something left in the tank. While he'd obviously love to suit up for an NBA team one last time, he's open to the idea of playing overseas as well.&nbsp;
The U.S. team is off to a 2-0 start, with wins over Mexico and the Bahamas.
Against Mexico, Johnson contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from three-point range. 
In the win over the Bahamas, he chipped in 11 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 0 turnovers while shooting 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from three. Also, Johnson was a team-high plus-25 in 27 minutes.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XwHtL_rWs2w" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Johnson isn&rsquo;t the only former NBA player on Team USA&rsquo;s roster; Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Bass, James Nunnally, Josh Boone and Treveon Graham are on the squad as well. (Thomas has played well too, finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes in the win over the Bahamas).
There are some former NBA players on the other national teams too: Shabazz Napier (Puerto Rico), JJ Barea (Puerto Rico), Anthony Bennett (Canada), Gustavo Ayon (Mexico), Gian Clavell (Puerto Rico), Angel Delgado (Domincan Republic), Mychel Thompson (Bahamas), etc.
Johnson's last NBA stint was in October of 2019, when the Detroit Pistons signed him. He appeared in four preseason games, but the Pistons ultimately cut him before the start of the regular season. (They were reportedly choosing between Johnson and Christian Wood for the final roster spot, and they went with Wood because of his upside).
That opportunity with the Pistons came as a result of Johnson&rsquo;s dominant play in the BIG3 -- the three-on-three league that Ice Cube started. After torching defenders all season and leading the BIG3 in scoring, Johnson was named the league&rsquo;s MVP and won the championship on September 1. Several weeks later, the Pistons signed him.&nbsp;
We'll see if his play with Team USA generates some interest from teams.
Over the course of his 17-year NBA career, Johnson averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 threes while shooting 44.1% from the field and 37.1% from three. He has earned $217,316,875 from his various NBA contracts.

Joe Johnson is playing for Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers in part to show NBA teams what he has left in the tank.