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With the 2022 NBA Draft less than a month away, BasketballNews.com will have you covered from top to bottom. The NBA Draft Combine in Chicago began the pre-draft process for a number of hopeful prospects as they try to break into the league.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Ohio State swingman Malaki Branham, who averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in his lone season with the Buckeyes. We discussed his start in basketball, playing in his home state, his second-half surge and how he'll translate to the next level.
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Let's start with your background. What's your hometown?
Malaki Branham: "My hometown is Columbus, Ohio, where I was born and raised."
Could you tell me a little bit about your family background?
Branham: "I have a small circle. It's my mom, my little brother, my uncle, my auntie and my grandma. That's about it. My trainer is also like family. I've been working with him for seven-plus years, so he became family."
Did you play any other sports growing up?
Branham: "No, not really. When I was younger, I played soccer and baseball, but basketball has always been everything to me."
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When did you first start getting into organized basketball?
Branham: "Probably when I was 8 or 9. I started playing AAU early on, and things just took off from there."
At what point in your development did it start to click that you might have a bright future in basketball?
Branham: "It was my eighth-grade year. I dunked on somebody; that was my first in-game dunk but my first "poster" too. I thought, 'If I keep working, I can do something with this.'"
How tall were you when that happened?
Branham: I was around 6-2, 6-3. And I'm 6-5 now, so I've grown a few inches.
Being from Ohio, what was it like to be able to stay home and play at Ohio State?
Branham: "It meant everything to me, getting to play for my hometown school. I loved every second I was there on campus with the coaching staff and everyone. It was a good feeling to play for my hometown and have my family watch me too."
In our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> on BasketballNews.com, we have you projected to the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 14. How would you feel if that ended up being the case?
Branham: "It would be cool! Many people back home want me to stay and play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's just a blessing to be in this position."
I saw you early on in the season at the Fort Myers Classic. At that point, you were starting, but not getting a lot of shots. Then, midway through the season, you started to explode. From your perspective, what began to click for you to elevate your game so dramatically?
Branham: "I didn't have the biggest role on the team to start. In the beginning, I was trying to fit in. Then, when we played Wisconsin at home, I had 0 points and 4 turnovers. I texted Coach [Chris] Holtmann after the game and thanked him for letting me play through the mistakes that I was making. I was just frustrated with myself, I looked in the mirror and said, 'We need to get to work.'
"From that point, the Nebraska game came, and I kept that in the back of my head and wanted to make sure that the game wasn't just a fluke. I just wanted to be consistent the rest of the year, and I feel like I did that."
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The Big Ten was stacked this year. I stayed in Indianapolis to watch the entirety of the conference tournament. Who do you think was your toughest matchup this year?
Branham: "The toughest 1-on-1 matchups that I had to guard, I'd probably say Fatts Russell from Maryland; he's a smaller guard, but he's so quick and shifty. I'd also have to say Johnny Davis and Jaden Ivey as well.
"That quick first step that lets [Jaden] get to the rim with ease (makes him a tough matchup). Also, he gets up in the air and gets his shot off from anywhere he wants. With him, I feel like it's him being more explosive than everybody. Johnny is just smooth. He's a bigger guard as well. He gets to the mid-range just like me, so making it tough on him is hard to do. I feel like he plays through a lot of contact.
"Those guys were both a year ahead of me, so they had a feel for Big Ten basketball. I just had to get a feel for how they moved, but I felt like I matched up with them pretty well."
What was your driving force for going all-in on the draft?
Branham: "Really, it was just getting good feedback. I kept working and put my head down, and after, I kept getting good news. I felt like it was too good of an option for me to pass up. I feel like entering the draft with two feet is what I wanted, so I'm just excited to be in this process."
Can you describe yourself as a player?
Branham: "I would say that I'm aggressive. I'm always in attack mode. When I'm between those four lines, I'm in attack mode and aggressive. In the second half of the season, I was aggressive, looking for my shot. I'm also always trying to facilitate for my team too."
Are there any specific aspects of your game that you're looking to improve?
Branham: "Probably tightening my handle. I will be on the wing against bigger and older guys, so I need a tight handle. I'd also like to work on my defensive abilities as well. I'm not going to be a guy who is handling the ball all the time right away, so I need to get some stops on the defensive end to earn that trust on the offensive end."
Are there any current or former players that you model your game after?
Branham: "I watch a lot of Khris Middleton, Devin Booker and those types of guys that can get to the mid-range and are three-level scorers. Those are the guys I model my game after."
If you had to use one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
Branham: 'I'd go with resilient. There will always be tough times in life, but I'm always pushing through. This year was a good example of me being resilient. At the beginning of the year, I wasn't playing as well as I could have, and in the second half, I found a way to push through and get through it."
Let's pretend I'm an NBA general manager. What is your elevator pitch to me as to why I should select you?
Branham: "I live and breathe basketball. I'm a hard worker. So many people say that, but I am genuinely a hard worker. I wake up at 5 a.m. every day and put the work in to perfect my craft. You should select me because I do that and want to get better every day to become the best I possibly can become."
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Matt Babcock speaks with Ohio State wing Malaki Branham about his second-half surge, how he'll translate to the NBA and more.

2022 NBA Draft Q&A: Ohio State's Malaki Branham leans on resilience

New Orleans guard and NBA Players Association president CJ McCollum has added another title to his busy schedule &mdash; NBA analyst for ESPN.
The network announced Monday that they have signed the Pelicans star to a multi-platform deal. He will make his ESPN debut on Thursday during &ldquo;NBA Finals: Celebrating 75&rdquo;, which will be ESPN2's alternate presentation of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics.
McCollum graduated from Lehigh University with a journalism degree and has made past appearances on ESPN as an analyst.
&ldquo;I am excited to bring what I feel is my unique perspective, based on my vast knowledge of the game that I&rsquo;ve gained during my nine years as a player in the NBA,&rdquo; McCollum said in a statement. &ldquo;To have an opportunity to put my journalism background to use on the largest stage with the many talented professionals at ESPN is a dream come true.&rdquo;
McCollum will work with ESPN to develop a new podcast. He will also be an analyst on games during coverage of the NBA Summer League as well as some appearances on studio shows throughout the year.
&ldquo;CJ is one of the most respected players in the NBA, which is evident by his role as President of the NBA PA. Furthermore, he&rsquo;s an extremely talented member of &mdash; and leader on &mdash; one of the most interesting teams in the league: the New Orleans Pelicans," said David Roberts, ESPN head of NBA and studio production. "CJ&rsquo;s commitment to this opportunity, combined with his passion for journalism and sports broadcasting, will be a clear benefit for NBA fans.&rdquo;
McCollum was traded from Portland to New Orleans near the February trade deadline. He averaged 24.3 points once he joined the Pelicans and helped them make the playoffs.
McCollum is part of an increasing number of players who are year-around analysts while still playing. Los Angeles Sparks forward Chiney Ogwumike has been working for ESPN since 2018, including a stint hosting an afternoon radio show. Golden State's Draymond Green signed a multi-platform deal with Turner Sports in January.

CJ McCollum graduated from Lehigh University with a journalism degree and has made past appearances on ESPN as an analyst.

Pelicans' CJ McCollum joining ESPN as an NBA analyst

Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock shares his experience of moving to Bologna, Italy, where he became an assistant coach for a professional basketball team before becoming a sports agent. Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-going-to-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part 1</a> about how he got his start and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-the-2006-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part 2</a> about helping players prepare for the 2006 NBA Draft.
It was 2006, I was 22-years old and I was set to begin my first full-time job out of college as an assistant coach for Virtus Bologna, a professional basketball team in Bologna, Italy. Before leaving for Europe, I stayed at my parents' house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had received my travel itinerary via email, so I packed up all of my stuff, purchased a couple of Italian phrasebooks and hugged my mom. Then, my dad drove me to Chicago for my flight, and before I knew it, I was off to Italy.
After a long travel day, I made it to Bologna. I had not been given many details about my arrangements before landing. I knew that I would be an assistant coach and that the team would cover all of my expenses, but I didn't know where I would be living. I didn't even know if anyone would pick me up at the airport. I didn't have anyone's contact info from the team. To say an unknown world awaited me would be a significant understatement. I was a bit anxious.
I exited the plane and made my way to the baggage claim. I had hoped to see a driver holding a big sign with my name, but I did not see anyone like that. I collected my two massive bags that contained pretty much everything I owned at that point, took a seat and waited, hoping someone from the team was coming to pick me up. I was exhausted and grew increasingly anxious the longer I waited. I began to think, "Did I make a mistake coming here?"
Finally, a man approached me and said with a thick Italian accent, "Matt?"
I felt like I had been rescued from a deserted island.
The man pointed to a logo on his shirt that read, "Virtus Bologna." It was evident that he did not speak English. I didn't speak any Italian, so I'm sure you can imagine how everything carried on. We shook hands, and he directed me to follow him to his car, which was seemingly a team-issued van. After about a twenty-minute drive and no words exchanged, we arrived at a small hotel. A receptionist translated for us when we walked into the hotel, which was a huge relief. She explained that the team was on the road, but someone would reach out to me on the hotel phone the next day. (I didn't use my cell phone, as international roaming charges were costly at the time.)
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I was exhausted but also starving, so I asked the receptionist if any restaurants would be serving food at that hour. She directed me to a place nearby. I walked into the restaurant, and no one spoke English very well. I sat down at a table with my Italian phrasebook in hand. I ordered a pizza and a glass of red wine&mdash;I was in Italy, after all. After a long day and night, I was tired and stressed. Having been a young guy on my own in a foreign country was difficult. The language barrier was challenging, and all of the unknowns were nerve-wracking. I again questioned if I had made the right decision accepting that job. However, the waitress brought out my pizza and glass of red wine, and let me tell you, they were perhaps the best things I had ever tasted in my entire life! Subsequently, my stress subsided a bit, and although I still didn't know what to expect next, I could relax and appreciate the opportunity.
The following day, I woke up at about 3:00 AM because of jet lag. After hours of killing time, a man named Daniele Cavicchi called me on the hotel phone. He introduced himself in a thick Italian accent, saying he was the team's assistant coach (there was only one before I came). He told me they were happy to have me and that he would pick me up in a few hours. He explained that the team had the day off, but I would meet with the head coach and general manager.
When Daniele picked me up, I instantly liked him and thought he was a nice guy. Although he was older than I was, maybe in his late 20s, he was a relatively young coach. So he naturally became my "go-to guy" while I was there. Anyway, we got into his car, and we were off to the practice facility. He told me that he was from Bologna and would show me around the town. He gave me the lay of the land as we drove around, similar to a tour guide. Daniele explained that it was essentially a college town, with the university being the oldest in the world, established in 1088. He continued to explain that within Italy, a country known for its food and wine, that specific region was the best and even the home of bolognese sauce. It had been dark the night before when I arrived, so that car ride with Daniele was when I realized that Bologna was an extraordinary place, rich in culture and history. The more he described the city, and the more I saw it, the more excited I became to be there. I couldn't believe that was where I would be living. It felt like a dream come true.
When we arrived at the team's offices, my first meeting was with the team's head coach, Zare Markowski. A classy gentleman from Macedonia, he was a veteran coach that seemed to have coached nearly everywhere at some point in his career. Our initial meeting was brief as he pretty much just welcomed me. However, despite only meeting with him briefly, I found him to be a charming guy.
My second meeting was with the general manager, Piergiorgio Bottai, a businessman from "Roma." After meeting him, it was apparent from his enthusiasm that he was the main reason I was there. He outlined his vision for me and laid out the details of my arrangements during my stay. He told me I would be an assistant coach, and my primary responsibility was to develop their players individually. They also wanted me to occasionally direct the youth team's practices with a translator. He continued to tell me that they had an apartment for me in the "city centre," which also happened to be in the same building as the team's owner. I would have access to a nice restaurant, and I could eat there whenever I'd like, order whatever I'd like and always put it on the team's tab. He then explained that Mercedes-Benz sponsored the team, so players and staff members were given courtesy cars, myself included. It was apparent that the team had intended to take great care of me while I was there.
Following my meetings, Daniele brought me downstairs to give me all of the team-issued gear: a team jacket, polos, t-shirts, etc. I felt part of the team, and everyone was very welcoming.
After leaving the practice facility, Daniele and I had a great dinner at the team restaurant, and then I settled into my apartment afterward. It was "perfetto." The following day was my first day of practice, where I was set to be introduced to the team as their new assistant coach. Although it had been a hectic couple of days, and I was nearly 5,000 miles from home, I went to sleep that night with my mind at ease. Everything was "molto bene!"
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Matt Babcock discusses his stint as an assistant coach in Italy, which helped lay the groundwork for his later job as an NBA agent.

My past life as a sports agent: Bologna, Italy

BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock presents a series that will peel back the curtain from his time as a sports agent, giving a glimpse at some of his personal experiences working in the sports agency business for over a decade.
In the third entry of the series, Babcock discusses his search for coaching jobs prior to entering the sports agency business, ultimately leading him to go abroad.
Within several months, I left the University of Arizona and completed a summer internship at Wasserman Media Group in Los Angeles, California, which was an exciting summer and excellent learning experience. However, the real world was knocking on my door, and I needed to find a full-time job &mdash; a typical situation for a 22-year-old right out of college.
I had ambitions of being a basketball coach, not a sports agent, which was something I had planned on my entire life. Once my internship ended at Wasserman, I tapped into my family's network (with the help of my dad) in hopes of landing an entry-level coaching job &mdash; ideally with an NBA or D-League team. Although I had some interest from teams, I couldn't secure any legitimate offers. I realized then how tough it is to break into professional sports, even if you are well connected.
For better or worse, I'm not one to sit back and wait for anything to unfold organically. I felt that I needed to think outside of the box and be assertive &mdash; so that's what I did. I came up with the idea to pursue jobs with professional teams overseas. I ran it by my dad, and he thought it was a good idea.
We started making calls to people within our network that could help facilitate that sort of deal. We talked with Max Ergul, an agent from Turkey who worked with Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova. We had gotten to know Max because he had moved to Milwaukee when Ersan joined the Bucks, the team my dad had worked for (and still does). Max liked the idea and began to pursue opportunities for me. Before I knew it, he found a team in Istanbul, Turkey that wanted me to be an assistant coach with an emphasis on player development.
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The terms of the deal were unique: I would not get paid a salary, but they would cover all of my expenses (flights, food, housing, transportation, etc.). The team wanted me to fly to Istanbul in August and be there for the entire season. I had only a few months of work experience under my belt, but in my mind, I was ready to conquer the world; all I needed was an opportunity just like that. I had made up my mind that I would take the deal. I was set to start my coaching career in Istanbul.
However, before I formally agreed to the deal in Turkey, I called Sam Goldfeder, an agent with Excel Sports Management. Sam had been kind enough to let me stay in his mother-in-law's guest house in Beverly Hills for the summer while I did my internship with Wasserman. My intent in calling Sam was to thank and update him on my job status, but the conversation did not go as I had expected.
Me: Sam, I wanted to thank you again for everything you did for me this summer. I also wanted to let you know that I plan to accept a coaching position with a professional team in Istanbul, Turkey.
Sam Goldfeder: "What?! Have you signed anything yet?"
Me: No, I have not.
Sam: "Okay, don't! I'll call you back."
He abruptly hung up the phone, and I thought: "What was that?" However, I trusted Sam, so I waited anxiously for his call.
Within a day or so, my phone rang. It was Sam.&nbsp;
Sam: "I have good news. I talked with our collaborating partner in Italy, Matteo Comellini. I told him about your offer in Turkey, and he spoke to the team in his hometown of Bologna, Italy. They would like to match the offer."
Me:&nbsp;No way, that's amazing!
Sam: "Yes, it's a great situation. The team's name is Virtus Bologna. They are one of the best teams in Italy. It's a terrific place &mdash; I think you will love it!"
Me: Thank you so much, Sam! But first, let me talk to my dad, and I'll get back to you.
After some consideration, I decided to accept the deal in Italy, and just like that, my plans were overhauled. I packed up all of my stuff, purchased a couple of Italian phrasebooks and gave my mom a hug and kiss, and I was off. I boarded the plane to Italy without speaking to anyone from the team, as all of the communication had been through Sam and Matteo.
I wasn't quite sure what I had signed up for, but one thing was for sure: I was a soon-to-be Italian resident and assistant coach of a professional basketball team.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-the-2006-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the last entry of this series</a>: "My past life as a sports agent: "The 2006 NBA Draft."
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. Order online now!

Matt Babcock discusses his search for coaching jobs before entering the sports agency business, ultimately leading him to go abroad.

My past life as a sports agent: An aspiring coach goes abroad

BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock presents a series that will peel back the curtain from his time as a sports agent, giving a glimpse at some of his personal experiences working in the sports agency business for over a decade.
In the second entry of the series, Babcock outlines his summer internship at high-powered sports agency Wasserman Media Group before the 2006 NBA Draft. 
When I was 22 years old, I was an intern at Wasserman Media Group's sports agency in Los Angeles, California. The internship not only had me doing typical intern-type tasks, but most importantly to me (because I had ambitions of being a coach), it had me working on the court daily with the company's newest clients &mdash; Shelden Williams, Brandon Roy, JJ Redick (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-105-young-man-the-three" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who guested on The Dunker Spot this week</a>), Jordan Farmar and Joel Freeland &mdash; as they prepared for the 2006 NBA Draft. It was an exciting summer!
At that time, I was admittedly horrible with basic tasks in the office that were typical responsibilities asked of interns. Besides being a ball boy, working basketball camps and helping out at the NBA Draft Combine a few times, I had never had a real job before, as I'd always been busy being a basketball player. Anyway, my low-point while at Wasserman as an intern was being made responsible to send basketballs via FedEx for the agency's players and designated coaches to use at a pro-day workout in Florida that NBA scouts would attend.
I sent the basketballs out just fine. However, I sent them "ground," and they didn't arrive until days after the workout had happened. Greg Lawrence, who was in charge of managing the interns at Wasserman, had every reason to let me have it on that one, but fortunately for me, he didn't &mdash; thanks, Greg! In all honesty, I had some growing up to do. Luckily I did, eventually.
Despite my challenges in the office, I was right at home on the court, which was the main reason I was there from my perspective. I assisted Dave Joerger in working out and preparing all of Wasserman's new clients for the NBA pre-draft process. (Joerger was a D-League head coach at the time and eventually became the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. He's currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers).
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Former NBA player and current Wasserman agent BJ Armstrong (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-41-episode-40-bj-armstrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who was recently a guest on The Rex Chapman Show</a>) also worked with the players occasionally. Darren Erman volunteered to help us with the workouts as well. (Erman, a corporate lawyer at the time, went on to have a successful career as an NBA assistant coach, and he is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks). An impressive group of coaches &mdash; I was lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them.
I worked on the court with the coaches and players a lot, but I spent a lot of quality time with the players off the court too. We routinely had lunches and dinners, and watched NBA playoff games together. I became close with Shelden, "B-Roy," and JJ; I got along with Jordan Farmar too, but because he had already lived in L.A. &mdash; being from there and attending UCLA &mdash; he wasn't around as much as the other guys, so I didn't get to know him quite as well. But, all in all, we had a great group of guys, and we had a good time together.
After 15 seasons in the NBA, JJ concluded a successful career and is now a rising star in the media. But in 2006, his fame was at its peak. A star at Duke, JJ generated a ton of media attention and was even on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was treated like a rock star anywhere he would goShelden (JJ's teammate at Duke) once told me that fans would regularly avoid getting autographs from him and his teammates if JJ had already signed the item. Supposedly, if anyone else would sign the memorabilia, it would decrease the value. Think about that for a minute. Shelden was a consensus first-team All-American and one of the top NBA prospects in the country while at Duke!
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While in Los Angeles, JJ and I had a couple of nights out on the town (with the approval of his agents and my bosses, of course). One night, we went to an exclusive nightclub in Hollywood. We stood in a long line just like ordinary people; me, who was not famous, and JJ, who looked like the typical college frat boy. After standing in a hopeless line, I decided to talk to the bouncer to see if I could somehow get us in; I told him I was with JJ Redick. Within moments, we were taken into the club and seated at a table next to reality TV star Kristin Cavallari and former boxer and heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.
Hanging with JJ was a lot of fun.
After a month or so of us establishing a steady daily routine with the players, agent Thad Foucher let Coach Joerger and I know that he had a client named Joel Freeland from England who would be joining our workouts. Thad decided to have Joel enter his name in that year's draft. We needed to get him polished up for a showcase workout that we would be hosting the following week &mdash; every team in the NBA would be in attendance.
Every player we worked with up to that point was well-known. Joel was from England and played for a small team in Spain, so he was virtually unknown by NBA folks. However, at 6-foot-10, Joel was athletic and skilled for a player his size. After working with him, Coach Joerger and I agreed that he was a worthy prospect. Thad knew this already, of course; he wouldn't have signed him otherwise. We thought Joel might make a big splash at the showcase workout, and he did.
Following the workout in front of the entire NBA, Thad called me into his office and explained that Joel's draft stock had suddenly erupted, and he had more teams wanting to bring him into workout than days left until the draft. Therefore, he needed to be aggressive in organizing his schedule. It was the first time Joel had visited the United States, so Thad asked me to accompany him as he traveled around the country visiting different NBA teams. I essentially served as Joel's manager from that point until draft night. I remember vividly walking out of Thad's office to call my dad to tell him the good news. I was so excited to get that opportunity.
Before I knew it, Joel and I were off to Portland for his first team workout with the Trail Blazers. Joel and I shared a hotel room, and the team gave him per diem to cover his dinner. We ate at the hotel that night and had breakfast there the following day. While Joel was at the Blazers' practice facility for his workout, I stayed at the hotel killing time because the team didn't allow me to attend. Following his workout, we flew back to L.A. for one day so Joel could work out for the Lakers. Altogether, the trip to Portland was pretty uneventful for me. However, our journey was just getting started. Our next stop was Phoenix.
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When we landed in Phoenix, we were greeted by a car service: a gentleman in a black suit and tie with a fancy black car. He took us to the hotel, where Joel and I were given our own rooms at The Ritz Carlton. I felt like I was big time. Upon settling into our hotel rooms, the Suns' director of player personnel at the time (and current executive vice president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans), David Griffin, called to invite Joel and I to dinner at a steakhouse within walking distance from the hotel. He also asked me to attend the workout the next day. I must say that I am very appreciative of the first-class treatment David and the Suns gave me considering I was just a young guy trying to find my place in the business. "Griff" is undoubtedly a class act.
After a terrific trip to Phoenix, Joel and I continued our hectic travel, making stops in Houston, Dallas and Memphis. Aside from the Suns, no other teams allowed me to attend the workouts. Although it was perhaps a bit overzealous, it didn't stop me from trying.
While we were in Memphis, I casually walked into the practice gym with Joel and quietly took a seat, hoping no one would take too much notice of me where I could watch the workout. Shortly after I sat down, Ryan West, a scout with the Grizzlies and the son of the general manager and Hall-of-Fame player Jerry West, told me he wasn't sure if I'd be able to stay for the workout, but that he'd check.
Ryan and I were friends, and his dad and my uncle Pete had a close relationship, so I thought maybe I'd get the Griff/Suns treatment. The next thing I knew, Jerry was making his way toward me. My heart began to race; it wasn't that big of a deal to me whether I watched the workout or not, but the fact that "The Logo" was about to speak to me &mdash; that was a big deal!
As he approached me, he stuck out his hand and introduced himself; a really classy man with such an incredible presence. I'm not even entirely sure what I did or said. I'm not even sure if I responded at all initially. Ironically, I choked when meeting "Mr. Clutch." Anyway, the rest of our brief conversation went something like this:
Jerry West: Matt, would you like to watch the workout?
Me: Yes, I would like to, but it's not that big of a deal if it's an issue.
Jerry West: Do you speak to your father? (My dad worked for another NBA team).
Me: Well, of course, I do but...
(And before I could finish&hellip;)
Jerry West: It's nice to meet you, but we will have to ask you to wait for Joel in the locker room.
And that was my experience meeting Jerry West.
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Following the Memphis trip, we made our way to New York so Joel could work out for the Knicks the morning of the NBA Draft. Because I planned to pursue coaching jobs for the following season, the NBA Draft was when my internship would wrap up, as I prepared to attend Summer League in Las Vegas to hunt for coaching opportunities in July.&nbsp;
So just like that, my time with Wasserman was suddenly coming to an end &mdash; but first, we needed to see how the draft unfolded.
Although I was just an intern who had only known these players for a few months, we collectively put some real work together and created a bond. I cared about those players &mdash; I was invested. I especially cared for Joel, who quickly became like a little brother to me during our travels together as he chased his dream to play in the NBA.
So, our moment of truth was upon us. NBA Commissioner David Stern approached the podium, and the NBA Draft began. I anxiously watched, waiting to hear our guys' names called. Here's how it played out:
<ul>
<li>Shelden Williams &mdash; drafted No. 5 overall by the Atlanta Hawks</li>
<li>Brandon Roy &mdash; drafted No. 6 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Portland Trail Blazers</li>
<li>JJ Redick drafted No. 11 overall by the Orlando Magic</li>
<li>Jordan Farmer drafted No. 26 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers</li>
<li>Joel Freeland drafted No. 30 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers</li>
</ul>
All of our players were selected in the first round (yes, even my "little brother," Joel Freeland)! I couldn't have been happier for all of the guys, especially for Joel, who played in the NBA for several years and had an incredibly successful career overseas.
The night of the 2006 NBA Draft, Shelden Williams, Brandon Roy, JJ Redick, Jordan Farmar, Joel Freeland, their families, the Wasserman agents and I celebrated the fruits of our labor. It was undoubtedly a great night and a terrific summer, which I will never forget.&nbsp;
Little did I know at that time that it was just the beginning of my involvement in the sports-agency business.
Stay tuned for the next entry of this series: "My past life as a sports agent: The 2006 NBA Draft." 
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-going-to-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the last entry of this series</a>: "My past life as a sports agent: "Going to California."
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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Matt Babcock recounts his summer internship at high-powered sports agency Wasserman Media Group before the 2006 NBA Draft.

My past life as a sports agent: The 2006 NBA Draft

BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock presents a series that will peel back the curtain from his time as a sports agent, giving a glimpse at some of his personal experiences working in the sports-agency business for over a decade.
In the first entry of the series, Babcock outlines his move to Los Angeles to begin his lifelong dream of working in basketball.
In the spring of 2006, I packed up my car, moved out of my apartment in Tucson, Arizona, and hit the road. In my rear-view mirror was the University of Arizona and my unavailing playing career; however, I wasn't looking back. In my mind, I was destined to follow in the footsteps of my dad and uncles &mdash; working in basketball. It was time for me to turn the page and start my next chapter.
On the other end of that road trip was a summer internship in Los Angeles where I'd be working at one of the biggest agencies in all of sports: Wasserman Media Group. At the helm of the agency's basketball division was famous sports agent Arn Tellem, who is now vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons.
(Before becoming a sports agent, Tellem worked as general counsel for owner Donald Sterling and the San Diego Clippers. Tellem was also instrumental in the team's move to Los Angeles in 1984. In addition, my uncle, Pete Babcock, had been the vice president of basketball operations for the Clippers while they were in San Diego. So my family had a long-standing relationship with Tellem dating back to the early 1980s before I was even born. Likely due to my family's relationship with him, I was offered a summer internship at Wasserman &mdash; and of course, I accepted).
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Having previously worked in the agency business for over a decade, many people ask me how I got started. Many assume I went to law school and had a sophisticated, well-thought-out plan to pursue a career as a sports agent. Well, that wasn't the case at all. Contrarily, I had always wanted to work directly for an NBA team, even as a child. I thought I'd start my career as a coach and eventually transition into scouting &mdash; just like my dad did. I'll elaborate on all of that later.
While working for Wasserman, I had typical intern-type responsibilities, like sending faxes to teams or making airport runs for players and staff members. However, Bob Myers and Greg Lawrence (both agents) explained that my primary responsibility would be to assist in player workouts on the court and helping prepare their new clients for the NBA pre-draft process. It was the perfect starting point for a young, aspiring coach.
I was ready to begin my career working in basketball &mdash; a dream come true. But there was a big problem: where was I going to live? It was a paid internship, but like most internships, it was only entry-level pay, and L.A. is a costly place to live. My dad worked in the NBA for years and my family did well, but I assure you I was not on any "gravy train." I needed help!
To some people's surprise, although I grew up in an NBA family, I was never given access to much money to spend on my own. Still, I have greatly benefited from my family's connections within basketball, especially early on in my career. My first stop in L.A. might have been the best example of that.
After tapping into my family's network and trying to find somewhere to stay for the summer, our family friend, Sam Goldfeder &mdash; an agent for Excel Sports Management and, ironically, a competitor of Wasserman's &mdash; graciously offered to let me stay in his mother-in-law's guest house for the summer &mdash; free of charge!
So I drove my car west on the I-10 across Arizona and into California. Cell phones didn't have GPS yet, so I grabbed my printed MapQuest directions and made my way into the L.A. area. Before I knew it, I was in Beverly Hills &mdash; one of the world's most prestigious neighborhoods. I passed the Beverly Hills Hotel, and it dawned on me that I was at the final steps of the directions:
<ul>
<li>Head east on N Crescent Dr toward Sunset Blvd.</li>
<li>Sharp right onto Sunset Blvd.</li>
<li>Slight right onto Benedict Canyon Dr.</li>
<li>The destination will be on the left.</li>
</ul>
Sam hadn't told me any details about the house or the setup other than that I would simply be staying in the guest house. I was relieved and thankful that I had a place to stay, but I was still curious to see where I'd be living for the summer.
When I finally pulled up to the house, I couldn't believe it &mdash; the place was incredible! It was like a house I imagined where a movie star would have lived. Eyes wide open, I pressed the button at the security gate, and an unfamiliar voice answered, "Hello?" I responded by telling the person who I was and that I was supposed to be staying in the guest house for the summer. Subsequently, the gate opened, and I pulled my car into the wrap-around driveway.
I was greeted by several women who worked for Sam's mother-in-law at the house. They said they would make me dinner, buy groceries and have my dry cleaning taken care of whenever I needed it. They then showed me to the guest house in the back. The whole situation was a bit surreal. I felt lucky, and I was lucky! It was perfect!&nbsp;
I was a young, 22 year-old kid who was fresh out of college, set to spend the summer living in the heart of Beverly Hills among the rich and famous &mdash; all while working for one of the biggest agencies in the sports industry. Finally, after a disappointing playing career that weighed on me heavily, I had a chance to start fresh and pursue my ambitions of having a presence in basketball &mdash; separate from my family.
The following day, I began my first day at Wasserman and my first day working in basketball. With high hopes, I had a world of endless possibilities ahead of me.
Stay tuned for the next entry of this series: "My past life as a sports agent: The 2006 NBA Draft." 
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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To begin his eight-part series, Matt Babcock tells the story of his move to L.A. to begin his lifelong dream of working in basketball.

My past life as a sports agent: 'Going to California'

Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum gave one teammate a ringing endorsement following the team's win on Friday night: "A'ja Wilson. Let's start the campaign now, people. Defensive Player of the Year."
The Atlanta Dream lept out to a surprising 2-0 start to the season, their best start since 2017, spurred on by <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-atlanta-dream-struck-gold-with-rhyne-howard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the play of rookie Rhyne Howard</a>. Their defense has been cohesive, transition play has sparked their offense and the veterans they brought in via trade and free agency in the off-season have provided a rock-solid foundation.
The Aces simply had other plans Friday night.
Vegas flattened out much of what the Dream wanted to do out of ball screens, switching the majority of actions not involving the five spot, something they've done routinely this year. With former starting center Liz Cambage now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, the Aces have restructured and shifted to Wilson as a member of the starting five.
The Aces are certainly smaller, but they've made up for it with activity and aggression on ball screens. If Wilson is facing a good interior presence, the weak-side defender digs into the post, and the rest of the defense rotates accordingly. It's a more strenuous brand of basketball, but the Aces are embracing it, something head coach Becky Hammon pointed out after last night's win.
"We're small, [Wilson[ is at our five, so we gotta scrap, and they've all really bought into not making anything easy, especially post catches," Hammon said. "Her alertness as to what's going on in the paint has been sensational. I told her, she's gotta be Tim Duncan for us, she's gotta be Draymond Green for us, where she's talking constantly and sniffing out anything that comes through her paint, and she's bought in and done a fantastic job... she's been senasational
Wilson often plays up to the level on screens, making it difficult to dice up the defense from the middle of the floor. Seemingly half of Wilson's blocks have been on jump shot contests when she plays at the level.
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Through four games in 2022, Wilson has 15 blocks, a stellar mark, and the league leader by a longshot. She blocked 55 shots her rookie season in 2018, the most she has in her career, and she did that over 33 games. She's been expert not just at getting the rejections, but at keeping the ball in play. After going back through all her swats, roughly half of them directly resulted in a transition opportunity. It sounds minor, but it's a minute skill that can make a significant difference.
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It would be unfair to expect her to keep up this pace all season, but the hot start is a notable and palpable change in her defensive approach. Hammon repeatedly has mentioned Wilson's "buy-in" on the defensive end. The activity is ratcheted up and setting the tone for the Aces.
"We've got to scrap. We're scrappers, and that's something we missed against DC (The Mystics)," said guard Kelsey Plum. "That was something that needed to be in the forefront tonight, so I was really proud initially when we came out. We had a ton of energy, we're rotating, boxing out, we're getting in transition, and that's when we're at our best."
They're getting out in transition and playing with pace often. Per HerHoopStats, the Aces are 7th in pace at 84.5 possessions per 40 minutes, right around average. Don't let that fool you, however, as the league-high pace in 2021 was 83.8 possessions per 40 minutes by the New York Liberty. That would rank only 9th this current year. It'll be interesting to see how that does or doesn't level out as the year goes on, because teams are flying.
The Aces' ability to get stops and create turnovers (they are 1st in blocks per game) has been essential in kickstarting their already potent offense.
This possession is such a great example of the Vegas defense and Wilson's impact. There aren't many bigs in the W who provide the coverage versatility and instincts that she does, allowing the Aces to get a little funky and aggressive.
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A'ja shows and recovers on the first pick and roll, allowing Jackie Young to release from her high tag early to get back out to Sue Bird in the slot.&nbsp;Bird calls for the ball screen in an empty corner from Ezi Magbegor. Wilson angles herself well to both recover or contest the shot as Young chases overtop and Magbegor quickly rolls off the brief screen. Bird throws the pocket pass, Wilson recovers and gets the block with her off hand before taking the ball up in transition herself.
In the event that a screen is more solid and it's harder to chase over for the point-of-attack defender, Wilson shows and recovers once the chaser regains connection, or she will outright peel switch if it's called for. The communication from the Aces in general has been impressive.
While the offense of the Aces has taken the league by storm early, the defense is tethered to its success. How Vegas continues to mesh and workshop on that end will be fascinating to keep up with throughout the season. Can they keep playing such a small rotation with this frenetic play style? How will it hold up against more stout post presences? Right now, it's hard not to feel good about the state of the Aces' defense, due in part to the improved defensive play of star A'ja Wilson.
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The Las Vegas Aces smothered the Atlanta Dream on Friday night, highlighted by the stellar defensive play of A'ja Wilson.

A'ja Wilson's defense takes a step forward early in Aces' season

During the regular season, Jaren Jackson, Jr. fouled out three times in 78 games. Aside from his brief 2020-21 stint, those three foul-outs represented the lowest mark of his four-year career.
During the first eight games of the 2021-22 playoffs, Jackson matched that number.&nbsp;
This is not a random occurrence. Jackson improved his discipline and technique this year, but he also was the beneficiary of enjoying a ton of time alongside Steven Adams. The Kiwi center was benched after Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, then entered health and safety protocols before returning in Game 4 of the second round.&nbsp;
Adams&rsquo; presence has rippled across Memphis&rsquo; entire team. Despite Ja Morant being sidelined for Games 4 and 5, the Grizzlies narrowly lost Game 4 in San Francisco and rollicked the Warriors, 134-95, in Game 5 to extend their season. The grandest impact of Adams&rsquo; return, though, has been enabling Jackson to stay on the floor and wield his tantalizing two-way portfolio.&nbsp;
His 34 minutes in Game 4 matched a playoff career-high, while he only picked up three fouls in 25 Game-5 minutes, tying his low-water total of this postseason. His 21 points in back-to-back contests are his second- and third-highest scoring clips.
With Adams on the floor during the regular season, Jackson averaged 5.1 fouls per 100 possessions. Without his veteran running mate, that spiked to 6.9 fouls. The disparity has heightened in the playoffs, falling to 4.5 and then vaulting to 8.8, respectively. When Adams exits the floor in the playoffs, Jackson&rsquo;s True Shooting percentage tumbles from 61.1 to 52.9.
Although the Grizzlies still typically flanked Jackson with a big in Adams&rsquo; absence, whether it was Xavier Tillman or Brandon Clarke, Adams is a dependable backstop defensively in ways the other two are not.&nbsp;
Jackson thrives as a roamer, soaring into events with his mobility, length and awareness. Yet he also struggles to control his movements when only afforded a moment&rsquo;s notice, which leads to gaudy foul outputs.&nbsp;
Adams&rsquo; deterrence and delaying of actions, given the size and strength advantage he holds over the other two big men, provides Jackson the time he needs to properly diagnose plays and influence them without fouling. Precision is everything as a rim protector and helper. Adams helps ensure Jackson&rsquo;s rotations are precise.&nbsp;
In amplifying Jackson&rsquo;s defensive talents, Adams also invites him to play more. Because Jackson only had four fouls until 10 seconds remaining (after entered the fourth with two), Memphis closed with him at the 5 in Game 4. Golden State missed a ton of triples, but encountered mighty trouble targeting him on switches or attacking him around the basket much of the night.
Whenever he&rsquo;s stayed on the court this postseason, his defense has been superb. Per NBA.com, opponents are shooting 12% worse than their average on shots within 6 feet of the rim against Jackson. The problem has been staying on the court. Adams is remedying that problem.
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Not only is Adams elongating Jackson&rsquo;s run of playing time and heightening his defensive value, he&rsquo;s unlocking his scoring chops. Draymond Green was generally toggling across frontcourt assignments whenever Clarke or Tillman shared the court with Jackson. During minutes with Adams, in an aim to neutralize him on the glass, Green has predominantly tethered himself to Adams rather than Jackson.
That&rsquo;s a welcomed plotline for Jackson. He is 4-of-18 for 14 points (35.4% TS) with Green on him, struggling to fire jumpers cleanly, finish in the paint or draw fouls. When any other member of the Warriors has guarded him, he&rsquo;s 28 of 64 for 89 points (59.3% TS), applying his length, touch and size to generate compelling shots.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not a coincidence that his three best scoring performances of the series have occurred when Green was ejected early (Game 1) and Games 4-5, when Green isn&rsquo;t seeing many minutes against the fourth-year big.
Jackson&rsquo;s long ball is more subject to variance than anything else, but in the three games Adams has suited up for rotation minutes, Jackson is 13 of 26 (50%) on 2-pointers. In eight games without Adams, Jackson is 15 of 46 (32.6%). Mismatch-hunting is his most reliable form of interior scoring, and Adams is best equipped among his frontcourt mates to produce those mismatches.
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Adams&rsquo; mere existence as a slingshot for Jackson&rsquo;s game isn&rsquo;t the sole manner in which he&rsquo;s cast his shadow upon the series. His offensive rebounding, screening and high-post playmaking are all enhancing the Grizzlies, who have outscored the Warriors by 45 points during his 49 minutes.&nbsp;
One of Memphis&rsquo; best traits is their ability to bounce between play styles with and without Morant. When he&rsquo;s unavailable, they scale up Tyus Jones&rsquo; role, increase dribble hand-offs for Desmond Bane and crash the offensive glass even more. Adams factors into all three components, and that&rsquo;s remained the case in Games 4 and 5. He has chiseled openings as a screener, preserved possessions on the boards and set up teammates with his facilitating.&nbsp;
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He also possesses an aura of deterrence and attention that the 6-foot-8, 245-pound Tillman does not. At 6-foot-11, 265 pounds, Adams occupies substantial concern from offensive and defensive players. It&rsquo;s by no means the headlining facet of his value, but it&rsquo;s nonetheless apparent on both sides of the ball and a boon to the Grizzlies.
Golden State is already a limited interior scoring team, and Adams exacerbates that flaw. When he&rsquo;s on the court, the Warriors are shooting 66.7% in the restricted area with a rim frequency of 11.8%. When he&rsquo;s off the court, they&rsquo;re shooting 73.7% with a rim frequency of 29%.&nbsp;
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Every year, the playoffs reveal themselves to be matchup-dependent festivities. Round 1 against the Timberwolves, with the mobile, sweet-shooting Karl-Anthony Towns, was not necessarily a favorable context for Adams. But Round 2, against an undersized Warriors team short on rim pressure, has proven to be his platform.&nbsp;
By easing responsibilities for Jackson, complementing Memphis&rsquo; primary ball-handlers sans Morant and exploiting Golden State inside, he&rsquo;s quickly demonstrated why this is his matchup to flourish.&nbsp;

Steven Adams has proven to be an important cog for Memphis in their series against Golden State, and will do so again in Game 6.

Steven Adams' return has upsized this series for the Grizzlies

It was the summer of 2001, and I had just finished my junior year of high school.
I received a phone call on my family's home phone in Milwaukee, Wisconsin &mdash; it was a representative from Adidas calling to invite me to be a participant at the famed ABCD Camp.
A prestigious camp held at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, the ABCD Camp was established in 1984 and would continue until 2006. The camp was sponsored by Adidas and run by legendary shoe company executive Sonny Vaccaro. His main claim to fame was his role in developing and executing Michael Jordan's Air Jordan brand with Nike. After leaving Nike, Sonny joined Adidas, where he was able to get the ABCD Camp rolling.
Each year, the camp was comprised of the top high school players in the country. In 2001, the NBA had not yet set the age limit restricting high school players from declaring for the NBA draft following their senior year. Because of this, not only was every prominent college coach at this event, but so were all of the NBA scouts and front-office personnel. At that point, the ABCD Camp was the mecca of high school basketball.
I was beyond excited to get invited, but I must admit, it was somewhat intimidating. Luckily I wouldn't be going alone, as several of my good friends received invitations to the camp too.
My roommate at the camp was Dan Grunfeld, who was, and still is, one of my best friends. Dan is the son of Ernie Grunfeld, who, at the time, was my dad's boss and the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Dan became a star player at Stanford and led the (then) Pac-10 conference in scoring his junior year, and had a successful career playing in Europe. In addition, our good friend and my high school teammate, Coby Karl, was also with us. Coby is the son of George Karl, who was the head coach of the Bucks at the time. Coby played a few years in the NBA after starring at Boise State.
The three of us were teammates as a part of the AAU program, Friends of Hoop.
Also with us from Milwaukee was Steve Novak, who has been a friend of mine since we were AAU teammates on the Wisconsin All-Stars all the way back when we were in middle school. Once Steve and I got to high school, we had some great battles during our freshman and sophomore years. (I was at Shorewood High School and he was at Brown Deer High School, one of our conference rivals. Steve went on to team up with Dwyane Wade at Marquette, and had a long successful career in the NBA.)
So there's no denying that Milwaukee was represented well at the ABCD Camp that year.
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For whatever reason, I didn't fly with my friends from Milwaukee. Instead, I flew by myself to La Guardia Airport in New York. When I landed, an Adidas representative was waiting and drove another player, DeAngelo Collins, and I to the hotel in New Jersey. It's probably not a name that will ring a bell for many people, but at the time, he was a well-known player. As soon as I saw him, I knew who he was &mdash; although we had never met before. DeAngelo was one of the top-ranked players in the country, became a McDonald's All-American and entered his name in the NBA Draft after his senior year of high school. (Unfortunately, he went undrafted and only had a short professional career overseas).
Anyway, as I was sitting next to DeAngelo in a van heading to the camp hotel, my nerves kicked up another notch. I knew that, at the end of that ride, the rest of the top high school players in the country awaited.
When I arrived at the hotel, my friends from Milwaukee were there. We had to sign in, collect a bag full of Adidas gear and take some photos. When Dan and I finally got to our room, we had a moment where we talked about how excited we were to be there. The whole experience was exciting and fun, but intense at the same time. Whether it was the top-ranked player in the country or the last guy invited, we all wanted the same thing &mdash; to improve our stock. The ABCD Camp was the biggest stage any of us had played on at that point in our careers. It was an opportunity to move up in the player rankings, which would subsequently lead to more scholarship offers or even interest from NBA teams, for some.
Coby, Dan and I had somewhat similar backgrounds, as we all grew up around the game, as our dads and families all had careers working in the NBA. As I was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-from-ray-allen-to-giannis-antetokounmpo-dave-babcock-remains-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing up</a>, my dad would often suggest that I "get some shots up" or do my "Pistol Pete" ball-handling routine instead of playing video games, but generally, my family never put a lot of pressure on me to be a great player. I never got the impression that Coby or Dan felt much direct pressure from their families either. However, I think I can speak for the three of us in saying that we all put a significant amount of pressure on ourselves due to our backgrounds. And at the ABCD Camp, I certainly felt the pressure. But I was motivated and determined to move the needle!
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The first night, all of the players went to the gym for Sonny's welcome speech. He spoke to our group to set expectations for the camp, and gave some general advice. We then split up to join our assigned teams and had a light practice. That allowed us to meet our teammates for the camp and our teams' coaches. The coaches tried to implement some basic offensive and defensive principles during that practice. However, the reality was the camp was "pick-up ball" with some freelance referees.
My team's head coach was Chris Grant, who worked for my uncle, Pete Babcock, the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks at the time. (I don't think that was a coincidence). Chris started his career as an intern for my uncle after playing in college at the University of San Diego. Years later, he worked his way up and became the Cleveland Cavaliers' general manager. The top player on our team was Josh Smith from Atlanta, Georgia. He was a year younger than me, but he was a high-profile prospect. A couple of years later, Josh was selected in the first round by the Hawks directly out of high school. He had a successful NBA career, and was one of the top players for the Hawks for years.
Following practice, we returned to our rooms for the night. Dan and I talked about our teams. He told me he had a player on his team that was good. I had never heard of him before &mdash; his name was Carmelo Anthony.
We had a few things to do the following day before live games began. First, there was a guest speaker, but not just any guest speaker; it was Kobe Bryant. He talked to us about some of his personal experiences going through a lot of the same things we were all going through as high school players. It was incredible to listen to a player who had been living the life that every one of us dreamed about for ourselves. To say Kobe's talk was inspiring would be an extreme understatement. Although just a young guy at the time, Kobe had such distinct confidence and determination. It was a privilege to meet Kobe and listen to him speak.
Following the session with Kobe, the players had to take prep ACT and SAT classes. We were seated at tables with about a handful of players per table. I remember sitting with Travis Outlaw, who was a hilarious, nice guy. Travis declared for the 2002 NBA Draft after high school, and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. He went on to play in the NBA and had a good career.
At the table directly next to me was a younger player that I did not know. Like most of us, he didn't seem interested in that class. Halfway through picking out his braids and leaving half of his hair in an afro, he decided he would lay his head down and take a nap. The teacher wasn't happy about that and kept lecturing him, saying things like, "This is important, your future depends on this" &mdash; something along those lines. Finally, the player sat up and said, "I'm going pro!" and put his head back down.
Soon after, I found out the player's name was LeBron James.
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Finally, when classes finished up, the real reason we came to town was about to begin. It was time to hoop.
The games started, and they were great! There was so much talent in each game. I had the opportunity to share the court with future NBA All-Stars like Carmelo, LeBron, Chris Bosh, Deron Williams and many other soon-to-be standout pros. The gym was buzzing, and it was quite the scene. "Oohs and ahhs" could be heard left and right. The stands were filled with famous coaches, including Coach K, Lute Olson and Rick Pitino. NBA scouts and media members were busy taking notes and trying to find the next NBA star.
The actual gameplay was pretty sloppy, as expected. In most showcase types of events, players will play "to get their's." Also, there is not much of a game plan without much practice time, which usually results in poor ball movement and limited opportunities for lower-ranked players (like myself) to have the ball in their hands.
Despite the challenges, I played pretty well. I shot a high percentage, and even had one game where I scored 15 points and hit a handful of three-pointers. Because I had limited opportunities to have the ball in my hands, I made an extra effort to be as effective as possible without the ball. I noticed that the referees were quick to call offensive fouls during this camp, so I decided to get in the lane when players would drive to the hoop to draw charges. My strategy worked well, and I drew several charges.
However, I tried this tactic in one particular game and my plan backfired, as the player on the other end was LeBron. He laid one of his now-signature tomahawk dunks right on me. I flew back probably 10 feet, and the gym went crazy. That was my formal introduction to "King James."
It's been said that the 2001 ABCD Camp is when LeBron broke onto the scene and the whole media frenzy began for him. His legendary battle with the No. 1 player in my class, Lenny Cooke, happened at this camp. Dan and I were sitting together in the bleachers watching that game. I am happy to say that I was a "witness" to the making of one of the greatest stars our game has ever seen.
All in all, I did well at the camp, and I was able to generate more interest from schools, which was my goal. However, more than 20 years have passed since that ABCD camp, and the most valuable experience turned out to be the memories that I will cherish forever.
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
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Matt Babcock relives his experience at the 2001 ABCD Camp, where a number of high schoolers stood out before becoming NBA stars.

ABCD Camp: The mecca of high school basketball circa 2001

Year 26 of the WNBA is finally here! There will be plenty of storylines to follow this year: Swan songs for long-time legends (Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird), highly anticipated returns (Elena Delle Donne), new faces in new places (Tina Charles and Liz Cambage among others), and plenty of young stars looking to make leaps. It's a great time to get invested in the W if you haven't already.
Opening night was a doozy: four games featuring eight teams with wildly different expectations. Every game got my brain churning in some capacity, and the same can be said for my pal <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler</a>.
So, naturally, we decided to team up and share our takeaways from each game. Let's dig in!
INDIANA FEVER VS WASHINGTON MYSTICS
THE SCORE: 84-70 MYSTICS
THE STORY: MYSTICS' OFFENSE SCARY HOURS
This was a weird game to say the least, something that will likely be the norm for an extremely young Fever team that started three rookies and had five who played significant rotation minutes last night.
The youth was apparent, but so was the budding potential. NaLyssa Smith finished her first game in the pros with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double while showcasing the footwork, fluidity and athleticism that make her a remarkable prospect.
Destanni Henderson carved up the floor with passes, hitting cutters with ease and operating out of ball screens with the guile that made her a joy to watch at South Carolina.
Most importantly, seeing a healthy Elena Delle Donne back was just awesome. She's gone through an insane amount medically in the past few seasons, and to come in without a minutes restriction was great.
The 84 points scored by the Mystics last night undersells the brilliant flashes they put together offensively. While noting again that this Fever team is of course inexperienced, Washington put them through the ringer. They threw so many actions and looks at the wall in the first game that impressed, and it felt like a playoff gameplan at times. The second Crystal Dangerfield checked into the game, sets were called to run lead guard Natasha Cloud off screens or cuts to post the much smaller Dangerfield up and draw a foul or easy bucket.
Cloud saw the court extremely well last night, and her control of the offense and ability to shift east and west to find better angles to attack was impressive.&nbsp;
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For a roughly five-minute stretch in the second quarter, the Mystics went to Delle Donne at the 5 with Cloud, Ariel Atkins, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Tianna Hawkins. All five players can shoot, pass, handle and attack the floor. While it's not a look that the Mystics can fully embrace for large chunks of the game, the run they went on (outscoring Indiana by 8 in a 4:47 stretch, per InStat scouting) showed glimpses of a potent lineup.
With Delle Donne up screening this high and three shooters fanned out, Fever rookie big Queen Egbo has to play at the level. Cloud is capable of hitting a pull-up two against drop. Delle Donne is too good of a shooter from *checks notes* everywhere to give her any modicum of space. It's hard to draw help from any of the off-ball defenders given the personnel the Mystics are employing.
Washington went repeatedly to a 5-out look with this group. Space Delle Donne and use Hawkins as a popper off a pick for Cloud, as she can drive to the basket off a hard close. This is a stout group defensively as well! There's length and mobility. While they'd likely struggle against a true post, the offense feels like it could be so good that it can dictate matchups and opposing lineups.
This Mystics team has a chance to really pop, and it's great to see them whole again. - Mark
STRAY THOUGHTS
-&nbsp;I was a bit surprised by how straight-up the Fever defended the Mystics in this one. Pick-and-rolls were defended two-on-two, often allowing Delle Donne to pop into open space or, if the Fever executed a late switch, drivers to get one-on-ones against bigs. Delle Donne saw plenty of single coverage on post-ups, including a notable up-and-under against NyLyssa Smith. Bless her heart.&nbsp;
- On the pick-and-roll front, I'm curious to see how teams defend the Cloud-Delle Donne duo moving forward. Drop is a non-starter, and switches aren't ideal considering the scoring ability of both. Do you really want to give Delle Donne short-roll opportunities with traps? Good luck.
- The post-up bullying aside, it was nice to see Dangerfield scooting around out there. I'm still a little shellshocked by the Lynx waiving her, especially considering the struggles they had generating offense in their game against the Storm. - Nekias
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LOS ANGELES SPARKS VS CHICAGO SKY
THE SCORE: 98-91 (OT), SPARKS
THE STORY: DANA EVANS!!!!
The most competitive game of the evening was also a cagey affair! Both teams have new faces in prominent roles, and it was clear that both coaching staffs were trying to pinpoint these new areas early to test the waters of their personnel.
Chennedy Carter had great flashes as a scorer out of transition and in the halfcourt, but she was also on a very different rhythm than the rest of the team, which was to be expected in her first game in LA. Derek Fisher rode with Jordin Canada down the stretch, as she cut up the Sky in the halfcourt on drives and set up her teammates extremely well. They don't win the game without her shotmaking (and that call on the last shot).
Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike were both fantastic &mdash; Parker with her playmaking and defensive freneticism, Ogwumike with her aggression on offense and defense as well. It was great to see Nneka look this fluid and fully healthy.
The story of the game for me was backup guard Dana Evans. A member of the Sky's title team as a rookie last season, Evans shined bright, going for a career-high 24 points, easily surpassing her 14-point outing that paced her scoring last season.
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Evans toggled on and off the ball, which made her performance all the more impressive. She got to her pull-up and operated well as a ball-handler in pick-and-roll. She canned some deep threes, which opened up even more for her off the catch. She was great intiating sets and then relocating and making herself involved in play, which is essential playing alongside star players.
Evans was great drawing contact, finishing through it and making herself a weapon as a secondary scorer and advantage attacker last night, feasting off of initial plays in sets.&nbsp;
With Julie Allemand (part of the Diamond DeShields trade in the offseason) coming over from overseas to play soon, it'll be interesting to see how the backup guard rotation shapes up in Chicago. Allie Quigley was out last night and Kahleah Copper (who is also finishing up overseas play) is really the only true wing on the roster. As <a href="https://twitter.com/5outbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peter Kilkelly</a> pointed out last night, we should expect a lot of 3-guard sets from the Sky this season. This was a special, special performance from Dana that perhaps signified even more reason for excitement this season. - Mark
STRAY THOUGHTS
-&nbsp;Consider me intrigued with Chicago's frontcourt. Starting big with Parker, newcomer Emma Meesseman, and Azura Stevens is sure to pose problems for everyone. That combination of size and ball skills can only be matched by... two other teams? Maybe three? To the three-guard point, I'm excited to see more of the Parker-Meesseman duo. They already showcased some high-low chemistry in the opener.
- How about Jordin Canada, Starting Point Guard? It's about darn time! She's been one of the W's best drivers and point-of-attack defenders for quite some time. Watching her direct the offense and call her own number down the stretch was pretty fun. I don't think she's a 21-and-8 player, but there's clearly more in the bag than she was able to show in Seattle.
- Chennedy Carter is playing basketball again! Her shot creation should pop in this bench role. One might say she'll provide a Spark. - Nekias
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LAS VEGAS ACES VS PHOENIX MERCURY
THE SCORE: 106-88, ACES
THE STORY: OFFENSIVE FREEDOM
Let's get the caveats out of the way early. It's one (1) game. The Mercury, in particular, were missing a ton of talent. There was no Brittney Griner (GET BRITTNEY HOME) as she's still detained in Russia. Brianna Turner, one of the best young frontcourt players in the W, is still playing overseas. The same is true for Diamond DeShields, one of the most athletic wings in the W. That's a pretty large chunk of the Mercury's defensive infrastructure missing.&nbsp;
With that said:&nbsp;whew, buddy, did the Aces put the ball in the basket.
Not only did they drop 106 points, a mark they eclipsed just twice last season, the way they went about it was encouraging.&nbsp;
With A'ja Wilson starting alongside Dearica Hamby, there was more space to operate with. The pace was pushed more frequently &mdash; they won the fastbreak points battle, 15-6 &mdash; and the tempo was up in the half-court. More pace and space means Wilson and Hamby getting busy as screeners or post hubs. Actions with an empty corner have a little more juice now.
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Ah, and then there were the threes.&nbsp;
The Aces were the league's most efficient offense last season, but did so in the most predictable, traditionalist way. They fed the block and brutalized opponents inside. This wasn't a team that shot threes often; their 13.5 attempts last season ranked last in the league by a pretty decent margin.&nbsp;
The tide seems to be turning for the group under new head coach Becky Hammon. They attempted 23 triples in their lone preseason game. They took 21 on Friday night, making 11 of them. It was, per the broadcast, the third time in&nbsp;franchise history&nbsp;that they made 11 or more threes in a game.&nbsp;
Between Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray bombing away from deep (hitting a combined 6-of-11 from three), and the complementary play styles (and general mobility) of Wilson and Hamby, it should come as no shock that Jackie Young (20 points on 8-of-10 shooting) was also&nbsp;able to shake loose.
Good freaking luck with this group. - Nekias
STRAY THOUGHTS
- I've already started the Kelsey Plum All-Star campaign, and Kelsey has done so accordingly with her play!
- I was so so impressed by Las Vegas' ball movement and connective passing. While it's important to note that the Mercury were pretty depleted heading into game one, the Aces exacerbated all the advantages they could find and make.
- Jackie Young!!! Entering her fourth season, I have really high expectations for who Jackie can be. With a new coach and system, I think Friday night was a glimpse of her bright spots from past years as well as how beneficial pacing and an even more spread floor benefits her game. She's so strong on her power-drives to the rim and such a fantastic mid-range shooter on a variety of self-created looks. Her defense on Diana Taurasi was extremely fun and effective as well, really sticking to her off the ball. - Mark
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SEATTLE STORM VS MINNESOTA LYNX
THE SCORE: 97-74, STORM
THE STORY: GABBY WILLIAMS IS BACK
It's been a tumultuous stretch from Gabby Williams, a UConn standout turned gap-filler for the Chicago Sky. She had her contract suspended for roster-spot reasons &mdash; you can get a breakdown of that ordeal <a href="https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-women-gabby-williams-explainer-20210508-20210507-gtqqe5sspjdrfncall7kpcxzm4-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> &mdash; and was then traded from the Sky to the Los Angeles Sparks before the 2021 season began.
She was traded again over the offseason, this time to the Seattle Storm for Katie Lou Samuelson and the pick (#9 overall) that became Rae Burrell.
We're only a game in, but this is already looking like one of the best moves of the offseason for the Storm.
Wiilliams can do just about everything but shoot from deep (as she's a career 24.8% from three), which bodes well for a Storm team as active as this one.&nbsp;
Offensively, she's able to get the machine churning with her passing ability. Whether it's making entry passes, making kicks off the dribble or running the occasional ball screen, Williams can find her teammates. Off the ball, she's a willing screener and heady cutter. You can't really afford to "gap" her because she'll make herself &mdash; or a teammate &mdash; a threat.
The real appeal comes on the other end. Williams is a true multi-positional defender. She has the mobility to slide with guards, can deal with virutally any wing you throw at her, and is pesky enough to bother bigger players as well. Watching her slither across screens and mirror ball-handlers is a joy.&nbsp;
For people who aren't familiar or needed the reminder of what she can do defensively, look no further than her work in the second quarter of this game. These are just&nbsp;three&nbsp;examples of her versatility.
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You get it all here. Active hands, timely rotations off the ball, switchability, contesting without fouling. She's a beast. - Nekias
STRAY THOUGHTS
- I'm super intrigued by who Jessica Shepard could be for this team. Her shot was there and she looked confident in it. She displayed some really fun and tantalizing ball skills and court vision as a DHO operator and high-post playmaker. With the Lynx this depleted to start the season, they'll need as much as she can offer as well.
- The Storm miss Mercedes Russell's post presence without a doubt, as Sylvia Fowles bodied them early (a norm for W frontcourt players the past decade-and-a-half). Yet, their ability to rotate backline and flash recovery skills and communicate as a defense throughout the game was impressive. Williams and Briann January bring extra pop at the point of attack and this team shows real capability early to be a more stout defense. - Mark
<a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler contributed to this article.</a>
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Nekias Duncan and Mark Schindler team up to give their observations from the opening night of the 2022 WNBA season.

2022 WNBA season: Thoughts from each opening-night game

This past week, the Tampa Bay Pro Combine was held in Wesley Chapel, Florida, hosting 36 draft-eligible prospects, 24 of which had an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NBA scouts. BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock also serves as executive director of the combine.
Last year, Darryl Hepburn launched the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine. The event proved to be a success as we saw four participants play in the NBA in their rookie seasons: Terry Taylor (Indiana Pacers), Brandon Williams (Portland Trail Blazers), Micah Potter (Detroit Pistons) and Jordan Goodwin (Washington Wizards).
Thanks to title sponsor Florida's Sports Coast, Adam Thomas and Consuelo Sanchez, the event returned for a second year with hopes of helping more players find success as they transition from college to the pros. Last Friday, we wrapped up the event. Here is a recap of the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine:
Arrival
Last year, we had nearly 50 players come to the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. However, we decided to change things this time around, bringing in a smaller group &mdash; 24 draft-eligible prospects &mdash; to participate in two days of simulated pre-draft workouts. Another big difference was that the workouts would be in front of NBA scouts and executives this year. We also welcomed 12 additional prospects to participate in some workouts and games. All in all, we had 36 players visit Tampa.&nbsp;
As we prepared our list of potential invites, we looked to put together a talented group of players with pro-potential, primarily fourth- and fifth-year seniors coming out of college who would be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. We targeted players from all over the country. We brought players to Tampa from various schools, including Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, Kentucky, Oregon, Providence, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Washington State, West Virginia and more.
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Ready to get going - Let&rsquo;s run it. 🏀🏁<a href="https://twitter.com/deemintz1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deemintz1</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/_davwarr3n?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_davwarr3n</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/BallForever_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallForever_</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/fulkerson_john?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fulkerson_john</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/AbuKigab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AbuKigab</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/JericoleHellems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JericoleHellems</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/Mark_Smith_13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mark_Smith_13</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TampaBayProCombine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TampaBayProCombine</a> <a href="https://t.co/5z7XKUqMiS">pic.twitter.com/5z7XKUqMiS</a>
&mdash; Tampa Bay Pro Combine (@_TBPC) <a href="https://twitter.com/_TBPC/status/1518974087460184065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The players arrived throughout the day on April 25, and we arranged rides to our event hotel, the brand new Residence Inn in Wesley Chapel. We provided them with Adidas gear and had dinner before going to our rooms. A good night's sleep was in order as the next two days were important since the players would be showcasing their talents in front of NBA scouts. A lot was on the line!
NBA Sessions
The next day, April 26, NBA scouts from a wide variety of teams arrived at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and sat along the sideline as trainers from Yo Murphy Performance warmed up the players for our first "NBA session." Shortly after, Coach Bob MacKinnon had the players and our staff huddle up, shouting out his signature "1, 2, 3&hellip; hard work!" before we broke off for the first workout.
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That day, the first group of six players started things off right. You could feel the intensity in the gym immediately. It was clear that the players and coaches were there with a purpose. After a series of shooting drills and skill work, MacKinnon directed the group as they transitioned into competitive play, starting with 1-on-1 and finishing with 3-on-3. I don't think there is any denying that the workout was challenging and competitive. The remaining groups matched the same level of competitiveness over the two days.

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As executive director of the Tampa Bay Pro Combine, I'm responsible for inviting the players and convincing them to come. All of the young men that came to Tampa trusted me when I told them that we were putting together a platform that would help them gain exposure as they pursued their dream of playing professional basketball. Being able to contribute to helping them get closer to accomplishing their goals is beyond rewarding for me.
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Many players helped themselves those first two days, including Michael Flowers from Washington State, Noah Horchler from Providence, Nate Johnson from Xavier and Davion Warren from Texas Tech, just to name a few.
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Three-Point Shootout
After a couple of intense days working out in front of NBA teams, we put together an optional workout on April 28, which was light, and then former NBA player Shelden Williams interviewed a number of the guys throughout the day for BasketballNews.com.
In the afternoon, we gave guys plenty of time to relax, with many of them even taking advantage of Tampa's beautiful weather by lounging at the pool of the Residence Inn and enjoying the sunshine. Later that night, we had some fun. The facility hosted a local high school All-Star game and had one of our players, Taze Moore from the University of Houston, do some dunks at halftime &mdash; he put on a show!
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To finish up the night, we held a Three-Point Shootout. The participants included Jalen Adaway (St. Bonaventure), Michael Flowers (Washington State), Noah Horchler (Providence), Nate Johnson (Xavier), Davion Mintz (Kentucky), and Cole VonHandorf (Fairmont State). Mintz started hot in the first round, but it wasn't enough as Flowers ultimately won the shootout.
Double-Header
Our last session on the court was on April 29, with some 5-on-5 play. We had three-time NBA champion and current BasketballNews.com writer and podcaster James Posey and former college standout player at Arizona and South Florida Jesus Verdejo coach the teams in both games.&nbsp;
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The first game was competitive from start to finish, ultimately seeing Team 1 win over Team 2, 100-92. Davion Mintz and Davion Warren led Team 2 in scoring with 24 and 22 points, respectively. Team 1's Amadou Sow won game MVP, scoring 26 points and grabbing an impressive 12 rebounds.
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Team 3 started fast on Team 4 in the second game, leading 26-11 after the first quarter. Kalob Ledoux and Ronaldo Segu led Team 4 in scoring, with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Meanwhile, West Virginia's Malik Curry scored 24 points, earning himself MVP honors.
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Thank You, and Good Luck
To cap off the week, our title sponsor, Florida's Sports Coast, and their manager, Consuelo Sanchez, hosted our entire group at Chuck Lager in Wesley Chapel for dinner to celebrate the successful week before everyone flew back home the following day.
That's another year in the books for the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. As our players set out to make the next steps in the pre-draft process and their respective careers, I'd like to wish everyone the best and thank them for allowing us to play a small part in their journey. Thank you to all of our staff and partners who worked so hard to make this past week happen!
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BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock shares an outlined recap of the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine.

Recapping the 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine

Following last year's inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine, several participants &mdash; including Terry Taylor, Brandon Williams, Micah Potter and Jordan Goodwin &mdash; turned their dreams into reality by signing deals and playing in the NBA in their rookie season.
Now, the Tampa Bay Pro Combine is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tampa-bay-pro-combine-returns-with-24-nba-draft-prospects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back for another year</a>, and our new group of participants is looking to find the same level of success. The TBPC will be held from April 26 to April 29 at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, Florida.
We are providing 24 draft-eligible prospects an opportunity to audition in front of NBA scouts, compete in a slam-dunk contest and three-point shootout on April 28, and play in a doubleheader on April 29.
NBA scouts and personnel will be allowed to attend workouts on April 26 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST and April 27 from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. EST.
Here is the list of participants:
Alex Barcello, BYU
Evan Battey, Colorado
Luka Brajkovic, Davidson
Savion Flagg, Sam Houston State
Michael Flowers, Washington State
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
John Harrar, Penn State
Noah Horchler, Providence
Nate Johnson, Xavier
Abu Kigab, Boise State
Kimani Lawrence, Arizona State
Kalob Ledoux, Santa Cruz Warriors
Davion Mintz, Kentucky
Taze Moore, Houston
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
Tyler Polley, UConn
Taz Sherman, West Virginia
Jaylen Sims, UNC Wilmington
Mark Smith, Kansas State
Amadou Sow, UC Santa Barbara
Au'Diese Toney, Arkansas
Davion Warren, Texas Tech
Marcus Weathers, SMU
Jacob Young, Oregon
In addition to the 24 invitees, we will also be welcoming 12 additional draft-eligible prospects who will participate in workouts and games. Our video partner, <a href="https://event.veo.co/">Veo</a>, will record the action and distribute it via BasketballNews.com's YouTube channel, and <a href="https://instatsport.com/basketball">InStat</a> will also provide video and data from the event.
The 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine is presented by Florida's Sports Coast.

The 2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine will be held from April 26 to April 29 at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

2022 Tampa Bay Pro Combine announces list of participants

Zach LaVine has an Olympic gold medal. What he doesn&rsquo;t have is NBA playoff experience.
At last, that part is about to change.
No active NBA player has been in more regular-season games without making his playoff debut than LaVine, who has appeared in 478 games with the Chicago Bulls. He&rsquo;s expected to play in his first playoff game Sunday night when the Bulls visit Milwaukee.
Once LaVine makes his playoff debut, the title nobody wants &mdash; active player with most games and no playoff appearances &mdash; will fall to Buddy Hield. He&rsquo;s been in 468 games with Sacramento, New Orleans and Indiana.
If Hield appears in at least 32 games next season, he will become the eighth player with at least 500 regular-season appearances but zero playoff contests. He&rsquo;ll join Tom Van Arsdale (929), Otto Moore (682), Nate Williams (642), Omri Casspi (588), Sebastian Telfair (564), Popeye Jones (535) and Eddy Curry (527) in that club.
Curry has a ring from his time with the Miami Heat in the 2011-12 season, but didn&rsquo;t play in a game during that postseason run.
EIGHT IS (USUALLY) ENOUGH
Phoenix won eight games more than any other team this season. That usually means a championship.
Not always, though.
The last four teams to have at least eight more wins than any other team in the regular season have gone on to win a title. Those clubs are the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, the Chicago Bulls in 1992 and 1996, and the Boston Celtics in 1984.
The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, and both the 1960 and 1965 Celtics also ended seasons with such huge regular-season margins with championships. But the Celtics in both 1958 and 1973 did not, nor did the Washington Capitols in 1947 &mdash; the inaugural season of the BAA, which was the precursor to the NBA. The Capitols (49-11) won 10 more regular-season games than anyone else in 1946-47, but the Philadelphia Warriors (35-25) won that first season&rsquo;s championship.
PLAYOFF MONEY
The NBA has set this season&rsquo;s playoff pool at $17,317,334. All 16 playoff teams are guaranteed $258,449 just for making the field; most teams will make more, and the deeper teams go in the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll make much more.
Phoenix is already assured at least $1,194,952. The Suns would claim $5,077,456 if they win the NBA title.
Miami has secured $695,527 already. The Heat would get $4,578,031 if they win the championship.
Any team that makes the NBA Finals is guaranteed $3,106,286; any team other than the Suns or Heat that wins the championship would receive at least $4,140,953.
BEST EVERYWHERE
Phoenix had the NBA&rsquo;s best home record and the NBA&rsquo;s best road record this season &mdash; 32-9 in both instances.
Only four of the last nine teams to pull off that feat, including ties in the standings, went on to win the NBA title. Those clubs were Golden State in 2015 and 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
The most recent teams to be best at home, best on the road and still not win a title: Houston in 2018, Dallas in 2007, Seattle in 1994, Portland in 1991 and the Lakers in 1990.
MILESTONE WATCH
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers is on the cusp of becoming the fifth coach in NBA history to win 100 postseason games. The 76ers need just two wins in their first-round series against Toronto to get Rivers to the milestone.
The other coaches with 100 wins: Phil Jackson (229), Pat Riley (171), Gregg Popovich (170) and Larry Brown (100).
Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra can also get to 100 playoff wins this year &mdash; but the Heat would have to get to the NBA Finals, then win three games in the title round to get him there. Spoelstra enters these playoffs with 85 postseason victories.
Among players, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant is three points shy of matching Jerry West (4,457) for eighth on the all-time playoff list. Durant needs 307 points to tie No. 7 Karl Malone (4,761) on that list, meaning the Nets would likely have to get to at least the second round for that to occur this year.
FAVORED TEAMS
Utah was favored in more games than any other team this season, picked by oddsmakers 73 times in the 82-game regular season. The Jazz were followed by Phoenix (70), Milwaukee (66), Golden State (62), Boston (61) and Miami (59) on the most-favored list.
The team that covered a spread with the most regularity this season: Memphis, which rewarded its backers 64.6% of the time. Utah was tied for next-to-last in that department, covering at a 40.2% rate.
Oklahoma City was favored the fewest times in the league, just on three occasions. Portland was the worst at covering, doing so 37.8% of the time.
BACK TO BACK
If Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award &mdash; now named for Bill Russell &mdash; he would join select company.
Only six players have won that award in consecutive years. Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Jordan won it back-to-back-to-back on two separate occasions, 1991 through 1993 and then 1996 through 1998. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal won three in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 through 2002. Hakeem Olajuwon won for Houston in 1994 and 1995, Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, LeBron James did for Miami in 2012 and 2013, and Kevin Durant did it for Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Jerry West was the award&rsquo;s first winner in 1969. It has been named for Russell since 2009.
THREE&rsquo;S WIN
As one might guess, it&rsquo;s difficult to make up a significant disparity in 3-pointers made.
Teams that were outscored by 15 or more points from 3-point range this season won only 20.8% of the time &mdash; going 94-348 in those contests.
IGUODALA&rsquo;S FAREWELL
Golden State&rsquo;s Andre Iguodala has said he is retiring when this season ends. He wanted to go back to the Warriors for a farewell, and the Warriors welcomed him back for many reasons &mdash; what he brings at this time of year among them.
No player in this year&rsquo;s playoffs has played, counting actual appearances only, in more postseason wins than Iguodala. He has appeared in 103 playoff wins, five more than Philadelphia&rsquo;s Danny Green, eight more than Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kevin Durant, 16 more than Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem and 17 more than Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
THE REFEREES
Tom Washington is working the NBA playoffs for the 24th time and Scott Foster was selected as part of the postseason referee corps for the 22nd time. They&rsquo;re the senior members of a 36-person group that will work games in Round 1.
There are three playoff newcomers: Eric Dalen, Mitchell Ervin and Justin Van Duyne.
Foster has worked 201 playoff games, while Washington has worked 172. Other veterans in this year&rsquo;s playoffs include Tony Brothers and James Capers (163 games apiece), Marc Davis (161), Ed Malloy (121), Bill Kennedy (120), Zach Zarba (117) and John Goble (100).
The rest of the first-round officials are: Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert, Kevin Cutler, JB DeRosa, Kane Fitzgerald, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, David Guthrie, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Eric Lewis, Mark Lindsay, Tre Maddox, Rodney Mott, Gediminas Petraitis, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Scott Twardoski, James Williams and Sean Wright.
The NBA also selected eight alternates &mdash; including Lauren Holtkamp, the only woman to make this season&rsquo;s list. If picked for a game, Holtkamp would join Violet Palmer as the only female referees to work a postseason contest.

The AP's Tim Reynolds ties a bow on the 2021-22 NBA regular season and prepares us for the playoffs.

Playoff time: 10 things to know about the NBA's postseason

The 2021-22 college basketball season wrapped up a little over a week ago, and the NBA regular season finished this past Sunday. That means the pre-draft process is upon us. As the Basketball News scouting department prepares to put NBA Draft coverage in full gear, here's a look at the upcoming key dates for the 2022 NBA Draft:
April 13-16: Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Portsmouth, VA)
April 24: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
April 26-29: Tampa Bay Pro Combine (Tampa, FL)
TBA: NBA G League Elite Camp (Chicago, IL)
May 16-22: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago, IL)
May 17: NBA Draft Lottery
June 13: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
June 23: 2022 NBA Draft (Brooklyn, NY)
Be sure to check our complete <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> and click each prospect's name for more info (including their highlights, measurements, projected roles and more).

The NBA Draft is a little over two months away, with plenty of key dates to watch in the meantime.

2022 NBA Draft: Key Dates

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have played in the NBA Finals and Olympics, so they've been in just about every kind of big game there is.
The play-in tournament is something new for them, and the Brooklyn Nets certainly didn't expect to experience it this year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers weren't sure they would, either, after losing 50 games last season. Now one of the teams will extend its season into the playoffs by winning the opener of the tournament Tuesday night in Brooklyn.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s get it on,&rdquo; Irving said.
Both finished 44-38, with the Nets taking seventh place by going 3-1 against the Cavaliers. They wrapped up the tiebreaker Friday by beating Cleveland 118-107, though that did nothing to make the Cavs think they can't go to Brooklyn and win five nights later.
&ldquo;We believe we can beat anybody in this league,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;We just have to play our best basketball. We know what we&rsquo;re facing.&rdquo;
They're facing a team that was expected to be at the top of the Eastern Conference, not one still trying to play its way into the postseason. But Irving couldn't play home games until late last month because he isn't vaccinated against the coronavirus. Durant missed 21 games with a sprained left knee. James Harden was traded for Ben Simmons, who hasn't played because of back problems.
&ldquo;For us, we know that we could come up with every excuse in the world of what happened this season,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;So many different things transpired, ups and downs, and now we&rsquo;re finally here and we&rsquo;re able to perform with one another for the first time in a high-intense environment such as the playoffs.&rdquo;
He made the biggest shot in Cavaliers history, completing their comeback from 3-1 down in the 2016 NBA Finals. Durant was MVP of the next two NBA Finals and has three Olympic gold medals. Both have been MVPs of the world basketball championship and said this game will feel like one late in a playoff series.
&ldquo;Game 7s, Olympics, just go play,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I mean, can&rsquo;t put too much pressure on yourself. We understand how important the game is already, so the best thing to do is just play free and stick to the game plan and trust in your teammates, and I think that&rsquo;s usually how you try to approach these games, and we&rsquo;ll see what happens.&rdquo;
The winner earns the No. 7 seed and faces No. 2 Boston in a first-round series beginning Sunday. The loser gets a second chance to get in as No. 8, hosting the winner of the Atlanta-Charlotte matchup Friday for the right to play top-seeded Miami.
The Cavaliers appeared easily headed to the postseason before stumbling down the stretch after the loss of All-Star center Jarrett Allen to a broken finger. He's not expected to return to face his former team, but the Cavaliers already knew they have to play tough, with or without him.
&ldquo;J.B. likes to say win the scrap and all our battles are won in the trenches. That&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s going to have to be Tuesday night,&rdquo; forward Kevin Love said. &ldquo;We have that familiarity with them and we know what they&rsquo;re capable of, especially with their two superstars that they have.&rdquo;
Other things to know:
ALLEN OUT
The Cavaliers listed the 7-footer as out on the injury report Monday.
He went through an intense workout that included shooting drills before Sunday&rsquo;s game as members of Cleveland&rsquo;s front office closely watched his every move. Allen only had his injured finger taped to another one after wearing a protective splint for most of the past few weeks.
Allen hasn&rsquo;t played since getting hurt March 6, and the Cavs haven&rsquo;t been the same without him. They went 3-8 in their last 11 games and had no answer underneath Friday for Nets center Andre Drummond, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s obviously the anchor of the defense and the things he can do offensively and help the other guys,&rdquo; Lauri Markkanen said. &ldquo;And I think it&rsquo;s obvious that we miss him a lot.&rdquo;
PROPS TO THE PLAY-IN
Durant and Irving were asked what they thought of the play-in, which in its first season of the current format had the Lakers beat Golden State in last year&rsquo;s opening round.
&ldquo;Well No. 1, I think somebody&rsquo;s in the back room hip-hip-hooraying, whoever created the play-in tournament, because last year you get Steph and LeBron,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;This year you get me and KD going against the Cavs in the play-in game and then you have, in the Western Conference, Minnesota and the Clippers.&rdquo;
TEAM TURNAROUND
The Cavs&rsquo; rebuild went from stagnant to supersonic in one season.
Cleveland wasn&rsquo;t expected to contend in 2022, let along double its win total and be among the East&rsquo;s top teams despite an extraordinary rash of injuries.
Bickerstaff sensed something special about his young group in training camp.
&ldquo;This is what we expected,&rdquo; he said before Sunday&rsquo;s win over Milwaukee. &ldquo;From those early moments, we felt like we had something brewing. We&rsquo;ve been hit hard and a few areas where we really haven&rsquo;t had the opportunity to see what we are still as a collective.
&ldquo;But once we got this group together, we knew they had an opportunity to be a good basketball team. And, ups and downs and bumps and bruises, those types of things, we&rsquo;re here and we&rsquo;ve got an opportunity to keep playing.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Both teams finished 44-38, with the Nets taking seventh place by going 3-1 against the Cavaliers in the regular season.

'Let's get it on': Nets, Cavs to open Play-In Tournament on Tuesday

As he went through a 45-minute exit interview with media, a tumultuous season with the Los Angeles Lakers was officially put to rest for Russell Westbrook.
The 33-year-old veteran was candid throughout his closing press conference, leaving little doubt regarding how he felt about his situation.
When Westbrook was introduced upon his arrival in Los Angeles, his message was that he desired to be somewhere he was wanted. He was asked on Monday if he still felt wanted.
"When I first got here, I felt I was never given the fair chance just to be who I needed to be to help this team." Westbrook told reporters, mentioning preconceived notions as a major factor. "From top to bottom, just every aspect, because what I bring to an organization is not just basketball.
"I never felt like, coming in, I had a fair chance on the basketball front, on any front."
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Westbrook claims that those preconceived notions arose from false stories from the media, so coming to Los Angeles, he was fighting against this story and that story like no other stop in his career.
"Unfortunately, throughout the season &mdash; especially this season &mdash; the ability to be able to constantly create stories about myself, and things I may have and people thought I may be doing, it can jade people's perspective about me," Westbrook said. "The outside fan and the outside world (think), 'Oh, well maybe he is the problem, maybe he is the bigger issue,' and in actuality, there are so many issues going on internally that are actually, really happening."
One of those internal issues revolved around now-former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and the job he did this season with three All-Stars. Immediately following Westbrook mentioning internal issues, he was asked about Vogel.
"I have never had an issue with any of my coaches before, as much as people may assume," Westbrook said. "I have never had an issue with any coach, any players, any staff members, anybody actually... I'm not sure what his issue was with me, or I am not sure why... but I cannot really give you answer why we never really connected. That's something he has to answer.
"From the get-go, it felt like I was trying to prove myself to him."
As far as making adjustments was concerned, Westbrook said he knew he was going to have to make the biggest sacrifice coming to L.A, but "any situation I have been in, I have had to make the sacrifice. Whether it was in D.C. whether it was in Houston, whether it was in Oklahoma City. In actuality, I have always been able to make a sacrifice."
In terms of on-court adjustments by the coaching staff, Westbrook stated that he "just does what he's asked."
LeBron James, who addressed the media first for Laker exit interviews, offered his thoughts on his first season as Westbrook's teammate.
<blockquote>
One thing about Russ that I love and will always love, is just his competitive spirit, what he brings to the game every night. And when you&rsquo;re in a profession when so many injuries happen and so many things go on, to have a guy that&rsquo;s reliable, who can put on the uniform every single night, that&rsquo;s something I respect out of everything. I&rsquo;m not gonna sit here and make decisions for the front office and things of that nature, but I love being a teammate of Russ.
I mean, at the end of the day, the reason why we were not very good together is we weren&rsquo;t on the damn floor together. That is the No. 1 thing. I mean, how many games did we play together? We played, what, a quarter of the season together? ... I played more games with my high school teammates in a season, and we only played 27 games. So there it is.
</blockquote>
(For what it's worth, Westbrook and LeBron weren't great in those 21 games together this season, going just 11-10 with a minus-3.5 Net Rating.)
"Russ is a hall of fame player that gave everything he could to this organization this year... In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future, part of that is in his control," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka added.
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"Russ is a hall of fame player that gave everything he could to this organization this year... In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future, part of that is in his control." -Pelinka, on Russ' player option and future. Says they will "look under every stone" for ways to improve.
&mdash; Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1513597954585554947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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For Westbrook himself, this was the first season in his career in which he was not in the 98th percentile or better in usage rate. Even beside Kevin Durant, James Harden or Bradley Beal, Westbrook had one of the top usage rates in the league. He recorded his second-lowest assist percentage (31.0%) and second-worst turnover percentage (15.4%) &mdash; both barely edging out his rookie season.&nbsp;
The 2021-22 campaign also saw Westbrook take his fewest amount of shots per game (15.3) on the lowest field-goal percentage of his career (39.8%). His minus-4.0 NET was a product of his second-worst Offensive Rating (107.5) and career-low Defensive Rating (111.5).&nbsp;
One point Westbrook repeatedly made was that he wasn't allowed to use his strengths on the floor to help make the team successful. The veteran's ability to score on the fastbreak and take advantage of his opponents' turnovers has always been one of his strengths, but this year, he had career-lows in points off turnovers and fastbreak points per game.
Whatever the reason may be &mdash; whether it was coaching style, roster fit or straight up regression &mdash; Westbrook was clearly not the same player we have seen throughout his career.
It is clear that a new fit should be on the horizon for the oft-misunderstood point guard, or else it'll be back to the drawing board for all parties involved.
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Justin Lewis reviews Russell Westbrook's candid exit interview with the Lakers heading into Los Angeles' offseason.

Westbrook: I 'never felt like I had a fair chance' to be myself in L.A.

Here&rsquo;s a short list of NBA players who were born since the last time a guard won Defensive Player of the Year: Devin Booker, Dejounte Murray, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Bam Adebayo and Brandon Ingram. Hold that thought &mdash; you can bet your life savings we&rsquo;ll get back to it.
We can do the heavy analytical dissection, but if we&rsquo;re being honest, advanced metrics haven&rsquo;t appropriately caught up to or captured how we watch defense, specifically on the perimeter.
This isn&rsquo;t going to be anti-film or anti-analytics; it's just that, sometimes, you gotta throw that sh** out the window and just make your points. You should still sound reasonable and informative while doing it &mdash; not just hot-taking for the sake of it &mdash; but even Kevin Durant famously said, &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/kdtrey5/status/1184140634208329728?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who the f*** wants to look at graphs while having a hoops convo?</a>&rdquo; While many of you might not agree, there&rsquo;s at least a time and place to put this into practice. Now&rsquo;s that time.
The Boston Celtics were 25-25 on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 29. It was the day Marc Gasol turned 37, the day <a href="https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter-noreaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a number of us experienced a Nor&rsquo;easter</a> and the day the C's beat the New Orleans Pelicans 107-97. Boston got a combined 69 points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Some would call it a nice win.
But that day also marked the beginning of what is now a two-month Celtics run of Oscar-smacking the piss out of teams, riding a record of 47-29 ahead of their showing Wednesday night against the Miami Heat &mdash; another Eastern Conference contender.
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Oh yeah, we generally weren&rsquo;t calling Boston a contender two months ago &mdash; some weren&rsquo;t positive the team would totally avoid the Play-In Tournament. If you&rsquo;re keeping score at home, the Celtics have won 22 of their last 26, holding opponents under 100 points (in this NBA) 12 times &mdash; almost half of the time &mdash; and winning 15 of those games by 10 or more points.
The Celtics, right now, have the league&rsquo;s best defense. They&rsquo;ll experience some drop-off with Robert Williams out due to a torn meniscus, and even if we do see him again this season, he&rsquo;ll likely be less than 100%. That&rsquo;s unfortunate, but Boston should still be elite on that end, especially on the perimeter.
In 2022, we&rsquo;d like to think we&rsquo;re too sophisticated to use opposing points per game, but it bares mentioning that the C&rsquo;s are first in the league, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2022_games.html">allowing just 104.0 points per game</a>. <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense/?sort=DEF_RATING&amp;dir=-1">They&rsquo;re also first in Defensive Rating at 105.9</a>.
Basic stuff, right? Yeah, I know. But if you keep going through defensive metrics, you&rsquo;ll find the Celtics at or near the top of many key statistics.
Now, go and look at Marcus Smart&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html">Basketball-Reference page</a>, and we&rsquo;ll be here when you get back...
Did you know Smart has only been on an All-Defensive Team twice in his eight-year career? Surely, we can expect a third appearance this season, but still... that&rsquo;s it? (Note: Yes, this is also a case for three All-Defensive Teams for those of us who value that 50% of the game.)
When were those two All-Defensive years? The 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, where Smart cracked the First Team in back-to-back campaigns. We&rsquo;ve lauded his defense for years, and rightfully so. He&rsquo;s one of the best perimeter defenders you may have ever seen &mdash; definitely over the last 10 years. Advanced numbers don&rsquo;t always benefit perimeter defenders; in fact, they favor bigs all the time.
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🗣 Marcus Smart is the DPOY <a href="https://t.co/XVJFmYKbn2">pic.twitter.com/XVJFmYKbn2</a>
&mdash; Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) <a href="https://twitter.com/StoolGreenie/status/1508617595179585537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Smart&rsquo;s been amazing on defense this year. He&rsquo;s been as good as anyone on the perimeter, but even so, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_leaders.html">he&rsquo;s only 20th in DRTG</a>, per Basketball-Reference. Wanna guess the positional breakdown of the 19 ahead of him?
There are nine centers, and six guys who play power forward. All but one, Jae Crowder, are considered bigs. Only three are considered guards: Chris Paul, De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Luka Dončić. Would you say any of them, as good as they&rsquo;ve been, have been better than Smart defensively this year with a straight face?
(By the way, Smart is fourth on his own freaking team behind Williams [first], Al Horford [fourth] and Tatum [15th] somehow.)
Smart&rsquo;s tied for 11th in Defensive Box Plus-Minus. Wanna play the positional breakdown game again? No need. Only one guard is ahead of him, and that&rsquo;s Paul, who&rsquo;s on the best team in the league &mdash; the rest all play the 3, 4 or 5&mdash; especially the latter two.
Defensive Win Shares? Smart&rsquo;s 12th. Wanna do it again? All bigs except for Dončić and his teammate Tatum, who actually leads the league.
This isn&rsquo;t to say that these metrics (and ones that are alike) have been the only thing to influence voting throughout the DPOY award&rsquo;s history, but the award itself basically crowns whoever voters think is the best defensive big man. Sometimes you can crunch numbers, other times you can compare charts, but all in all, you still need to watch the m*****f*****. From there, it&rsquo;d be nice to recondition your thinking so we don&rsquo;t wind up in the same place all the time.
No guard has won DPOY since 1995-96, and that was Gary Payton &mdash; one of the best to ever do it. The most recent guard before Payton was Michael Jordan in 1988. That&rsquo;s two guards that have won DPOY since Mike Conley was born, and he&rsquo;ll turn 35 in October.
We don&rsquo;t even need to do the positional breakdown. We can do it like this: the last non-big to win DPOY was Kawhi Leonard in 2016 &mdash; the second season of back-to-back award wins. The last non-big before him? Ron Artest in 2004. And before that? Payton in &rsquo;96, then Jordan in &rsquo;88.
That&rsquo;s five DPOY Awards to non-bigs over the last 34 seasons, not including this year, where I&rsquo;m bracing for the voters to give it to Rudy Gobert a fourth time.
Smart&rsquo;s awesome, but even just on principle, just give the award to a (insert expletive here) guard. This is a guard- and wing-driven league offensively and Smart defends all those dudes, putting the clamps on several &mdash; and he's done this since being drafted in 2014. He&rsquo;s the best perimeter defender &mdash; arguably best, period &mdash; on the league&rsquo;s best defensive team. As the longest-tenured Celtic since 2017, this team has taken on his identity. Without Smart &mdash; even with Williams, Tatum, Brown, Horford and Derrick White &mdash; the Celtics wouldn&rsquo;t be this. His point-of-attack defense, switchability and leadership are immeasurable.
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And to the voters &mdash; y&rsquo;all are media members, many of whom grew up admiring the Celtics (let&rsquo;s keep it real, it&rsquo;s why we haven&rsquo;t stopped hearing about this run since it began) &mdash; so you know Smart&rsquo;s been as good as anyone. And if you&rsquo;re not going to give it to Mikal Bridges for his awesome work defensively on the NBA&rsquo;s best team, or Bam Adebayo for being the most versatile clamper in the league (<a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1503811583067271176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">games missed don&rsquo;t matter</a>), then give it to Smart.
He&rsquo;s earning it, he&rsquo;s deserving of it, and y&rsquo;all just need to do something different.
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Bryan Fonseca shares the history of the NBA DPOY award in reference to guards and believes Marcus Smart should win it.

Give Marcus Smart the damn Defensive Player of the Year award

Sure, his Portland Trail Blazers may be headed to the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in eight years. And yes, along with Norman Powell and Robert Covington, CJ McCollum was traded away.
But the best days are ahead in Portland. That is, if you&rsquo;re to take Damian Lillard&rsquo;s word for it.
According to the 31-year-old superstar, the "best is yet to come" for both him and the Blazers franchise, and a championship remains the goal.
It may appear unlikely for the lottery-bound Blazers, but in a recent sitdown <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-talks-injury-rehab-trying-to-win-title-with-blazers-the-best-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports</a>, Lillard&rsquo;s message was clear: Be afraid &mdash; of him and Portland, that is.
&ldquo;It's the first time that I can say I was pain-free since maybe 2016, 2017,&rdquo; Lillard <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-talks-injury-rehab-trying-to-win-title-with-blazers-the-best-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed during his sitdown with Yahoo</a>.
&ldquo;I think that's when I first started having issues. That was the last time I was probably moving freely, easily and just flowing the way I am right now.&rdquo;
Despite living with and playing through the pain between the 2018 and 2021 seasons, Lillard has both been named an All-Star and to the All-NBA First and Second Teams. And although he wasn&rsquo;t able to fully participate with his Blazers this year, he is looking forward to the challenge of continuing to lead the franchise, especially with the seldom-seen financial flexibility they&rsquo;re expected to have after some midseason moves &mdash; the most notable of which saw McCollum traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
&ldquo;We've positioned ourselves to do something that we haven't been able to do since I've been here, which is we&rsquo;ve opened up money,&rdquo; Lillard <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-talks-injury-rehab-trying-to-win-title-with-blazers-the-best-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&ldquo;We got picks, we got a $22 million trade exception, we got a $6 million trade exception, we got the full Mid-Level (Exception), we got the Bi-Annual (Exception). We have an opportunity, and we got flexibility.&rdquo;
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Still, though, Lillard realizes that nothing is guaranteed, and that the team has to be able to sell both him and its vision to players. Ultimately, that will be Portland's challenge this summer. But the silver lining in Dame&rsquo;s extended absence has been the opportunity it&rsquo;s afforded to some of the team&rsquo;s lesser-known (and inexperienced) players to get repetitions &mdash; and, for some, prove that they belong in the NBA.
Anfernee Simons, for example, is stepping up admirably. In 57 games (30 starts), the 22-year-old has turned in career-high numbers nearly across the board: 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He&rsquo;s also connected on 44.3% of his field goals, including 40.5% from three-point territory.
Aside from Simons, head coach Chauncey Billups has found value in the likes of Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford, Brandon Williams and CJ Elleby. They haven&rsquo;t necessarily led Portland to as many wins as the team would have liked, but each has shown flashes of potential and given Billups productive minutes. The hope is that they will improve to the point where they can join Josh Hart, Justise Winslow, Jusuf Nurkic and, of course, Lillard as members of the rotation.
That being said, Lillard isn't naive to the fact that whatever happens in Portland will start and end with him. And though he would be considered &ldquo;older&rdquo; on the youth spectrum, he draws optimism from many of his elders who are still playing at a high level. Think about DeMar DeRozan (32), Kevin Durant (33), Steph Curry (34), Chris Paul (36) and LeBron James (37), just to name a few.
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&ldquo;It seems like after I announced that I was having surgery, people were like, &lsquo;Oh, he's 31 and having this done.&rsquo; Man, 31 is not old,&rdquo; Lillard <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-talks-injury-rehab-trying-to-win-title-with-blazers-the-best-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&ldquo;We have guys around the league older than me that are still playing at a high level... My game will age well, and I don't have a history of injuries,&rdquo; Dame defiantly added, passively pointing out the fact that, during his first seven seasons, he appeared in 95.5% of his career games.
Sure, the last three seasons have been a different story &mdash; he will have missed 66 games in all &mdash; but he&rsquo;s confident that the abdominal issue that&rsquo;s hampered him will become a distant memory.
&ldquo;The [injury] that I just had is not a bad injury to have,&rdquo; Lillard said.
&ldquo;I'm going to come back and be fine... Like I said, my best is yet to come.&rdquo;
Citing winning the league MVP and a championship as his priorities <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lillard-talks-injury-rehab-trying-to-win-title-with-blazers-the-best-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during the interview</a>, the rest of the NBA should certainly wonder just how much better Damian Lillard could be.
If he could even return as the same player we last saw, much less an improved version of himself, with a good move or two, there&rsquo;s plenty of reason to believe that Portland can become a contender once again &mdash; and in short order.
If you&rsquo;re to take Lillard&rsquo;s word for it, it&rsquo;ll be sooner rather than later.
For the 31-year-old superstar, eager to put the 2021-22 campaign behind him, next season simply can&rsquo;t come soon enough.
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Moke Hamilton reacts to Damian Lillard's latest interview with Yahoo and how the Blazers superstar remains faithful in the organization.

Pain-free Damian Lillard adamant best days are ahead for him, Blazers

Several years ago, I attended the Charleston Classic in South Carolina. In doing so, I became familiar with Purdue head coach Matt Painter's coaching style and offensive system, which is predicated on ball movement, perimeter players moving without the ball and feeding low-post scorers on the block.
Carsen Edwards &mdash; a strong and explosive, assertive, scoring 5-foot-11 guard &mdash; was their star. Edwards routinely ran off screens, endlessly hunting his shot in Painter's system while using ball screens as his secondary option. He had the full green light, which he took advantage of as he averaged 24.3 points per game. Ryan Cline was their shooting specialist, making several three-pointers per game and shooting an impressive 41.7% from deep. And lastly, they had giant 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms on the block. It was a terrific team that won a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and nearly made it to the Final Four.
However, despite Edwards' iconic performance in the Elite Eight, in which he scored 42 points while knocking down 10 three-pointers, the Boilermakers fell short to the eventual NCAA champion, Virginia. I appreciated Painter as a coach during that season and I've always looked forward to watching his teams play ever since.
Fast forward a few years to this current season when I recently attended the Big Ten Tournament and watched Painter's Boilermakers play several days in a row. It felt a bit like deja vu, as their team was very reminiscent of the 2018-19 Purdue squad. Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey is their star, and he also routinely runs off screens that lead to pick-and-roll actions in identical sets, just as Edwards did. They have Sasha Stefanovic, a freshman on the 2018-19 team and now a senior, playing Cline's shooter role. Trevion Williams, who was also a freshman on that last team, is now their primary low-post scoring threat. They also have 7-foot-4 Zach Edey in the Haarms role.
As usual, I enjoyed watching Purdue play in the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Penn State and Michigan State before falling to a good Iowa team in the championship game, securing a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance.
This year, the Big Ten Conference was loaded with talent, so I chose to attend the entire conference tournament rather than attend multiple tournaments like I usually do. And despite the abundance of talent in Indianapolis, one player stood out from the crowd, and that player was Ivey.
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Through 35 games this season, Ivey has averaged 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He was named First Team All-Big Ten Conference and Second Team All-American. He has established himself as a college star and a top NBA prospect, as he's widely considered a probable top-four pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Although Ivey and Edwards are playing a similar role for Purdue, their games are not the same. On the one hand, Edwards is an undersized scoring guard whose effectiveness is centered around his outside shooting &mdash; seemingly a perfect fit in Painter's offense. On the other hand, you have Ivey, an elite athlete who is a nightmare for opponents to stop one-on-one. Painter calls isolation and high pick-and-roll plays here and there for Ivey, breaking away from his typical offense to utilize Ivey's talents properly. Still, while I love Painter's offense, it's not built for a player like Ivey, nor is the college game in general, for that matter.
But you know what is built for a player like Ivey? The modern, guard-driven NBA with emphasized spacing so players like Ivey can create with the ball in their hands.
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Two great plays by Jaden Ivey, back to back. Once he gets downhill, it&rsquo;s over. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/B1GTourney?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#B1GTourney</a> <a href="https://t.co/3gk5JKBCKm">pic.twitter.com/3gk5JKBCKm</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1502477366962135045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Sitting alongside me at the Big Ten Tournament were countless NBA scouts and executives, and I spoke to many of them.
"He has burst like [Ja] Morant, explosiveness like [Russell] Westbrook, and a playing style like D-Wade," said one scout. "He's a Ferrari."
"He will be a beast in the league," one general manager added.
He was compared to big stars, and bold statements were shared left and right. However, they are all valid, in my opinion. When the ball is in Ivey's hands, he is an overwhelming threat who is impossible to guard at times. He has a gear that not many players possess, providing him with elite talent and upside similar to those notable names above.
For the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft</a>, four players have separated themselves from the rest: Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey in some order, with Iowa's Keegan Murray seemingly knocking on the door to that group as well. Although in recent days there have been a couple of articles published suggesting that Ivey could make a play for the No. 1 spot (which I'm happy to see), I find it interesting that Ivey seems to be ranked fourth in that group more often than not by the media.
I've been one of Ivey's biggest supporters this season, ranking him No. 2 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>. But I'll admit, he isn't perfect. He has some things to work on, like improving his decision-making, ball control and overall court awareness. He's shot the ball pretty well this season, knocking down 63-of-173 three-point attempts (36.4%), but he's certainly not a pure shooter.
But here's how I see it: there are always questions for young players transitioning to the pros, and Ivey is no exception. However, I believe that the questions surrounding Ivey are manageable. Subsequently, it leads me to visualize what type of player Ivey could become if he did indeed maximize his potential.
Could we be witnessing a star in the making? Perhaps.
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Purdue's Jaden Ivey is a special talent who is turning heads this season. Matt Babcock breaks down his ascent to stardom.

Is Purdue's Jaden Ivey a star in the making?

Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns surged past the trash-talking Minnesota Timberwolves 125-116 on Wednesday night.
Landry Shamet scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help fuel the rally and bring the NBA-leading Suns within one win &mdash; or Memphis loss &mdash; of wrapping up homecourt advantage for the entire playoffs. The Suns, 18-4 in their last 22 games and 59-14 overall, have a nine-game lead with nine games left.
Anthony Edwards scored 19 points for Minnesota, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 11 rebounds &mdash; but only three points and three rebounds in the second half after he woke up the Suns with his trash-talking late the first.
The Timberwolves dropped 1 1/2 games behind Denver for the No. 6 seed that avoids the play-in tournament. Minnesota has its first two-game losing streak since Feb. 9-11.
Short-handed Phoenix won its sixth straight and completed its first sweep of three or more games against Minnesota in 11 seasons.
The Timberwolves had a 15-point lead in the third quarter and were still up 88-83 at the start of the fourth, but went cold and their energy was sapped.
Shamet gave the Suns their first lead at 95-94 with a pair of free throws with 8:35 to go, and the Timberwolves trailed the rest of the way.
This matchup of two of the four highest-scoring teams in the NBA &mdash; the Timberwolves are first &mdash; had the fast pace to go with it, plus plenty of postseason-style intensity.
The Suns, who have confidently maintained their comfortable margin for the NBA's best record without the playmaking and leadership of 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul for the last month, fell behind 15-4 early and 66-51 shortly after halftime.
The bright side to the absence of Paul, who has been making incremental progress and appears to be nearing a return, has been elevated roles and responsibilities for others like Bridges and Shamet. The Suns also are missing sixth-man Cam Johnson.
Sporting a 11-4 record since Paul broke his right thumb, the Suns never flinched against a promising team trying to make its way up with young energy, a deep offense and a dose of bravado.
BACK AND FORTH
The Timberwolves were upset by the officiating in their last game, a two-point loss at Dallas, and there were times in this one when their emotions were more productive than others.
Towns drove to the basket late in the second quarter and delivered a one-handed dunk on Jae Crowder complete with a stare-down, igniting the crowd and irritating the Suns. Just a few seconds later, a double technical foul was called on Towns and Crowder. Then Timberwolves coach Chris Finch got one, too, for his protest.
Crowder later clipped Timberwolves pest Patrick Beverley in the head to draw a Flagrant 1 foul after the video review, putting Beverley at the line after time in the first half expired.
The disciplinary whistles kept coming after halftime. Ayton drew a technical in the third quarter.
DOWN THE STRETCH
The Timberwolves will have the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, but they're facing a stiff test to secure the sixth seed. Minnesota's game at Denver on April 1 could well be the determinant.
The Nuggets have nine games left, and five of them are against teams that were 10 or more games under the .500 mark entering Wednesday. The Timberwolves have eight games remaining, five against opponents eight games or more above .500.
TIP-INS
Suns: Mikal Bridges had 16 points. ... Cam Payne, Paul's backup, returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with an illness. ... Ayton has 119 points in six career games against Minnesota.
Timberwolves: Towns passed the 11,000-point mark in the 475th game of his career. Hall of Fame member Kevin Garnett is the only other player in franchise history to reach that milestone, having done so in 575 games. ... The bench had a 55-28 scoring edge on the Suns. The Timberwolves fell to 21-10 this season when their reserves score 40-plus points.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Denver on Thursday night.
Timberwolves: Host Dallas on Friday night.

Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half.