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Suns

PHOENIX (AP) — Ja Morant scored 33 points, including a layup with 0.5 seconds to play that gave the Memphis Grizzlies a 114-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. 
Morant’s basket came after Devin Booker’s 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play gave the Suns their first lead since early in the game. After a timeout, Morant drove the left side of the lane and banked it in. Phoenix’s final shot from the corner was off the mark.
Desmond Bane scored 32 points, 19 in the first half when Memphis built a 60-48 lead. Steven Adams had 13 points and 16 rebounds as the Grizzlies dominated the boards, 50-35.
Booker led the Suns with 30 points. Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder, as well as coach Monty Williams, were placed in the COVID-19 protocols. The Suns lost their second straight at home following the Christmas defeat to Golden State. The Suns had won 15 in a row in Phoenix after losing their first two of the season at home.
Bane scored 28 on Sunday night in the Grizzlies’ victory in Sacramento.
Cameron Johnson scored 19 for the Suns. Jalen Smith had 15 points and nine rebounds. Cam Payne also scored 15 and Chris Paul had 13 points and 13 assists.
The Suns, who trailed by as many as 18, got within 112-110 on Mikal Bridges’ basket with 32 seconds left. After a shot-clock violation, the Suns got the ball back with 8 seconds to go and Booker made his shot from the top of the key, but left Morant and Memphis enough time to take the lead again. 
Elfrid Payton, who was placed in the protocols on Sunday, was cleared to play before the game. Associate coach Kevin Young filled in for Williams.
Memphis played without Dillon Brooks, Jarrett Culver, De’Anthony Melton and Yves Pons, all in the protocols.
LAST-MINUTE ADJUSTMENTS
Young, 40, has been an assistant with the Suns and the 76ers, where he worked with Williams. He began his coaching career when he was 23, with the Shamrock Rovers in Dublin in the Ireland Super League. He also has coached three teams in the NBA Development League.
Young referenced his time in the D-League when he was asked about dealing with the sudden lineup changes, remembering a time when three of his players were called up to the NBA within an hour.
As a result, he knew to expect the unexpected.
“You see what’s going on (with the virus), you just start kind of mentally preparing for things like this,” Young said before the game.
“Everyone’s going through the same thing. You kind of get lost in the task at hand, you got a job to do and I think that’s the approach we’ve all taken. Just keep it simple.” 
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins says his team doesn’t worry about the opponent in the moment. “If things have to change a little bit, our guys are really good at changing on the fly.”
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Have 10 or more steals in 12 of its last 13 games. The Grizzlies entered Monday leading the NBA in steals with 10.4 per game.
Suns: Signed forward Emanuel Terry to a 10-day contract Monday. Terry, who is 6-9, played in two games with the Suns during 2018-19, and was playing for the G League Stockton Kings this season.
NEXT
Grizzlies: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
Suns: Host Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Ja Morant scored a contested layup with .5 seconds remaining, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Phoenix Suns 114-113.

Morant scores in final second, Grizzlies edge Suns 114-113

The Suns have signed Emanuel Terry of the Stockton Kings to a hardship deal.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1475528040222535693?s=21">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Terry is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on a 61 field goal percentage in the G League.
Terry has played in two games for the Suns in the 2018-19 season, and played a sole game for the Miami Heat as well.

The Suns have signed Emanuel Terry of the Stockton Kings to a hardship deal.

Suns sign Emanuel Terry to hardship deal

Damian Lillard has watched from afar as Carmelo Anthony left for Los Angeles, Enes Kanter departed for Boston and Norman Powell stuck around.
As he takes part in the Olympics with Team USA and prepares for the gold medal game against Team France, he is neither happy nor upset with what has gone down this week concerning his Portland Trail Blazers.
&ldquo;Honestly I haven&rsquo;t really dove too deep into it. I&rsquo;ve really been focusing on here,&rdquo; Lillard said Friday on a USA Basketball conference call.
&ldquo;There are a lot of things that are out of my control. When you go into free agency and things like this, you never know what&rsquo;s going to happen. You never know where guys are going to end up and why they go there. You just try to have conversations and try to convince guys to be a part of our team.&rdquo;
None of the major free agents signed with Portland, which was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in six games by the Denver Nuggets. It was the second straight first-round departure for the Trail Blazers after advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2018, and it has fueled speculation that Lillard will ask for a trade from Portland at some point during the upcoming season.
The Blazers fired head coach Terry Stotts at the conclusion of the postseason and have hired Chauncey Billups as head coach and former Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks as an assistant, so there will be a new bench regime in Portland when the 2021-22 season gets underway.
The marquee players who found new homes &mdash; a group that included Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Dinwiddie, P.J. Tucker, Kemba Walker and Otto Porter Jr. &mdash; chose teams that are not based in Oregon.
The Blazers landed Cody Zeller and Tony Snell while also inviting Michael Beasley, Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay &mdash; all of whom played in China last season &mdash; to play for its summer league team.
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&ldquo;Obviously, this go-round, we weren&rsquo;t able to go out there and get some of the guys that we would have liked,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;You know, you go down the list and you go through the guys you like that are out there and haven&rsquo;t committed to another team or that was a part of your plans in free agency and you get the ones that want to be a part of what you are doing, and I think that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;
Barring any trades over the remainder of the summer, Portland figures to go into training camp with Lillard and C.J. McCollum as the starting guards, Powell as the small forward, Robert Covington as the starting power forward and Jusuf Nurkic and Zeller as the centers. Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and Ben McLemore are among their reserves, and 6-foot-9 Greg Brown of the University of Texas is the only rookie after the Blazers, who did not have any of their own picks, acquired the No. 43 pick from the Pelicans in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
That certainly does not make the Trail Blazers the winners of the offseason, an award that may end up going to the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets or Detroit Pistons.
But Lillard sounded anything but upset. More like matter-of-fact.
What next season brings is among the many, many unknowns that everyone in the NBA and around the world must deal with as 2021 rolls along.
For now, Lillard&rsquo;s focus is on getting a gold medal against France. By the time Saturday arrives in the United States, we will all know whether that particular goal was accomplished.

Portland lost Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter while not making any high-profile acquisitions. Lillard is taking it in stride, though.

Damian Lillard not unhappy with Blazers despite losses in free agency

ATLANTA (July 20, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that Tudor Somacescu has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
The 6-foot-2-inch point guard from Romania is one of the top European prospects, ranked the #3 overall international prospect for 2005 born players by Eurohopes.com. He spent last season in the United States at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, CA. Prior to coming to the US, he played for U-BT Cluj Napoca in Romania&rsquo;s top division. At just 14 years old, he participated with the Romanian National Team in the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B, averaging 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re incredibly excited to have Tudor join OTE as we continue to assemble a group of talented and driven athletes committed to chasing excellence,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Tudor is a special basketball player who has demonstrated a boldness and courage to journey from Eastern Europe to explore other styles of basketball, compete against top talent, and further hone his skills. He demonstrates high level court vision, a joy for the game and passion for making others better. He will elevate his teammates and we&rsquo;re thrilled to work with him to continue to help him reach his dreams.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Tudor has an advanced basketball IQ, a terrific feel for the game and the ability to share the ball with his teammates, getting everyone involved. They will love playing with him,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;I look forward to sharing my knowledge as a former point guard to help him develop as a team leader on and off the court.&rdquo;
Somacescu is the twelfth player to join OTE. The league has signed top prospects Jalen Lewis from California, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, and Jai Smith from North Carolina.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico and Francis Lopez from the Philippines. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks.
Lopez's press release:
ATLANTA (July 13, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that wing Francis &ldquo;Lebron&rdquo; Lopez from the Philippines has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.&nbsp;
Lopez is a 6-foot-5 inch guard who most recently attended Ateneo de Manila High School, playing in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) Season 82 after transferring from La Salle Greenhills. He averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3 blocks per game.&nbsp;
Lopez was the youngest member of the Philippines National Team to participate in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. In his one appearance, Lopez had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in 10 minutes of action in a win over Indonesia on June 18th. He was the final cut from the 12-man roster for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re delighted to have Lebron join the OTE family as we expand our international reach, bringing in top talent from across the globe,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE EVP, Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Francis is a young man who has impressed us with both the combination of pure passion for the game and self-improvement, physical athleticism, work ethic, as well as many leadership intangibles. He&rsquo;s the kind of player we want and expect to thrive at OTE.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Francis is a high flyer with his ability to play above the rim,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a young man with a ton of potential and we&rsquo;re building a program for him that will develop his game more completely, so that he can achieve his dream of a professional career and as a leader on the Philippines national team for years to come.&rdquo;
Lopez is the eleventh player to join OTE. Last week, OTE signed top prospect Jalen Lewis from California. In the past few weeks, the league announced the signings of top-rated guards Amen and Ausar Thompson and forwards Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida.&nbsp;
OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league, a division of next-generation sports brand Overtime, offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey.&nbsp;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;
About OTE
OTE (Overtime Elite) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.
OTE (pronounced Oh-Tee-E) provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

Romanian guard Tudor Somacescu and Filipino wing Francis "LeBron" Lopez are the 11th and 12 prospects to join OTE.

Overtime Elite signs Tudor Somacescu, Francis 'LeBron' Lopez

Midwest Mania, a high-school tournament that's held in Indianapolis, features a wide age group and players in a variety of situations. Many of the participants are decent high-school players who are looking for an opportunity to get national exposure for the first time. They're hoping this event, which was put together by Chad Babel and MADE Hoops, can serve as their coming-out party.&nbsp;
However, one player in attendance has had a completely different path thus far: high-school sensation Emoni Bates.
At this point, Bates probably doesn&rsquo;t need much of an introduction. He&rsquo;s the youngest player ever to win the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year award, doing it as a sophomore. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 15 years old. He has been labeled a &ldquo;prodigy&rdquo; and a &ldquo;once-in-a-generation talent.&rdquo; He has already been mentioned as the next in line to follow NBA greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. He is currently the No. 1 ranked player in the class of 2022, and although he&rsquo;s committed to Michigan State, many have said they doubt he&rsquo;ll ever step foot on a college campus.&nbsp;
The expectations for Emoni Bates are lofty, to say the least.
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Recently, Bates has had some struggles on the floor. I watched him at Flyin&rsquo; to the Hoop in Dayton, Ohio, a little over a month ago and although he showed flashes of greatness, he did not have a good showing overall. On the second day of that event, TyTy Washington and AZ Compass Prep blew out Emoni&rsquo;s team (Ypsi Prep). Following that game, Washington gained quite a bit of national attention and decommitted from Creighton, and he has been one of the hottest names in the country ever since.
For Midwest Mania, Emoni suited up for his father&rsquo;s team, Bates Fundamentals. In their first game, they faced E1T1, which featured two players from Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School in Tampa, Florida: Dillon Mitchell and Emanuel Sharp. Like TyTy Washington in Dayton, the boys from BMCHS took advantage of this match-up against Bates, using this big stage and national-media audience to gain more recognition. Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 athletic wing, went head-to-head with Bates and was terrific. He went from hardly being on the map to being smack dab in the middle of it. Sharp was impressive as well; he&rsquo;s a tough, assertive scorer, and a good overall player. His father, Derrick Sharp, was a great player for Maccabi Tel Aviv. E1T1 beat Bates Fundamentals with ease, and Mitchell and Sharp walked off the floor as victors in more ways than one.
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Despite a somewhat disappointing performance, Bates and Bates Fundamentals had a chance to redeem themselves in their second game of the day, which was perhaps the main event of Midwest Mania. They faced Team Final, which was a showdown between the top-two players in the class of 2022: Bates and Jalen Duren. Team Final also consisted of other high-level prospects such as Dereck Lively II and Justice Williams.
Bates&rsquo; struggles continued in that game too. His shot selection was questionable and there seemed to be several missed shots between each dramatic shot that he made. He tried to do a little too much (probably because of all the cameras and attention), and he resorted to playing &ldquo;hero ball.&rdquo; Team Final beat Bates Fundamentals, and Duren and his teammates celebrated on the floor.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Twitter was buzzing with critiques of Emoni.
There&rsquo;s no denying that Bates has some things he needs to work on. Personally, I&rsquo;d like to see him pick and choose his spots more, take better shots, move without the ball and become a little more composed.&nbsp;
He has a lot of room for growth, but keep in mind that Emoni is only 17 years old. He&rsquo;s a young guy and, of course, he&rsquo;s still developing.
Considering the cloud of negativity surrounding Emoni at the moment, Bates is still a special talent, in my mind (even though he's had a few games that haven&rsquo;t lived up to everyone&rsquo;s expectations).
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At nearly 6-foot-9, Bates has incredible range with a quick-and-smooth release. He has good handles and is a high-level passer. Many people have compared Bates to Kevin Durant. It&rsquo;s often unfair to compare young prospects to NBA greats, but the similarities between Bates and Durant are undeniable. There have not been many players with their body type and such a unique and high skill level.
Do I think Emoni Bates is a surefire NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer? No, I don&rsquo;t. I think that&rsquo;s a ridiculous expectation to put on any kid. However, I think Bates has as good a chance as any player I&rsquo;ve seen in recent memory due to his natural talent.
Any athlete who has found the ultimate level of success has God-given talent. However, the only way for them to maximize their potential is by continuing to develop. Nobody is done growing at 17 years old. Also, every great athlete faces criticism and adversity at some point. Perhaps this small bump in the road triggers Emoni&rsquo;s inner greatness and allows him to take the next big strides in his development.&nbsp;
If that happens, it&rsquo;s very likely that we&rsquo;ll see a star emerge before our very eyes.

Emoni Bates has struggled as of late, but Matt Babcock still believes in the high-school phenom and his incredible talent.

Despite recent criticism, Emoni Bates remains a special talent

Not an ounce of luck. Not a scintilla.
And obviously, not a Nugget.
With his team trailing by seven points in the final minute against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, Jamal Murray watched as Steph Curry hoisted a 28-foot stepback three-pointer that found the back rim.
Perhaps it was the fact that just five seconds remained on the shot clock... Maybe that's why Curry opted to heave the shot rather than whip the ball to Draymond Green, who was 12 feet to his left. Or maybe Curry, who ended up with 53 points, realized that his 18th three-point shot of the night had a good chance of sealing the game, defenders be damned. After all, Facundo Campazzo, Will Barton and many of their teammates had already been resolved to bystanders on a number of occasions. Curry connected on 10 threes to that point.
Whatever the reason, Curry took the shot.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Murray rebounded the miss, opted to attempt a quick score and tore his left ACL on the ensuing play.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go,&rdquo; Murray said as he skyed for the rebound. He instructed Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. to beat feet down the floor. Tough but not impossible, the obvious desire was to get a quick two points and preserve his team&rsquo;s opportunity to score a victory.
It&rsquo;s that never-say-die attitude that caused the basketball viewing public to believe in these Nuggets in the first place, and it&rsquo;s exactly why Murray&rsquo;s season-ending injury has caused hearts to bleed.
National Basketball Association, P.D.E.
Strange times we&rsquo;re living in. The Post-Decision Era.
LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, Kevin Durant opted for the path of least resistance and Brooklyn became the epicenter of the league&rsquo;s talent arms race. In a world where MVPs conspire to join forces, it stands to reason that there will be fewer and fewer occurrences of teams being given the opportunity to grow organically and congeal.
In that regard, the Nuggets are in the minority.
Led by Jokic and Murray, Mike Malone&rsquo;s team became the first in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit twice in one postseason. The world bristled as Porter voiced his displeasure with a small role during the playoffs, but all he&rsquo;s done since then has been prove that his bite is just as sharp as his bark.
Coach of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player... These Nuggets have put themselves in every conversation worth having this season. And with the addition of Aaron Gordon, the world, at least the basketball world, was interested in seeing if he could be the piece to put them over the top.
Now, it seems that we&rsquo;ll all have to wait at least a year to get the answer, and it just doesn&rsquo;t seem fair.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon... Who would've thought? <a href="https://t.co/gZ6KnsIuQA">pic.twitter.com/gZ6KnsIuQA</a>
&mdash; Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1380201493207244804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2021</a></blockquote>

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If there&rsquo;s something to take away from Murray&rsquo;s sudden season-ending injury, it&rsquo;s this: success in the NBA isn&rsquo;t necessarily promised to a team that seems to have all the ingredients. Dumb luck or good fortune, somehow, always end up factoring in, as well.
Winning a championship is hard. Not too long ago, the Boston Celtics had Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris on one roster, and they all played with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
They won as many championships as me.
Once upon a time, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson flanked Durant and James Harden. And before them, the late, great Kobe Bryant ran beside Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. Throughout modern history, we&rsquo;ve been served constant reminders of the fact that collecting talent doesn&rsquo;t necessarily guarantee a success story.
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Indeed, dumb luck tends to rear its ugly head at the most inopportune times, and often, impacts those who seem to &ldquo;deserve&rdquo; it least. And that&rsquo;s not to say that any player or franchise &ldquo;deserves&rdquo; to have a season derailed, but in the 10 years since Carmelo Anthony decided to pursue his goals in New York, the Nuggets struggled a bit before eventually figuring things out.
George Karl and Brian Shaw held the clipboard before Malone got his opportunity, while the likes of Ty Lawson and Emmanuel Mudiay were among those who barked out plays before Murray ascended. Jokic had to beat out Kenneth Faried and Jusuf Nurkic to get his shot, but he did, nonetheless.
When you scour the Denver Nuggets organization and you learn the personal stories of so many of those who are responsible for the team&rsquo;s success, you realize that &mdash; led by the team&rsquo;s head coach &mdash; the common thread connecting them is how they've pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.
Even Tim Connelly, Denver&rsquo;s president of basketball operations, had to take a long road to his chair, beginning his career as an assistant video coordinator after beginning as an intern for the Washington Wizards way back in 1996.
To a man, the Nuggets never had the benefit of taking a shortcut.
No, it was the path less traveled.
So in it all, it seems unfair now that they&rsquo;ll have to continue to take the long road. &nbsp;
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In many ways, Denver has come to represent what is good about professional sports &mdash; the grind, the natural ascension, the camaraderie, defying expectations &mdash; and they also represent a sad truth.
In an instant, it can vanish.
Coach Malone is a fighter, and his team is talented. There&rsquo;s no question that they&rsquo;ll show up every night ready to play. Jokic&rsquo;s MVP odds have increased dramatically, and Gordon will get more offensive reps., but the team&rsquo;s hopes of contending for the 2021 NBA Finals, without Murray, are now pie in the sky.
Capable of becoming champions one day, after one fateful play, the Nuggets will have to wait until next year.
"Jamal is devastated, understandably so,&rdquo; Malone <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31259492/nuggets-star-jamal-murray-devastated-season-ending-acl-injury-michael-malone-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on Wednesday.</a>
And for the basketball purists who root for small-market teams and organically grown programs?
It&rsquo;s simply impossible to not be.

We'll have to wait until the 2022 postseason to see the Nuggets at full strength, and it just doesn't seem fair, writes Moke Hamilton.

On Jamal Murray, a lost season and the Nuggets deserving better

R.J. Hampton will never forget the first time he stepped foot on an NBA floor only 13 months ago.
Two games into his professional basketball career with the National Basketball League&rsquo;s New Zealand Breakers, his team made the trip over to the United States in early October for a pair of exhibition matchups -- first against the Memphis Grizzlies, then versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"That was a great experience for me,&rdquo; Hampton told reporters this week. &ldquo;I was very blessed even to be on an NBA court at 18 years old, playing against Ja Morant, playing against Chris Paul. I learned so much from those guys. I took a lot away from those games that now, over 365 days later, I can go back and prove myself."
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Hampton is one of the more intriguing young prospects in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. A standout in Dallas as a high schooler, he won two gold medals as a part of USA Basketball -- once in the 2017 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship, and again in the 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup.
In three years at Little Elm High School, Hampton scored 2,854 points. In his final season, he averaged 32 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game. Following a strong showing on the AAU circuit via the 2019 Nike EYBL -- where he scored 28.8 points per contest, second-highest in the league -- the top-five prospect made the decision to reclassify in the 2019 high-school recruiting class. According to the NBA's draft guide, had Hampton returned to high school, he would've been on pace to finish as one of the top-50 high-school scorers of all-time.&nbsp;
However, in lieu of going to college, Hampton elected to go the professional route overseas, similar to what recent NBA players such as Terrance Ferguson, Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings did. Luckily for him, his family was overseas with him, so they experienced that together.&nbsp;
Off the floor, Hampton would watch a lot of TV and play video games during his free time. On the floor, he was playing against grown men, including former NBA talent, allowing him to get a taste of the physicality presented at the next level -- something that college prospects have to learn the hard way.
&ldquo;Playing in the NBL, I kinda already went through that learning curve, so I feel confident,&rdquo; Hampton said of the advantage of pro experience. &ldquo;I expect to get on the floor as fast as possible and make an immediate impact in the next coming years. I want to be a guy that is looked upon and one of the players that everybody counts on to get us wins."
Hampton broke out at the very beginning during the NBL Blitz showcase in front of NBA scouts. In his second game with the Breakers, Hampton notched 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field, nabbing five rebounds and recording three steals with a pair of assists. It was a glimpse of his true capabilities that we wouldn&rsquo;t really see the rest of the season.
&ldquo;Coming out of high school [as] a top-five player in my class, I feel like I went to a situation where I didn't get to score a lot of points and do the 'oohs and aahs' that some other players got,&rdquo; Hampton said. &ldquo;But I think I learned a lot from my time over there, and I definitely think that's gonna further me immediately in the NBA."
Hampton went on to start 12 games, but his 17-game tenure in New Zealand was cut short last winter. Sidelined by a hip injury that forced him out of action, both parties made a mutual decision to have the highly-touted guard return home to the states in February to prepare for the NBA Draft.
Hampton&rsquo;s been putting in work with his trainer, Tyler Relph, over the last two years in order to ready himself for the next level.
"Going over to New Zealand, I wouldn't say it was the most ideal situation [for R.J.]," Relph told BasketballNews.com over the phone. "For a young kid, he just did a great job dealing with it, and I think it matured him a ton. So I think he's immediately ready mentally for what the NBA brings. He's pretty much just a totally different person."
According to Relph, Hampton gained between 22-25 pounds of muscle since his return from overseas.
"Immediately, your game transforms when you can take contact," Relph said. "Defensively, you can get in front of guys and bump 'em off spots, get through ball screens and stuff like that."
In addition, part of the pre-draft process has been reconnecting with the two people that recruited Hampton when he reclassified -- Penny Hardaway and Mike Miller of the Memphis Tigers. Though he never suited up in the blue-and-gray threads, all three have continued to have a great rapport. Hardaway is in his ear about being a pure point guard and making the right reads, while Miller has assisted him with his jumper -- an aspect of the game that Hampton is heavily focused on.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He changed my base,&rdquo; Hampton said of Miller. &ldquo;A lot of times, I was skinny, down low with my shot; it caused me to be unbalanced, so he gave me a wider base. One thing Mike Miller did, he shot in the NBA Finals with his shoe off. He has tremendous confidence, so being a confident shooter is something we&rsquo;ve worked on for the past six, seven months in different drills.&rdquo;
Relph said the shot adjustments are extremely noticeable.
"That's another thing that people are knocking him [about], and now that's the thing that translates right away to next year," Relph said. "He's changed a lot. Mike did a ton with his base, which looks phenomenal. And then, we just changed where he brings the ball up from, his shooting path, and he's been great. His shot has improved leaps and bounds, and now I would say he's a good shooter that can consistently make NBA threes."
Relph raves over Hampton's ability to leap off any foot at any time. Some guys are one-foot leapers, some guys need two steps, but the 19-year-old can fly in any scenario. Furthermore, Relph said that Hampton's god-given speed will vault him into the top-five fastest players in the NBA right away.
"You have Lamborghinis that can go from 0-to-60 in a split second, then you have cars that take a while to get there -- he's a Lamborghini," Relph said. "His slow-to-quick twitch is second to none.
"I think that he has a chance to be just an elite scorer in the league -- with the combination of his speed, creating separation, getting into his shots. He's got a great feel of when to score; he knows when he has space. He can make any shot, he can make contested shots. His ability to rise in the mid-range is elite."
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So far, Hampton has worked out for seven teams in person -- the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.&nbsp;
"His confidence right now is just at an all-time high," Relph said. "He's had great workouts for teams. Every team has said how much different he looks and how much better he looks and how much he's improved."
When asked about a potential fit on the Nets, Hampton loved the idea of playing off Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant and gaining wisdom from the veteran duo, as well as the blossoming Caris LeVert and new head coach Steve Nash. It definitely helps that he&rsquo;s spoken with Nets GM Sean Marks (who's from New Zealand) over the phone and face-to-face.
Hampton also mentioned that his workout with the Celtics went well, as Danny Ainge, Austin Ainge and Brad Stevens all attended and spoke with the soon-to-be rookie.
When asked what aspects of his game will translate easiest to the NBA, Hampton points out his speed, athleticism and ability to make plays for himself and his teammates. Early on, his biggest challenge may be getting back into a groove because he hasn&rsquo;t played in a game since Jan. 12. As far as his position and role are concerned, his main focus is having the versatility to guard 1-through-3.
"What all rookies are gonna have to work on is speed of the game, the physicality of the NBA and defensive rotations and reads," Relph said. "And then, the grind of an 82-game season... I think people are gonna be surprised at how good he'll be at making other guys better."
It&rsquo;s odd to conduct interviews virtually in comparison to the norm, but Hampton has taken it in stride. He feels great. In fact, Hampton went as far to say that he and LaMelo Ball are the readiest prospects in this 2020 draft class.
During this pre-draft process, Hampton's schedule has been rigorous. He wakes up to run a couple miles every morning, then he'll go lift weights and do some strength training before working out with either Relph or Miller (depending on what city he's in). Relph said his committment has been outstanding.
Hampton understands how unique of a year this is going to be. The draft process is moving quickly. Before he knows it, Nov. 18 will be here. Then, free agency; then, training camp; and then, opening night on Dec. 22.
"I think the biggest thing I expect [is] just to go in there and work every day, go in there and prove myself again, working my ranks up through the NBA. [I want to] have a great team, great system that I can thrive in,&rdquo; Hampton said. &ldquo;I want to be as ready as possible.&rdquo;

R.J. Hampton and his trainer, Tyler Relph, give a behind-the-scenes look at his pre-draft training ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft.