Los Angeles Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers' 2024-2025 NBA season has been marred by injuries and setbacks, culminating in the recent decision to shut down star center Joel Embiid for the remainder of the season due to persistent left knee issues.&nbsp;
While this move might initially seem like a significant blow to the team's aspirations, it could ultimately serve as a blessing in disguise for the franchise.
The Sixers entered the season with high expectations, especially after acquiring veteran forward Paul George in the offseason to complement Embiid and emerging point guard Tyrese Maxey. However, the team's plans were quickly derailed by a series of injuries. Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, managed to participate in only 19 games, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game before being sidelined indefinitely due to his knee problems.&nbsp;
George also faced his share of health issues, missing significant time because of an injury to the extensor tendon in his left fifth finger. Maxey has also been out for some stretches during the season with some minor ailments.
Promising rookie Jared McCain, selected 16th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, showed flashes of potential but was also limited by a season-ending injury, hindering his ability to make further impact.
As a result of these setbacks, the Sixers have struggled to find cohesion and consistency on the court. Currently holding a 20-38 record, they sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for a potential Play-In Tournament spot.&nbsp;
Given the team's depleted roster and lack of chemistry, even if they were to secure a play-in spot, a deep postseason run appears unlikely with top seeds Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks all waiting at the top.&nbsp;
The lack of on-court time together has prevented the development of the necessary chemistry among the team's core players. The trio of Embiid, George, and Maxey has had limited opportunities to gel, which is crucial for a newly constructed team aiming for playoff success. By shutting down Embiid and allowing other injured players ample time to recover, the Sixers can prioritize building team chemistry during the offseason and enter the next season with a fully healthy and cohesive unit.
After all, Embiid was just playing on another level just over a year ago, before that unfortunate injury vs the Warriors. He was playing even better than in his MVP season, including scoring 70 points against the Spurs when he was fully healthy. If the Sixers could somehow manage to get that version of Embiid next season, they would be one of the strongest championship contenders in the East.
Amid the challenges, one bright spot has been the emergence of forward Guerschon Yabusele. At 29 years old, Yabusele has proven to be a valuable asset, showcasing physicality, scoring instincts, and the ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. Defensively, he brings a scrappy and gritty presence, making him an ideal fit alongside Embiid in the frontcourt. Embiid has never played with a player of Yabusele&rsquo;s caliber at the 4 position, and it will be interesting to see them meshing on the court with Embiid fully healthy.
As Yabusele approaches free agency, it is imperative for the Sixers to prioritize re-signing him to maintain and build upon the positive aspects of their roster.
But perhaps the most significant silver lining in this challenging season is the potential impact on the team's draft prospects. The Sixers' 2025 first-round pick is top-6 protected; if it falls beyond the 6th spot, it will convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder.&nbsp;
With the team's current trajectory, they are positioned to secure a high draft pick in what is anticipated to be a deep 2025 draft class. This opportunity could allow the Sixers to add a talented young player who can contribute immediately and bolster the team's future alongside a healthy Embiid and George.&nbsp;
Even further, the Sixers could also decide to move off that pick and acquire even more win-now pieces to maximize Embiid&rsquo;s remaining prime years. There are a lot of ways and possibilities for the Sixers to build and eventually contend with Embiid, and it starts with this season-ending surgery to make ample time to bounce back for the season after and beyond.
While the decision to shut down Joel Embiid for the season is undoubtedly disappointing for fans and the organization, it offers a chance to regroup and focus on long-term success. Prioritizing player health, building team chemistry, retaining key contributors like Guerschon Yabusele, and capitalizing on a favorable draft position could set the stage for a resurgent 2025-2026 season.&nbsp;
By embracing these challenges and opportunities, the Philadelphia 76ers can transform this season's setbacks into a foundation for sustained success in the Joel Embiid era.

The Sixers' season has been marred by injuries and electing to shut down Joel Embiid. However, this could be what's best for them.

Why shutting down Embiid could be a blessing in disguise for the Sixers’ future

The New Orleans Pelicans' 2-0 start ran into a Steph Curry Flurry and it was a scary Halloween Eve for the Smoothie King Center&rsquo;s fans.
The Golden State Warriors ran out 130-102 winners of their third road game in four days. Sure, Steph went supernova for a stretch to finish with 42 points but it was the shots that did not go in that determined the game.&nbsp;
Rebounding is becoming a problem for the Pelicans. They were outdone 64-39 versus the Warriors, and New Orleans has allowed 37 offensive rebounds in the last two games, both at home. The Knicks had 16 offensive rebounds, the Pelicans just 4. Two nights later, Golden State got an extra 21 possessions to find Curry roaming the perimeter. It almost became painful to watch how incapable the Pelicans were of stopping the inevitable. Curry had not played in New Orleans in years and this was just another example of witnessing greatness.
On Monday, it did not help that Brandon Ingram was out nursing an injury, Herb Jones (2 rebounds) got in foul trouble early, Jonas Valanciunas (6 rebounds) was attacked relentlessly, and the team was still being cautions with Larry Nance Jr.&rsquo;s minutes.
&ldquo;In the second half, it just got away from us," Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. "Curry hit some big shots. Their second unit ... they came in and made plays. And the biggest thing for us improvement-wise is the rebounding. It killed us. But they&rsquo;re an experienced team, and they get you scrambling on the perimeter. Shots go up and we&rsquo;re just not in a position to rebound, and that&rsquo;s an area we have to be better.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s tough to "play better" when four key contributors are on the bench. Matt Ryan, Kaiser Gates and Kira Lewis Jr. finished with a combined 4 rebounds in 50 minutes. They focus on other priorities beyond crashing the glass, yet are usually on the court together. Something has to give to change the trend.
Zion Williamson&rsquo;s analysis was spot on, saying: &ldquo;They had a great third quarter, and we didn't play too well. I didn't look at the numbers, but, from the eye test, they dominated us on the boards.&rdquo;
The stat sheet agrees. With Ingram out, C.J. McCollum (6 rebounds) hoisted a team-high 21 shots to get just 19 points. Williamson (5 rebounds) had 19 points on 15 shots. However, no one on the home team had more than 6 rebounds because when the leading men missed tough shots, the Warriors finished possessions far too easily. After the loss, I asked Coach Green if he thought this was more of a tactical problem or just a lack of effort and execution.
&ldquo;It is a little bit of both. It is definitely an area we need to improve upon. We have to rebound the ball,&rdquo; Green stressed. &ldquo;Our defense is solid. We can get stops but when you give teams second and third chances, it gets kind of demoralizing.&rdquo;
Steve Kerr&rsquo;s game plan to corral Williamson and win possessions took a toll, though Green thought the Warriors got away with a few friendly no-calls.
&ldquo;[The Warriors] were physical on him. He didn&rsquo;t get some of the calls that I thought he should have gotten," Green said. "He played a solid game but give those guys credit, they swarmed him. And, in the second half, we just didn&rsquo;t knock down shots, but he did make the right plays.&rdquo;
Williamson seemed close to disgusted with the performance in his postgame press conference. The Warriors just got so many more chances to make the right play that there was no other outcome possible.
The Pelicans were on the wrong end of a near-30-point loss. It happens to every NBA team once a season. New Orleans needs a new gameplan to get those extra possessions to ensure it&rsquo;s their last time on the losing end of a blowout.

The New Orleans Pelicans' 2-0 start ran into a Steph Curry Flurry and it was a scary Halloween Eve at the Smoothie King Center.

Pelicans' one big problem exposed in loss to Warriors

All of the great one-name classical artists that share names with the Ninja Turtles had apprentices they held in high regard. Willie Green, now going into his third season as one of the NBA&rsquo;s youngest head coaches, has been shaping a vision with the New Orleans Pelicans but there was an obvious need for a reshaping of the assistant coaching staff this summer. The franchise&rsquo;s scaffolding was in place, but the young coach was working with old hands from previous artists; he needed to bring in a trusted apprentice.
New assistant James Borrego is no apprentice outside of this analogy. He is a well-traveled former head coach with a proven track record of building top-10 offenses, which Green admitted during media day will alleviate some burdens on the offensive end. The new assistant will also have plenty of freedom to have some experiments fail.&nbsp;
&nbsp;One of Bob Ross' most famous sayings is, "We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents." He encouraged artists to embrace unexpected turns and use them to their advantage. Like Ross cashing in on &ldquo;happy accidents,&rdquo; the Pelicans are betting on Borrego's schemes to raise their long-term offensive ceiling this season, and the missteps along the way are just learned experiences to be blended into the mosaic.
Green&rsquo;s focus on defense and deep personal connections took priority over offensive nuances the last few seasons, but there was an obvious need for some changes to the playbook and how the lessons learned are implemented. So, Green brought in Borrego.
Ross, with his trademark permed hair, paint brushes and soothing voice, often emphasized the importance of mastering the basics. Build creations from simple brushstrokes, with sound structures. Likewise, Borrego's offense is built on a foundation of fundamentals. He emphasizes ball movement, spacing and player movement to create scoring opportunities. Just as Ross began his paintings with a few basic elements, Borrego starts his offense with simple, well-executed plays.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZS_Hy01SYbs?si=jHTbRQiJkMiQCFFh" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Last season&rsquo;s formula was too simple. And basics? The Pelicans had problems just inbounding the ball in critical situations and often would not begin an action until there were under 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Then, it was predictable: Brandon Ingram methodical in the midrange. Zion Williamson rumbles to the rim off of actions with very little space or off-ball movement. CJ McCollum was mostly stationary and waiting on the perimeter when not having to bail out a short-handed team late in the shot clock. Jonas Valanciunas was frustrated with his role, while Herb Jones was still growing into his on offense.
Trey Murphy III continued developing but everything was a reset of the same few actions, and it all fell apart once the injury report started filling up. Still, the sketches of a championship contender are already on the canvas in New Orleans. Borrego just has to bring out the best features. It should be a welcomed change for a not-so-young-anymore roster looking to show they are serious about winning a championship. With structure, the team will have a better ability to adapt on the fly. This hallmark of Borrego's coaching style is also reminiscent of Ross turning mistakes into opportunities on his canvas.
While Ross often started his paintings with a simple sky and landscape, he gradually added layers of detail and complexity to create stunning compositions. Similarly, Borrego's offense is designed to be layered. It begins with basic actions but can evolve into intricate plays with multiple options. Just as Ross patiently added trees, mountains, and rivers to his paintings, Borrego's teams gradually added complexity to their offense as the players became more comfortable with the system.
Alvin Gentry was an abstract artist with not a lot of museum showcase pieces, constructing a portfolio that was an interesting smorgasbord of ill-fitting talents and philosophies. Sure, it sometimes produced good-looking, free-flowing hoops but not often was the end product something worthy of the NBA Playoff platform. Stan Van Gundy tried to implement structure but just wound up erasing almost all of the goodwill between the locker room and front office.
Willie Green has mended those fences, taped together the tapestry if you will, and has a team on the verge of a breakout season. They just need an offense that is a bit more unpredictably efficient and some injury luck. Just get repetitions and a spot in the playoffs, then see what happens. An accidental, out-of-nowhere championship is still a banner raised. Some teams have to take smaller steps to a title, but why not dream of a historical breakout season? Even eighth seeds have made runs to the NBA Finals.
It all starts with Ingram. He needs to step into a bigger No. 2 role more than CJ McCollum, who would be perhaps the best fourth option in the NBA should Murphy III make a jump. Borrego should be able to get Ingram into easier-to-read actions and the former All-Star's assists numbers should take a jump. The team said Ingram is expected to be more of a ball-in-hand offensive initiator this season. This draws attention away from Williamson, instead of the Point Zion experiment that sometimes induces ball-watching.
That&rsquo;s not to say Point Zion does not have artistic merits. Williamson is a great passer, draws the attention of all 20,000 in attendance, and can be a one-man wrecking ball when the rest of the offense is just not working. It&rsquo;s just that Williamson cannot be the only attraction, dominating the canvas at the detriment of the rest of the bigger picture. It puts too much pressure on internal relationships and makes the team too predictable.
No worries. The Charlotte Hornets finished in the top-10 in three-point attempts in three of four seasons under Borrego. Charlotte was a top-10 team in points (fourth), three-pointers made (fifth), three-pointers attempted (sixth) and three-point percentage (sixth) that season. They were 11th in field goal percentage and snatched the ninth-most offensive rebounds. Charlotte led the NBA with 28.1 team assists per game and had the 10th-fewest turnovers.
Work hard, keep moving to provide options, don&rsquo;t get caught looking and fight for extra opportunities. Build greatness on the back of the basics, just like Bob Ross taught. Borrego&rsquo;s clear directions during training camp should have everyone on the same page to start the regular season in a few weeks. They also understand a few messy mistakes early will not have much of an effect on how this season is eventually framed. It&rsquo;s how they adapt to those moments that matter most.
New Orleans was near the bottom in offensive rating, assist-to-turnover ratio and true shooting percentage last season. Borrego had a rebuilding franchise&rsquo;s mismatched roster eighth in offensive rating, third in assist percentage, second in assist-to-turnover ratio, second in assist ratio and ninth-best in turnover percentage. Those Hornets played with the sixth-quickest pace, were third in shots at the rim, and second in corner three-pointers.
&ldquo;For the first three-quarters of the game, I&rsquo;m drawing stuff up based on concepts that we already know. I&rsquo;m just adding a little tweak here to maybe a few sets to disguise it," <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2020/3/5/21166585/conversation-with-hornets-head-coach-james-borrego" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theringer.com/2020/3/5/21166585/conversation-with-hornets-head-coach-james-borrego&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1696693000595000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2zQ3C-l7Klu8y6hMOUbdD6">Borrego has explained</a>. "I think that&rsquo;s one of the things that we do as coaches. You&rsquo;re just trying to disguise a concept. You&rsquo;re running your sets, your flow, throughout a game. Your ATOs, you&rsquo;ve got to try to come up with something a little bit trickier. But the concepts are the same, you&rsquo;re just trying to disguise it. The tough ones, and they&rsquo;re getting tougher now, are the fourth quarter/end-of-game situations because these timeouts are so quick. I don&rsquo;t even have time to think. I&rsquo;ve already got to know what play I have in mind.&rdquo;
When things start shaping up where everyone can see the bigger picture, the tougher moments start to become easier. That philosophy and Borrego&rsquo;s style will help hide the flaws and accentuate the strengths of role players like Jose Alvarado, Larry Nance Jr., Jones, Valanciunas, Dyson Daniels and Kira Lewis Jr.
Borrego was Green&rsquo;s NBA coach just over a decade ago. Now, the roles are reversed but cultural expectations and goals are the same. The Pelicans hope everything comes together in a way that looks like the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy.
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

Can James Borrego's new offense bring out the best of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram for the Pelicans?

How James Borrego's offense could take Pelicans to next level

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; The Detroit Pistons, coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, are searching for a coach and hoping their new leader has Victor Wembanyama in the lineup.
Detroit closed its fourth straight season &mdash; and 12th in 14 years &mdash; without a postseason appearance on Sunday with a lopsided loss at Chicago.
After finishing an NBA-worst 17-65, Dwane Casey announced he was stepping down with one year left on his coaching contract to accept a role in the Troy Weaver-led front office.
Casey was hired by the Pistons in 2018, when he was named the NBA Coach of the Year after his seventh season in Toronto. He led them to a .500 record in his first season and a playoff berth that ended with a first-round exit.
The team&rsquo;s latest rebuilding effort crumbled due to moves that didn&rsquo;t pan out, including trading for Blake Griffin, and injuries that kept key players such as Cade Cunningham off the court to hurt Casey&rsquo;s chances of having success.
&ldquo;We are grateful for his steady hand as head coach during these important development years, and we are excited to have his wisdom and experience in the front office as we enter the next phase,&rdquo; team owner Tom Gores said. &ldquo;Dwane joined us as an experienced and successful coach ready to lead a veteran team, but when we made adjustments as an organization to rebuild around a younger core he fully embraced the decision.&rdquo;
Detroit desperately hopes its painful season will pave the way for Wembanyama to bring his talents to a franchise aiming to eventually add to its three NBA titles.
&ldquo;It was something our organization had to go through,&rdquo; Casey said last week. &ldquo;It was painful. It was ugly.&rdquo;
The Pistons, by only one game, beat their franchise-worst record from the 1979-80 season when Dick Vitale was fired 12 games into the season. Their miserable season, though, won&rsquo;t give them a big advantage in the draft lottery.
Detroit, San Antonio and Houston each will have a 14% chance of picking first &mdash; and selecting a 7-foot-3 French phenomenon. Whether Wembanyama or another talented player joins the Pistons, they need an influx of talent.
Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, the No. 5 and No. 13 pick overall last summer, did provide hope for the future with their play.
Ivey, an electric guard, averaged 16-plus points and more than five assists to rank among rookie leaders. The 19-year-old Duren, who started the season as the NBA&rsquo;s youngest player, averaged about nine points, nine rebounds and one block a game.
Cunningham, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, had his second season stunted by shin surgery after playing in just 12 games.
&ldquo;Cade going down was a blessing in disguise for Ivey,&rdquo; Casey said last week, referring to the transition to point guard that the former Purdue star was forced to make.
Bojan Bogdanovic, who averaged a career-high 21.6 points, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley are expected to be back to give the young team some experienced players in the rotation.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still excited about what we got here,&rdquo; Bagley said. &ldquo;We got guys that care and are not OK with losing and that in itself is a sign of a team that can be great.&rdquo;

“It was something our organization had to go through,” Dwane Casey said last week. “It was painful. It was ugly.”

Pistons search for coach, hope to draft Victor Wembanyama

Kyrie Irving, who was just named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference, shocked the NBA world this week when he reportedly asked for a trade. He informed the Nets that he prefers to be traded ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline or he will plan to leave via free agency in July, causing Brooklyn to lose him for nothing.&nbsp;
This trade demand was reportedly prompted by the fact that the two sides were unable to agree to the terms of a contract extension.&nbsp;
The Nets reportedly offered an extension to Irving; however, it included unprecedented &ldquo;guarantee stipulations&rdquo; tied to the team winning an NBA championship, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1621650393083281408" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report</a>. This appeared to offend Irving and his camp, thus resulting in the trade demand.&nbsp;
This trade demand has been met with much criticism throughout the entire NBA world.&nbsp;
While discussing Irving&rsquo;s trade request with Malika Andrews on NBA Today, Stephen A. Smith <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2023/02/04/kyrie-irving-trade-request-stephen-a-smith-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Kyrie &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; and added that &ldquo;he cannot be trusted; he just reminded the basketball world of that.&rdquo;
Kendrick Perkins <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2023/02/03/kyrie-irving-kendrick-perkins-comments-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went on a tirade</a> on ESPN when asked about the situation.
&ldquo;This is Kyrie Irving, a guy that you cannot trust,&rdquo; Perkins said. &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t Kyrie Irving just say that Kevin Durant was his best friend? Right? So where is the loyalty? Right? If that&rsquo;s your best friend, I don&rsquo;t want that. Give me an enemy. For the simple fact that when you look at how Kevin Durant has been riding for Kyrie Irving since they arrived in Brooklyn&hellip; standing behind him through whatever his beliefs were, whatever he was doing, riding with him over James Harden.&rdquo;
I caught up with Caleb from <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNetcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Netcast</a>, a site dedicated to covering the Nets, to discuss this situation, how the Nets handled this, the media backlash toward Kyrie and much more.
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Etan Thomas: I appreciate your content. I was one of the former players who retweeted your tweets after this story broke. You all do a great job of covering the Nets. To your knowledge, can you explain what exactly led to this trade request from Kyrie irving?&nbsp;
Brooklyn Netcast: I think it&rsquo;s more of a leverage move than anything. Mostly what led up to it were disagreements in the contract extension and certain details not being agreed upon as well as guaranteed money being a big issue in this whole thing. Chris Haynes reported yesterday about how there was a championship stipulation &mdash; like if you win a championship, then you receive X amount of dollars &mdash; and that&rsquo;s really where the disagreements and feeling of disrespect came. I definitely don&rsquo;t think there is a shared respect overall between Joe Tsai and Kyrie Irving and [there are] ethical disagreements, which is another huge issue that is being glossed over, as a point of contention between the two.&nbsp;
Etan: A few months ago, Joe Tsai and Kyrie Irving had the sit down and Tsai came out publicly and said, &ldquo;No, Kyrie is not anti-semetic, he&rsquo;s not a horrible person, etc.&rdquo; But do you think there was still friction between the two behind closed doors and that statement was mostly for show?
Brooklyn Netcast: There is definitely quite a bit of friction behind the scenes. I would say that it&rsquo;s a bit for show. I do believe that Joe Tsai and Adam Silver were both 100% correct when they said that Kyrie was not anti-semitic, but there is definitely a lot of friction that still exists between the two as far as values, who they are as people and, of course, the contract.&nbsp;
Etan: It was reported that the Nets wanted Irving&rsquo;s contract to be tied to winning a championship, and I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ve ever really heard a stipulation like that before in an NBA contract. So, he will only get X amount of money if they win a championship? To my knowledge, that&rsquo;s really unprecedented.
Brooklyn Netcast: I haven&rsquo;t seen any specifics, but just seen reports that this was a point of contention for Kyrie and his team. There are leaks coming from both sides and it&rsquo;s hard to see the exact details of what exactly was disagreed upon because there are so many different leaks and takes. But it is clear that it does center around guaranteed money and that a championship would bring a substantial amount of money into the picture, and that&rsquo;s not something that Kyrie or his representatives feel is fair because a championship is a team achievement. Hypothetically, Kyrie could average 40, 5 and 5, but if they lose in the playoffs, then he wouldn&rsquo;t receive whatever amount of his contract? I don&rsquo;t see how any player would agree to something like that.&nbsp;
Etan: One of the tweets that I retweeted from Brooklyn Netcast, and again you all have done a great job in covering this, was: &ldquo;The annoying part too is the media is just gonna paint Kyrie Irving as the bad guy here while Marks and Tsai don&rsquo;t get trashed at all.&rdquo; And that&rsquo;s exactly what happened.
Brooklyn Netcast: It&rsquo;s important to note that Kyrie has had some things happen off the court in the past; you can go into the whole documentary thing and missing time throughout the years, so there is already a lot stacked against him and who he is. I think it&rsquo;s abundantly clear right now that Kyrie Irving is a very good person, and a charitable and giving human being, but for some reason the media as a whole consistently ridicules and demonizes Kyrie. But they don&rsquo;t even loosely examine or question the character of someone like Joe Tsai. They would rather attack Kyrie&rsquo;s character, but that shows the bias of many in the media.&nbsp;
And the media only tells one side of the story. They focused on, &ldquo;Oh, Kyrie requested a trade,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Kyrie wants out,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Kyrie is abandoning KD,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;He said he would never leave his friend,&rdquo; and they frame it as if it&rsquo;s all Kyrie&rsquo;s fault. But they won&rsquo;t go into the details of the insulting championship stipulation the Nets put in the contract.&nbsp;
Etan: Stephen A. Smith jumped out and his response to Kyrie requesting a trade was that he is &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; and &ldquo;cannot be trusted&rdquo; and that he &ldquo;reminded the entire basketball world of that.&rdquo; I responded:
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No Stephen A Smith smh It&rsquo;s simple, if you feel you&rsquo;re not being paid what you&rsquo;re worth at your current place of employment or you&rsquo;re being disrespected, it&rsquo;s time to move on. Just like when you voiced that ESPN wasn&rsquo;t compensating you properly. It&rsquo;s not &ldquo;idiotic&rdquo; just business <a href="https://t.co/k08L7SL8hr">pic.twitter.com/k08L7SL8hr</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1621889146368266241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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And that&rsquo;s how I look at this situation. It&rsquo;s just business. It&rsquo;s not Kyrie being a &ldquo;diva,&rdquo; which many have called him, or him being &ldquo;idiotic.&rdquo; They didn&rsquo;t want to give him the number that he felt he had earned as an All-Star, and they added stipulations that he wasn&rsquo;t happy with such as the championship stipulation &mdash; which, again, I don&rsquo;t recall ever being done in the NBA &mdash; so he wanted to look for other options. But the media, people like Stephen A. Smith for example, immediately went to bashing Kyrie before they even knew the details.
Brooklyn Netcast: I agree with everything you just said. I wasn&rsquo;t surprised to hear Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins and so many others in the media jump to bash Kyrie. I know Stephen A. says that he is a fan of Kyrie&rsquo;s, but there has been a consistent bashing of Kyrie that he does and it seems almost personal and definitely unprofessional. This summer, Kendrick Perkins said he would not bash Kyrie as long as he was in the media, and he went back on his word is less than a few months. Dave Portnoy, who is a member of the media, <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1621585952752672768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>: &ldquo;You can make a legit argument Kyrie is the worst pro athlete who ever lived and top 100 worst human.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Etan: Lou Williams responded, &ldquo;Nah, we don&rsquo;t agree with you,&rdquo; and I retweeted that.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Na. We don&rsquo;t agree with you. <a href="https://t.co/WyfQ17ODst">https://t.co/WyfQ17ODst</a>
&mdash; Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1621620298532495363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Brooklyn Netcast: Right! I saw that, and I&rsquo;m glad Lou Williams did that. That was really a disgusting tweet. Requesting a trade because of a contract dispute makes you the worst human being to ever walk the planet? And the amount of people who agreed with his asinine statement is just crazy. But yeah, that shows how Kyrie has been consistently painted as this horrible person by the media, and that&rsquo;s just irresponsible.&nbsp;
Etan: What are you hearing about the Brooklyn Nets and how they view Kyrie? I&rsquo;m sure some of the fans are split &mdash; some love Kyrie and some hate Kyrie, some are swayed by the media and some see through how the media portrays him &mdash; but what are you hearing from the team as far as their reaction to this? And I ask because I noticed that after the recent suspension, it seemed as though the team supported him &mdash; or at least didn&rsquo;t publicly bash him. I saw people in the media trying to almost coerce the players into ridiculing him. I saw them try to get Nic Claxton to say they were better off without Kyrie, and they tried to get KD to express frustration with Kyrie. It was like they went down the list, but none of them took the bait. Where do you think they are with Kyrie and if he were to come back &mdash; say they don&rsquo;t trade him &mdash;would they welcome him back with open arms?&nbsp;
Brooklyn Netcast: That&rsquo;s tough to say. I feel like it would vary from player to player. I&rsquo;m sure they understand the business aspect of this all and they don&rsquo;t look at this as a personal abandonment of the team or anything like that. I do think they are all well aware that their chances of being successful greatly diminish if Kyrie is not on the floor. But at the same time, from what I&rsquo;m hearing, or at least what they are expressing publicly, is that they understand that this is a business. But they know at the same time, they need him to be successful.&nbsp;
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Etan: I want you to expound on the media coverage of Kyrie. And of course not all media are covering him the same way, but I will say that there are quite a few in the media who are really taking turns bashing him. Do you feel that it&rsquo;s a little bit unfair or unwarranted or unprofessional? (Besides Stephen A. Smith; in his case, it definitely does appear to be just that). How would you describe the majority of the media&rsquo;s coverage of Irving?
Brooklyn Netcast: I think that a lot of it is personal and a lot of it is a collection of how they feel about past events, and that taints how they examine this current event. They aren&rsquo;t separating the two. For example, when James Harden asked for a trade, he didn&rsquo;t get bashed as heavily, and his was more of a giving up on the team. He had gained weight, was playing very bad basketball at the time and reportedly never wanted to be in Brooklyn in the first place as his first choice. Kyrie&rsquo;s request was definitely covered differently, and he has a valid financial reason to want out, in my opinion at least. And there have been other players who were just disgruntled or just unhappy with the system or not [getting] enough shots or playing time who asked for a trade, and they weren&rsquo;t bashed anywhere near as much as Kyrie. But like I said, a lot of that has to do with past situations that many people are lumping in with this situation, and one has nothing to do with the other. I&rsquo;m hoping the media, later on after he has retired, will look back and say, &ldquo;You know what, this was unfair treatment of a player and we viewed him incorrectly.&rdquo;
Etan: Yeah&hellip; I would say don&rsquo;t hold your breath on Stephen A. Smith or Charles Barkley ever coming to that realization.&rdquo;
Brooklyn Netcast: Oh, well not those two (laughing).
Etan: Oh ok (laughing), you just mean the media as a whole.
Brooklyn Netcast: Yeah, just collectively. But no, those two are probably not going to come to any realization.
Etan: I couldn&rsquo;t agree more. There is nothing wrong with having a professional critique of an athlete. I have no problem with that. But often, Stephen A. Smith&rsquo;s comments about Kyrie Irving are nothing more than personal attacks and attempts to disparage his character. He lobbies for him not to be signed to a long-term deal and puts notions out there that he can&rsquo;t be trusted. It comes across as a personal vendetta instead of a professional critique. And although my friend David Aldridge didn&rsquo;t agree with me when I debated him and Marc Spears about the impact of what the media says, it&rsquo;s been confirmed to be true.
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What the media says does affect the business side for players when it&rsquo;s time for teams, GMs, presidents, etc. to sign them &mdash; whether those notions are accurate or not. It&rsquo;s not about &ldquo;hurting a player&rsquo;s feelings.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s about having a direct impact on their professional career. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/former-nba-gm-confirms-false-narratives-hurt-kwame-brown-others" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed a former NBA GM, Pete Babcock</a>, who confirmed that false narratives put out by the media and Stephen A. Smith, in particular, did in fact hurt Kwame Brown financially. He discussed how NBA executives were, in fact, influenced by those narratives.&nbsp;
But thanks again for your content and covering this in a way that is different than many others in the media. This was a good discussion.
Brooklyn Netcast: Thanks for having me.

Etan Thomas examines how the media has covered Kyrie Irving's trade request from the Brooklyn Nets.

After trade demand, media bash Kyrie Irving but silent on management

Thursday night&rsquo;s matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies was a showcase of the brightest young talents the NBA has to offer.
Both teams were trading runs, as Ja Morant and Darius Garland took turns getting into the paint and finishing or finding their guys for great looks. Evan Mobley would not be denied on the offensive glass, and his aggressive ascent continued. Desmond Bane was firing on all cylinders from distance.
Then, the game abruptly came to a halt when Mobley blocked Dillon Brooks on a fastbreak opportunity. As Donovan Mitchell came up with the loose-ball rebound near the baseline, a grounded Brooks rolled into his ankle and, with his left hand, struck Mitchell in the groin.&nbsp;
Mitchell tossed the ball back at Brooks in disgust and promptly shoved him. Chaos ensued.
As both sides tried to de-escalate the situation, the two were separated. After a review of the play, Mitchell was ejected for a &ldquo;hostile act&rdquo; while Brooks was handed a Flagrant 2 penalty and also tossed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Spida and Dillon Brooks get CHIPPY 😳 <a href="https://t.co/jGhYHa8VAS">pic.twitter.com/jGhYHa8VAS</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1621333727543721984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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With a five-point advantage at that point in the third quarter, the Cavs ended up going on a 23-11 run that bled over into the opening part of the fourth quarter. Cleveland did not relinquish the lead, and ended up victorious over Memphis by a final of 128-113.
After the contest, unplanned and knowing the financial ramifications to come, Mitchell requested to speak on the matter. When asked if he felt it was a cheap shot, the All-Star guard did not hold back his feelings about Brooks, whom he&rsquo;s encountered plenty of times.
&ldquo;Yeah. For sure. That&rsquo;s just who he is. We have seen it a bunch in this league with him. Him and I have had our personal battles for years. Quite frankly, I&rsquo;ve been busting his ass for years &mdash; playoffs, regular season. And the one game he does an alright job on me today, he decides to do something like that. No place for that in the game,&rdquo; Mitchell said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve gotta protect yourself at the end of the day. This has been brewing for years&mdash; with me, with other guys in the league. You all see it. This isn&rsquo;t new. Tonight was just the end of it. It&rsquo;s tough when you can&rsquo;t guard somebody and you can&rsquo;t do something with somebody, you&rsquo;ve got to resort to that. And that is what he has done to a lot of players. Off the top of my head, I think it&rsquo;s like Dame [Lillard] and Steph [Curry]. It&rsquo;s just one of those things you resort to and that&rsquo;s cool, but I&rsquo;m glad my guys held it down tonight and had my back throughout the whole thing.&rdquo;
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Mitchell continued to address the matter with Brooks.
&ldquo;We have been talking nonstop, but I wouldn&rsquo;t say [it's ever gotten] to this extent. There&rsquo;s always been talk. You can go back. I think it was like two years ago, regular season, 30 points a game (against him), it&rsquo;s nonstop talking back and forth. That was cool when we were just talking. But that right there, a line has to be drawn," Mitchell said. "The NBA has to do something about it. I&rsquo;m not the only person this has happened to, and there&rsquo;s no place for that in this game. I took matters into my own hands. But at the end of the day, that ain&rsquo;t it.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think it would be like that. Maybe the jawing back and forth, which is part of the game and it&rsquo;s cool or whatever, but when you have a cheap shot like that &ndash; there was no need to do that. I wasn&rsquo;t expecting that and then, that&rsquo;s just how I reacted. If you just can&rsquo;t guard somebody then just say that or just get a switch. You know what I mean? That&rsquo;s what it is. It is what it is.&rdquo;
In the Grizzlies&rsquo; locker room, with Morant coming to his teammate&rsquo;s defense and telling reporters to only ask his teammate about the game itself, Brooks didn&rsquo;t have much to say other than that his Flagrant 2 saved him a couple of technical fouls.
&ldquo;I just think people don&rsquo;t like me,&rdquo; Brooks said.
Morant denied any kind of previous tension or history regarding his team and Mitchell, and shared his opinion on the matter in a broader context of NBA teams.
&ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t gonna speak on the play. I&rsquo;mma just speak on pretty much everything. Anything when it comes to negative with the Grizzlies, we normally get the punishments. It ain&rsquo;t the same. They hate us... We don&rsquo;t like them. I&rsquo;m standing on that. That&rsquo;s how it is though. It&rsquo;s a little situation going on now, I ain&rsquo;t gonna speak on it yet, but if some sh** don&rsquo;t change, y&rsquo;all will gonna hear me speak on it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t got no history with nobody. We don&rsquo;t beef with nobody. They don&rsquo;t like us. We speak our mind, we put pressure on &lsquo;em, we talk to &lsquo;em. Some people ain&rsquo;t built for it. They don&rsquo;t like it, and I feel like that&rsquo;s why teams always get in that match with us. But every time, we&rsquo;re gonna stand on all 10, ride for our guys, gonna step. Whatever comes together... We&rsquo;re brothers. We put in the work each and every day together. So anytime we&rsquo;re out on that floor, we&rsquo;re out there battling together. Anything else comes, we&rsquo;re gonna do it together.&rdquo;
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While Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was mum on the subject and praised the referees for how they handled the altercation, he said &ldquo;it was competitive and we try to stand for our teammates.&rdquo; Jenkins had a conversation with Brooks and kept the details private.&nbsp;
On the Cavs end, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn&rsquo;t appreciate what went down and didn&rsquo;t think Mitchell deserved to get tossed from the game.
&ldquo;If somebody makes a play like that, you should have the right to stand up for yourself. That was a cheap shot in multiple ways," Bickerstaff said. "You roll a guy's ankle and then obviously whatever was next out of there, a guy should have the right to stand up for himself. I thought Donovan did that. That's one thing, I'm proud of our guys; we don't have those guys that start sh**, but we got guys that don't run from sh**. You have to in this league, you have to stand up for yourself. That's what he did and that's why his teammates had his back."
&ldquo;I mean, it was a dirty play from the other dude over there. Tried to hit him in his groin area,&rdquo; Garland added. &ldquo;So, [Donovan] just had to project himself. Guys protect themselves. We just rallied behind him and protected our team. That&rsquo;s all it was. We&rsquo;re no sissies over here. We&rsquo;re not going for all the little cheap shots and stuff like that. Everybody's happy that Don did protect himself and everybody rallied behind him as well. So it was good team camaraderie right there.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not no sissies. We not just gonna back down.&rdquo; Darius Garland offers his perspective on the Donovan Mitchell/Dillon Brooks (&ldquo;the other dude over there&rdquo;) tussle. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/93ssUP6RDz">pic.twitter.com/93ssUP6RDz</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1621378544306720770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

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When asked to discuss Bickerstaff&rsquo;s comments about opponents mistaking Cleveland&rsquo;s kindness for weakness, Garland described the Cavs&rsquo; attitude in his eyes.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re some nice young men until you try to do some weird stuff like the dude did over there. We&rsquo;re still tough, though. We&rsquo;re a tough group. We&rsquo;ve got some guys that get after you and we&rsquo;re going to fight back if you try to push us first,&rdquo; Garland said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not soft or anything. We&rsquo;re still some dogs, as I always say, and we&rsquo;ll never back down from nobody, never lay down for nobody, especially those guys over there. We&rsquo;re two of the top young teams in this league, so whenever we battle out, it&rsquo;s going to be a tough one. And that goes for everybody else in this league, as well. We&rsquo;re not going to lay down for nobody.&rdquo;
Citing previous examples with others, Mitchell believes there should be some kind of punishment for Brooks&rsquo; actions.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, I think my reaction was honestly just for me was reacting to a cheap shot. You know what I mean? This has been a habit for years and this isn't new to anybody in this room. And if punishment doesn't come from that, he&rsquo;s just going to keep doing that. It&rsquo;s just dumb, to be honest with you. Just dumb. It's just dumb and I'm going to appeal (the ejection) because I don't think I should've gotten ejected for defending myself, to be honest.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to say like, &lsquo;Oh it should be this, it should be that.&rsquo; But it should be something. Like I said, this isn't just a Donovan thing. This has happened to other players throughout this league. And it's bullshit. If we're being honest with you, it's complete bullsh**. There's one thing, you&rsquo;ve got Ja, you&rsquo;ve got Bane, Jaren Jackson, those guys &mdash; they talk shit and that's fine. That's all part of basketball. We all grew up playing that way. But when you start doing little cheap sh** like that, that ain't it. That's honestly where my frustration lies. It's not about talking back and forth with us, that's whatever; the extra bumps, whatever, that's cool. But when you start doing little stuff like that, what are we really doing?&rdquo;
The Cavs and Grizzlies ended up splitting the season series with two highly intense meetings. Both teams are fighting in their respective conferences and making plenty of noise. After Thursday, it&rsquo;s clear that these squads are holding their ground.

Spencer Davies goes behind the scenes of Donovan Mitchell and Dillon Brooks' altercation in the Cavs-Grizzlies game.

Donovan Mitchell, Dillon Brooks get into scuffle; Cavs, Grizzlies react

This isn't the Boston Celtics offense that many have come to know and, at various points, loathe.
The Celtics wield the best offensive rating in basketball. They're off to a 10-3 start this season and have scored 110 or more points in 11-of-13 contests. And most impressively, in a year where transition play is on the rise and the leaguewide halfcourt offensive rating is actually down from the past two seasons, Boston has been historically unstoppable.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the C's are averaging 107.6 points per 100 possessions of halfcourt offense. That would be by far the highest number in the history of the site's database, which tracks back to 2003-04. The gap between Boston and second-place Dallas (101.7) is equal to the gap between the Mavericks and the 14th-place Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
The Celtics are shredding opponents nearly every single night, even as their top-ranked defense from last season is still working out early-season kinks.&nbsp;
It's not like Boston completely overhauled its roster. Malcolm Brogdon was a key offseason signing, as was Sam Hauser (we'll touch on both of them), but the core of the rotation is the same. Payton Pritchard, the best shooter on last year's team, no longer receives regular minutes.&nbsp;
As far as passing &mdash; the Celtics hand out 275.5 passes per game, which ranks tied for 22nd in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum. They average 3.18 seconds per touch (ranked t-15th) and 2.41 dribbles per touch (ranked t-10th). So the ball isn't constantly buzzing around the court &mdash; instead, the Celtics are emphasizing purposeful ball movement with their spacing and driving.
&ldquo;We want to put pressure on the rim, we want to finish at the basket,&rdquo; Al Horford said <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/11/sports/celtics-set-tone-early-wire-to-wire-win-over-nuggets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after Friday's win against the Denver Nuggets</a>. &ldquo;At the same time, we have to have good spacing around [Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown] in case that doesn&rsquo;t happen. We play inside-out. We get those threes. It&rsquo;s just the way our lineups are. We have five shooters out there, so we&rsquo;re really spreading it out.&rdquo;
The success obviously starts with Jayson Tatum's career year. The 24-year-old is in the midst of his most efficient season ever, averaging a career-best 132.1 points per 100 shot attempts to power his 31.4 points per game. He's shooting 38.7% from long range and decreasing his turnover rate despite being a notoriously slow-starting player.&nbsp;
Tatum's most eye-popping statistic so far is his absurd 79% finishing rate at the rim. Most of those buckets are self-created, where he has taken yet another step forward as a decisive driver while adding hints of a floater game. However, I'd like to steer over to his assisted attempts at the basket. Tatum is 25-for-29 (86.2%) on shots within 10 feet where he held the basketball for less than two seconds. That's unsurprisingly a career-high, per PBP Stats, and it also comes on his highest frequency of attempts in the last four seasons.&nbsp;
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It is always easier to accelerate without dribbling a basketball. Boston has used that knowledge by giving Tatum off-ball screens to let him loose and having him surprise teams with delayed cuts (Adam Taylor of CelticsBlog <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/11/9/23448847/why-the-boston-celtics-utilized-delayed-cuts-against-the-memphis-grizzlies-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown?_gl=1*dkhxh0*" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a nice article about those</a>). You'll also see him work as a screen-and-slipper in the above reel.
The goal is to either manufacture a driving lane for Tatum or force a switch onto a bad matchup in bad positioning. Jaden Ivey doesn't stand a chance in his effort against a speeding Tatum. Help defenders aren't even prepared to rotate in some of the other clips.
You'll notice one possession where Marcus Smart feeds a cutting Tatum out of a post-up &mdash; leading us to the next hidden offensive development.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marcus Smart up to 48 assists and just six turnovers in his last five games. Easily the best stretch of his career on that front.
&mdash; Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1591619131719270400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Smart's point guard wizardry has been on full display this season. Quietly, he's also become a post hub for the Celtics. According to Second Spectrum, Smart is posting up 1.6 times per game this season. That might not seem like much, but it it's actually 44th among all NBA players and second among all guards. Also, it's close to double his volume from 2021-22.&nbsp;
What's happening on those plays? In 21 total post touches, Smart has converted 6-of-8 shot attempts, passed the ball 11 times for four assists, and coughed up a single turnover. His 19.0% assist rate out of the post is third among all players with at least 10 total post-ups this season.
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Smart knows when to bully his way to the basket against weaker guards. He can then finish through them or turnaround and hit short jumpers. He's also more of a quarterback out of the post, directing cutters and disguising his true intentions, as shown when he hits Horford and Jaylen Brown for assists.&nbsp;
Speaking of Horford &mdash; his own marksmanship has made some of the spacing he spoke about particularly effective. He's taking over half of his shots from behind the arc and drilling them at a 48% clip. And, after scarcely shooting corner threes for most of his career, the 36-year-old has exploded to start the season:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT Frequency</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Corner 3PT%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2018-19 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">3%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">29%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2019-20 (76ers)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2020-21 (Thunder)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">5%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">22%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2021-22 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">13%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">40%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">2022-23 (Celtics)</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">27%</td>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">48%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
According to PBP Stats, the Celtics lead the NBA with 13.5 three-point assists per game. Horford headlines the beneficiaries. &nbsp;
&ldquo;Mentally, I&rsquo;m getting in that mindset of I&rsquo;m shooting more threes and that&rsquo;s just what it is," Horford told Bobby Manning of <a href="https://www.clnsmedia.com/al-horford-thriving-in-shooting-role-as-celtics-offense-soars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLNS Media</a>. "The game continues to change, and for me, it&rsquo;s just trying to find a way that I can change too.&rdquo;
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Boston's five-out sets turn Horford into a lethal corner weapon. The Celtics use guard and wing screens frequently (exemplified with Smart in the first clip) that give a plus passer the space to make reads in the middle of the floor. Defenses have to collapse to some degree, which means Horford gets more space.&nbsp;
Then, you have dynamic individual drivers like Tatum, Brown and Brogdon who can fold defenses on their own and make corner kick-outs to Horford. Even Tatum's off-ball gravity pays off for Horford; look at how he makes a mid-air exta pass off of his designed play to a Horford three-pointer in the third clip.
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Horford's success is a testament to Boston's ability to create open looks for their center, as well as his own improved consistency from long range. Brogdon's addition has helped generate those chances for Horford and others.
When the Celtics acquired Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers this summer, his swing skill for the franchise was his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/ethan-fuller?page=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unstoppable driving prowess</a>. The trait has blended seamlessly into Boston's new-look offense. Brogdon leads the team in drives per game and is shooting a strong 53.8% on driving shot attempts. His 14.0% assist rate on drives places him eighth among 64 high-volume drives in the NBA (with at least eight drives per game).&nbsp;
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In these two examples, Brogdon draws in&nbsp;three&nbsp;Memphis Grizzlies defenders before making the appropriate kick-out. His physicality and ball control almost guarantees a paint touch. Then, he can get all the way to the basket if he has a lane, or send a pass back to the perimeter. Or option three: the Celtics continue to move well off the ball and he finds a cutter, like so:
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Malcolm Brogdon automatic paint touch ✔️ Jaylen Brown read and react cut into a lane ✔️ This is what the Celtics should love to see <a href="https://t.co/KRebKViDXE">pic.twitter.com/KRebKViDXE</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1589010044456079360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Brogdon and the rest of Boston's attacking players need perimeter threats to make a driving, swinging offense hum. Grant Williams is a surefire sharpshooter at this point, and guys like Tatum, Horford and Derrick White have also started hot. But the latter three have a streaky history and are likely to cool off.
Sam Hauser might just be legit.
The second-year forward was a two-way player for Boston who primarily spent last season with the Maine Celtics (long live the Red Claws!). The franchise expressed confidence throughout the offseason that he could make the leap, though, and he slid right into the rotation spot that would have presumably been occupied by Danilo Gallinari.&nbsp;
Hauser has silenced all doubters so far. He's hitting 45.6% of his three-pointers, good for 15th in the NBA, and has canned some spectacular difficult shots. One of the key weaknesses Boston stumbled upon in last year's playoffs was that, despite Grant Williams shooting the lights out, defenses rarely keyed in on Celtics role-players beyond the arc. No one threatened enough to pull attention from Tatum and Brown.&nbsp;
This year, Hauser can build a resume worthy of defensive attention.&nbsp;
The 24-year-old is averaging 1.54 points per possession on spot-up plays this season, which slots him seventh among 220 qualifying players. Hauser exudes confidence, barely appearing to think before he pulls the trigger (in a good way):
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He's not really a Duncan-Robinson-type who flies around screens or a Payton-Pritchard-type who steps into pull-ups. Hauser just constantly relocates and capitalizes on the space he receives while Boston's other players bend the defense. Notice how several of these attempts are open &mdash; for now, defenses still would rather contain Boston's star drivers instead of Hauser's three-ball.
That's going to change if he keeps lighting up the arc. If Hauser can remain a playable defensive piece and be enough of a threat to attack closeouts, in addition to his volume and efficiency from deep &mdash; look out. Defenses will have no choice to play the numbers game and focus more on Hauser, and that will in turn make driving the ball easier for the Celtics.
Boston ultimately has so many critical offensive developments compounding on top of each other. The Celtics' juggernaut vibe exists because the players recognize each other's strengths and have learned how to reverberate off each other. It's still very, very early; defenses will build up a film database and send counters, and the true test for this team will be how it adapts throughout the year.&nbsp;
But a hot start under a new coach is always welcome, and the stampede of complementary successes makes this Celtics offense appear built for the long haul.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I barely even mentioned Grant Williams! He deserves a shout-out because he is averaging a ludicrous 155.7 points per shot attempt, according to Cleaning the Glass. That's the best mark among 229 NBA players who have logged at least 200 minutes this season.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Yesterday, we ran a stats-based check-in with our followers on Twitter, offering up neat numbers for players who have not received enough love this year. Here are two highlights:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Romeo Langford is crushing it in the short mid-range 🔥 He&rsquo;s taken 28% of his shots there and made 62% of them. Both rank in the top 10% among wings, per Cleaning the Glass. <a href="https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB">https://t.co/Jp2csrcbnB</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591442747948515329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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46 NBA players have self-created over 50 shots within 10 feet of the basket, per PBP Stats. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox is the only one making more than 70% of those attempts 😳 <a href="https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl">https://t.co/0mrPzObsVl</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1591443447755726849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-the-sun-is-still-rising-on-anfernee-simons-portland-trail-blazers-damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week's NBA Stats Notebook about Anfernee Simons' hot start</a>!&nbsp;

Ethan Fuller breaks down some of the statistics behind the Boston Celtics' league-leading offense.

NBA Stats Notebook: A deep dive into the Celtics' dominant offense

Alex Kennedy goes 1-on-1 with Tyrese Haliburton, who opens up about getting traded, the Pacers' future, his offseason training, etc.

Tyrese Haliburton won’t let trade 'resentment' define new Pacers era

On April 28, Shaquille O'Neal kept his weird vendetta against Donovan Mitchell alive on his podcast, "<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-bacon/id1558354780?i=1000558986005" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Big Podcast with Shaq.</a>" O'Neal was discussing James Harden's postseason struggles and managed to turn the conversation toward Donovan Mitchell's candidacy as an NBA superstar.
&ldquo;Y&rsquo;all be giving out a lot of these awards to some of these bums and I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;What?&rsquo;" O'Neal said. "For example, what did I say about Donovan Mitchell two years ago? Everybody jumping on me and hating and I be quiet. What&rsquo;s he doing now?... Is that what superstars do?&rdquo;
O'Neal then <a href="https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-media/shaquille-oneal-claps-backs-after-being-accused-of-slandering-donovan-mitchell-i-could-say-what-i-say-brother-how-many-rings-do-i-have-4-brother" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended his comments in another recent episode</a>. This slander obsession dates back over a year to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFmk7kzDbiA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bizarre postgame interview on TNT</a>. Unfortunately, it's also become part of a larger narrative working against Mitchell's NBA career.&nbsp;
Mitchell's superstar credentials have gone under the microscope as trade rumors erupt around the 25-year-old this summer. The Utah Jazz have failed to surpass the second round of the playoffs with Mitchell running the show. He's a smaller combo guard at 6-foot-1 with run-of-the-mill, basic shooting splits. He played pretty poorly in this year's first-round series loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Is this a player worth mortgaging the future to acquire?
In a word: Absolutely.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Regardless of what O'Neal or any other detractors might say, Mitchell is a certified superstar, a number one scoring-and-playmaking option and a tier-altering presence for any NBA franchise. He is not without his flaws, but this type of gravitational offensive force rarely becomes available.
Let's start with the scoring and get the "inefficient" buzzword out of the way.
Mitchell has never been among the elite shooters in the league, but he's made strides throughout his career. Last season he sported a 50.9% Effective Field Goal percentage on pull-up shots. That's very good; it placed him 15th among 107 players who attempted at least 150 such shots, per Second Spectrum.
Mitchell shot the fourth-most pull-up threes in the NBA last season (413) and hit 35.6% of them, which was in the ballpark of guys with better reputations like Luka Doncic, Khris Middleton, Devin Booker and CJ McCollum. Mitchell has improved his eFG% in each subsequent year of his career, with last year being his best yet.&nbsp;
His overall three-point clip was just 35.5%, but that's because he had a bizarre, outlier year where he hit just 34.6% of his catch-and-shoot treys. Mitchell has never been below 40% off the catch in any other season. It's reasonable to call 2021-22 an unfortunate down year when he has four prior seasons of success.&nbsp;
Mitchell's average three-point shot distance was a whopping 26.4 feet from the basket, per BBall Index. A remarkable 52% of his three-point makes were unassisted, which is in the 98th percentile among combo guards, per Cleaning the Glass. He has one of the toughest perimeter shot diets in the league, and has maintained a quality mark from deep.
Then, we zoom in closer to the basket. Mitchell made a strong 65% of his shots at the rim this season, according to Cleaning the Glass, and 80% of those makes were unassisted. In total, Mitchell created 71% of his buckets without an assist last season, the 12th-highest rate in the NBA. Mitchell has had to manifest so much for himself in Utah, and still manages to cobble together solid shooting splits.
Mitchell's volume should not diguise him as a pure scorer. He's demonstrably better at finding shooters on the floor, in addition to his synergy with Rudy Gobert. According to Second Spectrum, 16.3% of Mitchell's passed led to assists or free throws last season, good for 14th in the entire NBA.
That rate was also his best of the last three seasons, and while it's partially dependent on teammates making shots, it also shows Mitchell is finding his guys in good positions. BBall Index also tracks a stat called Box Creation (initially made by Ben Taylor), which estimates how many open shots a player creates for teammates. Mitchell's score this season was 10.3, ranking in the 97th percentile.
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The vision is apparent. Mitchell is such a dangerous downhill threat that defenses simply have to collapse on him. He knows how the second level will step up to contain him and where the next defensive rotation will be, as seen in the first and third clips. He has improved at making the corresponding reads without significantly altering his turnover rate.
Is Mitchell one of the best and most willing facilitators in the NBA? No; he averaged a pretty mediocre 41.7 passes last season to go with 5.3 assists per game. But there's a clear pattern of growth that bodes well for his future in Utah or with another team.
Mitchell's volume of difficult shots often gets warped as a ball-hog tendency. But look at who Utah has as actual well-rounded offensive engines. Mike Conley still provides solid moments and moves the ball well, but he has not been an attacking threat for several years now. Jordan Clarkson is a pure scorer with jarring peaks and valleys. Bojan Bogdanovic is transitioning to more of a spacer role. Mitchell is wholly in another category as a player who can both create a shot for himself while being a threat to pass.
With all of that said, we can't gloss over the defense &mdash; particularly in the latter stages of last season.
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Donovan Mitchell's defense was better the last few games IMO, but he still has some really rough lapses. Seems to totally misplay this coverage: <a href="https://t.co/MKahyif9ch">pic.twitter.com/MKahyif9ch</a>
&mdash; Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1520579287002148864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
Mitchell really faltered on a national stage. As he struggled to find an offensive rhythm, he continually played behind the play on defense. Whether it was a lack of effort, confusion or something else, he was clearly out of position and not extending himself on several possessions against the Mavericks. And the concerns had been rising before the postseason too.
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I see Donovan Mitchell's off-ball defense continues to be suspect. (He ain't the only at fault though. Seems like House failed to communicate a switch. Which seems to be a team-wide problem at times.) <a href="https://t.co/g5RXNfcZJo">pic.twitter.com/g5RXNfcZJo</a>
&mdash; Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1512629596029857793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Outside of Gobert, Utah was in a rocky defensive state by the playoffs despite finishing the regular season with a top-10 Defensive Rating. The Jazz's defense was 4.6 points per 100 possessions better without Mitchell on the court, per Cleaning the Glass.
But if there's a bright spot, it's in his 1.9% steal rate. Steals and steal rates tell only a tiny picture of overall defensive impact, but within those steals, we can see promising moments.
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It's not like Mitchell is constantly losing the plot as a team defender. In these plays, he recognized who was going to be open of the drive, and shut off the faucet to pick up two steals. Mitchell is strong and active with his hands to the point where he can be a tough individual matchup for smaller guards. It's just about consistency right now. He has the tools to be a neutral or slight positive, and has shown defensive ability in the past. For whatever reason, it fell apart last season.&nbsp;
Lastly, it's worth dispelling the notion that Mitchell does not impact winning basketball. The Jazz boasted the best Offensive Rating in the NBA last season. They were third in the metric in 2020-21 en route to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and it's no coincidence that Mitchell was the offensive catalyst in both years.&nbsp;
And, even with last season's playoff dud, Mitchell's career postseason stats include 28.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game to go along a 55.8% True Shooting percentage. He's not even two years removed from a 57-point postseason onslaught in the bubble. And he's still only 25 years old.&nbsp;
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The Athletic's&nbsp;Shams Charania reported Monday morning that the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets have expressed interest in trading for Mitchell along with the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-offseason-donovan-mitchell-new-york-knicks-utah-jazz-danny-ainge-leon-rose-rudy-gobert-quentin-grimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">well-documented New York Knicks rumors</a>. Though teams should obviously do their due diligence and look at roster fit and outgoing talent, it's hard for me to see why any of these teams should outright balk at the chance to acquire a sure-fire All-Star and perennial All-NBA player.
Do Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby's defensive talents outweight the chance to bring Pascal Siakam one of the best possible long-term partners in crime? Should the Knicks hold up at the chance to add by far their greatest offensive talent since Carmelo Anthony? Are future picks going to be the impasse when Mitchell could conceivably keep a team in playoff contention for several years?
I'm not here to be the judge. But if a blockbuster trade does materialize, it's worth remembering just how special this type of 25-year-old superstar can be.

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Donovan Mitchell has been one of the biggest names to appear in NBA trade rumors this offseason.

Resetting the conversation around Donovan Mitchell's superstar stature

Chris Paul turns 37 years old next week, but you would have no idea that&rsquo;s the case with the way he slammed the door shut on the New Orleans Pelicans potentially forcing a Game 7.
The Phoenix Suns&rsquo; future Hall-of-Fame point guard put together a masterclass performance, dropping 33 points and 8 assists on 14-of-14 shooting. Paul is the only player in NBA postseason history to attempt at least 14 field goal attempts without a miss, once again putting the Suns on his back when it mattered most.
Paul was the Suns&rsquo; only reliable offensive threat in Game 6, and he was totally okay with that. Easily slicing and dicing through New Orleans&rsquo; aggressive on-ball defense, Paul was able to get to his spots on the floor with no issue.
What was most remarkable is the fluidity and ease with which he disposed of New Orleans' defense. The Pelicans threw a hailstorm at Paul, toying with matchups, personnel, pressure and coverages.
As the game wore on, Paul eradicated each barrier set in front of him.&nbsp;
Jaxson Hayes struggled much of the series to remain an on-court neutral, and Game 6 was a microcosmic view of why (he ended up playing 12 minutes in spite of starting, playing only 13.8 minutes per game for the series).
Jae Crowder didn't shoot well last night, but he was dominant as a screener for Phoenix's offense. He set an absurd number of early offense screens to force inopportune switches and dicatate play immediately in the halfcourt.
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Crowder makes contact with CJ McCollum before five seconds have leaked off the clock, and that was a regularity. Deandre Ayton sets his screen further in to make it difficult for Hayes to recover quickly to the perimeter and switch on the screen; Ayton was demonstrative as a screener last night, an obelisk on the court, always ready to shift the dynamics of the court in a moment's notice.
Ayton flips the screen to open a pocket for Paul, Hayes tries to fight back under as Jonas Valanciunas keeps things in front in drop coverage, and Paul cashes the jumper.
The Pelicans started to prioritize length and mobility as the game went on, pressing Paul tight with Naji Marshall, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado. Larry Nance Jr., a force in this series, played close to the level of screens as the defense worked to shrink those pockets near the elbow.
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Let's just note how many things the defense does here that they weren't off rip.
We have the three quarters pressure. The big is playing at the level. Ingram is fighting to deny the switch and keep Naji Marshall in front of Paul, as Marshall darts under the Ayton screen. Paul breaks right and jams Marshall into a well-placed rescreen from Ayton. Brandon Ingram stunts off Crowder to jab at the ball, but Paul is unfazed as he switches hands, crossing to his left before pulling up on a dime. Paul starts into his shot prep and Jones stunts from the strongside corner... and it just didn't matter.
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New Orleans did everything they could to stay solid while attacking Paul in every which way, a culmination of adjustments they'd made throughout the first half, and yet Chris Paul still rendered it ineffective. That's soul crushing.
Perhaps the shots he&nbsp;didn't take did an even better job of showcasing how absurd his play was.
Watch this play. The control is unreal. Paul is having his Neo-taking-over-the-Matrix moment. Every dribble is precise, calculated and surgical. He's shifting Ingram constantly.
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The second Ingram's hips turn, Paul flips the ball to Ayton for a quick rise and fire as he was in the midst of his own absurd shooting performance, as he went 10-of-12 from the field on a variety of finishes.
The late-game lob to take the lead was killer. The synergy between Paul and Ayton made a broken possession heartbreaking for New Orleans.
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Just when you think Paul's kept in front and smothered, you're getting yammed on with a well-disguised lob.
If Chris Paul had taken 27 shots last night, I'm not sure he misses. He just hit everything, and some of the bounces he got were ridiculous, displaying his otherworldly touch.
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A triple bounce on the rim after a high-arcing tear drop?
The ball flipping over the rim after hitting the front for the game-sealing bucket?
Just an absurd display of shot-making that felt willed on by divine intervention of some sort. It was one of the greatest offensive performances I've ever seen.
Throughout the Suns&rsquo; hard-fought first-round series against the Pelicans, Paul showcased brilliant moments on multiple occasions. In the end, Paul averaged 22.3 points, 11.3 assists and 1.8 steals on a 66.3% True Shooting.
As Suns head coach Monty Williams mentioned after the Suns&rsquo; close-out victory, this is just an expectation for players with the greatness of Paul.
&ldquo;I just know that great players have a knack for that,&rdquo; Willams said. &ldquo;They know when to and when not to. The game slows down for them, slower than it does for everybody else.&rdquo;
Williams even alluded to how Paul's outing is up there with the greatest performances (if not the greatest) he&rsquo;s witnessed from his superstar point guard. And doing it back where it all started for Paul in the Association made this moment even more special. The roots in New Orleans are still entrenched for Paul, and closing it all out in this manner was simply a breathtaking experience.
&ldquo;Unbelievably special,&rdquo; Paul said of his historical game in New Orleans. &ldquo;You have no idea what it&rsquo;s like for me to walk in here. Everybody that works back here, these people part of my family. &hellip; Chris (an arena security guard), he been here since I was here. Pound him before every game here back when I played in New Orleans, and did the same thing this entire series. My older brother sitting on the baseline. All of these people, it&rsquo;s my family. People sitting courtside been here since I was here.
"There&rsquo;s nothing like playing in this city, man. There&rsquo;s nothing like it. I went to other teams and all that, but the energy here, the way they show much love to the players, to your family. When I walked in, they asked if my parents were here and all that. And then Willie [Green], so many different ties to this team. [Garrett] Temple, Gary Clark was in my AAU program. &hellip; There&rsquo;s so many different ties to New Orleans and there always will be.&rdquo;
While sitting next to Paul, Devin Booker even mentioned how he and his father, Melvin, would drive down from Moss Point, Mississippi, to watch Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the postseason. This full-circle experience for Paul is one he will never forget, and this trend of becoming an upgraded version of the &ldquo;Point God&rdquo; in close-out situations for the Suns continues to hold true.
Whether it be Paul&rsquo;s historical Game 6 in the Western Conference Finals last season against another former team in the Los Angeles Clippers, or what he just pulled off another year older in New Orleans, there&rsquo;s simply no more denying the greatness of CP3.
BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler</a> contributed to this article.
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Chris Paul's unbelievable Game 6 performance was the point guard's latest masterclass that put his greatness on full display.

Chris Paul's Game 6 masterclass is his latest moment of greatness

He can&rsquo;t be a lead guard.
He&rsquo;s not a point guard.
He can&rsquo;t get to the rim.
You&rsquo;ve probably seen these kinds of phrases thrown around as long as you&rsquo;ve watched the NBA, and for good reason. Lead guard/primary ball-handler play is pretty essential to good offense.
Driving the ball, getting to the rim, collapsing the defense and forcing a defensive rotation/help at the rim with a well-timed pass to the vacated spot where the help came from (or an even more ambitious pass to where help is coming from next) are staples of modern offense in the league.
Ja Morant, Luka Doncic and Trae Young are three of the idyllic rim-pressure threats in their own variations.
Morant is the absurd downhill athlete with incredible at-rim pop. Defenses sell out to stop him from even nearing the paint. Doncic (No. 2 in the league in drives per game) breaks down his man with strength, rhythm and angles
Young is a pull-up artist with a type of guile in his movements that forces overplays on the exterior, and he uses it to his benefit, gliding to the paint and utilizing one of the best floaters in the league (also disguised as a lob!) to punish the defense. Young takes the least shots at the rim of the three, but getting there is not an issue in the slightest, and he's worked his game to use his touch and shiftiness to his advantage.
All three are varying levels of passers ranging from very good to preternatural, but the point remains that their differing gifts, along with their honed craft, are the perfect catalysts for destructing defenses.
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What about the guards/ball-handlers who are imperfect though? I'm not sure I've been more interested in such a thought than I have been this season.
Darius Garland, a player whom many draft analysts wondered if he could get to the rim enough, just makes it work. Prolific pull-up shooting, a phenomenal handle and stellar court vision allow him to work around his own at-rim struggles. He gets to the rim and to the paint with regularity, but due to his lack of verticality, finishing there isn't his forte. Drop-offs, dump-offs and well-placed and disguised lobs in tandem with his floater (in the same vein of Young) formulate the ability to set up his fantastic array of lob partners.
That timing aspect &mdash; VERY IMPORTANT.
Part of what makes this work for Garland is how sneaky he is with his interior game. Everything he does is lightning quick, often even taking his bigs by surprise (I swear at least one-third of his turnovers are bobbled passes that shock the recipient). Quickness, pace and timeliness.&nbsp;
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Oh my word, Darius Garland <a href="https://t.co/fYhSjPzfUP">pic.twitter.com/fYhSjPzfUP</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1459617261405327369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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First off, this pass is freakin sick. Second, this is a great (albeit exaggerated) microcosm of what makes Garland so effective: the defense is always guessing. He's always pushing and probing and again, the defense is on its heels as he keeps the pressure on making it look like he could score. If stifled, he's superb at moving the ball, moving himself with quickness and then making himself available for the ball again as soon as possible. He's like a hornet, constantly stinging with an absurd work rate that's so difficult to keep pace with as a defender.
Immanuel Quickley enters stage left
The aforementioned three questions have been asked over and over again this year in regard to Immanuel Quickley and his ability to lead an offense. They're the same questions that were asked when he was drafted.
By definition, Quickley IS a combo guard. He is not Garland, as he lacks the same handle and playmaking ability that made the Cavs' maestro a first time All-Star, but through that same lens, there are some comparisons that can be drawn.
Since the All-Star Break (20 games, Knicks 10-10), Quickley is averaging 15.2 points and 4.2 assists with 1.2 turnovers per game on 61.1% True Shooting in slightly over 26 minutes of play per night. He's bombed away from three, taking 5.1 treys per game hitting at a 39.2% clip; most importantly, it's how he's getting these shots off.
Three-and-a-half of these long-distance tries per game are pull-up threes (shooting 41.4%), forcing defenses to prioritize his jumper and consistently forcing his defender to go over on ball-screens he runs.
One of my favorite and the most encouraging things: He is becoming quite cunning at grifting for fouls (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-defense-of-fouldrawing-a-gift-not-a-grift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a gift</a>), averaging 4.8 trips to the line per game after the break. He's eighth in percentage of points derived from free throws in that time frame, actually ahead of RJ Barrett, who has been putting work in at the line.
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He's so good at snaking, using his body to wall off his man and baiting him into contact. He has a real knack for selling fouls while also deserving them if that makes sense, even if it is grifty! This is an awesome development and legitimate way to buoy his offensive game.
Quickley is shooting 45.0% from 4 to 14 feet over that span (30% of his total shots), a large portion of his offense. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floater is essential for him</a>. Much like we've seen with Bruce Brown in his ebbs and flows, the floater diet is a tough one; if it's not falling, the defense will adjust accordingly. But, if it is at a high clip, it puts the defense in a quandary. It is just a really hard shot to NOT contest even if it typically has less inherent value than a layup in theory.
Quickley is a good passer, not a great one &mdash; an important distinction. Ideally, he's not your best playmaker on the floor. I would honestly love to see him be more aggressive in some of the reads he makes. He'll make really good quick decisions, but he can be rather safe with the ball at times. He doesn't have the typical downhill burst of a primary ball-handler who will fully break a defense, but the quickness and timing of the passes he does make &mdash; due to the gravity he commands as a pull-up threat out of pick-and-roll &mdash; can allow him to imitate some of those looks.
Since the All-Star Break, Quickley is averaging 8.3 potential assists, accounting for all passes that lead to a shot attempt regardless of a make or miss. That puts him in the same ballpark of Jimmy Butler (8.2), DeMar DeRozan (8.6) and Julius Randle (8.5), all players with a significant usage and substantially higher minutes played than Quickley. That's not to say that he's a better scorer or playmaker, but rather to illustrate that he's doing more than the assists might indicate at face value.
This possession is such a great encapsulation of what Quickly brings offensively.
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The young Knicks who move the ball quickly and with purpose are just joyous Really fun possession <a href="https://t.co/tKXGZb4irJ">pic.twitter.com/tKXGZb4irJ</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1511079654471442434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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RJ Hampton sells out for the Quickley stepback three. Quickley makes a really quick outlet pass to Obi Toppin in the slot and moves himself immediately.
A quick pause: YES. This is so huge; the relocation and constant movement. A great way to offset the lack of other primary skills is to push the tempo &mdash; always moving, always scanning and always relocating after you're out of an action. If you immediately make yourself available after the ball leaves your hands, you can put some added strain on a defense. Simple, but very effective. (This is something Tyrese Haliburton is great at.)
Yes, the initial dent Quickley puts in the defense might be lesser than that of a true primary, but with a good offensive ethos and the principles laid out, we've seen the ability for some really solid offenses to live on continuous advantage creation and maintenance.
Quickley gets far enough in to draw Devin Cannady over in a help scenario before kicking to Barrett for the corner three. I don't have a "for sure" answer, but it feels like if Quickley is able to get another step into the paint with even more of an at-rim/floater sell, perhaps he puts even more of a dent in the defense. I'm nitpicking, but it's also important to note that this is just a harder way of life as an offensive player. If Cannady is actually a wing-sized player guarding Barrett, it's a shot that's much easier to contest.&nbsp;
With Robinson in the dunker spot, Robin Lopez is rather frozen, and on the IQ fake, he immediately seeks out Robinson's body to prevent the lob or box him out on a shot attempt.
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There are subtleties in pacing Quickly can improve upon (he's already shown great signs of growth) that could make him even more impactful. Pairing him with lob partners like Robinson and Jericho Sims makes his floater and the threat of it that much more impactful, as he starts to work on masking his shot and pass to mimic one another. Sims' screening has been very fun to see work in tandem with Quickley as well; he's easily the best screener on the team that isn't IQ.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks' offense scores 5.3 points per 100 possessions more with Quickley on the floor. Yes, on/offs are extremely finicky and New York's awful starting unit plays a huge part in this sizable differential. Yet, that's also part of the point, no?
When IQ is on the floor, the Knicks actively seek more opportunities in transition and push more off of live rebounds. Truly, they just move quicker and with more purpose, something that's been a real issue for this Knicks team. The young guys play with pace, actively relocate, make quick decisions and continue to exploit advantages.
Barrett is the power wing that was promised, currently in the midst of his own breakout with high usage. In some ways, tasking IQ and Barrett with overlapping usage and quasi-primary creation together could be (and has been) a boon. RJ is one of the best in the league at getting to the rim (the finishing deserves its own article), and the pair together can mask some of its offensive flaws/inefficiencies. Both can start sets, both can capitalize upon advantages, and both are still feeling out their own abilities as creators.
Per Cleaning the Glass, lineups with Quickley and Barrett that don't feature Randle are outscoring opponents by 4.8 points per 100 possessions (747 possessions total, a solid sample). This is not intended as a refrendum on Randle; it's just a case in point when looking at who is commanding usage on the court.
Quickley doesn't get to the rim with regularity, but he does things that can emulate lead guard play. It's a harder diet to survive on, but so is *checks notes* everything else the Knicks have tried this season. He's shown enough encouraging signs that he can thrive.
It's been time for the Knicks' front office/Tom Thibodeau/whoever the heck is in charge there to prioritize Quickley and his ability to elevate the offense &mdash; and with hope, that's what they'll do this offseason.
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While Immanuel Quickley might not get to the rim like a traditional point guard, he elicits lead ball-handler traits with regularity.

Immanuel Quickley: Pressuring the rim without getting there

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 30 points and the sizzling Boston Celtics stymied reigning MVP Nikola Jokic on their way to routing the Denver Nuggets 124-104 Sunday night.
The Celtics shot 57.3% from the floor and finished 19-of-40 from beyond the arc. They also hit all 11 of their free throws.
Jokic missed 14 shots in the first half and finished a wildly uncharacteristic 8-for-23 from the floor for 23 points
&ldquo;Physicality,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. &ldquo;He was comfortable early. He had 12 in the first quarter, four in the second and seven the rest of the way. He was too comfortable early, gave him too much air space. It&rsquo;s mixing up looks, keep him off balance, switching matchups and giving him different bodies.&rdquo;
Jokic, who's having an even better season statistically that he did a year ago, said this loss was on him, not any of his teammates.
&ldquo;Overall, they had a really good defensive game and I had a really bad offensive game,&rdquo; said Jokic.
For once, it was Tatum getting serenaded with &ldquo;MVP&rdquo; chants instead of Jokic at Ball Arena.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great feeling,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;You expect that, get that at home, but when you travel and you see all the Celtics jerseys and T-shirts and hoodies and hear them chanting for you on the road, that&rsquo;s an incredible feeling.&rdquo;
Tatum and Payton Pritchard each hit four 3-pointers before the break, sparking the Celtics on a 46-21 run to close out the first half. Boston scored its last 15 points of the second quarter on 3-pointers, and Tatum's half-court heave at the buzzer rimmed out.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone was so disgusted with his team's effort in its fourth loss in six games that he benched his starters to start the second half.
&ldquo;To me, it appeared we just kind of gave in and quit. And I didn't want to reward that behavior," Malone said. "I thought the bench unit was at least going out there and competing and fighting.&rdquo;
More than anything, Malone said it was alarming to see his starters play that way here in the middle of March with the Nuggets jockeying for playoff positioning.
&ldquo;Tonight I can't point to one thing we did well,&rdquo; Malone said.
And he couldn't point to one thing the Celtics did poorly, either.
The Celtics outshot Denver 64.3% to 30.6% in the first half and pushed their lead to 90-62 late in the third quarter in cruising to their third straight victory.
The Nuggets' worst loss this season was by 29 points on Nov. 21 when they were run off the court in Phoenix, 126-97.
&ldquo;I told them at halftime, you're lucky this was a &lsquo;Celtics home game,&rsquo;&rdquo; Malone said of the large contingent of boisterous Celtics fans at Ball Arena. &ldquo;Because if it wasn't, the boos would have been &mdash; rightfully so &mdash; really, really loud.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Celtics: F Aaron Nesmith sat out with a sprained right ankle. He hasn&rsquo;t played since March 3 vs. Memphis. ... Boston closed the first quarter on an 11-5 run with Jokic on the bench as Daniel Theis hit a jumper, a 3-pointer after saving an errant pass and an alley-oop dunk before Tatum closed the quarter with an uncontested 3. ... Pritchard added a 3 in the closing minutes, finishing 5 of 5 from behind the arc before adding a late layup to finish with 17 points. Grant Williams added 13.
Nuggets: Jokic led all scorers with a dozen points in the first quarter, but his tough night shooting the ball was already apparent as he went 3 for 8 from the floor. He got colder still in the second quarter, missing all but two of his 11 shots. He finished 8 for 23.
MURRAY MYSTERY
Jamal Murray showed up in the third quarter in street clothes. The Nuggets have no idea if their star point guard will suit up anytime soon. Murray recently practiced with the Grand Rapids Gold, their G League affiliate, as he continued his comeback from ACL surgery last spring. Coach Michael Malone said there's no roadmap for Murray's next steps, although returning to Grand Rapids is a possibility.
DROP-DEAD DATE?
There may not be reinforcements on the way for the Nuggets as they try to straighten things out. Malone said he doesn't know if Murray and/or F Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) will be shut down until next season if they're not back on the court by a certain date.
"It&rsquo;s a valid question, one that I just don&rsquo;t have an answer to," Malone said.
Hyland said Cousins and a few other veterans addressed the team after the loss.
UP NEXT
Boston: Visits Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Denver: Hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 30 points and the sizzling Celtics routed the Nuggets 124-104 on Sunday night.

Sizzling Celtics race past Nuggets 124-104

Russell Westbrook opened up about the level of heckling he's received from Lakers fans. It's reached a point where it's not just him who's receiving the ire. "It's gotten so bad where, my family doesn't even want to come to home games."
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Russell Westbrook speaks out about the shaming: "It's gotten so bad where, my family doesn't even want to come to home games" <a href="https://t.co/PpexaXM5Ta">pic.twitter.com/PpexaXM5Ta</a>
&mdash; philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1501067011459358726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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ANALYSIS: This serves as another reminder that it's just a game, guys, and the players who are out there are people too. Bringing their family into it on top of that is just plain disgusting. Lakers fans are within their rights to be frustrated with Westbrook, but you deserve no sympathy if you're sending both a player and his family death threats for his play. That will never be justifiable.

Russell Westbrook opened up to the media about just how poorly some Lakers fans have treated him this season.

Russell Westbrook opens up about shaming from Lakers fans

Troy Barnies is an 11-year veteran of international basketball. He has played professionally in Turkey, Finland, Latvia and Hungary. This season, Barnies had been playing in Ukraine with MBK Mykola&iuml;v.
Last Sunday, after days of deliberation with his agent and family, Barnies took a shuttle from his city in Southern Ukraine, to the airport in Odessa, where he left the country on the eve of Russian invasion and war, flying to his wife&rsquo;s native Norway.&nbsp;
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Since leaving, Barnies, a native of Maine, has been active on social media (<a href="https://twitter.com/TroyBarnies7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@TroyBarnies7</a> on Twitter), sharing information he is getting from his Ukrainian teammates and coaches.
This morning, I spoke with Barnies over the phone.
Well, this insane.
"It is getting worse today. The city I was living in, my teammates are still there. They aren&rsquo;t allowed to leave. A lot of my teammates aren&rsquo;t from that part of the country and they aren&rsquo;t allowed to leave the city. We are in a big group text with the players and management and I got a text from a coach today saying, &lsquo;Hey we need help.&rsquo; I know that took a lot for him. They just kind of want us to support them via social media. I mean, I can&rsquo;t call NATO. I am trying to spread the word, I guess."
I don&rsquo;t think NATO is going to help Ukraine.
"Yeah, neither do I. What I know, the Ukrainians aren&rsquo;t going to stop fighting. They aren&rsquo;t going to surrender their country. Even my teammates are saying that. They are going to fight to the end. They are going to die for their country. I don&rsquo;t know how this is going to pan out.&nbsp;I haven&rsquo;t stopped watching the news."
How were you feeling when you left the country?
"I have really close relationships with guys on this team. I love this team. I felt really welcomed in Ukraine. This is the only situation I would leave a country and a team for. I don&rsquo;t want to leave my job in basketball &ndash; something I sacrificed my whole life for.&nbsp;
"My first year in Turkey in 2011, there were small terrorist attacks going on in Istanbul &ndash; where I was living &ndash; but it was small; it was miniscule. It didn&rsquo;t get too much media attention. This is the worst it can get."
How do you react to American politicians and cable news praising Vladimir Putin &ndash; calling him a genius or savvy?&nbsp;
"I think it&rsquo;s disgusting.&nbsp;Firstly, you have no say in this now. Secondly, why are you taking sides with the clear bad guys? I am not very political. I don&rsquo;t like taking sides. I just like thinking what&rsquo;s right is right. I listen to people to get their opinions, but with this situation, there could have been a diplomatic solution. But it&rsquo;s total disregard for human life &ndash; this is insane. When I moved overseas and bounced around for a decade plus I&rsquo;ve learned to adapt to different cultures. I learn other cultures. My sympathy for other people outside my country grew a lot.&nbsp;
"If you have a heart, you will feel bad. They are humans just like us &ndash; obviously. Part of why I am doing a lot of social media with this situation is because it is the only way I can help. I want to spread the awareness. These people are just like us. I was just there. These guys are like brothers to me. This isn&rsquo;t just another world event. This is a big deal."
The Ukraine National Team had to play a game on Thursday. How do you play basketball under these circumstances?&nbsp;
"I haven&rsquo;t had it to the extent where I&rsquo;ve played a game when my family is in a war in dire need of help. Right before I left, last Thursday I had a game. With everything happening, when I got on the court, when I got on the court and stopped thinking about the outside world, I kind of flipped a switch. I could forget about the moment. But I can imagine some people handle it completely differently.
"It must have been hard. I can&rsquo;t imagine how tough that was."
What is the Ukrainian league like? What about Ukrainian fans?&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s physical. The refs in that league let you get away with murder. Every country in Europe has their own style of play. In the Ukrainian league they use their bigs a lot. They post up. It isn&rsquo;t just outside guys shooting 3&rsquo;s. They are very aggressive. The league is actually similar to the Russian league. They are both very physical.&nbsp;
"The fans are crazy &ndash; awesome crazy. My city, Mykola&iuml;v, had the best fans in the country. Our gym was filled every home game. The city loves basketball."
I know this isn&rsquo;t what&rsquo;s important right now, but what are you going to do? What is the situation with your contract?&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s obvious, I play professional basketball and I just had to leave a country that has been forced into a war. That&rsquo;s lingering over my head. With this situation I am in limbo. There is no way I am going to try to talk to my agent and management right now about my release papers and money owed to me. We are going to have to wait, it doesn&rsquo;t look like I am going back to Ukraine anytime soon.&nbsp;
"Right now, my agent said just relax, be with your wife, take some time off. I&rsquo;ll figure it out when the time is right."
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Noah Perkins talks with 11-year international pro Troy Barnies about the tragic events in Ukraine and how he's spreading awareness.

Troy Barnies on Russian invasion: 'Ukrainians won't stop fighting'

It was the slap heard around the world.
Juwan Howard was involved in a verbal altercation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard following the Badgers' 77-63 win over the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday.
From the video, it appeared as though Howard was grabbed and stopped by Coach Gard as he attempted to walk by him in the handshake line, which set off a series of events &mdash; including Howard slapping Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Some context with Juwan Howard and Joe Krabbenhoft <a href="https://t.co/lHNeJOklCQ">pic.twitter.com/lHNeJOklCQ</a>
&mdash; ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsAntWright/status/1495552481836912640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There have been a lot of questions and speculation as to what Krabbenhoft said to provoke Howard that has not been confirmed as of yet.&nbsp;
But looking at the slow motion video, you can clearly see that Krabbenholft did in fact push two Michigan players &mdash; sophomore Terrance Williams II and senior forward Jaron Faulds. Not excusing his slap, but it appears as though Juwan was coming to his players' defense.
However, Monday night, the verdict was handed out. Howard will be suspended for the remainder of Michigan&rsquo;s regular season (which equates to five games) and was fined $40,000. Conversely, none of the Wisconsin coaches have been suspended and Coach Gard was only fined $10,000.
Coach Howard issued this statement:
<blockquote>
After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry. I am offering my sincerest apologies to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his family too. Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride. I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student athletes. I will learn from my mistake, and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!
</blockquote>
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Juwan Howard accepted the punishment, took full responsibility for his actions, made no excuses and apologized to everyone who was involved.&nbsp;
I caught up with his former Fab Five teammate Ray Jackson to discuss the incident, the callings for him to be fired, the punishment handed out and the public backlash by Dick Vitale and others, as well as who Juwan Howard is as a coach and a person.&nbsp;
Etan: What were your thoughts after seeing what took place after the Michigan/Wisconsin game? I saw your Facebook post saying you definitely supported your former Fab Five teammate, but what was your reaction to seeing so many people calling for Juwan to be fired immediately?
Ray Jackson: "People calling for him to be immediately fired definitely wasn&rsquo;t surprising. I always felt that they never loved us and we had no room for error. But, they never look at what&rsquo;s prompting us. There has always been something attached with the presence of the Fab Five and what Juwan Howard brings, what he stands for, what he represents, his knowledge, his experience, and they&rsquo;ve let that boil over way past common respect. To be honest, the entire way they approach the game is different when they coach against Juwan.
"I&rsquo;m not saying Juwan&rsquo;s reaction was right, let me be clear, but the other coach (Greg Gard) should have never put his hands on him in the first place; he should&rsquo;ve never grabbed him or stopped him. He should&rsquo;ve walked past him, gave him the brush by, said he&rsquo;s gonna remember that and kept it moving. They are going to suspend Juwan, but Coach Gard definitely needs to be held accountable for his role in this too."
Etan: So, let&rsquo;s talk about this for a minute, because I agree. there is no reason for a coach to grab another coach like he&rsquo;s a child. Like you said, he grabbed him and stopped him. Juwan was walking past him. He initiated everything.
Jackson: "But here is the issue, E &mdash; a big Black man putting his hands on a white man in America is one of the scariest things white America can see. And it&rsquo;s always been like that. So, no matter what they do to us, how wrong they are in whatever they do, we can not be aggressive back as a response. They want us to always remain passive. No matter what. When I saw how he grabbed Juwan, the first thing I thought was, 'I wonder how many of his players he grabs like that regularly? Is there a reason why Wisconsin only gets a certain kind of Black players? But Juwan is not a boy, he&rsquo;s a full grown man, and you can&rsquo;t approach a man like a boy period."
Etan: And then, the assistant coach (Joe Krabbenhoft) came over, and it didn&rsquo;t look like he was trying to de-escalate anything. I would&rsquo;ve thought the assistant coach would&rsquo;ve come over and been more concerned with pulling his players back, but it looked like &mdash; at least from the angles of the video &mdash; not only was he talking smack to Juwan, but he actually put his hands on some Michigan players.&nbsp;
Jackson: "You are absolutely correct in your assessment. You saw what I saw, E. And I&rsquo;m going to keep saying it: Juwan has these white coaches feeling a certain type of way about him. He was one of the only Black coaches for awhile; he came in getting recruits, all of the praise, all of this notoriety. They didn&rsquo;t feel he was qualified for the position in the first place. Remember, a few media people simply echoed publicly what many of the actual coaches were saying privately and amongst themselves. So that all was a problem for him.
"Yes, he&rsquo;s put five guys in the NBA. But more than that, he has developed a culture where he cares about the players beyond what they can do on the court, so they have a different level of respect for him. Not to mention all he has done for the program as a whole. So no, one situation or reaction, I'll say, from Juwan doesn&rsquo;t put a black eye on the totality of Juwan Howard, nor should it."
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Etan: Glad you brought up the black eye, because it&rsquo;s interesting how this keeps coming back up. I interviewed all of you for my book, "<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/we-matter-athletes-and-activism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Matter: 'Athletes And Activism</a>.'&rdquo;
You all talked about how much the media was always coming down on y&rsquo;all. Saying that you all were putting a "black eye" on the University of Michigan as a whole, on the alumni, on the entire NCAA; that expressed sentiment kept coming up in all of your interviews. So I know how much that bothers y&rsquo;all. And now, I&rsquo;m hearing that kind of talk again after this situation, so i&rsquo;m thinking... there was this doctor at Michigan who was charged with sexually abusing students.
Jackson: "You&rsquo;re talking about Dr. [Robert E.] Anderson."
Etan: Yes, and Michigan had a $490 million settlement for thousands of student-athlete victims that were abused &mdash; not allegedly abused, but actually abused &mdash; by this cat who was the athletic team doctor for decades, between the years of 1966 and 2003. And they hardly talked about that. So that&rsquo;s not a "black eye" to the university, but y&rsquo;all wearing baggy shorts and black socks was a "black eye?" This situation with Juwan coming to the defense of his players, of being accosted by this coach &mdash; this is a "black eye?"
Jackson: "I see you&rsquo;re going there today. But you&rsquo;re absolutely right again. They hardly talked about that. They paid the lawsuit and swept it all under the rug and just didn&rsquo;t really talk about it. There was one little series that came on TV, but that was really it. And for it to be as egregious of a crime as it was? Yeah, I can&rsquo;t disagree with anything you said. No Michigan student, nobody&rsquo;s child should&rsquo;ve ever been exposed to a clown like that. He preyed on children. That whole situation was just disgusting.
"But yeah, that seed of resentment toward us, that seed was planted when we were 17, 18-year-old kids at Michigan. So they always couldn&rsquo;t wait for us to do something wrong so they could pounce on us. We weren&rsquo;t allowed [to make] mistakes, we had to be perfect. Juwan should&rsquo;ve never been put in that position to have to control his emotions. A coach grabbing you? Pushing your players? That just doesn&rsquo;t happen, and they can&rsquo;t pretend that that&rsquo;s normal activity."
Etan: You know it&rsquo;s interesting, a few people on Twitter &mdash; and I suspect they were Michigan State fans &mdash; but they tweeted me an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/06/tom-izzo-aaron-henry-abuse-michigan-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">old article I wrote back in 2019 about Tom Izzo abusing and bullying a player on his team</a>, Aaron Henry. And they were saying mockingly, "If Tom Izzo is a bully and a coward, what does that make Juwan Howard?" And saying, "Are you going to publicly condemn Juwan&rsquo;s actions?" Etc.
Jackson: "I remember that article, and yeah they were pissed when you wrote that, but those are two completely different situations. One is with a coach in a power dynamic over a teenage college player, and the other is man-to-man. You can&rsquo;t even compare the two. Besides you writing that article, I don&rsquo;t think Izzo received an enormous amount of criticism after that happened. But this is what it boils down to: They&rsquo;re okay with old, white men doing exactly what Izzo did to Aaron Henry. They can verbally abuse, mishandle our babies [and] chastise our young men or young women."
Etan: They were definitely okay with Bobby Knight&rsquo;s abuse for years.&nbsp;
Jackson: "Right! But that image of a Black man doing anything aggressive toward a white man, that&rsquo;s why you see the reactions that we were seeing to immediately fire Juwan. I even saw some on social media say arrest him. Then use language like, 'He physically assaulted him,' or 'attacked' him. First of all, if Juwan wanted to, he could&rsquo;ve laid Coach Gard and Krabbenhoft completely out. He opened his hand, so let&rsquo;s not put too much on this. He slapped him. Not saying it was right, but that&rsquo;s what he did."
Etan: And, I didn&rsquo;t want to say anything about Dick Vitale &mdash; and everyone has been praying for him with his battle with cancer, and his emotional videos so we&rsquo;re all pulling for him &mdash; but his immediate tweets were so targeted and his language was so menacing. I was like, "Is he tweeting this from the hospital bed?" I just commented on one of his posts that I was keeping him in my prayers a week or so ago as he was showing himself going into surgery. I don&rsquo;t know, I was just shocked seeing his tweets.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It&rsquo;s sad thinking about what I watched in that handshake line as the coach of a gr8 Univ. ala UM could not control his temper &amp; nearly set off a full blown riot. INEXCUSABLE behavior by Juwan Howard MUST LEAD TO SEVERE PUNISHMENT. UM President &amp; AD should take ACTION NOW!
&mdash; Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1495503996051722245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
Then, after Juwan did his initial address to the media explaining what happened and why he was upset, Vitale followed up with another tweet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Pls Juwan defend yourself from a guy half your size who wanted to explain y he called an ABSURD T/O. with 15 sec. Say what u want but be a REAL MAN &amp; admit ur action representing one of the great State Universities was INEXCUSABLE .
&mdash; Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1495542363485315072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
And I was just like "Whoa, be a real man?" Juwan Howard&rsquo;s actions must lead to severe punishment? Mocking him saying he was defending himself? Why all that, and from the hospital bed, Dickie V?&nbsp;
Jackson: "Well, going back to our college days, Dickie V and Bill Walton were two of the first ones to call us all thugs. All of us. Me, Jimmy [King], Juwan, Chris [Webber], Jalen [Rose]. They labeled all of us. Our mothers and fathers and grandparents and family had to hear that. We were thugs? Because we had a different style and swag with us? So that came as no surprise to hear him say that now. And I haven&rsquo;t heard anyone call him out on it and don&rsquo;t expect to. So thank you for saying something.
"But Juwan owned up to everything &mdash; apologized for his reaction, took all responsibility &mdash; but none of the other parties involved, who caused the chain of events to take place, were held accountable? Why was Juwan the only one who got suspended?&nbsp; Gard&rsquo;s little $10K fine isn&rsquo;t a punishment. Why didn&rsquo;t they suspend the other coaches like you suspended Juwan, especially when he was coming to the defense of his players? Gard and Krabbenhoft didn&rsquo;t even apologize like Juwan did. People wanna talk about being men and owning up to what you did, but that only pertains to one side?
Etan: That&rsquo;s ridiculous, and people are still saying Juwan got off light and should&rsquo;ve been fired.
Jackson: "I see it too. I was reading a few articles this morning, and yeah, that&rsquo;s just absurd. That's why I appreciate what you do. There are so many folks still calling for Juwan to be fired, and to be honest, I was worried. I spoke to C-Webb the night it happened and he was worried too, because we know they&rsquo;re waiting for any reason to throw the book at Juwan, and we know why. But hopefully, everyone can put this story and this issue behind them and we can move on, and Juwan can get back to continuing to do an amazing job as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. But he shouldn&rsquo;t have been the only party held accountable for what took place."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="652" height="326" />
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Ray Jackson and Etan Thomas share passionate thoughts on Juwan Howard and the double standard regarding people's reactions.

Ray Jackson: Juwan Howard shouldn't be the only one held accountable

When Ben Simmons was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the hope was that he could potentially be next in the line of generational, all-around superstars. LeBron James was even uttered as a comparison by some national prognosticators before Simmons suited up at LSU for his lone collegiate season.
The Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA Draft Lottery that year and paired Simmons with Joel Embiid, a duo that formed instant chemistry and helped Philly shoot up the Eastern Conference standings soon after. Simmons had his faults, especially well-documented on the offensive end, but his unique strengths as a jumbo-sized playmaker and two-way engine made a potential ceiling outcome immense.
After a tumultuous ending to his five-year stint in Philadelphia &mdash; being <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-deserves-criticism-but-not-to-be-thrown-under-the-bus-by-philadelphia-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly called out by Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers</a> in the East semifinals &mdash; Simmons can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.
To properly optimize the talent of Simmons on the court, the Brooklyn Nets are the best fit on-paper to bring out his special two-way potential. Alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Nets, Simmons will enter as a moldable ball of clay who can play a multitude of roles. Simmons can not only run an offense setting up his superstar teammates, but he can also operate as a pick-and-roll threat rolling to the basket. On top of that, his speed for a near-seven-footer makes him a lethal weapon to deploy in transition opportunities, which will be plentiful in Brooklyn.
Picture Draymond Green during the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; championship years. He was the glue that kept it all together, as he still does today during their resurgent comeback. In Brooklyn, Simmons can be the fulcrum of the Nets' system next to Durant and Irving. Not only can Simmons defend at an All-NBA level, but he can start scoring opportunities off the rebound with reckless abandon. Irving will quickly mesh with Simmons as well in three-man spots where pick-and-roll situations, plus a moving Durant, is on the table each possession.
It&rsquo;s an exciting thought exercise to finally envision Simmons at his max levels, especially when two of his newest teammates are some of the greatest scorers ever.
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In the playoffs against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers (ironically enough), Simmons will present real tangible issues consistently thanks to his new environment. Durant and a part-time Irving are going to make Simmons&rsquo; life a whole lot easier. Blending in with a pair of three-level marksmen compared to Embiid will finally place Simmons in a more palpable situation to tap into his multi-tooled impacts on a basketball court.
Thursday&rsquo;s blockbuster involving James Harden and Simmons will always be remembered not only as a pivotal point in each of their careers, but for these respective franchises as well. With the Sixers going all-in to maximize a title window, Brooklyn remains on a similar path long-term, simply swapping out a high-usage guard for a low-usage superstar who can thrive in a unique role.
Let&rsquo;s take a look now at the Nets&rsquo; potential new rotation, one that brings aboard more shooting and two-way versatility:
Starters: Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, LaMarcus Aldridge
Bench: Patty Mills, Cam Thomas, Bruce Brown, Kessler Edwards, James Johnson, Blake Griffin, Nic Claxton
When the Nets are in the postseason, I'd expect them to flip Simmons into a full-time center role, but it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see head coach Steve Nash utilize Aldridge at center with his floor-spacing capabilities.
Simmons is only 25 years old, and his true upside has fallen under the radar since his postseason disappearance. Buying into a more complementary role and admitting he&rsquo;s not the star of the show will do wonders for him. Simmons has reportedly already spoken to Durant and is excited about his future in Brooklyn.
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Through his five years on the court in Philadelphia, Simmons filled up the stat sheet, averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals on a 57.9% True Shooting percentage. The warts are instantly acknowledgeable in his game, but Simmons joining the Nets&rsquo; ecosystem could be a huge turning point that we look back on in the Association's history books.
If Simmons recaptures his All-NBA form and settles in perfectly as Durant&rsquo;s sidekick in his new home, the Nets will have made themselves a more chameleon-like team that's able to adapt in all-or-nothing postseason play.
Simmons has yet to reach his ceiling, and Brooklyn was forced to roll the dice with Harden&rsquo;s malcontent; both moves could be a blessing in disguise down the road.
Not only will Simmons help the Nets in the near future by racking up triple-doubles and contributing on both ends, perhaps he can become Brooklyn's franchise cornerstone and eventually usher in a new, fruitful era post-Durant.
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After being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons' career-defining moment has finally arrived on a silver platter.

Nets provide Ben Simmons a golden opportunity to maximize his game

I can only speak for myself, but it's a little difficult to&nbsp;feel&nbsp;basketball right now.&nbsp;
The game itself has seemingly improved &mdash; there's somehow more physicality&nbsp;and a better game flow &mdash; but that progress has been derailed by absences. The injury bug has affected a multitude of stars this year. COVID has run roughshod through the league, with rosters looking like they've been through fantasy drafts.
With these circumstances, you have to find joy where you can. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a consistent source of that, with their 19-12 start being one of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/from-lovable-underdog-to-unforgiving-bully-how-the-cavs-got-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">great surprises of the early season</a>.&nbsp;
They've zigged while the rest of the league has zagged, notably starting a trio of bigs to help spearhead an elite defense. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have been the linchpins, with their combination of length and lateral quickness allowing them to execute multiple schemes and cover an incredible amount of ground.&nbsp;
But if there's a player on the roster that exudes joy &mdash; heck, exudes&nbsp;fun &mdash; it's Darius Garland. The third-year guard has taken full control of the offense. That's partly due to the absence of backcourt mate Collin Sexton, but it's mostly due to Garland taking a leap in his own right. He's turned himself into one of the most dynamic guards in the sport, one worthy of strong All-Star consideration.
RUTHLESS AGGRESSION
Saying that Garland has been much more aggressive seems curious on the surface. His shot attempts have marginally improved from last year (14.9 to 15.1); his attempts per 100 possessions have actually decreased (22.1 to 21.7).&nbsp;
But you watch him, and there seems to be less indecision. Less fruitless probing. "Take what the defense gives you" is a boring cliche, but it applies to Garland. That evolution has been more apparent in his pull-up shooting.&nbsp;
Nearly half of Garland's shots came from outside of 10 feet last season; that number has risen to 67%, mostly off the strength (and willingness) of his pull-up trigger.
And consider this stat: among 78 players that have taken at least 100 pull-up jumpers this season, Garland ranks No. 7 in Effective Field Goal percentage (52.4%). That puts him right below Chris Paul (53.0%) and slightly ahead of Kevin Durant (52.1%).
Seems like pretty good company, IMO.
Garland's three-point volume has skyrockted (4.9 to 6.7) while roughly maintaining his efficiency from last season (39.5% to 39.2%). On <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629636/shots-dash/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pull-ups specifically</a>, Garland has nearly doubled his volume (2.4 to 4.1) while knocking those attempts down at a higher clip (35.7% to 37.8%).
In years past, teams could get away with ducking under the occasional screen against Garland in pick-and-roll &mdash; not because he couldn't shoot, but because he'd be hesitant to do so.&nbsp;
That's no longer the case. Give Garland a sliver of space, and he'll light you up from deep.
Drop coverage is untenable against him at this point. Bigs have to play at the level of the screen or higher, and even then they run the risk of Garland stringing out the play before flowing into a pull-up. Switches have to be quick and physical; leaving a gap is daring Garland to pull.
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Though Garland isn't getting to the rim as often as he did last season, he's been much more successful when he gets downhill. He's converting a career-best 64.8% from inside of three feet, an improvement of 6.2 percentage points.&nbsp;
He's not a Ja Morant-like high flyer; more craft is needed for Garland to win inside. Luckily, he's able to combine an ever-shifting gear with sublime touch and impeccable footwork. He has Nash-ian scoops in his bag to go along with arrhythmic gathers. Despite the height disadvantage Garland often operates with, defenders can't get a read on what Garland's doing until it's too late.
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What's been fun to track is Garland's aggression off the ball. Chilling off the ball when the action doesn't involve you is an easy trap for young guards to fall into. Not only does head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discourage that sort of malaise, Garland himself recognizes the importance of reading the floor and staying active.
"The best point guards in our game are valuable in all three phases of the [shot] clock," Bickerstaff told <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470485876354555906?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our own Spencer Davies</a>.&nbsp;
"We talk about [Garland's] walk-up threes early in the clock, and the pressure it puts on defenses to get back, to pick him up higher, and open up gaps for other people. There's the middle-of-the-clock pick-and-rolls that we run, where he's isolated with Jarrett [Allen] or Evan [Mobley] and he's making the lob, the floater, or the kick-out. And then there's the late clock &mdash; our "butter" situations &mdash; where his ability to get the ball and just beat his guy and get a shot [is important]. All those point guards have the ability to do that, but you just have to have the aggressiveness. Obviously, Darius has taken that step to be aggressive in that mold."
Who are the point guards that Garland has studied?
"I've watched Steph [Curry] a lot," Garland says. Because of course he has.
"Steph, Dame [Lillard], CP [Chris Paul]. I think those are the guys that are really good at relocating and getting their shots or getting their teammates involved."
He notes that his personnel allows him to flourish off the ball. Ricky Rubio is a phenomenal passer; Allen, Mobley and Kevin Love are all plus-passers in the frontcourt. Garland has the awareness to find spaces to flash into; his teammates have the vision to thread the needle.&nbsp;
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SHARING IS CARING
Because Garland has become a more willing scorer, his passing ability has been enhanced. Bigs are a little more antsy; the help has to pull in a step further, a beat earlier.&nbsp;
If you want to talk about joy, watching Garland use that level of fear to his advantage is pretty high on my list. The yo-yo handle combined with the footwork, combined with the shooting prowess, combined with his actual passing bag, culminates into an absolutely filthy lead guard.
And that bag runs&nbsp;deep.&nbsp;Corner skips. Lay-downs. Wrap-arounds. Off-hand shovel passes. Lobs disguised as floaters, a rising tool in the bag of young initiators (hi, Tyrese Haliburton).
Garland's been able to build solid downhill chemistry with Allen and Mobley. Love and Lauri Markkanen have been able to pick-and-pop their way into success playing off of Garland. The Cavs smartly spam actions with two screeners &mdash; either out of HORNS or with double drag looks in early offense. The Cavs are generating nearly 1.09 points per possession when two of Allen/Mobley/Markkanen/Love screen for Garland, per Second Spectrum.
The Garland-Mobley combo in particular has been darn-near impossible for defenses to figure out. On top of Garland being as dynamic as he is, Mobley brings his own diverse skill set. He's a mix of his other frontcourt parters: the vertical terror of Allen combined with Love's quick processing and passing ability. The shooting isn't as lethal as Markkanen's, but it's reaching "the defense has to account for it" levels.
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The Garland-Mobley dance isn't just effective among young duos &mdash; it's an elite two-man action, period. Per Second Spectrum, the Cavs are generating north of 1.17 points per possession when those two are involved in ball screens. Only Trae Young and John Collins have been more effective among high-volume pairings.
Put the scoring and passing together, and you have a young guard averaging 21 points and 7 assists since Sexton went down. The Cavs are outscoring teams by <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612739&amp;VsPlayerID=1629636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 10 points per 100 possessions</a> with Garland on the floor this season; since Sexton has been unavailable, that number has <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612739&amp;VsPlayerID=1629636&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DateFrom=11%2F10%2F2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actually improved to 12.7</a>.
Garland has the ball on a string, and the offense in his hands right now. He's thriving, the Cavs are thriving. With this sort of leap and team success to complement it, it's hard not to view Garland as an All-Star this season.

Nekias Duncan analyzes Darius Garland's breakout season with the Cavs and why he has a real case as an All-Star.

Darius Garland exudes fun, and is making the All-Star leap

If you haven&rsquo;t heard by now, you will soon: the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming for you.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the wine-and-golders have gone from lovable underdogs to unforgiving bullies. Through 30 games, over one-third of the way into the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs boast an 18-12 record &mdash; probably the most misleading in the NBA, an absolute undersell &mdash; with one of the top average margins of victory in the league.
Using cliches and &ldquo;broken-record coach speak&rdquo; as J.B. Bickerstaff lightheartedly says before answering our repetitive comments of praise, you can&rsquo;t single out anyone as the sole reason for such a dramatic turnaround. Everyone has collectively bought in &mdash; from the returning players who &ldquo;took a lot of ass whoopings&rdquo; to the new ones who came in looking to advance a process.
Pun definitely intended, these Cavs will let you know, and fast. Jumping out to double-digit leads quickly. Punching you square in the mouth to close first halves. Putting you on the wrong end of the highlight reel. Not only do they feel like they belong, they expect to win.&nbsp;
No matter who they&rsquo;re up against. No matter who&rsquo;s on the floor for them. No matter the situation.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s giving us confidence just knowing we can beat some of the best teams in this league. I think we&rsquo;re one of &lsquo;em, to be honest with you,&rdquo; Darius Garland said after a win over the Chicago Bulls last week. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to bring that confidence, bring that intensity every game. Just stay with it, just keep being us. Bring the scrap every night, listen to the coaching staff and keep playing Cavaliers basketball.&rdquo;
There were times in the past few years when Cleveland looked like it began to put things together... in stretches. But an injury here, a setback there, an interruption, a roster change &mdash; it never sustained. At this point, we&rsquo;ve gotten a two-month sample size of this version of the team. It fights with the same vigor, the same self-belief and the same grit on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about those guys in the locker room,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;From day one &mdash; go back to September, they showed up the day after Labor Day &mdash; they were in the gym and working, and were committed to one another. And then their personalities, they genuinely all get along, they genuinely all like each other. They fight for each other. They support each other.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I go home and I watch the games over, and I spend so much time just watching our bench. There&rsquo;s body after body after body that&rsquo;s up celebrating, cheering, [and] guys that don&rsquo;t even sit down during the game. That&rsquo;s what does it, and it&rsquo;s that chemistry the guys have formed. They love to compete. These games, even games we&rsquo;ve lost, they&rsquo;ve laid it out there. We&rsquo;ve had leads versus really good teams because of the spirit that those guys have played with... Guys being committed to what you're trying to do, and committed to one another is the most important thing that you can have. And I think that's where we've seen the biggest leap.&rdquo;
Combine that consistent effort with otherworldly versatility, skill and attitude, and you&rsquo;ve got the recipe for a unique, killer concoction.&nbsp;
As muttered recently on a radio hit in Cleveland, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible to cover everything top to bottom in regards to what&rsquo;s going right for this team. But we&rsquo;ll give it a try.
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Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley (and Lauri Markkanen)
Coming into the season, everybody wondered how the duo of Allen and Mobley would coexist on the floor. The thought of Markkanen sharing the floor with both never crossed anybody&rsquo;s mind. And yet, here we are, talking about Tall Ball as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's newest craze</a> that&rsquo;s thrown nearly every opponent for a loop.
Bickerstaff decided at the beginning of the season that he had to find a way to put his best players on the floor all at once, and for his team, that was through size and skill. We&rsquo;re seeing Cleveland reap the benefits of that on a nightly basis. It all starts on the defensive end.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re seeing Allen and Mobley deny those bold enough to enter their territory. Allen is the anchor in the middle, timing his head-on challenges to near perfection, while Mobley is the weak-side insurance policy waiting to reject all comers who&rsquo;d initially believed there was a path to an easy bucket. The rookie covers some insane ground, by the way, with his long strides allowing for quick recovery if he ever overcommits or has to be the last line of defense at a certain spot. He&rsquo;s also insanely intelligent, keeping the ball in play whenever he blocks shots (or just blatantly ripping it out of somebody&rsquo;s hands).
The funny part is that the teams strategizing to get Allen and Mobley on perimeter switches don&rsquo;t fully comprehend that those two are hoping for such a plan. They are not going to be left in the dust in space, and no matter which one is tasked with defending a quicker guard, the other will have his back down low. The rotations are just incredibly crisp. Of the duos in the NBA that have played at least 500 minutes, the Allen-Mobley pairing is allowing just 95.9 points per 100 possessions. That is the top Defensive Rating in the entire league, if you&rsquo;re keeping count.
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Also, their defensive prowess allows the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defenders to put more pressure on the ball and gamble more due to the protection behind them. Which brings us to the third leg of the triumvirate&hellip;
Let&rsquo;s give credit to the unheralded contributions from Markkanen on this end of the floor too. Stride for stride, the Finnish 7-footer has been able to shuffle his feet laterally to contain his assignments rather successfully. He&rsquo;s not fouling, he&rsquo;s contesting the third-most shots on the team on average (8.3) and he&rsquo;s utilizing his length to make his man either give up the ball or force a shot attempt over a trio of towers. By no means is he the primary guy to highlight individually; however, considering past questions of how Markkanen would handle playing the 3 on the defensive side of the ball, the returns have been more than acceptable, particularly with how he&rsquo;s positioned himself. He&rsquo;s an integral part of this Cavs' frontcourt.
DG the PG
Where do you even start with Darius Garland?&nbsp;
Is it the way he picks his spots? How quickly he&rsquo;s processing his reads? His trickery with lobs? The fact that he's firing up shots without hesitation?
No matter which area of his game pops out to you, it&rsquo;s plain and obvious that Garland is making that all-too-familiar third-year jump from good to great. He&rsquo;s in complete control of the game with the ball in his hands, becoming the conductor of the (not-so) soothing Cavs symphony.&nbsp;
The 21-year-old is so agile and shifty that he has his defenders constantly asking for help, and what happens after that is up to him. He has shown a tendency to disguise the floater he used so often last year, which allows the aforementioned Allen and Mobley to capitalize with thunderous throwdowns. They are Garland&rsquo;s top two targets on the offensive end by and large, and Allen has a 62.8% field-goal percentage off those connections.
With his dribble penetration drawing more and more attention, opportunities are opening up for others. Garland puts a lot of heat on his pocket passes and quick shovel feeds, but his teammates are beginning to understand when and where to expect the ball, which has allowed for this Cleveland offense to thrive.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Asked Steph Curry about Darius Garland, and he gave his props to the third-year <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> guard: "He's taking another step in that right direction." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/071djCaBWJ">pic.twitter.com/071djCaBWJ</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1461716450301947906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He&rsquo;ll also get his own shot going when he sees an opportunity, and those attempts are coming at all three levels of the floor. Not many point guards around the league can match his production. According to Basketball-Reference, Garland&rsquo;s shooting percentages across the board are as follows: 63.2% from 0-to-3 feet, 46.3% from 3-to-10 feet, 49.2% from 10-to-16 feet, 52.6% from 16 feet to the three-point line and 38.9% from beyond the arc.
Garland has been able to play off the ball as well, with Ricky Rubio as a ball-handler. He&rsquo;s been able to catch the opposition sleeping on a number of cuts, and is making them pay as a catch-shooter on the outside to boot. He&rsquo;s got synergy with the bigs coming off dribble handoffs. It&rsquo;s just all clicking for him right now. (Spoiler Alert: Our own Nekias Duncan will have more on Garland in the future.)
Veterans Matter
Without Rubio, who knows if Garland reaches this level of success? The Spanish guard has been a mentor and a maestro in his own right for this young team. As adamantly stated by several Cavs, he is a starting point guard in the NBA, yet he is propelling a uniquely productive bench alongside Kevin Love.&nbsp;
Both are buying what Cleveland is selling, and have become a crucial part of not only the development of this inexperienced bunch, but also the contributions toward its winning ways. The inherent unselfishness has permeated throughout, which is allowing for the production we&rsquo;ve seen.
Rubio has been the Cavs&rsquo; iron man, having played all 30 games and making an impact in whatever way is working that night &mdash; turning the corner, shooting the basketball at a 34% perimeter clip, pushing the offense in transition. In addition to all of this, he recently surpassed the 5,000-assist mark, backing up the importance of moving the ball. It was the team's No. 1 goal coming into the campaign, and thanks to Rubio&rsquo;s IQ, there&rsquo;s been a domino effect.
Love has rediscovered the fun of &ldquo;the chase&rdquo; with Cleveland, and it&rsquo;s shown with his performances. As a super-sub this season playing a tad under 20 minutes per night, the former All-Star is averaging 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, while nailing 41.2% of his triple tries. Albeit on a low amount of attempts, Love is leading the NBA at 96.4% from the free-throw line.
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"You don't get this often." No lip service when Kevin Love talks about *these* <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He's saying this team has something "bigger than ourselves" and "truly celebrate each other." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/MJIf43fdLW">pic.twitter.com/MJIf43fdLW</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470597707341479941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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These two deserve a boatload of credit for the sacrifices they&rsquo;ve made knowing where they&rsquo;re at in their respective careers, and the fact that they&rsquo;ve embraced the roles fully demonstrates their professionalism.
Those are the vets who see consistent playing time. There&rsquo;s another who doesn&rsquo;t receive quite as much love because his impact is not as obvious, and that&rsquo;s Ed Davis. Bickerstaff went to bat for the seasoned big man to occupy Cleveland&rsquo;s final roster spot for locker-room and mentorship purposes, and thus far, it&rsquo;s been a home run. Davis knows why he&rsquo;s here, and he&rsquo;s more than willing to hold up his end of the bargain. And in cases where Allen and/or Mobley aren&rsquo;t available, he&rsquo;s able to slot in and do his job.&nbsp;
The &ldquo;others&rdquo; that really aren&rsquo;t the others
It&rsquo;s unfortunate that Isaac Okoro just got placed into the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols, because he is the backbone of the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defense. He&rsquo;s constantly taking on the opponents&rsquo; toughest offensive players, chasing guys all around the half-court to deny them the ball, defeating screens to stick on them when the ball is in their hands and forcing them into awkward positions.
Offensively, Okoro is beginning to find his footing from the corner. It&rsquo;s not just the three-point shot &mdash; where 61.6% of his perimeter tries have come from &mdash; it&rsquo;s the way he&rsquo;s making defenses pay when they close-out too hard. He&rsquo;s putting the ball on the floor, going into contact and, in some cases (as seen against Houston), bruising the rim. Okoro&rsquo;s got a hell of a layup package too, and in transition, he&rsquo;s a load to handle.
Cedi Osman&rsquo;s hot start to the season has tailed off a bit; however, with a defined role as a part of the second unit, you can see how relaxed he&rsquo;s playing. Defensively, he&rsquo;s been swiping away steal after steal, and in the open floor, he&rsquo;s been in attack mode. He&rsquo;s also hoisting threes on the move and standstill like we&rsquo;ve never witnessed before. There is no lack of confidence there.
Maybe the most underappreciated player the Cavs have is Dean Wade, who, whether in the starting lineup playing 30 minutes or with the reserves in garbage time, constantly brings the same effort on both ends no matter the circumstance. He&rsquo;s able to stretch the floor as a long-range sniper, and he is Bickerstaff&rsquo;s sneakiest contingency plan on the defensive end.&nbsp;
Speaking of which, Lamar Stevens is the man Cleveland goes to when it needs a shot in the arm. He&rsquo;s got a bulky frame and matches up well 1-through-4. There have been numerous occasions when the team has gone to him and found the energy it needed from only his presence on the floor. He won&rsquo;t take many shots, but he&rsquo;ll prevent quite a few.
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The core of what makes the Cavs such a dangerous team is their box-score balance. Every night, you&rsquo;ll see six or seven players in double figures, assist figures in the mid-to-high 20s and 30s and modest (or poor) opponent field-goal percentages.
In every sense of the word, Cleveland is playing team ball. The NBA challenged the organization with eight out of 11 on the road to begin the season &mdash; including a grueling West Coast trip &mdash; and the wine-and-gold passed that test with flying colors. (They&rsquo;re one of the best away teams in the league at 9-5.) Now, whenever the Cavs are playing a team that isn&rsquo;t a playoff contender, they&rsquo;re demoralizing them and steamrolling them. The tough love has paid off in a major way.
No, they&rsquo;re not a finished product. They're even missing their leading scorer from a season ago (here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for Collin Sexton). They&rsquo;re not close. There haven't been nearly enough 48-minute games, and the hunt for a &ldquo;signature win&rdquo; is still on.
With that said, the Cavs have consistently brought it every single night, and teams that haven&rsquo;t taken notice are in for a hard, painful lesson once that ball tips off.
The warning sign is right in front of them: Beware of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiC_7ut0-v0AhWHkIkEHe4rAFUQFnoECAMQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleveland.com%2Fcavs%2F2021%2F11%2Fcleveland-cavaliers-have-adopted-underdog-mentality-complete-with-new-barking-celebration.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw1bAEDy2vYzH4odGmLpFcU0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Junkyard Dogs</a>.

Spencer Davies breaks down the Cavaliers' unexpected start to the season and why they're having so much success.

From lovable underdog to unforgiving bully: How the Cavs got here

The&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/james-harden-shared-how-reggie-miller-motivated-him-before-his-breakout-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Julius Randle expressed his frustration with NBA officiating following the Knicks 112-110 loss to the Nets on Tuesday, and it&rsquo;s not his first time.
Randle vs. Officials 
Last season, Randle had to be restrained from referee Scott Foster after a questionable late-game travel call against the Philadelphia 76ers. On Tuesday, Foster was once again a part of the officiating crew. But this time, the Knicks forward kept his cool. Well, sort of.
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Other than yelling at the refs right after the final whistle, the situation was never close to escalating. At first, Randle even refused to address the officiating during his postgame interview. It wasn&rsquo;t until he was asked whether he was surprised he wasn&rsquo;t getting the star-reserved calls that the 27-year-old started talking about it.
&ldquo;[You've] got to ask them,&rdquo; Randle said of the referees. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;re watching or what they&rsquo;re seeing. As aggressive as I played, attacking the paint, I can&rsquo;t be penalized for just being stronger than people. And that is an answer that I got today.
"They said because certain contact doesn&rsquo;t affect me like it affects other players. Because I am stronger, they miss the calls. It pisses me off even more to be honest with you, because that is not how you officiate the game."
Randle finished the game with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, but only went to the free-throw line twice. The 6-foot-8 and 250-pound forward, averaging 5.0 free-throw attempts throughout the season, once again displayed a physical level of play, but wasn&rsquo;t rewarded for it &mdash; and even Tom Thibodeau criticized the refs for it.
Shaq&rsquo;s Message to Randle
Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal faced the same hurdle throughout his entire career. That&rsquo;s one thing all NBA freight trains have in common &mdash; they are all hard to officiate. At some point, every individual basing his game on physicality is bound to pay for others&rsquo; disability to match it. That&rsquo;s why O&rsquo;Neal had a message for Randle after yesterday&rsquo;s game.
&ldquo;Listen Mr. Julius, nobody [is] rooting for Goliath, nobody cares,&rdquo; Shaq said. &ldquo;So I am saying this to say: Play through it big man. You are correct, you are strong, you are not going to get calls, they are not going to slow the game down for us. So what you gotta do, big dog, is make them call a foul. When you got them down the block, punish em. Somebody reaching, just take this 'bow right here and just lift it up 3-to-4 inches.
&ldquo;You just gotta keep playing. Remember nobody roots for Goliath, nobody cares, the little guys don&rsquo;t care, they don&rsquo;t care about us big guys. But you can do it, other big guys did it and you can do it, stop whining, stop complaining, they don&rsquo;t care, they&rsquo;re not going to give you the calls, but that&rsquo;s okay just play through it big dog.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"Play through it, big man."<a href="https://twitter.com/SHAQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SHAQ</a> has a message for Julius Randle following the Knicks' loss to the Nets. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InsideTheNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InsideTheNBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/QVhQhWiq5a">pic.twitter.com/QVhQhWiq5a</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1465927377796546563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Shaq played through it all in the 19 seasons he spent in the NBA &mdash; given the fact he only shot 52.7% from the charity stripe, not getting the foul calls might&rsquo;ve been a blessing in disguise for O&rsquo;Neal. But in the heat of the moment, it must&rsquo;ve been frustrating even for Big Diesel.
We&rsquo;ve seen <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-nba-rule-changes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major officiating changes this year</a>. Unfortunately for Randle, establishing an objective foul-calling criterion wasn&rsquo;t one of them. Every single call the refs make, although based on a specific set of rules, is in some way open to their subjective interpretation of the situation &mdash; especially the fouls.
Weaker players will benefit from it (particularly those who can sell the contact), and stronger players will pay for it. Randle&rsquo;s best bet is to listen to Shaq&rsquo;s advice and learn how to &ldquo;play through it.&rdquo;
Games like this are inevitable.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Shaquille O'Neal had a piece of advice for a frustrated Julius Randle after the Knicks big man barely got to the free-throw line Tuesday.

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