Highland Cavaliers

As the 2025 NBA Playoffs tip off, every team in the Eastern Conference brings with it a burning question. Some are looking to validate their dominance, others are hoping to make noise for the first time, and a few are simply trying to recapture playoff magic from the past. Here&rsquo;s one key question for each East playoff squad heading into this year&rsquo;s postseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers &ndash; Are they for real?
The Cavaliers were expected to take a leap under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, but few predicted it would be this significant. Cleveland posted a 64-18 record, up from 51 wins last season, and ranked eighth in the NBA in defensive rating (111.8) while climbing to the best in the league in offensive rating (121.0). It&rsquo;s a massive leap in two-way consistency, anchored by Evan Mobley&rsquo;s breakout campaign and a more dynamic offense tailored around Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Mobley&rsquo;s development has been a game-changer. The 22-year-old averaged career-highs in points (18.5), rebounds (9.3), and assists (3.2), while maintaining elite rim protection (1.6 blocks per game). Offensively, his confidence as a shot creator and short-roll playmaker opened up space for the rest of the team. The Cavs now run more actions through Mobley, especially from the elbows, and his improved jump shot has made him far more difficult to guard.
But make no mistake &ndash; Mitchell remains the barometer. The All-Star guard battled injuries down the stretch but still averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds on 44.3% shooting. If he can stay healthy and lead confidently on both ends, Cleveland has the pieces to make a legitimate run to the conference finals.
The Cavs have the metrics, the momentum, and the maturity. Now it&rsquo;s about proving they belong with the league&rsquo;s elite when the lights are the brightest.
Boston Celtics &ndash; Can they go back-to-back?
The reigning champions enter the playoffs with a sense of unfinished business &mdash; not because they failed last year, but because they&rsquo;re now chasing greatness. The Celtics finished 61-21 this season for back to back 60-win seasons. They had the league&rsquo;s second best net rating at +9.4, fueled by elite balance: second in offensive rating (119.5) and fourth in defensive rating (110.1).
Jayson Tatum continues to evolve as one of the NBA&rsquo;s most complete stars. His 26.8 points per game came with improved efficiency (58.2% true shooting) and a career-high 8.7 rebounds. Tatum has learned to pick his spots better, moving the ball when doubled and attacking mismatches when given space. Jaylen Brown, fresh off his Finals MVP last season, has become a more consistent creator as well, averaging 22.2 points.
Add in Kristaps Porzingis&rsquo; floor spacing and rim protection, Jrue Holiday&rsquo;s stability on both ends, and Derrick White&rsquo;s ability to do everything in between, and the Celtics are again the most complete team in basketball. But repeating is never easy. No team has done it since the Warriors in 2018, and even small injuries or matchup issues can derail a title defense.
Boston is built for this moment, but with every other East contender gunning for them, the question looms large: can they close the deal twice in a row?
New York Knicks &ndash; Can they stay healthy?
When fully healthy, the Knicks look like a team that can hang with anyone &mdash; and that includes Boston and Cleveland. But that&rsquo;s been the caveat all season. Jalen Brunson missed 17 games, Karl-Anthony Towns sat for 10, and OG Anunoby dealt with multiple absences due to elbow and hamstring issues. New York&rsquo;s starting five of Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns had time to play with pace and their own style, and they looked formidable.
Brunson has been the Knicks&rsquo; engine, averaging 26.0 points and 7.3 assists while continuing to elevate in crunch time. His pairing with Towns gave New York a new level of offensive versatility, and Mikal Bridges&rsquo; ability to guard top wings allowed them to scheme freely. But concerns about wear and tear remain &mdash; especially under Tom Thibodeau, whose rotations have leaned heavily on his starters. All five starters have averaged in the top 15 of the most minutes played in the league, and that can likely put a strain on their bodies.
Depth is another concern. The Knicks rely on Precious Achiuwa, Cam Payne, Delon Wright, and Landry Shamet to absorb the bench minutes. A deep run hinges on all starters being available and fresh throughout the postseason. If any one piece breaks down, New York could fall short of its championship aspirations.
This is their most talented team in years &mdash; but availability may be just as important as ability.
Indiana Pacers &ndash; Do they have enough to make a deep run once more?
Last year, the Pacers surprised many by reaching the second round, aided in part by injuries to their first-round opponent. This year, expectations are higher &mdash; and the margin for error is thinner. Indiana finished 50-32 and ranked 9th in offensive rating at 115.4. Their identity remains clear: run fast, shoot threes, and trust in Tyrese Haliburton to control the tempo.
Haliburton posted 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game this season, and despite shooting efficiency dipped slightly as teams began pressuring him more aggressively, he bounced back quite nicely and got back to the high level he was playing at. That&rsquo;s where Pascal Siakam comes in to help him and provide a stabilizing frontcourt presence, while defending opposing bigs.
Depth-wise, the Pacers have the tools. Myles Turner remains one of the league&rsquo;s best shot blockers, Andrew Nembhard has been solid alongside Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin has been a spark off the bench, and Aaron Nesmith&rsquo;s development as a 3-and-D wing adds much-needed versatility. Still, the question remains: can they win when the pace slows and every possession becomes a grind?
Indiana is fun, fast, and fearless. But deep playoff success often requires more grit than style &mdash; and this postseason will test how much of both they truly possess.
Milwaukee Bucks &ndash; How lethal can the Giannis-Dame combo be?
It&rsquo;s been a bumpy road for the Bucks since pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but they enter the playoffs with renewed hope. Injuries limited their time together but when both were on the floor, Milwaukee looked like a top 4 team in the East. The potential for a dominant inside-out attack remains, even as questions swirl around their chemistry and late-game execution.
Giannis put up another MVP-caliber campaign (30.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 6.5 APG) on 60.1% shooting, while Lillard added 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, albeit with a slight dip in efficiency (44.8 FG%, 37.6 3P%). Their pick-and-roll tandem has shown flashes of brilliance, especially with spacing provided by their teammates. But Milwaukee&rsquo;s defense remains a glaring concern, particularly at the point-of-attack.
Much of that responsibility falls on new head coach Doc Rivers, who took over midseason and has spent much of his tenure reshaping the defensive schemes. The team has shown better connectivity lately, but consistency is key. If the Bucks can get solid two-way contributions from Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince, and Kyle Kuzma, their ceiling rises considerably.
This postseason is the first true test of the Giannis-Dame partnership after a failed one last year. Can it deliver in crunch time and carry Milwaukee back to the Finals?
Detroit Pistons &ndash; Can they win a playoff series?
One of the most surprising stories of the season, the Detroit Pistons went from dead last in 2024 to securing the No. 6 seed in 2025 with a 44-38 record. It&rsquo;s a dramatic turnaround fueled by internal growth, better health, and the emergence of Cade Cunningham as a legitimate star. Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds, and improved his shooting splits across the board &mdash; including a respectable 35.6% from three.
Head coach J.B Bickerstaff deserves credit for stabilizing the young roster. Jaden Ivey (despite being out for the year to injury), Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren have all taken steps forward in their roles, and the addition of veterans Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris has added much-needed floor spacing and leadership. The Pistons ranked 10th in defensive rating at 112.5 &mdash; a massive leap from their abysmal finish last season
Still, playoff basketball is a different animal. Detroit lacks experience, and their margin for error will be slim. Can Cunningham carry the offense when defenses trap him? Can their shooters hit timely shots? And can Duren hold his own against seasoned playoff bigs?
Winning a series would be monumental for the franchise &mdash; and a sign that Detroit&rsquo;s rebuild is truly behind them.
Orlando Magic &ndash; Can their offense hold up?
There&rsquo;s no questioning the Magic&rsquo;s defensive pedigree. They finished second in defensive rating (109.1) and boast a switch-heavy scheme built around length, versatility, and discipline. But the big question entering the playoffs: can they score enough? Orlando ranked just 27th in offensive rating (108.9), and the loss of Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner due to injuries further thins their already-limited shot creation.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carry the bulk of the offense, but both have faced inconsistent stretches. Teams often sag off sub-par shooters like Cory Joseph or Jonathan Isaac, daring Orlando to hit perimeter shots &mdash; something they&rsquo;ve struggled to do all year. Against Boston&rsquo;s elite defense, those issues could be magnified.
Orlando will try to control tempo, force turnovers, and win the possession battle. They&rsquo;ve been excellent in close games, but whether they can consistently generate efficient halfcourt looks remains uncertain.
Defense may win championships, but the Magic need buckets to even stay in the fight.
Miami Heat &ndash; Will they be able to replicate the Heat playoff magic this year?
The Heat have built a reputation as a team you never want to face in the playoffs &mdash; especially as a lower seed. In 2023, they made the Finals as an 8-seed. In 2024, they made the Celtics work despite key injuries. But can they pull off another surprise run this year? The roster remains largely intact, but injuries, aging stars, and inconsistency have clouded their outlook.
Without Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo must step up on offense while anchoring the defense. Tyler Herro&rsquo;s scoring punch is much needed, and the role players should contribute as well. But questions linger around depth and chemistry within their lineups after a shaky year.
The Heat finished just 21st in offensive rating (112.4) and 9th in defensive rating (112.0), a sign that the margins are tighter than ever. Still, if any team knows how to punch above its weight class, it&rsquo;s this one. Erik Spoelstra will maximize every mismatch, he always finds a way to manipulate the opposing team.
Don&rsquo;t count them out just yet but don&rsquo;t expect the same magic to happen each and every time as well.

Breaking down the biggest question facing each team in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.

2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question in the playoffs

​In a surprising development, the Memphis Grizzlies have parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Despite the team's solid 44-29 record and a fifth-place standing in the Western Conference, Jenkins would be fired with days remaining before the playoffs start. Assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season for the Grizzlies.
Jenkins, 40, departs as the winningest coach in franchise history, amassing a 250-214 record since his appointment in June 2019. During his tenure, he led the Grizzlies to three playoff appearances and was instrumental in the development of key players.
General Manager Zach Kleiman stated that the decision was made in the best interest of the team's future, emphasizing that it was his sole decision and not influenced by players.&nbsp; The move comes as the Grizzlies have faced a recent downturn, losing five of their last seven games.
Tuomas Iisalo, who steps in as interim head coach, brings a wealth of experience from European basketball. Prior to joining the Grizzlies as an assistant, Iisalo served as the head coach for Paris Basketball, leading them to a EuroCup victory, and was named Coach of the Year in Finland in 2024.&nbsp; His promotion marks him as the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies face a challenging schedule ahead, with eight of their final nine games against teams contending for playoff or play-in spots.&nbsp; The organization and fans alike will be watching closely to see how the team responds under Iisalo's leadership as they approach the postseason.​

​In a surprising development, the Memphis Grizzlies have parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Grizzlies part ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins before playoffs

Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis are already one of the best big men in the league with the variety of skills they offer on the basketball court. Both bigs are considered top 5 in the position by being the best of the best defensively along with a deep offensive bag. However, if there was one hole in their games that both needed to fill up, it is their three-point shooting.&nbsp;
Both Adebayo and Davis have demonstrated their shooting forms and technical abilities, suggesting they could excel as 3-point shooters. However, neither has historically attempted threes as often as their talent might allow. Now, entering the 2024-25 season, both stars are increasing their 3-point volume as seen in the preseason, and this shift could be the key to elevating their teams to new heights.
Bam Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to impact a game is undeniable. He is one of the best defenders in the league, being known for his defensive versatility and ability to guard all five positions. Adebayo brings value to the Heat with his offensive playmaking from the center position, and over the years he has been the main engine of Miami&rsquo;s offense. But what he&rsquo;s rarely done is consistently shoot from deep. In the 2023-24 NBA season, Adebayo averaged just 0.6 3-point attempts per game, preferring to stick to his mid-range game and finish inside.
However, Adebayo&rsquo;s shooting took a noticeable step forward during the 2024 Olympics, where he averaged 1.5 attempts per game from beyond the arc for Team USA. His confidence seemed to soar after the tournament, and that momentum has carried into the 2024-25 preseason, where he&rsquo;s now taking 3.3 3-point attempts per game.
This increase in volume shows that Adebayo is ready to fully integrate the 3-point shot into his game, something he&rsquo;s always been capable of given his shooting form. With his smooth mechanics and growing confidence, Adebayo&rsquo;s expanded range could be the key to unlocking the Miami Heat&rsquo;s full offensive potential.
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BAM-ing it from downtown 🎯 Bam Adebayo has significantly upped his 3-point attempts from last season to this preseason 😲 2023-24 season ➡️ 0.6 2024 Paris Olympics ➡️ 1.5 2024-25 Preseason ➡️ 3.3 Stretch Bam incoming? 👀 (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@statmuse</a>) <a href="https://t.co/OxX6yP8v72">pic.twitter.com/OxX6yP8v72</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1846751205386780929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2024</a>
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Similar to Adebayo, Anthony Davis has always had the ability to shoot from deep but hasn&rsquo;t consistently utilized it. Davis proved his 3-point prowess throughout the younger years of his career&mdash;but most notably during the 2019-20 season when he helped lead the Lakers to a championship by shooting 33% from beyond the arc. However, injuries and shifting roles have seen Davis shy away from shooting threes in recent seasons.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Davis averaged just 1.4 3-point attempts per game, a sharp drop from the 3.5 attempts he averaged during that 2020 title run. Like Adebayo, Davis has the form and touch to be a consistent 3-point threat but hasn&rsquo;t taken as many shots from deep as he&rsquo;s capable of.
For the Lakers, a healthy and confident Anthony Davis shooting more threes could be a game-changer. His ability to stretch the floor would open up the lane for LeBron James and the Lakers&rsquo; slashing guards, creating a more dynamic and less predictable offense. If Davis can regain his 3-point shooting form from his championship run, the Lakers will be far more difficult to defend.
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4 THREES FOR AD IN THE FIRST QUARTER 😱<a href="https://t.co/8PxKpnr4ZQ">pic.twitter.com/8PxKpnr4ZQ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1847103115394535893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a>
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<h3>Why Does Adebayo and Davis Increasing Their 3-Point Attempts Matter?</h3>
<ol>
<li> Floor Spacing and Offensive Flexibility Both Adebayo and Davis shooting more threes could radically improve their respective teams' floor spacing. For Miami, Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to pull opposing big men out to the perimeter will open up driving lanes for Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, giving the Heat more room to operate. For the Lakers, Davis stretching the defense would allow LeBron to work in a more open paint, while also freeing up shooters like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.</li>
<li> Deeper Pick-and-Pop Potential Adebayo and Davis could both become elite pick-and-pop players. Their ability to shoot from mid-range has already made them dangerous in these situations, but adding 3-point range would make them even more difficult to guard. Forcing defenders to decide between contesting their shot or stopping a drive could lead to easy points for their teams.</li>
<li> Defensive Dilemmas for Opponents With both big men capable of hitting threes, opposing defenses will be forced to make tough choices. Typically, teams like to sag off big men who are stationed at the perimeter, allowing them to pack the paint. However, if Adebayo and Davis can hit threes at a consistent rate, defenses will be stretched thin, making it harder to defend both the perimeter and the paint effectively.</li>
</ol>
It&rsquo;s important to note that neither Adebayo nor Davis are bad three point shooters. Both have had excellent shooting forms since early in their careers, but for various reasons&mdash;be it team strategy or personal preference&mdash;they haven&rsquo;t leaned heavily into their perimeter game and added it to their shot diets. Adebayo&rsquo;s shooting mechanics are smooth, and Davis has long been recognized for his soft touch from deep.
The difference now is volume and confidence. Both players have shown they can make threes, and now, with their respective teams needing more floor spacing and offensive versatility, the time is right for them to fully embrace their perimeter games.
While the increased 3-point attempts from Adebayo and Davis are promising, consistency here will be the major factor. Both players will need to prove that they can not only take more threes but also hit them at an efficient rate throughout the long NBA season. Shooting in the preseason or during international competition is one thing; doing so under the pressure of regular-season games and in the playoffs is another.
There&rsquo;s also the question of how this shift in offensive focus will affect their defensive roles. Both Adebayo and Davis are the anchors of their teams&rsquo; defenses, often patrolling the paint and protecting the rim. If they spend more time on the perimeter, it could pull them away from their defensive responsibilities, potentially impacting their teams on that end of the floor. They could also potentially exert more energy on offense when taking these types of shots, and could affect their games on the other end of the floor.
If Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis can fully integrate the 3-point shot into their games, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers could be looking at major improvements in their offensive efficiency and flexibility. For Miami, Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to space the floor and create more room for Butler and Herro could make them a more dangerous and unpredictable team. For the Lakers, Davis hitting threes at a consistent rate would allow LeBron and the rest of the roster to play more freely and dynamically.
Both players have always had the skill to shoot from deep, but this season may finally be the year where they embrace it fully. And if they do, the Heat and Lakers could be poised for deep playoff runs, with their star big men leading the charge in this new era of positionless basketball.

Bam and AD are increasing their 3-point volume and this shift could be a key to elevating their teams to new heights.

Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis shooting more threes should elevate Heat, Lakers

The NBA is back.&nbsp;
With the league&rsquo;s annual &lsquo;Day&rsquo; 1 getting underway, all 30 teams have resumed their daily basketball activities. Starting from the Media Day to each of their training camps, players are slowly ramping up as they work to get back in game shape.
For some of these familiar faces, however, a new season awaits them as they&rsquo;re looking for a fresh start in new environments and places. Let&rsquo;s take a look at these players and their potential fits next to their new teams and teammates.&nbsp;
Russell Westbrook rocks new threads with Denver&nbsp;
Russell Westbrook starts a new season with the 2023 champions after his stint with the Clippers. Westbrook aims to bring the energy to a Nuggets squad losing another championship piece in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He slots in immediately as Denver&rsquo;s backup PG with the loss of Reggie Jackson, and the team could also use him to play with the starters and let Jamal Murray slide into the 2 spot. Westbrook will also be teaming up with fellow triple-double savant Nikola Jokic and it will be interesting to see two high-IQ players together on the court.
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New beginnings for <a href="https://twitter.com/russwest44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@russwest44</a> 😈<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wew6JRNNXm">pic.twitter.com/Wew6JRNNXm</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1839352986826387752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></blockquote>

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PG13 creates a big three with Embiid and Maxey
Perhaps the biggest signing in the offseason, George immediately slides in with the Sixers to form a big three with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. At 34 years old, PG probably has a good 3 years left in his prime, but he could be in a perfect situation with Embiid and Maxey at their absolute peaks. George is in a position where he&rsquo;s not asked to shoulder much of the offensive load like he did most of the time in his career, and he can play to his strengths &mdash; a two-play wing player with some playmaking chops and be a secondary creator and scorer to Maxey and Embiid. George is also a very good three-point shooter on spot-up and catch-and-shoot attempts and should bode well for both Sixers superstars by spacing the floor for them. Overall an A+ signing by Sixers GM Daryl Morey, and now it all hinges on health as Philly tries to pull it up all together to finally make a Conference Finals in the Embiid era.
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PG in Philly! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/jmSInGKf5L">pic.twitter.com/jmSInGKf5L</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840916610644582775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

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A new Philadelphia trio... 🔥 Maxey. Embiid. George.<a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/wjlclZdnhx">pic.twitter.com/wjlclZdnhx</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840803293473230955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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CP3 in San Antonio as Wemby&rsquo;s PG; Harrison Barnes being a veteran piece in a young Spurs team
Victor Wembanyama finally gets his premier PG in Chris Paul. After playing most of last year not having a legitimate table setter, Wemby, and the Spurs add one of the greatest to ever do it at the position. Even approaching 40 years old, Paul should have a lot left in his tank to try and develop as much as possible the young yet hungry Spurs. On the other hand, Barnes adds another veteran piece as San Antonio looks to improve and at least make the play-in this season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WEMBY x CP3 🔥 BIG smiles in San Antonio at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> 😇 <a href="https://t.co/PbV71PCH0c">pic.twitter.com/PbV71PCH0c</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840815076485259469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Wemby &amp; CP3 enjoying <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> 🤩 <a href="https://t.co/rSdwmMIx1m">pic.twitter.com/rSdwmMIx1m</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840801831577895224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Caruso, Hartenstein add more defensive toughness to an already elite OKC squad
Imagine having to add two role players that star in their role to a team that just finished atop the conference a season ago, all without losing someone significant from that core. That&rsquo;s exactly what the Oklahoma City Thunder did by adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein into their fold. The move stamped their status even further atop the West with rising stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren getting better over the year and still having MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just starting his prime. Caruso adds yet another defensive bull on the perimeter that already features fellow All-Defensive player Lu Dort, while Hartenstein brings versatility in the frontcourt to possibly play together with Holmgren. The Thunder are poised yet again to make a deep playoff run and it all starts with their offseason acquisitions and their fit into the team.&nbsp;
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Alex Caruso very complimentary of his new backcourt mate, SGA! 🤞<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/Rdxt7r5dQu">pic.twitter.com/Rdxt7r5dQu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840867849797022103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Klay splashing and spacing the floor for Luka, Mavs
The other Splash brother brings his act to Dallas after spending his first 13 years with the franchise. Thompson immediately fills a need in Dallas to help space the floor and be a decoy for Luka Doncic as he makes plays on the court. At his age, Thompson won&rsquo;t be asked too much like he did in Golden State and this could be a rejuvenation for his career as he finds a new environment with the Mavericks.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No. 31 from the Dallas Mavericks... Klay Thompson 🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://t.co/e4M8lNtvQL">pic.twitter.com/e4M8lNtvQL</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840858008794120481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Klay Thompson... NEW BEGINNINGS 🫵<a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/YX9CX1preR">pic.twitter.com/YX9CX1preR</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840806814956265762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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DeMar DeRozan as the final piece to Sacramento&rsquo;s playoff success
DeRozan comes into the Kings&rsquo; lair as one of the most clutch players in the league, and he will play alongside a player of the same caliber in DeAaron Fox. It will be interesting to see how DeRozan&rsquo;s playstyle fits into the Kings&rsquo; offense with their motion offense built on three-point shooting with Domantas Sabonis as the hub, and it will be a good problem how coach Mike Brown integrates him to play a certain kind of way. The Kings are one of the up-and-coming teams in the West and adding a player like DeRozan gives them a different dimension to their offense.&nbsp;
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DeMar DeRozan looking good in his new threads 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/uPYTeKvUBE">pic.twitter.com/uPYTeKvUBE</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1841107569399480506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

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New trio in Sacramento 👑<a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/HfnZMmz317">pic.twitter.com/HfnZMmz317</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1841108008769630523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Dejounte Murray, Tyus Jones to solve PG issues in NOLA, PHX
Two teams that have had PG issues last season have finally addressed it by signing two of the quality PGs in the league today: Murray to the Pelicans and Jones to the Suns. Murray slots in as the Pelicans&rsquo; main shot creator, playmaker, and closer. This has been a significant hole for the Pelicans last season, especially in the playoffs when no one other than CJ McCollum (who&rsquo;s getting old) and Brandon Ingram create shots and make plays. Murray immediately comes in and fills this gap and with a returning Zion Williamson, the Pelicans are coming into the season very optimistic about their playoff chances.
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Fresh start heading into Year 8 🤲<a href="https://twitter.com/DejounteMurray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DejounteMurray</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/j3W5D0GFoM">pic.twitter.com/j3W5D0GFoM</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840852492168675766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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New threads for <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> new PG 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/DejounteMurray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DejounteMurray</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/kgIxpGqxkG">pic.twitter.com/kgIxpGqxkG</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840807569150837091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Jones on the other hand also fills the immediate need of a PG, someone who can make plays for others without turning the ball over. Jones has been one of the best if not the best assist-to-turnover ratio guys in the league, and with how Phoenix&rsquo;s roster is constructed, this allows their super scoring big three Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant to do their thing and focus on what they do best. Jones comes in to settle these guys down and put them in the best positions to succeed.&nbsp;
Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson bring veteran savvy and immediate positional needs to Golden State
Some key veteran additions to the Warriors are Hield and Anderson as they continue to beef up their roster around superstar Stephen Curry. Hield will try to replace the production of Klay Thompson after his departure with his deadeye shooting and spacing the floor for Curry. Hield has also been a good off-ball mover and that should bode well for Golden State&rsquo;s offense. Anderson meanwhile, brings his big forward, almost a center playing style to the Warriors and should fit instantly like a Draymond Green clone. Anderson has the playmaking chops and the basketball IQ to seamlessly play in Kerr&rsquo;s system and is a player who seems to understand how to play with and off of the skillset of a player like Curry.&nbsp;
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Welcome to The Bay, Buddy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAMediaDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAMediaDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/ruEDkg7ayU">pic.twitter.com/ruEDkg7ayU</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1840924339090100682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Prince-Trent-Wright trio come to Milwaukee to win
Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., and Delon Wright have all signed up for a little under than what they were supposed to make and signed with the Bucks for a chance to contribute to a championship contender. All three are exactly what the Bucks need in their scheme of things as they&rsquo;re expected to bring shooting, spacing, and tough perimeter defenders. It&rsquo;s expected that Milwaukee&rsquo;s offense will revolve around superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard so there will be little expectations on these guys to do more and they can just focus on what they do best as role players in the league.

A new season awaits familiar faces in new places. Let’s take a look at them and their potential fits next to their new teams and teammates.

Familiar faces in new places: NBA players’ new home to start the season

To strengthen their defense, France Men&rsquo;s Basketball team head coach Vincent Collet has revealed the 12 men to go and get gold on home soil in arguably the most competitive Olympics of all time.
Bannered by NBA Rookie of the Year and phenom Victor Wembanyama and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Collet has emphasized defense as the team&rsquo;s main identity coming into the Games.&nbsp;
France notably disappointed last year in their FIBA World Cup campaign after not even getting out of the initial group stages. Despite being one of the favorites to win it all, France was booted out early in the competition after losing to the likes of Canada and Latvia.
This time, Les Bleus brings in a solid 12-man lineup that aims to be on top of the world&rsquo;s basketball stage.
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🚨 S&Eacute;LECTION OFFICIELLE POUR PARIS 2024 D&eacute;couvrez nos basketteurs en 5x5 et en 3x3 qui participeront aux Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/e7q6WcsySP">pic.twitter.com/e7q6WcsySP</a>
&mdash; Equipe France (@EquipeFRA) <a href="https://twitter.com/EquipeFRA/status/1810283594511720540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a>
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Joining Wembanyama and Gobert are French national team veterans Nicolas Batum, Nando De Colo, Frank Ntilikina, Guerschon Yabusele, and Isaia Cordinier.&nbsp;
As he looks to build the team of defense and share the ball, Collet has tapped young guards Andrew Albicy and Matthew Strazel. Collet also added one of the best Euroleague players this season in Matthias Lessort and Wembanyama&rsquo;s former teammate and the 7th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft Bilal Coulibaly.&nbsp;
France&rsquo;s early adversaries in the Games are Germany, Japan, and Brazil in Group B.

To strengthen their defense, France head coach Vincent Collet has revealed the 12 men to go and get gold on home soil.

France unveils Paris 2024 Men’s Basketball roster

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a state of dilemma right now.&nbsp;
As Philadelphia enters Game 2 in their best-of-7 series against the New York Knicks on the road at the Madison Square Garden, it has them wondering for adjustments and key plays with hopes of tying the series.
Although Nick Nurse&rsquo;s defensive scheme on the Knicks&rsquo; Jalen Brunson, his buddy Josh Hart happened and knocked down three crucial three-pointers in the 4th quarter of Game 1 to bury the Sixers. Brunson was held to 22 points on 8-26 shooting, but Hart had 22 points himself as well.
That&rsquo;s bad news for the Sixers. The Knicks star point guard have been playing at an all-NBA level this season thus far and it is clear that the game plan is to send guys at Brunson for him to see bodies and make him work for his points. However, when someone else has a performance as big as Hart&rsquo;s in Game 1, that would be difficult for the Sixers to overcome.
On offense, Tyrese Maxey shouldered most of the offensive load in the 4th quarter after reigning MVP Joel Embiid injured his knee in the first half. Embiid came to play in the second half, but was visibly not his usual self physically, missing his patented midrange jumpers and some layups around the basket. He ended up finishing the game with 29 points but shot an abysmal 8-22 from the field. Maxey himself scored 33 points but played a game-high 43 minutes for the game. This is something the Sixers should monitor because as young and spry as he is, Maxey is essential for them down the stretch especially if this extends down the line.
How could the Sixers bounce back? Heading into tonight&rsquo;s Game 2 and moving forward into the series, here are some of the things the Sixers could do to steal one on the road and possibly win the series.
Play Buddy Hield more
The Sixers&rsquo; midseason acquisition only played for 10 minutes and did not score at all. That is uncharacteristic for someone you brought in for this exact reason: to have more weapons around Embiid in the playoffs. Although a defensive liability at times, Hield&rsquo;s gravity as a shooter and threat from the outside is more than enough to compensate for those.&nbsp;
Hield is a proven knockdown shooter who can only help space the floor for Embiid when he&rsquo;s in the middle of the floor. If given the opportunity and he hits his shots, the paint will open up even more which will give Embiid and Maxey more room to operate.
&ldquo;Buddy [Hield] didn&rsquo;t get much of a chance last game,&rdquo; Nurse said on Sunday. &ldquo;He did have a couple of plays there. He didn&rsquo;t play good. It&rsquo;s a game where you can&rsquo;t extend minutes when a guy has three or four mistakes, but I do say this he&rsquo;ll be a factor in the series. He could have just as easily made that wide-open 3, and then hit another one the next time down the floor like he does, but he didn&rsquo;t. We kind of gave him this chance to impact it and we had to get back to somebody else, but he&rsquo;ll be a factor.&rdquo;
Involve Tobias Harris on more offensive actions and build up his confidence
As it stands right now, Tobias Harris&rsquo; confidence has looked to be cooked and nowhere to be found. He has been playing out of sorts over the past few games, oftentimes getting lost in translation within the flow of the Sixers offense at times. With Embiid demanding the ball and the attention most of the time and Maxey setting the offense up, this leaves Harris with little to no opportunities to have any sort of offensive rhythm.
Harris is also not the role player specialist like Kelly Oubre who brings defensive toughness, hits the occasional threes, and provides the timely cuts, or Nic Batum&rsquo;s lockdown one-on-one defense coupled with his three-point marksmanship. Harris is someone you make plays for to set him up. He has shown that capability over his career, being the third option on offense. Harris&rsquo; skill set allows him to attack off the catch, hit some catch-and-shoot threes here and there, and run some pick-and-rolls with certain guys.
If the Sixers want to have a chance to bounce back in Game 2, Harris should be more involved on offense no matter how Nick Nurse and his staff would do it. A 30-million-dollar player like Harris can&rsquo;t just camp in the corner or wings ball-watching and watch the ball come to him, he should be utilized in a way his strengths as a player can help the Sixers.
Bench production is a must
In Game 1, the Sixers only had 5 bench points. That can&rsquo;t happen again. Even though they are down two key rotation players in DeAnthony Melton and Robert Covington, both the coaching staff and the players themselves need to do a better job involving players on offense and stepping up to the plate. This is the playoffs and everyone has to contribute something. 
After scoring 20 points against Miami, Batum only had 3 points in Game 1. Hield wasn&rsquo;t even able to score a point. Backup big Paul Reed has to be more aggressive especially now that Embiid is not 100%. Cam Payne has to hit one or two shots when he comes in, just to change the complexion of the game a little bit. Maybe Nick Nurse could reach a bit deeper into his bag of tricks and activate someone like Ricky Council for an energy boost after the rookie played a good stretch to end the season. 
The bench has to help the starters at some point in the series. But it has to start in Game 2 &ndash; because it takes everyone to win a playoff basketball game.
&nbsp;

How could the Sixers bounce back? Here are some of the things the Sixers could do to steal one on the road and win the series.

2024 NBA Playoffs: 3 adjustments for Sixers to bounce back vs Knicks

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/embiid332.jpg" alt="" width="672" height="440" />
<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 10 assists, and No. 6 Marquette clinched its first outright Big East championship by beating Butler 72-56 on Tuesday night.
The victory was the fifth in a row and 10th in 11 games for the surprising Golden Eagles (24-6, 16-3), picked ninth by the league&rsquo;s coaches in the preseason poll.
Marquette, which had already secured a share of its first Big East title since 2013, had not won an outright regular-season crown since doing so in Conference USA in 2003.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 14 points and Oso Ighodaro had 12 for the Golden Eagles, who will be the top seed in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden &mdash; an event Marquette has never won.
Jayden Taylor scored 13 and Jalen Thomas had 10 for Butler (14-16, 6-13), which finished 4-6 in Big East home games.
NO. 3 KANSAS 67, TEXAS TECH 63
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 21 points in his Allen Fieldhouse farewell, fellow senior Kevin McCullar Jr. added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Kansas clinched a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship.
Dajuan Harris had 16 points for the Jayhawks (25-5, 13-4), who would capture the outright crown if ninth-ranked Texas loses to No. 22 TCU on Wednesday night. Otherwise, the Jayhawks &mdash; now with an NCAA-leading 64 conference championships &mdash; would need to beat the Longhorns in a head-to-head showdown Saturday in Austin.
De&rsquo;Vion Harmon had 15 points to lead Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12), which was just 3 of 16 from the 3-point line. Kevin Obanor added 14 points, Fardaws Aimaq had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and Pop Isaacs finished with 11 points.
NO. 12 TENNESSEE 75, ARKANSAS 57
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 16 points and Tennessee earned its second consecutive win.
Despite the victory, the Volunteers (22-8, 11-6 Southeastern Conference) may have sustained a significant loss. Three minutes into the game, sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler, who brings energy on offense and defense, went down with an injury to his left knee. The extent of the injury wasn&rsquo;t immediately known, but he did not return.
Santiago Vescovi, who took over the role of point guard for Zeigler, added 14 points and Josiah-Jordan James scored 11.
Anthony Black and Davonte Davis each scored 13 for the Razorbacks (19-11, 8-9). Nick Smith Jr. scored 14 and Ricky Council 11.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA 64, CLEMSON 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Jayden Gardner had 12 points and nine rebounds, Armaan Franklin and Isaac McKneely each scored 12, and Virginia stopped a two-game skid.
The Cavaliers (22-6, 14-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved into a tie for second place in the league with No. 16 Miami with one game remaining.
PJ Hall led the Tigers (21-9, 13-6) with 19 points and Hunter Tyson had 17. Clemson got within 59-55 with 33 seconds left, but Virginia made five free throws and had a steal, sending the Tigers to their fifth loss in eight games.
IOWA 90, NO. 15 INDIANA 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Kris Murray scored 26 points, Tony Perkins flirted with the first triple-double in Iowa history and the Hawkeyes defeated Indiana.
Perkins had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists for Iowa (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten).
Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers (20-10, 11-8) with 26 points and 13 rebounds. He became the school&rsquo;s career rebounding leader with 1,096 &mdash; on a night the Hoosiers lost their fourth in a row in the series.
BOISE STATE 66, NO. 18 SAN DIEGO STATE 60
BOISE, Idaho (AP) &mdash; Max Rice scored 26 points and reeled off 12 straight points in a 14-0 run to close out the game and Boise State remained perfect at home in conference play.
The Broncos (23-7, 13-4 Mountain West Conference) avenged a 20-point loss to San Diego State on Feb. 3. It was the Broncos&rsquo; first win over a ranked team this season. Tyson Degenhart scored 14 for Boise State, while Naje Smith added 10.
San Diego State (23-6, 14-3), which had already claimed a share of the conference crown with its buzzer-beating win over New Mexico on Saturday, failed to hold onto a late nine-point lead. Matt Bradley paced San Diego State with 16 points, and Micah Parrish chipped in 11.
NO. 24 TEXAS A&amp;M 69, MISSISSIPPI 61
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tyrece Radford scored 13 points as Texas A&amp;M erased an early 12-point deficit to beat Mississippi.
Wade Taylor IV added 12 points and seven assists and Julius Marble scored 10 for the Aggies, who went 13 of 16 from the free-throw line in the second half to stave off the Rebels&rsquo; attempt at a late rally.
Texas A&amp;M (22-8, 14-3 Southeastern Conference) trailed 20-8 after seven minutes but took a 29-26 lead on Taylor&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:06 left in the first half. The Aggies never trailed again.
Matthew Murrell made 8 of 11 from 3-point range and scored 26 points to lead Ole Miss (11-19, 3-13).

The Golden Eagles had not won an outright regular-season crown since doing so in Conference USA in 2003.

No. 6 Marquette clinches first outright Big East title

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Abby Meyers matched her season high by scoring 24 points and No. 7 Maryland finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak with a 76-74 victory over No. 16 Ohio State on Friday night.
Lavender Briggs&rsquo; 3-pointer was part of an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Terrapins (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten) a 73-69 lead.
Maryland then held off a late push from Ohio State (23-6, 12-6), which tied it at 73 with over three minutes left.
Meyers made a layup with 2:45 remaining to help Maryland regain the lead &mdash; an advantage the Terrapins wouldn&rsquo;t relinquish as both teams went scoreless for the next two-plus minutes. Meyers missed a free throw, but made her second to make it a 76-74 lead with 11 seconds left.
Rikki Harris missed a pair of free throws with 10 seconds to go and the Buckeyes&rsquo; final shot went in after the buzzer had already signaled the finish.
&ldquo;We practice all the time, 5 seconds left, this is where we get back to our fundamentals,&rdquo; said Meyers, who tied a season high with 11 field goals and added six rebounds and three steals. &ldquo;Switching defense, high hands, don&rsquo;t foul, make them make the really great play. We were able to win by a little bit and that&rsquo;s all that matters.&rdquo;
Meyers felt she was playing in the most fun game of her basketball career when she headed to Maryland&rsquo;s sideline with her legs aching.
&ldquo;Five seconds left and they had it out of bounds, and I come running and both my calves are just cramping,&rdquo; Meyers said.
Cramps subdued, Meyers and the Terrapins had other plans as they beat Ohio State for the second time this season.
Brinae Alexander and Diamond Miller added 16 points apiece for the Terrapins, who had already earned a double bye in next week&rsquo;s Big Ten Tournament.
&ldquo;That felt like a game that you would see in (the) postseason here in March,&rdquo; Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. &ldquo;The mentality of being able to make one more play and just so many elements there of like Ohio State wanting redemption in our game and the emotions of that and being senior night.
&ldquo;But I just thought just getting one more stop, and just you&rsquo;ve seen how much we&rsquo;ve grown as a team.&rdquo;
Cotie McMahon led the Buckeyes with 20 points, while Taylor Mikesell added 18, Taylor Thierry 16 and Rebeka Mikulasikova 13.
The Terrapins, who led 38-33 at the break, shot 52% in the first half to Ohio State&rsquo;s 48%.
&ldquo;I thought both teams played really hard and competed at a high level,&rdquo; Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed for our team that when you put that much into it and our competitive spirit was terrific, our togetherness, all the intangibles were great. They just made one more play than we did.&rdquo;
THE FINAL SEQUENCE
Thierry missed the final jump shot that counted and McMahon tipped it in after the buzzer and review, and the Terrapins&rsquo; defense hung on just long enough to secure their seventh win against ranked teams this season.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s obviously hard anytime you&rsquo;re on the road, and they really started driving us and drawing a lot of fouls,&rdquo; Frese said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve gained so much confidence defensively because when we needed to get some of those late game stops, we were able to get it.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: After holding the country&rsquo;s top scoring offense to 68 points in their win Tuesday over Iowa, the Terrapins defense had few answers for Ohio State. They allowed the Buckeyes to shoot 46% from the field, but kept them scoreless long enough to claim the win.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes will enter the conference tournament having lost one of their final three. They closed the regular season 4-6 in their final 10 games after starting the season 19-0, a program record.
UP NEXT
Maryland: Meyers and the Terrapins will have either the No. 2 or 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes will have the No. 4 seed and a double bye in the conference tournament, which begins Wednesday.

Abby Meyers matched her season high by scoring 24 points and Maryland finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak.

No. 7 Terrapins win 6th straight, down No. 16 Buckeyes 76-74

With 6:45 left in the first quarter, Terance Mann brings the ball up the right side of the floor.
Kawhi Leonard (yeah, he's playing) attempts to set a flat screen on Tobias Harris to help pry Mann open, but mostly whiffs on the pick. Mann finds himself in the right corner, staring down Harris as the clock ticks.&nbsp;
Ivica Zubac steps up to set a screen this time, this time to Mann's left. With the right side emptied, Mann could run Harris off a bruising screen and force Joel Embiid to defend the 2-on-1 with minimal help.&nbsp;
Instead, Mann rejects the screen and continues driving to his right. He's able to get two feet in the paint, <a href="https://youtu.be/WwY__zWQArs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nashing around</a> while drawing the attention of Embiid and (a trailing) Harris. That opens up a window for a dump-off pass to Zubac, leading to two points.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7rb8ot" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It's a simple possession that takes half the shot clock to complete. It features three things we haven't seen enough of from the Los Angeles Clippers this season: Kawhi as a screener, a paint touch from a guard and easy, efficient offense being created.
The Clippers have been disjointed all season long. Their 23-23 record and minus-0.7 net rating screams "mid," not "sure-fire title contender." There's obvious bail to shoot; of the 46 games the Clippers have played, their best three players &mdash; Kawhi, Paul George and Zubac &mdash; have only appeared in 15 games together. Even with that, the Clippers have <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?CF=GROUP_NAME*E*leonard:GROUP_NAME*E*george:GROUP_NAME*E*zubac&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;TeamID=1610612746&amp;slug=advanced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barely won those minutes</a> &mdash; plus-14 (+2.6 NET) in 260 minutes.
That's probably the most concerning portion of this Clippers season for me. It's one thing to be searching for continuity; everyone was already banking in maintenance days for Kawhi, specifically. I am not here to argue about the merits of that; do it on your timeline, if you must.
But it's another thing to be searching for&nbsp;answers. It's felt more like the latter from the Clippers this year. That's baked into some of the lineup choices of course, but you've also seen it with the&nbsp;roles&nbsp;on the roster.
No player speaks to this dynamic quite like Mann. His rise in the rotation has been a joy to watch. From energy piece, to connector, to "Hey, he's kinda baking Rudy Gobert right now" to connector-plus-defensive-stopper to... point guard? To point guard!
Mann has started the last five games as the nominal point, and he's mostly produced. His box-score numbers are up: 15.4 points (59.4% from two, 45.8% from three on 4.8 attempts), 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists (0.8 turnovers) per game.
Naturally, his usage <a href="https://go.nba.com/zu548" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is way up</a>: Mann ranks second on the team in touches per game (68.6), time of possession (4.8), and fourth in seconds per touch (4.2) and dribbles per touch (3.4).
Mann has done a solid job of mixing in his snappy nature with more on-ball patience. He's served as&nbsp;the&nbsp;rim threat among the Clippers' starters, parlaying that gravity into reads like the one above.&nbsp;
To that point: On trips featuring a Mann-led ball-screen during this stretch, the Clippers are generating 1.13 points per possession (PPP) &mdash; a mark on par with Luka Doncic's league-leading clip.
(Of course, the volume and responsibility isn't close between those two &mdash; Mann's at 13 picks per 100 possessions during this stretch, while Luka's at nearly 69 per 100 on the year &mdash; but the point is that the Clippers have been getting good stuff from Mann as of late.)
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Pick-and-rolls aren't the only part of half-court offense though. And zooming out, the Clippers have posted a 95.7 offensive rating in the half-court; that ranks 21st over the last five games, and is only slightly better than their season-wide mark (94.8, 24th).&nbsp;
The idea of Mann kicking off possessions has a similar feel to Marcus Smart (or Derrick White) with the Boston Celtics. If Mann (Smart/White) is tilting the defense with a drive, that means he's kicking it out to Kawhi and George (Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown). The theory is sound.
Mann doesn't have the kind of passing chops that Smart does, which lessens the overall impact of that gambit. Beyond that, Smart's role in that dynamic is a bit of a luxury. The Clippers currently&nbsp;need&nbsp;Mann to shoulder that kind of load right now.
That speaks to the growth Mann has shown throughout his young career, but it also signals a problem team-wide. And this is where we put on our glasses and look at what the Clippers have gotten out of John Wall and Reggie Jackson lately.
It ain't good.
Let's take a cursory glance at the box-score numbers since the beginning of December, shall we?
<ul>
<li>John Wall (16 games): 9.6 points (37% on twos, 36.2% from three), 4.9 assists (2.4 turnovers), -68 in 351 minutes</li>
<li>Reggie Jackson (18 games): 9.1 points (40.8% on twos, 33.8% from three), 2.6 assists (1.8 turnovers), -58 in 430 minutes</li>
<li>Terance Mann (22 games): 9.8 points, (55.8% on twos, 39.1% from three), 2.2 assists (0.8 turnovers), +32 in 530 minutes</li>
</ul>
The efficiency isn't really close. Narrow it down to the latest five-game sample, and the gap <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612746&amp;PerMode=PerGame&amp;DateFrom=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is even wider</a>.
On drives specifically, you really start to see difference between the three. Per Second Spectrum, here are the numbers on drives that feature a paint touch since Dec. 1:
<ul>
<li>Wall: 81 drives, 0.82 PPP on direct plays (Wall shoots, or passes it to a player who immediately shoots)</li>
<li>Jackson: 82 drives, 1.01 PPP</li>
<li>Mann: 82 drives, 1.08 PPP</li>
</ul>
Add in just how much better Mann has been defensively, and you start to understand why we're getting close to recycling the "Do the Clippers need a point guard" question from the past two seasons.&nbsp;
It's undeniable that they've gotten underwhelming results from their point guard stable this season, so much that Mann has had to shoulder more of that load as of late. The Clippers could certainly benefit from better point guard play.
Do they need an actual point guard? I'm still not sure I'd press that button, though it's worth mentioning they've <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-clippers-interested-in-mike-conley-suns-a-fred-vanvleet-suitor-jazz-eyeing-john-collins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently been linked</a> to Mike Conley, per the reporting of Substack's Marc Stein. Maybe they think so.
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Conley could help some of the half-court quarterbacking. He's averaging a career-high 7.5 assists this year, and can still get busy behind the arc. On the flip side, he's in the midst of his worst inside-the-arc season; he's converting a career-low 42.9% of his twos, with a lot of that due to a career-low 50% clip inside of three feet.
If they're interested in Conley, would they be willing to kick the tires on a reunion with Chris Paul? Like Conley, he could provide some structure in the half-court. There's a similar aversion to the rim, and uptick in volume from beyond the arc. Both have partial guarantees for next season (and beyond, for Paul). I'm just sayin'.
Before he was eventually moved to the New York Knicks, the Clippers were <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/report-clippers-still-interested-in-acquiring-derrick-rose" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked to Derrick Rose</a> as a potential suitor. Rose currently finds himself outside of the Knicks' rotation; I'd doubt it would take much to acquire him if there was still interest there.
The answer could be another wing to operate as the tip of the spear. Maybe the perpetually-available Eric Gordon, since we're on the topic of reunions.
Regardless of which pathway is chosen, the current setup feels untenable. They haven't done enough from beyond the arc, in terms of volume (12th in three-point rate) or efficiency (37.3%, 10th), to compensate for the lack of juice they're getting at the rim &mdash; 23rd in rim rate, 26th (63.8) in efficiency.
Until we see change in one or both of those areas, the Clippers' title hopes will be just that: Hope.

Nekias Duncan highlights Terance Mann's recent success at point guard and what the Clippers need to do to get back on track.

With the Clippers searching for direction, where should they turn?

With the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; win at Miami on Sunday, they have won a franchise record 18 of their last 20 games, which represents the best 20-game stretch at any point in a season in the organization's history.
Kyrie Irving is leading the Eastern Conference guards in All-Star voting, and Kevin Durant is having an MVP-level season, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
But unfortunately, last night, Durant had to exit the game in the third quarter after Jimmy Butler fell into Durant. On Monday morning, the Nets announced that he was diagnosed with an isolated MCL sprain of the right knee and that he'll be out for at least the next two weeks before being reevaluated. It's devastating news for Nets fans, as the team has been taking the league by storm for the past 20 games.&nbsp;
To discuss Durant's injury, Irving's strong play and more, I sat down with Nets great and Basketball News contributor Kenyon Martin to discuss his former team.&nbsp;
Etan Thomas: The Nets are on a great run. They&rsquo;ve been proving a lot of people who had completely written them off wrong. How do you think they&rsquo;re playing overall right now?&nbsp;
Kenyon Martin: "I think they&rsquo;ve been playing great. Once you get your two stars on the same page in KD and Kyrie &mdash; and they&rsquo;re playing off each other and going to each other when the other one is hot and they&rsquo;re healthy &mdash; they are a tough team to beat. I saw KD went down last night and I&rsquo;m hearing he may be out for a few weeks, which definitely hurts, but he&rsquo;ll bounce back. They&rsquo;ll just have to hold down the fort until he gets back, and when he returns, they&rsquo;ll take off again just like they did when Kyrie returned.
"And Kyrie is playing as free as I&rsquo;ve seen him since he was with Cleveland in the Finals. It's like he&rsquo;s playing with no pressure and nothing holding him back from being one of the top guards in the league. And the team is benefiting from that relief."
Etan: Let me ask you this, because I think Jacque Vaughn has done an excellent job since he&rsquo;s taken over, and I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s being talked about as much as it should be. No knock on Steve Nash because I don&rsquo;t know the ins and outs of why it wasn&rsquo;t working with him, but there is definitely a visible difference. Would you agree?&nbsp;
Kenyon: "Let&rsquo;s be honest, E &mdash; Steve Nash is a hell of a basketball player and had great athletes around him. I&rsquo;ve never thought of Steve Nash as a vocal guy, never thought of him as that kind of a leader. I&rsquo;ve never heard him get after anybody. I&rsquo;ve never heard him put anybody in their place or call anybody out or chastise anyone who needed to be chastised. I just heard of him as a nice guy who is a great pass-first point guard who guys really enjoyed playing with. That&rsquo;s not to say that he couldn&rsquo;t have done a good job coaching; I just think it was a little premature to put him in that position.
"Jacque Vaughn, on the other hand, has proven that he could be a head coach down in Orlando. He just got a bad deal. But he showed that he could do all of the things that a head coach needs to do in order to be successful in this league. He&rsquo;s not afraid to be honest with guys, to call guys out or to challenge guys, but still not turn into the enemy. But (he'll) be like, 'We&rsquo;re in this together, but this is how we have to do things.' He wasn&rsquo;t a two-time NBA MVP, he wasn&rsquo;t an All-Star year-in and year-out, but he commanded a respect from the jump."
Etan: That&rsquo;s very true. One person who has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-nic-claxton-approach-reaping-rewards-with-surging-brooklyn-nets-kevin-durant-jacque-vaughn-kyrie-irving-royce-oneale-georgia-bulldogs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">really stood out this season is Nic Claxton</a>. He won&rsquo;t get the praise that KD and Kyrie get of course, but he has been doing a tremendous job and is really vital to this team.&nbsp;
Kenyon: "I&rsquo;ve been a big fan of his since he got to the Nets. I love the energy he plays with, his effort, his motor, his athleticism, his defense, (he's a) rim protector. And when you have a guy who is surrounded by superstars, understands and embraces his role, and plays it to the best of his ability, the team is going to be successful, and that&rsquo;s what he does night-in and night-out."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"He&rsquo;s a big piece for us and we need him every night." Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Jacque Vaughn reflect on Nic Claxton's impact on the Nets and his development into an everyday starting center. STORY: <a href="https://t.co/U1odBzLCHT">https://t.co/U1odBzLCHT</a> <a href="https://t.co/v4Meeb8B7V">pic.twitter.com/v4Meeb8B7V</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1607867619347931137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Etan: I always admit I do have big-man bias, and I know the game has transitioned into a more of a guards game &mdash; more people play small ball &mdash; but I&rsquo;m surprised players like Dwight Howard and (DeMarcus) Boogie Cousins aren&rsquo;t in the league right now. But specifically with the Nets, couldn&rsquo;t they use them? Especially in the playoffs when they have to face Milwaukee or Boston, or Philly with Joel Embiid and Montrezl Harrell off the bench?
Kenyon: "I&rsquo;m a big fan of both of those guys and their entire body of work. The way Boogie has adjusted his game and what people have thought of him over the years, he&rsquo;s channeled the energy that people were saying was negative into his game and on-court passion, tenacity and physicality that every team needs.&nbsp;
"And what Dwight brings to the table is similar to what we were talking about before with Nic Claxton. He knows his role and does it to the best of his ability. Shot-blocker, rebounder, physical play, athletic, rim-protector, and we all know he&rsquo;s strong as hell. Why wouldn&rsquo;t you want someone like that on your team? (Think about) what the Lakers got out of the combination of him and JaVale (McGee) a couple of years ago."
Etan: Uh huh, when they won the championship.&nbsp;
Kenyon: "Yup, I just think more teams should follow that. If you don&rsquo;t have a dominant Joel Embiid or a dominant (Nikola) Jokic, you need to play by committee at that position. And I think what a lot of teams are missing is exactly that. I think either one of them could be that missing piece for a lot of teams. But yes, specifically for the Nets this season."
Etan: I even <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-los-angeles-lakers-anthony-davis-etan-thomas-injury-achilles-recovery-heal-patient-robert-griffin-III-rgIII-frank-vogel-lebron-james" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about it</a>. I was surprised, going back to JaVale and Dwight, that the Lakers didn&rsquo;t keep them. I&rsquo;m not a GM, but If it ain&rsquo;t broke and just won you a championship, don&rsquo;t fix it, right?
Kenyon: "Who&rsquo;d they get, Marc Gasol?"
Etan: Yeah, that&rsquo;s who they got.
Kenyon: "Yeah I just have a problem with the league as a whole when you have guys that have proven what they can bring to the table, talking about Dwight and Boogie Cousins. It makes no sense for them not to be on an NBA roster right now."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: Another player I&rsquo;ve really been impressed with is Royce O'Neale. I don&rsquo;t know if people were expecting him to play as well as he&rsquo;s been playing this season. Was he a pleasant surprise for you or did you foresee that?
Kenyon: "Honestly, I thought it was a little weird of a trade at first because of the position that he plays. But you can never have enough guys that you can count on. I think Royce is a solid pro. He&rsquo;s proven that he can be successful in this league and you can count on him. And here&rsquo;s the thing &mdash; when players are surrounded by greatness and a role is asked of you, it should be easy for you to fill that role. You know what I mean? It shouldn&rsquo;t be a hard thing for professionals to do. People can really find success on good teams by simply doing what&rsquo;s asked of you."
Etan: (Laughing) Doesn&rsquo;t seem like a hard concept.
Kenyon: (Laughing) "Shouldn&rsquo;t be hard at all."
Etan: It&rsquo;s interesting with Kyrie, because really just a few weeks ago &mdash; after the entire fiasco when he shared the documentary "From Hebrews To Negroes," got suspended, had backlash, was assigned six steps to return and everything that transpired after that &mdash; there was this loud uproar among the media and fans on social media proclaiming definitively that the Nets would be better off without Kyrie Irving, and even that he may be out the league soon.
Kenyon: (Laughing) "How crazy is that?"
Etan: It&rsquo;s crazy, but that was the overall sentiment, especially from a lot of the media for a while. So he comes back and they are playing great. They go on a 5-0 winning run and Kyrie is averaging 30, then a 10-0 run, then a 14-1 run. Now, they&rsquo;ve won 18 of 20 games, setting a franchise record. Kyrie&rsquo;s hitting game-winners and shining, and you've seen all of those people just get quiet. None of those people have offered any retraction to their previously loud statements. They just act like they weren&rsquo;t just saying the Nets were better off without him. And I&rsquo;m just like, keep that same energy you had to demonize someone to also praise them when they are doing well.
Kenyon: "But the key word in what you just said is the media. Who cares what the media says? I took all that criticism and uproar and outrage the media had as all performative. They were just putting on a show and jumping on a bandwagon, which many of them get paid to do. I didn&rsquo;t buy into any of that. It&rsquo;s not like he wrote the book or made the doc. He said he didn&rsquo;t agree with all of it and was sharing it for the information. But if those media people who were saying the Nets were better off without Kyrie don&rsquo;t know how special of a player he is &mdash; aside from the documentary and whatever else &mdash; then they don&rsquo;t need to be writing or commenting on anything.
"It&rsquo;s like a fumble in football. Everybody in the media, fans (and) social media started jumping on top of the dog pile, and Kyrie emerged from the bottom of the pile carrying the football and holding it high in the air for everyone to see. The backlash didn&rsquo;t break him. The team still needs Kyrie Irving. They wouldn&rsquo;t be where they are without him. And if anybody thought the Nets didn&rsquo;t need him, they just don&rsquo;t know the game."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyrie Irving scored 29 PTS &amp; the Nets have won 18 of their last 20 games! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/6SobtaV7MI">pic.twitter.com/6SobtaV7MI</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1612422254607958016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Etan: I hear you, but the piling on just bothered me. I was like... y&rsquo;all are making him out to be Hitler himself. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dns9B0ypwk0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">specifically said</a>, like you mentioned earlier, "I don&rsquo;t agree with everything in this documentary, I&rsquo;m sharing it for the information, I don&rsquo;t hate anyone, I respect all religions." And they wanted to make him Public Enemy No. 1. and the face of antisemitism.
Kenyon: "Yeah, that&rsquo;s exactly what they tried to do, but it didn&rsquo;t work because that&rsquo;s not who he is and (he) has never been that. You can&rsquo;t make someone be something they&rsquo;re not, and that&rsquo;s not who he is."
Etan: But what was really bothering me is that I was seeing a lot of media people who look like me and you literally running to jump on that bandwagon and bashing him the most. That really bothered me.
Kenyon: "One-thousand percent. That bothered me as well seeing that because that&rsquo;s not the way it&rsquo;s supposed to be. And we&rsquo;re talking about Black media who are in high positions."
Etan: Yes, the ones you see if you turn on ESPN or FOX Sports or HBO Sports or the main Black sports journalists. And I don&rsquo;t have to single anyone out in particular because they all were doing that. It was really disappointing to see.
Kenyon: "For them to do that... I know you don&rsquo;t want to call names and I&rsquo;ll respect your platform, but some of them are some high paid."
Etan: Don&rsquo;t even say it.
Kenyon: (Laughing) "I won&rsquo;t say it but you know what I&rsquo;m thinking." (laughing)
Etan: (Laughing) Yes I do.
Kenyon: "And the guy you expected to join the piling on actually took up for Kyrie &mdash; talking about Jason Whitlock."
Etan: Him and Candace Owens did. How crazy is that? It was like we were in the Twilight Zone.
Kenyon: "They usually can&rsquo;t wait to say something negative about a Black athlete, or a Black person or the entire Black community."
Etan: They made an entire career out of it.
Kenyon: "Absolutely, and they are where they are because of that."
Etan: One-hundred percent.
Kenyon: "So yeah, I&rsquo;m with you, it was definitely disappointing to see the piling on from Black media people in particular on the platforms they have and not one guy said something even remotely in this man&rsquo;s corner. They were calling for his career."
Etan: And very loudly too. Jay Williams did say something, so shout out to him.
Kenyon: "Yeah that&rsquo;s right he did, but he was the only one, at least that I saw. But let me say this &mdash; you&rsquo;ve done a great job in providing perspective on this whole topic. I&rsquo;ve been following everything you posted. The interview with your guy from your show (Dave Zirin), you <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-60-rabbi-harry-rozenberg-on-antisemitism,-kyrie-irving-s-suspension,-nets-6-steps-to-return,-adl,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sat down with a Rabbi</a>, you had the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-61-former-nba-players-craig-hodges-and-mahmoud-abdul-rauf-discuss-the-kyrie-irving-backlash,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convo with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Craig Hodges</a>. Even how you <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-nike-employs-adl-tactics-as-they-officially-drop-kyrie-irving-etan-thomas-torraine-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote about Nike after they dropped him</a>.
"That&rsquo;s why what you do is important, for that very reason of what we saw all the other media do with the piling on and one-sided bashing. You actually had discussions about it."
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Etan: Thanks. Well, shout out to Basketball News for giving me the flexibility to cover different aspects of this topic in different ways. Most platforms wouldn&rsquo;t have allowed that. They would&rsquo;ve shut all that down.&nbsp;
Kenyon: "Censorship is crazy. Not even to have a discussion?"
Etan: Sometimes, media platforms want you to follow a script and you have to stick to the talking points. And with this, the script was: Bash Kyrie, label him antisemitic, denounce, condemn and bash some more.&nbsp;
Kenyon: "That&rsquo;s just wrong, but I&rsquo;m happy that Kyrie can put all of that behind him and the team&rsquo;s playing well, and he&rsquo;s rolling and being the Kyrie we all know him to be on the court. And you have to give a shout out to his teammates, who also didn&rsquo;t buy into all of the bashing and the talk of them being better without Kyrie. Because if you saw, they were trying to get them to co-sign that, but none of them did. They didn&rsquo;t say a bad word about Kyrie, and that&rsquo;s also a reason why they are playing so well right now. Because that kind of stuff can ruin the entire chemistry of a team if you let the outside noise seep into the locker room."
Etan: That&rsquo;s a great point. Last question: The Nets are playing really well, clicking on all cylinders and they have a rhythm with each other. They also have so many weapons we didn&rsquo;t even talk about like Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Ben Simmons, Yuta Watanabe and TJ Warren. How well can the Nets do this season?&nbsp;
Kenyon: "I would like to see them go out and get another big because you might have to play Philly. I love Nic Claxton, but dealing with Embiid by yourself for a whole playoff series is a lot to ask. But other than that, they have enough shooting, enough playmakers &mdash; they have a solid shot, they are definitely a contender. (It's about) learning how to win now, and win consistently like they have been doing &mdash; close games, ugly games, games where your main people are off because everything isn&rsquo;t going to be clicking every game. But still finding ways to win consistently, they are really preparing themselves for a very good playoff season."

Etan Thomas speaks with Kenyon Martin about the Nets' surge, Kevin Durant's latest knee injury and Kyrie Irving's recent play.

Kenyon Martin talks Nets, Kevin Durant's injury, Kyrie Irving backlash

When Mike Brown was coaching in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich, he recalls a young, free-spirited Manu Ginobili, whose play would range from &ldquo;wow&rdquo; to &ldquo;doing some stuff that helped Pop get white hair quicker.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Now in the head seat with the Sacramento Kings, Brown sees a little bit of that in Malik Monk in the best of ways.
&ldquo;I'm not comparing him to Manu, so don't write this down at all,&rdquo; Brown said with a laugh. &ldquo;That's kind of Malik. He's gonna do more good than bad out there, so you gotta let 'em hoop. You've gotta let him feel his mojo and all that other stuff, and that's what I try to do.&rdquo;
Averaging career-bests of 14.5 points and 4.0 assists per game on a personal-high 60.1% True Shooting and <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4279#tab-offensive_overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">26.9% assist percentage</a>, Monk is playing with a palpable confidence and energy that has opened up parts of his skill set we haven&rsquo;t necessarily seen on a nightly basis since he came into the league.&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s found a rhythm as a playmaker, has continued to be a microwave scorer and, above all else, has not been pigeonholed.
&ldquo;Mike lets me be me, man. He just lets me go out there and play my game. He don't try to limit me to things,&rdquo; Monk told Basketball News. &ldquo;He'll show me when I miss somebody on the kick-out and things like that, but he doesn't limit me. I've been like this my whole life. I played point guard before I went to Kentucky, so I've been handling the ball for a little bit. So it's just him giving me the opportunity.&rdquo;
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Everybody knows he can put the ball in the bucket. It&rsquo;s how Monk is doing it, and of course, what he&rsquo;s doing to involve his teammates. While he has been more involved in pick-and-roll actions, it&rsquo;s the handoff possessions that jump off the page. With Domantas Sabonis at his disposal, Brown has doubled the average amount of those per game (1.42) from Malik&rsquo;s time in Los Angeles (0.71), per InStat.
Getting him moving on curls toward the ball and similar plays has resulted in the sixth-year guard putting it on the floor and naturally getting to the rim, or dishing it off to the next man for a better look.
&ldquo;First side, the defense is great. Second side, they relax a little bit. Third side, they're relaxing more. So we just try to move it, move the defense as much as possible,&rdquo; Monk explained. &ldquo;But they can't help off me as much 'cause I can shoot. They can't help off of Domas that much because he's a big threat rolling. So whatever they do is gonna be wrong, and I've just been making the right reads this year.&rdquo;
Candidly, Brown made it clear that he will not hesitate to pull Monk aside during those not-so-good moments too, as the 24-year-old is simultaneously turning it over twice a night through 24 games.&nbsp;
&ldquo;When you have a guy that's as talented as he is, he's gonna take some risk,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He knows if he makes a mistake, I'mma yell at him, I'mma get on him, I'mma coach 'em. I said, 'Come on, you've been around me long enough where sometimes you've gotta let crap go through one ear and out the other. I know I'm the one on you, but that's how you've gotta survive in this business. That's how you thrive in this business. I gotta coach you and I will, but sometimes if you feel like you can make a play, go make a play.'&nbsp;And so, he knows that he's got that support from me, and vice-versa.
"So I think when a player feels that and really believes it, it just gives him more ability to be himself, which is go make plays for himself and others out on the floor.&rdquo;
Kings forward Harrison Barnes agrees with Brown&rsquo;s assessment.
&ldquo;I mean Malik, his energy is vital for us,&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;There's some players who come in this league and... you can't necessarily put them in a role, you can't put them in a box. You kinda just roll the ball out there and pray it goes well.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And he's one of those guys that, for us, we just wanna give him just ultimate freedom, play through his mistakes. He brings so much energy for us, just a different look to our second unit. And I think that has become contagious.&rdquo;
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Monk is at his most dangerous on fast breaks. He likes to push the pace &ldquo;because we know a lot of teams don't like to get back in transition,&rdquo; and averages 1.24 points per possession in those scenarios.&nbsp;
The vast majority of his rapid play comes when he&rsquo;s playing alongside his friend, De'Aaron Fox. Before teaming up on the Kings, Monk and Fox were also backcourt partners on the Kentucky Wildcats in 2016-17. Monk has <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1628370/passes-dash?dir=D&amp;sort=PASS&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed to him more than any teammate by far</a> (147 times).
And together, they play at the highest pace on the team (108.21) &mdash; a mark that <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?CF=MIN*GE*200&amp;GroupQuantity=2&amp;dir=D&amp;slug=advanced&amp;sort=PACE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranks 10th in the NBA</a> among duos with at least 200 minutes combined. As far as Monk is concerned, he and Fox have picked up where they left off in Lexington.
&ldquo;He was a big part [of me coming to Sacramento] 'cause we're so comfortable with each other and we know how to play off each other,&rdquo; Monk said. &ldquo;Yeah man, it's been working out for me.&rdquo;
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Good morning. I&rsquo;m still thinking about this pass from Malik Monk to De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. <a href="https://t.co/UNFLFRwkba">pic.twitter.com/UNFLFRwkba</a>
&mdash; Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCartoscelli3/status/1599805025962053633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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On the opposite side of the coin, Monk has turned up the defensive pressure while sharing the floor with Sacramento&rsquo;s tenacious stopper, Davion Mitchell. In fact, he and the man they call &ldquo;Off Night&rdquo; own the Kings&rsquo; <a href="https://go.nba.com/uytkg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best defensive rating on the team</a> (99.5) &mdash; the only duo allowing fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions.
&ldquo;Ah, that's hot,&rdquo; Monk reacted when Basketball News told him. &ldquo;I try to give Davion a lot of confidence, man, because he's the head of the snake, 'cause he's the point guard. He usually guards the best player. So however he guards is how the rest of us is gonna feed off of that. And I try to tell him that every game, every time we're on the court.&nbsp;So he just makes me go up a level. That's why I just try to force that [message] to him and I think that's why it's working for us.&rdquo;
A key cog in the bench bunch alongside him, Chimezie Metu has enjoyed the attitude Monk has brought into the locker room and on the floor.
&ldquo;He's great to be around. High energy. He's going out there being vocal, kinda keeping everybody's spirits up and it's just been great having him around,&rdquo; Metu told Basketball News. &ldquo;Personality-wise, he's kind of the guy that's been gluing everybody together. I feel like he has a great relationship with everybody on the team. Yeah man, he's fun to be around and fun to play with.
&ldquo;It's been fun playing with Malik and Davion and TD (Terence Davis) and also Trey [Lyles] at times. I feel like during practice and stuff, we're usually like the second unit that kinda does everything together, so we're always laughing, joking. But I think at the end of the day, we understand the task at hand because I feel like our job is to either keep the lead going or give us the energy to bring us back into a game. So either way, we have to have high energy at all times. I feel like we've been doing a great job of that.&rdquo;
Brown has his own way of describing Monk&rsquo;s effect on his ball club.
&ldquo;You know, he's a free spirit. Malik is what I call a connector,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He just brings people together and he uplifts people all the time. He talks to everybody and he jokes with everybody, he touches everybody and everybody on the team has respect for him &mdash; not just for him as a person, but also they know that when he speaks, he knows what he's talking about because he's right a lot of the times.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;Malik is what I call a connector &mdash; he just brings people together. He uplifts people all the time &hellip; and everybody on the team has respect for him.&rdquo; Coach Brown on what <a href="https://twitter.com/AhmadMonk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AhmadMonk</a> brings to the squad on and off the court 👑 <a href="https://t.co/bwEuauVWBc">pic.twitter.com/bwEuauVWBc</a>
&mdash; Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1601365754313596929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;He's a talented, talented basketball player, and sometimes, especially when they're young like he is &mdash; he's young, but he has an old soul and he understands what's right, what's wrong and the right way to do things and all that.&rdquo;
Altogether, the 24-year-old has found a niche and a comfortability with this Kings team. A lot of that has to do with a consistent role with consistent minutes, which he has found the last couple of seasons between L.A. and Sacramento as opposed to the sporadic nature in the past when he was with the Charlotte Horntes.
&ldquo;It's the biggest relief, man,&rdquo; Monk admitted. &ldquo;I know when I'mma go in, I know when I'mma come out, I know when I'mma go back in again. So it's just a relief, and it just gives me way more confidence to go out there and play my game.&rdquo;
From a young age, Monk has always been passionate about his apparel. He told Basketball News that when he was a kindergartner living with his mom, his older brother Marcus &mdash; a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Chicago Bears &mdash; always rocked BAPE clothing line. Malik latched on to style because of that and has kept up to date with the latest fashion ever since.
On Friday, Monk came into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse wearing a fuzzy skeleton sweater with black paints, matching shoes and some bling to top it off. Pregame, his teammates tried to figure out what brand he was going with.
&ldquo;Look man, he spends a lot of money on his clothes. They better look good. That's all I'mma say,&rdquo; Metu said with a chuckle.
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<a href="https://t.co/Ol8wlMxDpz">pic.twitter.com/Ol8wlMxDpz</a>
&mdash; Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1601371494747369473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;If my fit not as up to how I want it, man, I feel like I'll go out there and be a little down. But I haven't done that this year. All my fits been pretty decent so far. Yeah man, it's always 'look good, feel good, play good,'&rdquo; Monk said.
Clearly, Malik Monk has been a positive influence in Sacramento. It&rsquo;s a big reason why they&rsquo;re in the thick of it in the Western Conference &mdash; and that doesn&rsquo;t seem to be changing anytime soon.
&ldquo;I just try to bring everybody life, man,&rdquo; Monk said. &ldquo;Losing streaks, it's gonna happen. It's a game of runs, especially in basketball. So I just try to make everybody feel the same every day. 'Cause we know we're gonna be together for the rest of the year, so I just try to make sure we're like this instead of like that.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies dives into Malik Monk's positive effect on the Sacramento Kings — on and off the floor — in an exclusive interview.

The Connector: Malik Monk's infectious energy breathes life into Kings

Over the past few seasons, the talk around the DMV in regards to the Maryland Terrapins has been an abundance of criticism, frustration and disappointment. It seemed as though Maryland basketball as a whole had lost its luster. Even the Xfinity Center wasn't the same &mdash; it was no longer an electric atmosphere.&nbsp;
Many will attempt to attribute the decrease in fan attendance and overall participation to COVID, but those in the know will tell you that that&rsquo;s not 100% accurate. The fact of the matter is: while the Xfinity Center was once one of the BIG 10's most difficult arenas for opposing teams to play in, it had lost its sizzle.&nbsp;
However, Friday night was a return to the good ol' days, as a sold-out Xfinity Center was buzzing with an atmosphere usually seen during March Madness. No. 22 Maryland beat No. 16 Illinois 71-66, bringing their record to 8-0. This was the first big home game of the Kevin Willard era and possibly the biggest home game since the pandemic. The student section was rocking, the band was playing, and there was a sea of fans dressed in gold for the annual &ldquo;gold rush&rdquo; game. This atmosphere was exactly what many Maryland fans had been longing for.
I caught up with Lonny Baxter and Byron Mouton &mdash; two members of the 2001-02 Maryland championship team &mdash; to get their thoughts on their alma mater&rsquo;s red-hot start, which has the entire DMV buzzing.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/lonny23.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="326" />
Etan Thomas: Your team is looking good. They've started off 8-0 and got a really nice win last night against a good Illinois team. How does it feel, seeing how Maryland is playing right now?&nbsp;
Lonny Baxter: "Oh man, I&rsquo;m super proud. We&rsquo;ve had some up-and-down years over the past few years. And to see this team &mdash; which is technically a 'rebuild team' &mdash; doing as well as they are, I think we are surprising a lot of people who weren&rsquo;t expecting much from us this season. But we are opening a lot of people&rsquo;s eyes. Coach Willard has come in and done a tremendous job right from the jump. We&rsquo;re really looking good right now."
Thomas: You mentioned Coach Willard, and there was initially some skepticism when he was hired &mdash; talk of him not technically being from within the Maryland program, etc. But immediately upon arrival, he made it clear that he was going to have an emphasis on local DMV players, which has been a criticism of Maryland for quite some time now, as you know. He had three high recruits right from the DMV: Jamie Kaiser, DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jahnathan Lamothe. And the point guard from the transfer portal, Jahmir Young, is from the DMV as well. How much has he shifted the narrative locally with this start?&nbsp;
Baxter: "Not only that, he also hired two great assistants from the DMV who are both good friends of mine: David Cox and Tony Skinn. They know the area, they have relationships locally whether it&rsquo;s high schools or AAU programs, and they are doing a great job of changing that very narrative you were talking about. David Cox had me come up to the school and showed me around, introduced me to all the guys, told them the history of this program (which I am blessed to be a part of) and really made an effort to connect everything to the community, and that&rsquo;s what we need."
Thomas: I hear a lot of announcers refer to the culture that Coach Willard has created here from the beginning. You mentioned that there were a couple of down years, but even aside from the 8-0 start, it seems like there is a certain electricity that had been missing for a while.
Baxter: "Coach Willard did a great job at Seton Hall. Then, he comes here and brings that same energy. He reminds me of a Gary Williams Jr. so to speak &mdash; a lot of grit and a lot of fight in him. And you see that energy transfer to the court."
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Thomas: I love that they brought you back to talk to the team. You were on a special team, the championship team of 2001-02. How was your conversation with the guys?&nbsp;
Baxter: "He brought me and a lot of former [Maryland] guys into the locker room and just introduced us to the guys. He wanted them to know who we were and what we were a part of. And like I said, this is a rebuild year for them technically, but they are laser focused. They know the expectations of them, they know the history and legacy of the program that they are now a part of, and they are getting the job done. Hats off to them. They just beat a good Illinois team last night. We are really playing well. Love what I&rsquo;m seeing."
Thomas: You mentioned the Illinois game and I referenced the electricity &mdash; you saw it in the crowd and the announcers kept bringing it up. They said that a year ago, the stands were empty. But last night, it was a sold-out crowd. You saw the energy in the student section. Talk about how special that is, because y&rsquo;all had that when you guys were playing but, like you said, it&rsquo;s been up-and-down for the past few years. That electricity, that crowd support, was definitely present last night.&nbsp;
Baxter: "I wasn&rsquo;t able to go last night, but a lot of people were texting me during the game like, 'Are you here?!' It hasn&rsquo;t been this way in a long time. It&rsquo;s amazing! [People were] sending me videos and screen shots, and I regret not being there. I had already made my plans and cleared my schedule to be at the UCLA game, but I am mad that I missed it last night. But that&rsquo;s what we need. There&rsquo;s been so many up-and-down years, so many disappointments. We&rsquo;ve had some good teams, don&rsquo;t get me wrong, but the support and the energy really dipped for a few years. But [now], everyone is all on social media excited. Like, Maryland basketball is back! It&rsquo;s great for Maryland, great for the DMV. The guys are playing really well and I&rsquo;m looking forward to the rest of the season."&nbsp;
Thomas: Now, let&rsquo;s reminisce for a quick minute about the good ol' days, because y&rsquo;all had such a special team. Yourself, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Byron Mouton, Chris Wilcox... y&rsquo;all had a crew. Talk about how special that championship team was.
Baxter: "Our team was definitely special because we weren&rsquo;t a lot of McDonald's All-Americans. We were just a bunch of guys who were hungry, gritty and we loved to play together. Great chemistry. We&rsquo;re even friends to this day, we have a group chat that we all talk on just about every week. We&rsquo;re texting each other, congratulating each other on accomplishments, birthdays, talking about the games, etc. It just shows how close of a unit we were. Even when I spent some time with the Wizards when you were there, me, Juan and Steve Blake, it was like we were inseparable. But like I said, we were just hungry and determined and focused, and we played together as a team. Everyone bought into their roles and played to the best of their ability. That might sound cliche, but that&rsquo;s really what happened! (laughing)"
Thomas: (Laughing) Yeah, it does, but I know what you mean. What advice would you give the team now? It sounds like when they brought you in, it was more to just introduce you to them. But if you could give them all some advice &mdash; coming from a member of the 2001-02 championship team, which is the ultimate goal &mdash; what advice would you give this young, rebuilding team?&nbsp;
Baxter: "Just stay humble and stay hungry. Keep doing what you&rsquo;re doing, and never be satisfied. The hard work, the long hours in the gym, it&rsquo;s all paying off. They&rsquo;re jelling on the court and playing some complete games &mdash; both offensively and defensively. But keep that underdog mentality, keep that chip on your shoulder and stay hungry."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/byron12.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="333" />
Thomas: The team is really looking good. What are your thoughts on how everything is going so far?&nbsp;
Byron Mouton: "You know, the first time I met Coach Willard, I had a good feeling about him and this upcoming season. He was direct and to the point, and he doesn&rsquo;t hide his feelings. And I know a lot of the players. Jahmir, I&rsquo;ve known since he was in the fifth grade. He has a high basketball IQ, understands the game and is a team player, and has always been that way. And he plays winning basketball, so I was definitely excited for Maryland to get him."
Thomas: Can you explain a little more about why you had that good feeling about Coach Willard?&nbsp;
Mouton: "Well, from the start, he set the tone. [He] brought a lot of us alumni back and had a meeting with us, and told all of us that he valued us, respected us, appreciated us and wanted us involved with the team moving forward, and that was big. He made the point clear that his goal was to bring us back to a consistent top-10 program, which is what it should be."
Thomas: So, he valued the legacy of Maryland.&nbsp;
Mouton: "Exactly. And he made the point clear also that in order to be amongst the best, we had to compete against the best. He said he didn&rsquo;t believe in hiding from anyone and that was music to my ears. When I played for Gary Williams, we always played the best teams in the non-conference, early schedule. We would go to Maui, preseason NIT... wherever the top competition was, that&rsquo;s where we went. Mark Turgeon didn&rsquo;t want to do that; he wanted to play in these little cupcake tournaments where we&rsquo;re heavy favorites and expected to win, but that&rsquo;s not how you get better. That&rsquo;s not how you prepare for regular-season Big 10 games."
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Thomas: I see. And talk about Coach Willard's passion and energy. He showed a lot of energy on the sidelines last season with Seton Hall, and it seems like he brought that same energy here to Maryland.
Mouton: "I don&rsquo;t want to compare him to Gary Williams, but there are a lot of similarities. Passionate, honest, doesn&rsquo;t hold back his emotions or his feelings. I love coaches like that. I can&rsquo;t play for a guy who just wants to sit on the bench and call out plays, but shows no passion. I wanna know that you&rsquo;re in this battle with me."
Thomas: I hear you. Like, he shares your passion.&nbsp;
Mouton: "Yes. And he holds everyone accountable, the practices are intense, and he has that fire. And he teaches. So, he has all the keys to being successful at this level, and that&rsquo;s exactly the kind of coach I would want to play for."
Thomas: It seems like he&rsquo;s earned the players' trust very early. Sometimes, as you know, it&rsquo;s difficult for a new coach to do that.
Mouton: "Yes, it definitely can be. But at the same time, as you know, in order for any head coach to be really successful, it&rsquo;s crucial to hire great assistants, and he did that with Coach Cox and Coach Tony Skinns. I&rsquo;ve played with them and against them; I know them know them. And they have great ties to the DMV community, so I gotta include them as far as being vital for the overall success of the team."&nbsp;
Thomas: Let&rsquo;s talk about Jahmir Young. He really shined last night and you&rsquo;ve known him for a long time &mdash; you said since he was in the fifth grade?&nbsp;
Mouton: "Yeah, definitely. And like Coach said last night, he came here to do exactly what he did last night. A lot of teams are building their rosters through the transfer portal &mdash; that&rsquo;s just where college basketball is right now. It&rsquo;s not like in the old days when we played; coaches have to win now so they try to get players who are ready immediately. And Jahmir knows the game of basketball. Team player, leader, and was ready day one. He leads by example and also holds himself accountable. That&rsquo;s how a leader should be. And he&rsquo;s always under control, that&rsquo;s one of the things that&rsquo;s most impressive about him. He doesn&rsquo;t let anything that the opponent is doing speed him up or make him panic. He plays at his pace and runs the team. He&rsquo;s special."
Thomas: I asked Lonny Baxter this and I&rsquo;mma ask you the same thing: Y&rsquo;all had a special championship team. What was it that made y&rsquo;all work so well?&nbsp;
Mouton: "Well, in my opinion, it was about how competitive we were every single day. Everyone held everyone else accountable. Nobody allowed anyone else to coast in practice, or not give it their all, or not play at the highest level every single day. People held me accountable, I held them accountable &mdash; about everything. Not running the sprints hard enough in practice, not being where you&rsquo;re supposed to be on the defensive rotation, not giving the effort, whatever it was. And our practices were intense, and that carried over into the game."
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Thomas: What advice would you give to this current team?&nbsp;
Mouton: "Well, as you know, as the entire DMV is buzzing about them now, they have to stay together when that tide changes. They&rsquo;re not going to be buzzing like this all year (laughing) &mdash; that&rsquo;s just not the way it works. I&rsquo;ll give you an example. The year before we won the national championship, we were playing Duke. We were up 10 points with 1:04 left, and we lost. Craziest game I have ever been a part of in my entire college career. All the fans were booing us, the papers were killing us. People on campus were looking at us sideways when we walked by (laughing). Everyone was down on us. And after that, we lost three-straight games. I&rsquo;ll never forget when we lost to Florida State and their little point guard jumped on the scorer&rsquo;s table and was talking noise to our fans, waving bye-bye to them, and our fans started letting us have it. We could&rsquo;ve crumbled as an entire team after that, but we didn&rsquo;t. We pulled together and developed an us-against-the-world mentality. I say that because, there will come a time during this season when all the cheering stops, and maybe even some boos start. And now they have social media, so everyone can tell you that you suck (laughing). I would tell them when that happens, to pull together. Take on the us-against-the-world mentality. Don&rsquo;t splinter and start pointing fingers and playing the blame game because that happens, but stick together, pull together in tough times, and keep that passion and excitement and love for the game they have now, and they will do just fine."

Etan Thomas chats with former Maryland Terrapin greats Lonny Baxter and Byron Mouton about their alma mater’s red-hot start.

Lonny Baxter, Byron Mouton have high praise for Maryland Terps

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Huerter scored 26 points, Davion Mitchell added 23 points including two clutch jumpers late in the game as the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-108 for their second straight win.
Huerter and Mitchell combined to go 10 of 16 from 3-point range and Harrison Barnes added 14 points as the Kings outscored Charlotte 37-18 in the third quarter.
P.J. Washington, who scored 31 points in an upset win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, again led the shorthanded Hornets in scoring with 28 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 16 for Charlotte.
Charlotte’s Jalen McDaniels knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:09 left to tie the game, but Mitchell immediately answered with a pullup 3-pointer and a 19-foot jumper on consecutive possessions to put the Kings up by five with 24.2 seconds left.
“I kind of knew I had a mismatch and I knew I could have got to the rim. But they played back and I just stepped up and hit the shot,” Mitchell said.
“He brings a leadership presence from the bench,” Kings coach Mike Brown said of Mitchell, who was 9 of 11 from the floor. “He brings an understanding of what his role is and embraces his role. He's a guy that I know anytime we call his number he is going to be ready to play.”
The Hornets turned the ball over 21 times resulting in 25 points for the Kings. Sacramento also lived at the foul line, making 24 of 28 free throws taking advantage of 31 fouls called on the Hornets.
“If we turn the ball over 21 times and foul like that, we're not gong to win," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "Every drive, we fouled. We kind of gifted them like 10 or 12 points.”
Like the Hornets, the Kings were coming off a big win Saturday night after beating the Miami Heat at home.
It didn't look good early for Sacramento as the Hornets shot 60.5% in the first half to build a 67-52 lead at the break with all five starters scoring in double figures.
But the Kings stormed back in third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 37-18 behind 12 points from Huerter, who broke free for some open jumpers. Matthew Dellavedova gave the Kings their first lead of the game with 3:43 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from the right wing.
The Hornets would battle back to take the lead in the fourth quarter before the Kings rallied again with Huerter and Keegan Murray banging home back-to-back 3s with 4 1/2 minutes to play.
“We are fighting," Mitchell said of the team's win streak. “We are a team that don't quit. We try to play 48 minutes.”
FOX'S INJURY
De'Aaron Fox only played nine minutes after knocking knees with a Hornets player in the first half. Kings coach Mike Brown said he'll know about Fox's injury on Tuesday but doesn't believe it is serious.
WASHINGTON'S UPRISING
Washington continued to take advantage of his elevation to the starting role with restricted free agent Miles Bridges still out of the league while dealing with domestic violence charges. Bridges led the Hornets in scoring last season and the team is waiting to see what happens legally before making any decision on Bridges' future.
“He played terrific and got us back in the game,” Clifford said.
Washington is averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
TIP INS
Kings: Domantas Sabonis had 16 rebounds before fouling out with 2:24 left in the game.
Hornets: Continued to play without LaMelo Ball (ankle), Terry Rozier (ankle) and Cody Martin (quad). ... Outscored Sacramento 54-34 in the paint.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Miami on Wednesday night.
Hornets: At Chicago on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Kevin Huerter scored 26 points and the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-108.

Huerter, Mitchell propel Kings past Hornets 115-108

The Big Ten keeps getting tougher in women&rsquo;s basketball.
The conference sent four teams to the NCAA Sweet 16 a second straight year in 2022, and it leads the nation with six programs in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.
Caitlin Clark, who could go down as one of the greatest college players of all time, leads a fourth-ranked Iowa team that returns all five starters for a third straight year and is the pick to win the league title.
&ldquo;I think the rest of us will be chasing after that,&rdquo; Indiana coach Teri Moren said. &ldquo;The great thing about the parity in our league, proven night in, night out, is there&rsquo;s no game that&rsquo;s safe, right? If you&rsquo;re talking at the top or the bottom, the bottom is making strides and they&rsquo;re going to compete every single night.&rdquo;
No. 11 Indiana filled its backcourt needs through the transfer portal and is expected to contend after finishing fifth last season. No. 14 Ohio State brings back its top three scorers from the team that shared the title with Iowa.
No. 17 Maryland lost key players but brought in five transfers who should help stave off any drop-off for a team that was a half-game out of first place. No. 22 Nebraska is ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2014 with a veteran roster led by Alexis Markowski in the post.
Now consider No. 25 Michigan, the only Big Ten team to make the Elite Eight. Though the Wolverines lost star Naz Hillmon, they return their next four top scorers and got a 2021 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American out of the portal. They&rsquo;re picked fifth, which is testament to the strength of the Big Ten.
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said she wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if the conference ended its national championship drought this season. Purdue won the Big Ten&rsquo;s most recent national title, in 1999. Maryland was in the Atlantic Coast Conference when it won it in 2006.
&ldquo;I think our league is going to be more challenging than ever,&rdquo; Barnes Arico said. &ldquo;Obviously Caitlin Clark is a phenomenal basketball player, but I think from top to bottom there are tremendous, tremendous players in our league, as well as coaches.&rdquo;
NEW COACHES
Rutgers&rsquo; Coquese Washington and Illinois&rsquo; Shauna Green are the only first-year head coaches.
Washington was associate head coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. She replaces C. Vivian Stringer, the Basketball Hall of Fame member who retired in April after 27 seasons at Rutgers and 50 as a head coach.
Green coached Dayton to four NCAA Tournament appearances in six years and replaces Women&rsquo;s Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Fahey, who retired after five seasons with the Illini.
COMING AND GOING
Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs are among five Division I transfers at Maryland. Alexander was Vanderbilt&rsquo;s top scorer last season, averaging 15.2 points per game, and Briggs was scoring better than 12 points per game for Florida when a shin injury ended her season in January. She averaged 19.5 points for the Gators in 2020-21.
Indiana strengthened its backcourt by bringing in Sara Scalia from Minnesota and Sydney Parrish from Oregon. Scalia was a 41% 3-point shooter and averaged 17.8 points last season.
Michigan brought in 2021 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American Greta Kampschroeder from Oregon State, where she had an up-and-down freshman season.
Kamaria McDaniel landed at Michigan State, her third school after two years at Penn State and the past two at Baylor. She was the Big Ten&rsquo;s second-leading scorer (19.8 ppg) in 2019-20.
Taniyah Thompson heads a list of three Division I transfers at Penn State. Thompson was the American Athletic Conference&rsquo;s second-leading scorer (18.5 ppg) for East Carolina.
FRESHMEN TO WATCH
Ohio State has the conference&rsquo;s highest-rated freshman in forward Cotie McMahon, who enrolled last spring. She averaged 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in six games while helping Team USA win the FIBA U18 Americas Championship.
Two of Minnesota&rsquo;s in-state recruits were ranked in the top 50 nationally. Amanda Battle was the state&rsquo;s 2022 Miss Basketball and fellow guard Mara Braun averaged better than 18 points per game over her high school career.
Nebraska&rsquo;s Maggie Mendleson was the nation&rsquo;s No. 2 volleyball recruit, and the middle blocker has appeared in 10 matches for one of the nation&rsquo;s premier programs. A forward-center in basketball, she was No. 32 in the HoopGurlz-ESPNW basketball rankings.
EARLY BIG GAMES
Ohio State, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska will test themselves early.
Ohio State hosts No. 5 Tennessee on Nov. 8, Maryland hosts top-ranked defending national champion South Carolina on Nov. 11, Indiana visits Tennessee on Nov. 14, Nebraska heads to Omaha to play No. 21 Creighton on Nov. 15 and Maryland goes to No. 18 Baylor on Nov. 20.
Iowa will play either Duke or No. 6 Connecticut over Thanksgiving weekend in Portland, Oregon, and host No. 10 North Carolina State on Dec. 1 and No. 8 Iowa State on Dec. 7.&nbsp;

The Big Ten keeps getting tougher in women’s basketball.

Caitlin Clark-led Iowa women are pick to win loaded Big Ten

As the Kevin Durant saga reaches its latest chapter, both sides are digging in for what could be an even more drawn-out process. He's already told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai to either trade him or fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, so his desires to leave Brooklyn are clear.
There's a lack of trust in the organization&rsquo;s direction moving forward, but the Nets already have shown they won&rsquo;t bend to every demand the future Hall-of-Famer makes.
But unless Brooklyn eventually lowers its asking price &mdash; which is presumably what many interested teams are betting on &mdash; there&rsquo;s no reason to believe this process won&rsquo;t drag into the regular season. If so, the next step will be Durant sitting out games away from the team until his next destination is found.
From the beginning, Durant&rsquo;s desired destination was the Phoenix Suns to team up alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Six weeks later, we don&rsquo;t know whether Durant has backed off that stance. If not, that could be the reason why this is dragging out even longer. Phoenix is seemingly falling off many radars, but we shouldn't rule them out of the sweepstakes just yet. Brooklyn holds power, but so does Durant to keep this tug of war going as long as possible.
As the Suns' noise quieted down, new suitors emerged &mdash; the Miami Heat and, most recently, the Celtics. SNY&rsquo;s Ian Begley mentioned the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers as new choices atop Durant&rsquo;s updated wishlist.
&ldquo;Our front office and coaching staff have my support,&rdquo; Tsai wrote on Twitter in response to his meeting with Durant. &ldquo;We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
&mdash; Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1556791235427405824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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With Tsai picking his side, we'll all wait to see what offers are truly in the best interest of the Nets&rsquo; murky long-term outlook. In the meantime, it&rsquo;s hard not to let the mind wander on what that could entail.
What if the Nets look back upon the Pacers&rsquo; situation with Paul George in 2017, taking the best offer on the table for their disgruntled superstar in a non-preferable destination? While it seems far-fetched, anything at this point seems possible within this ongoing battle at the bargaining table for who gets what in the end.
When it was over, Indiana acquired two blossoming All-Stars in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, even when it felt like leverage wasn&rsquo;t on its side. George wanted to go to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Pacers stood firm on getting a proper return for their star forward.
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Who could come out of nowhere and surprise us all as the Nets' possible trade partner a la the Thunder to the Pacers five years ago? Excluding the known top contenders for now &mdash; Phoenix, Miami, Boston and the Toronto Raptors &mdash; let's try to find a potential team lurking in the shadows who would also check off both parties' boxes.
Philadelphia 76ers
This all comes down to the possibility of including Tyrese Maxey. If you&rsquo;re in the position of Sixers president Daryl Morey, with your chips already all-in on winning a championship with Joel Embiid and James Harden, Durant certainly makes you think for a moment. Knowing Morey&rsquo;s aggressive nature, a blockbuster centered around Maxey for Durant works well within their win-now time frame. The allure of Maxey is there (only 21 years old and blossomed upon Harden&rsquo;s arrival midseason), but this is arguably the greatest three-level scorer ever we&rsquo;re talking about.
Forming a trio consisting of Durant, Embiid and Harden is simply unfathomable to envision. The possibilities are endless, and hopefully the third time would be the charm when it comes to the former Thunder teammates reuniting less than a year removed from their split.
Philadelphia can quickly make salaries work for Durant by adding in Tobias Harris, who reportedly has been on the trading block since Morey&rsquo;s arrival. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Brooklyn&rsquo;s asking price for Boston was a young player on a star trajectory (Jaylen Brown), a solid starter (Marcus Smart), another role player and multiple draft picks. The Sixers check every box in that scenario, which should automatically make them a viable dark-horse candidate.
Would a package centered around Maxey, Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Philadelphia&rsquo;s 2029 first-round pick with little to no protections be enough for the Nets to accept? For the Sixers, there&rsquo;s a real pathway to getting a top spot at the table once the dust settles sometime on Durant.
New Orleans Pelicans
In any superstar-type trade rumor, the Pelicans tend to pop up one way or another because of their newly assembled war chest of assets. Following the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades, New Orleans sits on a treasure trove of draft capital spanning the next five years.
At any point, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin could decide to cash in on the last piece of the Pelicans&rsquo; puzzle to become the next version of the Suns &mdash; acquiring an established veteran star to take a talented young core over the top. CJ McCollum could qualify as such following the Pelicans&rsquo; deadline move for him, but what if Durant was intrigued enough to play alongside Zion Williamson in the Bayou?
Boston putting a player of Brown&rsquo;s caliber on the table makes this debate even more interesting. In my opinion, Brandon Ingram would be a better return in comparison to Brown for Durant. Both are on the same tier, but Ingram gets the slight edge for me. Witnessing his ascent on the postseason stage, Ingram is poised to take another step forward in his rapidly climbing career.
If the Nets desire a player who meets or exceeds Brown in trade talks, Ingram is the one who'll get the job done. The question in the end, of course, would be Durant&rsquo;s blessing. If Durant doesn&rsquo;t want to play the next four years in New Orleans, these thoughts would quickly dissipate into fantasy.
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However, you can&rsquo;t deny the Pelicans as a legitimate jaw-dropping destination because they have the list all checked off for Brooklyn&rsquo;s needs as well. Ingram is the young star, and Larry Nance Jr. qualifies as the ideal veteran role player. Maybe New Orleans would have to throw in either Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III on top of draft picks too. It's a massive asking price, but one that would be necessary to make something like this go down.
Until the Pelicans eventually cash in on what they've worked so hard to build, they will always be a sneaky contender for any eventual disgruntled superstar. And if the Pelicans rise as expected in 2022-23, they will become a destination anyway for win-now veterans.
Chicago Bulls
Outside of Philadelphia and New Orleans, we now reach the organization that would truly shock everyone. What about the Bulls? Would they be willing to throw an All-NBA player into another superstar deal?
DeMar DeRozan is only 11 months younger than Durant, but he is the best chip they could bring forward to Brooklyn. On top of DeRozan &mdash; whose salary wouldn&rsquo;t be enough in a straight-up swap &mdash; Chicago would presumably include a key piece of its young core. The obvious candidate is Patrick Williams; the former No. 4 overall pick flashed promising two-way potential before sustaining a wrist injury early last season, reentered the fold in late March and became a crucial component in the postseason. Then, Chicago would probably need to throw a solid role player into the mix. Either Lonzo Ball or Alex Caruso fit the Smart type of role we discussed previously.
Although Chicago gutted its draft capital in separate deals for DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, the organization still owns a future pick from the Portland Trail Blazers that could convey as early as next season. The Bulls&rsquo; next eligible draft pick that can be included in a trade is their own 2027 first-round selection.
As I wrote earlier this offseason, the Bulls feel one big splash away from truly taking the next jump in the Eastern Conference. Rudy Gobert made so much sense to complete their defensive overhaul, but Durant represents a roster upgrade of seismic proportions &mdash; a bump that might be necessary to become a Finals contender the next few years. Why not push the chips in and see what happens with Durant and Zach LaVine as a 1-2 punch?
For a team that has to remain in win-now mode because of its draft picks being sent elsewhere, Brooklyn might be intrigued enough to listen to something centered around DeRozan, Williams and other assets.
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Atlanta Hawks
Fresh off making their own blockbuster trade to improve before the new league year, could the Hawks make sense as a Durant out-of-nowhere landing spot? There are very slim odds on that possibility, but it's a scenario worth exploring because Atlanta's roster still feels a move or two away.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray will bring fireworks to the Hawks' backcourt on a nightly basis, but is the core right now strong enough to take the necessary steps forward in the reloaded East? We know at this point what John Collins and Clint Capela bring to the table. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a solid third guard for Atlanta, but injuries have become a problem as of late.
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Atlanta's young collection of players is what makes this thought interesting, at least for a moment. Would the Nets be intrigued by De'Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, A.J. Griffin and one of Collins, Capela or Bogdanovic to make salaries match? Compared to the other known suitors and ones already listed, it really isn't in the same stratosphere unless Brooklyn bets big on Hunter taking a huge leap. Based on Hunter's postseason performance, don't rule out the 24-year-old becoming more of a two-way focal point in Atlanta.
It might not be enough to be a real threat to swoop in for Durant, but it'd be wise to keep an eye on the Hawks as we get closer to February's trade deadline. If the Young/Murray backcourt gets off to a hot start, maybe Atlanta will go for broke and decide the time is now for a Finals push.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is not a destination market for superstars, but Giannis Antetokounmpo brings enough pull to make it such. Giannis is nowhere close to escaping the prime of his career, but could you imagine him playing next to Durant? My goodness, that's basketball heaven right there.
Before we go too deep down that rabbit hole, though, it feels almost impossible regarding the actual odds of this happening. Not only are the Bucks starved of draft capital because of the Holiday trade, but Brooklyn would need to believe Middleton could replace Durant long-term. Only a few years younger than KD and deserving of a max contract next offseason, it might not make much sense for either side to even explore this potential thought.
For the Bucks to even bring a respectable offer to the table compared to everyone else, they would likely have to include Middleton and Holiday in a massive blockbuster that sends back both Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Yeah, that's for sure fantasy land right there, but I do appreciate the few minutes we had talking about Durant and Giannis playing on the same basketball team.
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With no end in clear sight right, who knows how long this standoff between Durant and the Nets lasts? As time continues to drag on, maybe some front office executives from teams we're not even thinking of decide to call Brooklyn to inquire about an all-time great.
George wanted the Lakers, but he ended up in Oklahoma City. Kawhi Leonard's desired destination was Los Angeles upon asking out of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, but he was sent packing to Toronto instead. There is a precedent where a superstar doesn't get what he wants in the end, but a player of Durant's caliber takes it up a whole new level.
The best interest of the Nets might not be what Durant wants, and vice versa. The next steps are falling into place regarding how this could all end, and a new pseudo deadline of training camp looms around the corner.
Whether Kevin Durant remains in Brooklyn by then remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: The NBA has shown us time and again that anything is possible when it comes to superstar movement.

As the Kevin Durant trade saga reaches six-plus weeks, could teams come out of nowhere in potential negotiations? Evan Sidery dives in.

Identifying 5 sleeper NBA teams to trade for Kevin Durant

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s Global Basketball Development and Community Outreach Program will be Held Aug. 7-10 in Canberra in Partnership with Basketball Australia.
12th Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp Will Bring Together Over 60 of the top High-School Age Boys and Girls from more than 15 Countries Across Asia-Pacific.
NEW YORK AND CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, Aug. 4, 2022 &ndash; The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Basketball Australia (BA) today announced over 60 of the top boys and girls from more than 15 countries across Asia-Pacific will travel to Canberra, Australia for the 12th Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia camp from Sunday, Aug. 7 &ndash; Wednesday, Aug. 10 at NBA Global Academy, the league&rsquo;s elite basketball training center at BA&rsquo;s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport.
BWB Asia 2022 will mark the first time the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in Asia-Pacific since 2019 in Japan and the first in Australia since 2016 in Melbourne. &nbsp;The camp will bring together the top male and female players ages 18 and under from throughout Asia-Pacific to compete alongside their peers from across the region and learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players and coaches.
The campers will be coached by NBA players Jarrett Allen (2022 NBA All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks; Australia), Cameron Johnson (Phoenix Suns; U.S.) and Coby White (Chicago Bulls; U.S.). &nbsp;NBA assistant coaches Damian Cotter (Bulls; Australia), David Akinyooye (Oklahoma City Thunder; U.S.) and Eric Glass (Miami Heat; U.S.); New York Knicks international scout and Serbia Men&rsquo;s National Team assistant coach Adam Tatalovich (U.S.); former WNBA players Kristi Harrower (Australia) and Annie La Fleur (Australia); and former Australia Women&rsquo;s National Team player Jenni Screen (Australia) will also serve as BWB Asia coaches.
Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia) will serve as camp director, while Dan Shimensky (Denver Nuggets; U.S.) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainer.
Players and coaches will lead campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions. &nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the BWB Asia 2022 MVP, Defensive MVP, Three-Point Champion and the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
A record 41 former BWB campers were among the record 121 international players on 2021-22 NBA opening-night rosters, including 2022 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member and NBA Global Academy graduate Josh Giddey (Thunder; Australia; BWB Asia 2018 and BWB Global 2020), Green (BWB Global 2018) and 2020 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards; Japan; BWB Global 2016).
The NBA and FIBA have hosted 64 BWB camps in 30 countries since the program&rsquo;s launch in 2001. &nbsp;BWB has reached more than 3,800 participants from 133 countries and territories, with 105 former campers having advanced to the NBA or WNBA.
BWB Asia 2022 will be supported by Nike, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
Fans in Australia can follow the NBA at NBA.com/Australia and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and follow BWB using the hashtag #BWBAsia.
The following is a complete list of players participating in BWB Asia 2022 (rosters subject to change):
GIRLS ROSTER
<table width="399">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="198">
First Name
</td>
<td width="201">
Last Name
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Opal
</td>
<td width="201">
Bird
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Layla
</td>
<td width="201">
Cameron
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Holly
</td>
<td width="201">
Griffiths
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Lulu
</td>
<td width="201">
Laditan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Ruby
</td>
<td width="201">
Vlahov
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Shomira
</td>
<td width="201">
Bidaye
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Kavya
</td>
<td width="201">
Singla
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Angelica Jennifer
</td>
<td width="201">
Candra
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Deewell Windy Dido
</td>
<td width="201">
Gosal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Vanissa Renata
</td>
<td width="201">
Siregar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Reina
</td>
<td width="201">
Fukuo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Honoka
</td>
<td width="201">
Morioka
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Chinami
</td>
<td width="201">
Yokoyama
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Anna
</td>
<td width="201">
Kochura
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Waimanu
</td>
<td width="201">
Clarken
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Maia Riley
</td>
<td width="201">
Jones
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Lilly
</td>
<td width="201">
Taulelei
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Quinn Kacey
</td>
<td width="201">
Dela Rosa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Dianne Camille
</td>
<td width="201">
Nolasco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Kayla
</td>
<td width="201">
Lim
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Seo
</td>
<td width="201">
Jinyeong
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Sooin
</td>
<td width="201">
Kim
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Siriwimon
</td>
<td width="201">
Damrongchai
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="198">
Priscilla Langkilde
</td>
<td width="201">
Jensen
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
BOYS ROSTER
<table width="397">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Lachlan
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;">Brewer</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Carlin
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Briggs
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Joshua
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Dent
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Joshua
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Hughes
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Joshua
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Ibukunoluwa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
James
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
O&rsquo;Donnell
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Kye
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Savage
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Roman
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Siulepa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Rocco
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Zikarsky
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Soy
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Pisey
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Junjie Barry
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Wang
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Yijiong &ldquo;Joe&rdquo;
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Zhang
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Xian-Wei
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Lin
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Arthur Vadel
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Krisma Putra
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Mohamad
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Amini
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Sarem
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Jafari
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Akira
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Jacobs
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Yuto
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Kawashima
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Taiga
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Okada
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Hayato
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Wakugawa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Adil
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Kuantayev
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Daniil
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Severgin
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Rayan
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Hachem
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Azbayar
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Altangerel
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Kaia
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Berridge
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Dontae
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Nance
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
William
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Passi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Kalid
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Petzer
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
William
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Shortt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
L.A. John
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Andres
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Jared
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Bahay
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Caelum Emmanuel
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Harris
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Seungwoo
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Kim
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Chan You
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Ko
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Gwanwoo
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Lee
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Vladimir
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Bespalov
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Artyom
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Malikov
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 176px;" width="198">
Dinh Quang
</td>
<td style="width: 178px;" width="198">
Duong
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

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