Trailblazers

We've gotten our first official trade of the WNBA offseason!
On Friday, Rachel Galligan of Winsidr reported the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever agreed to a player swap. The upstart Dream will be acquiring veteran guard Danielle Robinson, while the Fever will get guard Kristy Wallace in return.
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BREAKING: The Atlanta Dream have traded Kristy Wallace to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Danielle Robinson, sources confirm to <a href="https://twitter.com/Winsidr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Winsidr</a>
&mdash; Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) <a href="https://twitter.com/RachGall/status/1613993306907901952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Wallace was a bright spot for the Dream, providing shooting (36.8% from three), connectivity against tilted defenses and physicality on the non-glamour end of the floor. If The W had an All-Rookie second team, she would've been in strong consideration for a selection.
Robinson, a former All-Star (2013-15), provided a blend of pull-up shooting and table-setting for the younger-than-anyone Fever last season. She started all but one game she appeared in, but held a lower minute load (23.6) as the Fever opened up playing time for rookie point guard Destanni Henderson.&nbsp;
Despite the lack of star power in this trade, I'm intrigued by the ripple effects, particularly for the Dream. Robinson is not only seven years older (with more than 10 years of W experience than Wallace), she's also slated to make much more ($155K) than Wallace ($64.6K) will this season. Her addition to the roster is interesting considering the presence of Aari McDonald, as well as Erica Wheeler's pending free agency.
To that point, Wheeler let this tweet fly shortly after the trade report came out:
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Major respect for T and Dan <a href="https://twitter.com/AtlantaDream?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AtlantaDream</a> for calling me before today's news! Forever grateful for my ATL family! One of the best ran franchise! 🤞🏾
&mdash; Erica Wheeler (@EWeezy_For3eezy) <a href="https://twitter.com/EWeezy_For3eezy/status/1614023649538834433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2023</a></blockquote>

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If Wheeler winds up leaving the Dream, adding Robinson for veteran depth makes some sense. Beyond that, her (higher) salary could be easier to use in a future trade, depending on who the Dream target. For no reason at all, I'll note that Robinson's salary is $14K lower than Wings' forward Allisha Gray. It would be cool if the Dream were, I don't know, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-trade-rumors-news-dallas-wings-forward-allisha-gray-expected-to-be-traded-connecticut-sun-chicago-sky-washington-mystics-atlanta-dream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed as a possible trade destination</a> for Gray a few days ago.
For the Fever, this feels like a no-brainer. They can use some help on the wing, and Wallace could provide spacing and secondary attacks for their young core. Ridding themselves of Robinson should free up more playing time for Henderson, who only averaged 16.4 minutes per game on the year.
(Also, Henderson showed fun flashes to close out the year. Her averages &ndash; 9.4 points, 4.2 assists in 24.3 minutes &ndash; don't pop off the page, but her speed, playmaking and increased willingness to fire from deep should excite the fanbase moving forward.)

Nekias Duncan gives his initial thoughts on the first trade of the 2023 WNBA offseason.

Examining the trade between the Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; The arena where the Miami Heat play will soon have a new name, after the team and Miami-Dade County decided Friday to terminate their relationship with FTX on the same day <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-crypto-bankruptcy-filing-ed0f06c5db468e285f58af2d8766b51a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy</a>.
The building had been called FTX Arena since June 2021, and a 19-year, $135 million sponsorship agreement between FTX and the county was just getting started.
In a joint statement Friday night, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Heat said the news regarding FTX was &ldquo;extremely disappointing.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Miami-Dade County and the Miami Heat are immediately taking action to terminate our business relationships with FTX, and we will be working together to find a new naming rights partner for the arena,&rdquo; the statement read.
FTX entered into a number of sports-related deals, including with Mercedes for Formula One racing and a sponsorship deal with Major League Baseball &mdash; whose umpires wear the company&rsquo;s logo. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-business-auto-racing-formula-one-e328e64d7931d2b8e9b8715e2c2ec616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Earlier Friday, Mercedes said it would immediately remove FTX logos from its Formula One cars</a>.
Some of the top athletes in the world also had FTX deals, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uymLJoKFlW8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsy2N-XI04o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry</a>.
Miami-Dade County, which owns the arena and negotiated the naming rights deal, struck the agreement with FTX in March 2021. The name of the building changed from AmericanAirlines Arena to FTX Arena three months later.
The Heat were to receive $2 million a year as part of the deal. Most of the rest &mdash; roughly $90 million over the lifetime of the agreement &mdash; was to be paid to the county, the vast majority of it earmarked toward fighting gun violence and poverty.
FTX filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, ending a disastrous few days for what had been the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world when the week began. The company&rsquo;s CEO and founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, has resigned.
The embattled cryptocurrency exchange, short billions of dollars, sought bankruptcy protection after the exchange experienced the crypto equivalent of a bank run.

The Miami Heat have terminated their relationship with FTX after the cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy.

Miami Heat's home arena will get new name after FTX collapse

DeMatha was leading Sierra Canyon by almost double digits in the fourth quarter, but the Trailblazers were mounting a comeback and chipping away at the lead.&nbsp;
The electrified crowd was enthusiastically cheering on the hometown Stags. It felt like an NBA-playoff atmosphere.&nbsp;
Senior point guard Jaden Winston led a very balanced DeMatha attack with 10 points, but his real impact was felt on the defensive end where he harassed the Sierra Canyon backcourt the entire night. The guards were visibly uncomfortable, which at times led to them struggling to get into their offensive sets and contributed to Bronny James being held to 11 points on just two field-goals.
Ashton Hardaway, who led Sierra Canyon with 14 points, had a very impressive night scoring in a variety of ways &mdash;from fastbreak dunks to offensive putbacks. Down the stretch, he displayed great footwork with a mid-post move to a turnaround fade that brought "ooohs" and "aaaahs" from the DeMatha-heavy crowd.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, a crowd disturbance caused the game to be cancelled with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. (DeMatha was leading 52-51 at the time the game was called).
Following the game, Rashid Ghazi, the president of Paragon Marketing Group, issued the following statement through social media: "Given the incident in the stands tonight during the CBC vs. Stags game at Wise High School, we have cancelled Sunday&rsquo;s event. We are making the decision out of the utmost of caution to ensure player and fan safety. Refunds will be available via Go Fan."
I spoke to a group of teenage girls outside of the Wise High School gymnasium who were witnesses to what happened (including my daughter Imani Thomas) who told me:
&ldquo;I was walking by the concession line when I just saw everyone start running. They were jumping down from the bleachers and stampeding toward the exit. I have never seen anything like this before. People were so scared; they looked like they were running for their lives, so I started running too. Not like I was going to ask anyone what happened or what was going on. I saw running so I ran.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Another teenager added: &ldquo;They should&rsquo;ve had this at a bigger place, like where the Mystics play in Southeast. That&rsquo;s a big arena, so you wouldn&rsquo;t have had to have people all in the aisles and packed around the balcony. That was just a bad set up. Someone could&rsquo;ve really gotten hurt.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Another teenage girl passionately chimed in with,&nbsp;&ldquo;This was all Sierra Canyon&rsquo;s fault. They were so busy trying to protect Bronny, they caused all of this themselves. Nothing even happened. There was no fight, not even any punches were thrown. It was some young boys running off at the mouth at each other.&rdquo;&nbsp;
One of Imani&rsquo;s schoolmates added, &ldquo;Hey, they gotta protect LeBron's son. They can&rsquo;t be having him out here risking it all.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Another girl responded: &ldquo;Yeah, but them being all scared for no reason caused all this and it wasn&rsquo;t even that serious. Nobody would&rsquo;ve reacted if they didn&rsquo;t see them start running for their lives off the court. Ain&rsquo;t nobody gonna do nothing to Bronny. I wanted to see them finish the game and send them back to Cali with an L.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Imani chimed back in with,&nbsp;&ldquo;There were just way too many people in there in the first place. Wasn&rsquo;t that a health-code violation or fire-marshall issue or something?&rdquo;&nbsp;
They were all absolutely correct in their assessments.&nbsp;
From where I was standing in the overly-crowded balcony they were referring to, I could see everything and what I saw was two young kids who couldn&rsquo;t have been any older than 6th or 7th grade start arguing with each other. Then, I saw security rush over toward them and everyone started to look up into the stands to see what was going on. I looked back onto the court and I saw Sierra Canyon literally running for their lives off of the court. What followed could only be described as complete panic and pandemonium. But as the teenager pointed out, this was 100% prompted by Sierra Canyon&rsquo;s sprint off the court.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a shame because it was an amazing display of basketball being played by both teams filled with highlights.&nbsp;
A three-pointer from freshman phenom Ashton Meeks after Jaden Winston makes the defender almost do the splits:
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Jaden Winston finds Ashton Meeks for the 3-ball. Meeks is the younger cousin of former DeMatha star Earl Timberlake. <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMathaHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMathaHoops</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaeewinston1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jaeewinston1</a> <a href="https://t.co/gmKfk4tUy3">pic.twitter.com/gmKfk4tUy3</a>
&mdash; Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolHoops/status/1586567933886701568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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A rebound putback and-one by Malcolm Thomas brought the crowd to its feet:
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Jaden Winston steal on one end. Malcolm Thomas Follow up on the other. <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaeewinston1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jaeewinston1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/princ3_thomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@princ3_thomas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMathaHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMathaHoops</a> <a href="https://t.co/QoBJoUmVTs">pic.twitter.com/QoBJoUmVTs</a>
&mdash; Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolHoops/status/1586570558401138688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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A pull-up three-pointer by Bronny James:
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Bronny James pull-up tonight for Sierra Canyon. <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMathaHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMathaHoops</a> did a tremendous job on James defensively tonight. This was one of his buckets. <a href="https://t.co/RoFwUmN7oq">pic.twitter.com/RoFwUmN7oq</a>
&mdash; Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolHoops/status/1586545569480179712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But the play that brought the house down was made by DeMatha&rsquo;s Chris McElveen. It&rsquo;s a play that will be talked about in the DMV for quite sometime. A fastbreak dunk over Bronny James that almost caused the game to be paused in itself:
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Bronny James and Sierra Canyon put on a show tonight at Wise before some unfortunate circumstances ended the game with 2 mins left and <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMathaHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMathaHoops</a> up 1. But many will remember this game because Chris McElveen (<a href="https://twitter.com/iam_cris21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iam_cris21</a>) put one on Bronny&rsquo;s head!! 😱😱😱😱 <a href="https://t.co/CzYm5KHK45">pic.twitter.com/CzYm5KHK45</a>
&mdash; Capitol Hoops (@CapitolHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolHoops/status/1586535252784095232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Regardless of the unfortunate ending, this was a great display of basketball played in Prince George&rsquo;s County on Saturday night. Yes, adjustments will have to be made the next time as suggested by the group of very astute and keenly aware teenage girls. But overall, the crowd definitely got their money&rsquo;s worth (even if it was a hiked up $15 a pop for a preseason scrimmage game).
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A few things impressed me with this play. The fact that Malcolm <a href="https://twitter.com/princ3_thomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@princ3_thomas</a> challenged Bronny up top (yes he did foul him but he also got a lot of the ball too) but the fact that he didn&rsquo;t move out of the way and just allow the Bronny highlight <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoNo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoNo</a> (Shout out to Mutumbo) <a href="https://t.co/HK6fKMrSdg">pic.twitter.com/HK6fKMrSdg</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1586712529421705217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Credit to <a href="https://instagram.com/tariqa1i?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tariq Ali</a>, who contributed the photo of Bronny James.

Etan Thomas was in attendance for Saturday's game between DeMatha and Sierra Canyon that ended due to a crowd disturbance.

DeMatha-Sierra Canyon game ends early after minor crowd disturbance

Through two weeks of the WNBA season, where does each team stack up and what are some prime takeaways?

WNBA Power Rankings 5/22

Two days after the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 20, I received a text message from former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson, who I had worked with at CBS Sports HQ:
Matt, I'm working with a group called Overtime. Can I connect you with the co-founder to share our vision for a major concept coming to market next year?
Of course, I said, &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
Shortly after, Overtime co-founder Zack Weiner connected with me. He didn't share any details about the "major concept," but he did say that he or a senior-level executive would call me in the following days.
I was appreciative that Avery had thought of me for their project, and I had every intention of hearing them out. However, I wasn't familiar with the company Overtime, and I'm regularly approached with new consulting opportunities, so nothing seemed to be all that atypical for me.
A few days later, I received a call from Shea Dawson, Overtime&rsquo;s head of athlete relations. She shared some details about Overtime as a company and explained that they had a new project in the works that would "change the game." She continued to tell me that their group felt that my background, experience and skill set would be helpful to them. Unfortunately, she couldn't fill me in on the project's specifics, as I needed to sign a non-disclosure agreement first.
After speaking with Shea, although I still wasn't clear about it, I became more intrigued about the potential opportunity.
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As I waited for the NDA to be emailed, I began doing my research on Overtime. I learned that the company was founded in 2016 by Zack Weiner and Dan Porter, who had worked together at WME, a leader in the talent agency industry. They started by raising seed money. Some early investors included former NBA commissioner David Stern and NBA star Kevin Durant. I then found out Overtime was a media company that creates unique content and targets a younger audience. (By 2019, Overtime was generating over a billion video views per month.)
So naturally, I became increasingly intrigued to learn about this mysterious project.
I finally received the email from Shea that included the NDA. I signed it and sent it back almost immediately.
Then, at last, the phone rang. It was Shea:
Matt, I'm so excited to share the details with you. We are creating a new professional league for high school-aged players. We want you to help us pull it together.
I had a lot of questions:
<ul>
<li>Where would they play?</li>
<li>Would they get paid, and how much?</li>
<li>Would the players go to school and earn a degree?</li>
<li>Would draft-eligible players be a part of the league?</li>
<li>Most importantly, what would happen to the players once they finished the league, and would they be eligible to play in college?</li>
</ul>
Despite my questions, I agreed to explore ideas to get involved. So for a couple of months, I had a handful of video conference calls with Shea and Aaron Ryan, a former executive in the NBA&rsquo;s office who was working as a consultant for the newly proposed and unnamed league.
Everything finally began to take shape by mid-January 2021. They named the league Overtime Elite (OTE). Aaron was hired as commissioner, while former NBA player and executive Brandon Williams was named head of basketball operations. In addition, I agreed to a short-term consulting deal to become a scouting advisor for the group.
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On March 4, 2021, OTE was publicly announced, releasing some project details. For starters, Overtime successfully raised $80 million. The newly raised money was allocated to build an arena in Atlanta, Georgia, and provide the league's players with salaries of a minimum of $100,000 per year among other things. The news spread like wildfire, and the feedback was mixed.
On one hand, NBA commissioner Adam Silver seemed to be optimistic, stating that he didn't have a problem with young players being paid and thought optionality was good. But, on the other hand, many of my friends in the industry were tearing the idea apart &mdash; some publicly and many behind closed doors.&nbsp;
What was the big issue with OTE, you ask? Well, I'll get to that in a minute.
As a scouting advisor, I assisted in setting up the scouting department and evaluated prospective players. Our group worked hard, and we did a good job. However, once OTE began recruiting, negotiating and looking to sign players, our scouting department shifted from evaluating players to recruiting them.&nbsp;
It was a necessary shift for the group, undoubtedly; however, I felt it put me in a compromising situation considering my involvement in so many different areas of basketball, including running <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA Draft and scouting coverages for BasketballNews.com</a>. I enjoyed working for OTE, but I decided to leave the group to avoid further conflicts of interest.
My last day working for OTE was May 14, which was a little over two months from OTE's launch date, four months from my start date with the company and six months since I first heard from Avery.
I may have left, but of course the show went on.
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Our scouting department identified the right players. Williams and Tim Fuller, the director of scouting and recruiting, did a great job of recruiting them. Then, on May 21, one week after I left the group, OTE announced that the league signed its first players: Matt and Ryan Bewley, five-star prospects from the Class of 2023. Then, Ausar and Amen Thompson after them. Then, Jean Montero, a top-rated point guard from the Dominican Republic. After that, there became a steady flow of new signings, one after another. OTE was rolling!
On Oct. 24, they hosted their first Pro Day. Following the event, NBA personnel and media members raved about the facilities and the talent level. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it due to scheduling conflicts. I planned to attend a couple of days of their games in December, but out of an abundance of caution and rising numbers of COVID and flu cases around sports, the games were cancelled.
A few weeks ago, I finally made my way out to Atlanta to see OTE's finished product. In addition to seeing all of the players that our scouting group evaluated and discussed for months, I was able to see the OTE Arena with my own eyes.&nbsp;
While working for OTE, I was on semi-regular video conference calls hosted by Tim Katt, who spearheaded the arena's development. I expected it to be impressive, but my expectations were far exceeded. I was blown away by the building as soon as I walked in.
The bright lights, advanced technology, music and cameras were the first things that jumped out. There was no denying that it was a unique place. Keep in mind, I've spent my entire life in and around basketball, and I have seen the game from just about every angle possible, all over the world. So I wouldn't consider myself someone easily impressed with basketball facilities &mdash; and I was impressed!&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ote6837_20220113_ote_1545_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="436" />
My former co-workers, Louis Lehman and Matt Verden, gave me a tour throughout the facility. The more I saw, the more impressed I became. It wasn't the glitz and glam of it that impressed me as much as the resources I saw for young players to develop. For example, the players are given access to a personal chef for three meals per day, an incredible practice facility and high-level strength-and-conditioning spaces. Additionally, OTE has a well-built (and deep) coaching and support staff led by former NBA player and college head coach Kevin Ollie. Nowhere else in the world provides comparable levels of resources to players ranging between 16-18 years old.
Once the games started, the talent popped. Montero is the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jean-montero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">main prospect for this year's upcoming draft</a>. He is likely to be the first draft pick to come out of the Overtime Elite program. The Thompson Twins look like lottery picks in the making for 2023. And then, guys like Alexandre Sarr and Tyler Smith look like they have promising NBA careers in their future too. And that's just naming a few; there&rsquo;s a ton of talent currently under contract.
I spent three days in Atlanta spending time with the OTE staff and becoming more familiar with the setup and evaluating their young prospects. On my flight home, I gathered my thoughts. I couldn&rsquo;t help but feel that OTE is generally misunderstood. I think many people only see "fluff." However, I see it differently.
The cameras, the bright lights, loud music and the content the league creates are the vehicles to generate the money (via sponsorship and advertising) to be able to provide such an incredible infrastructure to develop players&rsquo; marketability &mdash; but more importantly, to help them grow as basketball players and young men.
Considering my role and background, I tend to become hyperfocused on young prospects' development as basketball players but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the education element of OTE as well. On the league's website, it states, "OTE offers a direct-instruction model led by individual instructors who teach both 1:1 and in small group sessions featuring a 4:1 student-teacher ratio. OTE supplements a traditional course offering with a focus on life skills including financial literacy, media training, and advocacy and sports, and business of basketball."
That all sounds great, but what it doesn't mention is that the owner and co-founder of Overtime, Porter, served as the first president of Teach for America. Since education is a vital part of Porter's background, education has been a focal point since the idea's inception. So although they provide a non-traditional education, I can assure you that OTE&rsquo;s education program is well buttoned up.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ote6513_20211214_ote_kh3_4898_lg.JPG" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
Overtime Elite is a special place and a terrific option for top teenage basketball players. I am proud to have played a small part in helping it go from being an ambitious idea into a successful reality.
But I'm going to address the elephant in the room now...
What's the catch with OTE? (Yes, there is one.)
For prospects to join the league, they have to sacrifice their college eligibility and instead, commit to a professional path. This alone has made the league controversial and subsequently labeled a disruptor in the basketball industry.
However, recently, it was announced that the NCAA had approved OTE players to participate in NCAA-certified AAU events this spring and summer.
Is this the first step towards players being able to sign with OTE while retaining their college eligibility? I'm not certain, but I sure hope so.
With all of that said, I'm going to leave you by posing a few questions:
<ul>
<li>What is the difference between a high school or college player receiving NIL deals and signing with OTE?</li>
<li>Who would be getting hurt by letting OTE players retain complete optionality and allowing them to play in college if they choose?</li>
<li>Is there any good reason that OTE players are not eligible to play in college other than arbitrary NCAA bylaws?</li>
</ul>
The questions are intended to be rhetorical, of course. However, I believe that they are essential.&nbsp;
So let's keep asking those questions!
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Matt Babcock describes his ties to Overtime Elite and why it is a special place and a terrific option for top teenage basketball players.

Matt Babcock: Overtime Elite is misunderstood

Trae Young responded to news of the Heat and Spurs postponing tonight's game with two questioning emojis.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1476290547010711555?s=20">Trae Young</a>
ANALYSIS: Trae Young has gotten into it with Jimmy Butler in the Miami Heat in the past, being called out by Butler for declaring a game over and then going onto lose.
Young followed that game up with a 50-point game at a later date.
The Hawks have also been without Young due to him being in protocols as of late, though they have not cancelled any games, and could perhaps be questioning the theoretical double-standard.
&nbsp;
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🧐🤔 <a href="https://t.co/dvXkoKnjYz">https://t.co/dvXkoKnjYz</a>
&mdash; Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1476290547010711555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2021</a>&nbsp;</blockquote>
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<a href="https://t.co/32p9lLLff1">pic.twitter.com/32p9lLLff1</a>
&mdash; Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1476292512436346880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Trae Young responded to news of the Heat and Spurs postponing tonight's game with two questioning emojis.

Trae Young takes aim at Heat-Spurs game being postponed

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to seven games with a 123-98 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Hassan Whiteside added 18 points and 14 rebounds off the bench as the Jazz completed a perfect four-game East Coast trip.
&ldquo;I think we're a better team now than when we left,&rdquo; Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. &ldquo;That's hopefully what competition does for you.&rdquo;
Mitchell shot 4 for 9 from long distance, while Gobert and Whiteside combined to go 17 of 19 from the floor as Utah took control in the third quarter after trailing by a point at halftime.
The Jazz entered Saturday three games back of Western Conference leaders Phoenix and Golden State.
&ldquo;I think tonight, the way we played on both ends and the mindset that we had was really like a contender mindset,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;Every quarter we got better.&rdquo;
Bradley Beal scored 21 points for the Wizards, who lost for the fourth time in five games and for the ninth time in 14 after a fast start to the season. Daniel Gafford added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
Washington led 51-50 at the break after a first half that included six ties and 11 lead changes. The Wizards were within three before the Jazz closed the third quarter on a 13-4 run.
&ldquo;It just kind of fell apart from there,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;It was something that we could've easily fixed, but at the time there was a lot of frustration out there. Guys weren't hitting shots. It happens.&rdquo;
Mitchell hit a driving layup, fed Whiteside for an alley-oop, then dunked during the stretch that gave Utah its first double-digit lead, 77-67.
Mike Conley put the Jazz up by double figures for good on a possession later, before feeding Gobert for a layup that made it 81-69 at the end of the quarter.
&lsquo;A REALITY FOR A WHILE&rsquo;
With Kuzma presumably dealing with a potential exposure to COVID-19, Gobert weighed in on dealing with the continued threat of the pandemic.
&ldquo;We see what's going on and we keep moving, we keep respecting the protocols, and at the same time, we keep doing what we do as a team," Gobert said. &ldquo;It's unfortunate when someone tests positive, but it's going to be a reality for a while, so we've got to just live with it."
Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, a turning point in the early pandemic which set in motion widespread cancellations in the sports world and beyond.
EASTBOUND AND UP
Utah's perfect four-game trip is its longest continuous stretch on the road without defeat since it also won all four games of a trip East from March 2-7, 2020.
Before the trip, the Jazz were 1-2 visiting Eastern Conference foes.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Converted nine alley-oop dunks ... Their halftime deficit was their first during the win streak. ... Gobert&rsquo;s double-double was his 20th of the season, while Whiteside had his fourth. Whiteside&rsquo;s 14 rebounds were a season-high.
Wizards: Gafford&rsquo;s double-double was his fourth of the season and the first since he had three in a row from Nov. 27-Dec. 1. ... F Kyle Kuzma was placed into the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols before the game.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Wizards: Visit Denver on Monday.

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Jazz extended their winning streak to seven.

Jazz beat Wizards 123-98, extend winning streak to 7 games

In 2006, I worked as a summer intern for a sports agency called Wasserman Media Group. With that job, I had a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. One of my duties was being the travel companion and, essentially, manager for Joel Freeland, a British NBA prospect who ultimately became the No. 30 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
Among the many stops that Joel and I made together prior to that draft was Memphis, Tennessee. He auditioned in front of then-Grizzlies general manager Jerry West ("The Logo" himself) and his staff. That was the first time I ever made a trip to Memphis, and little did I know at the time that I would come back to visit many more times throughout my career.
Well, this past week, I traveled to Memphis yet again. This season, in addition to my typical draft coverage, I will also be providing some NBA rookie coverage for BasketballNews.com.
So the first thing on my agenda, other than stopping by Gus&rsquo;s to get their world-famous fried chicken, was to take in a preseason game that had the Milwaukee Bucks facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies. In that contest, Ziaire Williams &mdash; who was selected No. 10 overall by the Grizzlies &mdash; was the highest pick from the 2021 NBA Draft who was playing.
I must say, I really enjoyed watching him lace 'em up and play in NBA threads for the first time. I have been following Williams since he was in high school, and it is a joy to watch players as they gradually tip-toe toward accomplishing their goals. Williams didn&rsquo;t start, but he was put into the game pretty quickly and got a steal right away. He ended up with 4 points on 2-for-4 from the field, playing 18 minutes in total. He had some rookie mistakes, but overall, I&rsquo;d say this was a productive first NBA game for the rookie.
Also worth mentioning is Sandro Mamukelashvili, the No. 54 pick by the Bucks. Last year, &ldquo;Mamu&rdquo; was among the favorites among our BasketballNews.com scouting staff. At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Mamu is a fun player to watch, as he is extremely versatile for a big man; he can handle, pass and shoot the ball. He also plays with a high motor and a great pace. In that game vs. the Grizzlies, Mamu scored 9 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in 29 minutes of floor time. I&rsquo;ll admit I&rsquo;m a bit biased here (my dad is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/growing-up-a-buck-millewahque-milwaukee-bucks-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">director of player personnel of the Bucks</a>), but Mamu looks like a great pick considering he was taken at the tail end of the second round.
I'd be remiss if I didn&rsquo;t mention how incredible Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was in this game, and in general. He scored a smooth 27 points in 24 minutes. I remember watching Morant score 27 points and dish out 12 assists at a Murray State home game against Southeast Missouri State a few years ago. In hindsight, even considering the lower level he was playing on, it was one of the most memorable performances that I&rsquo;ve ever seen by a draft prospect. It has been great to see Morant develop into the star that many of us thought and hoped he&rsquo;d become. It&rsquo;s crazy to think that he&rsquo;s still developing.
Perhaps the key storyline of the night was the game's abrupt end. Following the third quarter, the fire alarm went off, and the fans and teams subsequently evacuated the building, prematurely concluding the game. Although I attend games on a regular basis, that was quite different. Also, this was my first game of the 2021-22 campaign&mdash; certainly a strange way to kick the season off.
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I&rsquo;m set to watch many games throughout the 2021-22 season. The Bucks vs. Grizzlies game tonight was my first. It ended in an evacuation and cancellation after the 3rd quarter due to a fire alarm. And I thought things were getting back to normal&hellip; 😬 <a href="https://t.co/Fyh68OYWOs">pic.twitter.com/Fyh68OYWOs</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1445586285368729612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Although I enjoyed attending the Bucks and Grizzlies game, let&rsquo;s not forget that I&rsquo;m an NBA Draft Analyst first and foremost, so my main focus when putting together my travel schedule is to see NBA prospects. Well, with that strategy in place, Memphis was naturally a top-priority destination for me, as the Memphis Tigers are loaded with NBA talent.
I attended the Tigers&rsquo; pro day on Wednesday afternoon and walked away impressed. Here are my thoughts on a few of their top NBA prospects:
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jalen-duren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Duren</a> | Center | 6-foot-11, 250 pounds | Freshman
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I have watched Jalen Duren for years. I first saw him at a USA Basketball camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the time, Duren&rsquo;s physical tools instantly popped, and they still do. However, he has grown physically since then, as he is now 6-foot-11 and a chiseled 250 pounds while sporting an impressive 7-foot-5 wingspan. He has also grown as a player and seemingly as a young man. In high school, I first questioned his motor and approach, but he has improved in those areas significantly.
From a skill-set standpoint, Duren's key attributes are certainly his physical tools; he is an absolute brute. He will be most effective utilizing his physicality and explosivenss. Expect a lot of powerful dunks, blocks and rebounds. However, he continues to show flashes of skill as well; he has a good feel as a passer and a soft touch as a mid-range shooter. In fact, on one possession during live-play at pro day, he made an incredible move in the mid-post where he jab-stepped into a stepback turnaround jumper. I looked over and gave a staff member a look and simply said, &ldquo;Wow." Duren is currently slotted as the No. 4 prospect on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>, and after attending that pro day, I can confidently say he&rsquo;s in a good spot.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/fivestar-recruit-emoni-bates-commits-to-university-of-memphis-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emoni Bates</a> | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-9, 190 pounds | Freshman
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At this point I think anyone that follows basketball knows of Emoni Bates. I mean, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 15 years old, with the headline being &ldquo;Born for This.&rdquo; In <a href="https://www.si.com/high-school/2019/10/29/emoni-bates-nba-draft-prospect-kevin-durant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the article</a>, it suggested that he was a prodigy next in line to follow in the footsteps of LeBron James. The hype surrounding Emoni has taken on a life of it&rsquo;s own. In the last year or so, Bates has seemingly become a target of constant criticism due to the unreasonable expectations of him. Following the Memphis pro day, social media platforms went crazy over Bates&rsquo; physical measurements and testing. Although he was measured at an impressive 6-foot-9, his wingspan was measured only 6-foot-7 1/4, and his standing vertical was only 24.5 inches. I&rsquo;ll admit those numbers are very underwhelming but let&rsquo;s not lose sight of Bates&rsquo; talent, versatility, and upside. He&rsquo;s 6-9 and is just a natural scorer and playmaker.
I believe that long-term Bates would be best used as a shooting and scoring wing, but it seems as if head coach Penny Hardaway is going to use him at point guard &mdash; at least some of the time. Although I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s his long-term position, it&rsquo;s impressive that at 6-9 they have the confidence to even try to use him that way. My biggest concern with Bates is not his short wingspan or his underwhelming vertical jump, it&rsquo;s his lack of physical strength. However, let&rsquo;s not forget Bates is only 17 years old; in fact, he is not even old enough to be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. Despite the criticism, I still think Bates is a big-time prospect. The good thing for Bates is that he has plenty of time to prove the naysayers wrong. Either way, I&rsquo;m looking forward to continuing to watch his development.
Earl Timberlake | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-6, 220 pounds | Sophomore
Although I had watched plenty of film of Earl Timberlake, I had not seen him in person prior to the Memphis pro day, so I was eager to see him. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Timberlake has a strong and physical profile for a wing. Aside from his physical tools, he has what seems to be a knack for passing and playmaking; I expect for those parts of his game to be utilized greatly this year, as the Tigers&rsquo; overall guard play is questionable. We do not currently have Timberlake on our Big Board, as I&rsquo;m still working toward a more conclusive evaluation of him. But I am indeed intrigued, and will be tracking Timberlake closely.
Landers Nolley II | Forward | 6-foot-7, 220 pounds | Junior
I spent a lot of time watching Landers Nolley II while he was at Virginia Tech. I first saw him at the Maui Invitational, and then saw him in Blacksburg as the Hokies played Florida State, which included current NBA players Patrick Williams and Devin Vassell. At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Nolley's key attribute is a good one &mdash; he really shoots the ball well from outside. He&rsquo;s capable of putting the ball on the floor for mid-range pull-ups or straight-line drives; however, I view him as a shooter. Possessing a quick release, the issue has not been his ability, but more so his decision-making and shot selection. After watching him at the Memphis pro day, it seems as if he has improved his shot selection. He is not currenty on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board, but like his teammate, Earl Timberlake, we will be tracking him closely.&nbsp;
DeAndre Williams | Forward | 6-foot-9, 205 pounds | Senior
If DeAndre Williams is able to put together another quality season for the Tigers, I would not be surprised at all to see him claw his way into the NBA somehow. As a senior, Williams will certainly be a high priority for the <a href="https://www.tampabayprocombine.com/">Tampa Bay Pro Combine</a> Player Selection Committee, which I am co-chair of alongside former coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla.
Lester Quinones | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-5, 208 pounds | Junior
A do-it-all glue guy, Lester Quinones is a great piece for the Tigers&rsquo; team. Since I first saw him at the Memphis pro day a couple of years ago, he has transformed his body; he looks great! I&rsquo;m looking forward to watching his progress this season.
Josh Minott | Forward | 6-foot-8, 205 pounds | Freshman
Josh Minott is a long and athletic hybrid forward worth keeping a pulse on. I&rsquo;m not certain of the role he&rsquo;ll fill for the Tigers this season, but I do like his upside long-term.
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During my time as a sports agent, I represented two former Tigers in D.J. Stephens and Chris Crawford. I came to Memphis multiple times to recruit each one of them, and I also had each of them train locally with my friend Frank &ldquo;Hell&rsquo;s Trainer&rdquo; Matrisciano following their senior seasons. I remember having dinner with D.J. at Itta Bena, a great restaurant above B.B. King&rsquo;s that is a speakeasy and can only be entered through a fire escape. I also remember signing contracts with Chris at the historic Peabody Hotel, which is known for their ducks that march throughout the hotel on a red carpet. I became fond of the city during that time.
Since leaving the agent business in recent years, I have continued to come back to Memphis as an NBA Draft Analyst somewhat frequently to scout NBA prospects. I attended the Tigers&rsquo; pro day a couple of years ago to see James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa. In addition, I watched R.J. Hampton&rsquo;s team, the New Zealand Breakers, play an exhibition game versus the Grizzlies and Anthony Edwards&rsquo; Georgia Bulldogs play the Tigers. I also spent time with and watched local product Kennedy Chandler, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tennessee-volunteers-point-guard-kennedy-chandler-intent-on-showing-size-isnt-everything">who is now a freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers</a> and is currently slotted as the 13th-best prospect on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
Once again, attending the Tigers' pro day was certainly fruitful from a scouting standpoint. Memphis will certainly be a high priority for our scouting staff to keep an eye on moving forward.&nbsp;
I thoroughly enjoyed my latest trip to Bluff City: great food, great people, warm southern hospitality and even better basketball.
Until next time, Memphis.

Matt Babcock details his trip to Memphis for the Tigers' pro day and NBA preseason action, and what he took away from both events.

Babcock: Takeaways from a trip to Memphis for Tigers pro day

Even though they have not yet left the United States, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton of the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns may actually be in the starting lineup for Team USA against France on Sunday in the Tokyo Olympics.
Assistant coach Steve Kerr delivered that news Thursday morning (U.S. time) on a conference call conducted by USA Basketball from Tokyo, where the American national team is getting used to the time change and preparing to defend its Olympic gold medal.&nbsp;
Holiday, Middleton and Booker will arrive in Japan on Saturday along with head U.S. scout Jeff Van Gundy, and then it&rsquo;s right into the mix for all three. If what Kerr said was accurate, the three NBA finalists will start, presumably alongside Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant, although it is somewhat of a guessing game right now as to what the U.S. team&rsquo;s rotations will look like.
Such is the lay of the land in the strangest of Olympic years, with the American team operating at a deficit in terms of familiarity &ndash; especially against France, which is led by reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and defeated the United States the last time the teams played during the 2019 World Cup of Basketball in China.
After initially indicating the lineup was unsettled, Kerr responded to a follow-up question about the three players from the NBA Finals, uttering the words &ldquo;starting&rdquo; and &ldquo;lineup&rdquo; a few minutes later as he spoke about the unique circumstances.
&ldquo;One of the big topics in our coaching meetings is how quickly can we play those guys because chances are all three are going to be in our rotation,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;They are great players. There&rsquo;s a reason they are on the team -- they are three of the best players in the world. So we are going to have to figure that out. It will be a collaborative effort with them, we&rsquo;ll see how they&rsquo;re feeling the day after they arrive, and we&rsquo;ll see if they&rsquo;re ready to go, but we really can&rsquo;t predict any of that...
&ldquo;...These circumstances are so unique with three players not having practiced for a single minute with us. They haven&rsquo;t practiced a single minute and are going to be thrown into the starting lineup. We&rsquo;re hoping Jeff can share some of the concepts, some of the ideas that we&rsquo;re trying to impart to the players, some of the ways we are trying to attack and defend. Jeff will be able to share some of the strategic aspects with the guys.&rdquo;
The Americans play France on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET, are off Monday and Tuesday, play Iran at 12:40 a.m. ET Wednesday, then have two more days off before playing the Czech Republic at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 31.
The roster has had two major changes, with Keldon Johnson replacing Bradley Beal due to COVID protocols and JaVale McGee taking the spot of Kevin Love, who withdrew.
One quarter of the roster was unavailable during training camp in Las Vegas because the NBA Finals coincided with Olympic preparations, and COVID protocols sidelined Zach LaVine for multiple days and prevented him from traveling to Japan with seven of his teammates. An exhibition game against Australia was cancelled because of COVID-related issues, and by the time the ball goes up against France, the Americans likely will have not conducted a practice at full strength with all 12 players on the roster.
This is going to make this tournament especially challenging for Popovich, Kerr, Lloyd Pierce and the rest of the American coaching and training staff, and it is especially troubling because most of the other teams in the tournament have rosters comprised of players who have spent several years competing together on their national teams.
The U.S. federation has had to deal with unfamiliarity and chemistry issues in the past, too, but it has never quite been so much of a pronounced characteristic as it is this particular summer.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to have a ton of plays. It would be impossible," Kerr said. "Those guys have been kind of busy recently. We were not about to send them a mini-playbook or something. They had a lot of stuff going on. So we&rsquo;re going to play out of concepts more than we are going to play out of plays. We want to play with pace and we want to move the ball and we want our players to use their considerable talents, and we&rsquo;re very confident they&rsquo;ll be able to do so even without a ton of practice time.&rdquo;
It remains to be seen how short of a rotation Popovich develops as the games play out, but it can be assumed that Holiday will split time at point guard with Damian Lillard, and Booker will share the shooting guard spot with LaVine and Middleton. Durant, Draymond Green and Jayson Tatum will be the forwards, while McGee will back up Adebayo at center. Players who probably will not have huge roles include Johnson and Jerami Grant, although an injury or foul trouble could thrust them into the rotation.
It should be an interesting Olympics, and the important thing to remember is that the goal for Team USA is not winning every game. It is winning the final three: the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the gold medal game.
To be continued.&nbsp;

Chris Sheridan shares how Team USA plans to integrate the three players who just finished up at the NBA Finals into the Olympics.

Kerr: Holiday, Middleton, Booker may start for Team USA vs. France

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
BRING ME LIBERTY, OR BRING ME DEATH (BY PICK-AND-ROLL)
Well, well, well. If it isn't the New York Liberty, fresh off a 2-20 season, getting off to a 3-0 start. Quibble over the early strength of schedule if you will, but it's fair to say this team looks different.
That different look starts with Sabrina Ionescu, a dynamic lead initiator that combines high-level pull-up shooting with I-see-everything court vision. There isn't a surefire way to slow her down. You can attempt pressing her, but she's pretty darn good at navigating her defender into screens.
If you get caught on a screen against Sabrina, you're practically dead.
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Just peep the patience from Ionescu on this possession. She's able to get a little separation from Danielle Robinson as she flies off the screen. From there, the hang dribble freezes Teaira McCowan (#15), and causes Victoria Vivians (#35) to rotate over. A timely cut from Sami Whitcomb (#32) puts Kelsey Mitchell (#0) in a tough spot, freeing the corner skip to Betnijah Laney (who's making an early case for MIP).
Ionescu leads the WNBA in pick-and-roll possessions (32) by a wide margin, per Synergy. She's generating north of 97 points per 100 pick-and-roll possessions (passes included), placing her in the 83rd percentile right now.
This is obviously early season stuff, but Ionescu is also the only player that ranks in the top-five in scoring (21.0) and assists (9.0), while also leading the WNBA in three-pointers made (10). It wouldn't be a total shock for any of those designations to hold throughout the season if she stays healthy.&nbsp;
She's that darn good.
TEAIRA MCCOWAN, DOING HER WORK EARLY
Send this clip to every big (wo)man camp in the country.
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There is no play-call here. No frills. This is Teaira McCowan busting it up the floor, knocking Kylee Shook back and setting up shop in a threatening post position.&nbsp;
She's able to put Shook on her right shoulder to create a wider window for the entry pass from Robinson. There is absolutely nothing Shook can do to prevent the pass, nor does she have the length to bother the shot.
It's textbook stuff, stuff that McCowan was doing at Mississippi State. It's what she did as a rookie; for the life of me, I still do not understand why she didn't get more playing time last season.&nbsp;
If you want a number, I'll present you with this one: per Synergy, McCowan leads the WNBA in points (15) off those deep middle seals. Liz Cambage is the only other player in double digits (10).&nbsp;
JAYSON TATUM HAS FULLY ARRIVED
23 points. 7-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from three. Three assists, one measly turnover.&nbsp;
That's a darn good game for a hired gun off the bench. A play-finishing wing that sprinkled in some transition dimes or something.&nbsp;
The fact that this is what Jayson Tatum did during the third quarter of Tuesday night's play-in game is absolutely absurd.
There's only so much you can do against Tatum now. As I <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1383148215181135879?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote last month</a>, he's rounding out the rough parts of his game. He's gotten more comfortable operating in the intermediate areas. He gets downhill more often, and with more purpose. You don't luck your way into 17 free throws.
The fun part of getting good at the average stuff is that it simply unlocks more of your great stuff. In a way, the hesi-and-drive to Tatum's left against Rui Hachimura ultimately helps him set up this stepback against Davis Bertans.
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50 points. Big win. Playoff spot secured. The Leap is happening right before our eyes, folks.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>We're working with a 30-minute sample right now, but the early returns for the A'ja Wilson-Liz Cambage combo have been positive (plus-6.4 net rating). A'ja took a three on Saturday and made it. Let's just say I'll be keeping tabs on that all season long.</li>
<li>I am just especially fascinated by how the Atlanta Dream plan to find minutes for Chennedy Carter, Courtney WIlliams, Aari McDonald, Odyssey Sims and&nbsp;Tiffany Hayes. They've shown some early willingness to go with three guards, but I am terrified of what the defense will look like.</li>
<li>Breanna Stewart (averaging 27 &amp; 12 through two) is the obvious draw for the Storm, but I'm intrigued by Ezi Magbegor. She got the start on Tuesday night against the Aces; her blend of size and skill provides a nice complement to Stewart's, well, everything.</li>
<li>A quick glance at the blocks per game leaderboard will highlight two members of the Phoenix Mercury: Brittney Griner (2.7, 2nd) and Brianna Turner (2.3). Unsurprisingly, among the teams that have played multiple games, none have allowed a lower field goal percentage than the Mercury.</li>
<li>The Sky outscored the Mystics by 19 points in the 25 minutes that Candace Parker was on the court. This might be as scary as we <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1356406720260677639" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thought it would be</a>.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Pick Your Poison
The Indiana Pacers absolutely molly whopped the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. Among the many, many, many&nbsp;plays in which the Hornets looked unequipped to defend this team, this play caught my eye.
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I appreciate the misdirection to kick things off, with Justin Holiday kinda faking a connection with Doug McDermott before lifting above the break. McDermott does a great job of setting Terry Rozier up, and Domantas Sabonis finishes the job by sliding over a step to prevent Rozier from shooting the gap.
Watch Your Back(cut)
MOAR TATUM.
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It's all about playing against tendency here. Boston loves to run pindowns for Tatum to get him attacking on the move. Bradley Beal has positioned himself -- back to Marcus Smart, practically hugging Tatum -- to prepare for this screening action.
Tatum uses that so-called knowledge (and that positioning) against Beal, juking before darting to the basket for an easy lob.&nbsp;
Slotting Up
I talked about Ionescu's pick-and-roll proficiency a little bit earlier, but I like this set-up from the Liberty.
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We get a Pistol/21 look as Ionescu trots up the left side of the floor. Laney "ghosts" the screen before running off a flare from Shook. That action between Laney and Shook not only occupies their defenders; it also puts strain on the weak side since Ionescu is able to gain inside leverage on the drive.
The drive forces a rotation, which leaves Crystal Dangerfield (#2) splitting the difference. Whitcomb recognizes that dilemma and cuts inside, receiving a pass and getting an uncontested lay-up as a result.
Good stuff all around.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or... well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mirin Fader</a> knocks this <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1395020533872222223?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andre Drummond feature</a> out of the park.
<a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Herring</a> brought the goods on <a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA/status/1395032294059085826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Atlanta Hawks</a>, and what Trae Young means to them.
This was technically for last week, but I can't recommend <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVPina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Pina</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVPina/status/1392115303698534404?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feature on Dejounte Murray</a> enough.
ESPN's <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1394299631736172544?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive playoff guide</a> is well worth your time.
<a href="https://twitter.com/alexaphilippou" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexa Philippou</a> gave us the deets on <a href="https://twitter.com/alexaphilippou/status/1394408732725964800?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tiffany Hayes' return</a>.

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays and stats.

Roaming the Baseline: Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Teaira McCowan

The Dominican Republic is a place that is mostly known as a hotbed for talent on the baseball diamond, and not the hardwood. However, its basketball talent pedigree, although not as credible as some of the other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, and lineage of players is still impressive.
Current NBA players such as Al Horford and Karl-Anthony Towns (whose mother was Dominican) -- and former NBA players like Francisco Garcia, Felipe Lopez and Charlie Villanueva, along with others -- are among the top talents the nation has produced. As we head into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, I recently took a deep dive into Chris Duarte of the Oregon Ducks, who will likely be the next player of Dominican descent to play in the NBA.
Hailing from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, then attending high school in Troy, New York and junior college in Niceville, Fla., and now the University of Oregon, in Eugene, Ore., Chris Duarte has not had the typical path of most NBA prospects.
To start, Duarte originally played baseball, and more specifically was a pitcher who threw 90-mile-per-hour fastballs. Of course, being a baseball player by trade is not atypical where he's from. Duarte didn&rsquo;t actually start taking basketball seriously until he was 13 years old, as he sought to emulate his older brother, Michael, whom he noticed had taken a liking to the sport. Despite a late introduction to the game, Chris's talent was apparent even in the early stages of his development.
Once he turned his focus exclusively to hoops, Duarte spent his adolescence dominating his peers in local tournaments, eventually progressing to larger and larger stages. Fortunately for all of the basketball world, Duarte&rsquo;s family moved to New York, in large part because they sought to help cultivate his basketball skills and abilities.&nbsp;
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Duarte attended Redemption Christian Academy in Troy for his junior and senior years of high school. He helped lead Redemption to an 8-8 record his junior year and 5-7 record his senior year, while playing a fairly rigorous national schedule featuring teams like Brewster Academy and Victory Rock Prep. On the grassroots scene, Duarte competed in the Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) with the NY Lightning. He played a feature role in his lone AAU season with the club, playing alongside mid-to-high major talents like Aundre Hyatt (LSU), Nathan Mensah (San Diego State) and Isaac Kante (Hofstra). Over 18 games, Duarte posted 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in just under 23 minutes per contest.&nbsp;
Upon his graduation from Redemption Christian Academy, Duarte was selected to play in the Jordan Brand&rsquo;s New York Regional Game. Separate from the more well-known and more prestigious All-American games that most people are familiar with, the regional game still featured a bounty of high-major talents, with guys like Jordan Nwora (Louisville), Collin Gillespie (Villanova), Darryl Morsell (Maryland), and Jose Alvarado (Georgia Tech). Duarte registered 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists for the &ldquo;City&rdquo; team in a 170-162 loss to the &ldquo;Suburban&rdquo; team.&nbsp;
A month after the Jordan Brand game, Duarte committed to Western Kentucky and joined Rick Stansbury&rsquo;s inaugural recruiting class. He enrolled there in June 2017, but never played a minute for the Hilltoppers. (The crown jewel of that recruiting class, Mitchell Robinson, also did not suit up for WKU).
Duarte failed to qualify academically and was faced with two options: sit out a full-year and try to gain eligibility for the 2018-2019 season, or play at the junior college level, where he could hit the floor right away. Duarte opted for the latter, joining well-known JUCO powerhouse Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla.
At Northwest Florida, Duarte played a crucial role for head coach Steve DeMeo&rsquo;s Raiders in the 2017-18 season. Coming off the bench for all but one game, Duarte registered 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest, playing next to future Illinois Illini guard Andres Feliz. The NWF Raiders made it to the Elite Eight of the NJCAA National Championship, where they were upset by the No. 10 seed College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles, 107-93. For his efforts on the season, Duarte was named First-Team All-Panhandle Conference.
Six games into his sophomore season, Duarte signed his letter of intent to play for the Oregon Ducks under Dana Altman. That year, Duarte was the unquestioned leader of the NWF team, starting all 33 games and leading the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game. With the help of fellow March Madness star Javion Hamlet (North Texas), the Raiders registered a 28-5 regular-season record and a No. 1 overall seed in the 2018-19 edition of the NJCAA National Championship bracket. Northwest Florida State again fell in the Elite Eight, to Ranger College (TX), 66-63. Duarte was named the NJCAA National Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American. 
&ldquo;Chris is everything a coach wants in a student-athlete," DeMeo, now an assistant coach at St. John&rsquo;s, said of Duarte on the team website. "He is a great student, great person and a very special basketball player. Chris has really set the bar high here at Northwest Florida for all of our future Raiders, and I look forward to watching him grow and develop at Oregon and even beyond college.&rdquo;
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In his first season with Oregon, Duarte immediately settled into a role as the wingman to four-year starter and All-American Payton Pritchard, who is now with the Boston Celtics. Duarte was the second leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game while starting all the games he appeared in for the Ducks. He registered three 20-point games on the season, including a 30-point, 11-rebound, and 8-steal eruption in a home win v.s USC.
For most of the final month of that regular season, Duarte battled through a right hand injury, and it was apparent, as his effectiveness dwindled. His points average dipped to 6.2, his field goal percentage plummeted to 30.2% and his three-point percentage slipped to 13.6%. However, his toughness and resilience remained evident consistently. He finally succumbed to his injury, undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger on his shooting hand on Feb. 27, 2020. Altman ruled him out for the Pac-12 Tournament before COVID wiped out the entirety of the NCAA postseason. The pandemic cancellation was especially hard on the Ducks, as they finished 24-7, were the regular-season conference champions and seemed poised to be a potential threat in the big dance.&nbsp;
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Duarte entered this current season with the spotlight more firmly on him, as he was the Ducks leading returning scorer. He was tasked with being the nucleus of a team, featuring four transfers in Eugene Omoruyi (Rutgers), LJ Figueroa (St. John&rsquo;s), Eric Williams Jr. (Duquesne), and Amauri Hardy (UNLV). To further complicate team chemistry, Will Richardson -- the longest-tenured Duck in the rotation -- underwent thumb surgery prior to Oregon&rsquo;s first game in December against Missouri.
Despite the challenges, Duarte was nothing short of sensational coming out of the gates, as he shouldered a massive scoring load while still excelling on the defensive end. He posted averages of 18.4 points, 2.5 steals and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from three-point range. Oregon started the season with a 9-2 record, peaking at No. 17 in the polls in that time frame. The Duarte-led Ducks stormed through Pac-12 conference play, finishing 14-4 and narrowly capturing the regular-season conference title over USC.
Duarte finished the regular season with a strong average of 19.2 points per game, while shooting 52% from three-point range over his last five games.
&ldquo;The first time that I saw Chris Duarte was his junior year at Oregon. I thought he was a solid player. I noted that he had good size for a wing, played hard, was super competitive, and he could really shoot the ball," added Matt Babcock, BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst. "My evaluation of him was certainly positive, but I can&rsquo;t say that I was overly confident that he was going to be a sure-fire NBA player.
"However, fast-forward to this season, and Duarte has played on such a high level all season long and has subsequently changed the narrative for me. I watched him play in person in early January this year, and he was incredible. From there, I watched film on him keenly, and I must say that I was left thoroughly impressed with him as a player. I expect some to be critical of his age, as he is older for a draft prospect, but I think he&rsquo;s worthy of being a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, regardless of his age.&rdquo;
Granted a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament for their regular season performance, the Ducks demolished Arizona State in the quarterfinals by 18 points. In the semifinal game against Oregon State, the team got a nightmarish wake-up call, as the Beavers won by 11 in a wire-to-wire victory that was never in doubt. But this would not be the last we saw of Duarte and the Ducks.
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Altman&rsquo;s squad entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed, slated to play the No. 10 seed VCU Rams in the first round. Last weekend, over a year after he missed out on his first opportunity at a March Madness debut, Duarte was set to take the biggest stage in a matchup against another NBA prospect in Na&rsquo;Shon &ldquo;Bones&rdquo; Highland. His debut, however, would be delayed another 48 hours, as the Ducks&rsquo; first-round matchup was deemed a "no contest," as a COVID breakout ensued within the Rams&rsquo; locker room. The Ducks automatically advanced to the next round of the tournament.
In the second round, the Ducks headed towards a clash with Iowa and consensus All-American Luka Garza. In that game, Duarte wasted no time in making his presence felt, as he scored 23 points and dished out 7 assists against the Hawkeyes. Oregon ultimately ran away with the game, as the team ended the first half strongly and dominated Iowa in the second half.&nbsp;
Sunday night, Chris Duarte and the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans, a conference foe they are very familiar with -- and the team they barely edged out for the Pac-12 regular-season title. Another interesting element of this matchup is USC's star freshman, Evan Mobley, a likely top draft pick this summer. This should be a star-studded matchup, and we'll see if Chris Duarte can continue to elevate his stock and perhaps convince the general public to join Matt Babcock in considering him as a worthy first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Grant Aqui details the unique journey of Chris Duarte to college basketball's biggest stage and blossoming into an NBA Draft prospect.

From the Dominican Republic to The Big Dance, Chris Duarte continues to climb

Ethan Fuller resets the NBA landscape at the season's midway point.

NBA Sour Rankings: Setting second-half expectations

Ethan Fuller gauges which NBA teams should be zeroing in on Cade Cunningham.

NBA Sour Rankings: Cade-O-Meter 2.0

Bradley Beal, the NBA&rsquo;s leading scorer, has been sitting idle for the past 10 days. Russell Westbrook has been out even longer, at 13 days and counting. Deni Avdija is not making the highlight reels back in Israel because all he is doing these days is killing time.
Of the 30 NBA organizations, the Washington Wizards are the biggest victims of the coronavirus pandemic, and you will have to forgive them if they are bored. The invisible enemy that the world is fighting has hit them harder than any NBA team, and they will not play again until Sunday &ndash; but only if they can put together a roster of eight healthy players.
Washington&rsquo;s scheduled game at Milwaukee for Friday night has already been postponed, making it six-straight games that have been put off until a later date. Head coach Scott Brooks did not even have enough players to hold a five-on-five scrimmage yesterday, as Westbrook and Thomas Bryant are out with injuries and Avdija, Dāvis Bertans, Troy Brown Jr., Rui Hachimura, Ish Smith and Moe Wagner are sidelined due to health-and-safety protocols.
Those latter six are not expected to travel with the team when (if?) they depart for the final three stops of a four-game road trip &ndash; Sunday at San Antonio, Tuesday at Houston and Wednesday at New Orleans.
&ldquo;We had nine guys today. It was good for three on three on three,&rdquo; Brooks said on Thursday.
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🎥 Felt good to be back on the court! 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/pZNYLxXoUK">pic.twitter.com/pZNYLxXoUK</a>
&mdash; Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1352344027656577028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Somewhere down the road, there is going to be a load management situation. For now, there is a boredom management situation. Washington has played only 11 games, and it's been more than two weeks since Beal dropped 60 points on the Sixers in a loss to Philadelphia. More bad news came today when the league postponed the Memphis Grizzlies' next three games.
Some games will likely be made up over what would have been All-Star Weekend, Feb. 12-14. (The new All-Star break will be from March 5-10, but the festivities have been cancelled). And because of the rash of postponements, some teams will be particularly busy during the second half of the season, which is March 11 through May 16. The league released only the first half of the schedule when planning for this season, and the second-half schedule continues to evolve as events beyond anyone&rsquo;s control force everyone to think on the fly.
&ldquo;For a team with a lot of postponed games, we might have to find other openings, but generally the second half of the schedule is the place,&rdquo; league spokesman Tim Frank said.&nbsp;
Washington has the East&rsquo;s best offense (120.5 points per game) and worst defense (121.3 points allowed per game), and the NBA&rsquo;s worst luck when it comes to avoiding particularly contagious viruses. Friday&rsquo;s game was postponed after Beal, the Wizards' player union rep, expressed concern that the team&rsquo;s conditioning was less than optimal after so much time &ndash; nine days &ndash; without practice.
&ldquo;I hope guys are home doing push-ups and sit-ups and not just playing 2K,&rdquo; Brooks quipped.
Gallows humor is a survival technique that the Wizards, like everyone else trying to keep a cool head, are employing to deal with the effects of the pandemic. Everyone who has a daily planner with lines crossed through it can empathize.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It kind of feels a little bit like an extra All-Star break, except everyone else is playing,&rdquo; center Robin Lopez said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just trying to keep everybody engaged right now.&rdquo;
The Wizards made do Thursday by having players defending positions that they would not usually defend. Beal, for instance, played small forward, and Brooks said Westbrook showed discernable progress after working through a left quad injury.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s real,&rdquo; Brooks said of the pandemic. &ldquo;4,200 people passed away yesterday, and every one of those people had a story, a journey. Our country has to do this together; we can&rsquo;t do it separately. We&rsquo;ve got to do it together, we&rsquo;ve got to be united."
The Memphis postponements were caused by &ldquo;unavailable players for the Grizzlies and contact tracing for other players on their roster,&rdquo; the NBA said in a statement.
A total of 20 games have now been postponed. Of the 502 players tested for COVID-19 since Jan. 13, 11 new players have returned confirmed positive tests, the NBA announced on Wednesday.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just happy we have the best commissioner in all of sports,&rdquo; Brooks said.

Washington has been hit by COVID postponements hard. Chris Sheridan looks at how the organization and players are handling it.

Wizards fighting boredom through postponements while idle on sidelines

Chris Ebersole, NBA Senior Director of International Basketball Operations, discusses the international takeover and why it's here to stay.

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