Friars

In a significant move, the WNBA has witnessed a major three-team trade involving the Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, and Los Angeles Sparks. The trade, effective February 1, 2025, sees six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd joining the Aces, three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum heading to the Sparks, and the Storm acquiring center Li Yueru along with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.&nbsp;
**Trade Details:**
- **Las Vegas Aces Receive:**
&nbsp;&nbsp;- Jewell Loyd
- **Los Angeles Sparks Receive:**
&nbsp;&nbsp;- Kelsey Plum
&nbsp;&nbsp;- No. 9 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
- **Seattle Storm Receive:**
&nbsp;&nbsp;- Li Yueru
&nbsp;&nbsp;- No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
&nbsp;&nbsp;- First-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft
This trade marks the first instance where two former No. 1 overall draft picks have been exchanged in the same transaction. Loyd, who spent a decade with the Storm, secured two WNBA championships and earned the 2023 scoring title. She now joins an Aces roster that has clinched two of the last three WNBA titles, forming a formidable trio with A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
Kelsey Plum, averaging 17.8 points and 4.2 assists last season, is anticipated to take on a leadership role with the Sparks, complementing a youthful core and reuniting with former teammate Dearica Hamby. The Storm, entering a rebuilding phase after key player departures, benefit from enhanced draft positions and the addition of Yueru to strengthen their frontcourt.&nbsp;
This strategic maneuver is poised to significantly influence the competitive dynamics of the upcoming WNBA season.&nbsp;

In a significant move, the WNBA has witnessed a major three-team trade.

Plum to LA, Loyd to Las Vegas: Blockbuster three team trade reshapes WNBA landscape

Don't forget about the other summer blockbuster.
You can't go online without the Rudy Gobert trade being flamed. It's hard not to question that move considering how clunky things have looked for the Timberwolves on both ends, a recent winning streak when Gobert was out of the lineup, and a slide coinciding with Gobert's return &mdash; featuring closing minutes with Naz Reid instead of Gobert.
You know who else has looked clunky on both ends of the floor? The Atlanta Hawks, fresh off a loss to LeBirthday and the Los Angles Lakers on Friday night.
The Hawks are currently sitting two games under .500 (17-19), with a bottom-10 net rating (-1.7, 24th) and more rumors swirling than a high-school hallway. The latter portion &mdash; the outside noise &mdash; is really what sucks about this Hawks season.
It's understandable enough that there would be growing pains when implenting former Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray into the mix. I was ultimately <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-offseason-trade-news-dejounte-murray-fit-atlanta-hawks-trae-young-bogdan-bogdanovic-deandre-hunter-san-antonio-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high on the move</a>, but the Young-Murray fit hasn't been clean. The Hawks are <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612737&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1629027,1627749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barely winning the minutes</a> &mdash; plus-1.8 in 695 minutes &mdash; with them sharing the floor.&nbsp;
It's even tougher considering the injury woes the Hawks have dealt with. Clint Capela has missed nine games; John Collins and De'Andre Hunter have missed eight. Bogdan Bogdanovic, an important spacer and secondary creator, made his season debut on December 2.&nbsp;
In a perfect world, this is just a matter of on-court chemistry building. But alas, it doesn't appear to be just that. The cloud surrounding the relationship between Young and head coach Nate McMillan is hard to ignore at this point.
Before the season, Young and McMillan each referenced their need to improve communication with each other. McMillan took steps over the offseason <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34656193/atlanta-hawks-look-improve-communication-trae-young-coach-nate-mcmillan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with an in-house visit</a>, for a quick example. Naturally, Young missed a home game against the Denver Nuggets earlier this month due to [checks notes] <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/trae-young-reportedly-sat-out-fridays-game-vs-nuggets-after-feud-with-coach-nate-mc-millan-232604712.html#:~:text=The%20team%20said%20at%20the,to%20be%20any%20further%20discipline." target="_blank" rel="noopener">morning shootaround etiquette.</a>
(As the story goes, Young wanted to bypass morning shootaround to receive extra treatment for a troublesome shoulder. McMillan gave Young a choice: either come off the bench [for missing a normally-mandatory shootaround], or stay home. Young opted for the latter.)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
That's a petty story at best, another notch on the "what-the-heck's-going-on-with-those-two?" belt at worst. It didn't look good for Young, who simply could've played if he wanted to. It didn't look good for McMillan, who wouldn't have lost sleep over letting Young slide considering the circumstances &mdash; and his importance to the team, but you know.
Fast forward to Friday, before the Lakers loss, and we get a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania that McMillan has <a href="https://theathletic.com/4046211/2022/12/30/nate-mcmillan-hawks-considers-resigning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered resigning from the job</a>. When asked about the report, McMillan didn't necessarily <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/hawks-coach-nate-mcmillan-responds-to-report-suggesting-he-may-resign-well-move-on-past-that/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut things down</a>:
"I read that article briefly, I've never spoke to that reporter before,"&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Pat_Benson_Jr/status/1608958610905903105?s=20&amp;t=p8pumdwNvGb35E1h4W7reQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McMillan said</a>. "I think the last two weeks, he's written a couple articles with some sources in our organization that are making some comments about me, and some things that I'm saying and doing. Look, at the end of the year, I'll do as I've always done, at the end of the season I talk with my family and see if I still have that flame, that fire to continue next season. That's the end of the season. All of us think about retiring, but that's at the end of the season. So we'll move on past that."
What makes this dynamic &mdash; and the Hawks in general &mdash; so difficult to parse through is the chicken-or-egg nature of it.&nbsp;
For the "star &gt; coach" crowd, there are arguments to make.
There is a level of rigidity with McMillan from a scheme perspective. That isn't inherently bad; he provides structure, and that appeal is what helped land him the job after the Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce in the first place. But it's part of why teams have been willing to move on from McMillan after a spell, looking for a new voice or a boost in creativity. The Hawks very well could use that.&nbsp;
On the flip side, how much more can be done with this personnel? That's worth asking before factoring in the injury woes.&nbsp;
Daryl Morey would throw up at the Hawks' shot profile: 37.5% of their shots come from the mid-range area (1st), while they lag way behind in rim (32%, 20th) and three-point rate (30.5%, 29th). But when your shooting talent underperforms (Collins, Hunter, Justin Holiday), is mostly unavailable (Bogdanovic) or trying to learn the ropes in year one (AJ Griffin), what should the expectation be?
McMillan, like virtually every coach in existence, has had his rotations questioned during his tenure. But with the revolving door of talent he's had at his disposal this season, what should the expectation be?
And then there's Young himself.&nbsp;
He's underperformed by his lofty standards. Averages of 27.4 points and 9.9 assists are dope; averaging career-lows from just about everywhere &mdash; 31% on 7.2 threes, 47% on 13.8 two-pointers &mdash; is admittedly not dope.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_19684868.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="419" />
He hasn't been able to can the pull-up threes that make him such a lethal pick-and-roll threat. His floater, one of the NBA's best weapons, has largely failed him this season. (Ja Morant's dealing with a similar floater issue, hence his career-low in two-point percentage.)
Young missing shots wouldn't be as tough if his play-style didn't exacerbate things. He dictates a ton of the action &mdash; and rightfully so, with his blend of playmaking and scoring chops. After <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?Season=2021-22&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AVG_DRIB_PER_TOUCH" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading the NBA</a> in seconds per touch and dribbles per touch last season, Young ranks... second and first respectively <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?CF=GP*GE*20&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AVG_DRIB_PER_TOUCH" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this season</a>.
After an encouraging start to the year, the off-ball juice just hasn't been there for Young. We're back to pass-and-stand with the ball out of his hands. He's taken just 23 relocation threes this season, per Second Spectrum; that's on pace to smash last season's number (26), but still well below the threshold you'd like to see from Young.&nbsp;
The primary reason that people questioned the Young-Murray fit was because of the off-ball woes. Murray was a fine-not-threatening catch-and-shoot threat, while Young just wasn't particularly engaged in that area. Sadly, it's been mostly a "my turn, your turn" ordeal between the two.
It's fair to question if McMillan can bring this team to the next level, and if he can connect with Young enough to make that possibility a reality. It's also fair to question how much of a limiter Young's style is to building the sort of multi-faceted attack that can take the Hawks to the next level.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
That question, in addition to the weird relationship with McMillan, is why <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10059477-sources-trae-young-could-be-next-nba-superstar-to-request-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executives have started chirping</a> about the possibility of Young eventually asking out.
This is where I pause and state the obvious: executives saying "hey, he might be the next star to ask out" is not a report. It's notable conversation, and fun to think about. It's not an actual trade request.
Even with that context, it's interesting to think about what a Young trade would even look like. The Hawks pushing that button would signify, "We can't do this," "We don't want to deal with this," or a combination of the two. How would that message be received league-wide?
Young is an offense unto himself; that's incredibly valuable and, oddly enough, part of the problem with building around him. Add in the defensive concerns &mdash; he's a small dude whose attention span wanes off the ball too often &mdash; and a Young trade sweepstakes won't be as simple as "this dude's good so we should sell the farm for him."
Go down the line of fake trade destinations, and you'll come across some roadblocks.
That Young-for-KAT swap seems plausible until you think about Young, Anthony Edwards and Gobert in the same locker room. Gobert was frustrated enough being blamed for Utah's defensive miscues; cleaning up for Young and&nbsp;Edwards' off-ball lapses feels like trouble waiting to happen.&nbsp;
The New York Knicks should be happy with the All-Star caliber play that Jalen Brunson has provided this season. Brunson isn't a Young-level talent, nor is he a Young-level star. I'd be shocked if they didn't at least consider constructing a package for Young.
In light of Chris Paul's decline, I'm sure the Phoenix Suns would sniff around. The prospect of pairing Young and Devin Booker together would be interesting, though building out an offer would induce headaches.&nbsp;
(I don't know if anyone wants to hear this, but there's probably a conversation to be had between Atlanta and Philadelphia depending on what James Harden wants to do with his player option.)
For a player as talented as Young, that's not a long list of suitors. And again, you could poke holes in all of those. Ideally, this doesn't become a real talking point to begin with. The Hawks want Young to be the face of the franchise, and he's already shown he's talented enough to lead them on a deep playoff run.
What needs to change for the Hawks to turn things around? The anwer is a little bit of everything.&nbsp;
More malleability from McMillan would be nice. A healthier roster &mdash; and better shooting talent &mdash; would give McMillan more room to experiment. Obviously there's no "shoot-the-ball-better" button to press, but Young can control his own engagement level off the ball &mdash; on both ends of the floor.&nbsp;

What's wrong with the Hawks? Nekias Duncan breaks down the team's issues and Atlanta's options moving forward.

What's wrong with the Atlanta Hawks?

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The Detroit Pistons had a rare easy win.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 of his 31 points in the second half, Alec Burks added 18 and the Pistons ran away in the final two quarters to beat the Miami Heat 116-96 on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;Second half, we wanted to play faster and move the ball a little bit," Bogdanovic said. &ldquo;I hit a couple 3s and everything opened up."
Saddiq Bey scored 14, Isaiah Stewart had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Cory Joseph also finished with 11 points for the Pistons, who trailed 50-47 at halftime &mdash; then outscored Miami 69-46 in the final two quarters.
It was Detroit&rsquo;s biggest margin of victory this season. The Pistons had won only one game by more than seven points, that being a 128-114 triumph over Golden State on Oct. 30.
&ldquo;It's a huge team win," Bogdanovic said. &ldquo;We held a great offensive team under 100 points."
Tyler Herro led all scorers with a season high-tying 34 points for Miami, which has dropped three of its last four games. The Heat are off to an 11-14 start for the third time in the last five seasons.
&ldquo;We simply just didn&rsquo;t play well," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;I thought we were pretty stable defensively through three quarters, and then the floodgates just opened."
Miami played without Jimmy Butler (right knee injury management), Dewayne Dedmon (left foot plantar fasciitis) and Gabe Vincent (left knee). But the Heat had Victor Oladipo for the first time all season; Oladipo, who had been sidelined with a knee issue since the preseason, had nine points in 18 minutes.
It was only the 80th appearance for Oladipo out of a possible 317 games since he suffered a severe knee injury while with the Indiana Pacers in 2019.
Herro made his first eight shots, seven of those in the first half, staking Miami to its slim early lead.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a dynamic player. ... He&rsquo;s going to score on everybody,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said.
Herro averages 27.8 points in five career games against Detroit, his most against any team. He and Bam Adebayo combined for 55 points but the other eight Heat players who played Tuesday combined for only 41.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Casey has coached against Spoelstra 44 times. Of the 102 coaches he&rsquo;s faced in the NBA, he&rsquo;s gone up against nobody more often than he has Spoelstra. ... Detroit is now 4-3 when holding opponents to 109 points or less. The Pistons are 3-16 when allowing 110 or more. ... The Pistons outscored Miami 57-30 from 3-point range. ... Cade Cunningham (left shin soreness) didn't play.
Heat: Adebayo also had 15 rebounds. ... Miami led by 11 in the first quarter and wound up losing for the second consecutive night. The Heat led 28-17 in Memphis on Monday in a 101-93 defeat; they led 17-6 on Tuesday. &ldquo;Two games not to our standard," Spoelstra said. ... Oladipo has appeared in more playoff games with Miami (15) than regular-season games (13). ... The Heat trailed for the final 18:49.
USMNT VISITOR
Weston McKennie, a midfielder for the U.S. men&rsquo;s national soccer team, was at the game and seated at a courtside table. McKennie played in all four games with the U.S. in the World Cup at Qatar; the Americans were eliminated with a round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Visit New Orleans on Wednesday.
Heat: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 of his 31 points in the second half, Alec Burks added 18 and the Pistons ran away in the final two quarters.

Pistons run away in second half, embarrass Heat 116-96

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Arizona is a bit of an unknown quantity, with a key returning core surrounded by talented newcomers who hope to make up for the loss of NBA talent.
If it sounds familiar, that&rsquo;s just where the No. 17 Wildcats were heading into last season, Tommy Lloyd&rsquo;s first as a head coach.
That one turned out pretty well, so no reason to think it won&rsquo;t happen again.
Arizona enters its second season under Lloyd with several new players, but it&rsquo;s a mix that&rsquo;s expected to make the former longtime Gonzaga assistant two for two in NCAA Tournament opportunities.
&ldquo;We have some really good players,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;As a team we still have to put everything together, but at the end of the day we&rsquo;re going to be really hard to beat.&rdquo;
Arizona proved that last season. Arizona lost three players to the NBA, but Lloyd added some key components to the players who opted to return. Arizona won 33 games, reached the Sweet 16 and Lloyd won multiple national coach of the year honors, including from The Associated Press.
The Wildcats have a similar feel this season.
Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are now in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are all back. The cast of new players Lloyd added are impressive.
Guard Courtney Ramey arrives after playing four seasons at Texas, most of the time as a starter. Cedric Henderson Jr. was a proven scorer at Campbell, averaging 13.7 points in three seasons.
Serbian forward Filip Borovicanin and Estonian forward Henri Veesaar have proven themselves against international competition. Arizona also added two highly touted freshmen, big man Dylan Anderson and point guard Kyland Boswell, who will be eased into the rotation after offseason foot surgery.
It may take the new crew time to gel, but the talent and pieces appear to be in place for another March run.
BAL&rsquo;S PROGRESS
Arizona could get a big boost from a player who was already on its roster: Adama Bal.
The 6-foot-6 French wing played a limited role last season, averaging 4.5 points in 23 games, but he played well for France in the FIBA under-20 championships this summer. Given a bigger role this season, Bal could be ready for a breakout season.
&ldquo;By the time November rolls around, I figure he&rsquo;s going to be a mainstay and have a chance to impact every single game,&rdquo; Lloyd said.
GETTING PHYSICAL
One of Lloyd&rsquo;s goals within his program is to add toughness after the Wildcats were manhandled by Houston in the Sweet 16.
Lloyd has pushed his players to be more physical in practice, particularly in the paint. He&rsquo;s also urged players like the 6-11, 245-pound Tubelis and 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo to use their size and leverage more to their advantage.
&ldquo;To me, there&rsquo;s nothing that bums me out more than physically being overmatched,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;So what do we have to do to make sure when we tee it up we can physically bring the fight. To me, therein lies toughness. That&rsquo;s the price of entry: you&rsquo;ve got to be tough.&rdquo;
LARSSON&rsquo;S CLIMB
Larsson got a late start to his first season in Tucson due to offseason foot surgery. The Swedish transfer from Utah had a solid year, averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, but Lloyd would like him to play with more confidence and ramp up his defense.
&ldquo;Pelle has to manifest a bit of his success and have more belief in himself,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a really good basketball player and definitely trending in the right direction.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Lloyd likes to schedule tough, something he learned from Gonzaga coach Mark Few. The Wildcats had a few games fall through for various reasons, but will still have some tough nonconference games.
Arizona&rsquo;s first big test will come at the Maui Invitational. The Wildcats open against Cincinnati, with potential games against No. 10 Arkansas, No. 25 Texas Tech, Louisville, Ohio State and No. 19 San Diego State later in the bracket.
Arizona also plays Indiana in Las Vegas and has a home game against No. 11 Tennessee.
&ldquo;I definitely think we scheduled well enough to give ourselves a chance to win an at-large bid, and if we perform well in our schedule, we probably have a chance to get a decent seed in the (NCAA) tournament,&rdquo; Lloyd said.

Ben Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are back.

No. 17 Arizona aims to keep momentum in Lloyd’s second season

WNBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Wednesday night, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each best-of-three first round series.
For Part II of this two-part series, let's look at the Thursday night matchups, which features the Connecticut Sun taking on the Dallas Wings and the Seattle Storm battling with the Washington Mystics. If you missed Part I, featuring the Las Vegas Aces-Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky-New York Liberty matchups, you can <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-wnba-playoff-primer-las-vegas-aces-phoenix-mercury-chicago-sky-new-york-liberty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read that here</a>.&nbsp;
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to our playoff preview on the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="NBA%20playoff%20basketball%20is%20finally%20here!%20With%20things%20kicking%20off%20on%20Saturday,%20I%20decided%20to%20highlight%20an%20X-factor%20I'll%20be%20keeping%20tabs%20on%20for%20each%20first-round%20series.%20Let's%20dig%20in,%20shall%20we?%20%20(For%20deeper%20thoughts%20on%20each%20series,%20listen%20to%20Part%20I%20and%20Part%20II%20of%20our%20series%20previews%20at%20The%20Dunker%20Spot.)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot.</a>)
(4) SEATTLE STORM vs. (5) WASHINGTON MYSTICS
THINGS TO KNOW
<ul>
<li>Storm won season series 2-1
<ul>
<li>June 23: Storm 85-71</li>
<li>July 30: Storm 82-77</li>
<li>July 31: Mystics 78-75</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Mystics star Elena Delle Donne played in all three matchups, and should be fully available for the postseason.</li>
<li>The Storm (22-14) finished No. 6 in offense (102.6 ORTG), No. 3 in defense (97.4 DRTG) and No. 4 in Net Rating (+5.2).</li>
<li>The Mystics (22-14) finished No. 7 in offense (101.1 ORTG), No. 1 in defense (96 DRTG) and No. 5 in Net Rating (+5.1).</li>
</ul>
KEY QUESTION: Who can create easy buckets?
It is both a treat and a disgrace that two legitimate title contenders are facing off in the first round. It's cruel that we may get, at most, three games of Delle Donne after the Mystics were so diligent about load-managing her so she'll be in peak condition for the postseason. And the thought of Sue Bird's career ending &mdash; or Breanna Stewart's career in Seattle ending, if you <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/01/21/breanna-stewart-free-agent-reportedly-met-new-york-liberty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">believe the New York smoke</a> &mdash; with a first-round ouster just seems unfair.
Beyond that &mdash; holy bleep, are these teams ridiculously good defensively.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Mystics and Storm ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/teams/advanced/?sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defensive Rating respectively</a>. That Moreyball stat from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-wnba-playoff-primer-las-vegas-aces-phoenix-mercury-chicago-sky-new-york-liberty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aces-Mercury section</a> &mdash; the percentage of shots that come at the rim or behind the arc &mdash; can be flipped to see which teams are&nbsp;preventing&nbsp;their opponents from taking shots from fruitful areas. The Mystics (54.4% of shots) and Storm (59.0%) have <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/wnba/opponent?Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;StartType=All" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowed the lowest share</a> of those shots in the league.
As dominant as they are defensively, they've been equally middling on the glamour end of the floor. They're separated by roughly a point in terms of Offensive Rating, with the Storm (102.6, sixth) edging out the Mystics (101.1, seventh) this season. Quiet as kept, neither team <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/wnba/team?Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StartType=All&amp;Type=Team&amp;Table=Shooting&amp;StatType=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gets to the rim that often</a>.
They've both struggled with flow in the half-court, though some of their struggles can be explained away. The Mystics haven't always had Delle Donne in the lineup; with her being the only player that consistently draws an extra defender, it's led to a lot of side-to-side passing and unsavory shot selection. As good as Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins are, teams are pretty comfortable ducking under picks against them to:
<ol>
<li>Keep them out of the paint</li>
<li>Stay out of rotation</li>
</ol>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/jablso" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
With the Storm, things would fall off a cliff whenever Stewart would leave the court. Ideally, this would set the stage for Jewell Loyd to lead second units. Her blend of driving and pull-ups should help weather storms (sorry), but she simply hasn't made shots at the same clip. She converted a career-worst 40.3% of her two-point shots, including a ghastly 33.7% on shots between 3 and 10 feet.
With that, I wonder how each team goes about unlocking itself in the half-court beyond, "Give it to Stewie/EDD and get out of the way."
For the Storm, that may be experimenting with more on-ball reps for Gabby Williams, who's both the worst spacer in their starting unit and a sneaky-good pick-and-roll player. They trust her with reps in early offense situations, either above the break or emptying a side and letting her zig and zag.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/cr4o0a" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Utilizing Williams on the ball could limit the help the Mystics can send. If Williams is the one setting the table, the star talent she's surrounded with could feast on catch-and-shoot or catch-and-drive opportunities against a tilted defense.
On the Mystics side, I'm intrigued by the inverted pick-and-rolls and ghost screens they've mixed in with their guards. That could be a way to get the Storm to put two on the ball, which could open up short-roll opportunities and easy drive-and-kick scenarios.
(3) CONNECTICUT SUN vs. (6) DALLAS WINGS
THINGS TO KNOW
<ul>
<li>Wings won season series 2-1&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="3">May 24: Wings 85-77&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">May 26: Sun 99-68&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">July 5: Wings 82-71</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale will miss the first round after having core muscle surgery/</li>
<li aria-level="2">The Sun (25-11) finished No. 2 in offense (105.8 ORTG), No. 2 in defense (96.3 DRTG) and No. 1 in Net Rating (+9.5).</li>
<li aria-level="2">The Wings (18-18) finished No. 4 in offense (104.6 ORTG), No. 9 in defense (104.3 DRTG) and No. 6 in Net Rating (+0.2)/</li>
</ul>
KEY QUESTION: How impactful can Teaira McCowan be?
This has felt like a popular upset pick, and I get the argument for it. The Wings&nbsp;did&nbsp;win the regular season series, though the wins came with Ogunbowale averaging 18 points and drilling crucial shots and versatile forward Satou Sabally doing a little bit of everything. Neither will be available once the series starts.
There's also the matter of the Sun, as talented as they are, also having a tendency to lose the plot in the half-court. Even amidst their overall success &mdash; I hear having the second best ORTG in basketball is a good thing &mdash; the lack of Jonquel Jones <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/players/clutch-traditional/?sort=FGA&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;TeamID=1611661323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in crucial moments</a> continues to baffle me.
Ultimately, I think the Wings' chances for an upset will depend on how well McCowan can hold up.
She's been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-teaira-mccowan-shining-surging-dallas-wings-arike-ogunbowale-marina-mabrey-allisha-gray-kayla-thornton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a revelation of late</a>, holding down the fort inside with deep seals, post hooks, offensive boards and plenty of fouls drawn. She's also seen her fair share of double teams, and that's where things could get dicey.
Jones is a good defender in her own right. She won't&nbsp;need&nbsp;help in form of a double or hard dig. But she may get them, mostly because Alyssa Thomas is one of the best defenders on the planet. She's an event creator of the highest order, and an instinctual defender willing and able to take aggressive gambles. I think back to this recent possession from a Wings-Mercury game:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/hidrqi" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
If Sophie Cunningham can fluster McCowan with help like that, what kind of damage could Thomas do?
McCowan has been able to plow through opposing defenses &mdash; figuratively and literally &mdash; as the Wings have closed their season on a high note. Being game planned against in a playoff setting is different altogether. It's where the foul trouble and the less-than-sterling assist-to-turnover ratio &mdash; she had 8 assists and 14 turnovers in her last five games &mdash; come into play.
I'm a little less worried defensively, but it's worth keeping an eye on her in a drop. Courtney Williams is not gun-shy; she took by far the <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/players/shooting/?Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Mid-Range%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most mid-range jumpers</a> in The W, and I'd worry about the cascading effect of McCowan's drop turning into a late switch.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/4j26fx" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Not that Kayla Thornton and Allisha Gray aren't good rebounders in their own right, but tasking them with battling with Connecticut's size on the glass is unfair to them. McCowan in space is also asking for an advantage to be given up, or fouls to be committed. And without Ogunbowale, she's frankly too important to log under 30 minutes a game if she can help it.

Nekias Duncan previews two series in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs, highlighting a key question heading into each.

2022 WNBA Playoff Primer Part II: Sun-Wings, Storm-Mystics

TBT Record 71 Players with NBA Experience and 29 Alumni Teams to Compete
Jimmer Fredette, Projected 2023 Draft Top-10 Picks Ausar and Amen Thompson Highlight Field of 64 Competing for $1M Prize on ESPN
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) &ndash; the $1 million, winner-take-all, summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN networks today released the bracket for this year&rsquo;s tournament. For the fifth year in a row, all games will feature TBT&rsquo;s Elam Ending&reg;.
Now in its ninth year, TBT 2022 will feature 71 players with NBA experience and 29 college alumni teams, both of which are TBT records. The field will once again feature 64 teams squaring off in a single-elimination format and will be supported by longtime partners PUMA, Zelle, and E&amp;J Brandy.&nbsp;
The field will be split into eight regions played over two weeks in July. Seven of those regions will be headlined by alumni teams, while the eighth regional will be played at Rucker Park&rsquo;s legendary Greg Marius Court in New York City.
One team from each region will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be split between Wichita, Kansas (July 27) and Dayton, Ohio (July 28-29). Dayton will also host TBT&rsquo;s semifinals (July 30), as well as TBT&rsquo;s $1 million winner-take-all championship game (Aug. 2).
&ldquo;This year&rsquo;s field is electrifying,&rdquo; said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. &ldquo;Nine years ago, we set out to be the home for high stakes, open-to-all basketball, pitting people against one another from all walks of life. This year&rsquo;s field demonstrates how far we&rsquo;ve come. It is exceptionally diverse and talented. I can&rsquo;t wait to see what team wins six straight games.&rdquo;
The full TBT 2022 schedule includes:
Regional Host Cities
&nbsp; &nbsp; Omaha, Neb. &ndash; headlined by Omaha Blue Crew (Creighton) &ndash; July 16-19
&nbsp; &nbsp; New York City, N.Y. (Rucker Park) &ndash; headlined by Marcus Smart&rsquo;s YGC &ndash; July 16-20
&nbsp; &nbsp; Albuquerque, N.M. &ndash; headlined by The Enchantment (University of New Mexico) &ndash; July 28-21
&nbsp; &nbsp; Wichita, Kan. &ndash; headlined by AfterShocks (Wichita State) &ndash; July 22-25
&nbsp; &nbsp; Syracuse, N.Y. &ndash; headlined by Boehiem&rsquo;s Army (Syracuse) &ndash; July 22-25
&nbsp; &nbsp; Charleston, W. Va. &nbsp;&ndash; headlined by Best Virginia (West Virginia) and Herd That (Marshall) &nbsp;&ndash; July 24-27
&nbsp; &nbsp; Cincinnati, Ohio &ndash; headlined by Zip &lsquo;Em Up (Xavier) &ndash; July 24-27
&nbsp; &nbsp; Dayton, Ohio &ndash; headlined by Red Scare (Dayton) &ndash; July 24-27
Championship Week Schedule&nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; Quarterfinals &ndash; July 27 (Wichita), July 28-29 (Dayton)
&nbsp; &nbsp; Semifinals &ndash; &nbsp;Saturday, July 30 (Dayton)
&nbsp; &nbsp; $1 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship &ndash; Tuesday, Aug. 2 (Dayton)&nbsp;
Highlights of this year&rsquo;s tournament include:&nbsp;
- New Look Boeheim&rsquo;s Army Set to Defend TBT Title &ndash; Boeheim&rsquo;s Army, who after seven years finally won its first TBT championship, is set to defend its title in Syracuse this summer. First-time TBT participants and Syracuse alums Tyler Ennis, Rakeem Christmas, and Marek Dolezaj join a core that includes TBT legend D.J. Kennedy, who is seeking his sixth TBT title, and DeAndre Kane, who is going for his fifth.
- TBT Steps Outdoors at World Famous Rucker Park &ndash; TBT will be playing games outdoors for the first time in the event&rsquo;s history this summer at New York City&rsquo;s famed Rucker Park. The event, in partnership with Chick-Fil-A Tri-State and the NBPA, will be free and open to the public. Headlining the regional are YGC, a team backed by Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, and Skip To My Lou, named after and coached by former NBA player and streetball legend Rafer Alston.
- Jimmer Fredette Joins The Money Team &ndash; 2011 National college player of the year and NBA Draft lottery pick Jimmer Fredette will return to TBT this summer as a member of Floyd Mayweather&rsquo;s The Money Team. A quarterfinalist in 2021, The Money Team&rsquo;s roster also includes three other players with NBA experience: Trevor Booker, Jeremy Evans, Charles Jenkins, and Xavier Munford.
- Overtime Enters TBT&rsquo;s First Draft-Eligible Team &ndash; Media brand Overtime will enter its first TBT team, Team Overtime, which is slated to include four 2023 draft-eligible prospects from their new professional pathway program Overtime Elite. Twins Ausar and Amen Thompson, both projected top-10 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, will be joined by former five-star recruit Jazian Gortman and four-star recruit Jaylen Martin on a roster with several veteran professionals, including former NBA player Malcolm Thomas. Team Overtime will be competing in the Omaha Regional.
- Rivalries Renewed &ndash; Two brand new sets of bitter rivals could be facing off in TBT this summer. Xavier Regional headliner, Zip &lsquo;Em Up (Xavier Alumni), will be joined by crosstown rival Nasty Nati, a Cincinnati alumni team whose roster includes former first-round pick Jacob Evans. The Enchantment, a New Mexico alumni team, and Panamaniacs, a New Mexico State alumni team, will go head-to-head in the first-round of the New Mexico Regional in a battle for in-state supremacy. Best Virginia, the West Virginia alumni team, and Herd That, the Marshall alumni team, could both finally get their long-awaited matchup in the second round of the West Virginia Regional. Stillwater Stars, an Oklahoma State alumni team starring Markel Brown, will go toe-to-toe with Big 12 foes Air Raiders, a first-year Texas Tech alumni team composed mainly of their 2019 NCAA Tournament Runner-Up team that includes former first-round pick Zhaire Smith.
- Sideline Cancer&rsquo;s Big Offseason &ndash; TBT&rsquo;s runner-up in 2020 and a quarterfinalist in 2021, Sideline Cancer is gearing up for a championship run. They&rsquo;ll add Mike Daum, the NCAA&rsquo;s seventh leading scorer all-time, 16-year NBA veteran C.J. Miles, and former Iowa State star Diante Garrett to take some of the scoring load off explosive guard Marcus Keene.
Free Throws&hellip;
<ul>
<li>TBT&rsquo;s &amp; Puma&rsquo;s innovative 33-point contest, which pits two shooters head-to-head where the first to make 11 threes advances, will return. The final eight shooters who advance out of TBT&rsquo;s regional locations will compete live on Thursday, July 28 live on ESPN2 for a $33,333 grand prize. Winner-take-all.</li>
<li>NFT project Gutter Cat Gang has entered a TBT team in the Omaha Regional in collaboration with Kyle Hines, the most decorated American in European basketball history.</li>
<li>Notable boxer and Cincinnati native Adrien Broner&rsquo;s AboutBillions team will compete in the Xavier Regional for the first time.</li>
<li>Prominent content brand Friday Beers will make their first foray into TBT&rsquo;s field in 2022, taking over longtime TBT franchise Armored Athlete.</li>
<li>India Rising, TBT&rsquo;s first team of players entirely of Indian descent, will be competing in the Syracuse Regional. Their roster includes former Stanford big man Josh Sharma, and one time G League Ignite prospect Princepal Singh.</li>
</ul>
Tickets for all TBT game days and events are on sale now at www.thetournament.com. For more information, please contact <a href="mailto:info@thetournament.com">info@thetournament.com</a>.
About The Basketball Tournament
The home of the Elam Ending&reg;, The Basketball Tournament has grown from a unique idea among friends to one of the most exciting and engaging events on the summer sports calendar, with worldwide exposure on ESPN and events across the country - culminating in a winner-take-all $1 million game. Every year it attracts some of the best players in the world. For more information on TBT&rsquo;s ninth season, visit www.thetournament.com

Now in Year 9, TBT will feature 71 players with NBA experience and 29 college alumni teams, both of which are TBT records.

Record 71 players with NBA experience headline 2022 TBT event

A champion will be crowned in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) today, as Tunisia&rsquo;s US Monastir and Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda face off at noon ET.
The game will reach fans in 215 countries and territories, and will air in Africa on ESPN, Canal+, VisionView TV and Voice of America (VOA) radio, and around the world on American Forces Network (AFN), ESPNews, NBA TV International, Tencent Sports, TSN, the NBA App and <a href="NBA.com">NBA.com.</a> The BAL featured the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries.
On May 22-23, Indiana Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno led a BAL Coaches Clinic for more than 70 local basketball coaches in the Rwandan capital Kigali. The clinic offered tools and strategies to help the coaches enhance their player-development curriculum. Former NBA players Joakim Noah and Ian Mahinmi were in attendance along with BAL players from US Monastir.
BasketballNews.com caught up with Coach Pierce to discuss the camp, his growth as a coach, his experience as an assistant coach with Team USA, the Pacers&rsquo; young core and more.
You and Coach Bill Bayno just wrapped up the BAL Coaches Clinic. How did it go?
Lloyd Pierce: &ldquo;First and foremost, you have to give credit to the NBA and especially NBA Africa and the staff. [BAL President] Amadou Gallo Fall has done an amazing job of taking a vision and executing that vision to bring this together. The BAL league is really taking off over here in Africa, and I think the next layer of really trying to get this thing to grow and develop properly is teaching and trying to educate the coaches on the strategies and techniques so that they can not only coach it, but coach it better and find their passion. They have a huge impact by finding these players in the early stages in their career and teaching them and giving them the proper tools so that they can take off.
"So, this Coaches Clinic is probably as important as the games because it&rsquo;s education. It&rsquo;s educating an entire continent on the game of basketball that we all know so well, and they are eager to learn more and more about the different things that we have. I really feel blessed to be a part of this Coaches Clinic along with Coach Bayno and working with these coaches here and seeing the excitement that they have to teach the game, which really excites us as coaches as well.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/camp1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="699" height="360" />
There was a classroom component and an on-court component. Can you walk me through each session and what kind of stuff you covered?
Pierce: &ldquo;Coach Bayno spoke in the classroom and really just gave them a ton of gems on player development and the different techniques that a coach needs to help a player get better. Using your imagination as a coach, the sweat equity &ndash; being able to get out there with your guys and work. But also the sweat technique &ndash; as you&rsquo;re working with those guys, giving them the proper technique and the essential tools to not just do it but do it correctly. The importance of that one-on-one relationship when it comes to connecting with players. Focusing on development, but being able to give them that same energy that you&rsquo;re expecting from them in return. He did a tremendous job on the player-development side.
"I tried to do more of a team-focused [lesson], both offensively and defensively. Offensively, we talked about some general principles and spacing &ndash; what spacing looks like, using cuts, using screens, using respace, our first three steps to open the floor up. These are a lot of strategies and techniques that we use in the NBA, but I think it&rsquo;s very important for young players too. There&rsquo;s commitment and a selflessness to spacing the floor that they have to learn and buy into. And defensively, we talked a lot about positioning, taking pride in being a good defender, understanding what a help defender looks like and just sticking to the basics &ndash; so a lot of shell-drill emphasis and a lot of one-on-one defensive emphasis.&rdquo;
The NBA has really prioritized globalization in recent years. What are your thoughts on the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts?&nbsp;
Pierce: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s probably one of the most important things that we do. As the top professional basketball league in the world, I think it&rsquo;s an obligation of ours to help grow the game globally. Our game benefits from the globalization of [basketball] and from the millions of viewers who watch across the world, so it&rsquo;s our obligation to give back. And there&rsquo;s no shortage of talent on this continent, so our main contribution is not only discovering talent but helping develop that talent. You&rsquo;re looking at a guy like Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo or any of these players who have come from different countries. But [when it comes to] players with African heritage, the [talent pool] is plentiful on this continent. I think they&rsquo;ve done a great job of not only discovering these players, but also trying to get to them early about the right habits, techniques, nutrition and strength development. I don&rsquo;t know if there&rsquo;s a more important global impact that we can have in our sport than being here on this continent and helping spread the game.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/image00017_lg.jpeg" alt="" width="698" height="346" />
I want to discuss how coaches can develop over time. There are many examples of a coach struggling early on and then doing a much better job after they&rsquo;ve learned from their mistakes and gained experience. Someone like Jason Kidd was labeled a &ldquo;bad coach,&rdquo; but he&rsquo;s gotten better over the years and silenced those doubters. Do you think fans and media sometimes throw that label around prematurely and underestimate how much coaches can grow over time?
Pierce: &ldquo;Yeah. I&rsquo;m a reader, and I try to learn things that I think can apply to basketball. In Malcolm Gladwell&rsquo;s book &lsquo;Outliers,&rsquo; he talked about the 10,000-Hour Rule. If you spend enough time on something, you&rsquo;re going to get better at it. As coaches, that can be youth development, that can be personal development (or how to connect with players), that can be strategy and technique. As a former head coach and current assistant coach, you have to continue to work at your craft &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s decision-making, making reads, connecting with players or finding your joy and the energy that you bring to the game. That last one is important; there are a lot of coaches you hear from who burn out &ndash; they lose [their passion], have a lack of energy and aren&rsquo;t as motivating anymore. I think it&rsquo;s important to go and find ways to challenge yourself.
"For me to be over here in this beautiful city of Kigali, Rwanda &ndash; one of the cleanest cities I&rsquo;ve ever been in &ndash; to work with players who are excited about us being here, there&rsquo;s a renowned joy of coaching because it&rsquo;s purposeful for me. That helps us as coaches grow. So, you see a lot of coaches like Jason Kidd who get their second or third opportunities and find a renewed sense of energy and strength and strategy. They see the game a little differently. Things they may have over-complicated before, they simplify those things now. These things are important for us. I have a saying that I use all the time: For me, coaching is about getting better and helping others get better. And I truly, really mean that. I&rsquo;ll get better if I&rsquo;m helping others get better, and that&rsquo;s my purpose in coaching.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
From when you started coaching to where you&rsquo;re at now, how much do you feel you have improved? I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s a night-and-day difference.
Pierce: &ldquo;It is! And I think the biggest joy that you get to experience as a coach who&rsquo;s been through the ringer is Summer League. Most coaches in Summer League are player-development guys or front-of-the-bench assistants that are constantly working their way up. I think when you&rsquo;re an assistant, you think you know all of the answers. Then, when you&rsquo;re forced into that head-coach seat, you gotta make all of the decisions so there&rsquo;s no one else to blame or be pissed at for not taking your idea. (laughs) You make the decisions. When I first started coaching, my voice wasn&rsquo;t as strong. The eye-contact wasn&rsquo;t as great. The conviction wasn&rsquo;t always there. Now, it&rsquo;s simple. It&rsquo;s not the ideas; I have lots of ideas and I love listening to ideas. It&rsquo;s the decision. And when you make the decision, you&rsquo;ve gotta believe it. Because if you don&rsquo;t believe it, they won&rsquo;t believe it. And if you don&rsquo;t believe it, they&rsquo;ll know you don&rsquo;t believe it. That comes over a period of time. You might be down 20 points and you&rsquo;ve gotta sell it to your guys that the game ain&rsquo;t over. You might be up 20 and you&rsquo;ve gotta convince your guys that we shouldn&rsquo;t be complacent. You&rsquo;ve gotta do those things with conviction, and that just comes with experience, you know? Maybe as a first-time head coach, in your first game when you&rsquo;re up 20, you relax. Well, guess who else relaxes? The players! So, that&rsquo;s a lesson learned.
"All of those things, I think, are hard to measure from the outside looking in. Everyone always paints the picture of a coach &lsquo;not making the right adjustments&rsquo; or they really hate his rotations, but some of those things, you&rsquo;ve gotta have conviction and sell it with conviction. And if it doesn&rsquo;t work out, you&rsquo;ve gotta live with it. But if you&rsquo;re wishy-washy and going back and forth, it really puts your team in a bad spot, and it also puts you in a bad spot because now you don&rsquo;t believe what you&rsquo;re doing; you&rsquo;re just trying stuff. That all comes with experience. You see these coaches [in the playoffs]: I love Jason Kidd&rsquo;s demeanor on the sideline, I love Steve Kerr&rsquo;s demeanor on the sideline, I love Spo and Ime Udoka&rsquo;s demeanor. Because they are confident in what they&rsquo;re doing, and their players are playing to their confidence and their strengths right now. And that&rsquo;s all you can ask. You&rsquo;ve done all of the preparation and now it&rsquo;s [late in a series] and these guys know each other extremely well, so the coach just has to sit back and stay the course and be extremely confident, so that the players can do the same thing.&rdquo;
You were part of Gregg Popovich's Team USA coaching staff alongside Steve Kerr and Jay Wright among others. What were your biggest takeaways from that experience and how did that help you grow as a coach?
Pierce: &ldquo;Pop didn&rsquo;t show his angst. Pop is always cool under pressure, but he preached to us &lsquo;appropriate fear.&rsquo; You fear your opponents out of respect, not out of fear so it&rsquo;s appropriate. And if you have that level of respect, you know that you need to bring it and not go into any game feeling overconfident against any opponent. I just thought being around guys like Pop and Jay Wright and Steve Kerr and Jeff Van Gundy and all of those guys was tremendous for my development. Because you not only got to see how their minds work and how they communicate with each other and the respect they have for the game, but you got to experience high-level conversations with the players and that connectivity and then apply it to the game. The level of experience that those coaches have, it was unfair that I was able to gain the advantage of learning from them during the two summers that we had together. It&rsquo;s a different game and it was a different challenge for all of us, but we embraced it. We came together, we had great dinners and great conversations, and the gold medal was rewarding.&rdquo;
I love the core that your Indiana Pacers are assembling, with Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Myles Turner and so on. What are your thoughts on the team&rsquo;s development throughout the season and how excited are you about this young core going forward?
Pierce: &ldquo;Extremely excited. I think we&rsquo;ve got some guys who, more importantly, want to be in Indiana. They&rsquo;re excited about starting and continuing their careers [here]. You&rsquo;re looking at a guy like Tyrese whose third year is coming up and he&rsquo;s now on his second team, and he&rsquo;s looking to make Indiana a home. Chris Duarte, after going through his rookie season, is looking to make Indiana a home and find some consistency. We&rsquo;re all excited about what we have, and we look forward to the draft and free agency. I&rsquo;ve talked to Coach [Rick] Carlisle often about this new group next year being his team and not the team that we inherited, and he gets an opportunity to really mold some young guys and some really talented guys and bring back some veterans who will get a fresh start with the youth and the guys that have talent. I think we&rsquo;re all looking forward to training camp and this summer of development to get back on the right track.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-eqz5dr r-11rk87y r-1dye5f7 r-m611by r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Lloyd Pierce discusses the BAL Coaches Clinic, the Pacers' young core, his development as a coach, coaching Team USA and more.

Lloyd Pierce opens up about BAL Coaches Clinic, his growth as a coach

On June 29, 2021, the NBA announced that Carmelo Anthony was the inaugural recipient of the <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/honored-humbled-but-not-satisfied-carmelo-anthony-on-receiving-the-inaugural-kareem-abdul-jabbar-social-justice-champion-award" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award</a>. Anthony was selected in recognition of his years of mentorship for young NBA players, his activism through the Carmelo Anthony Foundation and his most recent partnership with Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade to create the Social Change Fund.&nbsp;
Throughout his life, Kareem has been committed to advocating and fighting for equality for groups who have been marginalized. The NBA has been committed to social activism as well, and their efforts seemingly increased in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020.
Last month, the NBA formally unveiled the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum was on the scene to present the new trophy to Anthony and recognize Kareem&rsquo;s mission to fight for social justice.
&ldquo;We created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Champion award last season in recognition of Kareem&rsquo;s leadership, his unwavering commitment to equality and his life-long pursuit of social justice,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;Kareem is one of the greatest players in NBA history, if not the greatest player in NBA history, but he&rsquo;s also one of our greatest trailblazers, not just on the court but more importantly off the court. He set the standard for generations of athletes &mdash; not just basketball players, but athletes &mdash; who have dedicated their lives to using their voice to advocate for meaningful change to uplift marginalized people.&rdquo;
Abdul-Jabbar also spoke at the event, noting how proud he is that the NBA has made social justice&nbsp; activism a core part of the league&rsquo;s identity.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
&ldquo;There aren&rsquo;t many sports organizations that would make social justice not just a priority, but a mission,&rdquo; Abdul-Jabbar said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I am so proud to have been part of the NBA for so much of my life. They have proven themselves to be dedicated to providing the highest level of athletic competition, while also pledging to provide the highest level of social commitment.&rdquo;
When BasketballNews.com asked about the criteria for winning the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award, he thought for a moment.
&ldquo;I think the next recipients need to think about things in their community they can change using their platform and their wallet," he explained. "And if they can spare the time and the money, they can go and do these things in their communities, the positive change that they incentivize to make everyone smile and make the community a better place to live. That&rsquo;s what it should be about.&rdquo;
Abdul-Jabbar has advocated for social change during periods of heightened political unrest, such as the&nbsp; Civil Rights Movement and over the last few years with the protests against excessive force from law enforcement against members of the Black community.
&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t just arbitrarily remove people&rsquo;s avenues that they have when they protest,&rdquo; Abdul-Jabbar told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a thing that&rsquo;s going to be here all the time, where we&rsquo;re protesting. But sometimes you have to stop and consider what&rsquo;s going down, that there needs to be a change with what&rsquo;s going down.&rdquo;
Tatum spoke about how the NBA evaluates and determines the winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award.
&ldquo;One of the things that we look at is a player&rsquo;s commitment, how long they&rsquo;ve been doing it,&nbsp; what are the results,&rdquo; Tatum told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;Have they been able to really put&nbsp; resources behind it and deliver results in the areas that they are focused on here?"
Among several quality candidates, Tatum says Anthony stood out for several reasons.
"It's because of how long he&rsquo;s been doing it, his commitment to it, his passion for it," Tatum said. "He's been successful in areas of voting access, criminal justice reform and representation in government. Because of the results that he&rsquo;s shown for it through his organization, he became the inaugural winner of the award.&rdquo;
Abdul-Jabbar acknowledged that pushing for social justice and change can be difficult. When asked about the political climate over the last few years and how that can come into conflict with the business of the NBA (such as when the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the floor during the 2020 NBA Playoffs after charges were not brought against the officer who shot Jacob Blake), Tatum reiterated the NBA&rsquo;s firm stance on pushing for social progress and supporting its players.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have a long history as a league, the league and our players, of standing up for social justice and fighting for equality,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;And we always support our players when they speak out about things that are important to them. So in that particular case, as we saw, we supported our players and we listened to them. It really is a partnership where we figured out the best way forward and the best approach. Obviously, there were a lot of things that came out of that in terms of fighting for voting, and I know the Milwaukee Bucks, for example, were on with the legislature of not only the city government but state government as well to try to enact change in these areas.
"Again, it&rsquo;s a partnership between the players and us. We always support their right to say what they want to say and to work on the things they want to work on because it&rsquo;s consistent with our values.&rdquo;
The NBA is expected to announce this year's finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award at some point during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Kareem Adbul-Jabbar continues his public quest for social change, and it's something the NBA supports wholeheartedly.

With new award, NBA spotlights social justice and honors Kareem

The NBA sent four teams home from its Play-In Tournament after Friday night, but all four are poised to contend next season.
Though the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs exited early, their trio of All-Star guards and exciting young cores mean all three should be back in the hunt &mdash; provided they beef up their rosters in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers weren't supposed to make it this far without their franchise cornerstones; that only creates more buzz surrounding a 2022-23 championship contender.
What can these franchises do this offseason to set themselves up for success? I've written up some summer plans for all four squads, including draft assets (via Tankathon), potential free agents (via Spotrac) and a central team-building question (via my deranged mind). If you missed last week, I did the same for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/summer-plans-for-the-nbas-nonplayoff-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 teams who did not crack the NBA postseason</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Let's dive in.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, First-round pick via Pelicans, Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Toronto (if 55-60)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Montrezl Harrell, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Bridges (restricted), Cody Martin (restricted), Arnoldas Kulboka (restricted), Scottie Lewis (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How can the Hornets construct an interior defense?
Charlotte's bottom-10 defense doomed the franchise several times in the regular season and, ultimately, in the Play-In loss to Atlanta. The Hornets gave up boatloads of at-rim attempts and three-pointers, and simply looked like turnstiles at times. Improvement is necessary across the board, but an on-paper view highlights a clear need for upgrades inside.
Mason Plumlee is a fine basketball player, but he's not anchoring a high-level NBA defense. Neither is Montrezl Harrell, and 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones barely touched the floor in Charlotte. The Hornets don't have a whole lot of salary flexibility with big-money deals in place for Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. Miles Bridges' restricted free agency is also a key offseason focal point.&nbsp;
Though the Hornets likely can't throw outright money at a Deandre Ayton-level restricted free agent, perhaps they could work a sign-and-trade for a lesser-known young talent. Maybe Mo Bamba fits the bill from Orlando? Charlotte was tied to trade rumors surrounding Myles Turner before the trade deadline, and the front office could also elect to sign a veteran at a mid-level exception.
Regardless of the pathway, the Hornets have needed to address the center position for years now. With a playoff leap now the expectation in 2022-23, they can't afford to let another summer slip away.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, Second-round pick via Spurs, Second-round pick via Heat
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Ed Davis, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Goodwin, Collin Sexton (restricted), Moses Brown (restricted), RJ Nembhard (restricted), Dean Wade (team option)
Central question:&nbsp;What is Collin Sexton's future in Cleveland?
The Cavaliers may have slid out of the playoffs, but this was a banner year for the franchise's long-term trajectory. Darius Garland emerged as a cornerstone point guard, Evan Mobley might win Rookie of the Year, and the frontcourt pairing with Jarrett Allen looks to be a mainstay in the Eastern Conference. Injuries ultimately derailed what was a top-four seed. Most of the rotation is under contract and under 30, hinting at continued growth.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Darius Garland -&gt; Jarrett Allen -&gt; Evan Mobley (Lob) <a href="https://t.co/nDQz7tkxbs">pic.twitter.com/nDQz7tkxbs</a>
&mdash; Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloydNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonLloydNBA/status/1515354588353728522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

This seaon's leap makes the situation with Sexton... difficult. Let's not forget that the combo guard is a season removed from a 24-point-per-game season as an efficient primary scorer, and that the Cavs were 19th in Offensive Rating this year. Sexton can meaningfully boost Cleveland simply as a bucket-getter, nevermind if he keeps improving as a playmaker.
What kind of contract do the Cavs offer to a 23-year-old who missed nearly a full season with a knee injury though? If a desperate team decides to throw money at Sexton to force the franchise to match, is there a limit to the front office's willingness? What would an extension mean for Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert?&nbsp;
Sexton is one of the biggest dominoes in the upcoming offseason, and arguably the most unpredictable.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Draft assets:&nbsp;Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Robert Covington, Rodney Hood, Isaiah Hartenstein, Amir Coffey (restricted), Xavier Moon (restricted), Ivica Zubac (team option), Nic Batum (player option)
Central question:&nbsp;What does a fully-healthy 10-man rotation look like?
Nobody expected the Clippers to be a playoff contender without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they still almost cracked the postseason with the supporting cast chipping in. L.A. made a splash at the trade deadline by adding Norman Powell and Robert Covington, two players who conceivably make sense next to the franchise's two stars.
This roster is deep. It's a great problem to have, but it's still a problem with several rotation options potentially hitting free agency. Covington will likely command a solid new deal as one of the league's more reliable two-way complements, and Batum could easily decline his $3.3 million team option in search of a raise. Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein may both hit free agency; what would happen to the center rotation in that case?
The Clippers have Leonard, George, Powell, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris locked down for next season. That's already seven rotation-caliber players, and it doesn't account for leaps from young talents like Brandon Boston Jr., Jason Preston or Amir Coffey. A roster crunch is inbound, and the organization can't let a quality addition slip away as it positions itself for title contention next season.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Draft assets:&nbsp;First-round pick, first-round pick via Raptors, first-round pick via Celtics, second-round pick via Lakers
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Lonnie Walker IV (restricted), Devontae Cacok (restricted), Joe Wieskamp (restricted), DJ Stewart Jr. (restricted), Robert Woodard II (restricted)
Central question:&nbsp;How do the Spurs toe the line between developmental patience and consolidation?
San Antonio valiantly fought to get to the Play-In Tournament before losing to New Orleans, but also had one of the more underrated developmental seasons across the roster. Dejounte Murray made his All-Star leap and Jakob Poeltl established himself as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jakob-poeltl-san-antonios-newest-watchful-protector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the league's better rim-protectors</a>; the Spurs collectively were just a tick under league-average on both ends of the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
One of the NBA's youngest rosters is well on track and about to receive another influx of potential. San Antonio could use its three first-rounders (including its own lottery pick) to add to the frontcourt or find another lead guard. However, the Spurs already have 12 players locked down for next season under at least partial guarantees, and 11 of them are under 30. They have a pathway to over $24 million in salary cap space this summer should they move on from restricted free agents like Walker.&nbsp;
There's an avenue, with draft picks, young players and cap space, for San Antonio to make a serious splash. Is that in the programming for this franchise, though? San Antonio hasn't acquired a star via trade in several years, unless you want to count adding DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster. At the same time, there are only so many minutes to go around for the young guns, especially if the Spurs think they can compete for the playoffs.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Ethan Fuller sets the stage for the NBA's four Play-In exits approaching the offseason.

Summer plans for the Spurs, Hornets, Cavaliers and Clippers

From a mid-season blockbuster swap involving two disgruntled stars, to rumors that a former No. 1 overall pick wants a change of scenery in only his third season, the topic of player empowerment is front and center in the NBA. &nbsp;
Superstars wanting off their team isn't a new concept. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar forced a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. In recent years, superstars demanding to be dealt is so common that the term &ldquo;player empowerment&rdquo; established itself in our NBA lexicon.&nbsp;
But this season feels different, in that it is rife with unique trade demands. Like Ben Simmons' refusal to play a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers while requesting a trade, with a whopping four years left on his contract. Or James Harden asking off of his second team in as many years. Even the Zion Williamson situation &mdash; rumored to be disgruntled in New Orleans after playing a total of 85 games &mdash; is unprecedented. With every new trade demand, it feels like stars are pushing the limits and boundaries of player empowerment.
Either the NBA's Mercury is in retrograde or we&rsquo;re witnessing the dawn of a new era.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Player empowerment&rdquo; was popularized in 2010 after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh conspired to play with each other in Miami. Suddenly, players realized they could control their own destiny and team up to form super-teams.
Since then, player empowerment has largely come to mean trade demands from superstars. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Many executives have decried it as ruining the league's parity and even the sanctity of the game. &nbsp;
"Player empowerment is a catchall for the fact that the league has done a terrible job of empowering teams, the players have all of the leverage in every situation. I think it's the worst thing that ever happened to professional sports on all levels," an anonymous NBA general manager <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/07/lebron-james-agent-is-transforming-the-business-of-basketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker</a>.&nbsp;
Many fans view it as a win for laborers.&nbsp;
The NBA is, after all, the most progressive sports league. However, without even touching the racial undertones that weave throughout the narrative about the league, it is easy to see why the masses support the players. Fans have watched players lose the battle over the means of production &mdash; from owning 57% of league revenue in 2005 down to only 50% today &mdash; so witnessing players gain autonomy over their playing career by stripping control from owners is celebrated as a nice consolation prize.&nbsp;
As we become inundated with debate over the merits of player empowerment, we&rsquo;ve seemed to skip over what the term actually means and how it actualizes itself in the league.&nbsp;
There is no denying that some players have power and some of those players have controlled the make-up of the league for over a decade. The issue is that player empowerment is a term that poses as the league's players uniting, but instead, it is merely a select few exercising their power over everyone else.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s break this down.&nbsp;
Were the Los Angeles Lakers' young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart empowered when Anthony Davis forced his way to Los Angeles? Not likely.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also impossible to imagine all six of Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Taurean Prince (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Caris LeVert (Brooklyn to Indiana), Rodions Kurucs (Brooklyn to Houston), Dante Exum (Cleveland to Houston) and Victor Oladipo (Indiana to Houston) felt empowered after being forced to uproot themselves midseason during a pandemic because Harden wanted to join the Nets.&nbsp;
Framing the whims of a small few that can disrupt the lives of many as player empowerment feels disingenuous. A better term would be &ldquo;superstar entitlement.&rdquo;&nbsp;
With the knowledge that player empowerment really means superstar entitlement, it&rsquo;s easy to understand how empowerment stories are often framed as prima donnas throwing tantrums until they get their way.
But maybe it should be framed as superstars earning power through loss of salary.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
With the advent of max salaries, stars are never fairly compensated. The bigger and brighter the star shines, the more they lose out &mdash; with their play forever eclipsing the money they make. Ergo, player empowerment is less about empowering all or even most players and more about compensating superstars in a salary-cap league.&nbsp;
Heliocentric is another popular term in our NBA vernacular; we&rsquo;ve heard the term &ldquo;heliocentric offense,&rdquo; and we&rsquo;ve heard stars described as heliocentric. But it&rsquo;s also a term that can refer to the league itself.&nbsp;
To briefly go back to the 1500s and Copernicus &mdash; heliocentrism is a cosmological theory that the Earth and planets revolve around the sun. And in the NBA, everything revolves around certain stars. The bigger and brighter the star, the stronger their gravitational pull &mdash; the LeBronicus Theory, if you will.&nbsp;
Superstars wield more power than ever. They influence nearly every aspect of an organization &mdash; from coaching hirings and firings, to player personnel and roster construction.
The Harden-for-Simmons swap is an interesting case to dissect, because it centers around two stars whom everything doesn&rsquo;t revolve around.&nbsp;
On one side, there&rsquo;s Harden, whose status as a heliocentric star diminished as soon as he left Houston for Brooklyn. And on the other side is Simmons, a player who could never cement himself into anything more than a secondary star in Philadelphia.
Though both players had leverage, Harden had more because of the status of his contract. Neither were in a place to force their teams to bend to their will &mdash; at least not in the same way Harden was able to back when he told Houston they had a problem.&nbsp;
In Brooklyn, Harden <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33259122/james-harden-wants-trade-philadelphia-76ers-formally-request-deal-due-concern-public-backlash-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly never voiced his desire to leave</a>, and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey threatened to hold out on trading Simmons for the duration of his contract.
&nbsp;"You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could [go on for] four years... We're in the prime of Joel's career... Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference-maker," Morey said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Morey on his timeline: "You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could (go on for) 4 years. ... We're in the prime of Joel's career...Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker."
&mdash; Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1451288448875343872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

It wasn't Simmons' refusal to play games or Harden&rsquo;s pouting that forced their teams&rsquo; hands.&nbsp; It was that Embiid&rsquo;s play pressured Morey to make a deal, and Kevin Durant <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly wanted one too</a>.&nbsp;
Ultimately, the deal came down to what was best for the biggest stars. While James and Ben were the players who used their leverage to request out, Durant and Embiid &mdash; being the heliocentric star of their respective teams &mdash; made the final call.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17432379_lg.jpg" alt="" width="695" height="464" />
What Harden lost in star power in moving to Brooklyn, KD gained by doing the same. Though Durant&rsquo;s play has always been stellar, it&rsquo;s clear he has more power within the Nets' organization than he did with the Warriors. It was Durant, after all, who <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly requested Kyrie Irving be allowed to play road games</a> despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-say-kyrie-irving-cant-play-or-practice-with-team-while-unvaccinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the stance Sean Marks and the Nets took</a> earlier in the season.&nbsp;
Who has power and how much they have is determined by a number of variables, like their standing in the league, their standing on their team, their health, the length of their contract and market size, etc. And this list of powerful players is still arguably fewer than 10 names long in any given season (with some variance).
The variables at play that make Durant&rsquo;s star shine brighter with the Nets than with the Warriors are as simple as the fact that there's another superstar in Golden State &mdash; and he was there first and couldn&rsquo;t be eclipsed.
Of course there are titans like LeBron James, who can completely shift the paradigm of the league with a flippant comment &mdash; like over All-Star Weekend when he hinted at a possible return to Cleveland.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that&hellip; &nbsp;I&rsquo;m not saying I&rsquo;m coming back and playing, I don&rsquo;t know. I don&rsquo;t know what my future holds. I don&rsquo;t even know when I&rsquo;m free.&rdquo; James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Athletic</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LeBron is back in Cleveland this weekend. His picture is on the building again. At first he said he hasn&rsquo;t thought about returning to play for the Cavs, but then we kept talking. &ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that,&rdquo; he said. LeBron had a lot to say today. <a href="https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb">https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb</a>
&mdash; Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJasonLloyd/status/1495148179410591745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

LeBron&rsquo;s comments dominated the news cycle over the league&rsquo;s busiest weekend, and that's in large part because he will be a free agent in 2023. James signs short-term deals to maximize his leverage even though it means leaving long-term NBA money on the table.
Player empowerment isn&rsquo;t limited to team decisions &mdash; the NBPA also caters to the stars. With recent negotiations featuring superstars at the helm, contract negotiations often prioritize their needs.&nbsp;
Take for example the 2017 CBA. Superstar and NBPA president Chris Paul managed to help push forward the NBA supermax deal, given to players who have either won an MVP award, a Defensive Player of the Year award or earned an All-NBA selection in the previous season &mdash; or two of the previous three. The NBA supermax allows these stars to earn massive five-year deals with a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap.
Paul also helped change the "over-36" rule that prevented players from signing multi-year deals if they are to turn 36 or older over the course of the contract to "over-38." Not lost on anyone, Paul was set to be a free agent the summer of 2017, and pushing the rule back two years would have positively affected how much and how long he could have signed for.&nbsp;
In any collective bargaining, there&rsquo;s a give and a take &mdash; so both parties can walk away feeling like winners. So as collective bargaining agreements continue to reward those at the top, that leaves little for the rest.&nbsp;
Now, let's take a look at punishments. More often than not, disciplinary action comes in the form of fines. Technical fouls, for example, come with a fine of $2,000 for a player&rsquo;s first five offenses.&nbsp;
On Jan. 25 this season, the Sixers faced the New Orleans Pelicans. Embiid and rookie Jose Alvarado got into it and were each assessed technical fouls. That means Alvarado, who earns $462,629 this season, and Embiid, who's making $31.58 million, are meant to pay the same amount. Though Embiid generously offered to cover the fine for Alvarado, the benevolence of stars shouldn&rsquo;t make up for this obvious imbalance.&nbsp;
Fines are meant to disincentivize players from committing offenses, but when by setting these as a specific dollar amount as opposed to a percentage of their salary, they disproportionately&nbsp;hurt the lowest earners. And consequently, they allow the elite to do as they please.&nbsp;
Calling out NBA officials comes with a hefty $25,000 fine &mdash; this would be astronomical to rookies like Alvarado, but not to a superstar like Embiid who has been fined for doing just that. In Feb. 2019, Embiid told reporters the "referees f**king sucked" after a missed call in a close loss to the Boston Celtics. Though the fine undoubtedly hurt his pocketbook, it was a calculated risk he and other high earners like him have the freedom of taking.&nbsp;
From afar, superstar entitlement looks like stars picking their teams; a closer look unveils real inequities like financial penalties and disproportionate representation at the top of the players' union. A more granular look reveals that every scenario and every superstar is unique.&nbsp;
There is, however, one constant amidst the chaos in understanding power dynamics in the league, and that&rsquo;s team control. The NBA draft, rookie contracts, restricted free agency and good old-fashioned trades are just some of the ways in which teams have maintained ultimate control. The difference is when teams wield their power, it&rsquo;s not much of a news story.
We clutch our pearls at Kawhi Leonard demanding a trade but not at the Raptors for sending out DeMar DeRozan. We expect teams to make moves to better their situation, yet players who have become brands in their own right aren&rsquo;t given the freedom to do the same.&nbsp;
Any team would be over the moon to have a superstar play for them &mdash; we recognize this and they recognize this. So, they aren&rsquo;t going to sit back and wish upon a star for a trade. They ask, and if they're good enough, teams will acquiesce. It is a star-driven league, after all. So, we can&rsquo;t be surprised at who's steering the ship. And I&rsquo;d argue it&rsquo;s high time for the rest of the league to just grab on to their seats and hold on, because the era of player empowerment has only started taking off.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Imman Adan details what "player empowerment" in the NBA truly entails and how it's been framed incorrectly.

The truth about 'player empowerment' in the NBA

As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-wont-mortgage-future-for-lebron-this-is-the-bed-you-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramona Shelburne said</a> when she paraphrased the Los Angeles Lakers' front office stance: "You guys got yourselves into this; this is the bed that you made."
We're past the trade deadline and NBA All-Star weekend and into the season's stretch run. Aside from some leftover waivings and G League call-ups, teams have their rosters set. From here on out, it's about just playing with the guys you have.&nbsp;
For the teams in this week's Sour Rankings, there's still time to adjust season goals and find a measure of success. Young rosters might hope for promising player development instead of wins. Those on the fringe of playoff contention might have the Play-In Tournament or the traditional postseason as a benchmark. Disappointing title hopefuls can salvage positivity even if they don't go all the way.
I've listed a target for each squad on the list. It might not be the ideal outcome, but the bar can at least bring some level of satisfaction to a year gone awry.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder made a brief pit stop, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddeys-rise-make-thunders-rebuild-even-more-intriguing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey's brilliance</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team-wide budding defense</a> launched them right back out.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
10. New Orleans Pelicans (23-36)
Zion Williamson's general situation has once again made things sour. CJ McCollum <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cj-mccollum-on-zion-williamson-i-havent-had-conversations-with-him-directly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on TNT</a> that he has yet to speak with Williamson since being the blockbuster addition for the Pelicans at the trade deadline. The quotes raise serious questions about how Williamson and the Pelicans are handling his extended absence.
At this point, who knows if Williamson will return this season. New Orleans should be aiming to make the Play-In games behind Brandon Ingram and McCollum. The latter has gotten off to a hot start with his new team. The Pelicans are two games back of the Trail Blazers for 10th place in the Western Conference and have plenty of time to move up.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Utah Jazz (36-22)
The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have asserted themselves as the favorites in the West. No other team, including Utah, is in a similar tier. The Jazz also didn't make any significant moves to inspire title hope at the trade deadline, and a recent five-game winning streak doesn't exactly turn the tables. Utah hasn't reached the conference finals since 2006-07, and that seems like a reasonable, yet valuable goal since the team will likely have to get through one of the two powers to get there.
(Last week: 8)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (25-34)
Anfernee Simons averaged 28.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from long range over his last five games entering the break. He's been the breakout star of the 2022 calendar year, and has given a listless Trail Blazers team some life. Simons' development might be more important than any team outcome, especially if Damian Lillard does not return this season. If he can finish out the year as the dynamic offensive weapon he's becoming, Simons can show Portland why he's a long-term core piece for the next era.
(Last week: 6)
7. Sacramento Kings (22-38)
When the Kings swung on Domantas Sabonis (and to a lesser extent, Donte DiVincenzo), they basically set the goal: make the playoffs. Play-In exits won't do any good for a franchise that has not made a postseason appearance since 2005-06 and just dealt arguably its top young talent, however. Sacramento is tied with New Orleans and also two-and-a-half games out of 10th in the West. It's going to be a brawl for that last spot, but if the Kings do snag it and advance through the mini-bracket, that means the Sabonis-De'Aaron Fox pairing is worth building around.
(Last week: 5)
6. Charlotte Hornets (29-31)
Charlotte has a top-10 Defensive Rating over the past two weeks, part of this wild roller-coaster ride the Hornets' defense has been on throughout the season. The team's Offensive Rating, however, ranks 27th during that stretch. Gordon Hayward's absence dealt a tough blow to the lineup's synergy. Ultimately, this is still a young team growing into its potential. Remaining in Play-In and playoff contention is a given goal, but I'd also like to see the team find some consistency on both ends and shoot for league-average ratings or better for the rest of the schedule.
(Last week: 9)
5. Houston Rockets (15-43)
On a seven-game slide, Houston has give up a whopping 128.9 points per 100 possessions in February, nearly five points more than any other team. This is an extremely young roster that will take time to mesh on defense, but that's still extremely rough. Tanking outright is not a "goal," but record isn't exactly a concern at this stage.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
More of this, please. They&rsquo;re giving it to you. <a href="https://twitter.com/JalenGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JalenGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/zfRvLkunXL">pic.twitter.com/zfRvLkunXL</a>
&mdash; heypartner (@theheypartner) <a href="https://twitter.com/theheypartner/status/1495761190370353155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Jalen Green is averaging 16.5 points per game this month while canning 41.7% of his three-pointers. He's the face of the future in Houston, so his flashes are what the fans and front office should want to see. As long as Green demonstrates noteworthy growth this spring, things will look up for the Rockets.
(Last week: 7)
4. Washington Wizards (27-31)
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his Wizards debut. When he does, it marks the start of a desperate push for Washington to appease Bradley Beal and make the playoffs. The Wizards are in 11th place and currently out of the Eastern Conference postseason picture, but sit just a game back of Charlotte and the Atlanta Hawks. A Play-In appearance can't satisfy; but a playoff appearance is much easier said than done. If two of Toronto, Boston and Brooklyn don't make it to a top-six seed, making the traditional eight is going to be a tall order for the Wizards or any other team.
(Last week: 4)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
3. Brooklyn Nets (31-28)
The Nets sorely needed this All-Star break to put the drama of the James Harden trade and the stench of losing behind them. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are still out for an indefinite period, and Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated, so this current ragtag bunch will have to keep Brooklyn in the playoff hunt. (They did also just ink Goran Dragic to a rest-of-the-season contract on Monday as well.) This is still a title contender on paper... but so was the pre-deadline iteration of the Nets. However, the East is wide open, and fans should expect a healthy roster to go at least two rounds in the postseason. 
(Last week: 2)
2. New York Knicks (25-34)
New York went 3-13 in a one-month span before the pause and promptly decided to forge ahead at the trade deadline with no changes. This doesn't bode well for a team with several veterans, but almost no hope of extending its season at this time.
Since Jan. 17, the Knicks have a 25th-ranked defense and a 22nd-ranked offense. The defense especially needs to improve for the sake of Tom Thibodeau's viability as a head coach. If it's not league-average or better the rest of the way, New York's direction will start to look a lot like the Thibodeau era in Minnesota.
(Last week: 3)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-31)
In the latest Hollywood drama, LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept things pretty wide open</a> when he chatted with The Athletic's&nbsp;Jason Lloyd about his future. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rob-pelinka-refused-to-trade-russell-westbrook-draft-pick-for-john-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report also wrote</a> that Rob Pelinka refused to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for John Wall. So yeah, there's a very obvious disconnect within this franchise.
The Lakers cannot be satisfied with stumbling their way through a Play-In bracket that James himself has gone on record hating. They have to be a top-six seed for the sake of roster durability and image. But being six games behind sixth-place Denver right now, Los Angeles may have already run out of luck.
(Last week: 1)
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Ethan Fuller gives end-of-season benchmarks for success to the league's disappointing teams.

NBA Sour Rankings: Can teams in the dumps still salvage success?

Enes Kanter Freedom opened up to Etan Thomas on "The Rematch" on being a U.S. citizen, his Fox News interview, LeBron and more.

Q&A: Enes Kanter Freedom on U.S. citizenship, Fox interview, LeBron

<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo;</a> is back to go over today&rsquo;s slate on a loaded Friday in the NBA. Every single day, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; gives you the inside advantage before games begin. So far this season, we are carrying a 120-94-2 record (56.0%) against the spread.
As always, our odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook and over/under power-play prop bets are provided by <a href="https://www.prizepicks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PrizePicks</a>.
It&rsquo;s hammering time!
<iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=BNI5695263228" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Detroit Pistons vs. Golden State Warriors (-2)
This spread is small, but the reason why is because the Warriors are giving Stephen Curry a well-deserved night off. Against the Pistons, it might not even matter if Curry sits. In this matchup, I still love hammering the lower point spread in favor of the Curry-less Warriors. Cade Cunningham could help keep this one close for a little bit, but expect Golden State to open the floodgates late, easily cruising to cover the 2-point spread in Detroit. On PrizePicks, tail me on this fun power play: Andrew Wiggins over 19.5 points, Jordan Poole over 19.5 points, Cade Cunningham over 14.5 points, Jerami Grant over 1.5 threes.
Charlotte Hornets (-1) vs. Indiana Pacers
I love this matchup in favor of the Hornets. Charlotte&rsquo;s pace-and-space style is a bad clash for Indiana, who continues to be so inconsistent opening up the 2021-22 season. Who exactly are the Pacers? Always dealing with injuries and not knowing what to expect almost every game, is it time to blow up some of this core? Personally, I think so. Stay tuned to <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> next week on this, because my thoughts go very in-depth. In the meantime, hammer Hornets -1 and the following power play on PrizePicks: Malcolm Brogdon over 19.5 points, Miles Bridges over 18.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 11.5 rebounds, LaMelo Ball over 6.5 assists.
Boston Celtics (-3) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
As long as LeBron James remains out, it&rsquo;s so hard to trust the Lakers from a betting perspective. In Boston, the same idea holds here because I'm actually wagering on Celtics -3 here. Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook should have solid outings, but I like a charged-up environment in Boston alongside a monster outing from Jayson Tatum pushing it in favor of the Celtics. On PrizePicks, we&rsquo;re locking in this power play to tail our prediction of Boston covering the 3-point spread: Tatum over 25.5 points, Davis over 19.5 points, Westbrook over 6.5 assists, Marcus Smart over 3.5 rebounds.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Brooklyn Nets (-10) vs. Orlando Magic
No Kevin Durant, no problem for Brooklyn at home tonight against the Magic. Although Orlando continues to surprise on some nights, they tend to struggle mightily against the NBA&rsquo;s elite teams. Even without Durant, Brooklyn still qualifies thanks to a James Harden-centric system being put on display. Harden helps the Nets roll over Orlando, cruising to an easy double-digit victory. Smash the Nets to cover the 10-point spread, plus the following power-play prop on PrizePicks: Harden over 24.5 points, Cole Anthony over 17.5 points, Patty Mills over 13.5 points, Mo Bamba over 7.5 rebounds.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-4)
New Orleans is well within the NBA&rsquo;s abyss right now. How exactly will they escape? It&rsquo;s almost impossible to see how they can, even when Zion Williamson eventually returns from the foot injury he suffered during the offseason. The Pelicans are well on their way to a top lottery pick, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pelicans-exec-david-griffin-on-hot-seat-after-slow-start-altercation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the seat is now getting warm for GM David Griffin</a> in the Bayou. Griffin&rsquo;s work in New Orleans has been very up-and-down, bordering on potentially squandering a rebuild attempt around a generational talent. You have to wonder if Williamson starts to seriously consider leaving the Pelicans relatively soon as well. For this matchup, though, let&rsquo;s hammer the Clippers to cover the 4-point spread. Betting against the Pelicans right now is an easy money-making exercise, so let&rsquo;s keep riding that train. On PrizePicks, lock in this power play: Paul George over 25.5 points, Brandon Ingram over 20.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 17.5 points, Jonas Valanciunas over 11.5 rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks (-13) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
What a massive spread for this matchup, but that&rsquo;s not scaring me off here. I&rsquo;m taking the Bucks to easily cover the 13-point spread, because the trend of Oklahoma City not being able to hang with top-tier teams still holds true. Milwaukee is finally getting back to full health, so expect their starting lineup to feast against the inexperienced Thunder. Hammer the Bucks to cover, plus project a monster performance once again from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Let&rsquo;s lock in this fun power play on PrizePicks as well: Giannis over 24.5 points, Khris Middleton over 16.5 points, Josh Giddey over 4.5 assists, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 4 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets (-1.5) vs. Chicago Bulls
This is going to be the most entertaining matchup for Friday&rsquo;s slate, so make sure to tune into this one in Denver. Nikola Jokic is playing even better than he was last season as MVP, which says a lot about how incredible he's been. Meanwhile, the Bulls&rsquo; offseason retooling is paying huge dividends right now with all of their new additions thriving alongside Zach LaVine. And once Nikola Vucevic is back in the starting lineup, Chicago will be even better. Although I&rsquo;m so tempted to bet on the underdog here, I&rsquo;m siding with Jokic and the Nuggets to get the job done covering the 1.5-point spread at home. On PrizePicks, this is one of my favorite power plays to tail: Zach LaVine over 23.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 21.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 6 rebounds, Lonzo Ball over 4.5 assists.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Phoenix Suns (-8.5) vs. Dallas Mavericks
These two teams once again lock horns after a super entertaining comeback victory for Phoenix on Wednesday. This time around, we&rsquo;re betting once again on the Suns to cover the spread against the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks. Dallas led for most of the game because of super-hot, unsustainable three-point shooting. I&rsquo;m not projecting that will happen again, so, honestly, I expect the Suns to roll here and win by double-digits. The Suns are winners of 10-straight, and that streak should only continue as they continue to gain even more confidence. Phoenix is one of the most dangerous teams in the Association, so betting against them isn&rsquo;t a wise investment. Hammer the Suns at -8.5, plus the following power-play on PrizePicks: Devin Booker over 22.5 points, Mikal Bridges over 11.5 points, Deandre Ayton over 10.5 rebounds, Chris Paul over 8.5 assists.
Sacramento Kings (-3.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors will be without OG Anunoby for an extended period of time due to a hip injury, which is a major blow because he&rsquo;s been showcasing why he&rsquo;s so important to their long-term future. However, even without Anunoby in Sacramento, I like the Raptors as underdogs to cover the 3.5-point spread. The heat is on for Kings head coach Luke Walton, and it&rsquo;s hard to envision how he survives the entire regular season. Give me the Raptors in this matchup on the road in Sacramento, thanks in large part to their reliable veteran combo of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. On PrizePicks, I&rsquo;m locking in this intriguing power play as well: Siakam over 18.5 points, Scottie Barnes over 6.5 rebounds, VanVleet over 2.5 threes, Tyrese Haliburton over 1.5 threes.
Recapping our picks against the spread for &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s what is being locked in for Friday&rsquo;s fun slate: Warriors -2, Hornets -1, Celtics -3, Nets -10, Clippers -4, Bucks -13, Nuggets -1.5, Suns -8.5, Raptors +3.5.
All users that deposit and use the promo code NEWS on PrizePicks will receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! <a href="https://www.prizepicks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here</a>.

Ahead of Friday' slate, "Nothing But Bets" shares their latest picks against the spread and over/under power-play props via PrizePicks.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/19/21

The NBA is already in wonderful hands, with the next generation of young stars ready to take the baton very soon. Each year, so many incredible talents join the Association and various franchises help develop them into full-fledged gems. At this point, who are the top-10 players under 25 years old?
Below is a ranking of players under age-25 based on their current standing in the league. This list doesn't factor in their upside or long-term potential, just their current contributions. If you&rsquo;re wondering where players like Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell are, I excluded players who will turn 25 years old during the upcoming NBA campaign.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the list of franchise-changing stars.
LUKA DONCIC, DALLAS MAVERICKS
Doncic is the favorite to win this season's NBA MVP award for good reason. He&rsquo;s already established himself as one of the best players in the league with an effortless, beautiful brand of basketball that allows him to fill the stat sheet. Each year, Doncic has significantly improved various aspects of his game. We haven&rsquo;t seen a prospect get off to this kind of start in the NBA since LeBron James, which puts Doncic on a generational path.
Doncic has already reached a level where he can carry his Dallas Mavericks to a playoff berth, and potentially to a top-four seed in 2021-22 with another leap. Next, he'll try to help the Mavs win their first playoff series since their championship run in 2011. The Slovenian phenom has next, and he certainly seems poised to take over the league. And while this ranking is solely based on each player's current contributions, it's wild to think that Doncic is still only 22 years old (meaning he's younger than some of the incoming rookies, including Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte).
TRAE YOUNG, ATLANTA HAWKS
After an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Young has reached league-wide superstardom. Everything clicked together for the Hawks when Nate McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce as head coach. Atlanta rode this momentum while Young took a leap and became one of the best point guards in the Association.
Young can go off for 30-to-40 points whenever he pleases, and his playmaking ability is reminiscent of a young Steve Nash. Young&rsquo;s trajectory is to the moon, and Atlanta gaining postseason experience with last year's deep playoff run should only help Young. This season, it'll be interesting to see how Young adjusts to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-nba-is-trying-to-eliminate-unnatural-foulbaiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's new rules against unnatural foul-baiting</a> (which were added in large part due to him).
JAYSON TATUM, BOSTON CELTICS
Tatum is one of my favorite NBA betting <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-best-bets-on-future-nba-awardwinners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dark-horse options to win MVP</a>. Boston has built a team around Tatum that allows him to continuously produce buckets. Once the calendar hit March, Tatum averaged nearly 30 points per game with an impressive efficiency clip. Alongside Jaylen Brown, who turns 25 years old next month, Boston&rsquo;s dynamic wing duo could vault the Celtics into the Eastern Conference's second tier of contenders.
Among the young wings in the league, I&rsquo;m riding with Tatum to be the most valuable in 2021-22 and beyond. He&rsquo;s just now realizing how special of a scorer he can become in Boston.
ZION WILLIAMSON, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Williamson has already seen immense organizational turnover around him in the Bayou State. Through it all, he&rsquo;s still showcasing superstar potential on a nightly basis. Williamson just averaged 27.0 points in his age-20 season. And with the Pelicans building a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/by-making-zion-williamsons-job-easier-the-pelicans-should-finally-have-real-playoff-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more competent rotation</a> to space the floor, Williamson could average 30-plus points per game in 2021-22.
Williamson is a titan in the paint, and he should continue to establish his dominance throughout his career. Soon enough, New Orleans is going to become a force to be reckoned with thanks to Williamson and the rest of their young core.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BAM ADEBAYO, MIAMI HEAT
It&rsquo;s hard to name an NBA big man who's more versatile than Adebayo. Not only can Bam score effectively around the rim with an improving range, he can also run the offense and protect the rim with the best of &lsquo;em. Adebayo already plays such a pivotal role for the Heat, and he&rsquo;s going to be a critical piece this season as they hope to make an NBA Finals run.
If Adebayo continues to develop into a more well-rounded scorer throughout his prime, he will quickly become one of the best overall bigs in the NBA. Having Kyle Lowry as his point guard will do wonders for him immediately as well.
BRANDON INGRAM, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Ingram is flying under the radar right now, and he shouldn&rsquo;t anymore. After his first All-Star appearance in 2019-20, Ingram still flashed jaw-dropping scoring capabilities as a perfect sidekick alongside Zion Williamson.
Ingram can score from all three levels while also drawing fouls at a star-like rate. Once everything clicks together &ndash; and he if shows improved defensive acumen &ndash; he could crack the top-five of this list next season.
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Oklahoma City nabbing SGA in the Paul George trade was a franchise-altering moment for the organization. Sure, the Thunder are continuing their tanking efforts by stockpiling copious amounts of draft picks throughout the 2020s, but Gilgeous-Alexander has quickly emerged as one of the most promising young players in the NBA.
Somehow, the Thunder were floating around .500 near last year's All-Star break thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s brilliance. Last season, SGA averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds while posting a 62.3 True Shooting percentage.
Gilgeous-Alexander plays a unique brand of basketball and he should only continue to improve as the Thunder&rsquo;s No. 1 option moving forward. SGA has earned his place as the face of the franchise in Oklahoma City. Now, let&rsquo;s hope the Thunder can use their draft picks and assets to surround him with talent during his prime years.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
JA MORANT, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Morant is so much fun to watch. The modern-day version of prime Derrick Rose, Morant&rsquo;s explosive scoring components bring endless amounts of energy to this new era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball. In his second season, Morant helped push Memphis to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and gave their young core some much-needed playoff experience. He can already create endless match-up problems in transition and isolation situations, and he should continue to improve as a perimeter scorer.
Morant has yet to average at least 20.0 points per game in his career, but that leap should happen in 2021-22. If the Grizzlies improve upon their impressive finish to last season, it will be in large part due to Morant taking the next step in his development.
DE&rsquo;AARON FOX, SACRAMENTO KINGS
It&rsquo;s a shame the Kings have yet to make real progress throughout Fox&rsquo;s career, because he continues to add more tricks to his bag. Last season, Fox averaged a career-high 25.2 points on a 56.5 True Shooting percentage. With some impressive draft picks in the last two years (Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell), maybe we'll finally see the Kings break their 15-year long playoff drought sometime soon.
Fox will climb this list if he works on his three-point shooting and free-throw efficiency. Thus far, Fox has shot a pedestrian 32.6% on three-pointers plus 71.8% on free throw attempts over the course of his four-year career. Even if those percentages don&rsquo;t significantly improve, Fox is already a blur in transition who continues to put up impressive outings on a nightly basis.
DEANDRE AYTON, PHOENIX SUNS
If Ayton could create for himself as a scorer, he would be much higher on this list. Although Ayton won&rsquo;t pop as a 20-plus-point-per-game big just yet, his career development is taking an interesting turn following the Suns&rsquo; improbable NBA Finals run. Playing the No. 3 role behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul, Ayton embraced doing all the dirty work &mdash; hard screens, dominating the glass, protecting the rim while staying out of foul trouble, etc.
Ayton is becoming a more valuable big in playoff situations than Rudy Gobert. Yes, that might seem like a hot take right now, but the exponential growth we saw from Ayton as a defensive anchor has changed his trajectory entirely. As one of the most efficient paint scorers to go along with elite-level defense with versatility to guard ball-handlers on switches, Ayton is the perfect center for playoff situations.
Ayton should eventually jump back into the primary No. 2 role alongside Booker as Paul ages gracefully into his new four-year, $120 million extension. In the meantime, Ayton has already thrived on the biggest stage, proving how valuable his skill set is in today's NBA. This season, Ayton will be one of the most intriguing players to follow for this very reason. And if takes a step forward with his self-creation, that would change the game again for the Bahamian big.

A new era of young stars are taking over the NBA. Which under-25 players will crack the top-10?

Ranking the top-10 players under age-25 for the 2021-22 season

Yesterday, we <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-nba-teams-you-should-hammer-the-over-on-for-202122-win-totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covered the best NBA win-total bets to hammer the over on</a> and now it&rsquo;s time to flip the script and discuss the most intriguing under options available. With so many teams pushing the chips in for a 2021-22 playoff run, it'll be tougher for teams to separate from the pack. Which squads will ultimately regress or fail to meet preseason expectations?
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the five-best under bets to make entering this season.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: UNDER 51.5 WINS
The Sixers currently find themselves in a tricky situation. The Ben Simmons drama has reached a new boiling point, as the 2016 No. 1 overall pick has officially requested a trade from Philadelphia. Although Simmons' offensive struggles are well-documented, his defense helped him finish second in the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year race behind Rudy Gobert last season.
Just now entering his prime years at age-25, Simmons has shown unicorn-like tendencies as a jumbo playmaker who can defend five positions on the basketball court. Simmons&rsquo; impact will be missed in Philadelphia, and it'll be interesting to see what the Sixers receive in return for him.
With the Simmons rumors reaching a fever pitch, plus the inconsistent availability of Joel Embiid over the years, taking a swing on the under at 51.5 makes sense to me. Do we trust Tobias Harris to carry an Embiid-less team on the nights he eventually sits out? Especially with a more jam-packed Eastern Conference than ever, I expect a small step back from the Sixers. Fifty wins feels like the ceiling to me, which means I'm hammering the under here.
ATLANTA HAWKS: UNDER 47.5 WINS
Atlanta caught fire last season when they moved Nate McMillan over to the head-coach seat with Lloyd Pierce&rsquo;s midseason firing. However, will that mojo continue over a full 82-game schedule? The Hawks have built a great infrastructure of talent around their superstar Trae Young. However, I feel like Las Vegas might be overestimating Atlanta after this recent run.
Maybe I&rsquo;m too pessimistic when it comes to the Hawks, but I need to see this success continue to fully buy-in. Reaching the near-50-win mark is a huge milestone for an organization that has been stuck in the lottery for years. Atlanta added more young talent in the draft, but didn&rsquo;t add any veterans into the equation.
I&rsquo;m going to play it safe and roll with the under on Atlanta. If Trae lights up the NBA in his fourth season, plus other pieces of their core take steps forward, I would be happy to be proven wrong here. There&rsquo;s a real possibility that their late-season run was lightning in a bottle, and that their win total will be in the mid-40s. In my opinion, 47.5 is a steep over to hit.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
INDIANA PACERS: UNDER 43.5 WINS
The Pacers were dealt potentially the NBA's worst hand last season with injuries. T.J. Warren only played four games. Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner dealt with various ailments. Caris LeVert had to sit out an extended period of time following his arrival (via the Victor Oladipo trade) because a cancerous tumor was discovered on a physical.
With Rick Carlisle back in Indiana as head coach, will the Pacers&rsquo; talented nucleus finally put it all together? I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-face-makeorbreak-202122-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have my doubts</a>, especially considering how much the East has improved. No longer will a team comfortably make the playoffs with a record around .500.
Indiana also feels like the most obvious team to hit the reset button midseason, especially if they get off to a slow start. Outside of Domantas Sabonis and LeVert, everyone could be on the table in trade talks. Warren is on an expiring contract, while Brogdon and Turner have been floated in trade discussions over the last calendar year. If Indiana floats around .500 or below, the Pacers would be wise to sell-high on those players at their last opportunity to receive positive value.
Although Indiana had only one down year, the East is now a beast. It might be too little, too late for this core to make a run, which leads me to feel comfortable hammering the under on 43.5.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: UNDER 41.5 WINS
Coming off their first playoff appearance since the Grit-n-Grind era, Memphis is bubbling with excitement to see if the Grizzlies can take the next step forward. Led by Ja Morant, Memphis has done a fantastic job of building around their young star point guard.
However, with the Golden State Warriors now back to full health, plus other young teams hoping to take a leaps (such as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/by-making-zion-williamsons-job-easier-the-pelicans-should-finally-have-real-playoff-potential" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Orleans Pelicans</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-the-timberwolves-finally-take-a-leap-forward-in-a-loaded-western-conference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota Timberwolves</a>), Memphis will have to work even harder to return to the play-in spot they secured last season.
With how the Grizzlies have operated this offseason, it feels like they&rsquo;re content waiting to make a move &mdash; not getting antsy off of their early success after making the No. 8 seed. The Grizzlies&rsquo; main offseason additions were Steven Adams and No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams (plus they <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-agrees-to-trade-hernangomez-to-bos-for-dunn-edwards-pick-swap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired</a> Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards today).
I&rsquo;m betting on a slight regression form Memphis, especially if they get off to a slow start. With Dillon Brooks recently floated in trade talks, it makes me wonder if we see the Grizzlies emerge as sellers at this year&rsquo;s trade deadline, which further pushes me to hit the under on 41.5.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
SACRAMENTO KINGS: UNDER 35.5 WINS
After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-76ers-asking-price-for-ben-simmons-is-too-steep-for-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially bowing out</a> of the Ben Simmons derby due to the 76ers' asking price &ndash; which is disappointing since Simmons would've been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a perfect fit</a> on the Kings &ndash; Sacramento seems destined for another disappointing season.
Buddy Hield was nearly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night for Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, so who knows how long he will remain a member of the Kings? Sacramento re-signed Richaun Holmes and drafted one of the most NBA-ready prospects in Davion Mitchell, but is that enough to really make a big leap in the West? I doubt it.
The Kings have a solid young cored led by De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Mitchell, but everyone else could be moved down the road. Hield and Harrison Barnes stand out as obvious candidates to be moved to contenders at the trade deadline, especially if Sacramento falls out of the playoff race before the All-Star break.
I&rsquo;m hammering the under on 35.5 wins for the Kings, and feeling pretty comfortable doing so, which would unfortunately extend their playoff drought to an incredible 16 consecutive seasons.

Which NBA teams will fail to meet preseason expectations? Here are 5 teams you should bet the under on given their projected win total.

2021-22 win-total odds: 5 NBA teams you should hammer the under on

On July 4, 2021, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/sports/basketball/espn-rachel-nichols-maria-taylor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published a story</a> detailing the fallout of a leaked Rachel Nichols&rsquo; video, wherein the host of ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Jump&rdquo; questioned the merit of her colleague, Maria Taylor.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity &ndash; which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it &ndash; like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else,&rdquo; Nichols said while unknowingly being recorded.
Since the release of the article, ESPN has been hard at work trying to extinguish the fire sparked by Nichols&rsquo; comments.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Rachel Nichols began today's episode of The Jump with this apology to Maria Taylor and others at ESPN <a href="https://t.co/9cXsDmMMhZ">https://t.co/9cXsDmMMhZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/yQj5j8akMw">pic.twitter.com/yQj5j8akMw</a>
&mdash; Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1412145201888497664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Still, flames sit at every corner of this story. They range from small to large, and they highlight the injustices at ESPN. The New York Times forced ESPN&rsquo;s hand, so now the company is trying to put out this fire as quickly as possible before it reaches the deep pit of grease at the story&rsquo;s core: ESPN&rsquo;s insidious environment of racism and sexism.&nbsp;
Some of these flames include the direct fallout from the tape &mdash; like criticism over the repercussions former ESPN video producer Kayla Johnson faced for sharing the audio with Taylor &mdash; to larger structural grievances with how the media conglomerate uses women.&nbsp; &nbsp; Despite Nichols igniting the match, many have pointed out that she&rsquo;s been burned by ESPN, too. They point to the toxic culture at ESPN, and how animosity between women is fostered at a company that so rarely makes room for more than one.&nbsp;
When women are relegated to hosting and sideline reporting, there are limited opportunities to truly flourish. And when success can no longer be had as a collective and only in spite of one another, toxicity and animosity are cultivated.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s particularly unfortunate that two women in the industry are pitted against each other,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said when asked about the situation.&nbsp;
A toxic environment is still not an excuse for the racist dismissal of Taylor, especially from someone with the history and experience of Nichols.&nbsp;
Nichols is a seasoned journalist of over 26 years, having worked for The Washington Post, CNN, Turner Sports and ESPN covering both basketball and football. Throughout her career, Nichols has stood out by carving her space in media as a much-needed female voice that challenges the misogynistic culture in sports &mdash; from <a href="https://youtu.be/RhM66jfE-WE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confronting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell</a> following the Ray Rice scandal to <a href="https://youtu.be/67HVtWgDE10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questioning the redemption narrative surrounding Derrick Rose</a>&rsquo;s 50-point game two years after a civil trial for rape allegations. (Editor&rsquo;s Note: A federal jury ultimately <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/19/derrick-rose-rape-trial-verdict-consent-nba-jury-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cleared Rose of all counts</a>.)
Nichols recognizes the value her identity adds to her coverage, giving her a unique perspective in a male-dominated industry. And yet, she somehow fails to recognize Taylor&rsquo;s value in a moment of national racial strife.
Many people have also been harping on Nichols' claim that it was in her contract to host NBA Countdown during the 2020 NBA Finals... But that is entirely beside the point.&nbsp;
For starters, ESPN asked Nichols if she wished to switch to sideline duties &mdash; a request she was allowed to decline. And the controversy is not about a contract dispute. It is not even about whether Nichols felt she deserved the job more than Taylor. It is about her comment at that moment. Had she only made reference to the contents of her contract, there would be no story and no backlash.
There&rsquo;s also the invasion-of-privacy issue that, rightfully, is being discussed as well. Since the recording was captured on Nichols&rsquo; laptop through software she uses to record &ldquo;The Jump,&rdquo; this is another small fire for ESPN to investigate. However, again, this is not at all what the public outcry is about.&nbsp;
While these issues may individually hold merit, they do not serve as a defense, and they have been used to detract from the core issue at hand: Rachel Nichols&rsquo; racist comment.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
At the core, this is a story about a powerful White woman weaponizing her Whiteness to dismiss and demean a Black colleague to another White person who&rsquo;s in a position of power.&nbsp;
The backlash and outcry are so loud because this is a story that Black people are all too familiar with. Nichols&rsquo; comment had no basis in reality, but deep roots in history. It suggests that Black people do not belong, and any advancement is the result of external assistance.&nbsp;
A handout.
Claiming that Taylor was given this opportunity instead of earning it completely dismisses her unique voice and perspective. Nichols&rsquo; compliments of Taylor&rsquo;s skill and talent evaporate the very second Nichols questions Taylor&rsquo;s merit. Her success is no longer credited to her hard work, but to the color of her skin.
The stereotype that Black people get by on handouts is a tale as old as time. This ranges from overt racist sentiments like Ronald Reagan&rsquo;s &ldquo;welfare queen&rdquo; trope to more subtle microaggressions in corporate settings.&nbsp;
Dismissing the accomplishments of Black people is a core tenant of White supremacy. Implicit bias transmitted through microaggressions is the exact strain of White supremacy that Black people fear in their workplaces. It&rsquo;s a pervasive form of racism that is felt immensely, but near impossible to call out.&nbsp;
You feel it through glances and through inner circles you can&rsquo;t penetrate, cementing the belief that you don&rsquo;t belong. You feel it when you look around and rarely see faces that look like yours. You&rsquo;re forced to exist in a space that&rsquo;s unwelcoming to you, wondering whether others question your worthiness.
It&rsquo;s a culture of exclusion, which Nichols is acutely aware of.
&ldquo;Those same people &mdash; who are, like, generally White, conservative, male Trump voters &mdash; is part of the reason I&rsquo;ve had a hard time at ESPN,&rdquo; Nichols said on the same recording.
The leaked audio of two White people dismissing a Black woman&rsquo;s credibility confirmed people&rsquo;s suspicions to be true: that these conversations do happen behind closed doors. It&rsquo;s why so many were hurt and offended.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@mariataylortoks/video/6863473616298855686" data-video-id="6863473616298855686">
<section><a title="@mariataylortoks" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mariataylortoks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@mariataylortoks</a>
Hey Black Women ✊🏾🙋🏾&zwj;♀️👋🏾 <a title="blacklivesmatter" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/blacklivesmatter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">##blacklivesmatter</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">##FYP</a>
<a title="♬ original sound - Maria Taylor" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6863473633193380614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound - Maria Taylor</a></section>
</blockquote>

<script src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

It&rsquo;s important to note that Nichols said this to Adam Mendelsohn, an advisor to LeBron James and NBA agent Rich Paul (who founded Klutch Sports Group and represents many stars). These are the inner circles that outsiders feel they cannot penetrate. Questioning Taylor&rsquo;s credibility leaves her on the outside with Mendelsohn and all of his notable clients.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s even more troubling is that Mendelsohn felt safe saying he was &ldquo;exhausted&rdquo; by &nbsp;#MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movement &mdash; sentiments he would likely never share with Black journalists (or his Black clients). This furthers distrust because it illustrates how issues that should be treated as universal are discussed differently by White colleagues depending on the setting. There&rsquo;s the public response and then there&rsquo;s the behind-closed-doors response.
Once we understand what the core issue is, we can examine why Nichols&rsquo; apology fell short.&nbsp;
Her apology addresses a workplace issue at a colleague-to-colleague level rather than a racial issue. Instead of a White woman apologizing to a Black woman for racially insensitive comments, Rachel deflects, explaining that she does not want to be the story.&nbsp;
She did not have to be.
Nichols could have used her learning experience to highlight the pervasiveness of implicit bias and the importance of language.&nbsp;
In quick monologues, Nichols so often educates her audience on a prominent storyline &mdash; from <a href="https://youtu.be/JinS7woEgnA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg</a> to the <a href="https://youtu.be/YEBN9Oo_b1I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protests across the United States</a> in the wake of George Floyd&rsquo;s murder.&nbsp;
She is a leader in using her show to highlight the importance of difficult conversations in sports, and why the coverage around basketball cannot solely be about the Xs and Os.
Yet, in a prime opportunity to use her show as she and ESPN often do so well, both failed.&nbsp;
Instead of apologizing for her actions and explaining that she (more than anyone) understands that utilizing diverse identities isn&rsquo;t about meeting quotas, but rather about enriching coverage, Nichols apologized for the way Taylor was made to feel.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
To accompany Nichols' apology, Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson, two Black men, were asked to speak &mdash; despite having nothing to do with the matter.&nbsp;
Perkins spoke to knowing Nichols&rsquo; heart and shared his wonderful experience working alongside her. Jefferson, meanwhile, spoke to his 20-year relationship with Nichols and made mention of difficult conversations being had behind the scenes &mdash; while also adding that Nichols was not excused and that he and Perkins weren&rsquo;t either.&nbsp;
Bringing in these two former NBA champions to discuss race added nothing of value to Nichols&rsquo; apology, and only exposed yet another issue of diversity at the company. Why were two privileged Black men brought in to discuss racism between an established White woman and a younger Black woman? Also, why were these two Black men put in this position and used as pawns? The fact that, after 24 hours, this was the best ESPN could do is baffling.&nbsp;
They haphazardly attempted to douse the flames once and for all, but like water on a grease fire, the blaze was not subdued. Instead, burning oil splattered far and wide, reaching <a href="https://youtu.be/9WVDnygemDg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter Spaces</a>. The next day, ESPN removed Nichols from its 2021 NBA Finals coverage, with Malika Andrews handling the sideline-reporting duties in her place. Apparently, ESPN&rsquo;s power structure only doles out punishments for racist comments once they are made public.
For now, ESPN&lsquo;s solution will be to cover the fires with a cloak &mdash; a temporary answer to a grand problem. The structural damage, however, will remain until it works to rebuild its infrastructure from the ground up. &nbsp;

Imman Adan reacts to Rachel Nichols' comments toward Maria Taylor and the manner in which ESPN fumbled the fallout.

Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN’s racism, sexism

I'm not sure who could've predicted this Eastern Conference Finals.
On one side, the Milwaukee Bucks are seeing the fruits of their switch-it-up labor. They've tinkered all year long in preparation of this postseason. They mollywhopped the Miami Heat in round one. They then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, before snatching victory anyway in a seven-game slugfest against the Brooklyn Nets.&nbsp;
On the other side are the Atlanta Hawks, a team that didn't look playoff bound midway through the season due to injuries, roster instability, and coaching turmoil. The firing of Lloyd Pierce, and the subsequent hiring of Nate McMillan, jumpstarted their turnaround. They proved to be too prolific for the New York Knicks in round one, and too resilient for the Philadelphia 76ers in round two.
And so, here we are. Two teams with unique (and oft-hated) offensive engines. Two teams that have had a microscope on their head coaching jobs for different reasons. Two teams that haven't won a title in decades, both presented with the opportunity to make the Finals.
I&rsquo;m not a coach -- I'm just a pun-loving basketball fan with a hankering for film breakdowns. But instead of a traditional series preview, I decided to go into the basketball trenches and devise gameplans for both teams. The tone of this piece will be a little more informal, but it will still be informative (at least I hope).
Without further ado, let's look at how the Milwaukee Bucks will try to stop the Atlanta Hawks.
Defensive Matchups
Jrue Holiday --&gt; Trae Young
Pat Connaughton --&gt; Kevin Huerter
Khris Middleton --&gt; Bogdan Bogdanovic
Giannis Antetokounmpo --&gt; John Collins
Brook Lopez --&gt; Clint Capela
The core four + PJ Tucker lineup has performed well this postseason (plus-10.3 net rating in 133 minutes), though it may make sense to downsize with Connaughton in this matchup.
That unit has also worked well (plus-8.3 in 38 minutes), and having Connaughton on the floor may make it a little more difficult to hide Young on the other end. Connaughton has some value as a ghost screener, while Tucker is primarily used to space in the corner or lurk around the dunker spot for offensive rebounds.
Top Priority on Defense: Disrupt Early offense
The Hawks aren't a team that wants to play particularly fast. They rank in the bottom third of the league in seconds per possession off of missed shots and turnovers, per <a href="http://stats.inpredictable.com/nba/ssnTeamPoss.php?season=2020&amp;po=0&amp;frdt=2020-12-22&amp;todt=2021-06-20&amp;view=off&amp;sort=aotopdr&amp;order=DESC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inpredictable tracking data</a>.&nbsp;
Being okay with grinding down possessions doesn't mean they can't attack early.&nbsp;They'll mix in a variety of looks to keep you off-balance.
A favorite, and one that Bucks fans in particular should recognize: a quick-hitter in which a player receives an off-ball screen in the middle of the floor, then immediately flows into a pick-and-roll. Call it Middleton Action if you want. There's also a built-in hand-back option if the middle screen doesn't gain enough traction.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;">
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/p1s2sp" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
</div>
"Pistol" action is also a favorite of theirs. Combining a guard screen (and flare) with an empty corner set-up can be incredibly difficult to defend.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/0ln57h" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Ultimately, the Hawks remain the NBA's preeminent Double Drag team. Young trotting up the court with a pair of screeners waiting for him is a scary sight.
One screener, likely Capela, will dive the basket. The other screener -- mostly Collins, but sometimes the guards get involved -- will pop above the break or flare out to the wing. Young can hit the roller, hit the pop, get downhill for floaters, or make corner skips. It's a nightmare, really.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/1m9339" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
No team ran more "double-pick" plays than the Hawks this season, per Second Spectrum tracking data. They generated a healthy 1.1 points per possession on those looks; that number ballooned to [checks notes] over 1.9 points per possession on 26 direct hookups against the Bucks this season. That is a small sample, but it gives you an idea of how deadly the Hawks can be.
Being able to contain those kind of actions will force&nbsp;the Hawks to play deeper into the clock. No matter the comfort level, that's still a tough diet to live on.
Hawks' Team Stats (and Atlanta's stats vs. Milwaukee)&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 114.3, 9th (113.2)</li>
<li>Half-Court Offensive Rating: 99.2, 9th (108.8)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 58.1, 10th (58.7)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 59.1, 18th (60.3)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 13.3, 10th (10.5)</li>
<li>Pace: 98.68, 22nd (98.67)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 24.2, 4th (21.3)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 81.2, 5th (81.3)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 33.4, 19th (36.0)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 37.3, 12th (38.0)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 10.6, 7th (6.0)</li>
</ul>
Hawks' Play Type Breakdown
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-06-22-at-12-31-41-am.png" alt="" width="751" height="325" />
Defending Trae Young
How much is there to say about Young at this point?&nbsp;
His blend of scoring and playmaking chops are rivaled by a handful of players in the NBA. He's faced two strong defenses in the postseason, and neither was able to consistently slow him down. It's hard to scoff at 29 and 10, even with the efficiency taking a hit from the regular season (55.3 TS%).
Young struggled in his lone showing against the Bucks this season -- 15 and 9 with six turnovers, while shooting 3-of-17 from the field -- though that was an outlier performance based on the shots he took (and&nbsp; missed). He is absolutely good enough to shape this series in his image if he isn't pressured.
Major Key: Restrict his Airspace
There isn't a good answer for a guy like Young, particularly in ball screens. He's a fearless pull-up threat with range extending to darn-near half-court. The danger levels rise when he gets downhill.
He's the most prolific floater taker (and maker) in the NBA; per Synergy, Young led the NBA in points off floaters (332), edging out second-place Richaun Holmes (226) by 106 points.&nbsp;
Put another way: Young took 345 floaters, while Holmes and third-in-points Luka Doncic took 347 combined.
It's the ultimate Small Guy Weapon, made even more dangerous by the fact that Young's floater looks identical to his lob pass. Backpedaling defenders don't know whether to step to give a moderate contest, or hang back to take away lob passes.
Defending Young in ball-screens will have to be a 2-on-2 endeavor if possible. This may not be a deep-drop series. Young shot 3-of-17 in the regular-season meeting, but he missed a ton of makeable shots that, frankly, he didn't have to work super hard to get.
The gameplan will need to resemble what was seen in the semis against Kevin Durant. Lopez may not have to be above the three-point line like he was against those Durant-Bruce Brown pick-and-rolls near half court. As hot as Young can run as a pull-up shooter, he is not Durant in that regard.
However, the answer probably isn't hanging back a step or two below the free throw line either. Finding that middle ground would allow time for Young's defender (mostly Holiday) to recover.&nbsp;
We talk about "rearview contests" when it comes to point-of-attack defenders in drop coverage. It's important for guys to be able to recover and contest shots from behind, making the ball-handler squirm a bit.&nbsp;
Young has removed that from the table with his ability to stop-and-pop. Quibble about those foul calls if you want, but it's a smart (and legal) way to make him even more difficult to defend. If he gets you on his hip, you're pretty much done for.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/17ag2f" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Again, infuriating. But again, smart and legal.&nbsp;
Instead of straight-line recovery paths, taking a different angle to end up on Young's side (instead of his hip) may be the best way to bother him. Peep this rep from Middleton.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/xry89r" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter">
<div class="c-message_kit__gutter__right" data-qa="message_content">
<div class="c-message_kit__blocks c-message_kit__blocks--rich_text">
<div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer" data-qa="block-kit-renderer">
<div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first">
<div class="p-rich_text_block" dir="auto">
<div class="p-rich_text_section">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p-rich_text_section">With that plan, Young would have to go with a super unnatural shooting motion to lean in and draw fouls that way. He still could -- he's that slithery -- but it's at least extra work. That kind of extra work, with his usage, can add up over the course of the series.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
If the deeper drop remains a default, that will not only put strain on Young's defender. It'll also require some extra help off the ball. You can afford to have Lopez deeper in the paint, the last line of defense, if there's someone who can throw off Young's cadence in the intermediate area. Timely digs from the perimeter will be key in this instance.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/5d40od" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Jeff Teague (I would hope there won't be any Teague in this series) gets lost in the sauce early, while Bobby Portis is dropping&nbsp;from&nbsp;the dotted line area. Tucker is able to bridge the gap by showing some help right as Young begins his gather. That can work on occasion; you just have to be weary of Young making kick-outs.
Something to consider: one way to cut off Young's rhythm could be to switch. That will depend on the personnel on the floor, as well as who Young's partner is in ball-screen actions.
(Quietly, this is the case to keeping Tucker in the starting lineup. Switching Young-Bogdanovic or Young-Huerter pick-and-rolls, whichever assignment Tucker draws, could put a dent into Young's mismatch hunting.)
In terms of the partnerships, switching the Young-Collins pick-and-roll should be worth considering. The two generated just 0.94 points per possession when facing a switch, well below their overall efficiency (1.06 PPP) per Second Spectrum.
Forcing Young to shoot over the outstretched limbs of Giannis may be a worthwhile gamble. Collins has been a menace on the block against guards (1.23 PPP), though Holiday is not your ordinary guard (0.88 PPP allowed on post-ups).
Defending the Shooters (Perimeter)
Lou Williams: Soft close-out
<ul>
<li>It seems counterintuitive based on his production. Williams shot north of 44% from three as a Hawk this season, though did so on low volume. The argument is that Williams, even at this stage, is more dangerous getting downhill (and grifting for fouls) than he is as a three-point marksman. Show him you're coming without getting too close to him; that could eliminate some of his pump-and-drive or pump-and-lean-in game.</li>
</ul>
Kevin Huerter: Hard close-out to his right hand
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Huerter is a lights-out shooter, a career 38% marksman with volume and shot versatility. He can drain spot-up shots, convert on pump-and-sidestep looks, and is a willing relocator when the action is flowing elsewhere. Running Huerter off the line makes sense; doing so and forcing him to use his left is the optimal outcome. He already isn't a rim threat, and has oddly shot much worse on pull-ups when driving left.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-06-22-at-9-59-16-am.png" alt="" width="1013" height="325" />
Bogdan Bogdanovic: Hard, but controlled close-out
<ul>
<li>Bogdanovic is an elite shooter with a high release point. He cares not for your contests; per Synergy, Bogdanovic ranked in the 91st percentile on "guarded" catch-and-shoot looks. That doesn't mean you don't try, but you also don't want to get sloppy. He absolutely has the playmaking chops to beat a rotating defense, and complements that with a more complete scoring arsenal than Huerter. Don't let him get busy.</li>
</ul>
Tony Snell: Hard close-out
<ul>
<li>Snell hasn't shot well this postseason, but he has long earned the pedigree of a high-level spot-up shooter. He also... doesn't do much else with the ball. Force him off the line and make him make decisions.</li>
</ul>
Defending the Shooters (Frontcourt)
Danilo Gallinari: Hard close-out
<ul>
<li>Gallinari can stroke it from deep (career 38.2% shooter on 5.2 attempts), and resides in the cares-not-for-your-contest division. Injuries and age have sapped a lot of his burst off the bounce; running him off the line and forcing him to beat you with drives, pull-ups, and tough turnarounds might be a reasonable bet.</li>
</ul>
Solomon Hill: Let him fire
<ul>
<li>Hill has shot above league average from three once in his career, and even that mark (36.8% in 2019-20) came on relatively low volume (2.9 attempts). He's okay from the corners (career 36.6%), but it's underwhelming considering a majority of those looks have been wide open. Muck up the action elsewhere.</li>
</ul>
John Collins: Soft close-out
<ul>
<li>At a certain point, the scouting report on Collins has to change a bit. We're now two years into Collins becoming a stretch option; he's drilled 40% of his threes over the past two seasons on moderate volume. He's shooting 39% in the postseason. His release is a bit slow so there's no need to blitz him, but he's at least graduated from "tip-your-cap-if-he-beats-us" status.</li>
</ul>
X-Factor: Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic has been huge for this Hawks team all season, thriving as a secondary option and completely taking over games when he's rolling. To that point: Bogdanovic dropped 28-6-7 against the Bucks on April 15, then dropped 32 on them on April 25.&nbsp;His shot-making is a perfect complement to, and occasionally a cover for, Young.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/uvxbey" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The issue is less about Bogdanovic's playoff mettle, and more about his health. He suffered a knee injury early in Game 6. It didn't keep him out of Game 7, but he was clearly hampered (four points on 2-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes).
This isn't a profound point, but the Hawks will need him to be at or near full strength to have a hope in this series. And to that point, pressuring Bogdanovic will go a long way to stifling Atlanta's half-court attack.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scouting-report-how-the-hawks-can-stop-the-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Nekias' breakdown of how the Hawks should defend the Bucks.</a>

Nekias Duncan puts on his amateur coaching hat and puts together a game plan on how the Bucks should defend the Hawks.

Scouting Report: How the Bucks can stop the Hawks

<div>
In the era of super-teams and ring culture, the grind and process of progression often go undervalued.
Watching a team ascend from the developmental stage to contention is rewarding and invigorating. In the case of the Atlanta Hawks' rise, the journey has been downright fun.
After soundly eliminating the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Hawks continued to introduce themselves as "next" in the Eastern Conference during Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, putting up 42 points in the first quarter and leading by as many as 26 points in the first half. But it wasn&rsquo;t just the result that was stunning, though; how it was done was also a shock.
Not only did Atlanta hit 42.9% of their three-pointers, they also destroyed Philadelphia&rsquo;s interior defense, scoring in the paint with floaters and lobs. Defensively, they forced 19 turnovers, and their first-half points off of turnovers gave them a huge advantage for most of the game.
For some, these Hawks have been a revelation in the playoffs &mdash; a young-and-hungry team that could become one of the top squads in the East for years to come. Here&rsquo;s how the Hawks turned their potential into a credible reality.
</div>
<div>
ROSTER RECONSTRUCTION
</div>
<div>
During the brief offseason, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk made it his purpose to build a squad that is ready to compete right now instead of two or three years down the line. In November, Schlenk and the Hawks acquired shooters in Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari to complement Trae Young in terms of on-court fit, and Rajon Rondo for his veteran presence and leadership. In December, the Hawks exercised team options on Young, Kevin Huerter, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish.
As the season progressed, Schlenk realized that the Hawks would need more auxiliary scoring in preparation for the playoffs, so he dealt Rondo to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Lou Williams.
While the Hawks' performance this postseason has been encouraging so far, Schlenk knows that this is only the team&rsquo;s first phase.
&ldquo;We went out and got some older free agents, but the core of our team is still guys that are 22 or 23 years old,&rdquo; Schlenk shared in a <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/hawks-playoff-success-just-the-beginning-for-gm-travis-schlenk/ar-AAKBitk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">r</a><a href="https://omny.fm/shows/92-9-the-game-morning-show-w-john-and-hugh/travis-schlenk-with-john-and-hugh-54" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecent interview with 92.9 The Game</a>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re not going to be the best version of themselves until they&rsquo;re 27 or 28, so we still have four or five more years to continue to develop these young guys to get them to their primes, so it&rsquo;s an exciting time for Atlanta Hawks basketball.&rdquo;
Despite being new to the postseason, Young is already playing with the poise and maturity of a seasoned vet. The rest of the core is emulating that same poise and confidence. As they continue to develop and take in the experience from this season and postseason and apply it in the immediate future, this Hawks team will be one of the toughest teams to face in the East &mdash; perhaps sooner than expected.
</div>
<div>
#WEMOVE (THE BALL)
</div>
<div>
When Nate McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce in March, he implemented more ball movement on offense and how could he not? The Hawks have the shooters and scorers for a not only a solid offense, but a high-powered, versatile one.
With nine players averaging 10 or more points per game, McMillan gradually added more off-ball screens in his offense to help create more motion away from the ball. Under Pierce, the Hawks hovered around 28th in the league in off-ball screens. Under McMillan, the Hawks ranked 11th in the league during the back stretch of the regular season.
What&rsquo;s fascinating about McMillan&rsquo;s off-ball adjustments is the fact that they are creating more open looks in the paint and at the rim as opposed to the perimeter.
</div>
<div>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AXFxMzu_iCU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
At the 50-second mark, notice how Young runs a back-screen for Bogdanovic. After running that screen, Bogdanovic moves to the weak side, and Young pops out above another screen for a drive to the basket and score.
At 3:35, check out the action coming out of the Young and Clint Capela high pick-and-roll. Young has Ben Simmons on his hip and two other defenders closing in on him during the drive. John Collins slashes to the paint for yet another lob.
What changed the dynamic of the Hawks&rsquo; offense along with the off-ball action is Young&rsquo;s ability to break down defenses from his drives and attack with his floater or multiple lobs to Capela and Collins.
On the other hand, if the Hawks decide to spread defenses out, they have knockdown shooters in Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter. Collins is also able to knock down shots. They also have more than capable shooters in Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari, and before his injury, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter proved himself to be a solid &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; guy who can shoot it, as well.
Atlanta&rsquo;s firepower and offensive depth have shown more than enough promise during the playoffs. Expect this depth to become even more formidable next season.
</div>
<div>
IMPROVEMENT ON DEFENSE
</div>
<div>
While the Hawks' offense garners most of the attention, what shouldn&rsquo;t go unnoticed is the strides made on the other end. One of the huge factors in their first-round win over the Knicks and their Game 1 win over the Sixers was their defense.
In Game 1 against the Sixers, the Hawks played the passing lanes for the majority of the turnovers they forced. In the Knicks series, they hounded Julius Randle on the perimeter and in the paint.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5CH8BlnmJL4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
In a few examples during the series, four Hawks defenders are present and ready to crowd Randle, contesting his shots and denying his attempts to drive and kick to other shooters.
At the 2:24 mark, notice how one defender is in Randle&rsquo;s space while three others are ready to trap. At 2:26, there&rsquo;s a double team waiting and Bogdanovic waiting in the cut. Bogdanovic plays the passing lane perfectly for the steal.
These are a couple of examples of McMillan&rsquo;s defensive impact on the team &mdash; they are now an aggressive, sound unit that may bend at times, but won&rsquo;t break. It will be interesting to see what kind of strides the Hawks make on this side of the ball with a full season under McMillan.
The Atlanta Hawks accomplished what they aspired to this year &mdash; make the playoffs and make some noise.
Regardless of what happens during the second round, Atlanta has solidified themselves as not only a team to watch next year, but a team that may soon emerge as a contender on the rise.
</div>

The Atlanta Hawks have become a new team under Nate McMillan, and they may soon become a serious contender out East.

Welcome to the ‘A’: Inside the Atlanta Hawks’ stunning rise

Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones was the guy who would routinely hold court at his locker a half-hour before games and engage in all sorts of conversations in his playing days. Books he was reading, what the financial markets were doing, current events, political matters, the nuances of the NBA&rsquo;s collective bargaining agreement. It was all fair game.
He was smart. He knew it, too.
These days, the rest of the NBA &mdash; if they didn&rsquo;t know previously &mdash; has figured that out as well.
The eight general managers left in the NBA playoffs all had success stories to tell long before their postseason runs of 2021 started. For the team that winds up winning the NBA title, it&rsquo;ll be a breakthrough since none of the remaining franchises have won a championship since 1983. And for the winning GM, it&rsquo;ll be another breakthrough -- since none of them have won rings in their current capacities either.
&ldquo;I took this job saying this would be a challenge for me to help young guys who are here in Phoenix, trying their hardest to see success and to live their dream,&rdquo; Jones, a three-time NBA champion as a player in Miami and Cleveland, said recently on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3_PCD13bQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former NBA guard Rex Chapman&rsquo;s podcast</a>. &ldquo;That became my motivation. So, when we started the work of changing the culture, it was more like, &lsquo;Hey, this isn&rsquo;t about us going to try and find the players that can get us back. It&rsquo;s about taking the players we have and helping them move forward.&rsquo;&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ak3_PCD13bQ" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The structure of front offices differs a bit from team to team; GMs simply have more power in some places than others. But the role is vital, no matter how it gets defined in each city.
Atlanta&rsquo;s Travis Schlenk built through the draft, then spent on free agents last summer and this season made the tough call to fire Lloyd Pierce and promote Nate McMillan. Now, the Hawks are in the second round.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Sean Marks swung for the fences and landed Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, then got Steve Nash to coach them.
Elton Brand in Philadelphia is with a team that kept Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons together, surrounded them with shooting, brought Daryl Morey in basically to mastermind matters and hired Doc Rivers to coach.
Utah's Justin Zanik has been a right-hand man for Jazz Executive Vice President Dennis Lindsey for some time, and now has a more hands-on role in decisions like the trade for Mike Conley &mdash; a key part of this team finishing with the NBA's best regular-season record.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Michael Winger with the Los Angeles Clippers, a team with Lawrence Frank running the front office, has been widely regarded around the league for a decade over his salary-cap management techniques.
Jon Horst in Milwaukee already has been Executive of the Year, and that was before he got Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign his supermax and acquired Jrue Holiday.
Denver GM Calvin Booth has worked with Nuggets President Tim Connelly for years and is finishing his first year with a club that now has an MVP in Nikola Jokic and is clearly in a championship-aspiration window that should last a few years.
And Jones, all he did was hire Monty Williams to coach, then swung a deal for Chris Paul. The Suns are on their best run in 11 years as a result.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s so important for a coach to have a really good relationship with the front office, because if that&rsquo;s not there, then whatever you&rsquo;re trying to do isn&rsquo;t going to work,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers said this season.
There are 22 teams already in their offseason, so for the final eight teams and their GMs things are apparently working.
It shouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise. They all got some good educations along the way.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
There are ties to Pat Riley; Schlenk, like Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, started in the Miami video room and Jones was part of the Heat for years. There are ties to Gregg Popovich; Marks won a title as a player in San Antonio and another there as an assistant.
Some learned from the best in their fields; Brand went to Duke where he learned from Mike Krzyzewski, Winger broke into the sports world learning from renowned agent Ron Shapiro, and Zanik&rsquo;s first job out of college was with agent Mark Bartelstein.
And there are rise-up-the-ladder stories; Horst won a pair of national titles at the relatively unknown USCAA level in college, and Booth was a 3.3-point-per-game scorer yet still carved out a 10-year NBA playing career.
A month or so from now, one of them is going to have his hands on the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. If the Suns pull it off, Jones &mdash; who has to be a frontrunner for executive of the year &mdash; would have his fourth championship in 10 seasons, for three different franchises, in two different jobs.
Makes sense. After all, his nickname is Champ. Kevin Love called Jones in an Instagram post after the 2016 championship run with the Cavaliers &ldquo;the best teammate I ever had.&rdquo;
&ldquo;In order to lead,&rdquo; Love wrote, &ldquo;sometimes you have to learn to follow.&rdquo;
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org&nbsp;

There are eight teams left standing in the NBA playoffs, and each of the general managers deserve credit for building a contender.

Examining the NBA GMs who assembled the remaining playoff teams

Nate McMillan gives a glimpse of his coaching style when he talks about his playing days.
He never cared about the accolades.
Just whatever it took to win.
&ldquo;A guy who put his nose in everything,&rdquo; McMillan recalled. &ldquo;I wasn't a guy who pouted about minutes or rotations or shots or points or any of that. I tried to be a glue guy who made his teammates better.&rdquo;
He's certainly made the Hawks a lot better since he took over as interim head coach.
Atlanta was plodding along at 14-20 when <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-atlanta-hawks-atlanta-travis-schlenk-750105d93b206e7b8231933cb18acfa4">Lloyd Pierce was fired</a> just before the All-Star break.
McMillan, who had joined Pierce's staff before this season, was elevated to the top post. Since then, the Hawks have been one of the NBA's best teams with a 27-11 record, securing their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-washington-wizards-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-2396183616449b68485403a291785c61">first trip to the playoffs</a> since 2017.
The only teams to win more over the final 38 games of the regular season were Phoenix and Denver, two of the best squads in the West. The only team to match the Hawks in the East were the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
&ldquo;You see the results,&rdquo; guard Bogdan Bogdanovic said. &ldquo;Coaching is a crucial part of our success. A lot of teams are talented in this league, but they're not under control. He did that. He brought a little bit of control to this team. He helped us get our wins.&rdquo;
McMillan also brought a toughness &mdash; the trait he exhibited during a 12-year playing career spent entirely with the Seattle SuperSonics &mdash; that the Hawks sorely needed.
Under Pierce, the team continually wilted in the fourth quarter, with 13 of 20 losses by 10 points or less.
The dynamic has totally changed since McMillan took over. Atlanta is 11-5 in games decided by no more than 10 points.
This is a bit of redemption for the 56-year-old, who had previously been a head coach at Seattle, Portland and Indiana.
Then again, McMillan still has to prove he can win in the playoffs.
Last year, after guiding the Pacers to a 45-28 record despite myriad injuries, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/43a017f76cec8c8f5e5122b1b0354417">he was fired</a> on the heels of a second straight sweep in the opening round of the postseason. Over his 17-year head coaching career, McMillan is 1-9 in postseason series, with his lone victory coming way back in 2005.
&ldquo;For me, this is a different team and we&rsquo;re going into the playoffs for the first time with this group,&rdquo; McMillan said. "Whatever people want to say, I&rsquo;m not concerned about that. The focus is me getting this team prepared for this playoffs &mdash; not validating.&rdquo;
This is what the Hawks had in mind when they began a major rebuild in 2017, completely overhauling a team that had posted the top record in the East and made it to the conference finals just two seasons earlier.
Focusing on the draft, Atlanta assembled the core of its team &mdash; notably, Trae Young and John Collins. After being one of eight teams left out of the bubble in last year's pandemic-affected season, the Hawks had plenty of money to spend in free agency, allowing them to sign Bogdanovich and top bench player Danilo Gallinari. A key trade just before the 2020 shutdown brought in center Clint Capela, who led the NBA in rebounding while averaging more than two blocks a game.
But McMillan, it seems, was the one who brought it all together. In a bit of a surprise, he wasn't among the three finalists for the coach of the year award announced Thursday.
&ldquo;He helped us a lot,&rdquo; Capela said. &ldquo;I just felt like he really he helped a lot of guys to step up, to just be more aggressive defensively and offensively. He really helped a lot of guys. He definitely deserves big credit for the team&rsquo;s success.&rdquo;
McMillan's blunt demeanor turned up again as the Hawks prepared to face another resurgent franchise, the New York Knicks, in the opening round. Game 1 is Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
With nearly a week to prepare, McMillan tried to instill an underdog mentality in his team by making it clear he thinks most of the nation &mdash; the NBA, even &mdash; is rooting for the big-market Knicks to advance.
He even shared his thoughts with reporters.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked about that to the team a lot,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gone as far as saying, the league wants this, they need this. New York, this is a big market. It&rsquo;s a big market for the league. New York has been out of the playoffs for a number of years. This is a team that our league, they want to see, they want to see New York in the playoffs.&rdquo;
McMillan also implied that the referees will be favoring the Knicks, making it tough for his team to get close calls.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s real. We&rsquo;re going to have to play through that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be physical. Probably a lot of calls are not going our way."
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-state-wire-atlanta-hawks-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-eca6174611ada76f291bf9f01359e5de">The league was not amused</a> by McMillan's comments. He was slapped with a $25,000 fine, adding an entirely new dynamic to the series before it even begins.
Rest assured, McMillan's players have his back.
&ldquo;Guys listen to him. He has a good presence about himself,&rdquo; forward De'Andre Hunter said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a genuine guy. I feel like that&rsquo;s the best thing for me. He&rsquo;s genuine.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Since McMillan took over, the Hawks have been one of the NBA's best teams with a 27-11 record, securing their first trip to the playoffs since 2017.

Corey