Jaguars

In the first major move of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/knicks-acquire-og-anunoby-in-blockbuster-trade-with-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dealt</a> OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick. Along with Anunoby, the Knicks will also receive Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.
Here are some takeaways from this blockbuster trade.&nbsp;
Immanuel Quickley&rsquo;s imminent rise
Perhaps the player who benefits most from this deal is Immanuel Quickley. The 24-year-old will now be the lead guard for a Raptors team lacking a reliable point guard. Scottie Barnes has been slotted in the position at times to take some of the pressure off of Dennis Schroder, who was recently brought off the bench.&nbsp;
Like former Kentucky teammate Tyrese Maxey, Quickley has shown flashes of taking that leap as the main point guard with some good performances with the Knicks. He is one of the best scoring options off the bench in the NBA, currently averaging 15 points per game in just 24 minutes. Now, Quickley will get to do it for Toronto and earn a big payday, as New York probably wasn't willing to pay him this offseason since he plays the same position as Jalen Brunson.
RJ Barrett&rsquo;s homecoming
Another storyline to watch in this trade is RJ Barrett returning to play for his hometown.&nbsp;
Born and raised in Toronto, Barrett has been solid for the Knicks, averaging 18.1 points per game over his five-year career. The 6-foot-6 lefty is poised to bring his consistent play to the Raptors and contribute alongside Barnes.
Moreover, Barrett will finally get to play in his home country, where he once led Canada to a huge victory over heavy favorites USA in the FIBA U19 in 2017, contributing 38 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.&nbsp;
Will OG Anunoby re-sign with the Knicks?
On paper, the Knicks have a solid eight-man playoff rotation now, which could give the East some problems.&nbsp;
However, this might not be the year for New York to make a title run, as Mitchell Robinson has been ruled out for the season. And so the question remains: Will Anunoby stay with the Knicks after this season? 
The 6-foot-7 wing will likely ask for around $40 million per year as reported, which seems like a lot for a player in his role. But then again, it's possible the Knicks knew what Anunoby would cost prior to making this deal and felt comfortable with it given that Anunoby is represented by CAA.
Precious Achiuwa&rsquo;s value for the Knicks
With Robinson out for the season (and possibly the playoffs), backup big Isaiah Hartenstein is now starting for the squad. Taj Gibson, one of Tom Thibodeau&rsquo;s former players, was signed to fill in and provide depth, but he's been underwhelming thus far.
Enter Precious Achiuwa.&nbsp;
Possibly an underrated pickup in this deal, the stretch big is another body that Thibs could use come playoff time. Achiuwa is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound center/forward who is physical and has a decent shot. He will add a different dimension to the Knicks&rsquo; bench as a floor spacer at the 5 position, depending on how he will be used on offense.

Following Saturday's blockbuster trade between the Knicks and Raptors, here are four takeaways.

4 takeaways from the Knicks-Raptors OG Anunoby trade

Princeton forward Tosan Evbuomwan spent his first three college seasons enduring one disappointment after another.
Reaching the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the Sweet 16 made it all worthwhile.
After the 2020 Ivy League Tournament was canceled, after the entire 2020-21 season was canceled, after losing by two points in the conference&rsquo;s 2022 tourney title game and after watching three friends transfer just to keep playing in 2022-23, this resilient 6-foot-8 Brit has taken the Tigers on their deepest NCAA Tournament run since 1967 and has emerged as survivor of one of college basketball&rsquo;s strangest journeys.
&ldquo;I think it did start with that COVID year,&rdquo; Evbuomwan said. &rdquo;There was a togetherness with that group. One of my favorite things about that time was the Zooms with one another, the Face Times, just talking about what we wanted the next season. We wanted a championship.&rdquo;
Now,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-princeton-3e7e64d87d64a24587f258af065e7ce0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Ivy League tourney champions are the talk of the nation</a>&nbsp;and an illustration of the impact two pivotal COVID years have had on the college basketball world.
Nobody outside the Princeton locker room expected this run &mdash; especially when three of last year&rsquo;s top five scorers left to take advantage of the NCAA&rsquo;s extra season. League rules allowed them only to use that season at a non-conference school.
But these Tigers pride themselves on perseverance. So instead of allowing the obstacles to derail their dreams or steal their spirit, they dug in, stuck around, forged a bond and finished the job.
&ldquo;We missed out on a whole year. That hurt, watching essentially every other team in the country play,&rdquo; Princeton guard Matt Allocco said. &ldquo;But I think it actually helped us in the long run. We were able to get together in the spring and practice, be with each other, build those relationships. It ended up being a great experience.&rdquo;
Not everyone remembers the COVID years fondly.
San Diego State and Dayton saw their 2020 title hopes dashed by the NCAA&rsquo;s announcement. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo thought he had a Final Four team, too.
Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn&rsquo;s long-awaited return to March Madness was extended by three more years, prompting him to acknowledge two weeks ago that winning the 2020 Horizon League crown almost seemed like it never happened.
There&rsquo;s no way to replace what was lost &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-march-madness-san-diego-state-charleston-orlando-0d6d6cd47a1ff1baa3bfb448286b0ff6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even for this year&rsquo;s 16 regional semifinalists</a>.
Just ask San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher, whose team faces top-seeded Alabama on Friday in the Louisville Regional. The Aztecs were supposed to be a top-two seed three years ago.
&ldquo;As I said all those years ago, as good as Malachi Flynn and KJ Feagin and Yanni Wetzell were, they never played in the NCAA Tournament one time in their careers. That&rsquo;s unbelievable,&rdquo; Dutcher said. &ldquo;Sometimes we take for granted just going and losing in the first round. Just to have a chance to play would have meant the world to those guys so I feel bad for that, that they never got a taste of March Madness.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, at Creighton, it was a different scenario.
In 2021, the tourney provided the Bluejays with a bittersweet memory: Celebrating their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1974 inside the lonely Indianapolis &ldquo;bubble.&rdquo;
So when&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-creighton-nembhard-d5b5da14046dffc8c7fb28e2f8b2da13" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sixth-seeded Creighton knocked off third-seeded Baylor 85-76 last weekend</a>&nbsp;to return to the Sweet 16, something suddenly felt far more satisfying about Friday&rsquo;s matchup against 15th-seeded Princeton in Louisville.
&ldquo;We had a lot of fans there to celebrate at the end of the game with us (in Denver) and then you go back to the hotel with family and friends and have a chance to celebrate rather than go back to your room and eat another piece of rubber chicken out of a Styrofoam box, which is what we did in Indianapolis,&rdquo; Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. &ldquo;To get to the Sweet 16 is a difficult thing to do, it was just a little more fun to celebrate that particular night.&rdquo;
What about 2021 national champion Baylor? Of course, the Bears had no complaints.
Kansas State coach Jerome Tang was an assistant on that title team and has used the lessons from that run as the model for his third-seeded Wildcats, who take on Izzo&rsquo;s seventh-seeded Spartans on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-transfer-portal-0b9862a4e4e4b6da08ce56b3eb2c443a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tang believes the similarities in roster composition</a>&nbsp;will help Kansas State this weekend.
&ldquo;We spent 30 days in the &lsquo;bubble,&rsquo; right? And if you don&rsquo;t like each other, nobody wants to spend that amount of time together,&rdquo; Tang said. &ldquo;That team, we really liked each other. We loved being together. I mean, it was fun to be around them. I feel the same way around these guys. We could be in a bubble for 30 days and we&rsquo;ll be just fine. We&rsquo;re going to have a great time.&rdquo;
But nobody will have more fun than Princeton.
Just two years after watching everyone else&rsquo;s games, the Tigers need two wins to end a 48-year Final Four drought, two wins to become the first Ivy League team in the national semifinals since Penn in 1979 and two wins to cement their status as one of the greatest and most compelling advance-and-survive stories in tourney history.
And it might not have happened without Princeton&rsquo;s COVID experience.
&ldquo;Having to watch those games on TV, the tournament, hurt. I think looking back on it, it fueled us for the next year,&rdquo; Princeton guard Ryan Langborg said. &ldquo;I think this year, this Sweet 16 run so far, it&rsquo;s more than making up for it.&rdquo;

Princeton is on its deepest NCAA Tournament run since 1967 after surviving one of college basketball’s strangest journeys.

Princeton’s journey becomes face of March Madness’ COVID era

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; The Pac-12 Conference is having likely its best women&rsquo;s basketball season, which has a chance to get even stronger.
As the conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with four first-round games, the Pac-12 could place at least eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 sent seven teams in 2017, a conference high.
&ldquo;I think from top to bottom we&rsquo;re as strong as we&rsquo;ve ever been,&rdquo; said Rhonda Lundin Bennett, Pac-12 associate commissioner for women&rsquo;s basketball and sports management.
Lundin Bennett was chairwoman of the NCAA Division I women&rsquo;s basketball committee in 2018 and 2019. She also served on the committee from 2014-21, except for 2020, when COVID-19 wiped out NCAA Tournament.
She said the circumstances change year to year in how fields are put together, but there are general principles that remain the same such as strength of schedule and how well teams are playing late.
Many Pac-12 teams have been playing well throughout the season, and the conference has five in the AP Top 25, including No. 3 Utah and No. 6 Sanford.
Eight teams are in the top 40 of the NET rankings, one of the factors the committee uses to determine at-large spots for the tournament.
&ldquo;I think we definitely have at least eight very quality programs, and possibly nine, that deserve consideration,&rdquo; Lundin Bennett sad. &ldquo;It just depends on how they finish out and what other teams do. But I think we&rsquo;ve got a really, really strong season and top to bottom are one of the best leagues, if not the best league in the country.&rdquo;
Utah&rsquo;s Lynne Roberts, named Tuesday as the conference&rsquo;s coach of the year, said the depth of competition should help the Pac-12 teams that make the NCAA Tournament.
&ldquo;Every weekend you&rsquo;re playing somebody that&rsquo;s top 25, somebody that&rsquo;s coached by an elite coach, and it really does prepare you,&rdquo; Roberts said.
A NO. 2 GOING FOR A NO. 1
Utah (25-3) enters the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, even though the Utes are ranked ahead of No. 1 seed Stanford (27-4).
Both teams went 15-3 in league play and split their two meetings, but the Cardinal had a better record against third-seeded and 20th-ranked Colorado (22-7, 13-5).
The Utes built on last season&rsquo;s achievements. They made the conference championship and then appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
&ldquo;That was a great confidence boost, and there&rsquo;s really no better way to get confidence than from success,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;It propelled us into the offseason. I do think it was a springboard of genuine confidence like: &lsquo;OK, we can we can do this. Let&rsquo;s just get better.&rsquo;&rdquo;
STANFORD GETS TESTED
Stanford captured at least a share of its third consecutive Pac-12 regular-season title, but it was tight down the stretch.
The Cardinal not only lost 84-78 to Utah on Saturday, it recently went to double overtime to beat Colorado, edged No. 19 UCLA by five points and defeated Southern California by three.
&ldquo;This has been a tough road for us at the end of the season,&rdquo; Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said after the loss to Utah. &ldquo;Our team battled (the Utes). We were right there. It could&rsquo;ve gone either way, and hopefully this will make us very hungry coming into the Pac-12 Tournament.&rdquo;
BUFFS ON THE RISE
Colorado reached 20 victories last season for the first time in nine years, and now the Buffaloes have their best seeding since entering the Pac-12 in 2011. They are expected tp make their second NCAA Tournament in a row for first time since appearing four straight years (2001-04).
ODDS AND ENDS
Utah junior forward Alissa Pili was named Pac-12 player of the year after leading the conference with 20.6 points a game and shooting 59.9% on field goals. Only she and Indiana&rsquo;s Mackenzie Holmes have put up those kinds numbers nationally this season. Pili has scored in double figures in all but one game. ... No. 21 Arizona has won at least 10 conference games for the fourth consecutive season. ... USC went 11-7 in Pac-12 play, the first time it has reached double figures since 2014.

As the conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with four first-round games, the Pac-12 could place at least eight teams.

Pac-12 women hope to send record number of teams to NCAAs

I tuned in late for Raptors-Suns on Friday night, but I knew I had to tune in.&nbsp;
A team with a diverse pick-and-roll offense featuring plenty of empty corner ball screens and Spain actions? And you're telling me they got to face off against one of the rangiest, switchiest teams in the sport?
Sign. Me. Up.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The fourth quarter starts with Phoenix spamming three empty corner ball-screens, all headlined by Cam Payne. On the first, he comes off to his right and makes the one-pass-away swing to Landry Shamet for a contested triple. On the next trip, Payne flows into a contested pull-up with Fred VanVleet trailing him.&nbsp;
The shot misses, is rebounded by JaVale McGee, then kicked back out to Payne. They do the dance again, with Payne touching the paint on this one. A late switch is forced, with Precious Achiuwa picking up Payne on the drive. He contests vertically, but Payne gets a tough one to go.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/jaoq8y" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
My initial thought after the first minute of fourth quarter play: Wow, that was a pretty quiet start for Achiuwa.
And I meant it in a good way.
It's not easy to defend three empty corner actions in a row against an unpredictable spark plug like Payne, while also dealing with the prospect of a lob threat like McGee getting behind you. Those three trips ended with one shot at the rim made my brow raise.
(That also gives me an excuse to drop this: 40 players have defended at least 35 empty corner ball screens since the All-Star break; only four bigs &mdash; Joel Embiid, Isaiah Jackson (!!!), Bam Adebayo and Karl-Anthony Towns &mdash; have allowed stingier marks than Achiuwa, per Second Spectrum.)
It seems counterproductive to appreciate a quiet aspect of Achiuwa, but it's the mark of growth for Toronto's second-year big man.&nbsp;
The flashes have been loud; a grab-and-go sequence here; a thunderous swat there; a poster dunk, just for funsies.
But then there's the other side: the wild passes, the dribble-dribble-dribble-shoot isolations that garner slumped shoulders from his teammates, the eagerness against ball fakes.
It's too early to say Achiuwa has put it together, but his post-All-Star break stretch &mdash; and honestly, you can track the shift back a little further &mdash; has been a step in the right direction.
In nine games since the break, he's averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in a shade under 23 minutes per contest. He has the second-best net rating (plus-1.2) among rotation regulars, trailing only Malachi Flynn.
(Don't forget to set your cuckoo clocks forward an hour tomorrow, friends.)
In true Achiuwa fashion, his True Shooting percentage since the break is both underwhelming (53.6, below league average) and a massive improvement from his pre-break number (46.7). The boom in efficiency can be explained by his three-point shooting; he's drilled 46.2% of his triples on nearly three attempts per contest.
He's been fruitful from the corners, but there's a little bit of diversity present. He's firing off of pick-and-pops. He can space in the corner, but has also shown the willingness to relocate to remain in his driver's line of sight.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7mqj9n" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It would be irresponsible to dub Achiuwa as a mid-40s three-point shooter, but his comfort is worth monitoring. There's no hesitation in regards to the shot, and his footwork and shot prep are fine in multiple contexts. If he can cross the "reliable" threshold in the minds of defenses, that can open up his driving game.
Full disclosure: I have no idea what to make of it right now.
He has legit ball skills, and a first step that can best most centers in space. It helps him in grab-and-go situations after defensive rebounds, and there's potential worth exploring in half-court scenarios. This possession from Friday's action is ringing in my head.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/dnx9xq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That's Achiuwa popping, pumping, then attacking McGee's top foot and absolutely dusting him off the bounce.&nbsp;
That is&nbsp;also&nbsp;Achiuwa missing Thaddeus Young as Bismack Biyombo rotates over, then getting swatted at the rim as a result.
I'm not sure there's a larger gap between a player's perception and their percentages than Achiuwa at the rim. You'd think a guy with his athletic gifts and measurements would be an elite finisher, but yet:
<ul>
<li>He's converting 55% of his shots at the rim (7th percentile), per Cleaning The Glass</li>
<li>About those ball-skills: Achiuwa is shooting 37.5% (!) on shots via drive since the All-Star break, one of the worst marks in the league</li>
<li>He gets blocked&nbsp;a ton:&nbsp;14.2% of his shots at the rim <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/totals/nba/player?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been swatted</a>, one of the highest marks among qualified players (min: 1000 minutes) per PBP Stats.</li>
</ul>
Passing more would probably help these matters; he's only passing on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star&amp;TeamID=1610612761&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of his drives</a> since the break, and rarely gives up the rock after offensive rebounds.
On the defensive end, Achiuwa has showcased high level potential. He's incredibly switchable, able to mirror wings and some guards in space while using his 7-3 wingspan as a buffer. Darius Garland didn't have the best time earlier this week.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/6hk0b9" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That switchiness allows the Raptors to flatten actions in the half-court. Lineups featuring Achiuwa with their core four (VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam) have outscored teams by 5.5 points per 100 possessions behind a stingy defense. Opposing offenses have a three-point rate of 29.1 with that group on the floor, a mark that ranks in the 90th percentile.&nbsp;
While not a great rebounder himself, he does boost Toronto's rebound rate by nearly <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1630173&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three percentage points</a> this season. That number has <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1630173&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;SeasonSegment=Post%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become more stark</a> since the All-Star break.&nbsp;
The case for starting Achiuwa is what he unlocks defensively, and how his open-floor handling can further help the Raptors push in transition. What's holding him back is his ability to cap or continue possessions &mdash; the finishing has to be much better, and his willingness to move the ball must improve.
I will say, Achiuwa doesn't seem far off. Even with his warts, he's clearly the most talented of Toronto's actual centers. He leads their big man room in fourth quarter minutes &mdash; late-game trust matters more than jump-ball responsibilities, anyway.
Keep an eye on him.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Nekias Duncan digs into Precious Achiuwa's second-half surge with the Toronto Raptors.

Why doesn't Precious Achiuwa start for the Raptors?

The Sour Rankings are all about spotlighting disappointment, negativity and drama in the NBA. As the writer of this column, even I get a little bummed out after writing so many critical paragraphs.
So we're mixing up the agenda this week. You'll still receive the same Sour Rankings, but I'll additionally provide a positive development for each squad. Some will be obvious (LeBron James dropped 56 two nights ago), and others will hopefully surprise. For fans of these teams, the positivity should at least provide some much-needed comfort.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst outlooks. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going.
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Milwaukee Bucks didn't stay long, now riding a four-game winning streak after picking up three statement wins against playoff competitors in the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. The New Orleans Pelicans also received some positive news on the Zion Williamson front to pair with their solid play, so they escape as well.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
10. Toronto Raptors (34-30)
The Raptors have come out from the All-Star break just 2-5, with both those wins coming versus the Brooklyn Nets. They're in somewhat of an Eastern Conference standings bubble at seventh, currently three games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and three games up on eighth place (a triple tie).
Unfortunately, Malachi Flynn is <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/raptors-malachi-flynn-out-at-least-10-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out at least 10 days</a> with a hamstring injury. But his post-All-Star run is worth highlighting because it was sneaky-unreal. Flynn averaged 12.5 points per game, shot 42.3% from long range and handed out 27 assists against a single turnover in six contests. Hopefully he can return from injury soon because he really appeared to be putting things together offensively.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Charlotte Hornets (32-33)
We're once again at the point of questioning a surprisingly successful Hornets defense. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stats-notebook-charlotte-is-buzzing-behind-a-weirdly-successful-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote a whole Stats Notebook on Charlotte's defense</a> over a month ago and the team responded by being abjectly terrible.&nbsp;
Well, now the Hornets are eighth in defensive rating since the All-Star break and one of five NBA teams with top-12 metrics on both sides of the basketball. Is this a real sign of progress or just another small-sample mirage? We'll find out pretty soon.
(Last week: 7)
8. Houston Rockets (16-48)
Jalen Green, man.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jalen Green SAUCE 🥫🔥<a href="https://t.co/ofdpU8YjRv">pic.twitter.com/ofdpU8YjRv</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1500663635160481792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

He's been leading all rookies with 18.1 points per game since Feb. 1. Green is attacking the rim with effort (79th percentile in frequency, per Cleaning the Glass) and finishing effectively (64.0% at the rim, in the 74th percentile). The highlights alone have breathed some life into Houston, which finally snapped a 12-game losing streak with Sunday night's victory over the Grizzlies.
(Last week: 6)
7. Golden State Warriors (43-21)
So Golden State is 2-8 in its last 10 games, and Andrew Wiggins has notably underwhelmed since his first All-Star appearance. Still, we're keeping things positive, and the best part of the Warriors' past month has been the rise of two lottery rookies.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stats-notebook-3-nba-prospects-who-are-quietly-figuring-things-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote about Jonathan Kuminga recently</a>, so I'd like to focus on Moses Moody here. He's played in 11 games for the Warriors since the start of February and knocked down an even 50.0% of his threes while averaging 17.1 minutes per contest. Regression is inevitable, but it's nice to see Moody's shot translating so far, as he moves up from the G League to a larger presence in the rotation.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Washington Wizards (29-34)
Washington is about to hit a great stretch of its schedule despite heading out west. Just 3 of the next 8&nbsp; games are against teams over .500 (Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Warriors) and the other five matchups include the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers (twice) and Rockets. This is a great opportunity for the Wizards to string together some wins as their closest East competitors struggle. Washington is still just two games back of a three-way tie for eighth place in the standings. With Kristaps Porzingis now healthy, it's go time for a playoff push.
(Last week: 5)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
5. Portland Trail Blazers (25-38)
After losing four straight games by 14 or more points (three of them by at least 30), Portland has entered the cliff-hanging window for its playoff hopes. But let's give Brandon Williams the name recognition he deserves.&nbsp;
The 22-year-old guard went undrafted this past season, tried out for the Westchester Knicks in the G League and promptly tore it up with the team this season. He's now earned a two-way deal with the Blazers, and is averaging 14.8 points in 21.4 minutes per game over his last four contests while making 42.9% of his threes. These types of stories never get old.
(Last week: 8)
4. Sacramento Kings (24-42)
The Kings scrounge up a couple of wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs to keep their postseason hopes barely alive. De'Aaron Fox is certainly doing his best to put any remaining ire about trading Tyrese Haliburton behind the team. Fox has put up a whopping 28.3 points per game since the start of February, and sports a 36.5% three-point clip. We've said this several times when Fox heats up, but if that jumper is even semi-legit, he becomes a wholly-different caliber of offensive player.
(Last week: 4)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (28-35)
LeBron James is just the fourth NBA player ever to score 50 or more points at over 37 years old. His 56-point outburst was historic on several fronts, and it reminded the city and the league that &mdash; when all else is failing &mdash; The King is still The King. In fact, LeBron's 29.4 points per game are the fourth-most he's had in any NBA season, and the most since the 2009-10 campaign in Cleveland. Level it out, and his per-36 scoring output of 28.8 points is the highest he's ever had.
(Last week: 1)
2. New York Knicks (26-38)
Ariel Pacheco is one of my favorite Knicks follows, so I'll let his Twitter thread do the talking after a great win over the Clippers:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Knicks/Clippers - 6 things that stood out The Deuce, IQ, Cam, RJ, Mitch/Sims lineup held the Clippers scoreless for a 6 min stretch. Fun combo of ball pressure, timely switches, good contesting. Forced a couple of turnovers well. Multiple guys who can guard multiple positions <a href="https://t.co/6rWZ4lt0i6">pic.twitter.com/6rWZ4lt0i6</a>
&mdash; Ariel (@APachecoNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/APachecoNBA/status/1500850399464636416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

I will beg for more Deuce McBride-Immanuel Quickley minutes as long as I live, but this small sample bodes well for the defense of the future. New York actually has the ninth-best defensive rating in the NBA since the All-Star break (small sample size alert), so there may be some good development happening.&nbsp;
(Last week: 2)
1. Brooklyn Nets (32-33)
So, the Nets do have the league's second-worst defense since the All-Star break and lost at full strength to the Boston Celtics in a huge Sunday matinee game to move to 3-13 since Feb. 1.
However! Let's talk about Bruce Brown.
The 25-year-old has made 50% of his three-pointers in that 16-game stretch. He's up to 37.7% on the season, which would be a major career-high clip. Brown isn't exactly a Joe Harris replacement; he takes just 1.1 threes per game and hasn't earned the full respect of the defense. But he is probably Brooklyn's best perimeter defender, and if he can be solid enough on offense, the Nets could really use someone of his style.
(Last week: 3)
&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Ethan Fuller provides some positivity for each team in this week's Sour Rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: Look on the bright side

Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt discusses the power and influence the NBA has, and can continue to have &mdash; if the NBA continues using its platform, voices and resources to fight for justice.&nbsp;
Lee Merritt is one of the attorneys for Ahmaud Arbery&rsquo;s family &mdash; a 25-year-old black man who was murdered while on a run near Brunswick, in Glynn County, Georgia. A verdict of life imprisonment was just announced in the case, in which three men were convicted of murdering Arbery. While Lee Merritt is definitely relieved about the verdict, we discuss the long road ahead to achieve justice and equality for all. Merritt is running for attorney general in Texas and I would love to see the NBA duplicate what the WNBA did, when they threw their support behind Raphael Warnock, an Atlanta-area pastor who was running as a Democrat at the time for (and would eventually win) one of Georgia&rsquo;s seats in the U.S. Senate.&nbsp;
This was a great discussion.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0QPt67zE6KE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Etan Thomas: So this time last year, I interviewed a group of WNBA players, [including] Renee Montgomery and Elizabeth Williams, who both played for the Atlanta Dream at the time, [as well as] Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Angel McCoughtry &mdash; and Eric Garner's daughter, Emerald. And <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-nba-kelly-loeffler-atlanta-dream-renee-montgomery-elizabeth-williams-swin-cash-etan-thomas-activism-black-lives-matter-activist-movement-vote-warnock-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we discussed what the WNBA did to galvanize support for Raphael Warnock, and ultimately get him in office and Kelly Loeffler out of office</a>. And it was really amazing. Because for one, Raphael Warnock was polling at 9% before the WNBA got involved. And he won &mdash; in Georgia, of all places.&nbsp;
So I want to see how we can galvanize the NBA to duplicate that with you, as you're running for attorney general in the state of Texas. So that's why I reached out to you to have this interview with you. I've been following you for a long time and I'm a big fan of the work that you do. And so, I'm going to send this interview to the NBA, to the <a href="https://www.thesocialchangefund.org">NBA Social Change Fund</a>.
Which, for those that aren't familiar, it was birthed out of the Bubble season. After the NBA players went on strike, after Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in broad daylight, in front of his children. The NBA Social Change Fund was formed by Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, and is aimed to support critical issues in the black community.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/img_7183_lg.jpg" alt="" width="501" height="282" />
So that's why after speaking to Allisa Charles-Findley, who is Botham Jean's sister &mdash; and I actually interviewed her for my new book, &ldquo;<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/police-brutality-and-white-supremacy-the-fight-against-american-traditions/">Police Brutality and White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Traditions.</a>&rdquo;
She was one of the people I interviewed, along with Atatiana Jefferson's family, who I know that you work with as well &mdash; so we came up with the idea of conducting this interview with you, to try to galvanize that support from the NBA. Some people are like, "Alright, you usually do basketball stuff. Why are you interviewing a politician right now?" But that's the reason why. So thank you for taking this time.
Lee Merritt: "Sure, I really appreciate that. During most of my career, I've enjoyed the support of the National Basketball Association. I can recall in 2017, a young man named <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2018/08/29/jordan-edwards-made-the-case-against-roy-oliver-unlike-any-murder-trial-dallas-had-ever-seen/">Jordan Edwards </a>was slain in Balch Springs, Texas.&nbsp;
"It was in the middle of the NBA playoffs &mdash; and Steve Kerr, who had suffered family tragedy as well, identified with that family, reached out, invited them to the playoff games [and] got his brothers to take their mind off of it for a bit.
"I actually used to coach basketball myself. I was a coach down at South Atlanta High School. I coached Derrick Favors, I coached against Cousins and Walls* when they were high school students. And I enjoy a relationship with them today, continuing to give back to the community of Atlanta.
"And yeah, the names that you mentioned that you work with, Chris Paul has supported the work and the families I represent. Dwyane Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, [have] been major, major supporters over the course of my career.
"And, just as I transition away from representing one family at a time and start talking about representing larger groups of people and going towards policies, I certainly think the NBA can play a major role &mdash; in not only the success of the campaign, but championing some of those issues that we're fighting for on a case-by-case basis, and taking it to one of the biggest states in the country and really impacting national policy."
Etan: So, let me ask you to review some of the cases that you've worked with before, and the people that you've represented. We could start off with Ahmaud Arbery.
Merritt: "Sure. I came to represent the Ahmaud Arbery family before the video was released of his brutal slaying in South Georgia. Many [...] will recall that he was a South Georgia jogger. On February 23, 2020, he was targeted by three white men who have now been each <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/jury-reaches-verdict-ahmaud-arbery-death-case/story?id=81353504">convicted of murder</a>, and are facing life sentences in the state of Georgia, as well as federal hate crime charges.
"I've also represented... Unfortunately, the list of families that I've represented is quite extensive. I represent over 67 families who have suffered misuse of force, that lost a loved one, as a result of the deadliest police culture in the world. Some of the names that your viewers may have heard of.
"You mentioned [...] <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article236198028.html">Atatiana Jefferson</a>.&nbsp;
"Of course, that case is ongoing. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-innocent-man-timeline-wrong-apartment-murder-trial/story?id=65938727">Botham Jean</a>, who was an accountant eating a bowl of ice cream in his own apartment complex.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-illinois-police-shooting-guard-20181112-story.html">Jemel Roberson</a> was a security guard in Chicago. Had just stopped a mass shooting, and was shot in the back by a police officer who must have mistook him for a gunman.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/us/california-attorney-general-sean-monterrosa-shooting/index.html">Sean Monterrosa</a> in California.
"But the bulk of my work has been in Texas. I represent <a href="https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/damian-daniels-family-responds-to-no-indictment-for-deputy-that-killed-him">Damian Daniels</a>, a veteran shot to death in his home.&nbsp;
"<a href="https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Family-of-woman-killed-by-Baytown-officer-13872709.php">Pamela Turner</a> in the Houston area.&nbsp;
"And like I said, we could probably spend the rest of this podcast going through the list of names."
Etan: Wow! So now you're running for attorney general in Texas. And for those that don't know, what exactly are the responsibilities of an attorney general?
Merritt: "The attorney general of Texas, and an attorney general in any state, is the legal voice for the people. They're supposed to serve as the spokesperson for what justice is in a municipality. And so we've seen it, in cases like Breonna Taylor, where we had a really bad attorney general interfere with accountability in that case, in the form of Daniel Cameron. We've seen the opposite end of that spectrum with Keith Ellison and the work that he's done in Minnesota. Prosecuting the officers responsible for the death of George Floyd and, most recently, Daunte Wright.
"But even beyond the criminal justice aspect, the attorney general&rsquo;s office, particularly in the state of Texas, impacts virtually every aspect of Texas life. So property taxes, school protection. And we've heard a lot recently in the news about the CRT [Critical Race Theory] scam, where they're trying to erase entire portions of our history in the name of not getting anyone upset.
"From the border crisis, to really economic empowerment in our schools. There's so many businesses that are attempting to get off the ground, but don't have access to the kind of governmental loans and support that our white counterparts do.
"All of those things run through the attorney general's office. It's a very, very influential office. More or less the second-in-command in the state of Texas."
Etan: Now, Ken Paxton, [is] who you would be running against, and who is the current attorney general &mdash; and has been since 2015. I want to talk about the stark differences between the two of you, because it's really night and day.
But I want to start off with this, because the Jan. 6 insurrection [anniversary] is upon us. And you know, I'm looking at him, looking at the footage, and I see him at a rally right before the insurrection, almost like leading the charge. Explain to me, let's start off with there, about the stark differences between you and Ken Paxton.
Merritt: "Well, there is a clear contrast. You know, Texas was in the national news because of [its] unique voter suppression laws. They passed some laws that would make it more difficult for the black and brown people in the state, people with disabilities and marginalized communities to vote.
"It was so upsetting that certain members of the Texas legislature left the state and went to DC &mdash; refused to participate in that session in order to fight for voting rights. Now, I was present with them. I thought that was a fight worth standing with people for, providing both legal advice and strategies, working with the labor community and others to take on voting issues in Texas.
"By contrast, the last sort of infamous trip of the attorney general, the current attorney general, to our nation's capital was on Jan. 6. And we don't know exactly what he did there, because he has not participated in an ongoing investigation in terms of his potential criminal liability for helping to incite a riot.
"But he was very publicly on camera, encouraging the soon-to-be riders and insurrectionists that the election was stolen, that they had a responsibility to fight. And he invoked the name of Texas when he did it. He said, "You all should fight, because Texans fight." And he laid out that he had fought to overturn the results of the free and fair election. And yeah, that's our top legal position in the state, advocating for the overthrow of our government."
---------------
We then went on to discuss particular differences between him and Ken Paxton such as his position on education, police reform, border, gun training before owning a gun, and we cleared up the misconceptions on CRT, being anti-police vs. anti-police brutality, Second Amendment rights, etc.
---------------
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: So let's go to the NBA, and how important it is for the NBA to continue to promote, to continue to use their platforms, to be able to &mdash; I mean, this is the thing. It's important to do that part. But now we have to take it a step further.
And I think the NBA has been doing a great job of promoting, raising awareness. You saw it all especially during the Bubble season, after the entire country was promoting and demonstrating and protesting what happened with George Floyd, what happened with Breonna Taylor [and] Ahmaud Arbery.
You saw John Wall and Bradley Beal here in D.C. leading protests. You saw all the Ball brothers, you saw Russell Westbrook in L.A. You saw Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter Freedom too, in Boston &mdash; of course everything that LeBron was always doing.
But now it's like, it needs to be a step further, like the next step. And I think that you, with what you are trying to implement in Texas as the attorney general, is that next step. Because you have to be able to have someone in place that's on the right side of wanting to be able to create something that functions properly. So just talk about that, how this is like the next step that should happen. Along with [...] raising awareness and protesting and everything like that.
Merritt: "Yeah. I can recall, we were in the middle of the NBA playoffs when Jacob Blake was repeatedly shot in his back by a Milwaukee police officer. And I was watching the game, and Chris Paul had just gone off, sort of a historic performance.
"And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxcNbbyg0ZI">they interviewed him</a> right after the game. And they said, 'You know, Chris, you were playing...' I think he was playing his old team, the Houston Rockets. He was with the Oklahoma City Thunder [...], where Derrick Favors is currently.
"And they said, 'Tell us about this performance against your old team. You had a chance to really show them that you still got it.' And he said, 'Yeah, I don't really care about that. That's cool. And that's what I'm paid to do. But a law enforcement officer in my community has just shot someone in their back several times. He was unarmed and nonviolent. Let's talk about that.'
"I think it's on the players to stand up like Chris Paul did, and like you said, like people have done, in a systemic way across the National Basketball Association &mdash; where the pundits and the media might tell you, 'Could you just shut up and dribble.' We've heard that refrain before.
"It's important for the players to say, "No, actually I won't. This is my community. What's going on in our community, it's urgent. It's a crisis. It's not something that we want to put off for a later conversation or for the offseason. But where it happens, I'm going to stand up to it. And I will get involved in elections. And I will use my resources and time and attention to shine a light on these issues that must be addressed."
Etan: You know, it's interesting. In my book, &ldquo;<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/we-matter-athletes-and-activism/">We Matter: Athletes and Activism</a>&rdquo; I interviewed Jahvaris Fulton, who is Trayvon Martin's brother. And in the interview, he told me how &mdash; and when he said this, it kind of threw me,&nbsp; because I didn't expect him to say it &mdash; he said that if it weren't for NBA players and celebrities and everybody like that, talking about his brother, he didn't think that anybody would know his name. And I was like, "Wow, that's kind of strong. Why do you say that?"
So then he explained to me how, when Trayvon Martin was first killed, his family was trying to get the local news people to cover it and they didn't want to cover it. They said, "Okay, another young black man was killed. That's not newsworthy."
And I was like, "That's what they told you?" He said, "Yeah," he was like, "We don't have no evidence. We don't have no video of it. Just your word saying that he [was] killed, that's not newsworthy." And he gave a shout-out to Roland Martin and some of the black news people, who were covering it. But he said, "But no local news people wanted to cover it."
So then he said, "But then, LeBron James started talking about it. And Dwyane Wade started talking about it. And then the entire Miami Heat team posed in the hoodies." So then he said, "So then you had everybody like, 'Okay, what is this that LeBron James is discussing? And why is Dwyane Wade feeling so passionate about this, and talking about his kids, and about this case?' Then everybody started to gravitate towards it and cover it and everything like that."
But he said [...] before, they couldn't get anybody to cover it. And that's just... It's unfortunate that it is that way, because people should have a regard for human life anyway, without an athlete having to speak about it. However, the athlete speaking about it is what drew the attention &mdash; and that just shows where athletes have to continue to do that, continue to use your voice and your platform to be able to speak to these causes.
And also to take it a step further by having laws being changed, and people who are in positions to fight for laws being changed, like [you are]. You know what I mean? And running for attorney general &mdash; [who] are in positions to actually implement some things so these things don't just continue to keep happening.
Merritt: "Yeah. I can remember in 2016, we saw two high-profile officer-involved shootings back-to-back, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It was the same weekend, and it was almost like a dark cloud being hanged over impacted communities. And if you and I saw each other on the street, we would make eye contact and say, 'You know, man, this is becoming too much.'
"Dallas had a protest &mdash; I was living in Dallas at the time. And they had a protest downtown, where we marched and we discussed what happened, and started to talk about organizing police reform. And at the end of that protest, a vigilante named Micah Xavier Johnson, targeted law enforcement officers and shot five police officers and a couple of civilians as well. And you could imagine the national outcry about Black Lives Matter, and how they put law enforcement lives at risk.
"And everyone began to ignore the fact that people were there for protesting peacefully about police violence &mdash; that was back-to-back and overwhelming. And while it was a tragedy for our entire community that law enforcement officers were targeted by Mr. Johnson, there was also an ongoing crisis in our community, that was the reason that all those people had gathered and made targets of themselves.
"And it was Dwyane Wade. LeBron was still, I think, in 2016, with the Miami Heat. So it was Wade and LeBron who came forward at the ESPY Awards that weekend and re-centered the conversation. And said, 'That's terrible what happened in Dallas, and we back the blue. We stand for the law enforcement officers.'
&ldquo;But understand that our community is also under attack. And it's two sides of the same coin. We don't tolerate violence directed at law enforcement officers. And we cannot continue to tolerate violence directed at our community.
And it saved the national conversation so that we could get back to what had brought us all there in the first place. And so, yeah, members of the NBA have the opportunity, in [the] state of Texas, but [also] throughout the country, the voices of the NBA are critically important to that."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="666" height="333" />

Etan Thomas is joined by Lee Merritt on "The Rematch" to discuss social justice and the NBA's role in societal change.

Lee Merritt: The NBA could impact public policy and elections

Every year, there are a handful of upperclassmen who set themselves apart as NBA prospects. Some are older in age, while others are four-to-five-year players.
In the last few seasons, we&rsquo;ve seen players such as Desmond Bane, Malachi Flynn, Chris Duarte, Corey Kispert, and Trey Murphy III really come into their own late in their careers. This season, we are witnessing Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji do the same.
He entered the 2021-22 season with hopes of being the top senior prospect in the class, and has earned that distinction thus far. Agbaji is currently averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting 45.8% from deep on 6.0 attempts per game. Before the year began, my notes on Agbaji read:
&ldquo;Early on in his career, he was known for his athleticism and defense, but his lack of outside shooting was concerning. He has shown substantial improvement since then, and connected on 37.7% of his three-point attempts last year while shooting 6.9 triples per game. With continued shooting consistency and strong on-ball defense, Agbaji could solidify himself as a viable 3-and-D option at the NBA level.&rdquo;
Needless to say, he has far surpassed my expectations through the Jayhawks&rsquo; first eight games of 2021.
First, let&rsquo;s dive into the numbers. For many players, as usage rises, the efficiency drops. However, Agbaji has not seen this happen. His usage rate of 25.9% is the highest of his career. Meanwhile, he is currently posting career-high averages in points (22.6), two-point percentage (64.9%), three-point percentage (45.8%), free-throw percentage (76.0%), True Shooting (67.6%) and Effective Field Goal (66.4%) percentages &mdash; and career-lows with 1.0 turnovers and 1.1. personal fouls per game.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8UgPtFwzfeo" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
What has impressed me the most is his versatility on offense. He is scoring out of the pick-and-roll, isolation and off the move, making him incredibly difficult to stop. He currently ranks in the 95th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball handler. While running the offense likely won&rsquo;t be his role in the NBA, his ability and willingness to do so in a secondary capacity is valuable. He also ranks 95th percentile in transition and in the 98th percentile as a finisher around the basket, which speaks to his combination of athleticism and touch.&nbsp;
His three-point shooting is what stands out the most. His mechanics are smooth, his release is really quick and he wastes little movement. Agbaji continues to hit tough shots off the dribble, at a standstill and with movement as well, truly rounding him out as one of the premier scorers in the country.
Ochai Agbaji is currently No. 32 on BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>, but something tells me he won&rsquo;t be there long.&nbsp;

Derek Murray breaks down the jump he's seen from Ochai Agbaji as a senior in his first eight games with Kansas.

2022 NBA Draft: The evolution of Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet doesn&rsquo;t worry about players who aren&rsquo;t teammates anymore, or what can&rsquo;t be done without them.
He just wants to win.
Finally back home in Canada after two frustrating seasons disrupted by the pandemic, the Raptors are a far cry from the star-studded team that Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry helped lead to the 2019 NBA championship.
Leonard is long gone and Lowry left this summer in a sign-and-trade with Miami, but don&rsquo;t tell VanVleet the Raptors can&rsquo;t compete.
&ldquo;The goal is to win a championship every year,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m certainly not going to lower my standards. I don&rsquo;t care who&rsquo;s on the team.&rdquo;
Coach Nick Nurse agrees.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never really approached the season with thoughts other than trying to win and win big,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s got to be a way.&rdquo;
VanVleet, along with fellow championship holdovers Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, will be counted on to provide the kind of leadership that Lowry once delivered.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll try to pick up the slack that he left behind, the greatest Raptor to do it,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;I read a quote the other day that said &lsquo;There&rsquo;s things that have never been done (before) done every day.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m up for the challenge, I think the team is ready for the challenge. We have a young, hungry group that are looking to prove themselves.&rdquo;
After missing the playoffs last season and ending up with the fourth pick in the draft, Toronto chose Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, adding another long, athletic player to a growing stable of similar talents, including Siakam and Anunoby.
&ldquo;We want to go out there and have people not want to play us,&rdquo; Siakam said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the energy and mindset you&rsquo;ve got to have, being that team you don&rsquo;t want to play against because of the length, the athleticism, the energy, all those things.&rdquo;
General manager Bobby Webster understands why the Raptors aren&rsquo;t considered championship contenders any more, but is happy with the way things are headed.
&ldquo;We feel like the trajectory of the team is on the climb and we feel like we have some interesting pieces,&rdquo; Webster said. &ldquo;If one or two or three players pop, maybe we&rsquo;re in a different group.&rdquo;
Here are some other things to watch with the Raptors this season.
DON&rsquo;T FORGET FLYNN
With his big talent and bubbly personality, Barnes is the newly drafted star that has grabbed the most attention during training camp. VanVleet doesn&rsquo;t want anyone sleeping on second-year guard Malachi Flynn, who averaged 7.5 points in 47 games as a rookie.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s more of a shot-maker than I was at that point,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s got it going, he&rsquo;s a really tough cover. You can&rsquo;t touch him. He&rsquo;s one of those Trae Young body types where any little body contact, he&rsquo;ll be going to the line.&rdquo;
MY PRECIOUS
An intriguing part of the return for Lowry was 6-foot-8 forward Precious Achiuwa, who turned 22 last month. Achiuwa played one season of college ball at Memphis and saw limited action for the Heat as a rookie, averaging 5.0 points in 61 games.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a competitive sense about him,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;He just doesn&rsquo;t go grab rebounds, he takes rebounds. He&rsquo;s really talented. I think he&rsquo;s got a really, really bright future.&rdquo;
COMFORTS OF HOME
Toronto played its two home preseason games in front of half-capacity crowds but Ontario&rsquo;s provincial government has relaxed restrictions, allowing the team to sell all available tickets once the regular season starts. After a season in Tampa, Florida, that&rsquo;s welcome news to the Raptors, who went 23-9 at home in Toronto before the 2019-20 season was shut down.
&ldquo;We always feel like we have one of the best fan bases in the league,&rdquo; Webster said. &ldquo;I fully expect that to be back in our pocket this year.&rdquo;
Toronto plays five of its first six at home, and finishes the season with eight of 10 at home.
NEW ON THE BENCH
There&rsquo;s an international flavor to the three new additions to Nurse&rsquo;s staff. The first is former UCLA and NBA star Earl Watson, and the second is Canadian Nathaniel Mitchell, a former assistant in Charlotte. The final addition is Australian Trevor Gleeson, whose Perth Wildcats won five National Basketball League titles in seven seasons from 2014 to 2020.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s really smart and a really good coach and he&rsquo;s won a lot,&rdquo; Nurse said of Gleeson. &ldquo; I like all those characteristics.&rdquo;

Fred VanVleet, along with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, will be counted on to provide the leadership that Kyle Lowry once did.

VanVleet not letting Lowry departure lower his expectations

Nekias Duncan breaks down all five teams in the Atlantic Division for his 2021-22 NBA season preview.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Atlantic Division

There were 229 minutes in which Raptors forward OG Anunoby was on the floor <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612761&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=200768,1628384,1627783" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam</a> last season.
Lowry, as he had been for several years, was the offensive engine. The transition pusher, floor general, pick-and-roll initiator. Siakam was the hesi-pulling, cross-to-spinning Top Dawg tasked with carrying the primary scoring load.
In those 229 minutes without them, the Raptors were roughly neutral in terms of net rating, per PBP Stats (plus-0.6). But in the case of Anunoby, we saw a natural shift in role.
He didn't become a primary initiator &mdash; he often shared the floor with at least one of Fred VanVleet or Malachi Flynn, and often both &mdash; but he was tasked with more on-ball responsibility.
The occasional post-up. A pindown that would lead into a ball screen. Some "hand-back" action in early offense that would lead into a ball screen.
Anunoby did his thing in those minutes, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/impact/#!?LineupIDs=1628384&amp;VsLineupIDs=200768~1627783&amp;TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsTeamID=1610612761&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Per36&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;sort=MIN&amp;dir=1">posting per-36 averages</a> of 19.4 points while shooting 50% from two, and 44.4% from three (5.7 attempts per 36), 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists (yuck, more on that later). Those averages aren't too far off from his overall post-All-Star-Break numbers: 18.3 points (55.6% from two, 40.1% from three on 6.9 attempts), 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Both samples are relatively small &mdash; 229 minutes without Lowry and Siakam; 20 games after the All-Star break &mdash; and require context, but the samples are intriguing nonetheless. And for the Raptors, those samples are important to parse through as they head into next season.
The Lowry-less, Siakam-less sample will grow. Lowry is taking his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-way talents to South Beach</a>, while Siakam isn't expected to make his season debut until November at the earliest due to shoulder surgery. Not only should the Raptors explore if Anunoby's second-half surge is indicative of a leap, but they may also need it to be in order to fill the creation void they're facing.
If that is the case, a simple question presents itself: What is the path to Anunoby succeeding in a bigger role?
THE FOUNDATION
Hey, remember that time Anunoby flipped Dennis Schroder after a wrap-up foul and was genuinely surprised that he did so?
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7gmgbm" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This is to say that Anunoby is a strong human being. So strong, that it's fair to question if he even recognizes how strong he is.
The encouraging portion of Anunoby's post-ASB stretch was that it seemed like he was starting to get it. He became a more effective driver last season compared to the year prior, but specifically flourished after the break. His volume of drives &mdash; and shot attempts following drives &mdash; nearly doubled while his efficiency also improved.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-08-20-at-9-41-28-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="465" height="250" />
Anunoby did a better job of creating space when attacking the basket. His shoulder became his weapon of choice, either subtly leaning into a defender once gaining inside leverage, or flat-out chucking dudes out of the way. Like-sized wings barely stood a chance, and even rim protectors struggled to keep Anunoby out of favorable positions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/tvjlqq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
While power was his primary method of space creation, Anunoby flirted with other avenues. While not an advanced ball-handler (more on that later, too), he did start mixing in basic-dribble combos to set up drives.
A hang dribble into a hard cross and drive here; a subtle in-and-out to throw off a backpedaling big there. He explored Eurosteps and spin moves. It didn't always work, but he didn't look completely out of his element by the end of the season.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/pfunys" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It was (and remains) important for Anunoby to find craft-based solutions as a driver. He can overpower most players, but he can't overpower&nbsp;everyone. Even if he could, the predictability of those shoulder nudges can lead to offensive fouls if defenders know they're coming.
In terms of the actual rim attempts, the set-ups &mdash; dribble moves and/or displays of fancy footwork &mdash; are ways to create bigger and more efficient finishing windows.
Anunoby tends to jump off one foot versus powering off two, and he isn't a super explosive leaper to begin with. He relies on extension-based finishes quite a bit at this stage. It's a diet he can live on, but one with a smaller margin for error &mdash; one that requires a blend of strength and craft to generate space before the shot.
Anunoby showcased encouraging flashes in that regard. This is the natural progression to 1) having the ball more and 2) needing to get downhill effectively because of teams running him off the three-point line more often.
It's funny to look back on now, but Anunoby's jumper was a <a href="http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/OG-Anunoby-93246/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bit of a question mark</a> heading into the 2017 draft. Outside of a funky second season (33.2% on 3.0 attempts overall, 26.6% clip from the corners), he's more than quieted those concerns.
Anunoby is coming off a season in which he shot nearly 40% from deep on north of six attempts per contest. The encouraging part was the split; he converted 41.3% of his corner threes (2.9 attempts), and 38.3% of his non-corner looks (3.1 attempts).
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Thrusting Anunoby into a more prominent role doesn't just mean more shots; it means having to make more decisions.&nbsp;
He'll be tossed into more handoffs, more ball screens, more post-ups against mismatches. More attention will be shown to him by proxy of Siakam (and Lowry) being unavailable. There will be more playmaking opportunities for Anunoby; this is important since playmaking is the weakest aspect of his game.
This might be my favorite possession of Anunoby's film from last season, largely because so many things pop.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/mrnf56" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I posted this <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1428094217180663808?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clip on Twitter</a> with a simple question: What stands out to you?
Many pointed out Michael Porter Jr.'s poor screen navigation. Nikola Jokic's surprisingly sturdy rep in drop coverage popped for others. Neither of those are wrong answers.
What stood out to me, with the obvious caveat that I was focusing on Anunoby for this piece,&nbsp; is that you could actively see Anunoby going through a mental checklist on this possession. The lack of reacting &mdash; the lack of feel &mdash; sticks out like a sore thumb.
Okay, Porter is caught on the screen. Let me slow down to get him on my hip.
(Crap, I can't feel him.)
What is Austin Rivers doing? Tagging? Okay, the pocket pass to Khem Birch isn't there anymore.
Crap, I'm in the paint. Let me gather.
[Jokic contests]
Craaaaaaaaap.
Sure, you can make the argument that after the pocket pass window closes, Anunoby could fit in a wrap-around once he engages Jokic on the roll. But that's the kind of short-area reactiveness he's trying to add to his bag, and that only comes with reps. Synergy only has Anunoby pegged for 75 pick-and-roll possessions (passes included) total last season &mdash; also known as "two Trae Young games."&nbsp;
Anunoby is very much expanding his palette as a passer. He's comfortable making pocket passes and dump-offs to rolling bigs. Corner kick-outs are far and few between in his film, especially of the live-dribble variety. He certainly isn't at the stage of manipulating weakside helpers, though that's okay. Again, that comes with reps.
Going back to the Nuggets clip: the other alternative for Anunoby was a pull-up jumper after Porter gets caught on the screen. There's a slight dig from Aaron Gordon at the nail, but not enough to really disrupt Anunoby if he wanted the shot.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2021_08_21_04_59_16_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
But that's the thing: He didn't really want the shot.
This is a two-fold issue for Anunoby right now. He's not a fluid (or loose) athlete on the offensive end. That shows itself when he flows into pull-up jumpers. The mechanics are a bit awkward for him, particularly on forward momentum shots. Between the natural dip on his gather and his relatively slow load-up, it's no surprise that he doesn't go into those kind of looks&nbsp;unless he has an acre of space to dribble into.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/b57xqw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
His off-the-dribble makes from last season are mostly of the "get comfortable behind the screen his defender is ducking under" variety, like this:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wc3cw3" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Anunoby took 56 shots off the dribble last season per Synergy, and converted just 32.1% of those looks.
That leads us to the larger issue: Anunoby isn't comfortable with his handle, particularly in tight areas.
Adding the counters he did towards the end of last season is genuinely encouraging. Zoom out, and it's still fair to dub Anunoby's handle as slightly below average.&nbsp;
He's not an And-1 Mixtape ball-handler, which isn't an inherent issue. But you have to be able to get to your shots; you have&nbsp;to be able to get to your spots.
Anunoby isn't there right now, which is why many of his best half-court reps come with the defense already being scrambled, or the Raptors running some sort of action to get him attacking on the move.&nbsp;
But even when that's the context, helping or recovering defenders can still make him uncomfortable. Sometimes, it doesn't take that. He may lose his handle just because he loses the handle.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/et13a7" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The handle really does impact everything. You can't flow into pull-ups, side-steps or stepbacks comfortably without having the ball on a string. Can't make live-dribble passes if your dribble is shaky. Can't capitalize on drives if your handle can be bothered.
Anunoby developing a tighter handle is the single most important part of his offensive development.
Having a more natural transfer between his dribble and his gather will unlock a broader shot profile for him. Considering he's turned himself into a good shooter, the avenue to becoming a three-level scorer wouldn't be farfetched at all.&nbsp;
Take this possession against the Jazz, for example. This is a tremendous&nbsp;isolation rep that ends in a solid shot, but it's ruined because the handle-to-gather transfer is botched.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/1wv4vs" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
A tighter handle would help him puncture the rim more effectively. Heck, it would help puncture the rim&nbsp;more.&nbsp;More paint touches, in theory, would lead to more shots, more free throw attempts and, if he forces extra attention, more kick-out opportunities.
As it stands now, Anunoby can provide value as a moderately-high volume, spot-up shooter with enough juice to beat close-outs and scrambling defenses. That, combined with his own elite defense &mdash; how has he not made an All-Defensive team yet? &mdash; makes for a darn good player.&nbsp;
But the path to becoming more is there. More finishing craft, better and quicker decisions as a passer. More than anything, though, the handle must improve.
If that comes, a leap won't just be possible &mdash; it'll be imminent.

Nekias Duncan debuts his "Something To Prove" series by breaking down OG Anunoby's offensive film and exploring his shot creation upside.

Something To Prove: OG Anunoby's shot creation

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
DEMAR DEROZAN IS LEADING THE CHARGE
The Spurs kicked off April with a five-game losing streak. A post-All-Star break slide was somewhat expected due to the strength of their schedule. A 26-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, wasn't part of the plan.
So there they were, reeling in the middle of a tightly contested play-in battle. And here they are now, winners of seven of their last 10 games. They're closer to the sixth seed (2.5 games back) than they are to 11th (4.5 games ahead).
If you're doling out praise, it has to begin with DeMar DeRozan. He's been playing All-Star-caliber basketball all season long, providing his usual brand of mid-post purity and rim attacking. He's especially perked up during this 7-3 stretch for the Spurs, averaging an efficient 25 and 8.
He marches to the beat of his own drum, offering up-fakes and pivots whenever the song needs a little juice.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/h05vnr" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The combination of touch and footwork are only rivaled by a handful of players in the league. He has all the tricks of the foul-drawing trade. And because he's such a threat inside the arc, defenses have to shift to cut off his space.&nbsp;
What do you do when your counters are countered? Well, you counter those countered counters.&nbsp;
For DeRozan, that means making a leap as a playmaker for the third or fourth year in a row. He may not cause perimeter jump-outs as often as the Steph Curry/Damian Lillard/Trae Young division, but he's able to leverage his driving prowess to create similar passing windows.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/le56x0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The glass ceiling on a primary that doesn't threaten from deep has been talked about ad nauseam. I've been guilty of it. We get it.
Let's just get back to basics with DeRozan: this dude is really freaking good at basketball.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
DARIUS GARLAND, PULLING UP
Young man's got some sauce to him.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/iirqiq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This feels straight out of Madden '07 to me. Instead of putting Ryan Arcidiacono on his hip, Garland slithers under him like he flicked "up" on the Highlight Stick. <a href="https://youtu.be/JYotsNmfM3g?t=22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You know the animation</a>. With Arcidiacono's momentum carrying him forward, Garland decelerates while retreating with a behind-the-back dribble, then flows immediately into a triple.
This. Is. The. Way.
Since the All-Star break, Garland is averaging a shade under 20 points while posting a 57.8 True Shooting percentage. The aggression has been the big key for him. He's taken 126 threes in 23 games since the All-Star break; he took 125 in the first 28 games of the season. A 43% clip on 5.5 attempts is dope for a 23-game sample. The funny part is that he's still&nbsp;leaving some food on his plate.
With Garland more willing to fire, defenders are creeping up a tad bit more. That's allowing him to get into the paint more often. Those paint touches are allowing his passing chops to shine through more clearly.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/62h3xm" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This campaign has been a bit of a mess for the Cavs because of their injuries (and the occasional <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-something-has-got-to-give-with-kevin-love-cleveland-cavaliers-koby-altman-discipline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Love lash-out</a>), but Garland figuring out that he can get to his shot just about whenever he wants may be the biggest development of their season.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
THE OTHER SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE
Joe Ingles is not having a very fun stretch. Over his last three games, he's shooting 32.4% from the field (1-of-5 from two, 10-of-29 from three). He's taken four free throws in that stretch, making half of them.
Meh.&nbsp;
With that cold patch, Ingles now has a True Shooting percentage of... wait, hold on... am I reading this correctly?
Ingles IS STILL POSTING A 70.0 TRUE SHOOTING PERCENTAGE. That's No. 1 among all players, and there's a significant gap between Ingles and runner-up Jarrett Allen (68.4).
Jordan Clarkson has felt like the frontrunner for the Bench Scorer of the Year Sixth Man of the Year award all season. I'd simply like to pose this question to you: why?
Clarkson has been a tremendous spark off the bench, though he's started to slide a bit with his jumper. Ingles has been lighting it up from beyond the arc all season, while also adding value as a passer and multi-positional defender. He can fill gaps -- on both ends of the floor -- in a way that Clarkson flat-out can't.&nbsp;
12-4-4, a 70 TS%, and solid defense across two-and-a-half/three positions on the best team in the league. What's not to like? What is the case against Ingles aside from points?
It is 2021, man. I think we should be a little past sorting the points-per-game section for bench players and handing out the award that way.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>Let's continue to keep an eye on Luka Doncic in one-on-one situations. We know he loves the stepback, and how hot-and-cold it has run throughout his career. He's leaning more into his post game, a fun counter when he's matched up against like-sized or smaller defenders. He's generating 1.13 points per possession on post-ups (passes included) this season, the seventh-best mark among 49 players with at least 75 post-up possessions.</li>
<li>Ja Morant is shooting 41.4% from three-point range on moderate volume in April. He ain't that, but as my podcast co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr.</a> pointed out on this week's episode of "<a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1386679481709080576?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>," he does look a lot more comfortable navigating against "under" coverage. Give any player with that level of IQ the same look over and over, and he's bound to beat it.</li>
<li>Guess who leads the Raptors in fourth-quarter scoring over the past two weeks? If you guessed any of the usual suspects -- Pascal Siakam (5.4), OG Anunoby (3.6), Fred VanVleet (2.0), or Kyle Lowry (1.3) -- you'd be wrong. The rookster Malachi Flynn is not only leading them in scoring (5.8), but he's doing so efficiently (47/46/92 shooting split). Another "got some sauce to him" guy to keep an eye on moving forward.</li>
<li>Kendrick Nunn (and just about every other guard) missed Monday night's loss to the Chicago Bulls, but the Heat have been getting the goods from Nunn as of late. He's averaging 16-4-3 while shooting 42% from deep since Victor Oladipo has been out. There's a real argument to be made that he's been Miami's best guard this season; you can quibble about what that means for Miami, but it's a timely development for Nunn as he enters an offseason where he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/several-teams-tried-trading-for-kendrick-nunn-prior-to-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may be pretty coveted</a>.</li>
<li>The Warriors are 2-2 and have been outscored with Stephen Curry on the court since <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/steph-curry-on-if-hes-the-mvp-i-gotta-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said he should be the MVP.</a> He's still played pretty well (28.5 points with a 46/39/87 split), but the timing of the dip is pretty funny.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Hit 'Em With the Flex
It's always a good time when teams flow out of Elbow Series. Toss the rock to your high-post hub and let him play quarterback. It's a LeBron staple, a Jokic staple -- really any frontcourt player who can hit a cutter. This was a fun one from Toronto.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/sw41fh" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Just tremendous work on the flex action from OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet. Anunoby sets up RJ Barrett with a filthy juke; VanVleet lays the lumber and&nbsp;hooooolds it,&nbsp;freeing Anunoby for the flush.&nbsp;
Going Wide in Brooklyn
An effective way for teams to get busy in (early) transition is to have a big set a high, off-ball screen around the middle of the floor. It's tough enough for defenses to match up in transition; doing so while trying to navigate a screen and a player flying downhill off the catch can be darn-near impossible at times.
I always think of the Milwaukee (Khris Middleton, specifically) when I see these early screens, but this was a good rep from the Nets.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/g3xzix" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The Suns are in drop coverage due to Frank Kaminsky being their 5. They don't want to switch him, so he's hanging back while eyeing Blake Griffin. Griffin sets the screen for Kevin freakin' Durant; it's fair to say the Suns have no intention of switching Kaminsky onto him.
That leaves four eyes on Durant and a whole lot of space for Griffin to pop into. Easy money (sniper).
Early Chaos
Nothing says "we're young" like doing just about everything at 150 MPH. They turn a simple HORNS Flare look into a scramble drill.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/kpkcz1" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
There is&nbsp;a lot&nbsp;going on here. Darius Bazley (#7) essentially ghosts the initial screen as Theo Maledon pivots to his right. The Celtics switch that ghost screen, but still find themselves trailing the action due to how quickly the Thunder are moving.&nbsp;
We get a quick pitch from Maledon to Aleksej Pokusevski, all while Moses Brown is "chasing" the ball to flow into a quick-hitting pick-and-roll. The Celtics can't switch&nbsp;that&nbsp;one -- Semi Ojeleye gets bumped by Brown -- and that allows Poku to waltz into a pull-up.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or, well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexmRegla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Regla</a> on Talen Horton-Tucker's <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexmRegla/status/1385250226638770178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">downhill dynamism</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fred Katz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaldridgedc">David Aldridge</a> tag-teamed on a <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1386687635364753412?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robin Lopez breakdown</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seerat Sohi</a> waxes poetic on how <a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi/status/1385321563159810054?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steph Curry's magical run makes us feel</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/RobMahoney">Rob Mahoney</a> on why the Milwaukee Bucks <a href="https://twitter.com/RobMahoney/status/1385234420555124736?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shouldn't be slept on</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mirin Fader</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1385237454894952450?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a tremendous feature</a> on Rockets rookie Jae'Sean Tate.

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays, stats, etc.

Roaming the Baseline: DeMar DeRozan, Darius Garland, Joe Ingles, more

With the 2020 NBA Draft just two weeks away, our Matt Babcock updated his mock draft and provided his thoughts on each player. Some of the risers include Kira Lewis Jr. (Alabama) and Zeke Nnaji (Arizona), while some of the fallers include Aleksej Pokusevski (Olympiacos) and Leandro Bolmaro (FC Barcelona):
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
At 6'5" and a strong 225 pounds, Anthony Edwards has perhaps the most upside in this year's draft. Edwards' raw talent was on full display at the Maui Invitational in November when he scored 33 points in one half versus Michigan State. Although he has significant room for growth in regards to his overall maturity as a player, his uncanny ability to hit tough shots from all over the court gives him the potential to be a special player.
2. Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
Although James Wiseman is 7'1" and 240 pounds with an impressive 7'6" wingspan, he should not be considered a throwback, big-bodied center (which is somewhat of a dying breed). Instead, Wiseman is extremely athletic for a player his size. He also has an underrated skill level, and he can be a major contributor for a team right off the bat. That&rsquo;s why he is the first big man off the board.
3. Charlotte Hornets: Onyeka Okongwu, C/PF, USC
Commonly referred to as the "Big O," Onyeka Okongwu had a terrific freshman campaign for the USC Trojans, averaging 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He's an undersized center that can serve as a defensive anchor for a team. He's also a legitimate scoring threat who's capable of displaying fancy footwork and a soft touch with both hands around the rim. He's extremely strong and explosive, which allows him to be an effective rim protector and powerful finisher. Comparisons to the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo have been drawn regularly for good reason.
4. Chicago Bulls: LaMelo Ball, PG, Illawarra Hawks
The youngest brother of the Ball family, LaMelo comes to the NBA with lofty expectations. At 6'7", Ball has terrific size for a point guard. He has the ball on a string and a knack to make spectacular plays. Despite concerns of immaturity, Ball's talent is undeniable -- look for him to be the first point guard taken in the 2020 NBA Draft.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/obi_lg.jpg" alt="" width="802" height="AUTO" />
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton
After not receiving an invite to the NBA Draft Combine following his freshman season, Obi Toppin returned to Dayton for his sophomore year and he put on a show from start to finish, subsequently being named the National College Player of the Year. At 6'9", Toppin is a high-flyer who throws down jaw-dropping dunks reminiscent of former NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire. He's also a capable outside shooter, as he shot a stellar 39% from three-point range. Already 22 years old, Toppin is probably the most NBA-ready player in the draft and could be considered an early favorite to win Rookie of the Year.
6. Atlanta Hawks: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv
A product of the famed Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, Deni Avdija has already gained valuable professional experience in the Euroleague (the best league in the world outside of the NBA). At 6'9", Avdija is extremely versatile as a hybrid forward and he's also a capable ballhandler and playmaker who is deceptively athletic. In a draft with significant international talent, Avdija is certainly the cream of the crop.
7. Detroit Pistons: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama
After entering his freshman season at Alabama as the second-youngest Division-I player in the country (at 17 years old), he returned for his sophomore season and did not disappoint. Perhaps the fastest player in the draft, Lewis Jr. averaged 18.5 points and 5.2 assists per game this past season for the Crimson Tide. Comparisons have been drawn to former NBA player Darren Collison.
8. New York Knicks: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
Perhaps the best overall athlete in the entire NBA draft, Isaac Okoro steps into the NBA from Auburn with a reputation of being an exceptional defender that's capable of defending multiple positions effectively. Although he possesses a relatively simple game on the offensive end, he does have a good feel for how to play. If he is able to improve his outside shooting, watch out; Okoro could end up being a big-time player.
9. Washington Wizards: Devin Vassell, SG/SF, Florida State
Devin Vassell is a long wing that is capable of playing the shooting guard or small forward positions, effectively. On the offensive end, he reminds me of Jeremy Lamb of the Indiana Pacers. He's a capable shooter from outside, has a good mid-range game, and can finish around the rim as well.&nbsp; On the defensive end, he uses his length and instincts to be a high level defender. Overall, Vassell is a solid, well-rounded player, that does not make many mistakes. He would be easy to plug into just about any team's roster.
10. Phoenix Suns: Killian Hayes, PG/SG, Ratiopharm Ulm
After playing in France for years, Killian Hayes decided to move to Germany this last year to play for Ratiopharm Ulm - a decision that certainly paid off, as Hayes took a major step in his development, progressing as a playmaker and scorer. With good size for a point guard at 6'5", whichever team lands the left-handed Hayes should be able to pencil him in as their point guard of the future. If he's able to continue to develop his outside shooting, the future could be extremely bright for Hayes.
11. San Antonio Spurs: Patrick Williams, PF/SF, Florida State
Patrick Williams had somewhat of an up-and-down freshman year for the Florida State Seminoles, but the hybrid forward oozes talent and upside. He's a capable shooter from outside, a strong finisher at the rim and a versatile defender. Williams fits the modern style of basketball, as he's able to stretch the floor and defend multiple positions. It remains to be seen if he will be able to contribute at a high level early on in his NBA career, but if he develops properly, he could be one of the better players in this year's draft in a few years.
12. Sacramento Kings: Aaron Nesmith, SF/SG, Vanderbilt
Aaron Nesmith is likely the best shooter in this year's draft. Prior to a season-ending foot injury in January, Nesmith dazzled with his shooting performances, averaging 23 points per game while shooting 52.2% from three-point range in 14 games for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He's from the same high school as NBA All-Star Khris Middleton in Charleston, South Carolina.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tyy_lg.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="AUTO" />
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG, Iowa State
After averaging 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game for the Iowa State Cyclones this past season, Tyrese Haliburton will look to contribute right away in the NBA. At 6'5", Haliburton is capable of playing on or off the ball effectively. He has an extremely high basketball IQ and simply does not make many mistakes. Although he shoots the ball with extremely unorthodox mechanics, he knocks them down from deep at a high rate, shooting 41.9% from three-point range last year. He certainly needs to get stronger, as he is only a thin 175 pounds. But he should be a solid NBA player, at the very least.
14. Boston Celtics: Isaiah Stewart II, C/PF, Washington
At 6'9" and 250 pounds of muscle with a 7'4" wingspan, Isaiah Stewart II is a physical specimen and a brute. He would (and could) run through a brick wall, if needed. In his lone season at Washington, he averaged 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Despite being utilized purely as a low-post scorer this past season, he has shown signs of having the potential to shoot the ball well from outside - a much desired attribute in today's NBA. One example: He shot 77.4% from the free-throw line.
15. Orlando Magic: RJ Hampton, SG/PG, New Zealand Breakers
After skipping college to play for the New Zealand Breakers, R.J. Hampton enters this year's draft as one of the players with the most upside. Although not a finished product, Hampton has the burst and athleticism that's seen in many star players. If he is able to develop his point guard skills, outside shooting and overall feel for the game, he could end up being a steal for whichever team selects him.
16. Portland Trail Blazers: Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Villanova
Jay Wright's list of Villanova alumni who have had productive NBA careers continues to grow and Saddiq Bey seems to be the next in line. He's a 6'8" forward that is well-rounded, dependable and, most importantly, a high-level shooter, which was on display during his sophomore season when he scored 16.1 points per game while shooting 45.1% from three-point range. He also defended the opposing team's best player on a regular basis.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Zeke Nnaji, PF/C, Arizona
In his lone season for the Arizona Wildcats, Zeke Nnaji posted an impressive 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-Pac-12 and Freshman of the Year honors. At the Combine, Nnaji measured in at 6'10" without shoes and 247.8 pounds, with a 7'2" wingspan and a 38" max vertical. Nnaji <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-prospect-zeke-nnaji-arizona-wildcats-q-and-a-pac-12-basketball?fbclid=IwAR3LerQY7oOuFEQ0ZLYNmkus_sSxCYphs2l0TzJqc69ymtcZmrdWKZDpOPo">recently spoke with BasketballNews.com</a> about his game, his regimented lifestyle, why teams should pick him, his off-court interests and more.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/pad_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
18. Dallas Mavericks: Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, Memphis
Initially, Precious Achiuwa was expected to play the majority of his minutes at power forward alongside big man James Wiseman. However, when Wiseman left the team, Achiuwa took over the big man duties and delivered. The chiseled Achiuwa averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, earning him AAC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.
19.&nbsp;Brooklyn Nets: Jaden McDaniels, SF, Washington
Possessing terrific length for a wing at 6'9", Jaden McDaniels' versatility and playmaking abilities on both ends of the court are extremely intriguing. If he is able to get stronger and mature properly, he could be well-worth the risk, as his upside is nearly as high as any other player in the draft.
20. Miami Heat: Malachi Flynn, PG, San Diego State
After transferring from Washington State to San Diego State, point guard Malachi Flynn led the Aztecs to a spectacular 30-2 record. After averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, Flynn was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Flynn <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-2020-draft-malachi-flynn-san-diego-state-aztecs-matt-babcock-analysis-interview-chris-paul">recently spoke with BasketballNews.com</a> about his game, his collegiate career, his goals, the NBA players whom he&rsquo;s modeled his game after and more.
21. Philadelphia 76ers: Cole Anthony, PG/SG, North Carolina
The son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, Cole entered North Carolina for his freshman season with lofty expectations after being touted as one of the top players in his high-school class. Despite an up-and-down season, Anthony is an aggressive and dynamic scorer, which he displayed by averaging 18.5 points per game in 22 contests for the Tar Heels.&nbsp;
22. Denver Nuggets: Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland
At 6'10" with a 7'2" wingspan, Jalen "Stix" Smith does two things very well: he blocks shots and shoots the ball from outside -- certainly a unique combination, which has NBA teams intrigued. After returning to Maryland for his sophomore season, he averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 36.8% from three-point range.
23. Utah Jazz: Elijah Hughes, SF/SG, Syracuse
An unheralded recruit out of high school and a subsequent East Carolina transfer, Elijah Hughes emerged as a star player for the Syracuse Orange during his junior season. Possessing solid size for a wing and the ability to make shots from all over the court as well as put the ball on the floor, Hughes should make a smooth transition to the NBA.
24. Milwaukee Bucks: Cassius Stanley, SG/SF, Duke
After playing as a combo guard in high school, Cassius Stanley was asked by Coach K to fill a more limited role during his freshman season at Duke, utilizing his electric athleticism in transition and focusing on spreading the floor as a spot-up shooter. His combination of elite athleticism and the ability to make shots off catch-and-shoot opportunities make him an intriguing option as a role player in the NBA (at the very least). If he develops when it comes to creating off the dribble, his value could increase dramatically.
25.&nbsp;Oklahoma City Thunder: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF/C, Olympiacos
Having displayed an incredibly high skill level this past season with the junior team of Greek powerhouse Olympiacos, Aleksej Pokusevski has caused quite a stir among NBA scouts. Standing 7-feet tall and a frail 200 pounds, "Poku" is the youngest prospect in this year's draft (and younger than many high-school seniors) at just 18 years old. He is certainly a player who falls into the category of "high-risk, high-reward," which is why he's somewhat of a polarizing prospect in terms of his draft value.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/maxey2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="793" height="AUTO" />
26. Boston Celtics: Tyrese Maxey, SG/PG, Kentucky
A top-10 RSCI prospect, Tyrese Maxey was Kentucky's second-leading scorer with 14.0 points per game. At 6'3" and 200 pounds, he has a well-developed frame, although he's a bit undersized for a shooting guard. Still, he was solid at getting to the rim. He struggled from three-point range (relative to expectations) at 29 percent.
27. New York Knicks: Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford
After being ranked 88th in his high-school class, Tyrell Terry surprised everyone by posting an impressive freshman campaign at Stanford and subsequently declaring for the NBA draft. Considered to be one of the best shooters in this year's draft, Terry converted 41% from three-point range this past season. His high skill level and ability to shoot the ball has generated quite a buzz among scouts; however, due to his thin frame and lack of physicality, some concerns and questions have been raised as well.
28. Los Angeles Lakers: Josh Green, SG/SF, Arizona
A top recruit coming out of high school, Green is a plus athlete and defensive stopper with good size for a wing. In his freshman year at Arizona, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
29. Toronto Raptors: Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke
Although a bit of a throwback as a big-bodied center at 6'10" and 270 pounds, Vernon Carey Jr. had an effective freshman season for the Duke Blue Devils, as he averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Some questions have been raised about his inconsistent motor. However, his talent remains intriguing.
30. Boston Celtics: Leandro Bolmaro, SG/PG, FC Barcelona
After logging legitimate Euroleague and ACB minutes this past season with FC Barcelona in Spain, the 6'7" Argentinian guard has slowly but surely moved up draft boards. Although it is unlikely that he will be coming to the NBA right away due to him extending his contract with his current club, Bolmaro could still get consideration from teams selecting in the first round.
Matt Babcock is the owner and founder of <a href="babcockhoops.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Babcock Hoops</a>, which features in-depth scouting reports, prospect interviews and more. He is also a contributor for BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/matt-babcock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out more of his 2020 NBA Draft coverage here</a>.
Also, tune in to BasketballNews.com's Virtual Watch Party on the night of the 2020 NBA Draft (Nov. 18). Our live-stream will feature top analysts, NBA players and more special guests!

With the 2020 NBA Draft just two weeks away, Matt Babcock shares his updated mock draft. Find out who's rising and who's falling!

Matt Babcock's updated 2020 NBA mock draft (11/3): Who's rising?

After an impressive season at San Diego State University, point guard Malachi Flynn is hoping to hear his name called in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 18.&nbsp;
As a junior, Flynn averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 threes and 1.8 steals while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range. The 22-year-old is currently being projected as a first-round pick by BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s Matt Babcock.
Babcock sat down with Flynn to discuss his game, his upbringing, his collegiate career, which NBA players he's modeled his game after, his goals and much more.
From my understanding, you have a big family with a lot of athletes. Can you tell me a little bit about them and how growing up in such a sports-oriented family influenced you?
Malachi Flynn: I'm the youngest of seven kids with a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles who all played sports. As a kid, I remember going to many track meets and basketball games. When I look back at my childhood memories, they all centered around some type of sports events. That's just who our family was; everybody was playing sports at some level. I think it's a big reason why I am where I am today.
I read that you were 5-foot-2 as a freshman in high school and 5-foot-6 as a sophomore before growing to your current height of 6-foot-1. Despite being undersized, you played three years on your high school&rsquo;s varsity team. How did playing at that level while being so undersized affect your development as a player?
Flynn: When I look back at it, I think being undersized helped me in a lot of different ways. When you&rsquo;re smaller, you have to be able to do things that other guys can&rsquo;t or you're not going to play. I had to make sure that I could shoot, dribble and pass better than other guys. I also needed to know the game better than most people. When you&rsquo;re smaller, people are going to come at you. They're going to look at you like you're not any good. That gave me an underdog mentality and a chip on my shoulder. Those things have been with me since a young age and they&rsquo;ve carried me through my whole career, and even today. It was good for me to be smaller; it helped me. It gave me toughness. It doesn't matter who you are &mdash; I'm not going to back down.
You were originally committed to Pacific but wound up at Washington State. Can you walk me through how that unfolded?
Flynn: I actually didn't get any offers until my last summer of AAU, going into my senior year. Then, I picked up some offers from smaller schools like University of Pacific, Montana State and Cal Poly. After weighing out those options, I felt like Pacific was the best. I wanted to get the recruiting process done before my high school senior year started, which is why I committed to them early. The coaching staff ended up getting fired a couple of months after I committed, so I reopened my recruitment. My high school season was about to start and I wanted to finish the season before I decided where to go to college. I went on to have a really good senior season, averaging almost 30 points per game. More schools started to contact me, but I still wasn't getting super-high-level offers &mdash; mainly schools from the West Coast Conference and the WAC &mdash; schools around that level. Washington State ultimately offered me, and I had a really good relationship with one of the assistant coaches. I felt like it was going to be a place where I could go in right away and have an opportunity to play at a high level, and that's why I decided to go there.
After your sophomore season at Washington State you decided to transfer to San Diego State over Creighton among other schools. What was it about SDSU that was most appealing?
Flynn: The things that stuck out to me were their culture and tradition. I looked at everything they had done in the past 20 years, starting with Steve Fisher, who turned the program around before handing it off to Dutch (Brian Dutcher), who had worked under him since they were at Michigan together during the &ldquo;Fab Five&rdquo; days. I also thought it was a great, family-type environment. The main thing they care about at San Diego State is winning, and it&rsquo;s shown in their record. They win year in, year out and that was something that I wanted to be a part of. I felt like the coaches were real genuine. I loved the plan that they had for me. I think it really worked out for both of us.
Per transfer rules, you had to sit out one year at San Diego State before being eligible to play. Do you feel that you improved as a player during that year? And if so, how?
Flynn: Yes, definitely. Having that whole year off allowed me to focus on things I needed to do to become a pro. One of the big things was beginning to take the weight room seriously. In high school, and even my first two years at Washington State, I didn't really take it super seriously. That year off, I knew I was going to have to get stronger, and just get my body better in general. I worked with the strength coach at San Diego State and it really helped my game in many ways. During that time, I also learned all of the right reads off pick-and-rolls and improved my passing with both hands. I knew that I could score off the pick-and-roll, but I worked on being more consistent with everything, making sure I was shooting the same shot each time, making good finishes around the rim, and utilizing different floaters. Overall, I just worked on everything so I could improve all the way around, which I did.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/99QObQgukew" width="100%" height="415" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
You&rsquo;re known to be a gym rat, which is a big reason why I like you as a player. I&rsquo;ve also learned that you are eager to watch film. Can you walk me through some of the different ways you use watching film to learn and improve as a player?
Flynn: Yeah, I like watching film a lot. I watch film of practices and games. I use it as a tool to get better, because it's always different when you watch the film versus what you think happened in the game. I'll go back and watch the film and realize what reads I missed or if I did make the right read but didn't make the shot or if I missed my guy, things like that. I make mental notes so that I can go back to the gym and work on those exact same actions. If I feel like I&rsquo;m not as comfortable shooting a specific shot, then I go shoot that shot over and over to make sure that, if I get that same look in the next game, I'm going to be really confident and knock it down.
This last season, your team won its first 26 games and only lost two games in total throughout the entire season, finishing 30-2 and ranking No. 6 in the country. Was there ever a moment in the season where you had to pinch yourself and say &ldquo;Wow, I&rsquo;m a part of something special here?&rdquo;
Flynn: We were locked in and trying to win games, but I think when we became the last undefeated team, the hype around us increased; we started to realize this was something special. But for the most part, we were super locked in and just focused on the next game. After the season finished, and especially with how it finished, we were able to look back and realize it was one of the best seasons San Diego State had ever had, and we were a part of that. It definitely became more special.
Your team really seemed poised to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. When March Madness was cancelled due to COVID-19, how did that make you feel?
Flynn: It was tough. I felt like we were ready to make a deep run in the tournament. Our big man, who had been hurt for about 10 games, was coming back, and we just felt like we were going to take off running. I feel like a mid-major team can win a couple of games in the tournament and it would turn everyone&rsquo;s perception around. That&rsquo;s what we were looking forward to doing as a team. Not having had that opportunity just sucks, but we can't control it, and I can't control it. So, for me now, I just need to work on my game and continue to stay confident. Whenever my next opportunity comes, I'm going to be ready for it.
Are you at peace with your college career overall and how it ended, or is there always going to be some sort of &ldquo;what if?&rdquo;
Flynn: There will definitely always be a little bit of &ldquo;what if,&rdquo; but at the same time, it&rsquo;s not something that I&rsquo;m going to continue to dwell on because it's out of my control. I had nothing to do with what happened. I can't go back and change it. I'm going to keep moving forward and look on to my next challenge. It surely could have changed some things though, and it would have been really fun for us to have been able to play in the tournament.
Could you take us through a typical day as you prepare for the NBA Draft?
Flynn: I&rsquo;m currently in Las Vegas, training at Impact Basketball and it's been a real good setup. In the mornings, I get up and lift weights. Then, I have an on-court workout. After that, I go home for a little bit, get lunch, relax and come back to the gym in the afternoon for more of a straight-shooting workout to get a lot of shots. We're doing that about six times a week. We&rsquo;re also trying to mix in different things, like doing some pilates to work on my core strength. I&rsquo;m doing a lot of things to improve and just focusing on myself. I&rsquo;m continuing to get better in every way. I&rsquo;m happy to be out here because it&rsquo;s a great setup.
For those who are unfamiliar with your game, give us a rundown of who you are as a player on the court.
Flynn: I'm a really skilled player with a high IQ. I&rsquo;m someone that can make good decisions with the ball, especially coming off pick-and-rolls, who's tough minded with everything that happens throughout the game. At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m a confident player.
Would you consider yourself a leader? And if so, what is your leadership style?
Flynn: Yes, I definitely consider myself a leader. I'm more of a lead-by-example type of leader versus a super-vocal leader. While I have the capability of being a vocal leader, my natural leadership style is leading by example. I always want to make sure I'm one of the hardest workers and I'm doing things the right way, so when something needs to be said, my teammates respect me. I want to make sure I'm doing everything that I need to do so I&rsquo;m able to keep my teammates accountable.
You earned Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and, despite only being 6-foot-1, you also won Defensive Player of the Year. What is it you bring to the table on the defensive end that makes you special?
Flynn: I have good instincts on the defensive end and I&rsquo;m tough-minded. Despite my size, I&rsquo;m not going to give up. I&rsquo;m really pesky on defense and I figure out ways to get it done. That's what I have learned to do.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/malachi2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="698" height="AUTO" />
What do you have to say to anyone questioning your size in regards to your transition to the NBA?
Flynn: It's something I've had to deal with my whole life, so it's nothing new to me. I'm just going to go out there and do what I've done to get me to this point, and I think it's going to work out in my favor.
If you had to choose one, is there a player that you model your game after the most?
Flynn: I would say Chris Paul because of how smart he is off the pick-and-roll. During his younger days, he was a lot faster, but just seeing how his game has evolved over the years, he still gets whatever he wants off the pick-and-roll. He's a good leader in my opinion. I feel like he plays to win, and plays on both ends of the floor. He&rsquo;s just someone that I've always watched and admired. I certainly try to take things from his game.
Would you consider yourself more of a pass-first or scoring point guard?
Flynn: I can do a little bit of both, but it depends on the game and the situation. I can score in the pick-and-roll and outside of the pick-and-roll, but I can set guys up too. In college, I had games where I scored many points because I felt like that's what was needed, but on the other hand, I've also had games with 10 or 11 assists. It really just depends on the situation.
What are some things that you would like to work on and improve within your game?
Flynn: One of the biggest areas for me is continuing to find different ways to finish around the basket. With me not being one of the more athletic guys, I need to be able to use different floaters and become really consistent at 10 feet and in. I also have to continue working on everything, including becoming a better shooter. My main focus is becoming a more efficient finisher around the basket, though.
In regards to the NBA, if you had to pick one short-term goal and one long-term goal, what would they be?
Flynn: My short term goal is to surprise everyone and win Rookie of the Year. My long-term goal is to become an All-Star, and eventually a champion.
Last question: let's pretend that I&rsquo;m an NBA general manager who&rsquo;s considering selecting you. What&rsquo;s your elevator pitch to me as to why I should draft you?
Flynn: I'm going to be someone who's going to come in and work hard from day one. I will never be a problem on or off the court. I&rsquo;m going to do what you ask of me and I'll continue to get better. I&rsquo;m going to grind, I&rsquo;m willing to learn, and I&rsquo;m accountable. I'm going to continuously improve from the day I get there until the day my career is over.

NBA draft prospect Malachi Flynn spoke to Matt Babcock about his game, his college career, NBA players he studies, his goals and more.

Jlynn