Mighty Oaks

Minnesota ends LA&rsquo;s season in 5-game shocker despite being huge underdogs going into the series
The Minnesota Timberwolves weren&rsquo;t supposed to be here.
According to ESPN&rsquo;s panel of 10 analysts, not one picked them to win their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Most had the Lakers in five, six, or seven games. On paper, the Timberwolves were outmatched: LeBron James and Luka Doncic led a top-heavy but star-studded Lakers team expected to steamroll their way to the second round.
Instead, Minnesota didn&rsquo;t just win the series &ndash; they dominated it. Minnesota capitalized on team chemistry and strategic execution to control the series.
The Timberwolves' victories were marked by consistent performances:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Game 1: 117&ndash;95 win in Los Angeles</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Game 3: 116&ndash;104 win in Minnesota</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Game 4: 116&ndash;113 win in Minnesota</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Game 5: 103&ndash;96 win in Los Angeles</li>
</ul>
Their only loss came in Game 2, a 94&ndash;85 defeat.
The Timberwolves dismantled the Lakers in five games, closing them out with a tough Game 5 win on the road. Minnesota outplayed Los Angeles in every area of the game: they were quicker in transition, stronger on the glass, sharper in their sets, and more connected defensively. It was a comprehensive, no-doubt-about-it series win &mdash; the kind that turns skeptics into believers.
<h3>&ldquo;Nobody picked us. We saw everything.&rdquo;</h3>
That&rsquo;s what Anthony Edwards said after Game 5, and he wasn&rsquo;t exaggerating. The Timberwolves were largely disrespected in national discourse heading into the playoffs, viewed as a feel-good story after an up-and-down regular season rather than a real threat. But inside the locker room, that doubt was fuel. The Timberwolves took it personally, and they responded with purpose.
In five games, the Timberwolves held the Lakers to just 103.2 points per game, the second-lowest mark of any team in the first round. They crushed them on the boards (+8.4 per game), generated more fastbreak points (+6.6 per game), and executed cleaner offensive sets, often using misdirection to manipulate LA&rsquo;s defense and create clean looks.
Minnesota&rsquo;s identity &ndash; defensive toughness, ball movement, and unselfish play &ndash; never wavered. And it overwhelmed a Laker team that relied too heavily on isolation from LeBron and Luka.
Julius Randle flips the narrative
No Timberwolf had more to prove entering this postseason than Julius Randle.
Traded for Karl-Anthony Towns at the deadline, Randle arrived in Minnesota with a cloud of playoff failure hovering over him. His previous stints with the Knicks were marred by inefficient scoring and defensive lapses. But this time, the moment didn&rsquo;t swallow him.
Randle was tremendous throughout the series, averaging 22.6 points and 7.8 rebounds on 49% shooting. He scored 20+ points in four of the five games and was particularly vital when Edwards got blitzed in pick-and-rolls or trapped off the catch. He became Minnesota&rsquo;s release valve &mdash; someone who could isolate against mismatches, hit midrange shots, and punish switches.
In Game 5, Randle posted 23 points and 5 boards, matching the Lakers&rsquo; physicality and responding to every mini-run with a tough bucket. It was a performance that not only helped close the door on LA but also redefined how people talk about him as a playoff performer.
Jaden McDaniels: From role player to a solid 3rd option
Jaden McDaniels has always been known for his defense. But in this series, he showed off the other side of his game.
McDaniels averaged 17.4 points in the five games &ndash; a significant jump from his regular-season average of 10.1. His 30-point outburst in Game 3 was the breakout moment, but it was the consistency that stood out more. He hit spot-up threes, attacked closeouts, and even created off the dribble when needed.
Defensively, he was the primary Luka Doncic defender in most matchups and made life difficult for the 26-year-old superstar. McDaniels&rsquo; ability to be a two-way presence gives Minnesota a third dynamic option &ndash; something every championship team needs.
The bench unit made its mark and proved itself
Minnesota's bench unit, featuring Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker &ndash; arguably the best in the league &ndash; came through for Minnesota.
Reid, DiVincenzo, and Alexander-Walker formed the best second unit in the series &mdash; and perhaps in the league. Reid chipped in 11.6 points per game in all 5 games off the bench, providing floor spacing and physicality as the backup big. DiVincenzo, the 2022 NBA champion, brought his usual defensive energy, three-point shooting, and smart cuts, while Alexander-Walker hit timely shots and proved to be an elite on-ball defender.
All three could start for most NBA teams. Together, they gave Minnesota an edge that the Lakers simply couldn&rsquo;t match when their stars sat. Their collective impact underscored the Timberwolves' depth and resilience, and together with veteran starter Mike Conley (who also hit a big shot late in Game 5), the Timberwolves ended up winning the series.
Gobert finds his moment
Rudy Gobert was quiet in the first four games of the series, which was borderline ineffective at times.
But in Game 5, with Edwards struggling and LA blitzing every ball screen, Gobert reminded everyone why Minnesota traded for him. He finished with 27 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks on 11-of-13 shooting. It was his best playoff performance in years, and it couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time.
Gobert&rsquo;s physicality in the paint overwhelmed the Lakers&rsquo; smaller frontcourt, and his offensive rebounding (eight) created second-chance opportunities that swung the game. While he may not be the focal point every night, this was a reminder that when locked in and depending on matchups, he can still change games.
Anthony Edwards, the flamboyant superstar
Even with a 0-for-11 night from three in Game 5, Anthony Edwards was the best player in the series.
He averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists &ndash; but stats don&rsquo;t tell the whole story. He controlled the tempo, made the right reads when doubled, and never let the moment get too big. His Game 4 masterpiece &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists on the road &ndash; was the most dominant single performance of the series.
This wasn&rsquo;t just a great young player having a good stretch. This was a future face-of-the-league moment. In a series featuring LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Edwards looked like the best player on the floor. The passing of the torch isn&rsquo;t always clean or scripted. But it felt like it happened here. Edwards, over his last 2 playoff runs, has knocked out Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic. Now that&rsquo;s an impressive playoff resume at just 23 years old, and he&rsquo;s likely going to add more in the years to come.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
Beating the Lakers wasn&rsquo;t just about advancing to the next round. It was about validation. It was about shedding the underdog label. It was about proving that this Timberwolves team isn&rsquo;t some overachieving feel-good story &ndash; they&rsquo;re a legitimate contender that can go deep into the playoffs this season.
Minnesota&rsquo;s identity is strong, their chemistry is undeniable, and their defense travels. With Edwards emerging, Randle stepping up, McDaniels evolving, and the bench thriving, the Timberwolves just sent a loud howl to the rest of the NBA.

The Timberwolves stunned the Lakers in a dominant 5-game series win, behind Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and a deep bench unit.

Underdog Timberwolves upset Lakers behind Edwards, Randle, and elite bench

If you missed Friday night's fever dream between the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, I highly recommend finding a way to catch up. Fire up League Pass, see if NBA TV is showing a re-run soon, go to YouTube. Do something.&nbsp;
We're not seeing another 176-175 in double overtime anytime soon. At the very least, I find it hard to believe we will.
That game had everything: Kawhi Leonard (44-4-4-3-2) going off, De'Aaron Fox (42-5-12-5) <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-sacramento-kings-deaaron-fox-early-frontrunner-nba-clutch-player-of-the-year-award-race-kevin-huerter-domantas-sabonis-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-jalen-brunson-demar-derozan-shai-gilgeous-alexander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reaffirming his lead in the Clutch Player of the Year race</a>, a career-night from Malik Monk (45 points and 6 assists), Paul George (34-10-5) losing his mind before losing the ball over and over and over again. A Russell Westbrook debut befitting of the future Hall of Famer: 17 points, 14 assists (7 turnovers) and 6 fouls with the Clippers winning his minutes by three points.&nbsp;
Insane three-point shooting, bully-ball post-ups, transition exploits, and ultimately, history. It's the second-highest scoring NBA game of all-time, and the first time in NBA history that a game went into overtime with both teams having at least 150 points beforehand.&nbsp;
The Kings probably aren't in position to potentialy force overtime without the Clippers' turnover-fest &mdash; and Fox's defensive masterclass &mdash; within the last three minutes of the game. And we certainly don't get the overtime without Monk's three from the right corner with 1.1 seconds left.&nbsp;
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It's a tremendous mix of "what a play call" and "what are the Clippers doing" &mdash; enough that it warrants a breakdown of the play. Let's talk about what happened, and why it happened.
As Mark Jones expertly calls out during the mayhem, the Kings are trying to set up a "Hammer" on the weakside for Monk. The tell for the "Hammer" would be the late screen being set by Keegan Murray as Monk flows to the corner. The setup beforehand, however, is pretty important.&nbsp;
Monk tests the Clippers early by setting a brush screen for Fox right after the inbound. On three occasions before this moment, Monk set early-in-the-clock screens for Fox, with the Clippers opting to switch. Even in the second instance &mdash; a Fox triple &mdash; you can see Terance Mann dropping down in anticipation of a switch.&nbsp;
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As Monk comes across, George subtly grabs Monk. Westbrook turns and hovers around the nail at that moment. A favorable (but ultimately inexcusable) interpretation of Westbrook's actions would be him viewing Paul's grab as a sign he was getting ready to switch, thus making Fox the priority of Westbrook.
But even with Westbrook ultimately making the wrong read, the Clippers had chances to avoid disaster. With Westbrook at the nail, Nicolas Batum had the opportunity to pick up Monk as he made his way around the right wing.&nbsp;
More pressing is what Norm Powell does. He drops down from the weakside corner, showing help against the empty corner ball screen being "ran" by Fox and Domantas Sabonis. If he does that in the second quarter, you don't really blink. Doing so when the Kings are down three, with no timeouts, is an unfortunate lapse in judgment.&nbsp;
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From here, you have to give credit to Monk. On a basic level, he drills the most important shot of the game to that point. What's going under the radar was the read he made in space.
Instead of mindlessly following the playcall and pumping the brakes in the corner, he reads Fox. He drifts back to his left as Fox continues his drive on the baseline, creating the passing window needed for Fox to find him. His movement also makes it impossible for Powell to recover, and puts him in a spot where Westbrook can't really bother him with a contest.&nbsp;
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It was a brilliant play call from the Kings that, intentionally or not, targeted the most questionable off-ball defenders the Clippers had on the court at that time. Westbrook had to defend the inbound pass and the first action of the play; Powell had to navigate things on the back end, with him ultimately going gameplan over time and score.&nbsp;
For more on Monk's impact on the Kings, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-malik-monk-infectious-energy-breathing-life-into-sacramento-kings-mike-brown-chimezie-metu-deaaron-fox-harrison-barnes-davion-mitchell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out this excellent feature</a> from our Spencer Davies where he sat down with Monk and his teammates.

Last night's Kings-Clippers game made NBA history. Nekias Duncan breaks down the most important play: Malik Monk's OT-forcing three.

Explain One Play: How Malik Monk extended a wild Kings-Clippers game

The NBA sphere, in many respects, drives its conversations with numbers. They can range from the simple eye-popping box score to the intricate advanced data that power decisions and add context about the evolution of the game.
However, we often lose sight of just how those statistics get noted and validated. As evidenced by this weekend's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-what-happens-if-you-dont-believe-the-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">buzzing Jaren Jackson Jr. Reddit conspiracy</a>, most fans and even insiders don't fully grasp how complicated the league's record-keeping process can be. The NBA is far removed from the days of one-person, hand-tracked stacking; technology and checks and balances help keep the league on top of its array of tracked data points.
Neema Djavadzadeh spent the 2021-22 season working as a stats auditor for the NBA and G League. He worked over 400 G League contests and approximately 20-30 NBA games as part of the gameday statskeeping crew. The G League's process is a bit more straightforward, but it still requires a team of auditors.
"With the G League, it involved watching game film and making sure stats were correct," Djavadzadeh told Basketball News. "We had an audit-review system that involved one person on the team auditing the stats, and then another reviewing the audits and making changes accordingly. Then, someone higher up would comb through all the edits to make final confirmation. In total, it was six people working on this for the G League."
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At the highest level, the tracking process has several layers. Here's how Djavadzadeh describes the repetition of recording stats throughout an NBA game:
<ol>
<li class="iw">A play/tracked event occurs on the court.</li>
<li class="iw">A courtside "caller" alerts a "primary" person who inputs basic stats.</li>
<li class="iw">The primary logs a basic stat, while a "secondary" notes descriptive characteristics, such as location on the floor.</li>
<li class="iw">One or two "tertiaries" then watch a slightly delayed recording of the play to confirm or correct the stats entered.</li>
<li class="iw">After that, a crew in the league's Seacaucus, NJ, headquarters double-checks and corrects stats. They can discuss corrections with the courtside team. If both teams agree on a correction, it is made, and if they disagree, no change is made at first. Either way, those communications are logged and then again checked by a "Kirk" (another auditor).&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
"Everything is basically confirmed 4-5 times," Djavadzadeh said. "The Kirks are also normally watching the game on their own and following along with the stats, but they have multiple game responsibilities, versus the auditor having one. There&rsquo;s normally about two people per game, so on a big night there was about 30 in the [league] office, or on a slow night, about 6-7. There's also technical support from Genius Sport in house as well, in case anything goes wrong courtside or in the office."
So how much can one statskeeper influence a single stat? Djavadzadeh says barely.&nbsp;
"Maybe straightforward plays like a field-goal attempt and rebound," he said. "I&rsquo;d normally watch those at max three times, normally to just confirm shot location or play descriptor. Most plays are combed over at least 3-4 times if it&rsquo;s not just a shot and rebound."
Technology also plays a huge role in providing accurate perspective on a play, particularly at the NBA level. The league has player-tracking capabilities and 12 camera angles for any given event, whereas the G League just uses one angle. Auditors can also look at a check-box system that confirms which stats have and have not yet been locked in.&nbsp;
With that being said, there is still room for interpretation. Djavadzadeh said that in his experience, recording blocks and steals specifically at the G League level was a challenge with one camera angle.&nbsp;
"It was kind of a universal thing of, 'Well, we don&rsquo;t have the tech to make it perfect right now, but we can spend the time and effort to make it as close as possible,'" he explained.
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🧵: Gonna go ahead and answer all of these if I can and give my input as someone who was a stat checker for the NBA. JJJ probably gets a hand on the ball here with Zion in an upward motion. These get started as blocks. <a href="https://t.co/0hLuLTNjC7">https://t.co/0hLuLTNjC7</a>
&mdash; Neema (@findingneema23) <a href="https://twitter.com/findingneema23/status/1619365149902798848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Different challenges arise in the NBA, where assists are actually more subjective than in the G League. The G League has a strict rule on assists: A scorer must use two or fewer dribbles, and three or fewer seconds between catch and shot attempt, to qualify as receiving an assist. That guideline does not exist in the NBA.
"I&rsquo;d get into one or two arguments a game with courtside starters over assists, but eventually you realize some crews just see them a little differently," Djavadzadeh said.&nbsp;
"Steals are a bit tough too with the NBA, but once you understand the variety of steals it becomes easier," he added. "Like, saving a ball from going out of bounds and a controlled pass back in bounds is technically a steal. A tipped pass that your teammate recovers is a steal for the person who tips it. If another offensive player tries to control the ball after it&rsquo;s been tipped, then whoever recovers the ball after the second offensive player touched it gets the steal. Little rules like that. Each possession is different, so there&rsquo;s some interpretation that has to happen, but for the most part, six-plus people are agreeing on the outcome of an event."
Where can the NBA improve its process? Djavadzadeh believes the league could better utilize its tracking abilities to more accurately portray shot location data by automating that part of a process versus relying on human judgement. While such automation is harder to achieve with most box-score stats, he says, shot location tracking tech already exists and is more plain to understand.
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One of the key "motives" in the alleged Jackson blocks conspiracy was the idea that statskeepers who have a financial stake in the game could help make themselves some money by rigging the numbers. To Djavadzadeh &mdash; who does support legal and federally-regulated sports betting &mdash; that's just an unrealistic take.
"The NBA&rsquo;s no-gambling rules are extremely strict, and knowing sports politics, something like that isn&rsquo;t something you can come back from," he said. "Any kind of conspiracy that statskeepers have money on it or something is crazy, because that&rsquo;s their career in hand.
"I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s an issue with gambling... I think, if anything, it puts an emphasis on getting things more accurate because there&rsquo;s so much money at stake. And also, if you&rsquo;re bad at your job, you&rsquo;ll get fired in an industry like this, and nobody wants to get fired."

Neema Djavadzadeh described his experience working as a stats auditor for the NBA/G League in a conversation with Ethan Fuller.

Detailing the NBA's stat-tracking process with Neema Djavadzadeh

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Iowa has had a first team All-American in three consecutive seasons, two for Luka Garza and one for Keegan Murray, raising the natural question about who the next star will be for the Hawkeyes and how quickly he can emerge.
Kris Murray, predictably, has everyone who follows the program staring straight at him.
The third-year forward has the sleek frame at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, the unflappable demeanor on the court and the track record of sharp improvement after increasing his scoring average by more than nine additional points per game.
But the tendency for comparison is unavoidable for the human brain, never more in the analysis of sports, and the fact that Kris Murray is Keegan Murray&rsquo;s identical twin brother will hover over him as long as he puts on a Hawkeyes uniform.
&ldquo;If he didn&rsquo;t look the same as me, we probably wouldn&rsquo;t be having this conversation,&rdquo; Kris Murray said at Big Ten media day in Minneapolis. &ldquo;Nobody expected Keegan to make the jump he did when Luka left. I think that&rsquo;s kind of the big difference. We have a really balanced team this year.&rdquo;
Keegan Murray, who averaged 23.5 points to lead the conference last season, left Iowa after his sophomore year to enter the NBA draft. He was the fourth overall pick by Sacramento.
&ldquo;It was a good thing having Keegan in every single way, so I&rsquo;m not taking away anything from him,&rdquo; sixth-year reserve Connor McCaffery said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s a lot of shots that were in that lineup that you have to make up. So now it&rsquo;s different guys coming in, every day in practice.&rdquo;
One look across the Big Ten this fall reveals a trend of departed stars, rosters still in a rather awkward state caused by the eligibility waiver for the pandemic season, the relaxed rules around transfers playing right away and, as always, the allure of an NBA career.
Only eight of the top 25 scorers in the conference in 2021-22 returned to their teams. Just nine of the top 25 most-used players in terms of minutes per game are back.
There are some established standouts on the consensus title contenders like Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Michigan&rsquo;s Hunter Dickinson and Purdue&rsquo;s Zach Edey who will headline every game they play in 2022-23, but there is a wide-open stage in the league for less-heralded players like Kris Murray, Wisconsin&rsquo;s Tyler Wahl or Rutgers&rsquo; Cliff Omoruyi to step up onto it.
The Big Ten had three top-10 draft picks, with Keegan Murray, Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey (No. 5) and Wisconsin&rsquo;s Johnny Davis (No. 10). Seven other players were drafted, including two each from Ohio State (Malaki Branham and E.J. Liddell) and Michigan (Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate).
The transfer portal, of course, had exits around the conference with potential instant-impact arrivals such as Michigan&rsquo;s Jaelen Llewellyn (Princeton), Minnesota&rsquo;s Dawson Garcia (North Carolina) and Illinois&rsquo; Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech).
But the Big Ten has long been shaped by a core of established head coaches who have remained as committed as they can be in this era to running developmental programs.
Michigan State&rsquo;s Tom Izzo lost his top three scorers from last season but declined to pursue any transfer replacements &mdash; even with a nonconference schedule he called &ldquo;the most brutal&rdquo; he&rsquo;s ever had. The Spartans play Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova and Notre Dame, plus a trip to Oregon for the Phil Knight Invitational that matches them up against Alabama and likely two other tough opponents depending on how the bracket unfolds.
&ldquo;I choose the route I choose. I stand behind it,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;Chemistry, camaraderie, culture, loyalty are all really, really important to me. It&rsquo;s worked. New era? Maybe it won&rsquo;t work. But I like where we are right now.&rdquo;
Established coaches who have produced consistent success have more of a latitude to be patient, to be sure. Purdue&rsquo;s Matt Painter, Wisconsin&rsquo;s Greg Gard and Iowa&rsquo;s Fran McCaffery have all followed a similar philosophy. Ohio State&rsquo;s Chris Holtmann will lean on freshmen as much as ever, with prized rookies Bruce Thornton, Brice Sensabaugh, Roddy Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara and Bowen Hardman putting the Buckeyes at the top of just about all the Big Ten recruiting rankings.
This season, then, ought to serve as a test case of sorts for several of the conference&rsquo;s top teams as they put the value of stability up against some of the other powerhouse programs across the country who might be relying more on game-ready transfers.
&ldquo;We all make jumps year after year,&rdquo; Kris Murray said. &ldquo;The thing about Iowa basketball is we&rsquo;re always improving.&rdquo;

One look across the Big Ten this fall reveals a trend of departed stars, but there are more players set to shine this season.

Next wave of Big Ten stars primed to shine after many exits

It's hard to predict when a slump ends without the benefit of hindsight.&nbsp;
Even the best NBA shooters are vulnerable to outlier struggles that can last an entire season, and those years jump out at you on the stat sheet. But how do we distinguish between an outlier and a harbinger before letting the full story play out? With so much context to account for &mdash; new teams, new roles and changing health status &mdash; that becomes a challenging question to address.
In this week's NBA Stats Notebook, we'll highlight five players with enough indicators to make me believe that they'll bounce back from last year's struggles. By no means are these predictions a guarantee, however, as I also outlined what hurdles could stand in the way of them getting back on track.&nbsp;
Let's dive in and think "positive regression!"
SADDIQ BEY, DETROIT PISTONS
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Cory Joseph talks about the improvement he&rsquo;s seen in Saddiq Bey&rsquo;s game and what Bojan Bogdanovic brings <a href="https://t.co/vzL7ZIisLD">pic.twitter.com/vzL7ZIisLD</a>
&mdash; Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) <a href="https://twitter.com/omarisankofa/status/1575894014280097794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bey is a quiet, but still vital piece to a Pistons rebuild that has quickly ramped up. The 2020 first-round pick logged some massive games last season, including a 51-point explosion on March 17. But he took a step back as a perimeter scorer on a team with few reliable long-range threats; Bey sported a 34.6% three-point clip that isn't horrendous, but still feels disappointing given his stature as a spacer.
With that said, Detroit fans should bank on a big swing. For starters, the Pistons added Jaden Ivey, who will command quite enough attention as an individual scorer. Cade Cunningham should improve his own perimeter presence, and Bojan Bogdanovic joins the squad as an immediate marksman. To his part, Bey should get more catch-and-shoot chances and create less as a pull-up scorer, which should in turn help his final percentage.
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Bey is a much better shot-maker off the catch. According to InStat Scouting, he knocked down a whopping 51.4% such threes in his sophomore year at Villanova. So, even though he doesn't have a long NBA track record yet, Bey has proven himself as a shooter and should continue to this season.
Additionally, Bey seems to be merging the 3-and-D role that began his career with some of the off-dribble skills he added last season, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3645146/2022/09/30/pistons-training-camp-saddiq-bey/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic</a>. I'm happy to bet on natural growth from a young player and more manageable responsibilities, giving Bey a path to success.
MAXI KLEBER, DALLAS MAVERICKS
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remember when Maxi Kleber hit 8 3s in a huge game 3 against the Jazz the second most 3s in a playoff game in Mavs history <a href="https://t.co/4y6diQm2ZP">pic.twitter.com/4y6diQm2ZP</a>
&mdash; Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) <a href="https://twitter.com/BiasedSlightly/status/1570831726536192001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Kleber's shooting slump already ended in the 2022 postseason. The stretch big man was unreal for the Mavericks last spring, knocking 'em down to the tune of 43.5% from distance in Dallas' three series. That dwarfs the 32.5% rate he posted in the regular season, which was the worst since his rookie year.
The 30-year-old has made strides with his NBA shot since entering the league in 2017. His catch-and-shoot clip improved for four straight seasons (up to 41.0% in 2020-21) before it took an absolute nosedive to 32.9% last year. Kleber's 2021-22 struggles are not a fair indicator of his career growth.
His health, however, is a fair question mark. Kleber battled injuries at five different points of last season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/nba/maxi-kleber-player-injuries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Fox Sports</a>. To build a rhythm, he needs a string of good fortune. Hopefully the Mavs' beefed-up big rotation, including new additions Christian Wood and JaVale McGee, can lessen the load.
DAMIAN LILLARD, PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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"I just felt relaxed. I just wanted to come out and have fun, just hoopin' again." Damian Lillard on his first game in 10 months "I was just happy that I felt good out there. I didn't have anything on my mind other than just playing"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RipCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RipCity</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> <a href="https://t.co/WvohbUbJOm">pic.twitter.com/WvohbUbJOm</a>
&mdash; Orlando Sanchez (@orlandokgw) <a href="https://twitter.com/orlandokgw/status/1577201323807604737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Dame Time is one of the best pull-up scorers basketball has ever seen. But between coming back from the Tokyo Olympics, injuries, team discord and his own lackluster play, Lillard's 2021-22 was a derailment from his past superstardom. He played just 29 games before shutting things down as the Blazers hit mini-rebuild mode. In those contests, Lillard made a career-low 32.4% of his triples.
According to PBP Stats, Lillard converted just 29.8% of his "self-created" three-point attempts (shots coming after having possession for at least two seconds). That's by far the lowest rate of his nine-year career to date. Lillard typically hovers around 35% on self-created threes. Can he get back there?
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The positive argument claims that Portland is in a far better offensive situation. Jusuf Nurkic is healthy, Jerami Grant is a nice acquisition and, though CJ McCollum is gone, Anfernee Simons appears capable of filling his shoes. The counterargument: Lillard is 32 years old and coming off of a long recovery from an abdominal injury. He'll still be a star, but it remains to be seem how much Lillard looks like his usual self.
DUNCAN ROBINSON, MIAMI HEAT
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Highest Career 3P% On 6+ 3PA per game: 42.8 &mdash; Stephen Curry 41.7 &mdash; Klay Thompson 40.6 &mdash; Duncan Robinson 39.8 &mdash; Buddy Hield <a href="https://t.co/lRoB0a6XTd">pic.twitter.com/lRoB0a6XTd</a>
&mdash; NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAMuse24/status/1574765864435466241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The case for a Robinson rebound year is easy. He's one of the best shooters in the world, and it's going to take more than one down season (in which he still made 37.2% of his threes, by the way) to jostle that reputation. Robinson knocked down just 34.7% of his catch-and-shoot triples in 2021-22; in his prior two years, he reached marks of 41.7% and 46.0%. He also actually made a career-high 45.1% of his pull-up attempts last season. Nekias Duncan even <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-curious-case-of-duncan-robinson-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down why this slump was so odd</a> early in the fall.
Robinson is, quite plainly, a much better shooter than he showed last year, and he even returned to his regular self as the winter went on. Robinson canned over 41% of his threes in three of the final four months of the regular season. The problem: His playing time also decreased in each of those months, and in the playoffs, the sharpshooter averaged just 12.2 minutes per game.
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What is Robinson's place in this year's Heat rotation? He played 18 minutes in Miami's first preseason game, suggesting he's still a fixture in Erik Spoelstra's vision. If that's true, he should be an obvious bounce-back candidate. But Robinson has to keep that spot by shooting well and at least reaching the bar defensively for a tough Heat squad.
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS, WASHINGTON WIZARDS
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These players were true long-range shooters last season 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/kvdsCk3M0a">pic.twitter.com/kvdsCk3M0a</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1555174776804614145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Porzingis was a shooting mess with the Mavericks last season before somewhat regaining his perimeter success following a trade to Washington. But across his 75 games, he made just 31.3% of his threes after holding the ball for less than two seconds &mdash; easily a career-low percentage.
Fans should be confident that rate rises; it's unclear to what extent. Porzingis has always been a somewhat streaky scorer, which unfortunately fits right in with a lot of Washington's current offensive threats. As with Kleber, health also plays into developing some consistent momentum as a shooter. Porzingis has the history of prolific perimeter prowess, though, with some of the more difficult shot diets for an NBA big man.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Yep, Victor Wembanyama is pretty good! (Can you guess who did this in the NBA?)</li>
</ul>
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Wembanyama finishes with 7 three-pointers and 5 blocks, something that's only happened once in NBA history
&mdash; Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBADraftWass/status/1577514952725856259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Yep, Victor Wembanyama might be really good!</li>
</ul>
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The NBA record that everyone assumed would never be broken, suddenly feels very...breakable 😂 <a href="https://t.co/RrpQ8Yw2v5">pic.twitter.com/RrpQ8Yw2v5</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1577711805316489217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>A noteworthy graphic from SIS Hoops that shows how Malcolm Brogdon can really add some juice to the Boston Celtics' offense:</li>
</ul>
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Last season, Malcolm Brogdon's pick-and-roll proficiency ranked near the top of the league. Check out how his pick-and-roll advantage creation ability stacks up with the rest of Boston's returning players: <a href="https://t.co/bErVKOIHBY">pic.twitter.com/bErVKOIHBY</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1576978735256911877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller highlights Damian Lillard, Duncan Robinson, Saddiq Bey and others as candidates for positive shooting regression.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who could have bounce-back shooting years

Compared to a grind-it-away offseason last summer that helped earn him a huge payday, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen has been traveling and spending much more time with family this go-round.
Allen's latest adventure? Canberra, Australia, where the 24-year-old is participating in the Basketball Without Borders Asia program as a coach for the first time in his career.
"I've been trying to come here to BWB for a while, but things just never lined up,&rdquo; Allen told Basketball News over the phone. &ldquo;I just liked the idea of the world-life travel, the connecting basketball globally, expanding the NBA globally. I just think it's a great opportunity to share the game.&rdquo;
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Working alongside Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, Dallas Mavericks swingman Josh Green and Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson, Allen&rsquo;s been appreciative to get to know the guys he competes against. Together, the four NBA players are providing their best knowledge and advice to the next generation of hoopers to ensure the game of basketball continues to thrive.
&ldquo;That's who's coming after us. That's literally the future of the game, both globally and in the States,&rdquo; Allen explained. &ldquo;We have to share our knowledge to the people coming after to just make things better for the future."
Part of the reason Allen feels so strongly about this is that he had the proper guidance when he was in these campers&rsquo; shoes.
&ldquo;I don't remember the names well. But just growing up, [during] my summer workouts when I was their age [at Texas], I used to practice against some college and NBA players,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;They would always take the time to help me, to show me little tips about how they played the game, how they played their position, and just helped me get my game to the next level. So that's what I'm trying to do with these kids.&rdquo;
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With BWB Asia Camp wrapping up on Aug. 10, Basketball News spoke with Allen about his involvement, his offseason, the Cavs&rsquo; upcoming year and more.
I'm sure Matthew Dellavedova told you good things about Australia. Have you been there before?
Allen: "This is my first time, but so far so good (laughs)."
Did you get any good coaching tips from J.B. Bickerstaff?
Allen: "Ah, no! Actually, I could've asked him (laughs). Honestly, I've been meeting great coaches out here, great people. It's been an amazing experience."
Have you gotten any kinds of unique questions from the campers?
Allen: "The kids didn't really ask me questions. They were kinda shy. But one of the kids just asked about leadership and how to become a better leader, which is surprising. I bet you none of us would've asked that growing up. But it goes to show the kids are trying to be the best they can."
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How&rsquo;s the offseason gone for you?
Allen: "Offseason's going pretty well. It's been kinda just a normal offseason, honestly."
Is your finger feeling alright?
Allen: "The finger's completely healed, not even like I broke it anymore."
Are you eager to start back up again at your own training camp in Cleveland?
Allen: "Aw yeah. I mean, it feels like the season's been done for eight months. Around this time of the year, I get itching to play, I get ready to get back on the court. But the good thing [is] it's about two months away."
You and Darius Garland are going into your second-and-a-half season together basically. Why do you think you guys have meshed so well as a tandem, and how would you like to build on that this coming year?
Allen: "Things really clicked for us as soon as I got to Cleveland. Obviously, we all know he's an amazing point guard. But the thing that I don't think people realize is just how willing he is to learn the game, how willing he is to work with myself to try to figure out the best position for me to catch the ball and to just finish a lob. And I see it expanding even further.
"Just every single year, especially with him and I, we've improved our games together, improved our chemistry, improved how we play the game together. And I think we still have a long way to go."
What did you think of the team bringing in Robin Lopez? 
Allen: "I'm happy with the Robin [addition]. I know him from just playing against him on the court. He's a great dude. The Lopez brothers altogether, just the things beyond social media battles, great guys. Especially defending [Robin], [he's a] great player &mdash; Captain Hook (laughs). He has the best hook shot in the league."
Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s back in the fold too. The locker room&rsquo;s gotta be thrilled about that.
Allen: "It's so good to have Ricky back. Off the court, great guy. He was a glue guy for us, to be able to keep us together. [He] came in with a positive attitude every day, willing to work. And even especially on the court, he ran the offense, he got us to where we needed to be."
Are we going to see more of that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WVdTvfC2ik" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-low action</a> with Evan Mobley?
Allen: "Oh absolutely, that's not going anywhere (laughs). I mean hey, we've got Lauri [Markkanen] too. We've got all three levels of scoring."
Is anybody coming into the paint after what you two did last year?
Allen: "(Laughs) You know, if they do, they're gonna know what happens."
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Kevin Love: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 6 3PM Jarrett Allen: 19 PTS, 11 REB, 5 BLK Evan Mobley: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 4 BLK The <a href="https://twitter.com/cavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cavs</a> big men put in work in their win 💪 <a href="https://t.co/jSdNxx5rAl">pic.twitter.com/jSdNxx5rAl</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1466414382519398417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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You were right there in the thick of it before the injuries hit. Do you feel you guys would&rsquo;ve gotten further/made more of a run had everybody been healthy?
Allen: "You know, with that, you never can say for sure. I don't like saying if we could've made it or not because what happened, happened. But the possibility is definitely there, and the question is there, of just how far could we have made it."
Being sidelined had to sting, especially with the timing. You guys were surging before the All-Star break.
Allen: "Yeah, we were. It was the whole timing of the injury, right? When we were rolling and then, things started to not go where we wanted to go toward the end of the season. So this year, coming out, I think we're all full-steam ahead."
What&rsquo;s the vibe been with the guys?
Allen: "We have our own little group chat. We share memes, check in on each other every now and then. We're all [ready] to play again."
I'm sure the pictures from Kevin Love and Cedi Osman's weddings made it in there.
Allen: "(Laughs) I'm super excited for them."
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Here&rsquo;s something I always wanted to ask you &ndash; how did you get so invested in anime? Those likes pop up on the Twitter feed quite a bit! 
Allen: "(Laughs) I just think it's a fun thing to do. People have things that they like, have different types of hobbies, different things. That's just who I am. It's the things I like to do, things I don't mind sharing that I like."
Have you ever gotten fan art before?
Allen: "Some. Normally, me as <a href="https://www.funimation.com/shows/afro-samurai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Afro Samurai</a> (laughs). But other than that, nothing too crazy."
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Background on Basketball Without Borders
<ul>
<li>Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program that has been conducted annually since 2001.</li>
<li>The first-ever BWB camp took place in Europe in July 2001: Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia national team, reunited in Treviso, Italy to work with 50 children from the former Yugoslavia.</li>
<li>Since then the NBA and FIBA have staged 65 BWB camps in 42 cities in 30 countries on six continents with more than 3,700 participants from 133 countries and territories.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The NBA typically hosts four regional BWB camps over the summer (Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas), and in 2015 created the BWB Global camp, which is held annually at NBA All-Star for the top prospects from the previous summer&rsquo;s camps.</li>
<li>More than 310 current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to share their expertise and knowledge with participants.</li>
<li>More than 100 former BWB campers have made it to the NBA or WNBA, including Marc Gasol, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Nicolas Batum, Jonas Valanciunas, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Danilo Gallinari</li>
<li>A record 41 former BWB campers were on opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 season.</li>
<li>The highest-drafted former BWB campers are:
<ul>
<li>No. 1 overall: Deandre Ayton (Bahamas; 2018), Andrea Bargnani (Italy; 2006)</li>
<li>No. 3 overall: RJ Barrett (Canada; 2019), Joel Embiid (Cameroon; 2014), Enes Kanter Freedom (Turkey; 2011)</li>
<li>No. 4 overall: Dragan Bender (Croatia; 2016)</li>
<li>No. 5 overall: Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania; 2011)</li>
<li>No. 6 overall: Josh Giddey (Australia; 2021); Danilo Gallinari (Italy; 2008); Bennedict Mathurin (Canada; 2022)</li>
<li>No. 7 overall: Killian Hayes (France; 2020), Lauri Markkanen (Finland; 2017), Jamal Murray (Canada; 2016)</li>
<li>No. 8 overall: Frank Ntilikina (France; 2017)</li>
<li>No. 9 overall: Deni Avdija (Israel; 2020) and Rui Hachimura (Japan; 2019)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies chats with Jarrett Allen about his involvement with BWB Asia, his offseason, the Cavs’ upcoming year and more.

Jarrett Allen Q&A: Cavaliers' offseason, Basketball Without Borders

I love Summer League hoops.
Well, it's probably more accurate to say I love what Summer League represents.&nbsp;
It's an opportunity for rookies to get a taste of the NBA. Second- or third-year players have the chance to hone specific areas of their games. If you're a former high pick who hasn't had a great start to your career, here's a chance for you to showcase something&nbsp;for evaluators &mdash; on your own team or around the league &mdash; to ponder. If you're hoping to make the leap from overseas, or find overseas work, Summer League can serve as an opportunity to get on a team's radar.
All of that is dope to me.
As someone who doesn't do a heavy dose of draft content, I especially love watching rookies in this element. It serves as a meet-and-greet for me, an introduction to the NBA's future. It's an informative, fun, and oftentimes wholesome endeavor.&nbsp;
It can also be a little bit annoying.
Annoying in the sense that the flashes you look for &mdash; a high-level pick-and-roll read here, a weak-side rotation into a block there &mdash; can also be gone in a flash. Literally.
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I was enjoying the mid-post dominance of No. 1 overall draft pick Paolo Banchero, and found intrigue in the way defenses were poking holes into the Orlando Magic rookie's approach. But we got two games of the Paolo Experience before the team shut him down for the summer.&nbsp;
Sometimes, we may not get the flashes at all.
Atlanta Hawks wing AJ Griffin, arguably the best shooting prospect in this year's class, didn't play at all <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/foot-soreness-limits-hawks-rookie-aj-griffin-at-summer-league/GRZNHCYKFFDLDHVQMX2HANWOXY/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">due to "right foot discomfort.</a>" You don't want to mess around with foot injuries, of course... but discomfort? Not a sprain, not even soreness, but discomfort? What does that mean?
And that takes me to a question I've had for a while now: On the teams' side, what does&nbsp;Summer League mean to them?
I come back to the Griffin situation with the Hawks. Griffin experienced some discomfort, so they held him out of play altogether. When asked about Griffin's status during Summer League, Hawks coach Nick Van Exel (what a hooper in his day) made sure to express he wasn't concerned about Griffin's health long-term.
"It's just day-to-day with him," Van Exel told a group of reporters. "It's Summer League, so we'd like to have him out there with us, but it is&nbsp;Summer League. It's just Summer League. We got a long, 82-game season, and that's what's more important."

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Well, that helps. Summer League is Summer League, and the regular season is more important; who would've thought?
On a serious note, there seems to be a line for teams. Summer League&nbsp;reps are valuable, but not that&nbsp;valuable. There's the competition level, of course &mdash; we're not seeing LeBron James out there; though if we did, it's safe to assume Russell Westbrook would be in the other gym &mdash; but there's also the lack of real structure.
The mix of rookies, second-year players and out-of-league talent altogether leads to a rather bare-bones experience in terms of cohesiveness. There isn't a ton of practice time, so the lack of continuity on both ends should be expected. Because of that, it's hard to glean too much aside from the flashes. Add in the risk of injury, and teams can be wary of having their guys out there for too long.
"It's sort of like, 'Is there anything more to gain here or are we risking injury or bad habits being developed?'" The Athletic's Seth Partnow, who was previously the Milwaukee Bucks' director of basketball research, told Basketball News.
&ldquo;If you remember, I hurt my knee towards the end of my rookie season [with the Sacramento Kings] and they shut me down the last couple of weeks of the season," Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton relayed to Basketball News. "They basically told me &lsquo;Hey, you&rsquo;re not playing Summer League.&rsquo; And I was like, 'Okay.' I was still able to be around my guys and support them though.&rdquo;
Hailburton continues: "Summer League can get reckless. Some&nbsp;of those guys are playing for more than we are &mdash; like, they&rsquo;re playing for their livelihoods. So I can understand organizations being a little worried about guys getting hurt."
Haliburton posits that the decision-making process for playing time should be judged on a "GM-by-GM basis," with some opting to be more risk averse to protect their investments. It also wouldn't be a shock to see more teams go conservative.
"I'd imagine New Orleans might be a little more hesitant to play their young guys a lot moving forward with [EJ] Liddell getting hurt," Haliburton added. 
That's a reference to New Orleans Pelicans wing EJ Liddell, their second-round pick from this year's draft who suffered a torn ACL during his second Summer League game. Liddell was viewed by some as a steal, drawing loose comps to Philadelphia 76ers forward PJ Tucker. We'll now have to wait to see how his game projects on the next level.
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God&rsquo;s not finished
&mdash; E.J. Liddell (@EasyE2432) <a href="https://twitter.com/EasyE2432/status/1547038904712187904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Though teams may opt to limit Summer League reps moving forward, it's worth nothing that there's still value in having the young guys play. While Banchero only played two games, many lottery picks, including Cleveland Cavaliers wing Ochai Ogbaji, played doubled that amount.
What, exactly, goes into that decision?
"I think we consult with our coaching staff, our front office and our training staff and try to figure out what the best decision is for each guy," Cavs summer coach Mike Gerrity told Basketball News. "It's just about managing [their workload], checking with them to see how they are feeling and then kind of making the decision from there."
It's a collaborative effort for the Cavs, much like it is for the rest of the league.
The goal is fostering the right environment for growth &mdash; for the players and staffs involved. At best, that summer growth can act as a springboard for the upcoming season. Summer League will never be as important as regular-season play, but there's something&nbsp;to be said for the opportunities it provides.
<a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr</a>, a former video coordinator and assistant coach in the league, summed it up beautifully during a recent episode of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.
<blockquote>
"There's just too much opportunity involved for me to be like 'it doesn't matter.' It's a chance to get a bag somewhere in the world. It's easy to forget that portion. It's an opportunity to get your name out. If you're on a staff, it's a real opportunity. For me, that was my first chance to really flex my muscles and elevate my role a little bit. Really getting to walk through sets, run through parts of practices, trying to find my voice as a young coach &mdash; that was good stuff. There's value in it."
</blockquote>
Well said, partner.

Nekias Duncan talks to people around the NBA to discern the importance of Summer League reps.

Delving into the significance of Summer League for NBA teams, prospects

The&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/tracy-mcgrady-to-launch-1-on-1-nationwide-basketball-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
The success of Ice Cube&rsquo;s BIG3 basketball league showed there is a hole in the market for alternative-format basketball leagues. Now, Tracy McGrady is trying to come up with a concept of his own:
&ldquo;Ones Basketball Association&rdquo;
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The Hall of Famer joined Jamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson on &ldquo;NBA HooperVision,&rdquo; a broadcast on NBA League Pass. While watching the Bucks blowout the Magic &mdash; the final result was 136-118 &mdash; T-Mac announced he&rsquo;s in the process of starting a professional one-on-one basketball league.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m creating something, a one-on-one league that I&rsquo;m creating,&rdquo; McGrady said. &ldquo;Nationwide. Not a tournament, a league. 18 and up. It&rsquo;s called OBA. Ones Basketball Association. Coming to you.&rdquo;
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Tracy McGrady just announced on HooperVision he&rsquo;s in the process of starting a professional 1-on-1 league, for 18 and over adults, called the OBA (Ones Basketball Association) Details ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/YkkfTbuaW4">pic.twitter.com/YkkfTbuaW4</a>
&mdash; Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1476736450485899265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2021</a></blockquote>

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McGrady has yet to reveal more details about the project. He also didn&rsquo;t specify when he plans to launch it. But judging by Jamal Crawford&rsquo;s reaction, who is one of the greatest one-on-one players the NBA has ever seen, the potential entertainment value of such a league is enormous.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m calling you, man,&rdquo; Crawford said to McGrady, aspiring to join the project both as a player and a business partner. &ldquo;I need in.&ldquo;
Following BIG3&rsquo;s example
When Ice Cube launched BIG3, he wanted to allow guys who had &ldquo;honed basketball skills to the highest level to continue to play at a high level.&rdquo; T-Mac aims to do the same thing, just through a different format, arguably an even more exciting one to watch.
Following the 2020 season&rsquo;s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic &mdash; going into its fourth season &mdash; the BIG3 faced the challenge of regaining momentum and keeping the league alive. The league even lost one of its biggest sponsors in Adidas due to financial losses caused by the pandemic.
But the project&rsquo;s core idea &mdash; returning favorite former NBA players back to pro-level action &mdash; is still alluring to the basketball public. Now it&rsquo;s just a matter of regaining awareness and reminding people of what they liked about the league in the first place.
McGrady&rsquo;s project seems to be along the same lines. If executed properly, assuming Crawford isn&rsquo;t the only one-on-one artist interested in participating, Ones Basketball Association has the potential to be a huge success. We can&rsquo;t wait for it to launch &mdash; fans always welcome any form of competitive basketball involving NBA-caliber players.
&nbsp;

On NBA HooperVision, Tracy McGrady announced one-on-one basketball league.

Tracy McGrady to launch one-on-one nationwide basketball league

Less than 48 hours ago, yours truly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mulling-over-6-options-for-the-cavs-with-ricky-rubio-out-for-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that the Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn&rsquo;t sit on their hands regarding their vacant backup point guard position following the news of Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s season-ending ACL injury. General manager Koby Altman acted swiftly, entering discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire veteran set-up man Rajon Rondo on Thursday.
On Friday morning, the Cavs and Lakers struck an agreement, landing the two-time NBA champion in exchange for Denzel Valentine, league sources confirmed to BasketballNews.com. (Editor's Note: The trade expanded on Monday morning, as the New York Knicks jumped in to acquire Valentine.) Cleveland avoided having to give up draft capital or use its JaVale McGee trade exception, which in itself is a win.
Though Altman did not go for one of the five options suggested in Wednesday&rsquo;s article, he wasted no time in addressing one of the most important voids on the team. Going forward with only Kevin Pangos and Isaac Okoro to spell Darius Garland would&rsquo;ve been risky business. Now, in Rondo, Cleveland has a sure thing behind its budding star in regards to organizing the offense.
With that said, there are two sides to every decision, and it&rsquo;ll be intriguing to see which version of Rondo we will see with the Cavs.&nbsp;
You can&rsquo;t question the man&rsquo;s basketball IQ. Despite what we&rsquo;ve seen this season with the Lakers, Rondo is one of the smartest and headiest &ldquo;old-school&rdquo; 1s in the game. The 15-year veteran has the ability to dazzle with his passes and he's been solid in open-floor situations for the majority of his days. Rondo should have a field day with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley hovering around the rim, while Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen wait for catch-and-shoot opportunities. And who knows, maybe what Garland has learned off the ball with Rubio can translate in similar fashion with Rondo handling the rock.&nbsp;
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Where this deal could backfire is if Rondo doesn&rsquo;t buy in. ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1476949220707995648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the 35-year-old is looking forward to joining the upstart Cavs and playing a bigger role; however, there have been times in the past when Rondo has joined a team and refused to buy-in &mdash; at least over the course of a full season. Since spending nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, he has had stints with seven different teams and has been traded midseason three times now.
It takes a level of trust to gain Rondo&rsquo;s trust, it seems. Luckily for the Cavs, they have a Coach of the Year candidate in J.B. Bickerstaff who is clearly quite persuasive considering the team&rsquo;s 20-15 record in the top-half of the Eastern Conference. But even if Cleveland gets Rondo to seamlessly transition into its incredible environment, there are limitations to the veteran&rsquo;s game.
Firstly, he&rsquo;s a step slower. At 35, Rondo doesn&rsquo;t quite have that same agility on either end of the floor. Defensively, he&rsquo;s made his money by gambling for steals with his lengthy arms; staying in front of guys has been more difficult. Fortunately for him, Allen and Mobley will be a safety valve, so maybe he can be more aggressive with ball pressure.
Secondly, Rondo is a streaky type of shooter. Kudos to him on evolving his game to the point where defenses have to at least pay attention to him; with that said, if I&rsquo;m a defender, I&rsquo;m not going to race to close him out with two monsters in the paint and more threatening shooters out on the perimeter.&nbsp;
The Cavs&rsquo; best-case scenario is clear-cut: Garland&rsquo;s minute load stays the same (or likely increases from the 34 he&rsquo;s getting now) and Rondo sees 15-20 minutes of action per contest. The former obviously has a lot of juice and stamina, so he should continue to run the show. The latter should play more of a backup role than Rubio, who soaked up over 28 minutes a night &mdash; both with Garland on and off the floor.&nbsp;
Rondo should slot in as more of a traditional second-unit maestro than as a faux &ldquo;sixth starter&rdquo; type; that&rsquo;s both due to his age and unfamiliarity with this group at the moment. That&rsquo;s okay though, because it will give Garland even more responsibility, which eventually would&rsquo;ve happened anyhow.
Plus, we all know what Rondo&rsquo;s reputation is at this point: It&rsquo;s all about the postseason, &ldquo;Playoff Rondo,&rdquo; a.k.a. when Rajon locks in and truly makes and breaks games. We&rsquo;re just about to break into the New Year, so that is a ways away (and isn&rsquo;t a guarantee for the Cavs &mdash; look at the East and you&rsquo;ll see that), yet experience-wise, it doesn&rsquo;t get much better than that. Particularly, for your young core to learn and get advice from.
Rondo has a knack for making a good first impression on the floor almost everywhere he goes. Can he sustain that level of play? And if things don't go exactly how he envisioned, will he remain engaged? These are the big questions. Attitude will be everything.
The most important aspect of all of this is that Cleveland acted promptly. With a little more than half of a season left to go, the Cavs are hoping that Rondo&rsquo;s impact will at least partly be a solution to the loss of Rubio.

Spencer Davies reacts to the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Rajon Rondo and how this move will affect the team.

Cavs smartly and swiftly add a point guard, but is Rajon Rondo it?

Kenyon and Jadakiss discuss J. Cole becoming a pro hooper, the possibility of LeBron vs. Steph, Russell Westbrook's record and more.

Kenyon Martin and Jadakiss on J. Cole, Russell Westbrook, Luka's low blow, more

The first thing about LaMelo Ball that caught Mitch Kupchak&rsquo;s eye was his size: 6-foot-7 with mad ball-handling skills. The thing that caught his ear was hearing that Ball was a gym rat, a player who stayed late after practice to get extra shots up, whether in Ohio, Lithuania or Australia.
Kupchak now has the Rookie-of-the-Year favorite running the show for a Charlotte Hornets team that will likely be in the NBA's play-in tournament later this month. He also has an owner, Michael Jordan, who has an itch to win that needs to be scratched.
Will that happen this season? Kupchak, the organization's 66-year-old president of basketball operations, believes that remains to be seen.
&ldquo;We did transition from a veteran team with large contracts to a team that was building through the draft, and we finally had some cap room," Kupchak told BasketballNews.com in an exclusive phone interview. "So we were in a good position [last offseason]."
The Hornets lost for the third time in four games on Sunday night, falling to the Miami Heat 121-111 to remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte is now two games below .500, and the team still does not know when Hayward will return from a foot injury (he recently shed a walking boot for the first time in nearly a month). Oddsmakers have the Hornets listed at 250-1 to win the Eastern Conference.
Few teams are spotlighted less than the Hornets despite their iconic owner and their special rookie, and the season's strict conditions are not allowing Jordan to be close to the team and his prized youngster.
&ldquo;He was at our game [Saturday] night, but because of the testing requirements, he couldn't even get down to the locker room and say hello to anybody. But they did talk, and I know Michael gives him tips, and I would guess that when we emerge from this COVID world, Michael will spend time with him on the court, but I don't know that [for sure],&rdquo; Kupchak said. &ldquo;Michael lives in Florida; he&rsquo;s up here quite a bit. He loves to come to practice and watch. He doesn't interfere with the coaches. He doesn't know what the coaches are teaching, so he doesn't want to get on the court and teach something different. But I know he and LaMelo talk and text all the time.&rdquo;
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Jordan has owned the Hornets since 2010 and has a mere three playoff victories (vs. Miami in 2015-16) to show for it. Charlotte has not been to the second round of the playoffs since 2001-02, and Kupchak was tasked with ending that drought when he was hired 37 months ago. In back-to-back years, he added Terry Rozier and Hayward in offseason sign-and-trades with the Celtics, and he selected Ball with the third overall pick in last year's NBA Draft.&nbsp;
The team has spent the season hovering around the .500 mark, never going more than three games over the break-even mark or four games under. They defeated Boston, Milwaukee and Portland in April, but went 6-10 for the month, and there is a discernable lack of buzz surrounding a franchise that used to have people referring to their home court as &ldquo;The Hive.&rdquo;
Still, the Hayward signing was one of the best offseason moves made by any team in the NBA, and Rozier is shooting 45.6% &ndash; a career-high &ndash; and averaging more than 20 points for the first time in his six-year career. P.J. Washington is having a solid second season, Miles Bridges is shooting much better in his third season and seven players are averaging double-figure scoring. This season, 12 of the 17 players on the roster (including two-way players) are 25 years old or younger. There's still room to grow and the center position could use an upgrade, but it seems the foundation is in place.
Jordan and Kupchak spent several hours speaking Saturday at Hornets headquarters, talking basketball when they were not pausing to watch the Kentucky Derby and the PGA Valspar Championship. Both Jordan and Kupchak went to school at North Carolina, played for Team USA and have had enormous success with other franchises &ndash; Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, Kupchak while playing for and while running the Los Angeles Lakers.
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But their championship pedigrees came in eras much different than what exists in today&rsquo;s NBA. The Hornets do not have a single superstar (although Ball has the potential to be one) and have gone 0-3 against Philadelphia and 1-2 against Brooklyn, their two most likely first-round playoff opponents.&nbsp;&nbsp;
"I mean, I want to please him. I want to get him something he desperately craves," Kupchak said of Jordan, who declined to be interviewed for this article. "He wants to win and he tried to be patient, but I think he's a little bit impatient, right? Which is natural.
"I've known him since he was a freshman, but yeah, it was a professional relationship. We said hello and talked or played golf once or twice. But I never really got to know him that well. It&rsquo;s been great getting to know him on a personal basis. Like I said, I never really knew him like that, but he&rsquo;s from my years so to speak, so we kind of speak the same language when it comes to basketball. So there's a good feel between us and with Buzz [Peterson] as well; the three of us have a great feel when we talk to each other. We both kind of get it. And it's fun because I'm getting to know him. But at the end of the day, he wants to win. I can feel it. He wants to get this thing going in the right direction."
The signings of Rozier and Hayward were criticized as overspends in some NBA circles (and by the media), but Kupchak couldn't care less. He has been working in the NBA for too long, in some of the largest markets and smallest markets, to give a hoot whether somebody is second-guessing him.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s kind of hard to shake me up, you know? There might have been some criticism; I didn't follow it that closely at the time," Kupchak said. "But you&rsquo;ve got to weigh everything: the draft, free-agent signings, trades. You really have to wait four or five years to look back on it and that's when you know really whether you made a mistake or you didn't make a mistake. So at the time, I didn't get the feeling that there was this uproar about overpaying somebody. Maybe there was, but it didn't really bother me."
When asked about the Rozier signing, he explained his thought process.
"We believed in a kid. We saw a great opportunity when we were losing Kemba [Walker], who we wanted to keep. And then, for some reason, that made Terry available to do a double sign-and-trade; I think it was the first one that was ever done. It was just a unique opportunity for us to get a young talent. Now, he does continue to get better, and he is a much harder worker than I thought on both sides of the ball. But I'm not surprised that he's productive. But let&rsquo;s wait a couple more years and we'll look back on it, but we're happy with the signing and it worked out. That's all."
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With Hayward, Kupchak was surprised that the Hornets were able to land him.
"That was unique," he said. "We never thought, going into free agency, that Gordon Hayward would opt out of his $34.2 million [deal]. I didn&rsquo;t think he would opt out of that and want to leave Boston. That doesn't happen very often so when that was happening, even at the very end, even though we tried and we did everything we could do -- and it was a good feeling that he was going to come to Charlotte -- there was a big part of me that said, 'This just doesn't happen very often, that a player of this caliber will go to a small market.' So I wasn't really sure until we got his signature that he was going to come... That just kind of happened. We did have a way to create room, so we were ready, but I didn't think that he would opt out and all of a sudden become available and not only that, but want to come to Charlotte.
"Now, when players are here, they stay in this town. They love it here. Okay, but we&rsquo;ve got to get them here for them to realize that. And now that Gordon&rsquo;s here, I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if he lived here for the rest of his life. Players like it here. This is a great city."
Having won three titles as a player (with the Bullets and Lakers) and seven as an executive (all with the Lakers), Kupchak is not the type to obsess over whether someone is trolling him on Twitter or Instagram. His focus is on the long-term, and when it comes to Ball, what he wants to see this offseason is a commitment to lifting weights and getting stronger, and a focus on becoming a better defender.
&ldquo;He has bounced around quite a bit... He&rsquo;s never had a great run with a coach that could, over the course of two or three years, spend a lot of time on the defensive side of the ball. I&rsquo;m sure in Lithuania there was a language barrier, then he went to high school in Ohio, then he went to Australia for three months, and then he didn&rsquo;t play," said Kupchak, who traveled to Australia in November of 2019 to watch Ball play in person and also attended one of Ball's pre-draft workouts last summer in California. He also listened to what he was hearing from his son, Maxx, who plays for UC Santa Barbara and played AAU with LaMelo in Southern California.
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"So that would probably be an area that he needs to improve in, but there's no reason why he can&rsquo;t be a great defender."
Ball, 19, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lamelo-ball-back-return-charlotte-hornets-impact-film-study-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returned on Saturday after a six-week absence</a> following surgery for a fractured left wrist. He committed five turnovers on Saturday against Detroit and five more on Sunday against Miami, missing 6-7 three-point attempts. Still, he leads all rookies in assists (6.1) and steals (1.63), is second in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (5.9) and is fifth in minutes played (28.7).
Kupchak discussed the rookie's long-term prospects and what stood out about Ball while scouting him.
&ldquo;You never really know. They&rsquo;re young, they're 19. Usually when you're drafting top-three or four, you're looking at a kid who is 19, and you're trying to project out like three or four years. To say this was a no-brainer kind of encounter, I'm not sure anybody can say that. I think the last guy that was kind of like that was maybe LeBron," Kupchak said. "But I guess there are a couple of things [that stood out]. In practice, it looked like he had a joy of playing, like he was having fun. He stayed late after practice; the people we spoke to over there said he loved the game, he loved to work. So those are the good things you like to hear when you&rsquo;re trying to look out three or four years. He had great size for a ball-handling guard. That jumps out at you, right? Somebody who&rsquo;s 6-foot-7 and a ball-handling guard, that&rsquo;s very unique.
"And he definitely had a flair, he&rsquo;s fun to watch -- which sometimes doesn&rsquo;t mean much to a general manager; you&rsquo;d rather have the great player than somebody who&rsquo;s fun to watch, but he was fun to watch. He had a flair about him. His size, his vision. It&rsquo;s tough. When you&rsquo;re 19, it&rsquo;s tough, but it doesn&rsquo;t really hurt that he&rsquo;s a gym rat... This kid loves to play. He&rsquo;s most comfortable in a gym, which is kind of unique. Sometimes you grow up and you&rsquo;re forced to play and you don&rsquo;t want to play, but everybody else in your family wants you to so you feel like you have to. But not with this kid. He&rsquo;s a gym rat, I'm hoping it stays that way."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
That boy LaMelo back &amp; he&rsquo;s a PROBLEM. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBATV</a>) <a href="https://t.co/VtzqfdJIk7">pic.twitter.com/VtzqfdJIk7</a>
&mdash; SLAM (@SLAMonline) <a href="https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/1389020446851362816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

The biggest judgment on the Hornets will come early in the postseason. If they play in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game and win, they get the 7-seed. If they lose the 7-8 game, they will play the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game. Lose both, and it is another lost season in Charlotte.
But if they get in, anything can happen. We all learned that with the Miami Heat last season, and the one constant from year to year in the NBA is that whoever enters the playoffs healthy, happy and with chemistry can survive and advance.&nbsp;

Chris Sheridan spoke to Mitch Kupchak about LaMelo Ball's upside, assembling this Hornets team, working for Michael Jordan and more.

One-on-One: Mitch Kupchak on LaMelo Ball, Michael Jordan, Hornets' moves

Ethan Fuller takes a look at how the James Harden trade and other weekly events have affected the NBA landscape.

NBA Sour Rankings: Life After a Blockbuster

Free agency is starting to grind to a halt, with Hassan Whiteside&rsquo;s return to the Sacramento Kings -- on a veteran&rsquo;s minimum deal, no less -- representing the last notable name coming off the board. 
As rosters are nearly set, let&rsquo;s take a look at how some of the biggest acquisitions of this accelerated offseason will fit on their new team.
Seth Curry and the Helping Hand(Off) 
The Sixers regressed on offense last season.&nbsp;
They ranked 14th in offensive rating (110.7), slightly down from their placement the year before (111.6, 8th). Though the dip was small statistically, the offense looked and felt worse due to their personnel. Gone was the half-season excellence of Jimmy Butler and the virtuosic shooting of J.J. Redick. In came Josh Richardson, a solid-but-streaky shooter, and Al Horford, whose floor spacing capabilities were a bit capped because of how much time he spent at the 4.&nbsp;
There was an underlying stylistic shift with the new additions. The Sixers were the NBA&rsquo;s most efficient handoff team during the 2018-19 season, generating 1.05 points per possession per Synergy. Dribble handoffs accounted for more than eight percent of their possessions.&nbsp;
Redick was the primary driver of their volume. His ability to shoot off movement put defenses in a bind. Not closing out would give one of the league&rsquo;s deadliest shooters a clean look. Trapping those looks weren&rsquo;t fruitful because Redick was a good enough passer to keep the chain moving, giving the Sixers a bevy of advantage situations.&nbsp;
The Redick-Joel Embiid handoff was the third-most-frequent pairing in the league during the '18-19 season, according to a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data. The Redick-Ben Simmons duo ranked fourth. In terms of efficiency, the Sixers actually got more out of Butler operating in handoffs. His partnership with Embiid (1.23 PPP on direct hookups) and Simmons (1.14 PPP) ranked 5th and 11th among the 65 duos to run at least 100 dribble handoffs together last season.
With Redick and Butler out of the picture, the volume and effectiveness of Philly&rsquo;s handoffs plummeted. They only accounted for 5.2 percent of their possessions, and their 0.92 points-per-possession clip ranked 13th in the league.&nbsp;
Enter Seth Curry, who has ranked in the 75th percentile or higher in handoff efficiency in each of his last three seasons. Like Redick, Curry has the touch and body control to sink shots on the move. Unlike Redick, Curry has the on-ball chops to create for himself and others beyond the simple quick dump-off against a hedge or trap. There&rsquo;s legitimate manipulation in his bag, making handoffs a pick-your-poison exhibition for opponents.
Most of Curry&rsquo;s handoff possessions come from the wings, either quick pitches after inbounding from the sideline, or common actions like Chicago -- a pindown that flows into a handoff. If his defender falls behind the play, Curry can make defenses pay with jumpers or floaters.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/curry-floater.gif" alt="" width="620" height="AUTO" />
You can see how much strain is put on Al Horford after Furkan Korkmaz gets caught. He has to navigate Curry dribbling into space and also keep eyes on a rolling Dwight Powell. Horford decides to hang back and concede the middle, and Curry obliges with a soft floater.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/seth-curry-chicago-action.gif" alt="" />
Here&rsquo;s an example of Chicago action being run to Curry&rsquo;s dominant hand. This unlocks him more as a passer. Bogdan Bogdanovic gets clipped by Justin Jackson, which puts Nemanja Bjelica in No Man&rsquo;s Land. Bjelica steps up to prevent Curry from turning the corner; Curry counters by delivering a live-dribble bounce pass to Maxi Kleber for the flush.
Curry has never been the voluminous handoff threat that Redick was, but his skill set is apparent in those actions. With the Sixers still lacking a true hand-the-keys-to-him pick-and-roll threat, I would anticipate a rebound in handoff frequency for the Sixers' half-court offense to compensate.
Lakers Juice Their Pick-and Roll Attack
Speaking of pick-and-rolls, let&rsquo;s talk about the Lakers a bit. The defending champs mauled their way to a title last season. Their overwhelming size, or rather, their overwhelming skilled size was simply too much for teams to deal with. Their physical dominance overshadowed how uneven and clunky their half-court offense was at times last season.
LeBron James is one of the greatest playmakers the NBA has ever seen. He has superb passing vision. His size allows him to see windows that smaller guards can&rsquo;t; his brute strength allows him to fling crosscourt darts that weaker players can&rsquo;t. That, combined with his driving ability and improved jumper, has made him one of the most complete pick-and-roll weapons the NBA has ever seen.
The issue is that the Lakers didn&rsquo;t have much of anything behind him in terms of playmaking. Rajon Rondo filled the gaps during the postseason, but was ineffective (40th percentile, passes included via Synergy) over a larger regular-season sample. Alex Caruso was more comfortable as a secondary attacker than a floor general in that sense.
Here&rsquo;s a stat to drum things home, according to the Second Spectrum source: the Lakers generated 88.2 points per 100 possessions on trips featuring a pick-and-roll with LeBron off the floor. To put that into perspective, that&rsquo;s three points per 100 possessions worse than the 2002-03 Denver Nuggets, who hold the claim for the worst offensive rating over the past 20 years (91.2 per 100).
To remedy that, the Lakers swung a trade for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Dennis Schroder, then later signed last year&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year in Montrezl Harrell.
Schroder is coming off the most efficient campaign of his young career, dropping nearly 19 points per game on a career high 57.5% True Shooting percentage. He posted career-highs in two-point percentage (51.3%), three point percentage (38.5%) and three-point volume (5 attempts, 33.7% three-point rate).&nbsp;
Schroder has always been a speed demon, but he complemented his rim exploits with a reliable jumper for the first time in his career. Teams have always ducked under picks in an effort to force his (shooting) hand. In the past, he&rsquo;d use that runway to jet down the lane. He can still do that.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/dennis-pnr-drive-vs-under.gif" alt="" width="620" height="AUTO" />
Schroder displayed newfound confidence in his jumper against conservative screen defense. This fluidity was not present in, say, Atlanta:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/dennis-pull-up-pnr-vs-under.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
Giving the Lakers an extra scoring option is huge. Pairing him with a screening partner like Harrell should give the Lakers one of the better benches in the league.&nbsp;
Harrell is a quick-twitch athlete with the ability to: 
1) Set solid screens
2) Quickly flip the angle of said screens, and... 
3) Transition from screener/slipper to roller in a split second. 
You can see all of that in the example below:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/montrezl-dive.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
What separates Harrell from other dive-hard bigs is his ability to put the ball on the deck. He&rsquo;s comfortable catching an early pass in space, then putting the ball on the deck for a dribble or two to generate a rim attempt for himself.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/montrezl-spin.gif" alt="" height="AUTO" />
The speed and ferocity of his movements should be a natural fit to Schroder&rsquo;s turbo-charged game. Having a starting caliber one-two punch off the bench should also help the Lakers through the inevitable slog of a condensed regular season. Lowering LeBron and Anthony Davis&rsquo; regular-season workload should be priority number one.
Double Down: Hawks Edition
More like Hawks Addition.
Sorry.&nbsp;
Moving on.
If you&rsquo;ve watched a singular Hawks game over the past couple of seasons, you&rsquo;ll quickly recognize their Double Drag sets, a staple of their early offense. A ball-handler, usually Trae Young, will cross half-court and dribble horizontally over a pair of staggered screens. One screener, usually John Collins, will dive to the basket; the other, a shooter (in theory, at least) will pop out and hover behind the three-point line. The action is designed to make you wrong because of the skill sets of Young and Collins.
Show too high, and Young can sling passes across the lot or find a rolling Collins for a slam. Switch the action, and you&rsquo;ll have Collins rolling into the paint with a baby on his hip or Young with a big on an island. Give too much attention to that duo, and there&rsquo;s still the popper waiting to fire an open triple.
Young was the NBA&rsquo;s most frequent Double Drag navigator by a wide margin last season, per the Second Spectrum source. The difference between Young&rsquo;s frequency and second place (Kemba Walker) was nearly larger than the difference between Walker and 12th place De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. Young will still be the primary ball-handler in these actions, but he&rsquo;ll have shiny new toys to play with.&nbsp;
Though waves were made recently concerning Danilo Gallinari&rsquo;s status in the lineup, there will be times that Gallinari and Collins operate in the frontcourt together. Offensively, they&rsquo;re primed to blitz teams, especially when they flow out of Double Drag together. The Thunder generated an obscene 1.17 points per possession in those actions when Gallinari was the screener, per the Second Spectrum source.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gallo-double-drag.gif" alt="" width="620" height="AUTO" />
Neither Rondo nor Bogdan Bogdanovic pressures the rim like Young can, but both have the passing chops to navigate those screens to find open teammates. Rondo gives a reasonable facsimile of the cross-court passing that Young provides:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/rondo-corner-skip.gif" alt="" width="620" height="AUTO" />
Bogdanovic is a good passer in his own right, though he&rsquo;s more of a probe-and-dump-off guy than a cross-court passer. Still, he can make the primary reads when getting downhill, and that&rsquo;s accentuated by a reliable pull-up jumper if he&rsquo;s given space to fire.&nbsp;
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Young may actually get meaningful off-ball reps this season. You don&rsquo;t want to take too much off his plate -- there are only a handful of players in the league that provide the intersection of passing, shooting and finishing that he does -- but putting him in positions to attack bent defenses instead of being tasked with bending the defense all the time will be huge. This is going to be a fun team to watch on offense.

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NBA film breakdown: How top acquisitions fit with their new team

James Posey talks to T.J. Ford about his upbringing, the 2003 NBA Draft, getting traded, how a tough season Indiana strengthened their bond and more.

J.D.