Lions

For much of the early season, the Los Angeles Clippers looked like a team trapped between timelines &ndash; too talented to bottom out, too battered and old to contend, and too uncertain to inspire real belief. Injuries piled up from their key players and the conversations around the franchise quickly turned from wins and losses to future implications, draft picks, and long-term consequences. Yet amid the noise, the Clippers have finally found a sliver of clarity.
Winners of four straight games, Los Angeles is beginning to resemble something far more recognizable: a veteran team rediscovering its rhythm, leaning on its stars, and reminding the Western Conference that it is not ready to fade quietly. The recent climb back into relevance has not been easy &ndash; and it has been fueled by elite play from Kawhi Leonard, steady control from James Harden, and a roster that is slowly, finally getting healthier.
After a bleak opening stretch that tested the organization&rsquo;s patience and identity, the Clippers are showing signs of life again.
Injuries clouded the Clippers&rsquo; beginning but it has not defined their season yet. Their early-season struggles were born out of circumstance, with all the situations they have been facing throughout the course of the season.
Bradley Beal&rsquo;s early injury disrupted what the team envisioned as another offensive option capable of easing pressure off Leonard and Harden. Then came another blow: Ivica Zubac, the team&rsquo;s interior anchor on both ends, was sidelined, stripping Los Angeles of its rim protection, screening presence, and interior scoring.
For a team already walking a narrow margin in the loaded West, the absences were significant. Lineups lacked continuity and their defensive coverage suffered.
Still, instead of folding, the Clippers adapted.
Brook Lopez stepped into the starting center role and immediately provided stability. A proven veteran with championship pedigree, Lopez brought his poise. His ability to space the floor, communicate defensively, and understand high-leverage moments has quietly helped Los Angeles stay afloat. While he may not replicate Zubac&rsquo;s physical dominance in the paint, Lopez&rsquo;s shooting gravity and experience have allowed the Clippers to maintain offensive structure even amid rotation changes.
Then, if Leonard has been the Clippers&rsquo; heartbeat during this stretch, James Harden has been the engine.
Harden continues to serve as the team&rsquo;s primary ball-handler, shot creator, and playmaker, dictating tempo and ensuring that Los Angeles plays with purpose rather than desperation. His command of the offense has been critical, especially during stretches when injuries forced Ty Lue to experiment with lineups and roles.
There is a strong case to be made that Harden is playing at an All-Star level once again. With the All-Star Game set to be held at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers&rsquo; home floor, Harden&rsquo;s performance has taken on added weight &ndash; not just statistically, but symbolically. His leadership has stabilized the group, and his ability to generate efficient offense has kept the Clippers competitive even when the margin for error felt thin.
More importantly, Harden has embraced the responsibility. He has leaned into being the organizer, the problem-solver, and the player who keeps the floor balanced. For a team desperate for continuity, that consistency has mattered.
Then there is Leonard, reminding everyone who he is.
During the Clippers&rsquo; four-game winning streak, Leonard has played like a man intent on rewriting the season&rsquo;s narrative. He is averaging 35.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists during that stretch, dominating games with a blend of mastering the game&rsquo;s fundamentals and surgical efficiency that few players in the league can match.
This version of Leonard looks fully engaged &ndash; attacking mismatches, punishing defenders in the midrange, and making the right reads when help arrives. More than the numbers, it is the authority with which he is playing that stands out. The game has slowed down for him again, and when that happens, the Clippers follow.
Leonard&rsquo;s resurgence has also coincided with the team gradually getting healthier. The return of Derrick Jones Jr. has restored defensive versatility and athleticism on the wing, allowing Los Angeles to apply more pressure at the point of attack. Alongside Kris Dunn, Jones gives the Clippers two perimeter defenders capable of disrupting ball-handlers and creating transition opportunities &ndash; something the team sorely lacked earlier in the season. When Leonard is this locked in, everything else starts to align.
Despite the early turbulence, the Clippers&rsquo; roster construction still reflects a team with real aspirations. This is a roster that is built to support winning &ndash; if it stays intact &ndash; with veteran pieces ready to contend in the playoffs.
Ty Lue remains one of the league&rsquo;s most respected coaches, trusted for his adaptability, playoff experience, and ability to manage veteran egos. Around him is a group that fits specific roles with intention: Dunn and Jones for defense, John Collins as an offensive spark, Nicolas Batum and Lopez as floor spacers who understand timing, and Zubac as the backbone of the interior once healthy.
This is not a roster designed to rebuild &ndash; instead it is a roster designed to win now.
That reality is impossible to separate from the urgency surrounding the Clippers&rsquo; season. Beyond pride and playoff positioning, there is another layer of pressure hovering over every result: the first-round pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With OKC already positioned as a powerhouse, the idea of handing them a high lottery pick has become a looming nightmare scenario.
The Clippers know what is at stake. Every win matters, not just in the standings, but in shaping the future narrative of the franchise.
So far, the Clippers are not yet declaring victory. Four games do not erase weeks of disappointment and uncertainty. But they do restore belief.
What Los Angeles is finding now is rhythm &ndash; an understanding of who they are, how they want to play, and where their advantages lie. They are leaning into Leonard&rsquo;s brilliance, trusting Harden&rsquo;s orchestration, and benefiting from a supporting cast that knows its responsibilities.
In a Western Conference where the line between contention and collapse is razor-thin, the Clippers are choosing to push forward, and perhaps most importantly, they are choosing to compete.
If health holds and Leonard continues this level of play, the Clippers have the tools to make this season something more than a cautionary tale. The road ahead remains unforgiving, after a while, Los Angeles looks like a team moving with purpose once again.

After an uncertain start marked by injuries, the LA Clippers are finding their rhythm again behind Kawhi Leonard’s dominant play.

Finding their footing: Clippers begin season turnaround behind Kawhi Leonard

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

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; The Denver Nuggets have been so dominant this season that they&rsquo;ve clinched the Northwest Division with a few weeks left in the regular season.
Nikola Jokic deferred to teammates early before looking for his shot and finished with 30 points to help the Nuggets&nbsp;beat the Detroit Pistons 119-100 on Thursday night and end a season-high four-game losing streak.
&ldquo;This has to be a building block,&rdquo; Denver coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;I told our team, it&rsquo;s a good win. Clinched a playoff spot. Won your division. That&rsquo;s great. Let this be the start of something special. We lost four in a row, lowest of the low for us during this season. Now, let&rsquo;s get back to playing and go on a run.&rdquo;
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points, Jamal Murray had 19 and Aaron Gordon 15 for the Western Conference-leading Nuggets.
Jokic,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nba-sports-basketball-e71877c5accadfafcf69dfc799ed2448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the two-time reigning NBA MVP</a>, had three assists and three rebounds before his first attempt several minutes into the game and finished 14 of 18 from the field with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The short-handed Pistons were competitive for three quarters, leading by as many as seven points in a game with 16 lead changes and 10 ties. The Nuggets picked up their intensity on defense in the fourth, and pulled away easily to lead by double digits midway through the quarter.
&ldquo;A championship team is going to turn up their energy,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We talked about that during the timeout. We didn&rsquo;t respond, and that&rsquo;s part of our growth.&rdquo;
Rodney McGruder scored 20 for the Pistons, who have lost 12 of 13 games and have the NBA&rsquo;s worst record. Detroit rookies Jalen Duren had 15 points and 13 assists, while Jaden Ivey added 14 points and six assists.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Jokic was an assist away from a triple-double. The 7-foot center, who often plays like a point guard, has an league-high 27 triple-doubles to nearly triple the rest of the league leaders in the category. ... With the win, Denver is .500 on the road. ... The Nuggets have won the division for the third time in five seasons, and they finished in second place the other two years.
Pistons: The banged-up team was missing many injured players: Marvin Bagley III, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Hamidou Diallo and Isaiah Livers, along with Cade Cunningham,&nbsp;who had season-ending shin surgery three months ago.
&ldquo;They have not been winning games, but they&rsquo;ve been playing hard with the guys they have available,&rdquo; Malone said.
ON D IN THE D
Denver limited Detroit to 14 points in the fourth quarter after giving up an average of 117 points over the previous three games.
&ldquo;It always starts with our offense,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;When we&rsquo;re turning the ball over, it makes it really hard to defend.
&ldquo;When we&rsquo;re not aggressive and we&rsquo;re not physical, it&rsquo;s like a layup line out there.&rdquo;
HE SAID IT
Casey said Jokic reminds him of Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t get in a hurry, and you can&rsquo;t rush or speed him up,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;He gets to where he wants to go by taking his time, using his body, angles, pass fakes.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not the most athletic guy in the world, but he gets exactly where he wants to go when he wants to get there.&rdquo;
Jokic has a shot to be the first player since Bird to win three straight NBA MVP awards. The former Boston Celtics superstar pulled off the feat in the mid 1980s.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Stay on the road for third of five-game trip to face the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon.
Pistons: Host Miami on Sunday night.&nbsp;

The Nuggets have been so dominant this year that they’ve clinched the Northwest Division with a few weeks left in the season.

Nuggets top Pistons to end skid, clinch Northwest Division

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland had 21 points and seven assists, Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 35 points in a 114-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Evan Mobley had 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, Jarrett Allen scored 15 points and Caris LeVert had 11. The Cavaliers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left.
All-Star starter Mitchell, who sprained a finger on his left hand in the third quarter, and Garland only played 24 minutes apiece as the Cavaliers swept the four-game season series with Detroit. The Pistons were held below 95 points in each.
Cleveland is 40-26 and leads surging New York by 1 1/2 games for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Marvin Bagley III had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA at 15-49 and are 0-11 in the Central Division. They have lost seven straight overall and seven in a row on the road.
Detroit played without four starters in center Jalen Duran (bilateral ankle soreness), forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (bilateral Achilles soreness) and Isaiah Stewart (right hip soreness) and guard Cade Cunningham (left tibia stress fracture).
Neither team led by double-digits until Mobley made a floater to open the third quarter, putting Cleveland up 56-45.
Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Cavaliers their largest advantage at 102-67.
Pistons rookie Buddy Boeheim &mdash; the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim &mdash; scored his first NBA points on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He only played one minute without taking a shot in his one previous game.
CHANGE OF SCENERY
Pistons center James Wiseman has seen his playing time double since being acquired in a Feb. 9 trade with Golden State. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 24.7 minutes over his first five games with Detroit. &ldquo;I love him, I think he&rsquo;s a sponge,&rdquo; coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just raw and we have an opportunity to be patient with him, which Golden State didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pistons: Duren is averaging an NBA rookie-high 8.7 rebounds. The Memphis product has missed four straight games. &hellip; F Isaiah Livers (left ankle sprain) returned from a one-game absence. &hellip; F Eugene Omoruyi, who made two starts and played in 23 games with Oklahoma City this season, signed a 10-day contract.
Cavaliers: Mitchell and C Jarrett Allen both appeared in their 400th NBA games, while F Isaac Okoro played in his 200th. &hellip; Garland committed four fouls in the first half. &hellip; G Sam Merrill signed a 10-day contract to fill the roster spot that was held by F Kevin Love before his release. Merrill was averaging 16.4 points with the Cleveland Charge of the G League, setting a team record with 10 3-pointers against Greensboro on Feb. 22.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host Portland on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host Boston on Monday night.

Darius Garland had 21 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers led by 35 points in a 114-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.

Darius Garland scores 21 points, Cavaliers rout Pistons 114-90

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; The final play had been drawn for Bojan Bogdanovic, then Saddiq Bey suddenly found the ball in his hands with no time to think, so he just let it fly.
Bey hit a 3-pointer falling backward as time expired after Golden State's Klay Thompson tied it on a 3 with 2.3 seconds left, sending the Detroit Pistons past the Warriors 122-119 on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;It was tough, I don&rsquo;t even remember I kind of blacked out a little bit,&rdquo; Bey said. &ldquo;I had one second so I didn&rsquo;t have that much time to think, so I had to shoot it so I&rsquo;m just grateful it went in.&rdquo;
Detroit ended the injury-plagued defending champions' season-best winning streak at five. Reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry missed his 10th straight game with a partially dislocated left shoulder and is set to be re-examined Saturday at the two-week mark from his last evaluation.
&ldquo;I just told the guys how proud I am of them for holding down the fort these last couple weeks,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said.
Bey made another key 3 late and wound up with 17 points, Bogdanovic hit his first five 3-pointers and one with 3:42 left on the way to 29 points to lead six Pistons in double figures.
&ldquo;Saddiq popped back to get open and had the presence of mind to get it off quick enough,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said.
Thompson secured a defensive rebound with 27 seconds left but Jordan Poole turned the ball over before the Warriors could attempt a shot. Thompson scored on a layup with 40 seconds left to pull Golden State to 117-116 then delivered again &mdash; and the Warriors appeared headed to overtime for a second straight game after holding off Atlanta 143-141 in double-OT on Monday night.
&ldquo;It never feels good,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;I thought we fought very hard tonight.&rdquo;
Extra basketball might have been welcome with an atypical severe winter rain and windstorm hitting the Bay Area to greet fans afterward.
Thompson missed his first six 3-point tries then hit two big ones down the stretch on the way to 30 points, but the Warriors couldn't make the key defensive plays late on the perimeter against Detroit's shooters. Thompson made a go-ahead dunk with 7:33 to play and finally hit his first 3-pointer with 5:15 remaining coming off his season-best 54-point performance against the Hawks.
Draymond Green was ejected with 1:24 to play for his second technical of the game.
Poole added 24 points in his seventh straight 20-point game to go with six assists and five rebounds as the Warriors dropped to 17-3 at home as their six-game winning streak at Chase Center ended.
Jalen Duren added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, coming off a 135-106 loss at Portland on Monday night.
Undermanned Golden State again demonstrated its amazing depth &mdash; Ty Jerome scored 18 points off the bench and Anthony Lamb added 17.
Lamb credited Bey for getting through the Warriors' switching defense: &ldquo;He had just enough time to get it off, a turnaround shot, a great shot by him."
Killian Hayes hit a key 3-pointer with 6:21 left and contributed 13 assists and nine points while returning to Detroit&rsquo;s starting lineup following a three-game suspension for his actions scuffling against Orlando last week.
TIP-INS
Pistons: F Marvin Bagley III missed the game after breaking a bone in his right hand. ... F Isaiah Livers went through some drills Wednesday with the training staff as he rehabs a right shoulder sprain. &ldquo;He's coming along well,&rdquo; Casey said. ... The Pistons improved to 6-17 on the road. ... Detroit had lost the last two on the Warriors' home floor and 10 of 12 before prevailing.
Warriors: Durable Kevon Looney, whose tip-in at the buzzer sealed the double-OT victory against Atlanta, played his 150th consecutive regular-season game, second-longest active streak behind Suns forward Mikal Bridges. It&rsquo;s 172 in a row for Looney including playoffs. ... Donte DiVincenzo's streak of at least one steal ended at 13 games.
&nbsp;

Saddiq Bey hit a 3-pointer falling backward as time expired, sending the Detroit Pistons past the Golden State Warriors 122-119

Bey beats buzzer with 3, Pistons beat Warriors 122-119

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 26 points and 13 assists, Dejounte Murray added 26 points, and the Atlanta Hawks used a dominant third quarter to beat the struggling Detroit Pistons 130-105 on Friday night.
Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 19 points, and Clint Capela, returning after missing the last three games with a right calf strain, finished with 10 rebounds and 10 points for the Hawks, who have won three of four to improve to 17-16. They began the night ninth in the Eastern Conference and are 11-6 at home.
"We were still contesting and making it tough on them, but they&rsquo;re pros and they kept making plays," Young said. &ldquo;We just kept fighting and playing hard, and we ended up stretching out the lead in that third quarter and helping us get this win.&rdquo;
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 for the NBA-worst Pistons, who have lost five straight.
Atlanta went on a 17-3 run over a four-minute stretch of the third quarter to take its first double-digit lead at 79-69 on Murray&rsquo;s runner in the lane. Detroit never threatened the rest of the way.
The Pistons were outscored 35-18 in the third. Early in the fourth, Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a 3 on a fast break, Onyeka Okongwu followed with a turnaround jumper on the right baseline and Bogdanovic knocked down a right-wing 3 to push the lead to 105-81. Atlanta finished a 21-2 run over a six-minute stretch of the third and the fourth on Griffin&rsquo;s fast-break dunk.
&ldquo;I think overall we played a great first half," said Detroit guard Killian Hayes, who finished with 17 points. &ldquo;We had a few turnovers, and the ball was moving, but the first half wasn&rsquo;t the issue. I think the third quarter, when they made that run, it was tough to come back from that and then the game was pretty much done from there."
Young, who didn&rsquo;t play in the final period, ended a three-game streak in which he scored at least 30 points. He connected on a season-high seven 3s on Wednesday in a 110-108 loss to Chicago, and he scored 15 points in the third against Detroit.
The Pistons shot 27.3% on 3s, the 13th time Atlanta has held an opponent to worse than 30% beyond the arc. The Hawks came into the game tied for the league lead in that statistic.
The Hawks went up for the first time in the second half on John Collins&rsquo; fast-break dunk early in the third and they didn&rsquo;t trail again. Young hit a straightaway 3 and De&rsquo;Andre Hunter knocked down a left-wing 3 to cap a 13-0 run for a 75-66 lead, and the Pistons called timeout.
&ldquo;In the NBA, anybody can be beaten on any given night, so it just shows that we wanted it,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We executed, we took care of the ball, we played together and we won a great game.&rdquo;
Detroit&rsquo;s biggest lead was eight in the first half, and the Pistons led 63-60 at intermission.
&ldquo;Our third quarters we&rsquo;re continuing to try to give an opportunity to the young guys to come out in the second half,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s evident we&rsquo;re not coming out with the right approach, but again we&rsquo;re here to grow those guys but not to the detriment of losing our spirit, losing our togetherness and losing the games the way we&rsquo;re losing them."
TIP-INS
Pistons: F Isaiah Livers stayed in Detroit with a right shoulder sprain, but Casey said he should rejoin the team next week. Livers has missed 11 straight games. ... Detroit began the game leading the NBA with 48.2 bench points since Dec. 1 but had its reserves outscored 51-30.
Hawks: Hunter twisted his left ankle in the second quarter but stayed in the game and finished with nine points in 27 minutes. ... Bogdanovic began the game as the only player since Dec. 9 to hit at least 28 3s while shooting at least 50% beyond the arc, but he went 3 for 11 against Detroit.
&nbsp;

Trae Young had 26 points, Dejounte Murray added 26 points, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the struggling Detroit Pistons 130-105.

Young, Murray power Hawks past Pistons, 130-105

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 25 points, Tramon Mark added 16 and No. 1 Houston routed Norfolk State 100-52 Tuesday night in the Cougars&rsquo; first game as the top-ranked team in nearly 40 years.
Sasser finished 7 of 12 on 3-pointers, rebounding nicely after making only one of 10 from behind the arc in Houston&rsquo;s win over Kent State on Saturday.
Houston (7-0) was 17 of 33 on 3s, including 10 of 18 in the first half. The Cougars went on a 42-7 first-half run.
Jamal Shead finished with 12 points and 11 assists, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts had 10 points and Ja&rsquo;Vier Francis had 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Kris Bankston scored 14 points and Cahiem Brown added 11 points for Norfolk State (5-3).
NO. 3 VIRGINIA 70, MICHIGAN 68
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Jayden Gardner made a go-ahead jumper with 39.9 seconds left and blocked Jett Howard&rsquo;s 3-point shot just before the buzzer, allowing Virginia to hold on and beat Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Cavaliers (6-0) trailed by 11 points at halftime, rallied to go ahead with 7:25 left and built a five-point lead that didn&rsquo;t last.
The Wolverines (5-2) went ahead 66-65 at the 1:42 mark when Hunter Dickinson made one of two free throws, but the standout center missed a hook shot in the final minute. Dickinson scored 23 points and Howard had 15.
Reece Beekman finished with 18 points for Virginia. Gardner, Kihei Clark and Kadin Shedrick scored 12 apiece and Ben Vander Plas had 10.
MARQUETTE 96, NO. 6 BAYLOR 70
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 24 points and Marquette capitalized on a dominant start from its defense to roll past Baylor in the Big 12-Big East Battle.
Marquette (6-2) raced to a 51-25 halftime lead thanks to a 24-0 edge in points off turnovers. This was the highest-ranked team Marquette has beaten under second-year coach Shaka Smart.
Kam Jones had 20 points and David Joplin added 19 as Marquette shot 58.3% overall to win its third straight.
LJ Cryer scored 19 points, Adam Flagler 16 and Keyonte George 12 for Baylor (5-2).
NO. 16 ILLINOIS 73, SYRACUSE 44
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Coleman Hawkins had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Illinois thumped Syracuse.
Illinois (6-1) hit six of its 15 3-point attempts in the second half to send the Orange (3-4) home with their third straight loss.
Terrence Shannon Jr. had 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting for the Illini. All of his makes were 3s. RJ Melendez scored 15 points.
Jesse Edwards had nine points and 17 rebounds to lead Syracuse, and Judah Mintz also scored nine.
Hawkins sent a lively crowd into a frenzy by securing his 10th rebound to complete the triple-double with 1:34 to go and Illinois up 68-44.
NO. 19 KENTUCKY 60, BELLARMINE 41
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 18 points to lead Kentucky past Bellarmine.
Jacob Toppin had 12 points and CJ Fredrick finished with 11 as the Wildcats (5-2) overcame a slow start. Trailing 32-28 with 15 minutes left, Kentucky used a 23-3 run to pull away.
Curt Hopf led Bellarmine (2-6) with 15 points.
NO. 22 MARYLAND 79, LOUISVILLE 54
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Donta Scott scored 18 points and Maryland made five consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half and run away from Louisville.
The Terrapins (7-0) led throughout, including 37-26 at halftime, before Don Carey sank the first of two from long range during the 15-6 surge that featured two 3s from Scott and one from Hakim Hart.
Maryland shot 50% overall while posting its seventh consecutive double-digit win under new coach Kevin Willard.
El Ellis scored 15 points for the Cardinals (0-7), whose nightmarish start continued as they shot 34% against their third ranked opponent in four games.
NO. 24 SAN DIEGO STATE 72, UC IRVINE 69
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Micah Parrish hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 2.4 seconds left and San Diego State rallied to beat UC Irvine.
Nathan Mensah scored 18 points to lead the Aztecs (5-2).
DJ Davis scored 28 points for the Anteaters (6-2), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

A recap of Monday evening's men's college basketball slate includes a number of interconference battles and the No. 1 Cougars' rout.

Houston debuts at No. 1 by beating Norfolk State 100-52

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Dalano Banton scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 20 as the short-handed Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak with a 115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
O.G. Anunoby added 19 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, which played without Fred VanVleet (non-COVID illness), Pascal Siakam (abdominal strain) and Gary Trent (hip).
Rookie Jaden Ivey scored 21 for Detroit, which lost its fourth straight. Bojan Bogandovic added 18 points.
Detroit trailed by as many as 14 point before Hamadou Diallo hit two free throws with 7:37 remaining to cut the deficit to 94-93. Banton hit a 3-pointer that put the Raptors up six with 4:54 remaining before Isaiah Livers' 3-pointer made it 103-100.
But, the Pistons committed a key turnover &mdash; their 19th of the game &mdash; and missed their 12th free throw, slowing their rally.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey juggled his lineup, going with two bigs in Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III, and using Saddiq Bey as a scorer off the bench. Stewart, though, played only 13 minutes before leaving with a sprained right foot.
The Raptors led 58-51 at halftime, thanks to 14 points from Banton and 13 from Boucher. Toronto then scored the first seven points of the third quarter. They led 88-77 going into the fourth quarter, aided by 10 missed free throws from the Pistons.
TIP INS
Raptors: Toronto won despite shooting 29.6% on 3-pointers and committing 17 turnovers that led to 24 points by Detroit.
Pistons: Detroit's reserves went 13 for 19 (68.4%) from the line and hit 4 of 13 3-pointers.
HONORING THE SAINT
The Pistons debuted their green jerseys designed to pay tribute to the mats on the walls of the gym at St. Cecilia's Church, located about five miles from Little Caesars Arena. The &ldquo;Saint&rdquo; opened in the 1960s and became the center of the Detroit basketball scene when Hall of Famer Dave Bing trained there during a holdout. He was followed by local stars like Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, George Gervin, Chris Webber and Glen Rice. It even hosted multiple generations, with Pistons star Jimmy Walker playing there in the 1970s before his son, Jalen Rose, arrived in the 1990s.

Dalano Banton scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 20 as the Toronto Raptors scored a 115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Blanton, Boucher lead short-handed Raptors past Pistons

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-88 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and Cedi Osman added 15 as the Cavaliers had a 54-21 edge in bench scoring and a 58-24 edge in points in the paint.
The Cavaliers played without guards Darius Garland (knee) and Donovan Mitchell (ankle), who were both injured in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
&ldquo;We obviously have a ton of respect and appreciation for Darius and Donovan, but we've got some really good basketball players that are with them,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Tonight showed we've got a really good, deep basketball team.&rdquo;
Evan Mobley added 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
&ldquo;It wasn't just eight blocks &mdash; it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That's old school Bill Russell stuff we're talking about.&rdquo;
Cade Cunningham had 19 points for Detroit, but scored only three in the second half. Bojan Bogdanovic, who came into the game leading the Pistons in scoring at 21.8 points, scored six on 2-for-9 shooting.
&ldquo;We lost our composure &mdash; when they turned up the defense, we lost our minds,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;We have to get back to the fundamentals. When a good team gets after us, we can't forget what we've been working on.&rdquo;
The Pistons have lost three straight and eight of nine. Their last three games have come against teams with a combined record of 17-1.
Without Garland and Mitchell, the Cavaliers took their offense inside, outscoring Detroit 34-10 in the paint in the first half. Both teams were under 30 percent on 3-pointers in the half, but Cleveland's ability to get to the rim let it lead by as many as 21 points on the way to a 57-39 halftime advantage.
&ldquo;My main goal tonight was to bring the same kind of energy that we get from two stars,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;We knew we had to win as a team, which meant sharing the ball, making sure everyone got their touches and that we played together.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers led 90-68 at the end of the third quarter and Love added a four-point play on the first possession of the fourth to end any doubt.
PASSING ON PADDING HIS STATS
Love only played 3:34 in the fourth quarter despite only needing two rebounds for a triple double.
&ldquo;That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell and Garland combined for 54 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds in 86 minutes against the Celtics, but Cleveland didn't miss a beat without them against Detroit. ... Cleveland is 7-3 in its last 10 games against the Pistons.
Pistons: Isaiah Livers scored 11 of Detroit's 21 bench points. No other reserve had more than one field goal. &ldquo;We lost a big piece in Marvin (Bagley III), but we have good players on the bench,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;That's not what it is. It's a matter of how we play.&rdquo;

Kevin Love had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 112-88 for their seventh straight win.

Love, Allen lead short-handed Cavaliers to rout of Pistons

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-dwane-casey-cade-cunningham-jaden-ivey-51b29fe68cdf8949d38ccf54c55ce656">Detroit Pistons</a> are excited about their future thanks to some young, dynamic players.
Bojan Bogdanovic provides a reason to hope the present is promising, too.
Bogdanovic scored 24 points in his debut with the Pistons, helping them beat the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/orlando-magic-nba-sports-jonathan-isaac-jamahl-mosley-6df7b74223f159c93af5a825c2e59058">Orlando Magic</a> 113-109 on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;The guy averaged 18 on a 60-win team so I&rsquo;m not surprised," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.
The Pistons acquired the 33-year-old Bogdanovic from the cost-cutting Utah Jazz in exchange for spare parts to kick their rebuilding plans into another gear.
&ldquo;In practice and games, he&rsquo;s constantly giving us advice," said Detroit rookie <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-detroit-pistons-jerami-grant-cade-cunningham-c88eb385b3d4c4c9a6d6ab94c1603bab">Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 pick</a> overall. &ldquo;His veteran voice is going to be huge for us."
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/orlando-magic-nba-sports-paolo-banchero-25696ebd03a505c24cb19f3e6920404e">Orlando's Paolo Banchero</a>, the No. 1 overall pick last summer, had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in his debut.
&ldquo;I left a lot of points on the board, like three layups missed, some shots I feel like I could have made, so a lot to work on," said Banchero, who was 11 of 18. &ldquo; But I wasn&rsquo;t disappointed with the way I played."
The former Duke star joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as No. 1 picks since 1969 to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NBA debut.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a problem in our league for a long time," Casey said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Paolo Banchero was HISTORIC tonight, becoming the first No. 1 overall pick to drop 20+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ AST in their NBA debut since LeBron James in 2003! <a href="https://t.co/RrQwbl5h7r">pic.twitter.com/RrQwbl5h7r</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1582926574663237637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick last year, had 21 points for the Magic before fouling out with 3:47 remaining.
&ldquo;All of our guys have to understand that we have to do a better job of defending without fouling," coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;Putting them on the line 24 times, whave to be smarter. There&rsquo;s a level of aggression we can have, but we&rsquo;ve got to be smart about it.&rdquo;
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick last year, had 18 points and 10 assists. Cunningham's last assist set up Isaiah Stewart for a 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds left that gave the Pistons a four-point lead.
&ldquo;That was huge for (Stewart) and his confidence," Casey said.
In their NBA debuts, first-round picks Ivey had 19 points and Jalen Duren had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Pistons. Duren was acquired in a draft-night deal after being selected No. 13 overall.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a freak," Ivey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s has a strong build and is very athletic. He played comfortable."
Ivey looked at ease on the court, too, and wasn't surprised that he was able to dribble and drive past the Magic.
&ldquo;I feel like I can get past some of the quickest guys," he said.
The season opener for both teams matched up young squads with high draft picks playing key roles.
Detroit was 23-59 last season, finishing ahead of just Houston and Orlando at the bottom of the league standings. The Magic went 22-60 last season and won the draft lottery, giving them the chance to draft the 6-foot-10 Banchero.
Detroit got off to a strong start in the opening minutes before Orlando took control and went into the second quarter with a 28-17 lead.
&ldquo;We got our tails handed to us in the first, but we didn't drop our heads," Casey said.
The Pistons found their groove in the second quarter, outscoring the Magic 40-27, to lead by two points at halftime.
Detroit opened up an eight-point lead after three quarters, but it could not pull away due in large part to Banchero's play at both ends of the court.
TIP-INS
Magic: Markelle Fultz (broken toe), Gary Harris (left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee) and Moritz Wagner (foot sprain) were not in uniform.
Pistons: Marvin Bagley III (sprained right knee), Alec Burks (left foot) and Isaiah Livers (hip) were out of the lineup.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Atlanta on Friday night.
Pistons: At New York on Friday night.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points in his debut with the Pistons, helping them beat the Magic 113-109 on Wednesday night.

Bogdanovic shines in Detroit debut, helps Pistons beat Magic

Nekias Duncan thoroughly breaks down all five teams in the Central Division ahead of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

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?

In March 2021, Isaiah Livers was at the heart of perhaps his strongest year at the University of Michigan, preparing for a conference tournament and March Madness run that would catapult his NBA Draft stock heading into June.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, his senior campaign ended prematurely when he broke his foot in the team&rsquo;s Big Ten Tournament opener against the Indiana Hoosiers. After four seasons of development and hard work, Livers&rsquo; collegiate career was in the rearview mirror.
Following the Wolverines&rsquo; defeat to the upset-minded Bruins, Livers began his rehab and moved on to the pre-draft process. By late June, at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, he was out of his walking boot and, slowly but surely, getting back to the grind. A little over a month later, the Detroit Pistons selected Livers with the No. 42 overall pick.
Sometimes, the most difficult aspect of coming back from a significant injury isn&rsquo;t a physical battle. It&rsquo;s also an uphill struggle with the mind &mdash; something that Livers learned right away, yet didn&rsquo;t dwell on.
&ldquo;It's tough for anybody to take the game away. You love the game and it gets taken away for almost a year. Like, that's hard. That's a hard pill to swallow,&rdquo; Livers told Basketball News in a phone interview, noting that his development coach Reg Butler, mentor Damon Allison and father Mo were with him every step of the way.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d say my peers helped me through the mental side. Things naturally get into a dark place. Without touching a basketball... I can't go two days without touching a basketball. That's really hard to do. So once I had to be asked to do a year, I was like, &lsquo;Okay, I gotta do this for my body.&rsquo;&rdquo;
One of the loudest voices that uplifted Livers was his best friend and former college backcourt mate, Jordan Poole.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We stick together. We talk a lot. He really helped me when I first entered the rehab process,&rdquo; Livers said of Poole. &rdquo;He gave me little tips. He heard about Damian Lillard when he had his foot issue. He couldn't move around at all. All he was doing was dribbling around and just making sure his handles were tight. I tried to do that every day possible. So just little stuff like that. You know, he's just always gonna be in my life for sure. I respect that man."
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Former Michigan head coach and current Pistons senior player development advisor John Beilein applauds Livers&rsquo; attitude toward the get-back.
&ldquo;I think his approach to his injury was outstanding, that it wasn't, &lsquo;Woe is me.&rsquo; It was, &lsquo;Alright, I gotta get this fixed,&rsquo;&rdquo; Beilein told Basketball News. &ldquo;And we have a great training staff at Michigan and they were very, very patient in waiting for him to get fully healed, for the bone to get fully healed. So as a result, it gave him time to really reflect on the game a lot.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But a lot of guys either hurry back, or, they wouldn't take the therapy seriously, and then they're back into the injury bug again. Isaiah was a pro, like a 10-year veteran. He wanted to get back, he pushed himself to get back, but he trusted others in that process.&rdquo;
Livers admitted that the most crucial part of his rehab was staying in shape. That started with cleaning up his diet and cutting out bad foods. However, the kicker was feverishly riding a Peloton, always breaking a sweat and biking to avoid gaining weight.
&ldquo;Honestly, I think I did a pretty good job,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;Coming back to the season, it wasn't like I needed two weeks to get in shape. I was already in shape. So I was sitting there ready.&rdquo;
Livers played 19 games for the Pistons in his first year, receiving essentially all of his playing time post-All-Star break and starting each of the team&rsquo;s final five contests. He scored in double figures in three of those games, and recorded a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in his first career NBA start. He stood out with a 50% perimeter clip during that stretch and nailed 27-of-64 three-point attempts on the season (42.2%).
"I thought that I did what I needed to do,&rdquo; Livers said of his abbreviated rookie campaign. &ldquo;Coach [Dwane] Casey sat me down at the beginning of the year. He knew what I could do. He knew my shooting ability. But the one thing he didn't know about was my defensive intelligence. I don't think he knew I was going to catch on so quickly.&rdquo;
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Whether it&rsquo;s Cade Cunningham&rsquo;s eye-popping flashes of superstardom or Saddiq Bey&rsquo;s spectacular scoring outbursts or a motivated-and-returning Marvin Bagley III or a dynamic top-five rookie in Jaden Ivey, there are plenty of reasons to be excited if you&rsquo;re a Pistons fan.&nbsp;
Between some media and fans &mdash; and perhaps respected minds around the NBA &mdash; Detroit is being circled as a sneaky squad in 2022-23, a la the Cleveland Cavaliers of last year, for example. Though unattentive to the outside noise, Livers relays that the team has had talks this offseason with general manager Troy Weaver and among themselves about the mindset and work everybody will have to put in to make a jump. As a young core, they&rsquo;re all eager to grow and learn together.
&ldquo;It's honestly fun. It's like, you have nothing to lose...&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;You just go out there, have fun and just let it develop. You know how if you put a bunch of work in, the sky&rsquo;s the limit. So we're all excited. Can't wait. I love what everybody brings to the table. Everybody has their own unique skill set to bring to the table."
Playing alongside Cunningham, Bey and Ivey, Livers believes the chemistry will come easily.
&ldquo;Those are the guys, you know, their job is to get me open if you think about it. Like, I'm standing on the wings or down in the corner. They just keep driving by their man. Eventually, they're gonna need help. You gotta have a knockdown shooter,&rdquo; Livers said. "So that just raises my confidence because I know they&rsquo;ll look for me anyways. So it's just cool to play with guys that are always playing with their head up instead of playing with their head down, looking to just score and score. Those guys are being unselfish. So I'm excited."
Beilein likes how Livers fits with the Pistons' core and believes his versatility will help him earn significant playing time during his sophomore season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a multi-position player. I mean, I&rsquo;m sure he can play the 2 through 4,&rdquo; Beilein said. &ldquo;So that really allows him to just... A coach can look at a certain player and say, &lsquo;Well, he's best suited as a 2-guard, so we'll put Isaiah in at 3 or 4.&rsquo; Or, &lsquo;He's best suited as a 4-man, so we&rsquo;ll play Isaiah as a 3.&rsquo; So he's extremely versatile in his game. He's gonna be out there. It's not my decision, but he's got a great chance of playing a lot of minutes this year."
Livers&rsquo; point of emphasis over the offseason has been improving off the dribble. He mentions coming off ball-screens and handoffs, playmaking while getting to the basket, drawing help to kick out, making the proper reads and going to his pull-up more often.
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And although Livers insists his catch-and-shoot game is well cemented (&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going up!&rdquo;), he shares that Butler administered brain tests on him to illustrate he wasn&rsquo;t being as assertive with his offense and shot-taking as he could&rsquo;ve been. A former pitcher and center fielder in baseball, the 24-year-old first had to understand what his levels were telling him.
&ldquo;I'm more of a sit-back, long thinker, think-things-through type, so my red was low. And once me and Reg started talking about it, it wasn't easy for me to acknowledge. I thought I was already aggressive and dominant, but I guess I wasn't,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;So once I had seen that, it kind of came to the game. I know what I can bring to the game. So I can go 0-for-10 and I'll still be happy the next day because I'm still going to shoot the same shots."
Case in point: NBA Summer League. Livers went 1-for-8 from deep in his Las Vegas debut, then followed it up with a 4-for-5 performance from downtown in the next game. He averaged 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in his two summer-league contests with Detroit on 44.4/38.5/77.8% shooting splits.
Looking back on his rookie campaign, Livers singles out Dallas Mavericks wonder Luka Doncic as his favorite defensive matchup thus far &mdash; one that he took pride in even with the Slovenian sensation and the Mavericks &ldquo;killing&rdquo; the Pistons by a final score of 131-113. Looking ahead, Livers already has a running wish list of three more big names he'd like to take on: Poole, LeBron James and, one of his favorite players growing up, Kevin Durant.
&ldquo;I actually had a concussion when we were on the road to Brooklyn last year, and I promise you, I was in the medical staff room every day trying to like push it so I could make that flight to go guard KD; I was trying to do that every day. That's definitely a guy I want to guard," Livers said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Isaiah Livers said NOPE 🚫<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA2K23SummerLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA2K23SummerLeague</a> Live Now on ESPN <a href="https://t.co/4YUGc2sVFJ">pic.twitter.com/4YUGc2sVFJ</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545276654997708802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
Considering all of the options at a player's disposal nowadays, it's rare for a prospect to attend a university and stay with that same program for four years. It&rsquo;s even less likely when the coaching carousel leads to personnel changes.&nbsp;
Livers is one of those atypical cases. Being in school for that long challenged him to overcome adversity and keep his composure, whether it was on the court with the Wolverines or off of it studying sociology. (He completed his degree in general studies with a minor in sociology, but plans on going back for extra schooling, as he's just two semesters of classes away from receiving a degree in sociology specifically.)
&ldquo;I feel like if I went back and watched all my four years, one by one, each year, I had something new and I'm doing something different and I&rsquo;m asked to do more. So it was kind of cool. I like the buildup,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;You get better every summer. You kind of separate yourself and get better, you learn some more, work on your weaknesses. You only enhance your strengths.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So yeah, I take big pride in that, &lsquo;cause not only did I stay four [years], [I also] got my education out of it too. So my mom and grandma are pretty happy about that as well. So you know, it all just worked. It was all full circle. When you stay four years, [there&rsquo;s a] very, very low chance to get drafted or go to the NBA because they want young guys. But that wasn't on my mind at all. I was like, &lsquo;Shoot, I'm a good player, and I know a team&rsquo;s gonna want to take me,&rsquo; and so, that was the mindset going into it."
Sticking it out at Michigan from the beginning, Livers originally worked with Beilein, who provided him with knowledge of fundamentals and a number of shooting tips.
&ldquo;He's taught me a lot about how to move off the ball and get myself open,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;Just create an advantage for me or the ball-handler coming off the screen. I can slip out of it, do whatever I want out of it, But yeah, we talked a lot about more of how to become a dynamic shooter on the move.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He was a guy who, he could shoot, but I wouldn't call him a shooter when we got him because he had a low release point [and] shot out of his chest a little bit,&rdquo; Beilein added. "We have 100 practices in a year; we worked after practice probably 50 times on just getting better arc, better spin, quicker release, good footwork. And those two years, he shot well for us. But then, as a junior and senior, [he] shot really well for the Michigan team [under Juwan Howard]."
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Understanding his athleticism, Beilein also put Livers in spots where he could crash the long boards and provide extra opportunities with his rebounding prowess &mdash; something that&rsquo;s translated to the next level.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That's all I did my first year [at Michigan], honestly,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;I would start for 15 minutes, grab some offensive rebounds, knock a couple shots down, and I&rsquo;m coming off of Duncan Robinson, so I established my role that way and got used to it. It kind of got ingrained.
&ldquo;Coach Casey, we just sat down and watched some film and he said, &lsquo;Hey, you have the license to go do this. I know you're pretty good at it.&rsquo; So I was like, &lsquo;Okay, bet. That's gonna open the game up, get second-chance points.&rsquo;"
When Beilein departed for the NBA and Cleveland, Michigan hired Juwan Howard as his successor. Howard was a 17-year pro with seven seasons of experience as a head coach, so it brought a little bit of a different perspective for Livers and the Wolverines.&nbsp;
Defense was a focal point right away.
&ldquo;He literally brought nothing but NBA lingo to our practices. We had to learn it, or we weren't gonna play,&rdquo; Livers said of Howard. &ldquo;He let me rock out here and there, but we definitely had more of a focus on the defensive end. Bringing that communication and those rotations that were already NBA-like, you were already a step ahead playing for Coach Howard.&rdquo;
This helped Livers catch on quickly once he made it to the pros.
&ldquo;I was just watching as I was rehabbing; I didn't play until like the All-Star break. I was like, &lsquo;Oh, that looks familiar. We did that at Michigan.&rsquo; So it was kind of like second nature for me," Livers said. &ldquo;I learned so much there.&rdquo;
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Since he only played a handful of games, next season could essentially be seen as his actual&nbsp;rookie year, but Livers won&rsquo;t treat it that way. His teammates and coaches have acknowledged his input and chatty nature from the very first practice he participated in. Everybody in the Pistons organization expects Livers to speak up the way they know he&rsquo;s capable of.
&ldquo;I want to feel more like of a vet because I'm establishing my voice within the organization a lot more,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;So doing a lot more of that, get a lot more guys to also not be afraid to use their voices to speak up, especially during the game.
&ldquo;I don't want to look at it like a rookie. Because a rookie is gonna come in like, &lsquo;Oh, where do I go? What do I do?&rsquo; I'm coming to the second year like, &lsquo;Yo, we running this. When this happens, I'm over here.&rsquo; Stuff like that. Just being more of a leader."
Since coming to Detroit, Livers has established a bond with Casey. The two have a great deal of trust in one another, and continue to strengthen their relationship.&nbsp;
Livers recalls a late-season game against the Atlanta Hawks, who were fighting for playoff positioning. Casey kept him in with a fourth-quarter situation on a whim when he&rsquo;d been a 15th man to that point, and Livers delivered two key threes and stole the ball away from Trae Young. The Pistons came out on top 113-110 in overtime.
&ldquo;I was like the last man off the bench. No one knows what I can bring to the table, and I was hitting shots and started doing everything I was asked of,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;What's crazy is Coach Casey had the amount of trust to leave me out there. I know it was the end of the season, but winning the game is winning the game, and he left me out there. So that said a lot about his character and what his confidence was in me. Me and Coach Casey are very close."
Admittedly, Livers has not had his welcome-to-the-NBA moment yet, but he knows it&rsquo;s coming. When asked about objectives he has set for his sophomore year, he keeps it simple.
&ldquo;Win. Win as many games as possible,&rdquo; Livers said. &ldquo;That is my personal goal this year by any means. And team-goal wise, obviously make the playoffs. It's been talked about here and there, but I truly did not like sitting at home and watching all these playoff games. It was very weird to me, and I don't want to go through that again."
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A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, about two-and-a-half hours west of Detroit, Livers has felt the love from the city and the Pistons&rsquo; fan base.&nbsp;
And if the offseason work is an indication of what&rsquo;s to come, Livers will be a part of a special up-and-coming era of basketball in the Motor City, not far from where it all began for him.
&ldquo;This dude has an incredible basketball IQ, and so people love coaching him,&rdquo; Beilein said. &ldquo;For a young dude in the NBA, but also, I noticed that when he played for me at Michigan, and those first two years, he understands what makes teams win; that is a talent to understand that this little pass, this extra pass, this pass to lead to the extra pass, is just as important as when you go on 1-on-1 with somebody.
&ldquo;He's gonna be that 3-and-D guy that you see so much of. It's so successful in the NBA.&rdquo;

Isaiah Livers is brimming with confidence entering his second season with the Detroit Pistons.

Isaiah Livers is ready to rise up in second season with Pistons

Those who follow NBA Summer League embrace it for two reasons. Number one, it's a chance to revel in the next generation of basketball talent and establish a baseline for players as they develop. Secondly, it's just a wacky event.
We got sudden-death double overtime in Saturday's matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic, complete with a timeout call to run a set, an extended replay review and a chaotic final basket. The Thomas &amp; Mack Center turned into a playoff environment for a result roughly 2% of the attendees will remember a year from now.&nbsp;
But hey, le's enjoy the weird! Here are some of my standout picks from Day 3 action, including three players from the aformentioned Magic-Kings battle.
STUDS
Isaiah Joe, Philadelphia 76ers
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Isaiah Joe just went on a 9-0 run by himself. 🔥 (🎥: <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a>)<a href="https://t.co/e9UZJ8PAh4">pic.twitter.com/e9UZJ8PAh4</a>
&mdash; theScore (@theScore) <a href="https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1545874009996288000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 8/14 FG, 7/9 3PT
Joe unleashed an electric shot-making performance. He was constantly moving with and without the ball, flying around screens for three-pointers and slashing to the bucket as a cutter. But Joe also dazzled as a lead playmaker. He took Ron Harper Jr. off the dribble on one play and stopped on a dime for a pull-up from the left elbow.
We knew Joe was a scorer though. He further wowed me with how he defended, even forcing a jump ball when Toronto Raptors rookie center Christian Koloko tried to back him down on the low block. Joe entered the league at 165 pounds, and there's absolutely no way he's close to that now. The 2020 second-round pick looks and plays stronger than he did two years ago, and that might help him crack the 76ers' rotation.
Dalano Banton, Toronto Raptors
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Delano Banton beats the buzzer from 3 🎯 Watch Live on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBATV</a> <a href="https://t.co/q77xfegBFc">pic.twitter.com/q77xfegBFc</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545875403176296450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 6/11 FG, 2/3 3PT, 7/9 FT
Armoni Brooks led the Raptors in scoring and surged late in the game, but Banton impressed me most Saturday. Banton scored 14 points in the third quarter alone, as Toronto pulled away in a great game against the 76ers. The 6-foot-9 point guard had a couple of impressive takes to the basket and appeared more comfortable shooting beyond the arc after making just 25.5% of his threes in the regular season.
Banton also impressed me with his passing, and consistently applied pressure as the lead guard. On one possession, he drove into the paint, stopped, pivoted and hit Koloko on a wraparound bounce pass for an easy layup. He did have 7 turnovers, but Banton committed a few just because he was a bit too ambitious with his reads, which doesn't have to be a bad thing at Summer League.
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
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My favorite play from Paolo Banchero today. Cross court laser beam right on target <a href="https://t.co/cUkYpWUtX0">pic.twitter.com/cUkYpWUtX0</a>
&mdash; Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1545901796719075328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 6/15 FG
The No. 1 overall pick continues to turn heads. Banchero's passes, including the above video, were off the charts against the Kings. He kicked the ball out to the corners, made weak-side reads and threw a no-look dime to a backdoor-cutting Devin Cannady.&nbsp;
Banchero was also notably active defensively for a player with question-marks on that end during the pre-draft process. He picked up two monster help-defense blocks, one of which saved Orlando from a Kings dunk to end sudden-death overtime. It feels like Banchero gives Magic fans an element to get excited about every game.
Neemias Queta, Sacramento Kings
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Neemias Queta quick rotation to provide help and blocks the shot! <a href="https://t.co/LbP6NFWPR1">pic.twitter.com/LbP6NFWPR1</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1545865098476109831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 8/12 FG, 1/1 3PT
The No. 39 pick from the 2021 NBA Draft made his case for a full contract after playing on a two-way deal as a rookie. At 7 feet tall and 245 pounds, Queta feasted against the smaller Magic frontcourt. He found success as a roll man and lob threat, and threw in a couple of putbacks. Queta attempted two threes all last season across the NBA and G League, so I understand the surprise when he canned a huge shot as part of Sacramento's miraculous comeback.&nbsp;
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
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Mark Jones calling a Keegan Murray game-tying 3 like it&rsquo;s Game 7 of the finals: <a href="https://t.co/SajPPrL4OO">pic.twitter.com/SajPPrL4OO</a>
&mdash; Eli Hershkovich (@EliHershkovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EliHershkovich/status/1545894844756856837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/11 FG, 4/8 3PT
Murray is&nbsp;here as a shooter. His perimeter game looks so effortless, and he hit shots from a standstill and off movement over the contests of players like Banchero. Murray can square up to the basket so easily as he turns into a jump shot, and everything about his release is clean and consistent.
His other make came when he attacked a closeout and hit a pull-up from the free-throw line. I'd like to see if Murray can get to the rim more, but the Kings have used him mostly as a movement weapon, so he hasn't received many on-ball opportunities. Hopefully he gets some more reps as Summer League continues. Murray also had a pretty tough individual matchup against a bigger, stronger Banchero.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
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From defense to offense, Jabari rips the ball from Chet which leads to a Tari Eason dunk 😮&zwj;💨 [F] <a href="https://t.co/xZo05Fnpsp">pic.twitter.com/xZo05Fnpsp</a>
&mdash; Courtside Fracas (@courtsidefracas) <a href="https://twitter.com/courtsidefracas/status/1545951348012769280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 5/10 FG, 1/3 3PT
You could pick several Rockets players to highlight, including Josh Christopher and Daishen Nix. I want to spotlight Eason because he's been relentless on the glass, with double-digit boards in his last two games. The two steals and one block also understate how special of a defender he has been so far, both on the ball and in help.&nbsp;
On offense, we saw Eason thrive as a cutter and roller. He also knocked down a three-pointer, which is a major swing skill for his overall offensive impact. If Eason can hit threes at a manageable clip, he'll become an even more dangerous off-ball weapon.
Other notable performers: Armoni Brooks (Raptors), Jeff Dowtin Jr. (Raptors), Trendon Watford (Trail Blazers), Mychal Mulder (Heat), Marcus Garrett (Heat), Kenny Lofton Jr. (Grizzlies), Josh Christopher (Rockets), Daishen Nix (Rockets), Brandon Boston Jr. (Clippers), Isaiah Livers (Pistons), Jared Butler (Jazz), Jordan Schakel (Wizards), Trey Murphy III (Hornets)
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DUDS
Sam Hauser, Boston Celtics
Box score stats: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2/12 FG, 1/9 3PT
Hauser signed a three-year deal with the Celtics after joining them on a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent last season. This wasn't an inspiring first effort under his new contract, as the second-year forward struggled against a Miami Heat defense that was prepared for his usage. Hauser couldn't consistently generate separation, and battled several strong contests.
I would chalk this up to successful Miami stoppage more than Hauser's own failures, but it's worth monitoring the looks he receives (and how he shoots them) moving forward.
Sharife Cooper, Atlanta Hawks
Box score stats: 3 points, 2 assists, 1/6 FG, 0/4 3PT
Cooper was a game-time decision for Saturday's contest and only played 18 minutes, so it's possible he was dealing with rust from an ailment. The 2021 second-round pick missed all of his three-point attempts. He showed improvement with a 35.9% clip in the G League last season, but Cooper isn't out of the woods on that shot being a valid concern.&nbsp;
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The point guard was also a non-threat at the rim, missing one shot badly and barely getting into the paint against a tough Utah Jazz defense. If there's an positive takeaway, Cooper put together some stronger defensive moments himself. But it was an underwhelming day for a young player with a real shot at claiming backup guard minutes this season.
Johnny Davis, Washington Wizards
Box score stats: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1/11 FG, 0/2 3PT
The No. 10 overall pick made his first shot, a tough fadeaway jumper through contact, and proceeded to miss his next 10. Most of them were just difficult, low-quality looks. Davis wasn't really a threat to pass, and settled for tough fadeaway jumpers, contested pull-ups and far-fetched rim attempts. I admired the physicality, but he just couldn't create anything easy for himself against a Detroit Pistons defense that guarded him tightly.&nbsp;
Santi Aldama, Memphis Grizzlies
Box score stats: 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2/7 FG, 0/2 3PT
Memphis summer head coach David McClure had this to say about Aldama's performance on Saturday:
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David McClure on Santi Aldama: &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s in his head a little bit right now. He&rsquo;s at his best when he&rsquo;s just playing basketball. Maybe he&rsquo;s putting too much pressure on doing one thing or another. When he lets the game come to himself, that&rsquo;s when he&rsquo;s at his best.&rdquo;
&mdash; Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) <a href="https://twitter.com/DamichaelC/status/1545983746158891008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Aldama just looks like he's trying to fit too many roles on offense. His perimeter jumper was kind of a mess against the Los Angeles Clippers. Aldama seems best right now when he can cut and work as a connective passer instead of spacing the floor or running actions. It's just very difficult to envision what that role looks like with him, or how he can get those kinds of extended opportunities with Memphis. I'm still a believer in Aldama, but it's been a rocky road for one of the 2021 draft's most polarizing picks.&nbsp;

Isaiah Joe and Paolo Banchero highlighted the third day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

10 studs and duds from Day 3 of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Summer League is off and running!&nbsp;
East Coast viewers might have missed the start, with two games scheduled at 10 p.m. on Thursday and midnight on Friday. But the two contests featured high-powered matchups between top draft picks, plus some surprise standout rookies and second-year studs.
I'll be rounding up the best and worst performances from every day of Summer League in Las Vegas. As always, here's a reminder: This is summer basketball and not the actual NBA season. We're obliged to critique the individual games of young players; firing off bold, career-spanning takes on guys who are in their teens or early 20's is highly ill-advised.&nbsp;
But let's get excited! Here's who caught my eye from the two contests that kicked off the Las Vegas slate.
STUDS
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
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This was a fun pass from Paolo Banchero to Devin Cannady <a href="https://t.co/HyiKRuIt5g">pic.twitter.com/HyiKRuIt5g</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1545256311587217414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 5/12 FG, 2/5 3PT
Magic fans want Banchero to be an "offensive hub." For most of Friday's win over the Rockets, the top pick was, balancing seeking his own shot with facilitation. Banchero hit an impressive step-back three, demonstrated his prowess in the post and bullied his way to the basket, often unassisted. But he also kept the ball moving, and it mostly felt like he played within the flow of the offense.
If there's anything to nitpick, I do think Banchero settled too frequently for difficult post-up shots and threes later in the second half. But Orlando also fed him loads of on-ball reps, so there will be growing pains. Overall, a very strong debut from this draft class's headliner.
Caleb Houstan, Orlando Magic
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Caleb Houstan 🇨🇦 drops a GAME-HIGH 20 PTS (7-12 FG, 5-9 3PT) in his Summer League debut as the <a href="https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OrlandoMagic</a> come away with the WIN! <a href="https://t.co/DZ4YGttsyF">pic.twitter.com/DZ4YGttsyF</a>
&mdash; NBA Canada (@NBACanada) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1545258280825458689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7/12 FG, 5/9 3PT
The No. 32 overall pick in this year's draft took over the latter stages of Orlando's victory. Houstan leaned on his calling card throughout high school and college, and unleashed his smooth three-point shot. The former Michigan Wolverine knew exactly how to space the floor in transition and the half-court, and it felt like he was almost generating his own open looks with how he moved without the ball. By the end of the game, Orlando had even run plays for its second-round rookie.
Houstan also impressed me as a cutter. Despite getting blocked on one attempt and Orlando's passers missing some of his other slashes, Houstan exhibited excellent timing when he sliced to the basket.&nbsp;
Keon Johnson, Portland Trail Blazers
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To the baja 🌴 Keon Johnson leads all scorers with 20 PTS on ESPN <a href="https://t.co/w5Dr85nPek">pic.twitter.com/w5Dr85nPek</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1545291586384322562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 8/18 FG, 2/6 3PT
Johnson slowly started to rise in the lost spring of Portland's regular season after being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Norman Powell trade. He particularly intrigued me as a second-year player who could enter Las Vegas and blow people away with his improvement. Johnson didn't quite reach that level on Friday, but he still gave me several reasons for optimism.
His 21 points came in varied contexts. Johnson used some ball-screens to set himself up for three-point attempts. He grew more aggressive as the contest went on, igniting fast breaks and hunting players off the dribble. Isaiah Stewart blocked Johnson ferociously on one drive, but Johnson came back later in the game and attacked him with a strong layup.&nbsp;
There's still plenty to iron out with the 2021 No. 21 pick; he telegraphed a few turnovers and hijacked a couple of late offensive possessions. But Johnson's confidence seems so much higher than last year's Summer League, and I feel great about what he could show over the next 10 days.
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
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Goddamn, this opening set from Detroit is an absolutely perfect usage of Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. Awesome. <a href="https://t.co/3JdKRLt3Bo">pic.twitter.com/3JdKRLt3Bo</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1545261617180397573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, 6/14 FG, 2/5 3PT
The above first play had viewers giddy with visions of Ivey working off-ball screens, receiving passes from, say, Cade Cunningham, and throwing lobs to Jalen Duren. We saw Ivey take on serious spacing responsibilities, particularly in the first half with Killian Hayes or Saben Lee at point guard. Though he missed some threes, Ivey generally looked comfortable and knocked down two as well.&nbsp;
In the second half, the No. 5 pick settled into more of a groove driving the basketball. He used his all-world downhill speed to split and blow by defenders. He threw some beautiful passes as the game started to wind down. This was by no means a perfect first outing; Ivey sometimes played out of control and lost the ball or threw up a wild shot. But all of the flashes that made Detroit so happy to select him were present.&nbsp;
Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
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Killian Hayes-Isaiah Stewart 2 man game ending in the 3-pointer from Stewart <a href="https://t.co/kzJBmRvOpe">pic.twitter.com/kzJBmRvOpe</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1545262070249160706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
Box score stats: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4/6 FG, 3/4 3PT
Stewart didn't have the loudest performance, but I thought he was super solid in several areas of Detroit's victory. After knocking down 15 threes in all of 2021-22, he confidently hit three as a pick-and-pop player, trailer and spot-up spacer. He switched onto several tough guard matchups and held his own, including one phenomenal block on the aforementioned Johnson drive. Showing this versatility on both ends gives Stewart a firm place with Detroit's young core, even as it continues to grow with more lottery-level additions.
Other notable performers: Josh Christopher (Rockets), Tari Eason (Rockets), Isaiah Livers (Pistons), Brandon Williams (Trail Blazers), Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers)
DUDS
Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
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Box score stats: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4/10 FG, 1/4 3PT
Smith lost the battle of top-three picks to Banchero on Thursday, and that makes his night look like a dud outing by comparison. He didn't have the three-point shot falling, and was often outmuscled by Banchero and other defenders when he couldn't turn a corner and drive.&nbsp;
However, I don't think this was a concerning performance by any means (that also should not be possible in Summer League). Smith had two nice takes to the basket as shown above. He generally played solid team defense next to Eason. Hopefully, Houston can get him some more shots from the perimeter so Smith can truly demonstrate his marksmanship.
RJ Hampton, Orlando Magic
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Box score stats: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 4/11 FG, 0/2 3PT
Hampton was a player I highlighted who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/10-summer-league-veterans-with-something-to-prove-in-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">needs to have a standout showing Summer League</a>. He did not on Thursday.
Though the rebounding total looks nice, Hampton's offensive performance often felt disjointed and disconnected from the rest of the Magic. He spent possessions searching around for a shot, didn't create separation and had some cringey misses. Hampton had some moments where his burst and athleticism shone through, but they came few and far between against an impressive Rockets defense.&nbsp;
He just didn't hit many passes he needed to make, either. The above play, for example, should have been an easy swing or kick-out, but Hampton quite literally charges into a turnover. I hope he can turn things around, but this start was inauspicious.&nbsp;
Admiral Schofield, Orlando Magic
Box score stats: 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 fouls, 1/4 FG, 1/3 3PT
At Summer League, players get 10 fouls, and it's rare to see someone actually use them all up. Schofield was testing the limit early, though, finishing with 7 infractions. By my count, two resulted from poor defensive positioning, three were just a bad use of his hands and a fourth was a blatant push on Jabari Smith Jr. Schofield is battling for his NBA future as a second-round pick from 2019. This wasn't his best case for a spot with Orlando.

Paolo Banchero shined as the No. 1 pick, and so did second-round rookie teammate Caleb Houstan in Day 1 of NBA Summer League.

8 studs and duds from the first day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

What LeBron James has been able to accomplish on the court over the course of his 19-year NBA career seems unreal at times, and the fact that he&rsquo;s still considered one of the best basketball players in the world this deep into his career is remarkable.&nbsp;
But what James has been able to do off the court is nearly as impressive. Throughout his career, he&rsquo;s consistently been one of the most marketable athletes in all of sports. While working with brands is nothing new, James has forced companies to treat him as a partner rather than as an endorser.
James hasn&rsquo;t just been the typical athlete who stars in commercials, basically telling consumers to buy a certain product; in a certain sense, he actually becomes part of the product, and in many cases, he&rsquo;s the one that benefits. If he&rsquo;s partnered with a company, there's a decent chance he's at least a part-owner.
Perhaps the most famous example of this is James' deal with Beats by Dre years ago. He received stake in Beats by Dre in exchange for promoting the headphones, so when the company sold to Apple for $3 billion, James received a $30 million check. This is "the biggest equity cash payout for a professional athlete in history," <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/11068709/miami-heat-discussing-options-target-carmelo-anthony-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN</a>.
For years, James has <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/lebron-james-cover-story-march-2014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that becoming a billionaire would be his "biggest milestone." This week, Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2022/06/02/lebron-james-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=35f6d29e453e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that James finally joined the three-comma club, becoming the first-ever active NBA player with a net worth over a billion dollars.
While James has earned more than $390 million from his NBA contracts, his off-court endeavors have brought in even more money. While James does have some traditional endorsement deals with companies like AT&amp;T, Pepsi and Calm, he also has equity in a number of brands:
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Owned By LeBron 
Fenway Sports Group
James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter made headlines when they became part-owners of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club. Well, that was made possible thanks to their investment in Fenway Sports Group. James and Carter have set themselves up to be major decision-makers for these franchises going forward. James has said that his goal is to eventually own an NBA team as well, preferably in Las Vegas.
SpringHill Entertainment
SpringHill Entertainment is another entity owned by James, and it&rsquo;s his entryway into the filmmaking business. The name SpringHill comes from the Section-8 housing in which James spent part of his childhood. This company has produced TV shows such as "Survivor's Remorse," "The Wall," and "The Shop" and movies such as "Hustle" and "Space Jam: A New Legacy" (which James starred in). Forbes has valued SpringHill Entertainment at roughly $300 million.
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UNINTERRUPTED
When Fox News&rsquo; Laura Ingraham went on a rant about James&rsquo; political interests, she finished it with the phrase, &ldquo;Shut up and dribble.&rdquo; In an effort to control his own media narrative, James decided to create his own media company. UNINTERRUPTED is a platform for athletes to tell their own stories. It started as short videos on Twitter or Instagram, and now has evolved into podcasts and feature-length films. With the tagline &ldquo;More Than An Athlete,&rdquo; it allows athletes to express who they are on their terms.
Blaze Pizza
James got into the pizza game in 2012 when he and his business partners made a small investment (by their standards) into Blaze Pizza. The group invested roughly $1 million into the small pizza chain, and it has exploded. Now, you can find James tweeting about Blaze Pizza from time to time while his investment in the company continues to grow. There was even the video of James working at a Blaze Pizza, claiming to be &ldquo;Ron&rdquo; while behind the counter helping customers.&nbsp;
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Ladder
This is probably the least-known of the James-owned properties so far, but he and his trainer, Mike Mancias, have created Ladder. According <a href="https://ladder.openfit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to its website</a>, Ladder is a &ldquo;sports nutrition company dedicated to creating high-performance, NSF Certified for Sport&reg; workout supplements for daily use. We formulate products to complement a strong nutritional foundation and unlock the next level in training and exercise.&rdquo; In this venture, James is partners with legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger.&nbsp;
James has a stake in all of these companies and actively helps to make decisions. Also, he has reportedly invested in other companies such as Lyft and Tonal (a fitness startup).
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While James doesn't have equity in Nike, he does have a unique "lifetime" deal with the company that is worth north of a billion dollars (as Maverick Carter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-nike-deal-exceeds-1-billion-maverick-carter-says-2016-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all but confirmed</a>). It's the largest deal in Nike's history, and it reportedly pays James more than $30 million per year. James is now on his 18th signature sneaker with Nike, along with 14 versions of his playoff shoe called the &ldquo;Soldier&rdquo; and a handful of other releases.
When James was an 18-year-old senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, he had already become a star in the basketball world. After appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and having his high school games broadcast nationally on ESPN, every big shoe company was determined to sign the phenom.
The sneaker war was detailed excellently in Brian Windhorst&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/LeBron-Inc-Making-Billion-Dollar-Athlete/dp/1538730871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times best-selling book</a> &ldquo;LeBron, INC.&rdquo; To summarize, while Nike wasn&rsquo;t the highest bidder, they were the brand that James associated with greatness, and the company he'd dreamed of wearing since childhood. It didn&rsquo;t matter that Adidas had outfitted James&rsquo; high school basketball team with gear or that Reebok offered more upfront money. What did matter was that Nike was considered the best of the best, just as James strived to be.
James has always done things his own way, and he's had tremendous success on and off the court. Now, he has built generational wealth and achieved something that no other active NBA player has done.
(This article was originally published in May of 2021, but was updated on June, 7, 2022).
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LeBron James is the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. Danny Cunningham looks at James' companies and investments.

LeBron James, The Businessman: 5 companies owned by The King

May 5, 2006. That was the last time the Sacramento Kings <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200605050SAC.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played in a playoff game</a>. That contest took place 5,863 days ago.&nbsp; To put that into context: During that 2005-06 season, Chris Paul was a rookie and Bruce Bowen, who was born in 1971, was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. Steve Nash won his second consecutive MVP award and Boris Diaw was named the league's Most Improved Player.
The Kings made history last month, the type of history that no organization wants to be known for. Sacramento, who finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 30-52 record, failed to qualify for the postseason for the 16th straight season, breaking the NBA record for the longest playoff drought. (The Kings had been tied with the Buffalo Braves and Los Angeles Clippers prior.)
So, while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-lottery-teams-who-should-trade-to-win-now-or-at-least-sooner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many teams in this year's draft lottery</a> are rumored to be interested in potentially trading their pick, arguably no team is more motivated to add an established player (as opposed to an unproven rookie) in hopes of avoiding a return trip to the all-too-familiar lottery dais next May than the Kings.
As proof of their urgency to win now, the Kings shocked pundits back in February by trading away Tyrese Haliburton, one of the league's most promising young point guards, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a package that included Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis.&nbsp;
Thus, it isn't shocking to learn that Sacramento, who jumped up to land the No. 4 overall pick in last week's lottery, is reportedly willing to wheel and deal if presented with the right offer.&nbsp;
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>, "there's a strong belief among rival teams that Sacramento will explore trading the fourth selection, either out of the draft entirely for an impact veteran or down later in the lottery to net a contributing rotation player in the process."
The other issue likely factoring into the Kings' thought process is that the top tier of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft</a> consists of three players (Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero), with a bit of a dropoff after those elite prospects. Nonetheless, "the uncertainty of the fourth selection could prompt eager teams to leap up to secure their prized prospect" which puts the Kings' front office in a "<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strong trade position</a>," per Fischer.&nbsp;
Additionally, Mike Scotto of HoopsHype recently <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-nba-mock-draft-lottery-jabari-smith-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-trade-rumors/">reported</a> that NBA executives "are monitoring the Sacramento Kings" as a team that could trade their pick "in search of player(s) that can help immediately." Scotto added that after acquiring Sabonis, the Kings have "made it clear the goal is to end the franchise's playoff drought" and that "rival teams are keeping an eye on Sacramento to trade this pick."
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So, let's examine some deals that might make sense for both the Kings and a potential trading partner.
Detroit Pistons send Jerami Grant, Saben Lee, Isaiah Livers and a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) to the Kings in exchange for the No. 4 overall pick, Richaun Holmes, Maurice Harkless and Alex Len
Earlier this offseason, Sacramento general manager Monte McNair <a href="https://account.sacbee.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=260358905&amp;intcid=ab_archive">conceded</a> that the team needs to add players who can knock down shots and fit in alongside the franchise's cornerstones, Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox.
"I think shooting, we can clearly acknowledge, will be a huge priority," McNair declared. "Length, athleticism, versatility &mdash; we've talked about all that as well. Obviously, you want the whole package, but shooting will be a big priority for us."
Grant most certainly checks those boxes. During his two years in Detroit, he has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 made treys and 1.1 blocks per game. He has shot over 37% from downtown on 4.5 attempts over the past four seasons and is a versatile, plus defender. As a stretch-4, Grant &mdash; who just turned 28 and is in the heart of his prime &mdash; could conceivably fit in well in the frontcourt alongside Sabonis, who likes to operate on the low block and is a good passer from the post. Moreover, Fox-Grant pick-and-rolls would be difficult to defend.&nbsp;
The issue in this potential trade is that Grant has just one season left on the three-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2020. However, as long as Grant is traded before Aug. 9, he is eligible to sign an extension with his new team for up to $112 million over four years. After previously spurning the Nuggets to sign with the Pistons, we know that Grant is not afraid to join a team that hasn't enjoyed recent success. Would he be willing to commit to Sacramento long-term? If so, a Big Three of Fox, Grant and Sabonis might be talented enough to finally push the Kings into the postseason.&nbsp;
For the Pistons, they would add Holmes (a quality center on a team-friendly contract) and enter next month's draft with 2 of the top 5 picks, which would allow them to add a pair of promising prospects to a core centered around Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes. 
Washington Wizards send Kyle Kuzma and the No. 10 overall pick to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, Justin Holiday and Terence Davis
After a disappointing end to his tenure as a Los Angeles Laker, Kuzma bounced back with a very productive season for the Wizards in 2021-22. He averaged 17.1 points and 1.9 made three-pointers while setting career-highs in rebounds (8.5), assists (3.5) and blocks (0.9) per game. He led the Wiz in double-doubles with 24 (which ranked tied for the sixth-most among all forwards in the NBA). Adding Kuzma's offensive versatility would provide Sacramento with some much-needed depth at forward. In addition, the Kings would still have a lottery pick, dropping back just six spots, which would allow them to add another young asset to the roster.&nbsp;
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The Wizards would likely entertain such a deal if they fell in love with a prospect &mdash; such as Keegan Murray, Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe &mdash; whom they feel relatively sure won't still be on the board at 10.
Kuz has two years left on his current contract but can opt out in the summer of 2023. However, he will be eligible to sign a four-year extension for up to $70 million this October if his $13 million player option for 2023-24 is declined.&nbsp;
A similar package featuring one of the Wizards' other young forwards (Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija or Corey Kispert) instead of Kuzma might also be feasible, depending on the value the Kings/Wizards place on the respective players.&nbsp;
Houston Rockets send the No. 3 overall pick and Eric Gordon to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, a (protected) future first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, Richaun Holmes and Justin Holiday
Is it possible that Sacramento views Smith, Holmgren or Banchero as talented enough to make a substantial impact as a rookie? If so, would the team be willing to pony up sufficient capital to move up one spot?
The Kings would snag one of this draft's three most prized prospects in this hypothetical scenario. The 7-foot Holmgren is one of the most versatile prospects to enter the draft in recent history. Banchero possesses a freakish combination of size, strength and athleticism. Smith projects as a lethal stretch-4 who could fit in nicely alongside Sabonis.&nbsp;
Gordon is a respected, established veteran with just one year of guaranteed money left on his contract. He shot a scorching 41.2% from three-point territory this past season, the second-best mark of his career.&nbsp;
Such a deal would make sense for the Rockets if they feel whichever of the top-tier prospects that falls to them isn't significantly better than the next highest-ranked player on their board. During a post-lottery press conference last week, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston is <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open to trading the No. 3 pick</a>.
"I'm definitely not gonna block them out," Stone <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says">told reporters</a>. "If they wanna talk, I'm always available to talk... If it's the case that they're interested in doing something, we're always available to listen. If there's something that makes sense for both teams, something will get done."
Adding a quality young center in Holmes would give the Rockets leverage in negotiations with Christian Wood, or potentially enable them to trade him out of Houston.&nbsp;
New York Knicks trade Julius Randle and the No. 11 overall pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes, the No. 4 pick and a second-round pick (No. 37 overall)&nbsp;
Randle playing alongside Sabonis could be viewed as a clunky fit, but Sabonis did play 80% of his minutes at center for Sacramento after arriving via the midseason trade. The pairing would undoubtedly be problematic defensively, but the duo would be dynamic on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Randle and Sabonis were 2 of only 4 NBA players to average double-digit boards and more than 5 assists per contest. (The other two players in this club were Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo.)
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After being named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2020-21, Randle's offensive inefficiency regressed dramatically this past season. In addition, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the relationship between Randle and Knicks fans turned toxic</a> at various points during the year. Yet, even in a "down year," he averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 boards and 5.1 dimes per game. A fresh start in California might help Randle regain his All-Star form. Also, he is under team control for at least three more years (he has a player option for 2025-26), which means the Kings wouldn't have to worry about their key players entering free agency anytime soon.&nbsp;
From the Knicks' perspective, this move would allow them to jump up and snag a highly-touted prospect, possibly combo guard Jaden Ivey, who New York was rumored to be interested in. And, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I wrote last month</a>, moving Randle would enable the Knicks to insert Obi Toppin (who averaged 27.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 made three-pointers per game in April) into the starting lineup while also clearing Randle's contract off their books. Barnes will celebrate his 30th birthday next week, but is still playing at a high level and has just one year left on his current deal.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks trade John Collins and the No. 16 pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes and the No. 4 pick
After signing a massive five-year contract worth $125 million last summer, Collins struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2021-22. His disappointing production was one of the reasons Atlanta failed to meet lofty expectations this season. One year after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks spent much of this past season below .500 and were easily eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Would they be willing to part way with Collins (and his contract) to jump 12 spots in the draft?&nbsp;
Much like the aforementioned Randle/Knicks deal, the Kings would have to decide if Collins could mesh with Sabonis and Fox.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets trade Gordon Hayward, the No. 13 pick and the No. 15 pick (via NOLA) to the Kings in exchange for Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkless, Alex Len and the No. 4 pick
Attempting to determine Hayward's value league-wide is difficult. When healthy, he's been remarkably productive throughout his career. However, he's been plagued by injury issues and has missed 58 games since signing a four-year, $120 million pact with the Hornets in 2020. He has two years and $61.5 million left on his current contract, which also contains a 15% trade kicker.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer highlights a number of possible trades that the Kings could execute to improve their roster this summer.

Breaking down 6 hypothetical trades for the Kings' No. 4 draft pick

The New York Liberty have been fined a league-record $500,000 for chartering flights for players during the second half of the season and taking the team to Napa, CA during Labor Day weekend, according to Howard Megdal of Sports Illustrated.
Liberty executive Oliver Weisberg has also been removed from the league&rsquo;s executive committee, sources told Sports Illustrated.
Source: <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/01/charter-flights-violation-new-york-liberty-joe-tsai-daily-cover" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Howard Megdal/Sports Illustrated</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;This is a massive penalty, which Megdal reports violated the allowed compensation for WNBA players under its collective bargaining agreement. Some consequences floated by the league were even more severe.
Megdal added: "After someone alerted the WNBA to the Liberty&rsquo;s violations, possible remedies floated by the league&rsquo;s general counsel, Jamin Dershowitz, ranged from losing 'every draft pick you have ever seen' to suspending ownership, even 'grounds for termination of the franchise,' according to a Sept. 21, 2021, communication between the league and the Liberty reviewed by SI."
The entire scandal raises the issue of how the league's owners treat its players differently and underscores the difference in league ownership capabiltiy at the WNBA level. It highlights a bizarre case where a franchise is harshly penalized for giving its players treatment closer to that of an NBA franchise.&nbsp;

The Liberty were fined $500,000 for chartering player flights during the second half of last season.

WNBA considered terminating Liberty franchise over flight violation

It takes but a moment to feel Davion Mitchell's presence pop on screen anytime the Sacramento Kings play.
One of my top-five running bits this season has been opposing ball-handlers experiencing his ball pressure and intensity on defense for the first time. When Mitchell stifles a first step, it's akin to someone catching a jab to the chin for the first time. They've sparred, they've been around some heat in the ring, but Davion has that kind of defensive charisma that makes opposition stiffen, flash the Gary Payton eyebrow raise and recognize he's for real.
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&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1455722732516253703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The defense has been etched in stone since his first minutes at NBA Summer League. However, Mitchell's offense has run counter much of the year. Through his first 43 games of the season, he played roughly 25 minutes per game, averaging 9.1 points and 3.2 assists on 45.5% True Shooting (10.5% below league average). His three-ball was way off, particularly off the catch, shooting better off the dribble per Second Spectrum.
Fast forward to Jan. 26 in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. With De'Aaron Fox out due to injury, Mitchell received his second career start, and the first in a string of seven straight starts with the Kings. While he's returned to the bench post-trade deadline and Fox's return, he's continued his stellar play.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 66px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 12.3133%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Stretch of Play</td>
<td style="width: 13.5566%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">True Shooting </td>
<td style="width: 10.1783%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Pull-Up 2s</td>
<td style="width: 8.5783%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Pull-Up 3s</td>
<td style="width: 13.1566%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Catch-and-Shoot 3s</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 12.3133%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Last 10 Games</td>
<td style="width: 13.5566%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">54.5%</td>
<td style="width: 10.1783%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">41% (3.9 per)</td>
<td style="width: 8.5783%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">40% (2.5 per)</td>
<td style="width: 13.1566%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">38.6% (4.4 per)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
In his last 10 games, Mitchell is averaging 16.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists, and doing so with better efficiency than he has all season (All four categories in the table above are upticks from his first 43 games).
So what's changed?
Mitchell's increasing minutes have been the largest reason for his success. Normally, that's a thinly veiled way of saying that nothing's changed &mdash; but in Mitchell's case, it's quite the contrary!
With the ball in his hands more, and more opportunities on the court, he's been more able to adapt and search out his balance in the offense between controlling the rock and moving off of it. Throughout the year, I've consistently wished Mitchell would move more without the ball. Lo and behold, it's happening!
A large reason for his improvement as a catch-and-shoot player (significant concern pre-draft) has been his willingness to move off the ball and relocate into open space.
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He's lifting from the corners more often.
He's dishing out of paint touches and quickly twirling out to the slot.&nbsp;
Making yourself available is a really important part of becoming a better shooter (and offensive player in general), and it's helped Mitchell to flow within an offense more.
Davion greatly struggled for much of the season to adapt to NBA length and speed &mdash; something that happens to most rookies &mdash; but for small guards who need the ball, it can be an adventure. Better off-ball movement is one of the first cogs for his further development.
He has to thrive on the margins, as the easier modes of efficient offense aren't as readily available to him. Can he find an extra step or sliver of space through good screening or quick handoffs?
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He's started to. Sacramento's offense is heavily trending in that direction after trading for Domantas Sabonis, one of the best and most dynamic screeners in basketball.
What's so intriguing about Mitchell is his ability to exploit those margins. While yes, he is small, he is also perhaps the most explosive player on the Kings' roster. His first step is bonkers, he has a shifty handle, and he's a decent enough leaper to where he's not a solely below-the-rim athlete.
Earlier this season, he was belting line-drives to the rim, packed with power undoubtedly, but a line-drive is still a straight-on, squared-up attempt. It's so tough to consistently win by overpowering your defender in the NBA unless you have overwhelming size and physicality. Mitchell can win with power, but he has to pick his spots.
He's shown very encouraging finishes at the rim through contact.
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When he lines up a drive to set up an unprepared or unequipped defender, Mitchell unleashes one of my favorite moves in the league right now.
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I struggle to call it a "hesi" because it's so insanely quick, but he throws out this stutter step often with an in-and-out or hesitation dribble that just DUSTS defenders like no other. The suddenness is devastating.
He's converting a blistering 74.0% at the rim over his last 10 contests per Cleaning the Glass; that at-the-rim field-goal percentage was at 59.0% before this stretch.
However, his shot profile over this time has been incredibly telling, as 25.0% of Mitchell's total attempts came at the rim prior to Jan. 26; that number has since shrunk to 17.0%, with 36.0% of his shots coming from the mid-range and the remaining 47.0% attempts from three.&nbsp;
Mitchell's pacing has adapted. As mentioned earlier, less line-drives and more change-ups exist in his diet; he's more actively looking to go east and west, keeping his dribble alive without going straight to the rim as often.
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Mitchell really excels at utilizing "Horford screens" from his bigs in the dunker spot (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen and subscribe!</a>) or on the roll. It's essentially an illegal-ish screen that doesn't always get called, made famous by Al Horford and his sealing protege, Daniel Theis.&nbsp;
While it may seem counterintuitive to get to the rim less, thus is the life of a combo guard. As explosive and powerful as Davion is, intuitive rim-protectors can sniff out his headlong hesitations.
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With time, he'll likely develop more counters, which he needs; he really only has one or two go-to moves. While they're fantastic, we are approaching the point to where it is going to be on the scouting report.&nbsp;
His prolific pull-up shooting from deep has opened up more possibilities to probe. Teams still routinely go under on his ball-screens, but he's punished them for doing so.&nbsp;
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Mitchell's pull-up two is a useful tool, and one he has to use as a jab. The quickness and explosiveness with which he can rise into it is arguably more of a threat right now than its effectiveness. Defenses are more apt to give him the shot, but he's so quick that they can't afford to fully sag off into the paint.&nbsp;
It's like his jab. If he doesn't utilize it, the defense may forget what he can do if they're not antagonized into being on-guard. They may find comfort in not paying attention. It's his basis upon which his interior game is built.
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The space he can create in isolation is astounding.&nbsp;
Again, the effectiveness is not fully there yet, but what he has done &mdash; and the improvements he's made along with the creation flashes he's shown &mdash; is head-turning.
The play Mitchell has put together over the past three weeks is incredibly enticing, but there's still room for growth, as he looks to take further steps on a team headed in a new direction after trading Tyrese Haliburton.&nbsp;
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One area I really want to see from him grow is his floater game and some of his decceleration. He's adept at sudden stops into a pull-up, but getting into his floater has felt mixed in my viewings. He can look to shy away from contact and try to force up shots with his off-hand away from the rim &mdash; which makes sense, as he's trying to shield the ball &mdash; but he often seems to be fighting his own explosiveness on those touch shots.
It's not a massive detriment, but something to monitor as he continues to create on the margins.
Opposing defenses have started to put longer, rangier wings on Mitchell rather than a guard he can take off the dribble. He's shown an aptitude to find meaningful ways to attack those defenders, but it's worth keeping an eye on as he continues to draw more attention moving forward.
Without a great screen, Davion's game can be greatly hindered.&nbsp;
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He certainly can create without screens, as seen already, but when he needs to operate through screens, they need to make real contact. Rear contests and length can throw off his rhythm as a pull-up shooter.&nbsp;
Mitchell is by no means a finished product, though he might garner some dark horse All-Defense votes! I wouldn't likely include him on my teams, but he'd make the short list for guards (Sacramento, quietly league average defensively over the last two weeks!). The offensive strides he's made have been incredibly impressive throughout the season. His growing gravity is opening passing windows that weren't consistently there earlier in the year. I'm really excited to see how he handles his development!
He has a difficult path forward to hit higher offensive outcomes, but Davion Mitchell is thriving on the margins already.&nbsp;
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Davion Mitchell has found his footing offensively after a rough start to his rookie year. What's changed? Mark Schindler analyzes.