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Grizzlies

On Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the Memphis Grizzlies 130-117 at FedExForum to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round, best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
The Timberwolves made it clear to the Grizzlies that they wouldn't be taking this series lightly.
After having a week off, Memphis was rusty and lacked energy to start. The Wolves exploited the rust, had more energy, gained momentum and snatched home-court advantage from a team that protected its home floor (30-11) in the regular season.&nbsp;
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane said it best after the loss: "The game is going to be decided on 50-50 balls. Physicality is something that we felt like we addressed coming into the series... We&rsquo;re going to have to get grimy out there to win a playoff series."
The Grizzlies have had a habit of getting the better of opponents. In the regular season, Memphis defeated opponents a record 14 times by 25 points or more, and had been used to demoralizing teams early.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies on Saturday, the plan backfired and the Wolves were up for the challenge.
"This game and this series is going to be decided on 50-50 balls and rebounding,&rdquo; Memphis wing Dillon Brooks said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the real grit-and-grind sh*t. So we have to figure out how to be in the right spots, and play with the physicality they played with."
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KEYS TO A BOUNCE-BACK GRIZZLIES VICTORY
DEFENSE HAS TO BE BETTER 
One of the top defenses in the league gave up 130 points. The Grizzlies became the first team since 1973-74 to lead the NBA in rebounding, steals and blocks as a result of their tenacious defense during the regular season.&nbsp;
What we saw in Game 1 wasn't the same Memphis defense that had been shutting down dynamic offenses since early December.
Return to the basics: Rebounding, steals and second-chance points are their bread and butter.
Minnesota outrebounded the Grizzlies by a total of 46 to 35. The Wolves also had the second-chance edge at 19 to 14. Minnesota was well prepared and beat the Grizzlies at their own game.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies also gave up 16 three-pointers while only connecting on 7 of their own.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They hit 16 threes. That&rsquo;s what they do,&rdquo; Brooks said. &ldquo;We got to fly out to shooters, know exactly what shooters are out there... We gotta be on that next game and bring our mentality, bring our swag into the arena. Put our hard cap on and get ready to go out there and bang with the big fellas.&rdquo;
Try to contain Anthony Edwards as much as possible with Brooks at the primary defender.
He spent most of the game locking down D'Angelo Russell, who was limited to 2 of 11 from the field. According to NBA.com matchup data, Edwards went 3 of 7 when Brooks was the primary defender on Saturday.&nbsp;
KEEP STEVEN ADAMS AWAY FROM KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS AND ANTHONY EDWARDS
Game 1 was Adams' worst contest since he's been with the team. He finished with 0 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists while getting cooked on both ends of the floor in his 24 minutes of play. Adams led the league in offensive rebounds at 4.6 per game, which usually equates to second-chance points for the Grizzlies. KAT went 6 of 8 when guarded by Adams, while Edwards lit the big man up on 4 of 5 shots.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies had better success defensively when Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke were on the floor together. The pairing had a Defensive Rating of 68.2 in its 10 minutes on the floor, and Memphis was able to make the game close when the two played together.
But will it be right to limit Adams' minutes? That's something Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and his staff have to figure out.&nbsp;
JAREN JACKSON JR. SHOULD FORGET "SH*TTY" PERFORMANCE 
On 4 of 13 shooting, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 points, had 7 blocks and grabbed 4 rebounds. Due to foul trouble, he played only 24 minutes. As a result of three costly fouls, he was limited to just eight minutes in the first half.
Jackson knows he has to do better. On Monday, he summed up his performance with harsh honesty.
"I was pretty shitty overall," Jackson said after practice. "I gotta be better &ndash; seven blocks don&rsquo;t mean nothing if we lose and they put up 130."
Jackson also lost his composure and picked up a technical foul after shoving Jaden McDaniels.
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Karl Anthony Towns dunked on Jaren Jackson Jr so hard, JJJ pushed a different player that didn't dunk on him 😂😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/4Gcf3NmgQe">pic.twitter.com/4Gcf3NmgQe</a>
&mdash; Rob Lopez (@r0bato) <a href="https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1515444740447166475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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He can&rsquo;t be baited into doing things out of character.&nbsp;Because of his proclivity for drawing fouls, JJJ expects the Wolves to make an effort to remove him from the game.
"That team takes a lot of charges, kind of like Boston" Jackson reiterated. "You've just got to move around them, Euro (step), make better moves. Can't fall into their traps because that's a good play by them."&nbsp;
It will be a first-round exit if the 22-year-old forward is in constant foul trouble and not producing on the offensive end. He has to be available, period.
According to a report from The Commercial Appeal&rsquo;s Damichael Cole, Jackson texted Ja Morant after Saturday&rsquo;s loss: "I got you."&nbsp;
Jackson says he will be ready.&nbsp;
LOOSEN THE ROTATION 
Jenkins needs to go with some of the scrappy guys who contributed all season off the bench. One such guy is John Konchar, also known as Jitty. Known for his hustle plays, he is somebody who gets all the 50/50 balls, deflections and is able to defend. Konchar would bring a spark off the Grizzlies bench that was lacking in Game 1.
The undrafted guard out of Purdue Fort Wayne was a problem for the Wolves on Jan. 13, when he gave Memphis a huge lift off the bench with 15 points (6 of 7 from the field, 3 of 4 from three) and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.
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It might be wise for Jenkins to have Konchar on the floor at some point during Game 2.&nbsp;
De'Anthony Melton, frequently called "Mr. Do Something," must do something to help his team win games. In just 14 minutes of play, the Grizzlies main disruptor had a less-than-memorable night with just 2 points along with a rebound, assist and steal each. Since the All-Star break, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-to-make-of-deanthony-meltons-recent-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melton has averaged nearly 13 points per game and 42.9% from beyond the arc</a>.
Melton also can guard multiple positions, infiltrate passing lanes and block shots. He averaged 4.5 deflections and 2.3 steals per 36 minutes in the regular season.
HAVE THE OFFENSE CLICKING
Their <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-commercial-appeal/20220416/281767042767616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mantra</a> is "everybody eats." The Grizzlies were 18-1 this season when they had 30 or more assists. In the series opener, the Wolves assisted on 32 shots while Memphis only had 25. In the regular season, the Grizzlies set a mark of 41 assists twice.
Jenkins pointed out the struggles they had on offense.
"I felt like we missed plenty of opportunities to make the early pass... We&rsquo;ve got to have better balance," he said. "We scored great in the paint. We got to the free-throw line. It&rsquo;s going to be hard if we&rsquo;re giving up 16 made threes and we&rsquo;re only making seven. So, we&rsquo;ve definitely got to find a way to get more balance on the offensive end.&rdquo;
With that, Morant put the responsibility on himself for not finding his teammates for more three-pointers.
"I feel like that&rsquo;s on me though. Our offense was fine. The shots we missed were pretty much wide open threes, normally shots we make, and that&rsquo;s the difference maker of the game," the All-Star guard said.
"They made 16. We only made seven. My job is to... I&rsquo;m about to look at film and find ways for us to get those easier shots. And, that&rsquo;s pretty much my downhill attack, drawing the help and kicking out to my shooters.&rdquo;
Memphis becomes extremely difficult to beat when the team is able to distribute the ball effectively, create open looks and limit its offensive mistakes.
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To win Game 2, the Grizzlies should concentrate on the strengths that helped them win 56 games. It's do-or-die time, and they can't afford to go down 2-0. They've got to embrace the moment and play every possession as if it's their last when every loose ball provides an opportunity to get more chances.
With all that said, the Grizzlies remain resilient.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s a very long series. It&rsquo;s going to be a really long run here," Brooks said. "It&rsquo;s just about watching film as a team, getting back together, seeing what we&rsquo;ve got to do in the next game from here on out in this series. That&rsquo;s something that we&rsquo;ve done great the whole year.
"I think that we&rsquo;re going to be fine from here on out. We&rsquo;ve just got to watch some film together and learn from it."&nbsp;
The growl towel for Game 2 says "Ain't No Running in the M," a phrase made popular by Morant after a victory against the New York Knicks in early February. The Grizzlies are known for not backing down from any opponent, and the Wolves are not scared either
The litmus test begins at 191 Beale Street on Tuesday night. Will the Grizzlies be able to get back that swagger they had in the regular season?
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Sharon Brown highlights what the Grizzlies can do to even the series with the Wolves through the eyes of the team itself.

Down, but not out: 5 keys to a bounce-back Grizzlies victory in Game 2

With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, let's examine the numbers and hand out some hardware to the cream of the fantasy crop.
Fantasy MVP: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
In regards to the NBA's actual Most Valuable Player award, a strong case could be made for several players (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-rankings-jokic-edging-out-embiid-antetokounmpo-chasing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I detailed two weeks ago</a>). However, in the fantasy-hoops universe, Nikola Jokic reigns supreme for the second-straight season. And it wasn't particularly close.
Not only was the Joker durable, appearing in 74 games, but he was remarkably efficient (shooting over 58% from the floor and 81% from the charity stripe). His all-around statistical production was mind-boggling, as he became the first player in NBA history to tally more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in the same season. As a cherry on top, Jokic saved some of his best work for the fantasy playoffs. Over his last five games, he averaged 37.8 points, 16.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals (joining Karl Malone as the second player in league history to record five-straight double-doubles with 35+ points in each game). Whether you played in a head-to-head or roto league, nobody was more valuable than Mr. Jokic.&nbsp;
Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Orlando's Franz Wagner and Cleveland's Evan Mobley all posted impressive numbers in their rookie campaigns, but Barnes wins this race by a nose. Scottie appeared in 74 out of 82 games and became the only rookie since Luka Doncic to average at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a steal in their first season. Barnes is also the first rookie in Toronto's franchise history to record 1,000+ points, 500+ rebounds and 250+ assists. He finished the season ranked 66th overall in nine-category roto formats.&nbsp;
Most Improved Fantasy Player: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
This is another award that could go to a bevy of deserving players (such as Darius Garland, Jordan Poole and Ja Morant); however, in my opinion, Maxey gets the nod. Due to the drama and uncertainty surrounding Ben Simmons coming into this season, some fantasy pundits pegged Maxey as a late-round sleeper, but nobody could have expected Maxey to step in and step up as he did.&nbsp;
As a rookie in 2020-21, ​​Maxey averaged a modest 8.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 15 minutes a night while shooting just 30% from downtown, which resulted in him ranking 330th overall (behind players such as Edmond Sumner, John Konchar and Dean Wade) in nine-category fantasy leagues. Yet, as a starter out of the gates this season, Maxey averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 dimes, 3.2 boards and 1.8 treys, while converting 48.5% of his field goal attempts and 42.7% of his triple tries (including 48% from deep over the second half of the season). He finished the 2021-22 season ranked 35th overall in total fantasy value (ahead of fantasy stars such as Khris Middleton, Kristaps Porzingis and Domantas Sabonis). &nbsp;
Fantasy Coach of the Year: Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves 
On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that they signed Finch to a multi-year extension. And many fantasy GMs surely applauded the decision. The Timberwolves led the NBA in pace (101.47), which is the way into the hearts of fantasy folks. The Wolves also led the league in points per game (115.9) for the first time in franchise history, made three-pointers (1,211) and turnovers forced (1,339). Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, D'Angelo Russell and even Patrick Beverley benefited statistically from Minny's up-tempo offense.&nbsp;
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Defensive Player of the Year: Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
For those of us who invested in JJJ on draft day the last few years, he finally rewarded us with a monster campaign in 2021-22. Jackson was able to stay healthy (making 78 appearances), and not only did he lead the league in blocked shots per game (2.3), he also averaged just shy of one steal and six rebounds. Factor in his effectiveness and efficiency from behind the arc (he knocked down 128 triples), and it's easy to see why Jackson returned fourth-round fantasy value this season.&nbsp;
Biggest Bust: Tie between Russell Westbrook and Julius Randle
After Randle finished in the top-40 overall in 2020-21, Knicks fans and fantasy GMs who drafted him back in October were hoping the burly power forward would be able to replicate his shockingly impressive production. Yet, although his counting stats were solid, Randle's field goal percentage dropped from 45.6% down to 41.1%, his three-point percentage tumbled from over 41% all the way down to below 30.8% and his free throw percentage dipped from above 81% to 75.6%. Randle also tied his career-high in turnovers (3.4). Due to the poor shooting numbers, turnovers and lack of defensive stats, Randle ranked 127th overall (or just behind Bruce Brown in per-game value).&nbsp;
Westbrook also badly burned fantasy GMs in 2021-22. Russ racked up plenty of points, rebounds and assists (18/7/7) but didn't come close to matching the 22/12/11 he averaged with the Washington Wizards the year before. In addition, Westbrook's extraordinary inefficiency and high turnover rate ruined many a fantasy matchup for GMs who rostered Russ.
Pickup of the Year: Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
Jones, the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, was a complete unknown to the vast majority of fantasy hoopers heading into the 2021-22 season. He went undrafted in even the deepest of leagues and went scoreless in just three minutes of action in the Pels' season opener. However, due to his defensive tenacity and efficient offense, Jones carved out a role in New Orleans and began being scooped up off of waiver wires nationwide. He had earned a spot in the starting lineup by late November and never relinquished it.
Jones finished the season averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks. He led all rookies in total steals with 130 (50 more than Scottie Barnes, who ranked second) and was third in blocks. According to Basketball-Reference, he is the only rookie in New Orleans' franchise history to tally more than 125 steals and 50 blocks (and just the seventh rookie in NBA history to do so, joining Michael Jordan, Nerlens Noel, Ron Harper, Ben Simmons, Willie Anderson and David Robinson). Of those seven, Jones is the only one to commit 100 or fewer turnovers. Jones finished the season ranked 77th overall in nine-category formats.&nbsp;
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With the 2021-22 NBA regular season in the books, Tommy Beer hands out some hardware to the cream of the fantasy crop.

2021-22 Fantasy Basketball Awards: MVP, ROY, Most Improved and more

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown added 18 and the Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the East with a 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Al Horford added 13 points as the Celtics shot close to 55% against the short-handed Grizzlies. With Milwaukee&rsquo;s loss to Cleveland earlier Sunday, Boston was able to move into second with the victory.
Santi Aldama led Memphis with 20 points, and Ziaire Williams finished with 18 points. John Konchar had his first career triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyle Anderson scored 16 points.
The teams took different approaches to the game based on their places in the standings. Memphis was playing out the regular season having secured the second seed in the Western Conference behind the Phoenix Suns.
Boston entered in a logjam for the Nos. 2-4 seeds, jockeying for postseason placement with Milwaukee and Philadelphia. That meant all of the Celtics' regulars were playing against the Grizzlies' reserves.
And the Memphis makeshift lineup couldn&rsquo;t keep pace with the Celtics' regular rotation.
The Celtics steadily built the lead in the first half by shooting 63%, including connecting on 11 of 22 from outside the arc. That, coupled with Memphis struggling at 34% provide the Celtics with a 72-49 lead at intermission &mdash; the most points given up by the Grizzlies in a first half this season.
The Celtics continued to maintain the lead in the third period, leading 104-79 as Boston coach Ime Udoka sat the starters for the final quarter.
TIP-INS:
Celtics: Nik Stauskas missed his fourth game with a right ankle sprain. &hellip; Tatum had 14 points in the first quarter.He converted a four-point play late in the first half. &hellip; The 72 points scored in the first half, matched the most scored by Boston in a first half this season. The Celtics also had 72 against Minnesota on March 27. &hellip; C Daniel Theis had 11 points and matched his season-high in rebounds with 10, the fourth time he has reached that mark.
Grizzlies: G Desmond Bane set a franchise record for free throw shooting percentage at 90.4. The previous record was by O.J. Mayo in 2008-09 campaign. &hellip; The injury list included Steven Adams (left ankle soreness), Dillon Brooks (right hip soreness), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left thigh soreness), Tyus Jones (left hand soreness) and Ja Morant (management of right knee soreness). &hellip;Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were listed as questionable, and while not ruled out, they did not play.

With a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boston Celtics have clinched the second seed in the East.

Celtics finish 2nd in East with 139-110 win over Grizzlies

In the NBA Playoffs, stars often shine the brightest, with the biggest names often delivering on the biggest stage. That's to be expected, but truthfully, games are often won and lost because of the production from key role players.
Throughout the regular season, coaches may roll out a 10- or 11-man rotation consistently, providing ample rest for everybody as the season goes, as well as ensuring the development of younger players. But as the postseason kicks off, that rotation shrinks down to about eight guys playing significant minutes.&nbsp;
For the Memphis Grizzlies, De'Anthony Melton is one of those essential bench pieces that has helped Memphis lock up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In fact, Memphis is now 22-4 when Melton scores 10 or more points off the bench; last season, Memphis was 16-5 in the games Melton scored double digits. So that's a pretty good indicator of the impact he has on the team's success.
The 23-year-old guard has earned a couple of nicknames over his time in Memphis. Bally Sports Southeast analyst Brevin Knight calls him "Mr. Do Something" because Melton is always contributing, even when he is not scoring. But when he is scoring, Melton has become known as "Microwave Melt."
Melton is the prime example of a binge scorer.
From November through January, De'Anthony shot 29.5% from deep on 169 attempts. He began to turn it around in February, shooting 43.8% on 48 attempts. During the month of March, Melton was on an absolute heater, shooting 47.1% on 87 attempts.
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De&rsquo;Anthony is only the 8th NBA player since the 83-84 season to have 5 straight games with 4+ 3s without starting a a game during the streak. His 26 total 3s are one of the five highest totals by a bench player over any five game span since 83-84 as well.
&mdash; Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsSAC/status/1508628215673368581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Melton extended this 4-triple streak off the bench to six straight against the San Antonio Spurs on March 30. Even more impressive about this stretch is that he's shot 50% or better from deep in seven straight games and in eight of his last 10.&nbsp;
His ability to knock down the deep ball is crucial to the Grizzlies' spacing. With Steven Adams providing no ability to stretch the floor, and Ja Morant needing space to get downhill and continue his unbelievable paint scoring, Memphis needs someone other than Desmond Bane to make defenders think twice about helping.
Currently, this is how the team's three-point shooting lines up without its top two snipers (Bane and John Konchar).
<ul>
<li>Tyus Jones: 39.3%</li>
<li>Kyle Anderson: 32.4%</li>
<li>Jaren Jackson Jr.: 31.9%</li>
<li>Dillon Brooks: 30.3%</li>
<li>Ziaire Williams: 30.1%</li>
</ul>
Jones and Morant do not share the floor together often; however, their success in a small sample size this season may lead to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins playing them together in the postseason to take pressure off Morant and provide that aforementioned spacing. (Williams is likely to have his minutes diminished in the playoffs as well.) Come playoff time, Memphis is poised to run a nine-man rotation with Jones, Melton, Anderson and Brandon Clarke coming off the bench.
As the numbers suggest, the Grizzlies struggle to shoot the ball. They lead the league in a lot of categories, but simply cannot convert from downtown outside of Bane. So, quite frankly, Memphis needs Microwave Melt to carry over into the playoffs.&nbsp;
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Last season, Melton fell into one of his cold spells as the playoffs started. After winning the 9/10 game, and subsequently knocking off the Golden Warriors for the No. 8 seed, Memphis ran into a historically efficient Utah Jazz offense and simply could not keep up. Melton, at times, was unplayable due to his poor shooting in the series. Outside of Game 4 in Memphis, in which he went 3 of 6 from distance, Melton made just 3 of his 14 shots from deep and went 6 of 22 overall.
It was unexpected and certainly the worst case for the Grizzlies. In the months of March and April 2021, Melton shot 46.7% from deep on 107 attempts. But his frigid stretch hit right after. In the 10 games in May, Melton shot 30.8% on 3.9 attempts per game, and his streakiness reared its head at the wrong time.&nbsp;
For Melton, his shooting woes are almost always mechanical issues. Balance is crucial for jump shots. The ability to have a balanced base and rise straight up increases the likelihood of a made shot, so any lean towards the left or right then has to be accounted for on the trajectory of the ball.&nbsp;
Say your weight is evenly distributed (50-50 on each leg), and you rise straight up on the shot; no other adjustments on the shot must be made. If a right-handed shooter has a tendency to distribute his/her weight 60-40 in favor of the left leg &mdash; that slight lean left &mdash; it means the trajectory has to have a counter-adjustment to the right to compensate.&nbsp;
In an interview with DaMichael Cole of the Mempis Commercial Appeal, Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke about his own adjustment</a>. "I would say for me just making sure my base is wide. Make sure I got a solid, good foundation to start there because I used to bring my feet in too close," Melton <a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2022/03/30/memphis-grizzlies-guard-deanthony-melton-nbas-hottest-shooter/7184297001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
A shoulder-width base is almost a sure-fire way to get as close to a 50-50 weight distribution as possible.
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There are a couple of things to look for on this first clip. In regards to his feet, this is what Melton had been doing for much of his career, bringing his right foot in too close to his left and fighting his own body for balance. Then, he receives the pass shoulder-high, but brings it below his waist to load, adding more action than needed. Finally, though his release does not seem to have the hitch it did in 2020-21, his timing at the apex of his jump is off a tick.
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This is another catch-and-shoot opportunity here for Melton, but it's in transition, so his momentum is carrying him forward. He overcompensates for the positive momentum, missing it on the front of the rim, attempting to take a little off of the shot. The timing of the release is better here, as he releases it just before the apex, but his knees are almost touching as he brings his right foot in too far once again.
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Fast forward to March 23 when Melton hit a career-high 6 threes against the Brooklyn Nets. This angle gives you a great picture of what his mechanics are focused on. Many coaches at the youth levels teach their players to have their "toes pointed towards the basket," or to be square. That actually complicates the shooting motion. Notice the slight left turn of the feet. This small mechanical adjustment allows for the shooting elbow to be more comfortably and naturally aligned with the rim.&nbsp;
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The adjustments with his feet are noticeable. Rather than having his left foot planted on the catch and bringing his right foot in to initiate the shooting motion, Melton receives the pass with a slight two-footed hop that centers his weight on a more even stance. This allows for him to rise straight up with a fluid release that is on time.
The playoffs are around the corner, and the Grizzlies should not expect 50% shooting on 6 to 8 attempts per game, but even 36% on 4 to 5 triple tries would go a long way throughout the gauntlet in the Western Conference.
De'Anthony Melton is an X-factor to watch when the postseason begins on April 16.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis breaks down De'Anthony Melton's hot offensive stretch and why he'll be an X-factor for the Grizzlies this postseason.

What to make of De'Anthony Melton's recent play with the Grizzlies

Desmond Bane scored 30 points, hitting 12 of 15 shots, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points, going 7 of 13 from the field, as the Grizzlies shot 54%. De&rsquo;Anthony Melton added 19 and John Konchar matched his career high with 18. Bane was 5 of 7 from outside the arc as Memphis made a season-high 21 3-pointers.
Before the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins announced that leading scorer Ja Morant would miss the next two weeks with right knee soreness. Morant sat out the previous two games after tweaking the knee in Memphis&rsquo; loss to Atlanta last Friday.
But the Grizzlies were sharp again without their All-Star, just as they were in a 132-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and became the second team to lock up a spot in the postseason.
With Memphis leading 107-71 entering the fourth, the Grizzlies reserves finished up the game.
Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 25 points, while Terry Taylor had 17. Goga Bitadze finished with 14.
Besides Morant, the Grizzles were also without Dillon Brooks, who rested his left ankle, and Brandon Clarke (left hip soreness.)
Indiana also was playing the second consecutive night after a last-second loss to Sacramento. Like Memphis, the Pacers had multiple players out. Additionally, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle missed the game for personal reasons.
As they did against Brooklyn on Wednesday night, the Grizzlies surpassed 70 points in the first half, taking a 74-48 lead into the locker room. Bane had 23 points, missing only one of his shots in the half, going 5 of 6 from outside the arc.
The Grizzlies opened the second half on a 10-0 run and Memphis had its seventh win in the last eight.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Lloyd Pierce served as acting coach with Carlisle absent. &hellip; G Malcolm Brogdon missed his third game with rest. &hellip; Bitadze has reached double figures in seven straight. &hellip; Duane Washington Jr., who turned 22 on Thursday, finished with four points. &hellip; Indiana is 9-28 on the road.
Grizzlies: Memphis outscored the Pacers 44-23 in the first quarter, matching its most points in a quarter this season. &hellip; The 10 3-pointers in the first quarter were a franchise record. &hellip; Memphis is 7-1 against the Central Division. Its only loss was to the Milwaukee Bucks, whom Memphis plays Saturday night. &hellip; C Steven Adams had 17 rebounds, nine of them off the offensive glass.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Travel to Toronto to face the Raptors on Saturday.
Grizzlies: Continue a four-game homestand Saturday against Milwaukee.

The Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory to clinch a spot in the NBA postseason.

Bane has 30, Jackson Jr. 20 as Grizzlies rout Pacers 133-103 for playoff spot

Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Boston Celtics past the Memphis Grizzlies 120-107 on Thursday night.
Al Horford had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Robert Williams finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 51.7% and won for the ninth time in 11 games. Marcus Smart finished with 18 points and 12 assists, Derrick White scored 12 and Grant Williams 11.
Ja Morant, coming off a career-high 52 points Monday night in a win over San Antonio, scored 38 for Memphis after struggling through the first quarter. Desmond Bane finished with 17 points and seven assists.
Boston started pulling away in the second half, opening the third period on a 10-2 run and then turning to Tatum, who was celebrating his 24th birthday, throughout the fourth.
After Bane hit a 3-pointer that pulled Memphis within 91-84, Tatum scored six straight for Boston and followed that with an assist on a jumper by Payton Pritchard that put Boston up 99-84. Tatum scored the next eighth points for Boston, then added a 3-pointer that finished off the Grizzlies, giving Boston a 115-100 lead with 1:34 left to play.
Morant, who was 0 for 6 in the first quarter with a pair of free throws, ended up scoring 30 points in the second half as he tried to keep the Grizzlies within range. He did show his leaping ability late in the second quarter on an alley-oop, slamming down a one-handed dunk off a pass from Kyle Anderson to pull the Grizzlies within 45-42 with 1:39 to go before halftime.
SHORT-HANDED
Already missing starting forward Jaylen Brown with a sprained right ankle, the Celtics lost his replacement to the same injury early in the first quarter when Aaron Nesmith rolled his ankle after going up for a defensive rebound. He did not return.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Never recovered from a slow start, making 8 of 29 shots in the first quarter and hitting just 2 of 14 3-pointers. ... G/F John Konchar missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Celtics: First-year coach Ime Udoka was named the NBA Eastern Conference coach of the month Monday after Boston went 9-2 in February. &hellip; Boston led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter despite committing six turnovers.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Celtics: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon.

Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Celtics past the Grizzlies 120-107 on Thursday night.

Tatum nets 37, leads Celtics past Morant, Grizzlies 120-107

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies pulled away in the final minutes for their 11th straight victory, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-108 on Thursday night.
Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points. D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 29 points and six assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and nine rebounds.
The game was much different than the last time the teams played when the Timberwolves won 138-95 on Nov. 20, Memphis&rsquo; largest losing margin of the season. In this one, neither team held a double-digit advantage until late in the game.
The teams exchanged leads beginning with four minutes left. Two free throws by Brandon Clarke (14 points) with 1:47 left gave the Grizzlies the lead for good. Memphis extended it with a layup by Bane, and Konchar&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 1:01 left stretched the lead.
Memphis, which struggled in the first half, got back on track&nbsp;in the third quarter as Morant scored 11 points. That was part of the Grizzlies outscoring Minnesota 37-24. That gave Memphis its biggest lead of the game headed into the fourth 90-84.
Through the first half, Edwards and with help from Russell controlled the Minnesota offense. Edwards, in particular, was effective connecting on 7 of 12 shots for 25 points, including four 3-pointers.
But the Timberwolves&rsquo; defense kept Morant in check, frustrating the Grizzlies point guard. Morant made only one of his six shots, missing all four from outside the arc. Three turnovers only added to the frustration, along with Memphis going 3 of 16 from outside the arc.
That contributed to Minnesota leading 60-53 at the break.
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TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Either Towns or Edwards has led Minnesota in scoring in 31 of the team&rsquo;s 42 games. &hellip; Minnesota is 2-16 when trailing after three quarters. &hellip; Jarred Vanderbilt had 13 rebounds.
Grizzlies: F Killian Tillie was added to the health and safety protocols Thursday afternoon and did not play. &hellip; C Steven Adams missed his fourth game under health and safety protocols. &hellip; Konchar had 10 rebounds in the first half.
UP NEXT:
Timberwolves: Host Golden State on Sunday night.
Grizzlies: Host Dallas on Friday night.

Grizzlies win 11th straight, beating Timberwolves 116-108

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant scored 41 points, Desmond Bane added 20 and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99 on Wednesday night.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 37 points — a day short of his 38th birthday — and 13 rebounds and a season-high eight 3-pointers. Russell Westbrook added a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Grizzlies improved to 22-14 with their third straight victory, while the Lakers fell to 17-19 with their sixth loss in seven games.
Memphis trailed in the second half until Tyus Jones hit in a floater for a 93-92 lead with 6:50 left. Morant followed with consecutive 3-pointers for a 99-92 advantage with 4:28 to go. Bane sealed the win with two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go.
Ahead by six at the half, the Lakers pushed their advantage to 14 at 80-66 during a third quarter in which Los Angeles made six 3-pointers. James had three of those.
The Grizzlies were able to battle back and trim the lead to five at 83-78 at the end of the quarter. Morant made in a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Grizzlies starting forward Dillon Brooks sat out his third straight game because of health and safety protocols.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Ja Morant entered the game third in the league in points in the paint at 14.2 per game. He's behind Nikola Jokic (15.2 ppg) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (15.1 ppg). . . .John Konchar entered the league’s health and safety protocols Tuesday after making the first two starts of his career.
Lakers: Interim head coach David Fizdale said Memphis guard Ja Morant has quickly blossomed into an elite player. “You are talking about one of the best players in this league period. Period. The guy is a true superstar.”. . . Austin Reaves and Kent Bazemore tested out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols Wednesday. Reaves missed the previous six games and Bazemore the last five. 
UP NEXT
Lakers: Host Portland on Friday night.
Grizzlies: Host San Antonio on Friday night.

Ja Morant scored 41 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-99.

Ja Morant scores 41 points, Grizzlies beat slumping Lakers

For the umpteenth season in a row, Buddy Hield is on the trade market and actively being shopped by the Sacramento Kings <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article256556286.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee</a>.
<blockquote>
One source said the Kings are still shopping a package including Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III in hopes of getting a good player in return.&nbsp;
</blockquote>
With Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s emergence and Davion Mitchell&rsquo;s initial pop, Sacramento has consistently relied upon three-guard lineups &mdash; four of the top five players in minutes played for the Kings this season are guards.&nbsp;
While I wouldn&rsquo;t argue that Hield is the most replaceable of the guards, he is the oldest by a wide margin and the only guard on a non-max or rookie-scale contract, likely making him the easiest to trade without tearing apart the team structure in its entirety (hence why he&rsquo;s been in trade talks for multiple years).
The initial $24 million hit on his four-year contract, inked during the 2019 off-season, likely played into reticence or difficulty to trade for Hield. A descending scale on his deal and looming <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mortenjensen/2021/09/19/with-new-tv-deal-looming-nba-teams-could-spend-big-on-extensions/?sh=51344fc73e85" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cap spike</a> could potentially temper trade discussions to the right degree.
While Hield has had a slow start to the season, he&rsquo;s caught fire the past two weeks, indicating a return to form. He's shooting 47% from three over the last 10 days on 9.4 attempts per game.
Buddy Hield is undoubtedly a specialist, but the level to which he specializes as a shooter brings much more value than that &ldquo;shooter&rdquo; label may imply.&nbsp;
Per Stathead, no player has hit more threes since the 2018-19 season than Hield, nailing just shy of a thousand in that span (950) with the next closest player, James Harden, nearly 100 behind (862).&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s an elite shooter off-the-catch and from a standstill, but his shooting variety is what makes him such a remarkable offensive player. An elite combination of movement, flexibility, and footwork open up his arsenal.
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He maintains balance and can start and stop on a dime, which allows him to create the slivers of space necessary to garner clean looks. Basketball Index uses NBA tracking data to contextualize data and create metrics to track overarching aspects of the game. For instance, Buddy Hield is in the fourth percentile of openness rating this season, which combines numerous factors to estimate how open a player is on average when they shoot. In essence, Hield is almost never open, which tracks with the eye test &mdash; defenses swarm him.
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One of my favorite aspects of Hield's game is his utility as a screener. The Sacramento Kings run "Spain" pick-and-roll a great deal, mostly with Hield as the back-screener in the action, flaring up after making contact to fly out for an open shot.&nbsp;
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Hield&rsquo;s proficiency as a movement shooter out of these sets has allowed the Kings to create a sort of gravity well between De&rsquo;Aaron Fox&rsquo;s downhill drive and Hield&rsquo;s shooting threat. It has created constant headaches for defenses for multiple seasons now. I cannot stress enough how rare it is for a player to be able to replicate this kind of action and hit that shot with consistency.
On the subject of the ridiculous number of difficult shots in his diet, he&rsquo;s particularly an artist as a pull-up shooter &mdash; especially on pick-and-roll actions.&nbsp;
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Hield is hitting 35.3% of his 3.7 pull-up three-point attempts per game, well above the league average (~31%). Putting that into context, this is actually the worst he&rsquo;s shot on threes off-the-dribble since his first full year in Sacramento (35.9%).&nbsp;
That prolific ability as an off-dribble shooter makes it nearly impossible to go under on-ball screens involving Hield. He doesn&rsquo;t possess great accuracy or court vision as a passer, but the windows provided to him by his scoring gravity are consistently there, and his playmaking out of the pick-and-roll has blossomed the past few years.
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No, Buddy Hield is not a perfect player, and his shortcomings as an athlete and defender do require gameplanning and proper roster construction to amplify what he does well. However, the right team could get the most out of his skill set moving forward if he is traded.
Which teams around the league should be looking into a deal for Buddy Hield and what would it take for a trade to work?
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Orlando Magic
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Orlando is currently 10th in three-point attempts but only 26th in three-point percentage &mdash; spacing has been an issue across the majority of the Magic&rsquo;s lineups. Hield would immediately be the best shooting threat on the team, and could be an intriguing off-ball partner to Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner as they continue to grow on-the-ball.
Terrence Ross&rsquo; career-low shooting has played a part in Orlando&rsquo;s spacing issues, and he seems ripe for a new opportunity for a myriad of reasons.
The main purpose of the deal for Sacramento is to add depth via Ross and potentially Michael Carter-Williams (whose timetable for return <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2021/08/24/magic-michael-carter-williams-to-miss-start-of-season-with-ankle-injury/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is still indefinite</a>), while also adding an intriguing young player in Chuma Okeke on the wing. Okeke missed the beginning of the season recovering from injury after a solid close last season, and he has struggled to find his footing offensively. He hasn&rsquo;t looked quite the same post-injury in general, and the budding potential of Franz Wagner &mdash; along with the looming return of Jonathan Isaac to an already loaded frontcourt &mdash; makes it appear that Okeke could be on the outside of the lineup looking in.
I probably wouldn&rsquo;t be ready to move on from Okeke if I was in charge of the Magic's front office but, all things considered, there&rsquo;s sensibility to this deal on both sides &mdash; but it may need evening out in the way of draft capital from Orlando.
Memphis Grizzlies
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The Grizzlies have been in need of a consolidation trade for a few seasons now, and this is probably not the one! But it's an intriguing look for both sides nonetheless.&nbsp;
Memphis is two years away from new contracts hitting the cap sheet for Ja Morant (presumably) and other members of the core rotation. While Hield isn&rsquo;t the star likely envisioned as the next player to tip the scales in Memphis, he could be someone who does push the needle while smoothing out a jammed rotation. He'd also provide shooting and spacing to a team that&rsquo;s relatively average in that area, and lacks the elite dynamic that few players can add to an offense like Hield.&nbsp;
In a year and a half or two years from now when the Grizz need to re-up, Hield will be on an expiring deal and maybe part of the consolidation trade that does net Memphis a third star. Regardless, he offers a skill set that&rsquo;s intriguing to ponder alongside Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Kyle Anderson&rsquo;s role has decreased in Memphis after starting all of last year, and he would likely slide back into a starting role with Sacramento. His defense, along with his connective passing and positive decision-making on both ends, could do wonders for the Kings. While he is on an expiring deal, perhaps trading for him could give them a better path to re-signing Anderson than would be available if he were on the open market.
Jarrett Culver has looked like an NBA player in his short time in Memphis, which has been awesome to see. Admittedly, that would make me wary of trading him to Sacramento, but in the reality of this trade, the Kings would love to add a young player at a position of need. John Konchar is a solid role player who would likely factor into the back end of the rotation &mdash; that's a spot the Kings need more consistent play from.
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Detroit Pistons
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This is my favorite deal with regards to potential for both sides. Jerami Grant has grown as a player in Detroit, but has been overtaxed in his role. Shams Charania of The Athletic <a href="https://theathletic.com/3011544/2021/12/13/optimism-for-a-kyrie-irving-return-the-latest-on-ben-simmons-trade-talks-and-more-nba-news-and-notes-inside-pass/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently reported</a> that the Pistons are fielding calls for Grant.
I do wonder what it would look like, and particularly if there would be growing pains if Grant tried to return to a reduced role after high-usage play and some success with the Pistons. However, he would fit pretty well on this team. Ideally, both he and Harrison Barnes are fours, but Grant is a better option at the three-spot than anyone the Kings have employed there since&hellip; Rudy Gay? (Bogdan Bogdanovic was a two-guard)
While the Kings would miss Hield&rsquo;s powers as a spacer, Grant can and will shoot, albeit at a lesser level &mdash; but adding size and athleticism on the wing would be a boon for this team.
On the other hand, Hield to Detroit intrigues me a great deal. The Pistons are the worst shooting team in the league, and while part of that is explained by a slow start from pretty much everyone, it&rsquo;s largely held up. Cade Cunningham and Frank Jackson have both shot well over the past month and a half and Saddiq Bey has come on in the past week, but this is just a bad shooting team regardless of shot luck.
Imagining "Spain" actions with Hield, or even Hield as a direct screener for Cade is so enticing. The best way to get the most out of a young player and bolster his development is to surround them with veterans who can maximize their best skill sets, or ease the load they carry. Hield would do wonders for Detroit&rsquo;s offense (though he couldn't possibly fix them), and could be a quality running mate for Cunningham as he grows as an initiator.
None of these deals are perfect, but most trades aren&rsquo;t &mdash; there are some merits for both sides making these moves. While it&rsquo;s unlikely that any of these deals end up ultimately being made if the Kings do finally move Hield, they provide an interesting framework for viewing his fit within some of the organizations that are reportedly active in the trade market. Regardless, Buddy Hield is one of the higher profile players that&rsquo;s been in reported trade talks in the young season, and he could alter a team&rsquo;s identity prior to the trade deadline.

Buddy Hield is on the trade block again. Mark Schindler writes on what he brings and some possible landing spots that make sense.

Examining potential trade destinations for Buddy Hield

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies broke the NBA record for margin of victory on Thursday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 152-79.
The 73-point margin easily topped the previous mark, which was Cleveland’s 68-point win over Miami. The Cavaliers topped the Heat 148-80 on Dec. 17, 1991.
Memphis used 12 players and nine of them reached double figures in scoring, with Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 27 points leading the way for the Grizzlies. Memphis was without its best player, injured guard Ja Morant.
It was 72-36 at halftime and the Grizzlies just kept adding to the lead, eventually pulling ahead by as many as 78 points.
The Thunder flirted with being on the wrong end of the record last season, trailing Indiana by 67 points on May 1 before rallying — such as it was — to lose by merely 57 points, 152-95.
This was worse. Historically worse.
The Grizzlies set a franchise record for shooting, making 62.5% of their shots. De’Anthony Melton scored 19 points, Santi Aldama scored 18 and John Konchar scored 17 for the Grizzlies, and none of those three players even started.
No Memphis starter played more than 21 minutes. Lu Dort led the Thunder with 15 points, and Oklahoma City shot only 33%.
It was 12-8 after five minutes. From there, there was no stopping Memphis. The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder by 15 points in each of the four quarters.
It was the third straight game the Grizzlies have led from start to finish.
The Thunder lost their eighth straight as they continued to play short-handed with a number of players unavailable, including leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered concussion protocol earlier Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points against the Rockets on Wednesday night but suffered a blow to the head late in the game.
Point guard Josh Giddey, who averages 10.4 points and 5.5 assists, sat out with a non-COVID-19 illness, and the remaining players couldn't fill the void in Oklahoma City's offense.
The Thunder had been competitive in their seven straight losses before Thursday night. Their largest margin of defeat was 13 points.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Ty Jerome got his first start of the season in place of Gilgeous-Alexander and finished with 12 points. ... Darius Bazley is the only Oklahoma City player to start all 22 games. ... Oklahoma City’s 36 points in the first half was its season low for a half.
Grizzlies: Were without reserves Kyle Anderson (back soreness) and Ziaire Williams (left knee soreness). ... Memphis is 3-0 since Morant sprained his right knee against Atlanta last Friday. ... The 36 points by the Thunder were a season low by an opponent in a half. ... Memphis’ previous largest margin of victory was 49 points in a 133-84 win over Houston on Feb. 28, 2021. ... The 152 points were the most by Memphis in a game. Its previous mark was 144 against Golden State on Jan. 3, 2007.
UP NEXT
Thunder: At Detroit on Monday.
Grizzlies: At Dallas on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder by an NBA record 73-point margin on Thursday night, winning 152-79.

Grizzlies throttle Thunder by NBA-record 73-point margin

Things are kinda weird in Atlanta.
The Hawks currently sit with a 12-17 record, a big improvement from last season (.414 win percentage compared to .299) but one that leaves them just outside of the play-in. The growth should be viewed as a positive, but it feels a little underwhelming based on the offseason they had.
There was a clear emphasis on adding talent for a playoff push: that would help explain the several million dollars spent to bring in Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and others. Using free-agent dollars and draft capital to juice the roster wasn&rsquo;t a surprise, but where those resources were allocated was a bit odd.&nbsp;
Atlanta&rsquo;s biggest free-agent addition (Gallinari) and prized draft pick (Onyeka Okongwu) profile as 4s right now; that just happens to be where John Collins, arguably Atlanta&rsquo;s second-best player, plays most of his minutes. With Collins up for an extension in the preseason and set to hit restricted free agency this summer, it was fair to question what those moves meant for his future.
Sure enough, Collins and the Hawks failed to agree to an extension. Two reporters from The Athletic have recently tag-teamed on reports about Collins&rsquo; future. Sam Amick reported that the Hawks were <a href="https://theathletic.com/2383620/2021/02/12/nba-trade-news-rumors-nuggets-hawks-kings/?source=emp_shared_article">willing to listen to trade offers</a> for Collins, while Shams Charania <a href="https://theathletic.com/2387459/2021/02/15/nba-trade-news-andre-drummond-to-raptors-coming-lonzo-ball-interest-and-more/">gave insight</a> on the potential asking price: a lottery-level first-round pick.
None of that means a Collins deal is imminent. It does mean the Hawks have seriously thought about -- and may end up accepting -- a long-term future without Collins on the roster.
Let&rsquo;s take a look at potential in-season trade partners, as well as teams that could use Collins&rsquo; services if he hits free agency.
Note: All trades were checked/completed on <a href="https://tradenba.com/">tradenba.com</a>, while salary figures were checked from <a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/261138/2021-NBA-Cap-Space-Projecting-All-30-Teams">realgm.com</a>.
TRADE PARTNERS
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have one of the best young cores in the NBA, headlined by star-in-the-making Ja Morant. They&rsquo;ve mostly overachieved this season within the context of their injuries: Morant has missed a chunk of games, while Jaren Jackson Jr. has yet to play this season. Despite this, the Grizzlies are 13-13 and are firmly in the play-in mix.
They&rsquo;re not at a point in their rebuild where consolidating parts of their core for a superstar makes sense. It&rsquo;s why you didn&rsquo;t hear anything about the Grizzlies being in the mix for James Harden, and why you&rsquo;ve heard nothing on the Bradley Beal front either.
A tier below? Adding to the young core? That&rsquo;s more palatable, and why a swing for Collins could make sense.
Starter Offer: Gorgui Dieng, Jon Konchar, 2021 first-round pick via Utah (protected 1-7, 15-30 this season, 1-6 in 2022, 1-3 in 2023), 2023 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
The first via Utah will likely convey in 2022. It&rsquo;s fair to say, barring injuries, the Jazz won&rsquo;t be in the lottery that year either. That falls below the reported asking price of a lottery-level first, which is why the Grizzlies may be inclined to include a protected first of their own.
Dieng is very quietly -- too quietly, honestly -- a very good backup big. His ability to space the floor makes him an ideal partner alongside Okongwu on the second unit. Konchar can do a little bit of everything: shoot, keep the chain moving as a passer and cut, while being sound rotationally on the defensive end. There&rsquo;s a quality wing -- a fifth starter on a good team -- in there if he gets the reps.
Final Offer: Brandon Clarke, Justise Winslow, 2021 first-round pick via Utah (protected 1-7, 15-30 this season, 1-6 in 2022, 1-3 in 2023)
If the Hawks can&rsquo;t get a lottery-level first, getting a lottery-level talent who&rsquo;s still on his rookie deal seems like a fair consolation prize. Clarke has regressed some as a shooter; I&rsquo;m not quite sure what&rsquo;s going on with his shooting form. He still has fantastic touch on his floater, and he provides value as a roller, screener, off-ball mover, and a smart defender.
The theory of Winslow -- a 6&rsquo;6 playmaking wing who can puncture the rim in PnR, fire darts everywhere, and defend four positions -- is better than the reality right now. His inability to stay healthy is a red flag that he has to shake. But it&rsquo;s hard to talk yourself out of Winslow&rsquo;s talent when he is available. Even in a season debut filled with misses, he gave you flashes of his ability to get downhill and make life tough on the other end.
San Antonio Spurs
Who could&rsquo;ve expected the Spurs to be this fun this season?&nbsp;
They&rsquo;ve gone from a plodding, mid-range hunting slogfest to a turbo-charged unit led by dynamic athletes on the perimeter. The absence of LaMarcus Aldridge has only expedited this shift.
It&rsquo;s tough to imagine Aldridge being back next season; honestly, it&rsquo;s tough to imagine Aldridge being on the team past the trade deadline. There&rsquo;s room for the Spurs to add a piece to their frontcourt. Collins could either slot in at the 5 -- he&rsquo;s certainly an upgrade from Aldridge on both ends -- or at the 4 alongside Jakob Poeltl, one of the more underrated rim protectors in the league.
Starter Offer: Lonnie Walker, Trey Lyles, 2022 first-round pick (top-7 protected)
While the Spurs have a ton of young talent on the wings, that&rsquo;s kinda the thing: they have a ton of young talent on the wings. They can&rsquo;t play everybody. Looking further ahead, they certainly can&rsquo;t pay everybody. Walker could be pry-able, especially with Devin Vassell being drafted over the offseason and already showing flashes of being a defensive terror who can knock down threes at a high clip.&nbsp;
Lyles could be a short-term spot-starter alongside Clint Capela to 1) space the floor and 2) keep Gallinari in a bench role. If not, Lyles could space the floor alongside Okongwu on the second unit.
Final Offer: A whole lot of moving parts around Derrick White
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/trrd_lg.png" alt="" width="785" height="AUTO" />
As someone who generally enjoys thinking about trades, let me tell ya: dealing with a player with a poison-pill provision absolutely stinks. A Collins-for-White package makes some roster-balancing sense, but pulling it off takes some financial gymnastics.
I settled in on this framework. White goes to Atlanta as a fun partner alongside Trae Young. Tony Snell and Darius Miller swap spots, along with a pair of second-rounders going to OKC for helping grease the wheels of a deal -- and taking on a little money in the process.
FREE-AGENT DESTINATIONS
Collins will want a max contract, which is currently projected to be in the neighborhood of a four-year, $125 million deal for non-Hawks teams. He reportedly turned down a four-year deal worth north of $90 million extension before the season. Collins&rsquo; limitations as a primary rim protector or consistent threat off the bounce -- as a driver or passer -- will likely keep him out of max territory.&nbsp;
However, he does bring enough as a pick-and-roll threat, shooter, rebounder, and weakside rim protector to warrant more than $90 million over four years. My take-with-a-grain-of-salt guess -- I emphasize &ldquo;guess&rdquo; here -- is that it would take something like a four-year, $110 million offer sheet to both land Collins and also make the Hawks uneasy about matching.
Put another way: a team looking to land Collins is going to need -- and be willing to spend -- north of $25 million in cap space. Here are the teams I feel could justify making that sort of splash:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/jjjn_lg.jpg" alt="" width="751" height="AUTO" />
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks, like the teams that&rsquo;ll be mentioned after them, cleared their books so they&rsquo;d have a max slot available for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is off the market, so the Mavs will need to pivot elswhere.&nbsp;
Luka Doncic is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. The Mavericks have wisely attempted to surround Doncic with shooters, highlighted by Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. What&rsquo;s missing in their attack is some north-south oomph; Collins could help provide that as a high-volume roller or screen slipper.
He&rsquo;s an ideal diver to complement the spacing Porzingis provides. Defensively, Collins could bring a little more size and athleticism to the backline as a weakside helper.
Miami Heat
Finding a long-term frontcourt partner for Bam Adebayo should be pretty high on the priority list for the Heat. They drafted Precious Achiuwa over the offseason, a Bam-lite athlete with flashes of defensive switchability and open floor ball-handling. The lack of a reliable jumper makes the AA frontcourt a questionable fit in the short-term; Collins would alleviate the need for that plan to be fast-tracked.
Collins has proven enough as a shooter to comfortably operate as the 4 on offense. There would still be ample roll opportunities despite Adebayo not being a true spacer yet. The Heat invert the floor by using Adebayo above the break as a handoff or screening hub, making it difficult for opposing bigs to cheat off of him at the risk of Adebayo and a shooter hooking up for some sort of two-man action off the ball.
Toronto Raptors
One of the more underrated storylines of the season has been the Raptors&rsquo; struggles at the center position. After losing Marc Gasol (and Serge Ibaka), they turned to Aron Baynes in free agency to fill the void. He&rsquo;s been mostly bad. They also signed Alex Len in November, but he struggled so much that he was waived one month into the season.
Chris Boucher has been a bright spot, firmly in the &ldquo;he won&rsquo;t win MIP but he&rsquo;s been good enough to get a nod as an honorable mention&rdquo; camp, but he&rsquo;s a bit matchup dependent because of his weight. The recent answer has been downsizing, using Pascal Siakam and even OG Anunoby at the 5 in a switch-heavy scheme.
Collins would fall somewhere in the middle -- he&rsquo;s beefier than Boucher, a better shooter and athlete than Baynes, a more dynamic vertical threat than Siakam or Anunoby, and probably worse defensively than all of them.

Is John Collins' stint with the Hawks coming to an end? Nekias Duncan breaks down five possible destinations for the big man.

Will the Hawks trade John Collins? Analyzing possible destinations

To say the Memphis Grizzlies are undermanned would be an understatement.
Ja Morant is out with an ankle injury, neither Jaren Jackson Jr. nor Justise Winslow has made their season debut yet to this point and even rotational piece John Konchar has missed a chunk of games. Despite those circumstances, the Grizzlies have won three games in a row and are 4-1 on the road.&nbsp;
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins has had to look toward Kyle Anderson, Dillon Brooks and Jonas Valanciunas for production during this time; however, it&rsquo;s a pair of rookies who are standing out and taking advantage of this opportunity.
With key players down, Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman have seen their roles increase, and they have provided a spark off the Grizzlies&rsquo; bench in a massive way.&nbsp;
Bane is a bulky wing with plenty of athleticism, unafraid to take on whatever man he is assigned to. He&rsquo;s not bashful on the offensive end either, as he&rsquo;s taking a healthy seven shots per game, four of which have been from long distance -- and the TCU product is knocking down 46 percent of his threes.
Tillman is a versatile big man who fits the current NBA mold. He goes out there and does his job with physicality, opening up shots for his teammates and being a switchable defender who makes his money with the fundamentals -- just ask Tom Izzo, his old head coach at Michigan State. In the last six games, Jenkins has played Tillman around 18 minutes per night, and a good chunk of those have come in the fourth quarter.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/bane333_lg.jpg" alt="" width="791" height="AUTO" />
As a duo, Bane and Tillman have the <a href="https://go.nba.com/6pjk">highest offensive rating on the team</a> and the second-best net rating among those combinations who have played at least 90 total minutes. More importantly, in the 274 minutes without those two on the floor, <a href="https://go.nba.com/9ail">Memphis is a net minus-6.8 with a ghastly effective field goal percentage of 48.3 percent</a>, per NBA's Impact data. Jenkins is very impressed with the rookies, especially considering they were thrown in at the deep end.
&ldquo;I mean, it&rsquo;s huge for those two guys to jump in,&rdquo; Jenkins said after Monday&rsquo;s victory in Cleveland. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve talked about it before, not having a normal offseason... they&rsquo;ve just attacked every opportunity to work and get better. A lot of credit goes to those two guys. I think a lot of credit goes to our coaching staff and our performance staff to make sure that they&rsquo;re getting physically ready.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re also learning the game; the NBA game&rsquo;s completely different from college basketball -- the terminology, nuances, speed of the game. These guys have just really dove into their work -- individual work, getting the extra sessions early in the season and now they&rsquo;re getting even more reps, so they&rsquo;re having to learn from that...&rdquo;
Dillon Brooks sees the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-rumors-desmond-bane-qa-prospect-2020-tcu-predraft-training-interviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confidence that Bane exudes every time</a> he steps onto the court, and the Grizzlies veteran can sense how hungry the rookie swingman and Tillman truly are.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re on the airplane watching film, they&rsquo;re asking questions and they&rsquo;re always into the details, and that&rsquo;s what you need to do as a rook to figure it out early and sustain," Brooks said after the win in Cleveland. &ldquo;Those guys are gonna be in the league for a while and I&rsquo;m proud of them, but there&rsquo;s more we can get out of them. They&rsquo;re playing really well right now.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s been plenty of talk surrounding the possibility of elevating Bane to the starting five, including from Jenkins. The way he&rsquo;s consistently bringing it, that might not be a bad idea. Just don&rsquo;t split him from Tillman.
The man whom Memphis refers to as &ldquo;X&rdquo; is in a real groove right now. On Wednesday night, he scored a career-best 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. The Sparty alum appreciates the consistency of Jenkins&rsquo; offensive system, sticking to principles and living with the results.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really nice to see game-in and game-out &lsquo;cause I&rsquo;m getting the same opportunities, whether I take them or not,&rdquo; Tillman said following a win in Minnesota. &ldquo;In this game (against the Wolves), I was looking at the rim, I was feeling my floaters and I just kept letting them go. That&rsquo;s one thing that&rsquo;s really good about this organization and Coach Jenkins and how we operate.&rdquo;
Tillman has observed the difference between screening angles in college and in the NBA. He calls them &ldquo;peculiar and particular,&rdquo; citing the importance of locking in on how he&rsquo;s setting them to get his guards open. It&rsquo;s just another example of his attention to detail, and it's clear why Memphis is enamored with him.
For those who appreciate plus-minus, Tillman has yet to record a game with a negative plus-minus. Since Jan. 3, the same goes for Bane. The Grizzlies' rookies are proving to be NBA-ready and capable of delivering.
&ldquo;They just relish every opportunity. It&rsquo;s great development for them to take advantage of these opportunities and [they] have just been extremely solid,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;Two guys that are ultra-competitive, two guys that can play-make.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I love how they just let the game come to them, seem to always make the right play and I just love the activity that they&rsquo;re playing with on the defensive end. They&rsquo;re great, impactful players for us, and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re so excited to have them.&rdquo;

With Memphis on a three-game winning streak, Spencer Davies looks into the strong play of rookies Xavier Tillman and Desmond Bane.

Grizzlies' rookies Tillman, Bane are ready and delivering

Former undrafted two-way player John Konchar has agreed to a four-year, $9M deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, agent Happy Walters tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1330221513727995907?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;An undrafted rookie, Konchar played sparingly at the NBA level for the Grizzlies, averaging 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds for Memphis across 19 games in a reserve role. Down in the G League, the 6-foot-5 wing averaged 12 points and 8.3 rebounds per game with the Memphis Hustle. The Grizzlies now will reportedly lock up Konchar long-term on an affordable contract.
&nbsp;

Konchar is set to make $9 million over four years, per Shams Charania.

John Konchar back to Memphis on four-year deal

This year&rsquo;s NBA Draft was always going to be a fun one. There was no clear-cut superstar prospect in the class, which led to a lot of uncertainty at the top. There was plenty of noise that virtually every team in the top five was looking into trading their pick, though ultimately none of those rumors came to fruition.
Still, we had plenty of movement in terms of trades, and we got the usual brand of surprise swings (hi, Jalen Smith to the Phoenix Suns at No. 10) and somewhat inexplicable slides from players that will outperform their draft slot (more on that shortly).
Is it too early to dub teams winners and losers of a draft that we won&rsquo;t have a real handle on for half a decade?&nbsp;
Yes.
Will that stop me from doing so?
Absolutely not.
Without further ado, here are some of the winners and losers from last night&rsquo;s action:
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
Have yourself a night, Daryl Morey.
It&rsquo;s hard to argue that any team addressed their needs in the manner that the Sixers were able to. They land Tyrese Maxey, one of the best guard defenders in the draft with some on-ball chops. He had an underwhelming shooting season during his lone stint at Kentucky, but his lower-level sample -- AAU, high school, etc -- leaves room for optimism that his Kentucky year was the outlier, and that he should settle in as a plus-shooter in the future.
It doesn&rsquo;t stop there, of course.
Isaiah Joe was a steal at No. 49, even more so considering the Sixers basically told anyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn&rsquo;t) that they planned on taking Joe at some point. Joe is one of the best shooters in the class, so his role on a team with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons couldn&rsquo;t be more obvious.
The big move was turning Josh Richardson -- a talented defender and jack-of-all-trades offensive piece that has been miscast into a somewhat heavy creation role for two consecutive seasons -- and the pick that became Tyler Bey into Seth Curry, one of the league&rsquo;s most lethal shooters and an underrated pick-and-roll initiator. The dribble-handoff sets that JJ Redick and Embiid infuriated defenses with should be replicated easily with Curry, with even more on-ball creation available.&nbsp;
The Sixers are dangerous - on paper, at least - and there&rsquo;s still time for them to make moves this offseason.&nbsp;
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Loser: New York Knicks
It&rsquo;s fun to crack jokes at the Knicks&rsquo; expense. I do it, and you probably do too. Your favorite tweeter probably does it. It&rsquo;s low-hanging fruit, but an apple a day keeps the doctor away. You know the vibes.
And as much as I would like to give the Knicks a little leeway with their draft, I just can&rsquo;t get there with the Obi Toppin pick. There are ways to talk yourself into it. He&rsquo;s an absurd pick-and-roll finisher, decent enough shooter, and has shown hints of short-roll passing ability. Mitchell Robinson is one of the best rim protectors in the sport; surely he can cover for some of Toppin&rsquo;s defensive shortcomings, no?
Well &hellip; I kinda lean no.
Toppin is an incredible offensive talent. Most of his skills should translate. But to be a pick-and-roll menace, you need someone to feed you the ball; at the very least, you have to have someone that can draw attention so somebody else can feed you the ball. The Knicks don&rsquo;t really have that. RJ Barrett has a ways to go as a lead ball-handler, and teams are going to duck under his picks until he proves he can shoot anyway.
I don&rsquo;t really see any upside with Toppin defensively. He doesn&rsquo;t have the length to play small-ball 5; his hip movement is awful (to be kind), which limits how well he moves laterally. What exactly is the hope there, playing almost exclusively ICE defense (hi, Thibs) and hoping he can funnel drivers to Robinson, who famously doesn&rsquo;t have issues with fouls whatsoever?&nbsp;
Can you feel the sarcasm?
I like the addition of Immanuel Quickley, a solid shooter with some defensive upside. But the Knicks desperately need to get someone that can set up their offense. Free agency is going to be huge for them. Address that need, and their draft selections will look a little better. For now, though, it&rsquo;s hard to be a fan.
Winner: Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton not going in the top five isn&rsquo;t a surprise. His lack of scoring aggression and physical strength made his statistical profile a little less impressive than it looks on the surface. There are real questions about him being a lead guard or a top-end on-ball defender because of those limitations. Landing on a team with an actual point guard would be huge for Haliburton, because it would allow him to slot in as a secondary creator and defend wings, unlocking his strength as an off-ball/team defender.
Enter the Sacramento Kings, who have their franchise point guard in De&rsquo;Aaron Fox.
Fox can get to the rim whenever he wants. Haliburton is a reliable spot-up threat, and has the passing chops to beat an already-bent defense as a close-out attacker or someone that can navigate a secondary pick-and-roll. The Kings still have work to do on the perimeter; it doesn&rsquo;t appear Buddy Hield wants to be there, and there&rsquo;s no telling where Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to end up at this point (if the sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks is, in fact, dead). But for Haliburton, it&rsquo;s hard to think of a much better on-court fit among teams in the lottery.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/t2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="586" height="AUTO" />
Loser: Patrick Williams
Williams going No. 4 to Chicago was the first surprise of the draft. He was a late riser in the process, with his age (the youngest guy in the draft), physical tools and versatility on both ends providing plenty of intrigue to evaluators. The Bulls taking a swing is very good for Williams&rsquo; bank account, but I&rsquo;m not sure if I love the basketball fit.
The frontcourt is a bit jumbled with Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and vets like Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young that will have a claim to minutes at the 4 as long as they&rsquo;re on the roster. Williams doesn&rsquo;t quite have the ball skills or defenses-have-to-account-for-you shooting ability to survive at the 3. There also isn&rsquo;t a true tablesetter to get Williams easy looks; Zach LaVine and Coby White are talented scorers, but they aren&rsquo;t the kind of gravitational forces to make life easier on their frontcourt partners.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs did pretty darn well for themselves, landing Devin Vassell at No. 11, then snagging Tre Jones at No. 41.&nbsp;
Vassell can slot in now as a genuine 3-and-D piece, though he&rsquo;s shown enough flashes at Florida State with the ball in his hands to believe he could grow into a more complete player. Jones is a tremendous decision maker and point-of-attack defender. How you feel about his jumper - improving but still a tad underwhelming - will shape how you feel about his long-term prospects, but he adds point guard depth to a team that has to make some decisions pretty soon.&nbsp;
Patty Mills&rsquo; name has been swirling in trade rumors over the past couple of weeks. Bryn Forbes is set to hit free agency. Derrick White is going to be up for a payday pretty soon, and the extension of Dejounte Murray just kicked in. If the Spurs decide to make some changes, there will be room for Jones to provide value in Year 1.&nbsp;
Loser: Lonzo Ball&rsquo;s future at point guard
If acquiring Eric Bledsoe and George Hill as part of the Jrue Holiday package wasn&rsquo;t enough to seal Lonzo&rsquo;s fate as a lead ball handler, drafting Kira Lewis Jr. at No. 13 was surely the last blow. During <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-basketball-news-show-live-stream-alex-kennedy-matt-babcock-fran-fraschilla-derek-murray-jason-filippi-doc-martin">BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s NBA Draft Show</a>, our Matt Babcock said that the Pelicans view Lewis Jr. as their point guard of the future and that the team will likely trade Ball.
Lewis Jr. is an absolute speed demon with complementary passing and off-the-bounce shooting chops. The common De&rsquo;Aaron Fox comparison falls apart because they use their speed to win in different ways - Lewis Jr. with his shot, Fox with his rim finishing - but Lewis Jr. has the profile of a half-court creator that Lonzo just doesn&rsquo;t.
I&rsquo;m not sure what Lonzo&rsquo;s future in New Orleans is, but he&rsquo;ll definitely be off the ball more if he stays. That should be good for him, should he accept it. He&rsquo;s at his best as a connector in the half-court, making the first swing in a swing-swing sequence, or capping off possessions with catch-and-shoot opportunities. If he still fancies himself as an actual point guard, it wouldn&rsquo;t shock me to see him push for greener pastures elsewhere via trade, or once he hits restricted free agency next summer.
Winner: Draft Twitter&nbsp;
And by Draft Twitter, I mean the Memphis Grizzlies for apparently being secret members of Draft Twitter.
Their 2019 draft saw them land the electric Ja Morant, then nab Brandon Clarke late in the first (HOW DID THIS HAPPEN). Morant would of course go on to win Rookie of the Year, while Clarke had a strong case for being the second-most productive rookie in the league last season. Clarke&rsquo;s slide was infuriating to watch during last year&rsquo;s draft. He was arguably the best non-Zion player in college basketball that year, showcasing elite movement skills, vertical pop, intermediate and paint touch, and IQ on both ends of the floor. But because of his age and wingspan, teams talked themselves out of him. Memphis swooped in and the rest was history.
Desmond Bane and especially Xavier Tillman fit the bill as upperclassmen with NBA-ready games that had no business sliding to the 30s in terms of their skill level. They went a step further after the draft, adding the super talented but oft-injured Killian Tillie.&nbsp;
The Grizzlies now have Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Clarke, Tillman, Bane, Tillie, John Konchar (post-draft addition), Jontay Porter, and other funky guys like Justise Winslow and DeAnthony Melton on their roster or books. They are very, very high on my League Pass list this year and moving forward.
Loser: LaVar Ball
I mostly like the LaMelo Ball pick for Charlotte. He has arguably the highest ceiling in this year&rsquo;s class, a virtuosic passer at 6&rsquo;8 (!!!!) who can and will fling shots from anywhere on the court. The Hornets need star talent and a star personality; Ball can provide both.&nbsp;
It was also pretty clear that LaMelo&rsquo;s father, LaVar, was, uh, less than enthused about ending up in Charlotte. I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;s unfolded his arms yet. As someone that basically lives in the area, I think the Hornets have a pretty underrated and devout fanbase. They&rsquo;ll take to the Ball Family if the family takes to them. One trip to Cook Out should boost morale for everyone.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/draft_hampton_lg.jpg" alt="" width="540" height="AUTO" />
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I love that the entirety of the Precious Achiuwa-to-Miami analysis was some variation of &ldquo;this is a Heat pick.&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Provided he stays healthy, Josh Richardson will probably have the best season of his career next year. He&rsquo;s never been surrounded by this level of playmaking and shooting, and should slot in rather easily as Dallas&rsquo; best perimeter defender.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Malachi Flynn to Toronto is a fun selection, with a smidge of writing on the wall about the Fred VanVleet free agency. Let&rsquo;s say the writing is in pencil; the Raptors are still the favorites to bring him back.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Simply can&rsquo;t believe Grant Riller almost went undrafted. The College of Charleston guard will head a couple hours north to Charlotte, finally giving them a guard who CAN GET TO THE FREAKING BASKET</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">I was honestly surprised the Thunder didn&rsquo;t cash in some of their chips to move up for LaMelo, but landing Aleksej Pokusevski (Poku!) is still quite the upside swing. There&rsquo;s no telling how bad the Thunder will be next season, if at all, but they&rsquo;re set up nicely for the Cade Cunningham Sweepstakes next year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Seriously, how the heck did Xavier Tillman not go Round 1?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">RJ Hampton to Denver is one of my favorite on-court pairings in the draft. Hampton being coached by Mike Malone is something I&rsquo;m a little uneasy about. I wonder how much leeway he&rsquo;ll get to make some mistakes and grow. If he&rsquo;s afforded a little freedom, the rim pressure he can provide in lineups alongside Jamal Murray could be pretty darn valuable.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan shares his early winners and losers from the 2020 NBA Draft (including the Knicks, Spurs and 76ers among others).