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Warriors

There are no expectations for the Oklahoma City Thunder entering the 2021-22 season, and that&rsquo;s just how they like it.
The Thunder are in the midst of one of the most extensive rebuilds in NBA history, possessing multiple future first-round picks each year through 2027. They have one entrenched building block who recently signed a rookie-scale max extension, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but everyone else within their rotation are high-upside swings of the bat courtesy of OKC general manager Sam Presti.
Once Thunder legend Russell Westbrook and his All-NBA sidekick Paul George officially asked out three years ago, it jump-started what&rsquo;s currently taking place within Oklahoma City. It&rsquo;s allowing Presti to build a team in his own image, from literally the ground up. Building each piece of the foundation methodically, the Thunder have now put together such an intriguing collection of talents within their current vision.
Alongside star combo guard Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC has all of the following players under 25 years old within its extensive test trial run of figuring out who fits the long-term puzzle: Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon, Aleksej Pokusevski, Tre Mann, Isaiah Roby, Ty Jerome, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins. Only one of these players was drafted in the lottery &mdash; Giddey, the 2021 No. 6 overall pick who has already flashed some <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddey-ascension-to-top-nba-draft-prospect-happened-in-blink-of-an-eye" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exciting potential as a jumbo-sized playmaker</a>, forming a fun backcourt duo with SGA.
The Thunder figure to be once again near the bottom of the barrel in the Western Conference standings this season. However, don&rsquo;t be surprised if Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s star equity wills this extremely raw core to unexpected heights early on. Last season, the team carried a 15-21 record into the All-Star break thanks in large part to his brilliance, as he averaged 23.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds on a fantastic 62.7% True Shooting percentage. Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s beautiful brand of basketball vaulted him into an elite category for lead guards who carried a high-usage rate.
SGA joined the following guards during OKC&rsquo;s surprising early run who had both above 62% TS and 27% usage percentage (min. 20 games played pre-ASB): Stephen Curry, James Harden, Zach LaVine. This shows the leap Gilgeous-Alexander showcased as the lone star-in-the-marking for the Thunder&rsquo;s rebuild, doing so even when teams blitzed him every game defensively.
Although the Thunder ranked last in offensive rating over that span, they were No. 10 overall in defensive rating, allowing only 109.8 points per 100 possessions. Once they officially pulled the plug on trying to win games, which included resting Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC fell off a cliff and finished with a 7-29 record post-All-Star break.
If everything clicks with the Thunder&rsquo;s young core, they are going to be a feisty team that competes on most nights. Gilgeous-Alexander is the straw that stirs the drink, but early preseason flashes from Giddey and Bazley could be foreshadowing their own regular-season performances. OKC is nowhere close to being a legitimate competitor, especially within a tough slate in the West, but this group could certainly qualify as an NBA League Pass team.
So much young talent is developing within the Thunder&rsquo;s player-friendly system put into place by head coach Mark Daigneault. Who&rsquo;s to say they won&rsquo;t at least surprise some people early, especially if teams treat OKC on their schedule like a layup win? And if Gilgeous-Alexander continues to blossom into one of the most exciting young prospects in the Association, OKC will compete each night thanks to his ascent to All-Star levels.
How does OKC&rsquo;s projected rotation look heading into the 2021-22 campaign? Let&rsquo;s examine it below.
Starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Derrick Favors
Second Unit: Tre Mann, Theo Maledon, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Isaiah Roby
As you can see, so much unproven talent is still on tap for the Thunder&rsquo;s lineup combinations. Gilgeous-Alexander is the stalwart for the backcourt, but everyone else alongside or behind him still has much more seasoning ahead in their development curves (Giddey, Mann, Maledon). Dort and Bazley are actually an intriguing wing combination, and Pokusevski is a true wildcard who saw a lot of playing time last season to accentuate his own raw aspects. Favors fills the veteran-big-man void left behind by Al Horford, who was shipped back to the Boston Celtics this offseason in the Kemba Walker trade.
Walker and the Thunder were never going to be a fit, especially with the longtime point guard&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/finally-home-kemba-walker-hopes-to-turn-back-clock-with-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">desire to play for his hometown Knicks</a> in Madison Square Garden. Luckily for the Thunder, he now is in New York, so no possessions will be zapped away from Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC.
Back to Favors: How long will he actually be on the roster, let alone within their rotation? It&rsquo;s doubtful Favors finishes the season in Oklahoma City; whether he's dealt at some point or if he enters the buyout market after February&rsquo;s trade deadline, we will see. However, in the short-term, Favors will provide a stable pick-and-roll partner for SGA and Giddey to showcase their talents. And if Favors performs well (he should gobble up nightly double-doubles), Presti could be in line to snatch up another future draft pick for his services.
Oklahoma City is still in the infancy of its historic rebuild attempt, but the flashes shown last season indicate that this can be a scrappy, competitive roster already. Add in another year of development for Gilgeous-Alexander, who seems poised for another leap, and Oklahoma City could soon escape the abyss into respectability ahead of its projected timeline.
The next step for the Thunder is finding their co-star alongside SGA, and that should soon come with Giddey or another top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Don&rsquo;t discount the Thunder in 2021-22, because they actually have the pieces in place to be an entertaining watch.

Although the Thunder are still in the beginning stages of their historic rebuild attempt, there's some exciting potential brewing together.

Thunder far away from competing, but pieces are coming together

Michael Porter Jr. didn&rsquo;t have the NBA Draft experience that he&rsquo;d always imagined.&nbsp;
After being ranked the top high school player in the country, he ended up slipping to No. 14 in the 2018 NBA Draft due to a back injury that required spinal surgeries in 2017 and 2018. Worst of all, he was in a ton of pain as he waited for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to call his name.
&ldquo;On draft night, I hadn&rsquo;t had the [second] surgery yet and I was in so much pain,&rdquo; Porter recalled on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGIHBt9piQc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.J. Redick&rsquo;s podcast (</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGIHBt9piQc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Old Man and the Three)</a>. &ldquo;Even if you get picked at 14, you&rsquo;re there for like two hours before you get picked. So, I&rsquo;m sitting there and just trying to deal with this pain.&rdquo;
Porter had herniated-disc material &ldquo;pressing against a nerve.&rdquo; He also opened up about slipping in the draft and what he was dealing with from a health perspective.&nbsp;
"I've never really talked about this too in-detail on anything like this,&rdquo; Porter told Redick. &ldquo;I had rehabbed from my first surgery that happened at Mizzou and I'm getting ready [for the pre-draft process]. I'm not working out for any teams. I just have one pro day; all of the teams came to me in Chicago. I worked out pretty well; I was in some pain, but I just thought that was part of the rehab process. I worked out really well. Sacramento brings me in [for an interview] and is like, &lsquo;Yo, if you feel good, we&rsquo;re going to take you with the No. 2 pick.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Bet, that&rsquo;s dope!&rsquo; But my agent wanted to have a second pro day just for the top-10 teams because he was like, &lsquo;Man, these guys are raving about you. If you do really well, there&rsquo;s a chance you can still go No. 1 even after the surgery.&rsquo; So I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;Bet.&rsquo; The pro days were only one week [apart].&nbsp;
&ldquo;So, I&rsquo;m getting ready and then two days before, all of the pain is down my leg and it&rsquo;s crazy again [like] after I had the first surgery. I called my agent and I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;I can&rsquo;t get out of bed, bro.&rsquo; He tells me, &lsquo;The teams are already on their way, just let them evaluate you.&rsquo; So for that second pro day, I&rsquo;m laying on a table and all of the top-10 teams have their doctors there and they&rsquo;re just evaluating me. The guy from the Clippers was the head doctor and he&rsquo;s the one who wrote the report like, &lsquo;Yeah, he&rsquo;ll probably never play again.&rsquo;&rdquo;
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This isn&rsquo;t the first time that Porter has <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29796435/nuggets-michael-porter-jr-blames-clippers-doctor-fall-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called out</a> this unnamed Clippers doctor. Los Angeles had two lottery picks (No. 12 and 13), but the team passed on Porter twice due to his medical red flags. Instead, they picked Miles Bridges (whose draft rights were traded to Charlotte) and Jerome Robinson. Former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers later <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29796435/nuggets-michael-porter-jr-blames-clippers-doctor-fall-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> missing on Porter as &ldquo;brutal."
Porter&rsquo;s agent, Mark Bartelstein, set up a meeting with the Denver Nuggets a day before the draft just in case he was still on the board by the end of the lottery.
&ldquo;The day before, Mark was like, &lsquo;Michael, I want you to talk to the Nuggets just so you have a floor that you won&rsquo;t fall past,&rsquo;&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;So the Nuggets ended up saying, &lsquo;We don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll be there, but if he&rsquo;s there, we&rsquo;ll take him.&rsquo; The first time I talked to [Nuggets executive] Tim Connelly was, like, the day of the draft and I didn&rsquo;t really even think of the Nuggets as a possibility. And then, I got drafted [by Denver].&rdquo;
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The Nuggets selected him in the lottery almost entirely based on the glimpses of brilliance he showed in high school. After all, Porter only appeared in three collegiate games during his lone season at Missouri, averaging 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 threes and a steal (while shooting 33.3% from the field and 30.0% from three).&nbsp;
It was a risk, but it has certainly paid off. Porter seems poised for stardom after averaging 19.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 threes, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals (on 54.2/44.5/79.1 shooting splits) as a 22-year-old last season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I said this on draft night, but just because of them believing in me, I want to be their best draft pick ever, and I [said] I was going to work as hard as I could to become that,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;And I still feel like every year, there&rsquo;s little-by-little growth. I went through a lot, but it&rsquo;s all God&rsquo;s timing and I&rsquo;m blessed to be in the situation I&rsquo;m in. I&rsquo;m blessed to even be playing in the NBA.&rdquo;
Porter doesn&rsquo;t hold any ill will against the teams who passed on him. In fact, he completely understands their choice because even he was scared that he might never be the same player.
"I understood it, and I don't have any bitterness toward any team because I was low-key scared myself,&rdquo; Porter admitted. &ldquo;Like, I didn't know if I was going to bounce back the way I wanted to either. It's been a slow process, and I still feel like I'm getting there.&rdquo;
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Porter is glad that he landed in Denver, since there are fewer distractions than Los Angeles. It also helps that the Nuggets could afford to be patient with him and bring him along slowly.
&ldquo;With the Clippers, to be honest with you, it might have a God thing because who knows [what would&rsquo;ve happened in Los Angeles]? You know how crazy L.A. is,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Living in L.A. as a rookie who&rsquo;s strictly doing rehab without even playing? I might&rsquo;ve got into some stuff. So, I&rsquo;m where I&rsquo;m supposed to be.&rdquo;
Over the final two months of the 2020-21 season, Porter had an incredible 25-game stretch in which he averaged 24.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 threes and a block while shooting an insanely efficient 56.9% from the field, 47.2% from three (on 7.2 attempts per game) and 82.5% from the free throw line.&nbsp;
Porter&rsquo;s strong finish has some people <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-what-is-your-bold-prediction-for-the-202122-nba-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predicting</a> that he&rsquo;ll take another leap during the 2021-22 campaign. While he used to set specific goals and compare himself to his peers, he said dealing with so many health issues that were out of his control changed his perspective.
"I used to be like, 'Man, I want to be better than him and better than him, and I want to be the best.' Now, for me, because of the uncontrollable things that have happened to me, it changed my perspective to, 'Nah, I'm just gonna get up every day and try to be better than I was the day before and then leave the potential up to God,&rsquo;&rdquo; Porter explained. 
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m giving my best every day and making sure my mental game is strong and playing with confidence... I don&rsquo;t want to put a ceiling on myself like, &lsquo;Oh, if i&rsquo;m better than him, then I&rsquo;ll feel like I had success.&rsquo; No. If I&rsquo;m working as hard as I can every day and God continues to keep me healthy, then I&rsquo;m good.&rdquo;

Michael Porter Jr. opened up about being told he'd probably never play basketball again, slipping in the 2018 NBA Draft and more.

Michael Porter Jr. relives 2018 NBA Draft: 'I was in so much pain'

The Oklahoma City Thunder are rebuilding, to say the least. Maybe you thought the Philadelphia 76ers &ldquo;Process&rdquo; under former GM Sam Hinkie was a full-on commitment, but those years have nothing on Sam Presti.
Once Paul George and Russell Westbrook were traded in a 24-hour span in the 2019 offseason, the switch flipped in Oklahoma City; extreme asset accumulation.
Before this past season, Oklahoma City made the playoffs 10 of the last 11 years. A fruitful era spearheaded by Kevin Durant, James Harden and Westbrook is now long gone. George was traded to Oklahoma City in 2017 to become Westbrook&rsquo;s new running-mate after Durant&rsquo;s departure to the Golden State Warriors, but it was a short-term partnership that yielded nothing significant and concluded after only two seasons.
Amazingly, the Thunder hold 35 draft picks over the next five years, and that doesn&rsquo;t include their massive haul in the 2021 NBA Draft &nbsp;(Josh Giddey - No. 6, Tre Mann - No. 16, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl - No. 32, Aaron Wiggins - No. 55). Oklahoma City has so many plate appearances, they're bound to eventually hit at least one home run.
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An average of seven picks per draft over a five-year span is absolutely absurd, and it&rsquo;s a huge credit to Presti going all-in with his strategy. As it stands, 12 teams in the Western Conference have real playoff aspirations next season, and Oklahoma City isn't likely to qualify. Presti can sit back and trust his scouts to find prospects and his coaching staff to develop their players.&nbsp;
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who the Thunder acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent George to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, has become the new face of the franchise. Recently signing a five-year max extension, the 23-year-old is the primary building block for the next great Thunder roster. Last season &mdash; his third &mdash; he took a massive leap forward, averaging 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists while converting 41.9% of his three-point opportunities (at a high volume of 4.9 per game).
Quickly, Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the most promising young prospects in the Association. Aside from him, though, the cupboard is relatively bare, but that all fits in with the master plan.
As mentioned, having so many chances to draft high-upside prospects allows Oklahoma City to take chances, such as the one the franchise took in drafting 19-year-old Aleksej Pokusevski. Although he was nowhere close to being NBA-ready, a lose-now roster allowed Pokusevski to see much-needed development time in live action situations. The results have been up-and-down for the Serbian big man: 8.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 blocks on a horrendous true shooting percentage of 43.0.
Pokusevski is a case study and shows how the Thunder plan on swinging the bat. Other players who fit the "high-ceiling, low-floor" category are Darius Bazley and Theo Maledon. Bazley skipped college altogether, while Maledon is another international prospect with boom-or-bust potential.
Giddey is a project, but the No. 6 overall pick is a strong long-term fit alongside Gilgeous-Alexander in the Thunder&rsquo;s backcourt. Standing at 6-foot-9, Giddey is a passing savant with a developing jump shot. The Australian point guard will be bringing flare to Oklahoma City&rsquo;s offense, even as an 18-year old. Thanks to the Thunder&rsquo;s extremely young and raw rotation, Giddey could immediately break through the rotation to run extensive test trials next to Gilgeous-Alexander.
Toss in bulky wing Luguentz Dort, who has turned into an undrafted gem since his arrival in 2019-20, and Oklahoma City&rsquo;s young core is littered with intrigue. Led by Gilgeous-Alexander, here&rsquo;s how the under-25 core looks for the Thunder:
Ball Handlers = Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey, Maledon, Mann, Ty Jerome
Wings = Dort, Bazley, Wiggins
Bigs = Pokusevski, Robinson-Earl, Isaiah Roby
Right there are 11 players in Oklahoma City&rsquo;s projected 2021-22 rotation who are still developing. The remodeling is nowhere close to finished; the foundation is still being put into place on ground level.
Because Oklahoma City may never be a free-agency destination, Presti seems to be going all-in to build an entire roster around drafted talent.&nbsp;The most impressive part of what&rsquo;s occurring in Oklahoma City, though, is how Presti is seemingly thinking two or three steps ahead.
For example, take Al Horford&rsquo;s one-year stint with the team. Philadelphia sent Horford (and his bloated contract) to the Thunder, but in exchange, Oklahoma City received a 2025 first-round pick. At season&rsquo;s end, Presti then flipped Horford to the Boston Celtics for Kemba Walker, who was also on a big-money contract. Boston sent Oklahoma City the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 draft, plus a 2025 second-round pick for taking on Walker's obligation. On draft night, the Thunder traded the 16th pick (Turkish big man Alperen Sengun) to the Houston Rockets in exchange for two future first-round picks, likely to convey in 2023 (via Washington) and 2025 (via Detroit).
What began as a salary-dump for Philadelphia netted Oklahoma City three future first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2025) and a 2025 second-round selection. It&rsquo;s genius maneuvering.
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When looking back at all of their major moves since trading Westbrook, Oklahoma City is presenting a new model for rebuilding. Here is an accounting of what the team sent out and received in trades dating back to 2019:&nbsp;
Sent: Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Al Horford / Kemba Walker
Received: 2022 1st, 2022 1st, 2023 1st, 2023 1st, 2023 1st, 2023 2nd, 2024 1st, 2024 1st, 2024 2nd, 2024 2nd, 2025 1st, 2025 1st, 2025 2nd, 2025 2nd, 2026 1st, 2026 1st, 2026 2nd, 2027 2nd, 2023 + 2025 pick swaps; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ty Jerome, Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Maledon, Tre Mann, Aaron Wiggins
All of the this wheeling-and-dealing &mdash; which also factored in other pieces sent to Oklahoma City re-routed for more future assets (ex: Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr. in the Paul trade with the Phoenix Suns) &mdash; resulted in 11 first-round picks, seven second-round picks, multiple pick swap opportunities and seven young prospects.
It&rsquo;s jaw-dropping.
The Thunder are currently stuck on ground level, and probably will be for awhile. If this plan works out, though, its execution will be revered among NBA executives for decades to come, especially among small market teams.
Welcome to Rebuilding 101, hosted by Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are nowhere close to competing for a playoff spot, but that's all seems to be a part of their long-term plan.

Rebuilding 101: How the Thunder acquired a treasure trove of assets

The 2021 NBA Draft class was the story of NBA Summer League Day 3.
The headlining matchup of top-pick Cade Cunningham vs. second-overall-selection Jalen Green certainly garnered enough conversation. But even from the first game, rookies painted tantalizing pictures of their NBA potential. Four of tonight's five "studs" were awarded to first-year prospects.
Does this mean the 2021 NBA Draft will be <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jalen-suggs-thinks-2021-class-definitely-has-a-chance-to-rival-2003" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the best draft class ever</a>? Of course not. As always, it's important to remember not to draw definitive conclusions from games in a unique setting that will never be replicated in the actual NBA season. But for fans, it's okay to get hyped when the future looks bright.&nbsp;
Here were some of my Day 3 observations:
STUDS
Chris Duarte, guard, Indiana Pacers
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Chris Duarte is a sniper <a href="https://t.co/YtPSllgdti">pic.twitter.com/YtPSllgdti</a>
&mdash; NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBASummerLeague/status/1425220298455064580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-for-19 FG, 5-for-10 3PT
It was pure joy to watch the Pacers creatively use their lottery pick on offense. On one early play, Duarte bolted on a nice Iverson cut to get a quality look at the rim, though he missed the finish. Later in the first quarter, Indiana drew up a baseline out-of-bounds play that saw Duarte skirt through screens for a catch-and-shoot three.&nbsp;
The 24-year-old was communicative and aware on the defensive end. Though he had a couple of "heat-check" possessions, Duarte made five three-pointers, including two sensational buzzer-beaters. His assist numbers would have also been much higher if teammates finished off more of his nice passes.
Sharife Cooper, guard, Atlanta Hawks
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SHARIFE COOPER HITS A GAME-WINNER 😱 <a href="https://twitter.com/brhoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brhoops</a> <a href="https://t.co/BSH3SkZc2U">pic.twitter.com/BSH3SkZc2U</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1425242755756822529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 21 points, 9 assists, 1 steal, 8-for-14 FG, 5-for-8 3PT
Man oh man... I had to remind myself multiple times not to overreact to one summer league game. Cooper was scary&nbsp;on offense. He threw ridiculous, NBA-lead-guard-caliber dimes all over the court. Cooper also tallied six turnovers, but the mistakes are forgivable when he's creating these unique chances for his teammates.
More importantly: the perimeter shooting. Cooper made 13 threes in college; he canned five on Tuesday, including step-backs and quick shots off the catch. Defenders were content to let Cooper fire away given his track record. He made them pay right up to the buzzer-beating end of Atlanta's 84-83 win. Seeing this type of performance from Cooper should make opposing teams sweat.
Aaron Nesmith, guard/forward, Boston Celtics
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Aaron Nesmith tonight 🔥 33 PTS in 21 MINS 13/18 FG 7/9 3PT 7 REB<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BleedGreen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BleedGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/rgVd2LgQRI">pic.twitter.com/rgVd2LgQRI</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1425276061630279684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 13-for-18 FG, 7-for-9 3PT
Nesmith went on an absolute heater in Boston's lopsided 107-82 win over the Nuggets. He was lethal off screens, maintaining balance and consistency to splash triple after triple. But he also attacked off the dribble, driving to the rim or pulling up in the mid-range with equal success.
This performance is the missing piece for the Celtics' bench. Obviously, Nesmith won't be this hot, and is probably somewhere in between Tuesday's dominance and Sunday's frigid effort. But games like these tease the type of weapon the second-year wing can be without commanding a ton of usage. He still has to work on keeping players in front of him when defending.
Jalen Green, guard, Houston Rockets
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Jalen Green showed out tonight 👀 - 23 PTS - 5 REB - 9/18 FG - 4/9 3PT <a href="https://t.co/a7rtLFERCE">pic.twitter.com/a7rtLFERCE</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1424540461335605250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 6-for-11 FG, 3-for-5 3PT
Tuesday's matchup against Cade Cunningham was an amazing example of growth from Green. He flailed in the early going as the Pistons blitzed, and threw some wild turnovers. But after the first quarter, Green started to settle in and pick his spots in effective fashion. He made shots off the catch, cut well and only turned the ball over once in the latter three quarters. It wasn't a pretty night, and yet Green still finished with quality numbers.
Cade Cunningham, guard, Detroit Pistons
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Cade Cunningham catches Jalen Green reaching, hits him with the behind the back dribble and makes the 3!! <a href="https://t.co/xkEBiQDZQS">pic.twitter.com/xkEBiQDZQS</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1425272704874188802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Box Score Stats: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 8-for-18 FG, 4-for-9 3PT
On the other end, Cunningham exuded the poise and cerebal vision that helped make him the first overall pick. The two assists woefully underrepresent how electric Cunningham was as a passer in transition, in the half-court and while attacking the basket. His four three-pointers came from all over the court, including one moment when he caught Jalen Green slipping. Defensively, Cunningham picked off a bunch of long passes and led the early-system pressure that caught Green off guard.
Other notable performers: Bol Bol (Nuggets), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Payton Pritchard (Celtics), Patrick Williams (Bulls)
DUDS
Zeke Nnaji, forward, Denver Nuggets
Box Score Stats: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 0-for-9 FG, 0-for-6 3PT
Nnaji was pretty invisible for most of the afternoon. When he did show up, it was with some brutal misses on three-pointers. That's a notable area of development for the 2020 first-round pick; he made 40% of his threes as a rookie after hitting just 29% of them in college. The 6-foot-9 forward was also somewhat concerning when he put the ball on the floor. Nnaji just doesn't have tight handle at this stage, and blew one fast break by flying into traffic out of control.&nbsp;
Jerome Robinson, guard, Chicago Bulls
Box Score Stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-for-4 FG, 0-for-1 3PT
Robinson enters his fourth season since the Clippers selected him with the No. 13 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Summer league is becoming a potential make-or-break opportunity for Robinson's NBA future, and the young guard just isn't showing enough. He had some nice moments as a pick-and-roll operator, but needs to be the perimeter threat he was at Boston College. That hasn't happened yet.&nbsp;
Yam Madar, guard, Boston Celtics
Box Score Stats: 0 points, 1 assist, 0-for-3 FG, 0-for-1 3PT
I am a massive fan of Madar's game and buy his NBA future. But this was a sobering reminder that the 20-year-old still has a ways to go in his development. With Payton Pritchard running the offense, Madar was much less effective off the ball, and when he had it, he made some questionable decisions.
On one occasion, Madar had a sensible 12-foot floater chance, but pulled up for a jumper only to get blocked from behind. He also dished out a nice underhand pass... that should have been a lob on a two-on-one fast break. He has to know when to incorporate other moves besides the fadeaway in the mid-range, and make some smarter passing decisions.
Kenneth Faried, forward, Portland Trail Blazers
Box Score Stats: 3 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block, 1-for-4 FG&nbsp;
We've known for a decade that Faried can rebound the ball at a high level. But the veteran forward has to show something else as he fights to get back into the league, and he didn't do that on Tuesday. Faried was clumsy as a screener and poor as a finisher. His range still does not extend past the elbows, and he went just 1-for-4 on free throws. Fellow vets Emmanuel Mudiay and Michael Beasley both had nice games, making Faried's lackluster outing more incriminating.
Jay Scrubb, guard/forward, Los Angeles Clippers
Box Score Stats: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-for-19 FG, 2-for-8 3PT
Scrubb opened up his summer-league stint with a stellar game on Monday. Tuesday night, however, the score-first forward just didn't have the touch. Scrubb missed a bunch of attempts at the rim and struggled to finish through contact despite his frame. His struggled with the three-ball as well and got caught ball-watching on defense. The 2020 second-round pick did make good decisions as a passer, though, and should inspire plenty of optimism on offense.

Several rookies logged standout performances on the third day of NBA Summer League.

5 Studs and duds from the third day of NBA Summer League

Wizards are waiving guard Jerome Robinson.
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1380000325382311936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Wojnarowski added that Washington is expected to bring back forward Jordan Bell on a 10-day contract soon. Bell, who was with the Wizards earlier in the season, will now get another opportunity with the team after being waived four months ago.
24-year-old guard, Jerome Robinson, will be free to sign with anyone once he hits the open market and clears waivers. Robinson averaged 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in the 17 games he appeared in for Washington this year.

The Wizards are waiving guard Jerome Robinson and are expected to sign Jordan Bell to a 10-day contract soon after.

Wizards waive Jerome Robinson, expected to sign Jordan Bell

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Russell Westbrook had 35 points, a season-high 21 assists and 14 rebounds for his NBA-leading 16th triple-double, helping the Washington Wizards to a 132-124 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. It was the first 35-point, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history.
Westbrook also claimed the franchise career triple-double record in just his 38th game with the Wizards, this one coming while teammate and NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal sat out with a bruised hip. Darrell Walker had 15 triple-doubles in 283 games for Washington between 1987-1991.
&ldquo;He does things that I&rsquo;ve never seen,&rdquo; Wizards coach Scott Brooks said of Westbrook, whom he also previously coached in Oklahoma City. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a winner, man. He fights. He&rsquo;s not perfect, and a lot of times the geniuses want to look at the things that he doesn&rsquo;t do well. But sometimes they forget about the other things that he does well.&rdquo;
Rui Hachimura scored 26 points and Chandler Hutchison had 18 in his debut with the Wizards, who won their second straight after losing eight of nine.
&ldquo;Russ had quite a (few) assists to me, so I've definitely got to get him some dinner or something,&rdquo; Hutchison said of Westbrook.
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Domantas Sabonis had 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who lost for the second time in six games.
Indiana entered in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of Chicago for the 10th and final play-in spot. The Pacers are now four games ahead of the Wizards, who began the day in 13th.
Malcolm Brogdon added 26 points for Indiana, which was outrebounded 55-37.
&ldquo;Not good enough,&rdquo; Brogdon said of the team performance. &ldquo;They played harder. They made more shots and got more stops.&rdquo;
Neither team led by more than six points until late in the final quarter.
Down six in the fourth, Westbrook and the Wizards outscored the Pacers 22-8 over the last 5:47, a stretch that began with a 13-0 run.
Westbrook's feed inside to Hachimura gave Washington the lead for good with 4:37 to play. He followed that with two spot-up 3s over Myles Turner, the latter from the right wing giving Washington its largest advantage to that point, 128-120, with 44.8 seconds to play.
&ldquo;He shot it well from the arc today, and obviously everywhere, and passed it well,&rdquo; Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren said of Westbrook. &ldquo;It was one of those games tonight that didn&rsquo;t go our way in a number of ways.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Finished with a 5-5 record in 10 March road games. ... F Doug McDermott (right ankle) was ruled out pregame. ... F Justin Holiday picked up a flagrant foul with 8:39 to play in the third quarter on Jerome Robinson's 3-point attempt.
Wizards: Brooks said it's possible Beal could return for Tuesday's game. &ldquo;We'll give him another day of rest and then know more tomorrow,&rdquo; Brooks said of Beal. ... Robinson made his fourth start, in Beal's place.
SETTING THE RECORD
Westbrook hit the Wizards franchise mark on another notable stretch when he grabbed Brogdon&rsquo;s missed 3-pointer for his 10th rebound inside the final five seconds of the third quarter. Then he pushed up the floor and found Raul Neto for a buzzer-beating 3 that gave the Wizards a 95-92 lead and Westbrook his 18th assist.
&ldquo;I don't deserve the credit, honestly,&rdquo; Westbrook said of the feat. &ldquo;I always give credit to the man above for blessing me with the ability to play, and along those lines, I have so many great coaches and teammates that make my job easy and help me out. Assists don't happen. I can't make the shots.&rdquo;
HAZARDS OF A TRADE
Washington C Daniel Gafford, who was acquired with Hutchison from Chicago in a trade last Thursday, departed Monday's game early in the fourth quarter after he appeared to injure his right leg.
He required assistance from medical personnel to leave the court after scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds in 15 minutes.
&ldquo;I mean it didn&rsquo;t look good,&rdquo; Brooks said of the 22-year-old Gafford, who also had a promising team debut on Saturday. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really hoping for the best. What he brings, we haven&rsquo;t had it in five years, the lob threat.&rdquo;

Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds in Washington's 132-124 win over the Pacers on Monday night.

Westbrook records first 35-point, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history

They have the NBA&rsquo;s leading scorer, Bradley Beal, a guy who has dropped 30 or more points in 20 of 29 games. They Russell Westbrook, who has posted a league-leading 10 triple-doubles in just 24 games.
Not only that, but being a quarantined league laughingstock not so long ago, the Washington Wizards have won six of their last seven games, including two victories over the Nuggets, one against the Lakers and another over the Celtics prior to a 16-point victory vs. the Timberwolves last night. They play Boston again on Sunday, followed by the Grizzlies and Clippers on the final night of a five-game, nine-night road trip. Sweep those three, and they go into the break 16-18.
In that case, we would be talking about a team that is just two games under .500 with only three teams sporting winning records in the East.
That&rsquo;s right, three: The Nets, Sixers and Bucks. Everyone else, more or less, is not at that level.
The Raptors and Knicks are tied for fourth at .500, the Heat and Celtics are a game under .500 and the Bulls, Heat and Pacers are two games under .500 as play begins Sunday. This is not imbalance; this is the conference normal right now -- three good teams.
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So &nbsp;there is room for a fourth, which means we have to start looking at unlikely candidates. We shall today, toward one team with two very good players.
The Wizards got hit hard by COVID and had six consecutive games postponed, which means their schedule is going to be extra tough from a wear-and-tear standard the rest of the way. They have eight remaining back-to-backs, but they will play six games in nine nights coming out off the All-Star break, including two with the Sixers, one with the Bucks and one with the Jazz. After that, they get a matchup with the Nets, then play three games in four nights four times over the remainder of the season.&nbsp;
This makes the strength and conditioning team 10-times more important than anyone in D.C. not named Biden. The franchise will not have Thomas Bryant this season, nor is the organization getting what it expected from five-year, $80 million man Davis Bertans. Still, Sheppard has gone blue in the face telling anyone who will listen that Bradley Beal is not being traded anywhere. &nbsp;
What Sheppard and Brooks need to try to do is find a third key player on the trade market before the March 25 deadline. They have a few decent role players in Rui Hachimura, Robin Lopez, Raul Neto and Deni Avdija, but this roster would be hard-pressed to win a single playoff series, much less two, as presently constructed. But if you assume that recently-starting center Moritz Wagner, Jerome Robinson and Isaac Bonga are expendable and their expiring salaries can be packaged, their salaries add up to roughly $7.5 million. If Troy Brown Jr. were to get added to the mix, that is roughly $11 million, which can get you something. And they have Detroit&rsquo;s second-rounder (likely No. 31 or 32) as a trade sweetener.
A big man would have to be prioritized, because you will need one to defend Joel Embiid if you face the Sixers, and to be used offensively in the low post if you play the Nets or Celtics. If you face the Bucks, you wish &ldquo;good luck&rdquo; to Hachimura and have Alex Len use all six of his fouls if Giannis gets anywhere near the rim.
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So what can $7.5 or $11 million get you? (And remember, the salaries will have to match because Washington has a $132 million salary, the league&rsquo;s ninth-highest, and is only $813,000 below the luxury tax.) Only a bad team would give up on a big, and among those who could be presumably acquired and fit into these two salary spaces include JaVale McGee of Cleveland, Mason Plumlee of Detroit, Jabari Parker, Hassan Whiteside or Richaun Holmes of Sacramento and Dwight Powell or Willie Cauley-Stein of Dallas (not on a bad team, but superfluous). DeMarcus Cousins is also a free agent.&nbsp;
Washington ranks 29th in defense in terms of points allowed per game (119.3), so a rim defender such as Whiteside could help, in the abstract. He was having a career season with Portland last year before Jusuf Nurkic returned in Florida and was All-Bubble material.
It has been three years since the Wizards won a playoff series, and Beal is the only holdover from then. Andrew Nicholson was on the team at that time, and he is putting up numbers in China (24.4 ppg on 66.9 percent shooting for Fujian, whose season ends April 13. Maybe a reunion could be in order afterward?
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Scott Brooks did not acquire Russell Westbrook in order for the Wizards to be a middle-of-the-road team, and the season-ending torn ACL injury to Bryant was devastating.&nbsp;
But the East is three deep right now, and therefore somebody has the opportunity to rise up and be a conference semifinal team. There are more likely candidates, but it has to be somebody. &nbsp;
Of the Wizards&rsquo; 41 remaining games, 11 are against the Pistons, Cavs, Hornets and Kings. They've got three more until the All-Star break; if they come out on top in those, the noise will start to get louder.
Why not Washington? They could be one deal away from being that team.

Chris Sheridan believes that the Wizards could end up being the surprise team of the East, especially if they make one more move.