Rattlers

Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark has been named the 2023 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She has earned the honor as the league&rsquo;s top reserve for the first time. To be eligible for the award, a player had to play more games as a reserve than as a starter.
Clark received 35 of 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Guard-forward DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun finished second with 13 votes, and guard Dana Evans of the Chicago Sky was third&nbsp;with nine votes. Center Kalani Brown of the Dallas Wings, guard Marine Johann&egrave;s of the New York Liberty and guard Sami Whitcomb of the Seattle Storm each received one&nbsp;vote.&nbsp;
In her 11th&nbsp;WNBA season and first with the Aces, Clark played in all 39 of Las Vegas&rsquo; regular-season games, coming off the bench 38 times and starting once.
Overall, she averaged 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.5 minutes per game. Clark also made 38.6 percent of her three-point shots, ranking 17th&nbsp;in the WNBA in that category. She scored in double figures in 10 games, including a season-high 16 points in a 103-77 win over Seattle on Sept. 2, and recorded five or more rebounds 11 times.
Clark helped Las Vegas post a 34-6 record and earn the No. 1 seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google. The Aces have since advanced to the WNBA Semifinals and will host the winner of the series between Dallas and the Atlanta Dream beginning on Sunday, Sept. 24 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
The Aces finished with the most victories and the fifth-best winning percentage (.850) in a regular season in league history. Las Vegas also posted the highest offensive rating (113.0) and the most 100-point games (11) ever by a WNBA team.
Clark, a two-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection, is the third player to win the Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award as a member of the Aces, joining Kelsey Plum (2021) and Dearica Hamby (2020 and 2019). In honor of her accomplishment, Clark will receive $5,150 and a trophy designed to commemorate the achievement.
Below are the voting results for the 2023 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award and the list of recipients since the award&rsquo;s inception in 2007.
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Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark has been named the 2023 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year.

Aces' Alysha Clark named WNBA Sixth Player of the Year

Now in his eighth season with the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner is easily the team&rsquo;s longest-tenured player. In fact, no other Pacer on the current roster has been in town longer than four seasons.
Turner arrived in Indiana as a wide-eyed teenager who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In the years that followed, Turner would watch as the team continually changed around him. He has played for four different head coaches &mdash; Frank Vogel, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren and Rick Carlisle &mdash; and witnessed a ton of roster turnover. But despite Turner&rsquo;s name surfacing in trade rumors annually, he has been the one constant in Indiana.
As a rookie, Turner suited up alongside stars like Paul George and Monta Ellis. During his sophomore campaign, he called Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague and Lance Stephenson teammates. The following year, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison joined the squad. Turner has also played with veterans such as Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Rodney Stuckey, Caris LeVert, Doug McDermott, T.J. Warren and C.J. Miles over the years.
However, one could argue that no teammate has had a greater impact on Turner&rsquo;s game than his current star running mate: Tyrese Haliburton.
When the Pacers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings</a> prior to last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, Turner was ecstatic. He was a fan of Haliburton&rsquo;s game and potential, and couldn&rsquo;t wait to team up with the pass-first point guard. Unfortunately, Turner wasn&rsquo;t able to play alongside Haliburton in the second half of last season due to a stress reaction in his foot.
This year, the Pacers&rsquo; one-two punch of Haliburton and Turner has been on full display, and they have become one of the most productive pick-and-roll duos in the NBA.
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pretty.😍 Tyrese Haliburton to Myles Turner for two. <a href="https://t.co/TupiSM909t">pic.twitter.com/TupiSM909t</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1629656051175026688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Turner has set 814 picks for Haliburton, which is the third-most of any pick-and-roll duo in the league, per Second Spectrum. The only tandems who have run the pick-and-roll more are Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Joel Embiid (893 picks) and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton (897). Possessions featuring a Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll have generated 1.063 points per possession &mdash; the fifth-best PPP of the 24 duos with at least 500 picks.
&ldquo;This has been a wonderful opportunity for Myles to play with a playmaking guard of Tyrese&rsquo;s caliber,&rdquo; Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told Basketball News. &ldquo;A couple weeks ago, we checked and they were top-five or top-six in the league as a successful pick-and-roll connection, and that&rsquo;s pretty amazing. Myles is getting all different kinds of stuff &mdash; he&rsquo;s getting rolls for dunks, he's getting a little bit of mid-range, he's getting good looks for threes and he's getting some late passes underneath for dunks as well.
"I just love the force that he&rsquo;s playing with. Tyrese has had a wonderful impact on Myles and certainly the rest of the team, but the connection those two guys have has been special.&rdquo;
The partnership has been mutually beneficial. Turner gets easy looks from an elite floor general who ranks second among all players in assists per game (10.2) and assist percentage (46.9%), while Haliburton gets a unique big-man partner who can score inside (62.8% on twos) and out (40.3% on threes). It&rsquo;s no coincidence that both players are having career years.&nbsp;
Turner is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (8.0), field-goal percentage (54.9%), three-point percentage (40.3%) and made threes (1.7), while also contributing 2.3 blocks, 1.4 deflections and 0.6 steals per game. Turner's dominance shows up in his analytics too, as he's posting personal bests in win shares per 48 minutes (.157), Box Plus/Minus (+2.6), True Shooting percentage (65.8%), Player Efficiency Rating (20.6) and total rebound rate (14.7%).
&ldquo;Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now,&rdquo; Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said recently. &ldquo;This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a great core.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Haliburton <a href="bit.ly/3AyPKHC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became a first-time All-Star</a> after averaging career-highs in points (20.1), assists (10.1) and threes (2.8), while also contributing 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. Haliburton is also posting personal bests in advanced stats like assist percentage (46.9%), PER (23.0), VORP (3.8), BPM (+6.9) and WS/48 (.189).
&ldquo;It was unfortunate that I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play with him last year and really start to develop that synergy, but I think we&rsquo;ve really picked it up quickly,&rdquo; Turner told Basketball News. &ldquo;Ty is someone who&rsquo;s easy to play with. Obviously, he sees the floor well. And as the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve done a better job of communicating with each other. It&rsquo;s been a fun experience.&rdquo;
Despite the fact that they&rsquo;ve only played 44 games together, they have developed a strong connection and can often anticipate each other&rsquo;s next move.
&ldquo;I think I know what he&rsquo;s going to do before he does it in a sense,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think that just comes with playing with him.&rdquo;
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this sequence.🔥 a huge block by Myles Turner followed by a huge dunk by Tyrese Haliburton.👀 <a href="https://t.co/4MpAf4Kp0B">pic.twitter.com/4MpAf4Kp0B</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1630770909442191360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We just needed time together, that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; Haliburton told Basketball News. &ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;ve had pretty good chemistry with my bigs throughout my NBA career, and I knew that playing with Myles wasn&rsquo;t going to be any different. He brings a different dynamic than what I&rsquo;m used to, with his ability to space the floor. And he&rsquo;s the best shot-blocker that I&rsquo;ve ever played with, so that gives me confidence on the defensive end to be able to take more risks and get into the ball a little bit more.
"I think it&rsquo;s a mutual relationship where he&rsquo;s got my back and I&rsquo;ve got his.&rdquo;
Not too long ago, Turner&rsquo;s days in Indiana seemed numbered. After all, the team traded away nearly all of its veterans last season (including Sabonis, LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb), and Turner&rsquo;s name continued to pop up in trade rumors. However, since Turner is only 26 years old, the Pacers&rsquo; brass felt that he could be on a similar timeline as Haliburton, who is 23.
It certainly seems that the Pacers are building around this duo, especially after Turner was given a two-year, $60 million extension in January.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that we got it done. I think it was a win-win for both sides,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think I have a good relationship with (Pacers owner) Herb Simon, and I think he has a big belief in what I&rsquo;m capable of as well. I&rsquo;m glad that we were able to come to terms on an agreement. Behind the scenes, for me personally, I was open to the idea of free agency, but I also wanted to at least give Indy a fair chance, and both sides came to an agreement.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable. I&rsquo;m where I want to be. I&rsquo;m growing with a young team that&rsquo;s hungry. I think we&rsquo;re just trying to get better and better every day, and that&rsquo;s the main goal of this whole thing. I have a lot of belief in this city, a lot of belief in this program and a lot of belief in the guys in this locker room, so that was a big initial factor in me wanting to stay here.&rdquo;
Since Turner was a popular trade candidate, many fans of other teams got excited about the possibility of him joining their favorite squad. When Turner inked his extension with the Pacers, some of these fans reacted negatively &mdash; upset that he was no longer on the market.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What fans don&rsquo;t realize is that this is a business, and both sides have to do what&rsquo;s best for them,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t work out where you&rsquo;re able to stay with the same team, but I&rsquo;ve been blessed and fortunate enough to be with the same team for my entire career. That&rsquo;s not something that happens a lot, and I never take that for granted. That was obviously something that went into my decision as well. For the casual fan, they have to realize that while basketball may be a fun game, the business aspect of it will always reign supreme.&rdquo;
As Turner mentioned, not many players stay with one NBA team for the entirety of their career. He admits that retiring in Indiana would mean a lot to him.
&ldquo;Yeah, obviously, it&rsquo;s something that would be very special,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Like I always talk about, the business of basketball always reigns supreme, but my loyalty is with the organization that drafted me and the city that took me in, and hopefully it&rsquo;s able to stay that way for years to come.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Turner has been a part of many different iterations of Pacers basketball. Now, looking at the current pieces around him, he&rsquo;s excited about the team&rsquo;s promising future.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen the growth in a lot of our young guys throughout the entire year,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;The best thing for them was getting a chance to play early. For <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-indiana-pacers-rookie-andrew-nembhard-rick-carlisle-tj-mcconnell-gonzaga-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew [Nembhard]</a>, Ben [Mathurin] and those guys, playing heavy minutes early was big for their development, and not every rookie has a chance to do that. The fact that they&rsquo;re getting battle-tested so early is going to bode well for them.
"I&rsquo;ve just enjoyed the overall spirit and fight of this team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who clock in and work hard day in and day out, and they&rsquo;re coming in here and getting a chance to compete after working their whole life to get here.&rdquo;
While playing alongside Haliburton has certainly helped Turner, the big man does deserve a lot of credit for the leap he has taken this season. He&rsquo;s put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to maximize his potential and make the most of his opportunity.
&ldquo;I attribute [my career year] to patience and obviously the hard work I put in over the offseason to prepare for these moments,&rdquo; Turner explained. &ldquo;I also attribute it to just the years that I&rsquo;ve been in the league, where I&rsquo;ve been able to play out on the perimeter at the 4 position and now I&rsquo;m able to play my natural position (the 5).
"I&rsquo;m thankful that I was able to just stick it out those years that I was here and see what the other side of basketball was like, outside of just getting what you want when you want it. I think I waited my turn and, obviously, I&rsquo;m thriving now, and I&rsquo;m only hoping to get better from here.&rdquo;
Nekias Duncan contributed to this article.

Alex Kennedy catches up with Pacers big man Myles Turner to discuss his extension, playing with Tyrese Haliburton and more.

Pacers' perfect pairing: Turner, Haliburton form dominant 1-2 punch

Has DeMar DeRozan felt overshadowed to you?
Maybe I need to add to my curated Twitter feed or take a step back from all of the storylines bound to come out of NBA tipoff. But amidst the many electric performances over the past three days, DeRozan's season debut &mdash; as dominant as any we've seen so far &mdash; hasn't appeared to elicit quite the same national praise as his peers.
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DeRozan dropped 37 points on 63.6% from the field and added 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals for the Chicago Bulls in their Wednesday night win against the reigning Eastern Conference top-seed Miami Heat. He's the second Bull to ever post a 30-5-5 game in a season opener; Michael Jordan did it three times. DeMar's 37 points are also the most by a Bull in a season opener since Jordan in 1995.
Yet, the 14-year veteran is not driving headlines like some other stars. Quincy Pondexter even <a href="https://twitter.com/QuincyPondexter/status/1583187609576407040?s=20&amp;t=tpLH2EtR7KArZks23dYtOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;that DeRozan is the "most underrated player of this generation." While that's a separate conversation entirely, DeMar is definitely deserving of recognition, and as much more than the mid-range assassin he's come to symbolize.
Since joining the Bulls, DeRozan has eviscerated teams in late-game situations. Check this out, via Secret Base, one of the best follows in sports media:
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Dorktown: DeMar DeRozan! <a href="https://t.co/tU8hag1y7o">pic.twitter.com/tU8hag1y7o</a>
&mdash; Secret Base (@secretbase) <a href="https://twitter.com/secretbase/status/1583143183889801216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
And then, we get to the quote tweet from Basketball Reference:
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Highest FG% in the 4th quarter since the beginning of last season (Min. 100 FG): Kenyon Martin Jr.: .574% (105/183) Giannis Antetokounmpo: .561% (176/314) Jonas Valančiūnas: .551% (103/187) DeMar DeRozan: .546% (221/405) Chris Paul: .509% (115/226) <a href="https://t.co/qOS4tQ6mwd">https://t.co/qOS4tQ6mwd</a>
&mdash; Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) <a href="https://twitter.com/bball_ref/status/1583149498817138688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Field goal percentage is a&nbsp;very&nbsp;surface-level stat in this age that lacks a lot of context. But that surface level &mdash; how often a player makes the shots they take &mdash; can still be useful, and it's telling with DeRozan. This man is just a walking bucket, especially in the fourth quarter.&nbsp;
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Watching DeMar DeRozan in the fourth quarter of games is truly amazing. Teammates were throwing him grenades late clock &mdash; he found ways to get buckets anyway. Bulls upset the Heat on the road without Zach LaVine to go 1-0. <a href="https://t.co/dK8FRzmAFx">pic.twitter.com/dK8FRzmAFx</a>
&mdash; Steph Noh (@StephNoh) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh/status/1582917513872281600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Steph Noh highlights that DeRozan wasn't just meandering his way into rhythm jumpers; these were difficult situations that he willed into the basket. And how about that pull-up triple?
DeRozan made two of three long-range shots against Miami. Very quietly, and on just under two attempts per game, he shot a career-high 35.2% from distance last season. That included a 36.1% clip on catch-and-shoot threes. He's still not a major threat shooting behind the arc, but if DeRozan can knock down the shot off of feeds from Nikola Vucevic (and a healthy Zach LaVine), those are open points.
We shouldn't just gloss over his mid-range prowess, either. DeRozan is one of the best in recent NBA history, and Chicago has given him even more freedom to pressure defenses. According to Cleaning the Glass, 71% of DeRozan's field goal attempts came from the mid-range &mdash; tied for a career-high. He took a whopping 1,099 mid-range shots and made 49% of them &mdash; also a career-high.
Included in that rate is a scorching 53% efficiency mark on "short mid-range" attempts between 4 and 14 feet from the hoop. DeRozan might not be getting all the way to the rim, but he can burst or bully his way to his spots, as he showed on Wednesday. Give him a mismatch, and he'll get an easy floater; give him an empty corner or open baseline, and he'll find a way:
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But offense is about more than a bucket. DeRozan has become one of the best orchestrators in the entire league. Last year, he finished tied for fifth in the NBA with an adjusted assist-to-pass ratio of 18.3%. That means that 18.3% of his passes led to either points or free throws for a teammate. It's the third-highest rate of his career behind two seasons in San Antonio, but it makes sense given that DeRozan now has LaVine sharing lead playmaking duties.
The 33-year-old draws so much attention as a scorer that the defense often gives up passing opportunities. And even as he appears to be settling into a scoring move, DeRozan has his eyes open on the full court.
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Cool Bulls 4Q moment highlighting DeMar DeRozan's gravity. Alex Caruso with a guard screen and slip (love!). You see Adebayo, Butler and Lowry are all so locked in on DeRozan though, that him plus Caruso's screen totally take their attention from Vucevic. Vuc slides up for a 3 <a href="https://t.co/0Am8xKEYCm">pic.twitter.com/0Am8xKEYCm</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1583527458665795584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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In this late-game possession, you see three Heat defenders involved in the central action captivated by DeRozan, with Alex Caruso's slip providing a distraction. Vucevic gets an easy look as a result.&nbsp;
Here are some more examples of DeRozan appearing to settle into a scoring mindset before making a great pass. Shoutout to Ayo Dosunmu on converting some of these. I also tossed in one additional impressive drop-off dime to Vucevic:
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All of this is to say that DeMar DeRozan is leaning more into his strengths, improving a major weakness, and coming off of an All-NBA Second Team campaign in his first year with a new team. But many people, myself included, did not have him as a preseason pick to run it back.
Remind me why he can't?
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Also from Secret Base: Yeah, this is not a promising start for the Lakers' shooting.</li>
</ul>
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Dorktown: Los Angeles Lakers! <a href="https://t.co/QDFlnleR6Y">pic.twitter.com/QDFlnleR6Y</a>
&mdash; Secret Base (@secretbase) <a href="https://twitter.com/secretbase/status/1583482082214350849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Noah Vonleh <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-5-things-we-learned-boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-opening-night-malcolm-brogdon-jayson-tatum-james-harden-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">really made a statement</a> with his screen-setting in the Boston Celtics season opener. Per Second Spectrum, here's what he did in just over 20 minutes of action:</li>
</ul>
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Noah Vonleh had six screen assists in just over 20 minutes last night &mdash; one less than Joel Embiid, who played over 37 minutes. 6.0 per game won&rsquo;t last, but for context, that would have ranked 2nd in the NBA last season.
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1582808107973214210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Per ESPN Stats, Paolo Banchero's 27-points, 9 rebounds and five assists were just the third time a rookie has cleared 25-5-5 in a season debut in the last 30 years. The other two: LeBron James and Grant Hill.</li>
</ul>

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DeRozan's 37 points on Wednesday were the most by a Bulls player in a season opener since Michael Jordan in 1995.

NBA Stats Notebook: DeMar DeRozan is much more than a bucket

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes the offensive splendor of Dirk Nowitzki and the dramatic evolution of his career.

Blazing the Trail: Dirk Nowitzki, the unicorn that became world champion

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills. 
In this second installment, Mat goes in-depth on two-time All-Star power forward Rashard Lewis and his lasting impact as a stretch 4 with insight from Bob Beyer and Ahmad Ajami, two former Orlando Magic assistants who worked closely with Lewis. 
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Like many things in basketball, the concept of the "stretch 4" was not invented in the 2000s.&nbsp;
However, before the turn of the century, the archetype was almost exclusively viewed as a matchup-based tool. Using a baseball analogy, it was like having a lefty reliever in the bullpen reserved for specific circumstances rather than an ace at the head of your rotation.
But that all changed when a combination of untimely injuries and coaching ingenuity led to Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy starting Rashard Lewis at the power forward position. Lewis became a true All-Star while playing the stretch 4 and helped influence this revolution.
What Made Lewis Special&nbsp;
Like his stretch-4 predecessors, Lewis was lethal from the perimeter. In the 2008-09 season, he shot nearly 40% from downtown while leading the NBA in total three-point makes and attempts.
Despite his prowess, Lewis was far more than just a stationary sniper. During his formative years, he underwent what I call "the Anthony Davis growth trajectory" &mdash; a phenomenon where a basketball player grows up playing as a guard, hits an unforeseen massive growth spurt and then matures into a big with guard skills. And, because that happened, Lewis was able to combine a 6-foot-10 stature with his bucket-getting chops, which earned him the moniker: &ldquo;Sweet Lew.&rdquo;
Sweet Lew quickly became a defense's worst nightmare.&nbsp;
&ldquo;At that time, length and athleticism at the 4 wasn&rsquo;t as prevalent as it is now,&rdquo; said Ahmad Ajami, a former Magic assistant coach under Van Gundy for five seasons between 2007 and 2012.
&ldquo;He could play both inside and out,&rdquo; Van Gundy&rsquo;s longtime right-hand man Bob Beyer stated about Lewis.
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Too big for smalls, too fast for bigs. This was a recurring storyline throughout Lewis&rsquo; career.&nbsp;
That narrative reached its climax during Orlando&rsquo;s iconic 2009 Eastern Conference Finals bout with the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. During that series, Lewis burned slow-footed big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varej&atilde;o with his superior quickness, and alpha'd the smaller Delonte West by elegantly lofting jumpers over top of him.
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&ldquo;The guy who probably [doesn&rsquo;t get] the credit that he deserves is Rashard... It [all] goes back to Rashard,&rdquo; Beyer recalled when describing Orlando&rsquo;s success against Cleveland. &ldquo;Rashard could exploit their two bigs out there.&rdquo;
In the six-game series, Lewis eviscerated Cleveland, averaging 18.3 points on 64.0% True Shooting, all while hitting some <a href="https://youtu.be/KXy51IiFwlU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">critical</a> shots en route to Orlando&rsquo;s only title appearance of the aughts.
On-Court Production&nbsp;
Throughout his career, Lewis&rsquo; impact derived primarily from his value as a scorer and spacer. During his All-Star campaign in 2008-09, he was second on the Magic in both scoring volume and efficiency (among players who played at least 50 games). He also ranked in the 93rd percentile in spacing league-wide, according to BackPicks.com.
The impact metrics available at the time seem to agree with his nomination, painting Lewis as a <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1552312398425505799?s=20&amp;t=NTXuTyPlBNy_vSgSTYRC4Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fringe All-Star contributor</a>.
However, what he accomplished by working in unison with Magic frontcourt mates Dwight Howard and Hedo T&uuml;rkoğlu was much more important than his individual success. In isolation, each member of the trio was a solid offensive player. But in the aggregate, the three coalesced to form a multi-faceted machine.&nbsp;
On the surface, this particular Magic team greatly resembled the infrastructure of the two-time world-champion Houston Rockets from the 1990s. Under the guidance of Rudy Tomjanovich, those Rockets deployed a progressive 4-out, 1-in offensive scheme with the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon flanked by four shooters on the perimeter.
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However, those Houston teams were founded on Olajuwon&rsquo;s reputation in the post that allowed him to regularly commandeer the attention of a second defender (<a href="https://streamable.com/g76o6v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like this</a>). Meanwhile, Howard was more of a play-finisher than a pure isolationist on the low block.
&ldquo;Dwight could really excel when he was on the move. He was a good runner in transition. He was a good roller in pick-and-rolls,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;Runner, roller and the other thing &mdash; we would get a lot of spin-out lobs.&rdquo;
Pair Howard's finishing with T&uuml;rkoğlu&rsquo;s size, ball-handling and pull-up shooting, and add Lewis&rsquo; expansive scoring repertoire, and you had a recipe for offensive brilliance.
The Magic (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like the D&rsquo;Antoni-led Suns</a>) were a pick-and-roll-centric team, with their pet play being a three-man action involving their frontcourt triumvirate.
Beyer said that Orlando called it a &ldquo;Thumb Down Spread,&rdquo; basically a middle pick-and-roll featuring T&uuml;rkoğlu as the ball-handler and Howard as the screener, with Lewis lurking one pass away.
Here&rsquo;s a demonstration of the play in theory and in practice (with a <a href="https://medium.com/the-basketball-dictionary/roll-replace-a8ff659fb5d9#:~:text=Definition%3A%20A%20pick%2Dand%2D,the%20paint%20to%20the%20perimeter." target="_blank" rel="noopener">roll-and-replace</a> wrinkle from Lewis):
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Visual diagram presented by Luceo Sports
&ldquo;That was our go-to play,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;It forced the defense to protect the basket... because Dwight [was] such a dynamic roller. If you consistently dropped your big back to take the roll away, Hedo was more than capable of making that three-point shot or pull-up two. We would run the roll-and-replace action where we would come and lift Rashard up, and then, there&rsquo;s another deadly three-point shooter.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re talking about scoring options at all three of those positions on the floor."
(Beyer also mentioned another variation of the play that utilized Lewis as the screener called the &ldquo;Thumb Up Spread,&rdquo; <a href="https://streamable.com/vqacfu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">literally signaled by a thumb up</a>.)
Typically, the major drawback that comes with playing these offensively-slanted lineups comes at the defensive end, as more offense usually means less defense. But this iteration of the Magic defied the laws of statistics, touting the No. 1 defense in the NBA in 2009.
The keystone to this formidable front was, of course, Howard.
&ldquo;[You&rsquo;d] be hard-pressed to find a rim-protector and [overall] defender &mdash; on-ball and off-ball &mdash; like Dwight,&rdquo; Ajami stated.
And despite his slender frame causing some issues against "classical" power forwards (see: 2009 Finals), Lewis compensated for his deficiencies by leveraging his great length and sound hands (87th percentile steal rate in 2009, per Cleaning the Glass) to create chaos on and off the ball.
&ldquo;Both Rashard and Hedo T&uuml;rkoğlu were so long,&rdquo; Beyer said. &ldquo;They were very intelligent [and used] their length to defend guys. They were active with their hands. Their closeouts were appropriate &mdash; based on who they were guarding. And, if they were to get beat, they still had confidence that the next play could be made by Dwight to clean it up.&rdquo;
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While some view their magical run as an anomaly, the threesome operated at the level of a true contender. According to PBP stats, in the 1,268 minutes Lewis, Howard and T&uuml;rkoğlu shared in 2008-09, the Magic posted a Net Rating of plus-12.68 (the equivalent of a 71-win pace in an 82-game season).&nbsp;
For reference, that is a higher <a href="http://www.pbpstats.com/lineup-subunits/nba?LineupId=200782-201572-201950-203114-203507&amp;TeamId=1610612749&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;SubUnitSize=3">NET</a> number than what the trio of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo posted during their championship season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
&ldquo;Nobody would have ever guessed that we would have been as successful as we were,&rdquo; Ajami smiled. &ldquo;But we were right there.
&ldquo;That group of guys was extremely special.&rdquo;
Weaving the Thread &nbsp; In a <a href="https://theathletic.com/1504385/2020/01/07/orlando-magic-forgotten-3-point-innovators/">feature article</a> from 2020, The Athletic's Josh Robbins credited two factors for Van Gundy&rsquo;s decision to start Lewis at the 4: &ldquo;Necessity and smart thinking.&rdquo;&nbsp;
For some context, the Magic initially planned to start traditional power forward Tony Battie. But when he was ruled out for the entirety of the 2007-08 campaign, Van Gundy decided to experiment with Lewis playing the stretch 4 full-time.
However, dig into the weeds a little further, and one could posit that this innovation was more than happenstance, and that Van Gundy and Lewis had seen this before.
In 2008-09, Orlando&rsquo;s three-point attempt rate (3PAr) had a frequency 11.1% higher than the league average. Let&rsquo;s look at teams that posted a similar relative 3PAr that came before them:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/original-chart.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="449" />
An interesting cast of characters indeed (man, Pitino's teams loved to let it fly).
Now, let&rsquo;s narrow our focus to three specific instances:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/focus-chart.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="438" />
First are the 1996-97 Miami Heat, led by "The Godfather" Pat Riley. Who was his lead assistant during that time? None other than Stanley Alan Van Gundy.
Secondly, the 2003-04 Seattle SuperSonics. Before he landed in Orlando, Lewis had some practice slotting in at power forward under Sonics head coach Nate McMillan &mdash; spending 20% of his minutes that season at the 4 spot, per Basketball-Reference. Although, it is worth noting that Vladimir Radmanović was Seattle's primary stretch 4 (playing 80% of his minutes at power forward).
And lastly, the 2006-07 Houston Rockets. It was the last pit stop for the legendary Jeff Van Gundy, Stan&rsquo;s younger brother. Also featured on that team was Tracy McGrady &mdash; a player whom Lewis has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc1snSMtaSU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly acknowledged he studied and modeled his game after</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I would specify it that cleanly," Beyer said with a chuckle. "But I do know this: I know how much Stan values shooting, and I know how much Stan is always trying to come up with lineups where the best players are on the floor together. So, your theory makes a lot of sense to me.&rdquo;
The point is that, whether it was an intentional decision, a freak coincidence, or a case of cryptomnesia, you can see that past experiences in Lewis and Van Gundy&rsquo;s professional lives had them trending in this direction the entire time. And together, they made sweet music.
Impact on Today&rsquo;s Game
Unlike Steve Nash, finding direct descendants for Lewis is more of an arduous endeavor because, nowadays, seemingly everyone employs a stretch 4 to some degree. In this past season alone, 15 players listed as power forwards on Basketball-Reference surpassed 4.4 three-point attempts per game (Lewis&rsquo; career average).
Ajami stated that, because of the absence of positional constructs in modern-day basketball, he only thinks about positions as who you guard on defense.
&ldquo;Basketball has almost become positionless,&rdquo; Ajami said. &ldquo;To me, you playing the 4 or 5 really just means who on the other team you're defending because, for us, our 4 and our 5... have got to be able to do the same things we ask our 2 and our 3 to do.&rdquo;
With that said, more direct comparisons still exist.
In 2020-21, the Utah Jazz led the league with a relative 3PAr of plus-9.6. One could find a lot of parallels between their frontcourt of Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanović and Rudy Gobert and the one the Magic rode to the NBA Finals. (Bogdanović plays the role of Lewis in this analogy.)
Coming into the 2018 NBA Draft, <a href="https://theathletic.com/266715/2018/03/09/potential-knicks-lottery-pick-profile-michael-porter-jr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some scouts</a> viewed Michael Porter Jr. as a new-age version of Lewis. And when his back was right, Michael Malone would frequently run jumbo frontcourt lineups featuring MPJ, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic. (Coincidentally, Malone&rsquo;s father Brendan was an assistant coach on those Magic teams).
You can even see some influence from the Magic on this current iteration of the Cavaliers &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three seven-footers in the frontcourt</a> with Lauri Markkanen operating as their de facto Lewis.
Ironically enough, Lewis&rsquo; legacy has made his offensive archetype less unique than it was when he was playing (something we will see a lot in this series). None of the heirs to Lewis we listed have achieved All-Star status because the stretch 4 has become a staple feature on every team.
Nonetheless, Lewis and those Magic teams pushed the limits of what was once thought possible for the position &mdash; the hallmark feature of any basketball pioneer.
And for his overarching impact on the game, Lewis deserves his respect, his All-Star nominations and, most of all, his own chapter in the history of the NBA.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/lewis-genealogy-chart.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="495" />
Tune in next week for Part III of Blazing the Trail, which focuses on Shane Battier &mdash; the data-ball defender.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part I: "Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint."</a>

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa focuses on two-time All-Star Rashard Lewis and his lasting impact as a stretch 4.

Blazing the Trail: Rashard Lewis, the All-Star stretch 4

The energy in The Bay was palpable, a crowd starved for its team's first Western Conference Finals berth since 2019. The dominant rule of this Golden State dynasty had been rudely interrupted by a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, a slew of untimely injuries and a superstar migrating across the country to skyscraping lands. Even the Chase Center flooring glimmered in anticipation.
The only thing that gleamed more was the twinkle in the eye of the Warriors' team defense.
The Warriors faced a new challenge in the West Finals, going from containing the quick-twitch athleticism strewn across the Memphis Grizzlies' roster to now containing the pick-and-roll craftsmanship of Luka Doncic, arguably the best player of the 2022 postseason. Luka's a nightmare to deal with, to say the least. He can attack your bigs or smalls on switches in isolation. He makes passes that only a select few across the globe can make should he even gain the slightest bit of an advantage. Most of all, he's a true-blue three-level scorer, geared up with step-back threes, post-ups with Dirk Nowitzki-legged fadeaways, sikly floaters and elongated layups at his disposal.&nbsp;
Containing a player of that ilk is not as simple as just throwing one perimeter player his way and hoping for the best. And while Luka's primary defender, Andrew Wiggins, did an admirable job on Wednesday of holding Doncic to 4-of-10 shooting, it was Golden State's medley of defensive coverages that kept Dallas at bay during the 25-point evisceration.&nbsp;
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Steve Kerr's crew threw out six different coverages in the first half &mdash; blitzes, hedge-and-recovers, a shallow drop coverage, pick-and-roll switches, a 3-2 zone and even a Box-and-1 &mdash; to stifle Dallas' second-ranked playoff half-court offense to a crawl. Golden State's coordinated chaos worked effectively, as Dallas put up just 78.8 points per 100 possessions in the half-court during Game 1 (10th percentile, yikes!), well below the 101.3 Offensive Rating that Dallas normally averages in this setting.&nbsp;
We'll touch on a few of those coverages momentarily, but it was Golden State's zone looks that were particularly interesting. The Mavericks haven't seen a ton of zones this postseason, especially coming off a series against the Phoenix Suns that featured mostly drop coverage or the occasional switch with Deandre Ayton manning the middle.
Interestingly, Golden State aligned its 3-2 zone so that Stephen Curry was atop the formation, meaning that he was typically Luka Doncic's primary defender. This goes against conventional thinking; normally, you'd expect the Warriors to hide Curry in the corners on one of Dallas' non-threatening options (think: how Miami deployed Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro in the 2020 postseason) instead of guarding the best mismatch-hunter on the floor. The Warriors, however, felt confident about shuttling defensive possessions to Curry at the point-of-attack, trusting their superstar to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stephen-currys-defense-continues-to-shine-for-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">utilize his best defensive attribute</a> &mdash; his quick hands&mdash; to frustrate Maverick ball-handlers.
Of course, it helps with Wiggins and Draymond Green situated at the nearby wings, able to sink down and contain should Doncic bullrush his way past the slighter Curry. That's exactly what happened during this first-quarter possession below; Curry bothered Doncic's dribble by sticking in an arm, and when Doncic gathered himself and prepared his attack, Wiggins provided assistance at the nail to erase the driving lane and coerce the kick out. Jalen Brunson, of course, misses the spot-up three (a trend on Wednesday night), and Golden State gets its desired result from the 3-2 zone.
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There's some irony in the Warriors &mdash; the same team that once complained about Toronto's "junk defenses" in the 2019 NBA Finals &mdash; throwing out Box-and-1s to fluster Dallas' heliocentric offense. And yet, a minute later, Golden State busted out that janky look, with Curry, Jordan Poole, Green, and Otto Porter Jr. spread across the lane lines to form the "box," and Wiggins smothering Luka from basically the mid-court line.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/box-and-1_lg.png" alt="" width="701" height="348" />
When Maxi Kleber comes to set a screen for Doncic, Poole and Wiggins trap Luka and use the sideline as a third defender to force the pass. Dallas hot-potatoes the ball across the perimeter, frantically searching for a vialble option, and eventually the Mavs are left with a 27-foot three from Kleber. A result the Warriors will live with.
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The Mavericks mustered up just 18 total points in the first quarter, which effectively set the tone for the rest of Game 1. Looking ahead after the brutal loss, it begs the question: Where can the Mavericks go next?
Well, there's the obvious answer, for one: Make more friggin' threes. Duh. The Mavericks whiffed on 37 of their 48 total outside looks, with some of those misses being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT-vnjKYwf0&amp;ab_channel=MattBrooksNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretty dang brutal</a>. But there's more to the game than just blindly hoping for better results.
Thinning Out the Hedges
As mentioned, one of the coverages that Golden State threw at Luka was hedging and recovering on pick-and-rolls. Typically, this was done when Doncic and the Mavericks looked to target Curry in screening actions. Dallas would have Curry's defender &mdash; Reggie Bullock in the first clip; Spencer Dinwiddie in the second&mdash;set a screen on Luka's defender, Wiggins.
Rather than having Curry switch outright onto Doncic, Steph would instead jump out toward the 6-foot-8 ball-handler to buy Wiggins time as he recovered back to his assignment. Though it goes in, a tightly contested step-back three &mdash; which Luka is shooting just 32.1% on in the postseason &mdash; is a result the Warriors can stomach, especially with one of its smallest defenders (Curry) involved in the play.
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Thus, going at Curry with a slew of straight pick-and-rolls wasn't particularly profitable in Game 1. Golden State is too experienced, too disciplined and too even-tempered to be caught off-guard by opponents repeatedly targetting its superstar. After all, that's been the game plan since, what, 2015? Steph is well-versed in evading such narrow offensive game planning.
But Dallas has some unexplored avenues.
One such way could be to mix in more slips to the rim. Below, after Golden State pre-switches to initially neutralize the Doncic-Bullock pick-and-roll, Luka calls for a second screen from Brunson to bring Curry into the fold. When Steph hedges, Brunson then cuts to the rim instead of flaring out to the perimeter. And although the possession is smothered by Draymond Green audibling a switch with Curry and playing some free safety (goodness was he ever incredible in Game 1!), Dallas was able to get two feet into the middle of the paint to make decisions.&nbsp;
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Flipping the angle of the screen at the very last second, which is something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grizzlies-flattening-out-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies did against the Warriors</a> in the second round, is a counter yet to be tested by the Mavericks' offense. When Dallas did elect to re-screen in Game 1, it was only because the initial screen failed to connect.&nbsp;
Dallas could also add some intricacy to its pick-and-rolls by forcing Golden State to navigate secondary screens. Screen-the-screener (STS) plays were, once again, something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/memphisminnesota-game-5-was-a-masterclass-in-playcalling-wizardry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies tinkered with</a> in the earlier rounds of the postseason, and forcing Curry to navigate an off-ball screen before being dragged into a ball-screen for Luka could put him behind the play, thus throwing off the timing of his hedge.
All Doncic needs is a moment of hesitation to create for himself or others, so mixing in each of the following&mdash; re-screens, slips to the rim, ram screens and/or STS plays and straight pick-and-roll&mdash;to keep the Warriors on pins and needles could prove to make the difference going forward.
Sniffing Out the Proper Switches
So yes, scoping out Curry on pick-and-roll-induced switches didn't go as planned for Dallas in Game 1 given his comfort level with hedging those plays into oblivion; but that's not to say that Dallas failed to get any sort of traction when Golden State swapped assignments after ball screens.
Here's something that should keep Mavericks fans up at night: Dallas was hunting the wrong Warrior guard. Poole was tested by both of Dallas' secondary and tertiary options (Brunson and Dinwiddie), and he looked like a fish out of water on switches. Collectively, Dinwiddie and Brunson went 2-for-3 from the field when defended by Poole in Game 1.
Dinwiddie is both too tall and too quick to be even slightly bothered by Golden State's prolific 22-year-old, and Brunson's veteran craft left Poole stumbling. Jalen's portfolio of pump-fakes, B-Boy dancer pivots and up-and-unders was one hell of a handful for the third-year player.
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Even when Golden State attempted to hide Poole with hedges, he just wasn't disciplined enough to masterfully pull off this coverage with regularity. Here, he "shows" (or hedges) way, way too high up the floor against Brunson, who has yet to burn Golden State with pull-up threes, and Poole ends up getting flamb&eacute;d in isolation.
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Dallas' one-two punch of Doncic and Brunson also got off some pretty clean looks when served up Kevon Looney on a platter. Look, Looney had himself one hell of a Wednesday evening and was maybe the Game 1 MVP, but his lateral mobility was tested by Dallas' lead options. Take a look for yourself:
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Dallas should continue to hammer this home in the series. Though it's admirable that Looney feels empowered to pick up individual creators of Doncic and Brunson's ilk so high up the floor, his hip flexibility doesn't afford him the requisite oomph when changing directions on either player's array of dribbling moves. Doncic found relative consistency in forcing Golden State rotations and passing to open shooters after beating Looney off the dribble; Brunson, meanwhile, danced and jitterbugged his way to his spots to go 3-of-4 when defended by the Warriors' starting center.
It's integral that Dallas continues to exhaust Curry by involving him in a never-ending loop of pick-and-rolls. The more mileage put on his body defensively, the better. But there's also some value in getting some easy ones against guys like Looney and Poole.
Other notes:
<ul>
<li>Testing Klay Thompson, still fresh off two major injuries, is inherently not a terrible idea. Doing so by posting him up and allowing him to use his strong base and 6-6 frame, however, is not so brilliant. Doncic wasn't able to gain any ground against Golden State's sturdy wing, and the Mavericks would be better suited having the bursty Dinwiddie or even the guileful Brunson go at Thompson in space.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Speaking of Brunson, how often he can make Golden State pay via pull-up threes should be a major theme in the West Finals. Golden State regularly went under ball-screens against Brunson, daring him to shoot, and he responded with a whole bundle of record-scratch moments. Brunson has shot a combined 30.4% on pull-up three-pointers in the regular season and the postseason on just 105 total attempts, and if he continues to feign at chucking them up when the defense drifts underneath screens, Dallas' offense will sludge itself to death.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The Mavericks are one of those teams where you just wish they'd incorporate a little more movement into their offense. Dallas leaves food on the table with screening actions on the weak side of the floor, and it allows the low man to stay engaged when helping over should Doncic (or Brunson or Dinwiddie) discover a crack in the defense. That's particularly problematic against a team like the Warriors and Green, a hellish secondary defender to tangle with. Notice how Golden State preoccupies Luka, the low man in the clip below, with screening action between Wiggins and Thompson. When Looney slips to the rim, Doncic is late on his rotation because of the ensuing traffic on the weak side.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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It'd be great if Dallas could incorporate some of&nbsp;that&nbsp;stuff into their pick-and-roll heavy offense.
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Matt Brooks goes in-depth to break down what the Mavericks can improve on offensively against a stout Warriors defense.

How the Warriors' defense flummoxed Dallas, and where the Mavs go next

Mat Issa raves over Jordan Poole regarding his three-level scoring and how his ceiling may be higher than once thought.

Jordan Poole is even better than we could've imagined

Dawn Staley hoisted the championship trophy high, strutted around the court and stopped for a brief victory dance. She handed over the hardware to South Carolina&rsquo;s student band, then headed back to midcourt for more merriment.
The Gamecocks hit all the right notes this season, and they finished with a masterpiece.
Staley&rsquo;s team buttoned up on defense and dominated on the glass, beating UConn 64-49 on Sunday night to end the Huskies&rsquo; undefeated streak in title games. Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points, Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds, and the Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma&rsquo;s Huskies their first loss in 12 NCAA title games.
&ldquo;We played every possession like it was our last possession,&rdquo; said Staley, the first Black men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s coach with two Division I titles. &ldquo;They were determined to be champions today.&rdquo;
A year ago, South Carolina lost in the Final Four when Boston missed a layup before the buzzer.
&ldquo;Honestly, I&rsquo;ve been thinking about this since last season. Everyone had a picture of me crying,&rdquo; said Boston, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. &ldquo;Today, we&rsquo;re national champions and I&rsquo;m in tears.&rdquo;
With Staley calling the shots in a Louis Vuitton letterman jacket, South Carolina took UConn to school on the boards and capped a wire-to-wire run as the No. 1 team in the country in The Associated Press poll. The Gamecocks also won the championship in 2017 with A&rsquo;ja Wilson leading the way.
This time it was Boston &mdash; the AP Player of the Year &mdash; and her fellow South Carolina post players who dominated on the game&rsquo;s biggest stage. The Gamecocks outrebounded UConn 49-24, including a 21-6 advantage on offensive boards.
&ldquo;We knew tonight that if we didn&rsquo;t hold our own on the boards, that it was going to be a really bad night for us,,&rdquo; Auriemma said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s exactly what happened.&rdquo;
They also clamped down on star Paige Bueckers and the Huskies on defense, just like they did all season long.
&ldquo;They deserved it 100%,&rdquo; Auriemma said. &ldquo;They were the best team all year.&rdquo;
It was South Carolina&rsquo;s night from the start. The Gamecocks (35-2) jumped to an 11-2 lead, grabbing nearly every rebound on both ends of the floor. They led to 22-8 after one quarter much to the delight of their fans, who made the trip to Minneapolis to be part of the sellout crowd.
UConn (30-6) trailed by 16 in the second quarter before Bueckers, a Minnesota native, got going. After having just one shot in the first quarter, she scored nine points in the second to get the Huskies within 35-27 at the half. She finished with 14.
An 8-2 run to start the third quarter put South Carolina up 43-29 before the Huskies finally started connecting from behind the arc. UConn missed its first eight 3-point attempts until Caroline Ducharme made one from the wing and Evina Westbrook followed with another to get the Huskies within 43-37.
That&rsquo;s as close as they could get because of Henderson.
The senior guard had a three-point play to close the third quarter and then had the team&rsquo;s first four points in the fourth to restore the double-digit lead. The Huskies couldn&rsquo;t recover.
&ldquo;My teammates believed in me once again. We&rsquo;ve been working so hard since Day 1, and it finally paid off, all my hard work, all my focus,&rdquo; Henderson said. &ldquo;Me trusting the process. Me trusting God. She just put me in a position just to be great, and today, we national champions.&rdquo;
This was UConn&rsquo;s first trip to the championship game since 2016, when the Huskies won the last of four straight titles. Since then, the team has suffered heartbreaking defeats in the national semifinals, losing twice in overtime, before holding off Stanford on Friday night. The Huskies were trying to win their 12th title in the same city they won their first one in 1995.
Auriemma said Saturday that when his team had won each of its 11 titles, the Huskies entered the game as the better team. They certainly weren&rsquo;t on Sunday.
&ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t have enough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They were just too good for us.&rdquo;
It had been one of the most challenging seasons of Auriemma&rsquo;s Hall of Fame career. UConn overcame losing eight players for at least two games with injury or illness, including Bueckers, who missed nearly three months with a left knee injury suffered in early December. She came back in late February but wasn&rsquo;t at the same level that earned her AP Player of the Year as a freshman last season.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Gamecocks have been stalwarts on defense all season long, ranking third nationally with 50.5 points allowed per game. They were even sharper in the NCAA Tournament, holding opponents to 44.8 points entering Sunday&rsquo;s finale.
Henderson had three steals, Boston blocked two shots and South Carolina forced 15 turnovers. The Gamecocks&rsquo; plus-25 rebounding margin was the second biggest ever in a title game.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: The Huskies lose three seniors in Christyn Williams, Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa but still have a solid group back led by Bueckers and freshman Azzi Fudd. If the Huskies stay healthy, they&rsquo;ll have a good shot to contend for next year&rsquo;s title.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks lose Henderson and Victaria Saxton but have all the talent to repeat as champions.

The Gamecocks hit all the right notes this season, and they finished with a masterpiece.

Dawn Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA title

Nekias Duncan dives deep into the rise of guard-screening in the NBA through the lens of NBA players, coaches and more.

Changing of the guard: The future of screening is here

An 82-game season is equally maddening and incredible simultaneously. On one hand, it's just way too many games, and it's overly demanding with respect to travel, time and fatigue. On the other hand, it's a remarkable sample size and tool for evaluation and understanding. My friends who don't love basketball don't understand my desire to watch a conference powerhouse beat down on a lottery team on Tuesday nights, and ya know what? Sometimes I don't either!
When watching Cade Cunningham drag the Pistons to a closely-contested loss to the Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday night, I had this thought ring out in the back of my head.
Yeah, this is why man.
Watching Cunningham this year has been a treat like no other. While many rookies have flashed their potential and made strides (some even impacting winning at a high level early), I'm not sure we've seen someone this season adapt to the NBA and assert himself as quickly as the No. 1 overall pick.&nbsp;
Many have a case, but given team context and environment along with what's asked of him, it's gotta be Cade.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">Month</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">Games</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">TS%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">3P%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1267%;">Rim%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">Oct.</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">16</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">46.2%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">27.4%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1267%;">50%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">Dec.</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">9</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">51.9%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">40.4%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1267%;">49%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">Jan.</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">13</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">55.1%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1217%;">38.2%</td>
<td style="width: 18.1267%;">69%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Watching him evolve and adapt his game in real time over the past few months has been semi-akin to watching a superhero transformation. The questions pre-draft about Cunningham's relative lack of burst given primary ball-handling duties were fair, but undersold his problem-solving. Growing, adapting, evolving; <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r2JJPZ_O6tzW8fFKuTlD3P0e7RPH2Os9GIU4lQLAxeE/edit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it's what Cade Cunningham does</a>. (Shoutout to PD Web for this scout.)
Late in his prep career, Cunningham was an elite prospect, but significant questions were posed about his shooting prowess and capabilities beyond the arc. He eviscerated defenses from the perimeter during his solo season in Stillwater, hitting 40.0% of his 5.7 threes per game with a high volume of self-created shots off the dribble. Yet another part of his <a href="https://theathletic.com/2875146/2021/10/08/inside-cade-cunninghams-training-to-become-the-face-of-the-pistons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">development plan and preparation</a>.
In spite of his struggles from deep early, Cunningham consistently kept getting his shots up without hesitation, an important part of keeping the defense honest. The rookie was tested in the NBA early, as defenses openly challenged him to shoot, choosing to go under on ball-screens he operated from. After adjusting to pro spacing, length and contests, Cade made it known; you just can't go under.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Cade is already making it known that you indeed cannot go under on ballscreens against him <a href="https://t.co/42oQeFbwBW">pic.twitter.com/42oQeFbwBW</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1460685340646248452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
After finding his range and the defense willfully bending to his ability, Cunningham has moved into his next stage, probing the defense and pressuring the paint.
While I would be careful to not extrapolate his ridiculous leap of efficiency at the rim over the past month, it stands that his process has shifted, and he's finding new ways to capitalize in the paint. As he's gotten more accustomed to his surroundings, his pacing and guile with the ball in his hands have led to this jump as a finisher on the interior.
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Cunningham's awareness of the court, mapping of defenders and understanding of angles make him an elite manipulator. However, it's his self-awareness that continually stands out the most. He is flourishing because he knows what he's best at, what he needs to get to and how to make it happen.
Given how well he's shooting (currently 57.7% on pull-up threes in January... yes, you read that right), defenses have started to adjust their pressure on ball-screens, often playing bigs involved in the screen close to the level while his man-defender goes over top of the screen. He's not hitting at an elite percentage on pull-up twos (38.7% per InStat), but he's shooting well enough and with confidence in a way that forces the defense to still pay attention to his actions.
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But, it's less about the jumper-hitting and more about the threat of it for Cunningham.&nbsp;
His bread and butter as a driver and handler is his flexibility. He's incredibly shifty despite elite burst, phenomenal at utilizing shoulder and head fakes, and using hesitation dribbles and stutters in his drives to force defenders to play at his pace.&nbsp;
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Cunningham has a knack for using his screener to set up the big, almost rocking the defense to sleep in a sense. He flows into his hesitations and hang dribbles to lull the big and his defender into thinking he's going to do the opposite of what he actually will.&nbsp;
The second a big starts to rotate back to the screener, Cade will flash baseline.&nbsp;
If he has the big on a drive, he'll tango with them and create the impression that he's going to rise for a jumper rather than challenge a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, in this case with Rudy Gobert.
Nope, guessed wrong! There goes Cunningham probing baseline, finding a quick reverse after using the rim as an obstacle to avoid a late contest.
However, he can get into some issues right now considering how heavily his game is based on deception and craft. If the defender doesn't bite, or if Cade sees extra help from the corner or at the nail, it can congest his handle and make it difficult for him to set things up the way he likes to.
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Given that he's not a great leaper and still needs to develop as a contact-finisher, this is one of the larger hurdles Cunningham faces as an at-rim finisher.
However, he's already showing flashes of how he's going to adapt to that, because that's just what he does! He's showing real intrigue as a self-creator even when guarded well 1-on-1.
Cunningham's off-arm craft is incredible and very advanced for his age. (If it looks like something Chris Paul would do to toe the line of league legality, you're doing special stuff as an offensive player.)
Tapping into the footwork he flashes along with his timing and that understanding of angles we mentioned earlier, poor Rudy Gay found out about Cunningham the hard way. Deandre Ayton was contesting in <a href="https://youtu.be/zGDG58b-5wI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six different directions</a> as Cade whipped out his version of the Ali Shuffle.
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These aren't the shots a player can live off of, but they're the kind of shots that make a player a star. If anything has become abundantly clear from this Pistons season, it's of the impending emergence of Cunningham's stardom.
While this season has assuredly been a slog for Detroit, do yourself a favor; make time for Cade Cunningham once a week, and soak in the rays of exceptional development and problem-solving in real time.
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After a rough start to his rookie year efficiency-wise, Cade Cunningham has started to adjust to NBA length and defense.

Cade Cunningham is problem-solving in real time for the Pistons

Sometimes Justė Jocytė needs to slow down her warp-speed world.&nbsp;
The Lithuanian channels Drake and "chill music" through her headphones, and takes a walk to find a space for herself. In her preparation process, Jocytė makes it a point to clear her head of stress.
"Literally, it's almost like meditating," Jocytė told BasketballNews.com in an exclusive interview via Zoom. "You just stop thinking. Just take a deep breath, clear your head out and really just stop overthinking everything. I think that helps; when you're thinking a lot before a game, that's not good for you."
Jocytė speaks with the calm poise of a veteran professional because she is one, in her third season at the highest levels of European basketball with Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin in France. But the 6-foot-2 lefty guard is also considered one of the top prospects on Earth, and, at just 15 years old, is accomplishing more than most young hoopers do in their lifetimes.
San Antonio Spurs great Tony Parker recruited her at at age-13, and she debuted with the Lithuanian senior national team that same year. At 14, Jocytė became the youngest player to debut in modern EuroLeague history. Today, she regularly competes against WNBA players and European stars, and even holds a small sponsorship deal from Nike.
Jocytė carries the faith of an NBA legend, the hopes of an entire country and the potential of a future global star on her teenage shoulders. But she holds the burden with a placid purpose, knowing that as long as she works, her pathway will reveal itself.
"I mean, the dream is obviously to get to the WNBA &mdash; but I don't really know if it's gonna be my style of game, it's kind of different from Europe &mdash; but obviously playing there, and just living my best life," she said.
"I love basketball &mdash; that's what I'm planning to do for a living &mdash; and [I] just take pleasure every day in every practice," she added. "And I think, yeah, that's most important: just to be happy."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_8403-57-jus_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
"Every day, we live with basketball."
According to Jocytė's father, Alvydas Jocys, the house TV is almost always tuned to hoops: NBA, WNBA, men's and women's EuroLeague and EuroCup, Lithuanian competition, you name it.&nbsp; Basketball is the country's most popular sport. It is woven into the fabric of Jocytė's family.
"It's just our life, you know?" Alvydas told BasketballNews.com over the phone.
Alvydas played college basketball through the end of the 1990s for Mid-Plains Community College, and then Bellevue University, in Nebraska. His brother, Evaldas, logged professional and collegiate careers, including stints with Lithuanian club Olimpas Plung&eacute; and Division I East Carolina University. Jocytė's older brother, 17-year-old Rokas, competes in Lithuania after having spent time on Stellazzurra Rome's U18 team in Italy.
Jocytė was even born in Washington D.C. before the family moved back to Lithuania when she was an infant. She has played above her age bracket since she could first dribble a basketball. First, it was in the backyard against Rokas. Then, at 6 years old &mdash; when she began to take a serious interest in the sport &mdash; Alvydas and his wife, Aurelija Jociene, noticed their daughter was unusually talented.
"We noticed that she had the ability to play with the ball, and play and dribble and shoot. She was different at that kind of age from other girls," Alvydas said.
Jocytė entered a program in her hometown of Palanga on the Baltic Coast of the country. Then, she outplayed her competition, and the family signed her up for training in Klaipėda, a nearby city. Jocytė was hopping from bus-to-bus at 9 years old, attending practices and games with kids three years her senior.&nbsp;
"Year after year, we saw that she was developing into a pretty good basketball player," Alvydas said. "As a family, all our job was just to get her physically and emotionally ready for the journey she has right now."
The <a href="https://twitter.com/jrnba/status/1028733912321859585?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jr. NBA came</a> at age-12. But in 2019, Jocytė's star truly shined. She led Lithuania to its first-ever U16 FIBA European Championship as a 13-year-old, then three months later, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/womenseurobasket/2021/qualifiers/news/the-future-is-here-13-year-old-jocyte-has-lithuania-back-on-the-rise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made her debut with the country's senior national team</a> in the EuroBasket Qualifiers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
SHE IS 13 😱 ! Juste Jocyte's 20PTS &amp; 15REB led @Musukrepsinis 🇱🇹 to a first EVER <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAU16Europe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAU16Europe</a> Final 🔥 ! <a href="https://t.co/gAjWbsLocB">pic.twitter.com/gAjWbsLocB</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1167346821678678017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2019</a></blockquote>

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

Europe took note &mdash; including one Tony Parker. The four-time NBA champion co-owned the men's and women's LDLC ASVEL clubs, and was starting his <a href="https://tpadequatacademy.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Parker Ad&eacute;quat Academy</a> in Lyon for students desiring advanced opportunities in a number of different professions. He invited Jocytė and her family to an individual workout in Oct. 2019.
"It was kind of tough, you know? You don't really know what to say because you're... scared," Jocytė said. "But I mean, he was really pretty normal as a person, so he was easy to talk to."
At that same workout, Jocytė also met her idol: former New York Liberty guard, and future teammate, Marine Johann&egrave;s.
"She was there to pass me the ball. That was cool," Jocytė said with a laugh.
Parker saw Jocytė as a headlining addition and made his pitch to Alvydas and the family. Jocytė would join the academy and become a member of Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin, with a three-year agreement centered on her development in Lyon. If the family ever had a question or concern about her well-being or development, Parker was a phone call away.
"It was, for myself and my wife, ver,y very surprising [to hear] the kinds of superstars as Tony Parker &mdash; we just saw them on TV prior [to when] we came to France," Alvydas said. "But when you talk to them after one minute, you already know that they're so simple and they know what they're doing. They know what kind of business they're in."
On Nov. 7, 2019, the academy announced the signing.
"I am very happy for the Tony Parker Ad&eacute;quat Academy because it&rsquo;s the first big signature," Parker said in the official press release in French. "Justė is the most special player of her generation. It&rsquo;s one of the reasons that I opened the Academy: to welcome the best prospects of their generation, evolve with young enthusiasts of all fields, and enrich each other."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_8422-67-jus_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
"She's definitely one of the most gifted European players to come up in a long time."
Mark Williams is a Global Scout for Premier Basketball (the same service that compiles ESPN's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings). He has watched Jocytė rise through the youth ranks since 2018, and says the smooth shooting guard is one of the most advanced players he has seen in recent years. Her cool confidence, surgical vision and sweet perimeter shot all set her apart.
"She's gifted with the ball in her hands [and] can score at all three levels," Williams told BasketballNews.com over the phone. "One of the things that she's really done well over the last year is develop the ability to get everybody else shots... I mean, she's really gifted. She can play multiple positions. She can play on the ball. She's a better defender than people give her credit for. And she can score anytime she wants."
Jocytė carved up the competition at the 2021 FIBA U18 Women's European Challengers tournament. She averaged 20.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in effortless fashion, patrolling the court while exuding serenity and swagger.
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Jocytė can spot up, step back and hesi her way to any shot on the floor. She glides with an effortless grace, and shrugs contact off of her. She also operates the offense like a surgeon, rifling pinpoint cross-court passes with either hand. Williams said that if he ranked the entire 2023 recruiting class with both U.S. and international players, the Lithuanian phenom would rest on top.
"For her, it's just kind of come together really, really early. And it's fun to watch, for sure," Williams said.
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British FIBA writer Paul Nilsen has watched the international youth game for over a decade. From the first moments he scouted an age-12 Jocytė, Nilsen was floored by her clutch gene.
"You could just tell straight away she's got it," Nilsen told BasketballNews.com over the phone. "The clutch, the ice through her veins, the smarts, the I.Q., on top of, obviously, the skill factor of being able to do what you want, when you want.
"I think that maturity so young is quite a rare and special thing."
Both Williams and Nilsen lauded Jocytė's trajectory as that of a high WNBA draft pick and a potential No. 1 overall selection. But they also cautioned against the familiar trap of locking prospects in as surefire generational superstars.&nbsp;
"It's one thing, I think in any sport, being a wunderkind, where often you find other players catch up," Nilsen said. "Sometimes you're the best out of that age at 12-13, and you're phenomenal because you've got so much natural talent. And you have to try and maintain large gap, which can sometimes be hard.
"It all boils down to whether she keeps working hard and she keeps learning," he added. "Nothing else [matters] apart from her. It's got to come from her."
For Jocytė to be challenging herself on a professional team, Nilsen says, is a testament to her dedication.
"One of the things I'm very, very committed to is this concept of: the hardest decision is always for the most talented players... even though you've got lots of choices, it's very very, very difficult," he said.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_5264-45-jus_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
"Playing against them every day is just a dream come true. I mean, that's the best practice you can get."
In Dec. 2019, 14-year-old Justė Jocytė subbed in for the the first time with Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin, and became the youngest woman to debut in the modern EuroLeague, perhaps the highest level in the world outside of the WNBA. Fast-forward two years, and she has now locked down a role in the regular rotation before her 16th birthday.
Lyon competes this season in the EuroCup; it's one league lower than the EuroLeague, but still arguably the third-best league worldwide. The EuroCup is littered with WNBA talent this season, including Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald, Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner and Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Mack among many others.
But that's only half of the battle. In LFB (Ligue F&eacute;minine de Basketball) competition, the team squares off against players like Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, Chicago Sky guard Lexie Brown and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nia Coffey. For Lyon, Johann&egrave;s and Julie Allemand both have WNBA experience.
On non-game days, Jocytė's schedule typically includes distance schooling, plus two grueling practices per day with some of the best basketball players on the planet. It's a grind she embraces.&nbsp;
"This is the pro life," she said. "Get used to it, because they will not change for you."
Jocytė generally stayed on the bench in her first two years with Lyon; she logged just 31 total minutes across both seasons. However, that doesn't mean she was stuck; behind the scenes, Jocytė was adapting to the speed and physicality of pro ball with the help of her teammates and coaches.
"I really appreciate the the work that they put in. Nobody sees the work, but they're helping me a lot," she said.
This season, the young phenom has begun to emerge. Jocytė is averaging 11.8 minutes per game in LFB play and 15.0 minutes per game in the EuroCup. She's dished out 17 assists against just six turnovers, and is shooting 75% from the field across both leagues. The performances aren't coming on some experimental squad, either &mdash; Lyon sits 3-1 in the EuroCup and 4-2 in the LFB.&nbsp;
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Even more impressive is hearing the 15-year-old critically reflect on her role with the methodical understanding of a grizzled vet:
"The physical part is tough, so you obviously had to find other ways. I think mine is just reading the game, really, because obviously you will not be faster [or] stronger," Jocytė said. "Coach puts you in [and] you have to just bring the energy; he doesn't expect you to, like, score 20 points in the game. So as a young player, you just have to stay humble, stay calm and just read."
Breanna Stewart and Nikola Jokic, as well as fellow lefty D'Angelo Russell, are film favorites for the Lithuanian. She had the last laugh this fall as one of the few members of Lyon cheering for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals. And even after two years playing next to Johann&egrave;s, Jocytė still marvels every day at the star guard's talent.
"It's kind of weird because before, yeah, she was my role model, and now that it's my third year playing with her, it's kind of... she's like my friend," Jocytė said of Johann&egrave;s.
Though Jocytė is still technically the youngest player on the roster, she's no longer the only teenager. Dominique Malonga &mdash; a 6-foot-6, 15-year-old center loaded with athleticism and potential &mdash; joined ASVEL F&eacute;minin for the 2021-22 campaign. Malonga is also a Tony Parker Academy student, and Parker even labeled her "<a href="https://ldlcasvelfeminin.com/dominique-malonga-nouvelle-lionne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the feminine Victor Wembanyama</a>."
"She's my roommate, so we kind of get along pretty easily," Jocytė said of Malonga. "This goes better than last year, when you're, like, really young with all these &mdash; I'm not gonna say old (laughs) &mdash; but older ladies. So it's kind of cool to have [someone] your age."
Jocytė is still a kid, after all &mdash; a kid playing on the other side of the continent, away from her family. Alvydas and Aurelija check-in nearly ever day with their daughter via WhatsApp. When Jocytė comes home, she'll get back on the court and battle with her brother and father, and everyone in Palanga knows her name. She says she's "not that sensitive of a person," but that doesn't mean leaving Lithuania is easy.
"I really miss home, and it's kind of hard without your family and friends. So it's always a good feeling when you come back home. It doesn't matter if it's, like, two days or something. It's really good to be there," she said.
"It was hard to let her go the first time because, you know, the '14-year-old girl on her own in the big city 2000 kilometers away' &mdash; kind of scary," Alvydas added. "[But] we know that she is in good hands [and] she gets taken care of."
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Lthuania may be a basketball-crazed nation, but its women's leagues lack sustained prominence. Top players and prospects typically latch onto a development track in another region, and return home to play during the offseason. Jocytė and her father cited that lack of consistency at home as a factor in them looking toward France for her pro career.
With the national teams, though, Jocytė feels immense pride in representing her country on European and global stages.
"It's an amazing feeling to play with your national team," she said. "It's just something you really appreciate when you play overseas or something. When you come back, it's really just amazing."
(Her most recent opportunity came in the 2023 EuroBasket Qualifiers, where she scored four points on Thursday against Finland before leaving the game with a minor ankle injury. Lithuania will play again Sunday.)
The world only continues to open up for Lithuania's young star. Her current agreement with the Tony Parker Academy and Lyon reaches an option of sorts after this season. Jocytė could continue on for another three years, adding continued professonal experience and growing with ASVEL F&eacute;minin. Or, she could opt out and attend another program or school just about anywhere &mdash; including the United States.
According to a source, high-major colleges are already demonstrating interest in Jocytė. Even WNBA teams have her on their radar when the earliest she could be draft-eligible appears to be 2025. (There's confusion here due to her U.S. birth vs. Lithuanian upbringing/playing status.)&nbsp;
The family will face a monumental decision after the season. They'll weigh pros and cons, including developmental situations, level of play and even endorsement opportunities. But for now, Jocytė is focused on what she loves &mdash; playing basketball &mdash; with the regimented mentality of continued growth each day.
"I feel good here and there's a good opportunity for me here," Jocytė said. "I'm still young, so that's normal that I don't play a lot. So really, I'm just working on myself every day trying to earn the trust of my coach, and hopefully in one year or two, I will be able to really have a big impact on the team."
That's what Alvydas admires most about his daughter. Jocytė remains a level-headed sailor amidst rocky seas, letting a pure love for the sport guide her to whatever big stage is next.
"I'm very proud that she's still a simple girl, and she's very supportive to other kids," Alvydas said. "I'm very proud that she's still very, very simple and focused on what she's doing."

Lithuanian star Justė Jocytė is turning heads as the youngest woman to ever compete in the modern EuroLeague.

Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker

With the 2021 NBA Finals underway,&nbsp;BasketballNews.com will have you covered every step up the way with the top storylines, breakdowns, player quotes and more. Here are Spencer Davies' observations from the Milwaukee Bucks' perspective after their 123-119 win in Game 5:
Going back on the road with a tied series after falling into an 0-2 hole in the NBA Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks&rsquo; resilience was on full display, grinding their way yet again to a third straight win over the Phoenix Suns, 123-119. In a shocking turn of events, the Bucks are one victory away from an NBA championship.
Falling behind by as much as 16 points in the first quarter, Milwaukee stormed back and outscored the Suns 79-53 over the next two periods, flipping the momentum to stun the crowd at the newly-named Footprint Center. Although the Suns would make a run and cut it down to a one-point game in the final minute, timely plays and critical shots from the Bucks&rsquo; Big Three allowed the road team to close this one out.
&ldquo;I feel like we don't stop,&rdquo; Giannis Antetokounmpo said after rallying to the win. &ldquo;I feel like -- I've been a part of different teams. Usually when you're down 15 or 16 or whatever, down 0-2 or whatever the case might be, you kind of like, stop. You kind of stop competing in a way. But I feel like this team, we don't do that. We haven't done that all year long, I think. I can't remember, I can't go that far back, but we keep competing...because we know the game is long; it's 48 minutes, and we always try to put ourselves in a position to win the game. That's all you can ask for.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You go into a game, you don't know if you're going to win the game but you know if we compete for 48 minutes, we are good. We have great players, great closers, great shooters, great rebounders, great defenders, have a great coach and we know that we can put ourselves in a position to win the game.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think they have been in a lot of close games,&rdquo; Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. &lsquo;It's a very mature group. There's a lot of confidence. I think there's a natural poise with the group. We don't necessarily talk about it, but you can feel it in the huddles.&rdquo;
With 27 points and 13 assists, Jrue Holiday had his finest offensive game of the series, but it was his defense that propelled Milwaukee to the finish line. As the clock wound down and Phoenix had the ball with 29.2 seconds left down one, Devin Booker drove on PJ Tucker and forced him left. Holiday was at the nail, and ripped the Suns&rsquo; star to begin a fastbreak, which ultimately ended up being the exclamation point to a sensational night. The Bucks guard wisely pushed the pace without rushing, and lobbed the ball from the left perimeter to a rising Giannis Antetokounmpo with a full head of steam.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Honestly it was great team defense,&rdquo; Holiday said. I feel like we knew Booker wanted to take that last shot and played great defense on him and made him turn his back and he turned right into me. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time...I was going to [pull the ball out and wait to get fouled after the steal], and Chris I think kind of played in between, but Giannis took off and he was calling for the ball.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Big time. Big-time steal. Showing a crowd, they didn't get to the spot and he came from behind and ripped the ball out,&rdquo; Giannis added. &ldquo;He can go down to the other end and just, you know, go for like a full play, run the clock down. But he trusted me and made an incredible pass, also, for the lob. It was big time. It was a big-time play. It was the winning play of the game.&rdquo;
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This angle of Jrue's steal and alley-oop to Giannis 👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>) <a href="https://t.co/ott2ECyc7N">pic.twitter.com/ott2ECyc7N</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1416620009951047683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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As the pair flexed in celebration, their connection took the wind out of the sails of every Suns fan in the arena.
&ldquo;At that point, I just threw it as high as I could and only where Giannis could go get it, and he went up there, got it...they don't call him the Freak for nothing. I threw it as high as I could,&rdquo; Holiday said.
&ldquo;I saw Chris Paul and then I started sprinting, and I saw nobody was around me. He didn't want to throw me the ball at first, but I was like, &lsquo;Throw it, throw it, throw it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Giannis said. And then he threw it. He trusted me. After the game I was like, Thank you for trusting me. He could throw it and make a wrong pass and that would be on him as the point guard. The coach would say, You're supposed to keep the ball. But he trusted me and he knows I'm going to finish the play. That says a lot to me. I went up to him after the game and I told him that, too.&rdquo;
While Holiday was delivering on his playmaking, pull-up jumpers and threes, Giannis was asserting himself on the block, and for another night, was extremely decisive and quick-witted, committing zero turnovers. If he wasn&rsquo;t using the hook shot or a short-range turnaround, he was finding an open teammate. There was no lull in the game that we&rsquo;ve seen in the past, no hesitancy on the next move or no foolish shots being taken.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He did a great job,&rdquo; Middleton said of Giannis. &ldquo;The same randomness with the traps on the pick-and-rolls, they double-teamed him randomly on the block throughout the game and a couple times during the series. He's been doing a great job knowing when he could sometimes beat it, and knowing when they are coming in, finding that outlet out and letting us attack on the back side and also knowing when they are not coming. He's done a great job, for sure.&rdquo;
Despite a modest 11 attempts at the free-throw line, Giannis put plenty of pressure on the rim and continued to make a gigantic impact on the interior, including a pair of putback jams and a backtap off his own miss at the charity stripe that basically sealed the game. Giannis produced a 32-point, 9-rebound, 6-assist stat line.
Of course, we can&rsquo;t forget about the ice in Middleton&rsquo;s veins. It was a rather rocky start for Milwaukee&rsquo;s scoring assassin, making just one of his first seven shots and only having nine points at halftime. However, Middleton began to turn on the jets in the third quarter, cashing in on difficult look after difficult look. He was nailing threes, contested baseline mid-rangers, off-balance jumpers -- you name it. And when money time came around, Middleton delivered as he has in pivotal games all postseason long, notching 20 of his 29 points in the second half.
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Maybe the most important moment of the game was from the beginning of the second quarter to the 6:14 mark of the period. With Giannis on the bench, the Bucks cut the deficit all the way to three. Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis led the charge, bringing their impact from Milwaukee to the desert when the team needed it most. They had 18 points combined in the first half, with all 9 of Portis&rsquo; coming in that stretch.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Great momentum. We were able to keep our composure. We were making our shots, we were getting downhill and we were defending. We were down 16. That's what our team is about,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;You can go the other way and go, yeah, okay, this is not the night. No, we kept playing hard, especially that group that [led the comeback]. They kept moving the ball, kept getting open shots and they were knocking it down, too. They played great in that stretch.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think Coach has a feel for [the rotation] every game,&rdquo; Connaughton said. &ldquo;We have lineups that are in rhythm and making runs, and he kind of lets us ride. Oftentimes Giannis is in the game for those runs, but it just shows that we've got a true team and we have Giannis' back just like he has our back. We're moving the ball. We were playing defense. We were doing things that Bucks basketball does, so it doesn't really matter who is on the floor for it.&rdquo;
Offensive rebounding, timely triples and all-out defense were aplenty, especially from Connaughton. Any time the Suns would try to pull away, he would hit a three from the corner to settle Milwaukee down. When Booker wasn&rsquo;t nailing his patented, ridiculously tough middies, Connaughton was cutting him off and getting a hand in his face. His defensive tenacity was felt on the floor in a big way, and his teammates rewarded him for it on the other end.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He doesn't need the ball all the time,&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;He knocks down open shots. He's gritty. He gets there into the paint and offensive rebounds, big defensive rebounds, and he's one of those role players that honestly is reliable, one of the most reliable that we have on our team. Pat has been huge for us all year, and he'll continue to do that.&rdquo;
This felt like the first time in these Finals that the Bucks&rsquo; Big Three all clicked at once, particularly from an offensive production standpoint. There have been times where Giannis and Middleton had it going, with Holiday having an off shooting night. The same goes for Giannis and Holiday, with Middleton being somewhat cold. On this night, a series-altering Game 5 in a tied scenario, all three were on their A-game, and the bench duo of Connaughton and Portis provided a boost for the brief moments that they needed a jolt.
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The Bucks came up BIG in Game 5 🔥 Giannis: 32 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST Middleton: 29 PTS &amp; 7 REB Jrue: 27 PTS &amp; 13 AST <a href="https://t.co/mnvLSQ21Br">pic.twitter.com/mnvLSQ21Br</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1416607542445105152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;[It] makes everything more balanced and makes life easier for everybody,&rdquo; Khris Middleton said of when each of the Bucks&rsquo; Big Three has it going. &ldquo;Knowing that we play together and we have everybody clicking on all cylinders, we're tough to guard. Obviously on defense, we can click. We can switch and we know how to have each other's back. But when we are all playing well, we're one of the best teams, for sure.&rdquo;
Just one win stands in the way of a Bucks championship season. Now they&rsquo;re the ones who have to take care of business, while the Suns are playing the role of the desperate team with its back against the wall.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's a test. It's a big, big test,&rdquo; Giannis said of mentally preparing for a chance to end the series and win the Finals. &ldquo;You've got to enjoy the moment. We have to enjoy the moment. Winning a game on the road, we have to enjoy the moment. But the job is not done. We have to realize that. We have got to stay in the present. It doesn't mean we are going to go back home and win Game 6. Probably Phoenix thought the same thing: They were going to come back home and win Game 5. Come to Milwaukee, try to win again.
"But we've got to stay humble. We've got to be in the present and stay humble as much as possible. When this team is humble, this team is very, very dangerous. I feel we play at our best when we are humble. There's steps to it. When the game starts, we have to take it a possession at a time and hopefully we can be in a position to win the game. If we are in a good position to win the game, we have great closers on our team -- Jrue, Khris, me -- that we have an opportunity to win the game.&rdquo;
How quickly things can change.
&ldquo;We don't really care if it's Bucks in whatever [amount of games]; we just want it to be Bucks, right,&rdquo; Connaughton said. &ldquo;I think it's been great to rally the fan base. I think they have actually had it for a few years, so it's been a cool thing to hear and see. But at the end of the day, we go out there every single night trying to win, trying to represent the city of Milwaukee to the best of our ability. We've got to do it again. The job's not done. It was a great win tonight. We had each other's backs and there was ebbs and flows to the game that I think really brought us together and showed us that we can fight through adversity. But we've still got one more.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It means a lot. But I can't get too carried away. I have to stay in the present. I can't worry about the outcome,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;Obviously we know what the deal is. It's one game away from being an NBA champ, being in the history of this game, being always there. You know, nobody can take that away from you. Doing it in front of our families and our fans, it's big. It's going to be big. That can wait. We've got to focus and keep playing good basketball. We've got to go back home and we've got to recover...There's steps to it before the game.
&ldquo;If we do all these things right and we are disciplined, once the game starts and we play good basketball and we have the energy of the fans because we know they are going to be loud, and we have an opportunity to win the NBA championship, it's going to be amazing to do it in front of our fans.&rdquo;
Game 6 is set for tip-off at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET
For Game 1 observations from the Bucks' perspective,&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-finals-observations-milwaukee-bucks-game-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-finals-observations-milwaukee-bucks-game-1" data-sk="tooltip_parent">click here</a>. For Game 2 observations from the Bucks' perspective,&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spectacular-giannis-antetokounmpo-not-enough-with-clunkers-from-milwaukee-bucks-teammates-in-nba-finals-game-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spectacular-giannis-antetokounmpo-not-enough-with-clunkers-from-milwaukee-bucks-teammates-in-nba-finals-game-2" data-sk="tooltip_parent">click here</a>. For Game 3 observations from the Bucks' perspective,&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/milwaukee-bucks-outhustle-outmuscle-phoenix-suns-behind-strength-and-length-of-giannis-antetokounmpo-in-game-3-nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/milwaukee-bucks-outhustle-outmuscle-phoenix-suns-behind-strength-and-length-of-giannis-antetokounmpo-in-game-3-nba-finals" data-sk="tooltip_parent">click here</a>. For Game 4 observations from the Bucks' perspective, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/giannis-antetokounmpo-khris-middleton-show-same-resiliency-as-mentally-tough-milwaukee-bucks-top-phoenix-suns-game-4-nba-finals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

Spencer Davies shares his takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' win in Game 5 over the Phoenix Suns.

Bucks' Big Three clicks, same mental toughness shows in Game 5 win

Nekias Duncan provides scouting reports for the Suns and Los Clippers for their Western Conference Finals matchup.

Scouting Report: How the Clippers and Suns will defend each other

With the team facing elimination, the Los Angeles Lakers' team doctors cleared Anthony Davis last night to return for their critical Game 6 matchup with the Phoenix Suns.
After five-and-a-half minutes of grimacing, limping and straining up and down the court, he fell to the ground writhing in pain. As soon as he stepped on the court, anybody with eyes could see that he wasn&rsquo;t healthy.
During that stretch, Turner Sports journalist and broadcaster Taylor Rooks tweeted, "Y&rsquo;all gotta take AD out." To which <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1400659703957438465?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I responded</a>, "They should&rsquo;ve never put AD in."
NBA fans across the world witnessed what would have been a story of triumph. One for the archives of NBA history. It's easy to imagine the storyline that could've been.
Facing elimination in the NBA playoffs and down 3-2 in the series to Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Davis had the dedication and passion, summoning his inner Mamba Mentality to exhibit superhuman perseverance -- and in heroic fashion, Davis saved the Los Angeles Lakers' season, propelling them to victory and solidifying this as one of the greatest displays of resilience in the history of the NBA on the way to another championship. 
Graphic designers for the media companies probably would&rsquo;ve drawn a picture of AD with a Superman emblem on his chest and a cape under his Lakers uniform.
People love stories of heroics. Isiah Thomas hobbling around on one foot in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals against the Lakers and scoring 25 points in the third quarter, or Willis Reed walking out of the tunnel for the New York Knicks on his bum ankle in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals.
Everything was set up for Kevin Durant to be added to that list in 2019... until it didn't happen.
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High school, college and professional coaches across the country were just salivating to be able to use this as an example to their players, to enforce the philosophy that &ldquo;pain is weakness leaving your body." They would&rsquo;ve used AD as an example to young athletes that the game, not your health, is what matters most. And a real &ldquo;team player&rdquo; would sacrifice a &ldquo;little discomfort&rdquo; for the good of the team.
(Editor's Note: Etan, David West, Chamique Holdsclaw, James Posey, Rushia Brown, Mo Evans, Jahidi White, Cody Toppert and the BBN staff approached the subject of injuries, team doctors, getting a second opinion and more in a roundtable discussion. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-veterans-discuss-injuries-team-doctors-second-opinion-etan-thomas-james-posey-maurice-evans-chamique-holdsclaw-kevin-durant-greg-oden-danny-granger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read that conversation in its entirety</a>.)
I have seen this all before.
During my tenure with the Washington Wizards, I witnessed team trainer Eric Waters misdiagnose player after player, because what was best for the Wizards organization was for those players to play.
I saw the team tell Jarvis Hayes that he simply had a case of tendinitis in his knee, and had him playing through the pain; it turned out he had a broken knee cap, which ruined his entire career.
I saw him tell Kwame Brown that Kwame was just experiencing a &ldquo;little discomfort&rdquo; in his leg, and that he needed to play through the pain to show everyone that he was worthy of being the No. 1 pick; later, it turned out that Kwame actually had a torn hamstring.
I saw Eric Waters tell Gilbert Arenas that nothing was &ldquo;structurally wrong&rdquo; with his knee and he needed to show toughness and be a leader; it turned out Gilbert needed surgery and injured his knee worse by playing on it.
I saw him tell DeShawn Stevenson there was nothing seriously wrong with his back, and had him getting ice and stim and playing through the pain. After the season, upon further review by an outside doctor, it was discovered that DeShawn actually had an Inflamed L5 Nerve that was stuck underneath a disc that required not one, but two back surgeries to repair.
My point in saying all of this is not to simply blast Eric Waters, but to show that this happens all the time in professional sports. With team doctors and trainers, there is a conflict of interest, and the sworn medical oath becomes blurred and affects their diagnoses. They are hired by the teams, and are in essence employees of the organization -- not employees of the players. So they don&rsquo;t have the players' best interests in mind, typically; they only have the organizations'.
The Los Angeles Lakers medical staff basically RG3&rsquo;d Anthony Davis. They &ldquo;Any Given Sunday'd" him. They Eric Waters&rsquo;d him.
He shouldn&rsquo;t have been playing, period.
The risks outweighed the rewards. Even from a team standpoint, this is one of your franchise players. This is a player who has the capability of single-handedly turning an entire NBA Finals series around en route to a championship. This is a player that you should do everything in your power to convince him how important he is long term.
However, what the Lakers showed was the exact opposite. I don&rsquo;t care if Davis insisted on playing; they should&rsquo;ve have the medical integrity to tell him no. On Inside The NBA on TNT, Charles Barkley said, &ldquo;The doctors cleared him to play? They&rsquo;re gonna need some better doctors."
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But the Lakers aren&rsquo;t the only ones. This happens all the time. I hope all young players see this and learn that no matter what the circumstance is or how big the game is, your health always comes first, and you ALWAYS get a second opinion from your own doctors that have nothing to do with the organization, as Kawhi Leonard wisely did in San Antonio in the 2017-18 season.
Interestingly enough, a few nights ago on the same platform, the same Charles Barkley <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVobMhM0nSk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made fun of Anthony Davis for frequently being injured</a> and coined the phrase, "Anthony 'Street Clothes' Davis.&rdquo; Kendrick Perkins, a former player-turned-media member at ESPN, tweeted that Charles needs to "pick a damn side" regarding the situation.
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Somebody tell Charles Barkley to pick a damn side. He&rsquo;s &ldquo;Street Clothes&rdquo; Davis when he sits out and he&rsquo;s ridiculing the medical team for letting him play when he tries to play through it! Damn if you do, damn if you don&rsquo;t!
&mdash; Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1400664393910784002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Interesting that the media will ridicule a player for being injured, and then act surprised when he succumbs to the pressure of playing in a key game and risking injuring himself worse.
I remember watching Grant Hill. He was about to literally take over the league.
People were calling him out for not playing hurt. Said he was soft, etc. etc., just like they were saying about AD in this playoff series. The Orlando medical staff derailed Grant&rsquo;s entire career.
Another example is the young Isaiah Thomas. He shouldn&rsquo;t have been playing in Boston in the 2017 playoffs, but he played, ended up hurting himself more, ended up needing surgery, cost himself $100 million, came back and played after losing his sister in a tragic accident. What did the Celtics do after all of that? They traded him that summer because they knew about his injury and knew that he needed surgery.
Kyrie Irving, while playing for Boston, went and got a second opinion and said he needed surgery on his left knee just one year after the Thomas situation; the Celtics' doctors didn&rsquo;t tell Kyrie that he needed surgery, so he had surgery on his own and came back the next year strong.
There is a reccurring theme here.
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I saw many responses on social media of people (usually non-athletes) saying that Anthony Davis made the decision himself to go into the game, so anything that happens is his fault and not the organization&rsquo;s -- but it&rsquo;s not that simple.&nbsp;The onus shouldn&rsquo;t be placed on the athlete&rsquo;s shoulders. Of course athletes are going to want to play, but it shouldn&rsquo;t be up to them.
A solution to this league-wide issue was suggested to me by a lawyer by the name of Marlon Amprey. He explained that the Players Association should assemble a group of outside doctors/specialists (or specific doctors/specialists the player suggests) that have no connection to the team whatsoever, and will provide second &amp; third opinions and give players detailed reports on their health and risk of injury. All doctors&rsquo; reports given by teams that drastically differ should go under review, and there should be repercussions for team doctors and trainers who medically clear players who shouldn&rsquo;t be medically cleared to play.
The bottom line is, if you're injured, any organization will throw you out there in a heartbeat if they feel it is best for the organization. They will publicly criticize you if you don&rsquo;t play, and if you play and re-injure yourself worse -- or just don&rsquo;t play up to their expectations (as if they don&rsquo;t know your playing injured) -- they will get rid of you in a New York minute.
Just like The Washington Football team did with Robert Griffin III and just like the Washington Wizards did with Jarvis Hayes.

Etan Thomas goes in-depth on the Lakers' reckless decision to clear Anthony Davis to play in Game 6 and utilizes firsthand examples to show why.

Irresponsible Lakers medical team could have RG3'd Anthony Davis

The first two games of the Knicks-Hawks first-round series were tense and tight. Games 1 and 2 were within five points in the final five minutes, just like all three regular-season matchups. And, it could be argued, if R.J. Barrett collects the loose ball that bounced off his shoulder at the end of Game 1 -- instead of Bogdan Bogdanović scooping it up and promptly nailing a back-breaking three-pointer -- the Knicks might have grabbed a 2-0 series lead.
However, in the two contests in Atlanta over the weekend, the Knicks were simply outclassed, with the Hawks outscoring New York by a combined 28 points.
Heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night, the Knicks face a massive challenge. The Hawks&rsquo; 3-1 stranglehold on the series seems insurmountable. But if New York can win on Wednesday, they'd put plenty of pressure on a young Atlanta team, as the Hawks would need to beat the Knicks in Game 6 to avoid heading back to a rowdy and raucous Madison Square Garden for Game 7.
The 2020-21 season has been a wildly enjoyable ride for this team and its fans, but ending the campaign with a whimper would be disheartening.
So, how can New York flip the momentum and get back on track? Well, it starts with stopping Atlanta's diminutive but dominant point guard.
Trae Young has eviscerated the Knicks (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-no-real-answer-for-trae-young" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as our Nekias Duncan detailed here</a>). In the Hawks&rsquo; Game 1 victory, Young racked up 32 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds -- incredibly impressive numbers for a player making his postseason debut. In fact, only one player in NBA history has matched or exceeded those totals in those categories in his first career playoff game: LeBron James in 2006.
Young is currently averaging a series-high 27.5 points and 10.0 assists. To put those stats in historical context, he is just the third player in league history to average at least 27 points and 10 dimes over his first four career playoff appearances, according to Basketball-Reference. The other two members of this exclusive club are Oscar Roberston and Stephen Curry.
It's obvious, but the direct correlation between Young's performance and the Hawks&rsquo; success is indisputable. Including the playoffs, Young has scored at least 32 points on 18 different occasions this season, and Atlanta is 17-1 in those games. Conversely, there have been 18 games in which Young scored fewer than 20 points, and the Hawks are 8-10 in those contests.
When looking to limit Young's scoring opportunities, there are undoubtedly defensive adjustments that should be explored, such as forcing him to his left more frequently. New York should also look to blitz Atlanta's pick-and-rolls, making Young pass to open teammates, thus forcing other Hawks to beat them. During the regular season, the Hawks were below .500 (13-15) in games in which Young dished out double-digit assists, while Atlanta went 13-5 when he handed out fewer than eight helpers.
Considering Young has skewered everyone the Knicks have thrown at him, Coach Tom Thibodeau should consider letting Frank Ntilikina, arguably the team's best perimeter defender, take a crack at pressing and hounding Young 94 feet for an extended stretch.
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New York may also want to experiment with occasionally going under screens and allowing Young to fire away from a few feet from behind the arc. Yes, Young can drain long-distance daggers, but his forays into the paint have absolutely crippled the Knicks. While he is talented enough to catch fire at any time, Young shot just 34.4% from three-point territory (below the league average) during the regular season and has converted a modest 36.7% of his attempts from deep in this series.
Ultimately, however, the key to slowing Young down offensively may be compelling him to expend a great deal of energy on the other end of the floor. Far too often throughout this series, the Knicks have allowed Young to hang out in the corner, hide and rest on the defensive end.
Young attempted 43 shots over the first two games of this series, yet the player(s) Young was guarding attempted only 12 shots while he was the primary defender.
Running high-pick-and-rolls to force Young into mismatches should have been a staple of the New York offense right from the opening tip of Game 1. Instead of allowing him to shadow Reggie Bullock, Young should have been forced to try and guard Derrick Rose or Barrett, at least occasionally.
Heading into this series, in the seven regular-season games Barrett had played against the Hawks in his career, he was guarded by Young on 27 offensive possessions and scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting (88.8%).
Even if Young were able to switch out of unfavorable matchups, forcing him into pick-and-roll action would allow the Knicks bigs such as Julius Randle or Taj Gibson to put a shoulder into Young while he attempted to fight over screens.
The Knicks&rsquo; unwillingness to attack Young has infuriated fans. Over the first three games of the series, according to Second Spectrum tracking, the Knick that Young was guarding set a grand total of just 14 ball-screens.&nbsp;
Not only would making Young work defensively sap some of his energy, but it might also lead to foul trouble for the Hawks&rsquo; top gun. That's precisely what happened in the first half of Game 4.
New York made more of a concerted effort to have Young navigate screens, and it resulted in the young point guard picking up his third foul before the end of the second quarter, sending him to the bench.
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This is what happens when Bullock sets a solid screen, forcing Young to guard D Rose. Easy buckets. Not complicated. Now that Young will start the 3rd quarter with three fouls, literally no excuse not to run high pick and rolls almost every time down the floor to start the half <a href="https://t.co/gnjzo9QOAH">pic.twitter.com/gnjzo9QOAH</a>
&mdash; Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1399066061425811460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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However, New York didn't press the issue enough in the third quarter, and the Hawks ran the Knicks out of the gym. Even when New York incorporated action targeting Young (including via some well-designed Horns sets), they didn't make him pay, due to either indecisiveness by the ball-handler or ineffectiveness by the shot taker.
Still, make no mistake, if the Knicks have a prayer of getting back in this series, they'll need to wear Young down by making him labor on both ends of the court.
In non-Young-related news, the Knicks need to make shots. Sometimes, it's that simple. New York knocked down 39.2% of their three-point attempts during the regular season, tying them with the Brooklyn Nets for the second-highest percentage in the league. And, over the final month of the season (a 17-game stretch), New York converted over 44% of their three-ball attempts. In the postseason, that number has dropped all the way down to 32.8%.
Of the 15 teams still alive in the playoffs, the Knicks rank dead last in Offensive Efficiency, averaging just 103.1 points per 100 possessions.
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The main culprit, of course, has been Julius Randle. The recipient of the league's Most Improved Player award, Randle has crumbled under the pressure of the postseason and the Hawks&rsquo; trapping defensive schemes. One of the reasons Randle's regression has been so surprising is the remarkable success he had enjoyed vs. Atlanta.&nbsp;
During the three games he played against the Hawks during the regular season, Randle scored 112 points on 36-of-62 shooting (58.1%).
During the first four games of the Knicks-Hawks playoff series, Randle has scored 67 points on 20-of-73 shooting (27.4%).
According to Basketball-Reference, Randle is the first player in nearly 50 years to attempt more than 70 shots and make 20 or fewer over the first four games of a postseason series.&nbsp;
Part of his struggles can be attributed to Atlanta's adjustments, but Randle has also missed shots he made throughout the year. According to NBA.com's player-tracking data, he is just 1-of-7 (14.3%) on "wide-open" jumpers (no defender within six feet) in this series, and 8-of-29 (27.6%) on "open" field-goal attempts (closest defender within four-to-six feet). Randle shot 45% and 44.4%, respectively, on those types of shots during the regular season.
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In hopes of unleashing the MIP version of Randle, Thibodeau should experiment by pairing him with Obi Toppin. The rookie forward has been one of the team's few bright spots, and shifting Randle to a small-ball 5 could potentially help space the floor, enabling him to attack the basket via straight-line drives.&nbsp;
"Right now, we're at the point where everything is on the table," Thibodeau said after Game 4.
Barrett played relatively well in Game 4, but his struggles have hampered the Knicks as well. Barrett is shooting below 40% from the floor and just 27% from downtown for the series.
Like Randle, Barrett has missed makeable shots. Against Atlanta, Barrett is 5-for-22 (22.7%) on open or wide-open jumpers. During the regular season, he converted those attempts at a 40% clip. Defensively, the Knicks are allowing more than 113 points per 100 possessions with Barrett on the floor.
Reggie Bullock has been an essential piece for New York all season, but it's hard to imagine a player having a worse performance than he had in Game 4. Bullock was abused defensively by Young all afternoon, missed all the field goals he attempted (0-for-4), set weak, ineffective screens, and had a killer turnover on a fastbreak in the third quarter. For the series, Bullock is shooting below 38% from the field and below 29% from three-point range.
Immanuel Quickley provided a spark for the Knicks in Game 1, just as he has all season, but the rookie has been missing in action since. Over the past three contests, IQ is 4-of-20 from the floor, including 0-of-7 from three-point range.
In addition to their team-wide accuracy from downtown, another secret to New York's success during the regular season was their ability to defend the three-point line. The Knicks held opponents to a league-low 33.7% from downtown. However, the Hawks are shooting over 38% from behind the arc in this series.
Following the Knicks&rsquo; Game 4 defeat, Taj Gibson told reporters: "Guys are optimistic. We've been counted out the whole year, so this is really nothing new."
On Wednesday night, we'll see what kind of adjustments Thibodeau (who has been outcoached all series) incorporates in an effort to stave off elimination and keep the Knicks&rsquo; season alive.

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Nearly 11 months after the 2019-20 NBA G League season was suspended and ultimately canceled, the league has formulated a plan for 2021. Here is everything you need to know about the new G League season.
The Location:
The success of the NBA bubble set the precedent for the G League's return. Like the NBA, all G League games will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL (just outside of Orlando).
The Teams:
Not every NBA team decided to send their G League affiliate to the new bubble. This will give the newly-formed G League Ignite team (which features top NBA prospects who are part of the professional path program) a chance to play their very first season alongside the following 17 teams:
Agua Caliente Clippers (Los Angeles Clippers affiliate) Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs affiliate; formerly Columbus Riverdragons, Austin Toros) Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers affiliate; formerly Huntsville Flight, Albuquerque Thunderbirds, New Mexico Thunderbirds) Delaware Bluecoats (Philadelphia 76ers affiliate; formerly Utah Flash, Delaware 87ers) Erie BayHawks (New Orleans Pelicans affiliate) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Indiana Pacers affiliate)&nbsp; Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets affiliate) Iowa Wolves (Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate; formerly Iowa Energy) Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic affiliate; formerly Erie BayHawks) Long Island Nets (Brooklyn Nets affiliate) Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies affiliate) Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder affiliate; formerly Asheville Altitude, Tulsa 66ers) Raptors 905 (Toronto Raptors affiliate) Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets affiliate) Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz affiliate; formerly Idaho Stampede) Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors affiliate; formerly Dakota Wizards) Westchester Knicks (New York Knicks affiliate)
The following teams have opted OUT of the G League bubble:
Capital City Go-Go (Washington Wizards affiliate) College Park Skyhawks (Atlanta Hawks affiliate; formerly Erie BayHawks) Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit Pistons affiliate; formerly Anaheim Arsenal, Springfield Armor) Maine Red Claws (Boston Celtics affiliate) Northern Arizona Suns (Phoenix Suns affiliate; formerly Long Beach Jam, Bakersfield Jam) Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat affiliate) South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers affiliate; formerly Los Angeles D-Fenders) Stockton Kings (Sacramento Kings affiliate; formerly Reno Bighorns) Texas Legends (Dallas Mavericks affiliate; formerly Colorado 14ers) Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls affiliate) Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks affiliate)
NOTE: The Mexico City Capitanes, formerly of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, were slated to begin the five-year experiment of having a G League team outside of Canada or the U.S. The bubble format has pushed this timeline back, and the Capitanes will not be playing with the G League in Florida.
The Format:
Each of the 18 participating teams will play a minimum of 15 games. The top eight teams will advance through single-elimination playoff rounds until a champion is named for the season.&nbsp;
The Rules:
With the inability to have two-way players safely transition between the parent and affiliate teams -- or to send players from the parent team down on assignment -- the G League has implemented new rules to ensure a smooth and simple season that still produces maximum benefits for its players.
Two-Way Players:
Rather than the previously allotted 45-day maximum, two-way players will now be eligible to spend 50 of the 72 regular-season games with their parent team. This ensures that the days are not &ldquo;used up&rdquo; without the player ever stepping on the court. The salary for two-way players was adjusted for the 2021 season, and is now a flat $449,155 rather than a prorated salary dependent on days of service.&nbsp;
Teams that do not have an active affiliate participating in the G League bubble will be allowed to send both two-way players and roster players on assignment to the G League bubble.&nbsp;
The Jeremy Lin Rule:
After an attempt to acquire NBA champion Jeremy Lin fell through for the Santa Cruz Warriors due to his FIBA clearance, the NBA and G League created a new rule that allows NBA teams to fill one G League roster spot with an NBA veteran who has at least five years of experience. This rule allows Lin to sign with the G League itself (instead of a specific designated team) and to be assigned to a roster where he would fill a need -- in this case, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Lin is not the only former NBA player to take advantage of the newly created loophole, as Nik Stauskas has signed with the G League via the same avenue in order to play for his hometown Raptors 905.&nbsp;
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Health and Safety:
The health and safety protocols of the NBA bubble were so successful that they are being implemented in their entirety into the G League bubble. Mask wearing, social distancing, enhanced cleaning and sanitization methods -- plus regular COVID testing -- should ensure the bubble and everyone in it is kept coronavirus free.&nbsp;
The Draft:
The G League draft will be held on Monday, Jan. 11. Only the 17 teams participating in the bubble, excluding the Ignite, will be eligible to draft players. The draft is three rounds and will be conducted via Zoom. G League teams who already have a complete roster or have used the Jeremy Lin Rule will not be required to use their available draft picks and can forego all remaining picks in the draft. Players signed using the Jeremy Lin Rule will not be required to enter the draft pool.&nbsp;
Notable players who have declared for the G League draft include: Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, Emeka Okafor, Terrence Jones, Shabazz Muhammad, Mario Chalmers, Festus Ezeli, Vander Blue, Marquis Teague, Allonzo Trier, Admiral Schofield, Antonio Blakeney, Justin Patton, Kenny Wooten, Jacob Evans, Tyler Ulis, Cat Barber, Isaiah Briscoe, Phil Booth, Terry Armstrong, Diamond Stone, Quincy Pondexter, Shawne Williams, Freddie Gillespie, Dusty Hannahs, Hollis Thompson, Jemerrio Jones, Cory Jefferson, Deonte Burton, Charles Cooke, CJ Fair, Gary Payton II, Shamorie Ponds and Chris Walker among others.&nbsp;
Players that were waived by a team prior to the new season are also draft eligible. Like the NBA, once a player is waived, his rights no longer belong to his former team -- thus becoming a G League free agent. Players who have signed overseas with rights still held by their former G League teams are also eligible to rejoin that team and circumvent the draft.&nbsp;
The Date:
The G League schedule has not been released yet, but teams have been given a tentative start date of Feb. 8. While this would usually be at the same time as the NBA All-Star Break, the late start to the NBA season moved the All-Star break back to the beginning of March.&nbsp;
All NBA G League games are streamed on Twitch and <a href="https://gleague.nba.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the G League's website</a>.

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