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Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder came out of last Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the night&rsquo;s runner-up, taking home the No. 2 overall pick.&nbsp;
The Thunder have never received the first-overall pick in their franchise history, which technically goes back to 1967 when they were still the Seattle Supersonics. They have selected second on two occasions though, and both worked out really well (Kevin Durant in 2007 and Gary Payton in 1990).
The Thunder have a war-chest of draft picks in the coming years, but those picks are meaningless if they don&rsquo;t select a franchise-altering talent. Fortunately, the No. 2 pick should provide an opportunity to do so. The 2022 draft class features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects, including Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All three have their pros and cons, but adding any of them to the existing core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey should work out beautifully.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder made six selections, but they traded three of those players. They added Giddey (who was named to the 2021-22 All-Rookie Second Team), Tre Mann and Aaron Wiggins &ndash; none of whom are bigs. The Thunder did trade for a seven-footer in the 2020 draft (Aleksej Pokusevski), but he&rsquo;s still extremely raw and is not the same caliber of player as the top-three prospects.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done through the scouting process to effectively evaluate all three of this draft's most-coveted prospects, but a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals a murkier history than one might assume. After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-the-success-of-teams-selecting-first-in-the-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft</a> last week, let's look at how recent No. 2 overall picks have fared.&nbsp;
2012 NBA Draft: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
The Hornets bombed with the second pick in 2012. Kidd-Gilchrist had a fine career, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game across eight seasons in the NBA. The thing is, Bradley Beal was selected third and Damian Lillard was selected fifth, and both of those guys are All-NBA-caliber players annually. Comparatively, that&rsquo;s a huge miss for Charlotte.
Verdict: Failure.
2013 NBA Draft: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
The Cavaliers certainly surprised many of us by picking Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick, but the Magic stuck to the script. Oladipo was universally seen as a top-three player in this draft, and he became the second-best player in the class before knee and quad injuries derailed his career.
As much as injuries have robbed much of what Oladipo was, he is still an intriguing player, and he&rsquo;ll probably command some decent free-agent offers this offseason. Obiously, CJ McCollumn (selected 10th) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (selected 15th) are better players, but neither was being considered by the Magic. Considering that Oladipo is a two-time All-Star, an All-Defensive selection and a one-time All-NBA selection, I&rsquo;d say the Magic did a fine job in picking Oladipo.
Verdict: Success
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2014 NBA Draft: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
The 2014 draft was a weird one. Neither the first nor the second pick ended up being the best player from this draft class. Andrew Wiggins found a good role, even if he is far less successful than most thought he&rsquo;d be, but Jabari Parker really underwhelmed. Granted, Parker stuck around in the league for eight seasons, including some of the current one, but his career simply never materialized even if it&rsquo;s not his (nor Milwaukee&rsquo;s) fault.
Parker tore his ACL twice. He looked like he was becoming a pretty darn good player (even if he was a defensive liability) before the second ACL injury, averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2016-17. However good Parker could have been, the fact of the matter is that Joel Embiid was intriguing enough as of draft night to be taken one pick later, and that stings.
Verdict: Failure
2015 NBA Draft: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Here&rsquo;s an instance where a player actually was worth a top-three pick. The problem is that the Lakers had the second pick, and there&rsquo;s a big difference between Karl-Anthony Towns or Devin Booker and Russell. Making matters worse, the Lakers sent Russell to Brooklyn before he matured. His immaturity was part of the reason he was traded, but that doesn&rsquo;t change the fact that the Lakers picked him and moved on very quickly. Russell may or may not end up being a franchise-altering talent, but he hasn&rsquo;t realized his full potential yet, and he clearly won&rsquo;t do so for the Lakers.
Verdict: Failure
2016 NBA Draft: Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
Ingram is one of the best No. 2 picks in the last 10 drafts. He&rsquo;s a true number one option on a playoff team, a career 18.5 points-per-game scorer and a one-time All-Star. It&rsquo;s debatable that Jaylen Brown (selected third) and/or Jamal Murray (selected seventh) are as good or better players, but both have played alongside more talented teammates throughout their careers.
Ingram has been the best player on the New Orleans Pelicans for a few years now, and we shouldn&rsquo;t take for granted the fact that Ingram led a playoff team this season. Sure, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t cash in on him specifically, but he was part of the package that led to Anthony Davis landing in Los Angeles. So, it worked out for them too.
Verdict: Success
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2017 NBA Draft: Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers picked second overall again in 2017. They weren&rsquo;t as successful this time around. First, there&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum to consider. Tatum was selected third and is the best player in the 2017 draft class. Being selected by the Lakers wouldn&rsquo;t have changed that, and that should be enough. But there&rsquo;s also Ball&rsquo;s rough shooting mechanics to consider. Sure, he&rsquo;s grown into a good shooter, but the Lakers didn&rsquo;t benefit from that. It&rsquo;s hard to categorize Ball&rsquo;s selection as an outright failure because like Ingram, he helped facilitate Davis to the Lakers. Still, it's tough to classify his selection a success.
Verdict: Push
2018 NBA Draft: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
Bagley might be the worst second pick in the last 10 years. The 2018 NBA Draft will forever be remembered as the Luka Doncic class. The Kings could have drafted Doncic, as he was still on the board, but they chose to go with Bagley instead. Bagley isn&rsquo;t even on the Kings any longer, and his time in Sacramento was not memorable.
Bagley is a sub-par defender and three-point shooter. He&rsquo;s scored the ball at a decent pace, averaging 19.5 points per-36 minutes, but he&rsquo;s never earned a big enough role to demonstrate what he can really do, and he&rsquo;s exclusively been on losing teams. Comparatively, Doncic and Trae Young (selected No. 5 in 2018) have turned their franchises around.
Verdict: Failure
2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Ingram was the best second pick in the last 10 years, until 2019. Morant stole that made-up accolade almost immediately in his rookie season. The thing is, the 2019 NBA Draft was supposed to be all about Zion Williamson. However, unlike Williamson, Morant has backed up all the hype and then some. So, while Williamson has dealt with injuries for much of his young career, Morant has brazenly become the face of his draft class.
Morant is drawing comparisons to numerous superstars, and he was named to the 2021-22 All-NBA Second Team. No one selected after him comes close to making the Grizzlies think twice about their decision.
Verdict: HUGE success
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2020 NBA Draft: James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
Unlike his brother Lonzo, LaMelo Ball was deserving of the second pick in 2020. Instead, the Golden State Warriors went with James Wiseman, though the logic behind the pick is clear, even in retrospect. The Warriors already had two All-NBA guards. The thing is, Jordan Poole looks pretty good alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, doesn&rsquo;t he? So, it&rsquo;s feasible to assume that Ball would have fit too.
After two seasons, Ball is a significantly better player, but he&rsquo;s also had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate that fact. Wiseman has had terrible health-related luck. He played in 39 of the Warriors' first 53 games in 2020-21, but he tore his meniscus in Golden State&rsquo;s 53rd&nbsp;game of the season and hasn&rsquo;t been seen since. Wiseman could still be a serious contributor, as his per-36 numbers were impressive for a rookie (19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 assists on .542/.316/.628 shooting). This is one we&rsquo;ll have to continue monitoring.
Verdict: Unclear
2021 NBA Draft: Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
Basing the success of a pick on only a rookie season is tough. Green posted an impressive rookie campaign, but his defensive deficiencies were clear. That&rsquo;s an understandable flaw for a rookie. Green was the assumed second-best player in the class. Having the luxury of hindsight, we now know that Scottie Barnes (selected fourth) and Evan Mobley (selected third) translated to the NBA incredibly well. But wing scorers have a tougher time making the jump, as they must shoot deeper three-pointers and compete against far more athletic competition. Green&rsquo;s floor may be lower than that of Barnes and Mobley, but I'd argue that his ceiling is still higher. Let&rsquo;s give him a little more time.
Verdict: Unclear&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the second overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just three times (2013, 2016 and 2019).&nbsp;
A deeper examination of No. 2 overall picks reveals a limited number of franchise-altering talents. For every Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Earl Monroe and Bill Russell, there are a number of players who didn't live up to expectations. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 2 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction. Either way, No. 2 hasn&rsquo;t produced as many all-time greats as you might expect, but there have been quite a few significant contributors.
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Oklahoma City will pick No. 2 in the 2022 draft. A look back at the last 10 drafts reveals that there are no guarantees for No. 2 picks.

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 2 in the NBA Draft

The NBA announced the 10 players who made the NBA All-Rookie teams in the 2021-22 season.
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Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley were unanimously selected to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team. More ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/eqKb0CU5GU">https://t.co/eqKb0CU5GU</a> Voting results ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/sxxe12SfTu">pic.twitter.com/sxxe12SfTu</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1527080628625231875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The All-Rookie First Team features unanimous selections Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, and Evan Mobley, while Franz Wagner and Jalen Green rounded out the squad.
The All-Rookie Second Team features Herb Jones, Josh Giddey, Bones Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu and Chris Duarte.

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Other players received votes but did not make one of the teams including Jonathan Kuminga, Davion Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Suggs, Ziaire Williams, Jose Alvarado, Austin Reaves, Josh Christopher, Trey Murphy III and Cam Thomas.

The NBA announced which players were named to the league's All-Rookie First Team and All-Rookie Second Team.

Barnes, Cunningham, Mobley headline NBA All-Rookie Teams

The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery was last night, so we now have our top-14 picks!
Unfortunately, many of these teams &mdash; like the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets &mdash; have grown accustomed to picking in the lottery year after year.
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Of those top-14 teams, some should try to win now. And no, that doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean they have to trade their first-round pick, especially after observing how Rookie-of-the-Year winner Scottie Barnes and runner-up Evan Mobley impacted winning this season. But, for some teams, you could say that if they were better at development, they wouldn&rsquo;t be in the lottery this often.
But we digress. Here are some teams who should strongly consider using their lottery pick in a win-now trade so that they&rsquo;re not back in the same position next season in an increasingly wide-open NBA.
(Did we include specific trade ideas? No, we aren't firing up the trade machine here. It's May, and what do you want? 2,500 words? On the Lottery? During the Conference Finals?)
Sacramento Kings
The Kings, who were the only team to jump in the lottery last night, have picks No. 4 and No. 37 in the upcoming draft, <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Kings.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with all of their pending first-rounders</a> and many of their seconds.
Absolutely no team in the NBA needs to make the playoffs more than the Kings. The team was a perennial playoff participant from 1999 through 2006, which is hard to fathom since they haven&rsquo;t reached the postseason ever since. Their eight-straight playoff trips included four consecutive runs to at least the Western Conference Semifinals, with a Western Conference Finals trip in 2002. They have not made the playoffs since 2006; they&rsquo;ve only finished above 10th place in the West once, in 2019, when they went 39-43 &mdash; their best record in 16 years, and one of only two seasons in which they&rsquo;ve had more than 33 wins.
Last season, they made the now keystone Kings-Pacers trade, dealing Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristian Thompson for Domantas Sabonis (who represented them at the lottery), Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. With the pairing of Sabonis (26 years old) and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (24 years old), it may make more sense to add a similarly aged starter who can help their 2022-23 presumed playoff push.
Also, expected on the roster next season is Davion Mitchell, who will enter his sophomore season but is already 23 years old and may earn an All-Rookie selection soon. Richaun Holmes saw his role take a hit once Sabonis arrived and missed much of the latter portion of the season <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/being-accused-ex-wife-domestic-010013091.html">dealing with a personal issue</a>. Otherwise, for now, Holmes, Harrison Barnes and Mitchell are among the players under contract for next season.
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Dealing the No. 4 overall pick could land them a damn good player. John Collins, Gordon Hayward, Julius Randle, Jerami Grant and Christian Wood are among those who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may find a new home this summer</a>. Could the Utah Jazz look to move on from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a> or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert</a>&nbsp;in the coming months?
The Kings will have to attach players to the No. 4 pick, but imagine if Sacramento could put another win-now piece alongside Fox and Sabonis? They should make some calls to see what a package built around the No. 4 pick could return.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite all of the draft picks the Thunder own, they simply can&rsquo;t draft everyone. In this year's draft, OKC owns No. 2, No. 12, No. 30 and No. 34. Over the next five years, they will have 17 first-round picks and 30 selections in total. This is something you do in NBA 2K when you plan on building a dynasty, but at some point, most virtual GMs realize that you need to start having actual players on your roster to win rather than just continually flipping players for picks while toiling at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;
At some point, Oklahoma City needs to make its run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is about to enter the first season of his five-year, $172 million extension, which will see him earn just under $30 million next year. SGA turns 24 years old this summer and is a cornerstone for the franchise as their best player at the moment. Last year's No. 6 overall selection Josh Giddey looks like a keeper who almost certainly will be on an All-Rookie team this season. Lu Dort, Tre Mann, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley, Ty Jerome and Aleksej Pokusevski are all under contractual control for next season.
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OKC could quickly assemble a package for a high-level starter or borderline star to join SGA and Giddey, particularly with whoever else is retained. They have more than enough draft capital and could probably get close to anyone they want as a result. In terms of their roster, they just need good two-way players who fit what they&rsquo;re trying to build culturally and schematically. Literally, anything goes here.
At some point, the Thunder will have to package some of these draft picks or prospects. We'll see when Sam Presti decides to flip that switch.&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are in a tough spot with Damian Lillard, and what Lillard wants will factor in to their decision-making. He clearly wants to win but, by all accounts, he prefers to stay in Portland. It may be difficult to check both of those boxes with the Blazers as presently constructed. In the Lillard-CJ McCollum era, Portland made the playoffs every season and reached one Western Conference Finals in 2019. They were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often failed by suboptimal roster construction around Lillard and McCollum</a>, and then the elite backcourt would be unfairly blamed for the team's struggles.
With the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and the assumption that Lillard remains, what&rsquo;s their next move as they once again attempt to win with their elite 6-foot-3 shot creator? Lillard is due over $42 million next season, the second season of a four-year supermax that will include a player option worth close to $49 million in 2024-25.
Eric Bledsoe&rsquo;s $19 million and Josh Hart&rsquo;s $12 million are the only other big salaries on the books for next season. A decision awaits on dynamic guard Anfernee Simons, who is reminiscent of the aforementioned McCollum, as he is up for an extension this summer as he enters restricted free agency. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/02/25/restricted-free-agent-to-be-anfernee-simons-i-100-want-to-stay-in-portland/#:~:text=signed%20a%20three%2Dyear%2C%20%2451.8,board%20career%20highs%20this%20season." target="_blank" rel="noopener">He reportedly wants to stay in Portland</a>.
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Ultimately, if the Blazers decide to package the No. 7 overall with some combination of players, could they look to include Simons via a sign-and-trade? It depends how aspirational a supposed deal could get and who they are getting in return. Only $3.9 million of Bledsoe&rsquo;s deal <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/eric-bledsoe-6900/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is fully guaranteed until June 29</a>, making him a prime trade-and-waive candidate between now and the draft.
Here's the reality: Portland&rsquo;s roster requires a full rebuild, but if Lillard is going to remain, selecting a rookie at No. 7 might not be ideal. And given their history and Simons' fit alongside Lillard, you might want to look at a big.

Bryan Fonseca argues that there are three NBA teams who should look to trade their lottery pick for a win-now piece.

Which NBA Draft Lottery teams should make a win-now trade?

With March Madness behind us and the NBA Draft lottery odds set, we're now into the next phase of the scouting season.
BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock transitioned our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board into <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our first NBA Mock Draft of the year</a>. As teams, scouts and analysts gather intel, this mock serves as an early peek into what draft night could look like in June.
Babcock discussed his latest projections, some early storylines to monitor in the spring, prospects who shined in the NCAA Tournament, and more in the following Q&amp;A.
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What makes Jabari Smith the pick for the Rockets at No. 1?
The Houston Rockets only won 20 games this season, but it's not all doom and gloom. They're in rebuild mode, and they've already gotten a good group of young players together. In last year's NBA Draft, they selected Jalen Green with the second pick, and it looks as if he could emerge into a primetime scorer who they can build around. 
They also drafted Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher,&nbsp; selected KJ Martin with a late second-round pick the year before, and added Kevin Porter Jr. via trade. All of the players mentioned above are younger than 21 years old. They've struggled to win games up to this point, but they have a young nucleus to work with as they look to build for the future.
Regarding this year's draft, it's pretty close among the top prospects, and it seems as if everyone has their unique argument as to who are the top prospects and why &mdash; which I appreciate, as I think there usually tends to be too much groupthink in the draft space. Anyway, Jabari Smith Jr. is my No. 1 guy, and he has been for a while now. At 6-foot-10, Smith is an absolute sniper from the perimeter as a stretch four, and with time I think he will also prove that he has much more in his bag as a scorer. 
On the defensive end, Smith has a chance to be special. He's about as switchable as it gets, and he's tough. His versatility on both ends of the ball will provide a lot of lineup flexibility to whatever team selects him. In addition to possessing perhaps the most upside of any player projected to be in the 2022 NBA Draft, he can essentially co-exist with just about any group of players. Therefore, I believe that Jabari Smith Jr. would be the right pick for the Rockets if they indeed win the NBA Draft Lottery.&nbsp;
Which teams could shake up the draft selections if lottery luck lands them in the top-3?
My first tier includes Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden Ivey, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero this year. Of that group, Jaden Ivey is the only guard. Due to his style of play, I'm not sure he's a great fit with several teams potentially selecting towards the top, including Houston, Orlando, Indiana and San Antonio -- they're all pretty guard-heavy at the moment. If any combination of these teams lands in the top-3, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ivey sliding back a touch. 
Another thing worth noting is that I'm also not sure Paolo Banchero would fit well with teams like New York or New Orleans. On the flip side, Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren fit in pretty seamlessly with most teams. I think these are a few elements that could potentially dictate how the first few picks unfold.
What inspired Mark Williams' rapid rise to the No. 12 overall pick?
I'll admit the 12th pick is on the high side for Mark Williams, but I like the fit, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch. Williams had a terrific season at Duke this year, and he's continued to grow on me. His performance versus Gonzaga in Las Vegas in November was one of the best showings I saw in-person all season. I think he has a chance to develop into becoming a solid starting center as a rim running and rim-protecting 5-man. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a long and productive NBA career. 
In our most recent simulated mock draft, Oklahoma City selected Paolo Banchero with the fourth pick and Mark Williams with the 12th pick, coincidentally Duke's frontcourt this past season. The Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander locked up on a long-term deal and Sam Presti's lottery selection last year, Josh Giddey, looks like a star in the making. So it seems their backcourt of the future is solid. Adding Bancero and Williams would bolster their frontcourt, giving OKC's roster shape moving forward.
Which other prospects benefited most from their March Madness performances?
He was already rated super high, but I think Paolo Banchero finished strong. Ochai Agbaji was terrific versus Villanova in Kansas' Final Four game. Benedict Mathurin had a couple of outstanding games in the tournament, and Kennedy Chandler was good for Tennessee. I think all of those players helped themselves in March.
What is one of your favorite later-round team-player fits?
A few picks in the second round that stand out are David Roddy from Colorado State to the Pacers, Jake LaRavia from Wake Forest to the Hawks, and Colin Gillespie from Villanova to the Pelicans. None of those players necessarily blow me away with their talent or tools, but I think all three could become excellent complementary players.
What makes G League Ignite prospects Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp and Jaden Hardy worthy of first-round status?
They're all very different players from one another, but they're all talented in their own right. Daniels and Beauchamp showed well this season and have moved up the ranks. Hardy came into the season projected to be a high pick and the highest of this group, but he didn't do quite as well as most people had hoped, myself included.&nbsp;
Daniels has terrific size and versatility on both ends of the ball, Beauchamp is very athletic, plays with a great pace, and makes a lot happen. Hardy might have struggled a bit this season, however, he still has a lot of raw talent as a scorer and shot-maker with deep range. I expect all three to be selected in the first round.
While many of us were focused on March Madness, have any draft-eligible international players made waves recently?
Ousmane Dieng, a player from France currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian League, is the player that comes to mind in regards to someone who has been making waves recently on the international scene. Dieng has terrific size for an on-ball playmaker, and I think he possesses a lot of upside as a versatile point forward. He has a good chance of becoming a first-round pick.
After the success of last year's first Tampa Bay Pro Combine, what should we expect from the event this spring?
It's been great to see some of our guys who participated in the Tampa Bay Pro Combine last year find success quickly in their careers. I mean, Terry Taylor and Brandon Williams signed NBA contracts, but they also played significant minutes for their teams. Jordan Goodwin and Micah Potter had opportunities with NBA teams too. It was incredible to see!&nbsp;
We've changed the format this year. First, we cut the number of invited players from nearly 50 to 24 this year. Instead of just playing five-on-five games all week, we decided to host simulated NBA pre-draft workouts the first two days, where we'll have six players on the court at a time and 12 per day. The main reason for this change was to comply with NBA guidelines so that NBA scouts could attend. Anyway, we have another great group of guys set to fly out and compete. It should be a great week!
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Ethan Fuller checks in with Matt Babcock after the unveiling of his first 2022 NBA Mock Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Q&A with Matt Babcock on first mock, notable risers

France's Ousmane Dieng officially <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33746207/projected-lottery-pick-ousmane-dieng-enter-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;that he is entering the 2022 NBA Draft.
Dieng spent last season playing in Australia's National Basketball League, where he averaged 8.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as part of the NBL's Next Stars program that produced LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and RJ Hampton.
"Playing in a tough league with really good players was really good for me," Dieng told <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33746207/projected-lottery-pick-ousmane-dieng-enter-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN</a>. "I learned a lot. The transition was significant, going up against much better players than I saw in France. The game is faster. Everyone is more physical...
"I had to work on my body and I was lucky to have a great strength and conditioning coach. I improved my defense a lot this past year. The coaches had a big role in my improvement. I trusted them when I was struggling. I kept working and improved my game."
Matt Babcock, BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst, currently has Dieng projected to go No. 25 overall to the San Antonio Spurs in his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>.&nbsp;
"Projected to be one of the first international players selected in the 2022 NBA Draft, Ousmane Dieng has great positional size, length and mobility. He is a versatile playmaker on the offensive end and a tremendous live-dribble passer. Also, he is effective as a three-level scorer," Babcock <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ousmane-dieng" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in his scouting report</a>. "Dieng&rsquo;s shot-making from both inside and out &mdash; paired with excellent vision and impactful, yet inconsistent, defense &mdash; has him high on our draft board. Dieng played for the NBL&rsquo;s New Zealand Breakers this season and is certainly a prospect to monitor closely."
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Dieng spent last season in Australia's NBL as part of the Next Stars program that produced LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and RJ Hampton.

France's Ousmane Dieng officially enters 2022 NBA Draft

Thunder general manager Sam Presti said this season would be about sifting through young talent to see where it fits into future plans.
It was a different approach for a franchise that was among the league's best the previous decade. But with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Chris Paul all long gone, the Thunder have acknowledged that they are in full rebuilding mode.
There were rough moments this season, including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-oklahoma-cleveland-cavaliers-cleveland-a3e8ea00f679479c5b001aed5949f883?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=AP_Sports"> a 152-79 loss to Memphis that set the NBA record</a> for scoring margin. Injuries decimated the roster's top players. The Thunder finished with a 24-58 record &mdash; fourth-worst in the league.
The woeful record gives the Thunder a chance to pull in a high draft pick this year &mdash; a familar refrain for the franchise. Oklahoma City has an astounding stockpile of 19 potential first-round picks and 17 potential second-round picks through the 2028 draft.
At least the players they already have are resilient. Eight times this season, the Thunder rallied from deficits of at least 15 points to win. They <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-los-angeles-lakers-russell-westbrook-oklahoma-3edf61d902c969c40c7b0601a9f1f26a">overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers</a> on Oct. 27 &mdash; tied for the biggest comeback for a Thunder team.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a group that has maintained a ton of optimism,&rdquo; coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;Obviously, we&rsquo;re not finishing at the top of the standings, but I&rsquo;ve never really sensed from this team dips in our optimism or our commitment, and that&rsquo;s a credit to the people that we have on the team. They&rsquo;re guys that hang in there.&rdquo;
Through the challenges, the Thunder appear to have found some answers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped forward in his fourth year and had the look of a franchise player. For the season, the guard averaged 24.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He averaged 30.4 points on 54% shooting in 13 games after the All-Star break before getting shut down for the season with a sore right ankle. He scored at least 30 points in 10 of his last 13 games.
Rookie Josh Giddey met expectations and then some. The 19-year-old Australian averaged 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month four times this season. He <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-oklahoma-dallas-mavericks-oklahoma-city-afe32077412ced52f8dfc23a233fa600">became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists against the Dallas Mavericks</a> on Jan. 2. At one point, he recorded three straight triple-doubles just before going down for the season with a sore right hip.
Another rookie, Tre Mann, averaged 10.4 points per game and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-oklahoma-68688b5c1bfe240935b4f8e10ca89e16">had a season-high 30 in a win over the New York Knicks</a> at Madison Square Garden. Guard Lu Dort saw a significant jump in offensive production before going down for the season with a shoulder injury. His scoring average jumped from 14.0 points per game to 17.2.
With all the injuries, the Thunder limped to the finish line. Oklahoma City had just six players see action in the finale.
&ldquo;I gained a lot of respect for all of those guys, and I hope they enjoyed the opportunity to play in the NBA,&rdquo; Daigneault said.
DARIUS BAZLEY
The ultra-athletic forward fell out of the starting lineup at one point, but eventually regained his spot and had a solid season. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before breaking a bone in his right knee.
POKU'S SECOND HALF
Second-year forward Aleksej Pokusevski got off to a slow start before coming on strong late in the season. The 7-footer from Serbia averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in March. He got his first career triple-double on April 3, when he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-thunder-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-oklahoma-city-23256ca1513386bd7dfdf0c1aca64608">had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists </a> against the Phoenix Suns.
HOARDING NUMBERS
Jaylen Hoard, who played for the Thunder's G-League affiliate this season, stood out during a 10-day deal at the end of the season. The 6-8 forward from France averaged 17.2 points and 13.7 rebounds in six games after signing. He <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-thunder-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-greg-brown-35dac83732ebaa6c1aafe7883bbd3e01">had 24 points and 21 rebounds</a> on April 1 and 27 points and 17 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8.
LOCAL SHARPSHOOTER
Former Oklahoma State guard Lindy Waters stepped into the rotation after the rash of injuries and performed admirably. He played 25 games, mostly as a reserve, and shot 36% on nearly six 3-point attempts per game. In his best outing, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-oklahoma-city-028ae68ffb3d3c0ce8546c207acd13fd">he scored 25 points </a> in a home loss to the Atlanta Hawks and Norman North High teammate Trae Young on March 30.
ROBINSON-EARL
Second-round pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had his moments, too. The center from Villanova started 36 of his 49 games. He averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He missed 24 games with a broken foot.

Injuries decimated the Thunder roster's top players. The Thunder finished with a 24-58 record — fourth-worst in the league.

Rebuilding Thunder have solid anchor in Gilgeous-Alexander

For a third of the NBA, summer break comes early.&nbsp;
Though 10 teams didn't make the playoffs, it's not all doom and gloom. Several NBA bottom-feeders took tangible steps forward in their rebuilding efforts, while others &mdash; well, they're not supposed to be here.
Every franchise enters the offseason with summer plans. As teams get eliminated from the postseason, I'll be rounding up every team's offseason outlook and posing one question they must answer over the summer. You'll see each squad's 2022 NBA Draft chest, plus their potential free agents, along with the central question.&nbsp;
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Let's get started!
DETROIT PISTONS 
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick (via Brooklyn)
Potential free agents:&nbsp;Marvin Bagley III (restricted), Cory Joseph (player option), Hamidou Diallo (team option), Frank Jackson (team option), Luka Garza (team option), Carsen Edwards (team option), Rodney McGruder 
Central question: How do the Pistons build an offense around Cade Cunningham?
This was a pretty solid season for Detroit as far as rebuilding efforts go. Cade Cunningham emerged as a Rookie of the Year front-runner and two-way centerpiece who has fans ecstatic about his ceiling. The Pistons finished a solid 10-14 after the All-Star break, and have shown flashes of an improving defense. They did still finish with the 28th-ranked offense, per Cleaning the Glass, and one of the worst shooting rates in the NBA.
Cunningham had to carry a ridiculous offensive load in the latter stages of the season. Detroit has the power to change that in 2022-23, starting with its high draft pick. Maybe Jabari Smith's lights-out scoring means he's an ideal secondary option? Perhaps Paolo Banchero thrives as an additional creator, or maybe Chet Holmgren makes sense as a finisher and spot-up threat? The fun part about Cunningham is that his versatility creates so many pathways for the Pistons in the draft &mdash; whether or not the ping pong balls fall their way.
Detroit wields a cap hold of approximately $28 million on Bagley, and once that lifts (either via a new contract or letting him walk), the Pistons should have a solid chunk of cap space to add to the supporting cast.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), better of Brooklyn/Miami first-round picks
Potential free agents: John Wall (player option), Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando (restricted), Jae'Sean Tate (team option), Anthony Lamb (qualifying offer), Trevelin Queen (qualifying offer)
Central question: How patient is the front office willing to be?
Houston's 2021 draft strategy of "draft talent, figure out the fit later" appears to be working out. Jalen Green demonstrated an Anthony Edwards-esque leap post-All-Star break, Alperen Sengun is already one of the NBA's best passing bigs, and guys like Josh Christopher and KJ Martin routinely hinted at upside. Houston gets another prime shot at a franchise cornerstone this draft cycle. We're approaching Stage 2 of the strategy, though: figuring out how the pieces fit.&nbsp;
The Rockets were one of two NBA teams with bottom-five ratings on offense and defense. They led the league in rim frequency and were fourth in three-point frequency, but posted mediocre shooting clips. Houston evokes memories of the rebuilding Nets, who played a similarly extreme brand of ball for a few years as the team slowly reshaped into a fun playoff squad. Does the front office have the foresight to let head coach Stephen Silas work things out with his roster of young guns?&nbsp;
INDIANA PACERS
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How is there a &ldquo;rebuild&rdquo; to afraid of if it isn&rsquo;t a rebuild? <a href="https://t.co/0pDD7E6Mss">pic.twitter.com/0pDD7E6Mss</a>
&mdash; Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1512127632758001664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (10.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick (if 15-30, via Cleveland), Second-round pick (via Houston), Second-round pick (via Phoenix)
Potential free agents: Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, Jalen Smith, Lance Stephenson, Nate Hinton (restricted), Oshae Brissett (team option)
Central question: How extreme is the incoming rebuild, and what veterans mesh with the future vision?
Notably unlisted among the potential free agents are Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and T.J. McConnell. All range from solid starters to rotational complements, and 3 of the 4 (not Turner) will be 30 next season. The Pacers are clearly retooling, as evidenced by their trade-deadline fireworks and Tyrese Haliburton's subsequent high usage. They also have publicly flip-flopped regarding the direction of the team; see the above Tweet.
Indiana doesn't have the pure depth of talent to straddle the line. The Pacers can trade many of these talented players and build up a chest of draft picks and young pieces, or they can charge ahead, turn their picks into win-now players and hope Haliburton is ready for the playoff push. But a middle ground doesn't exist in an Eastern Conference where just about every team has solidified its direction.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Draft assets: None
Potential free agents: Russell Westbrook (player option), Kendrick Nunn (player option), Austin Reaves (team option), Stanley Johnson (team option), Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, D.J. Augustin, Wenyen Gabriel, Mason Jones (restricted)
Central question: What does team-building around two injury-prone superstars look like?
LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-i-dont-have-a-cap-on-how-long-i-want-to-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turns 38 next season</a>, and has played 60-plus games just once in the past four seasons. Anthony Davis has now missed more than half the season in back-to-back years. Sure, the Lakers were a mess regardless of their stars' health, but going forward, is pursuing fits next to James and Davis even worthwhile if the two won't consistently be on the court?
With just three players under contract (the aforementioned stars, plus Talen Horton-Tucker), the Lakers enter another offseason of a roster overhaul. This time, I'd recommend almost entirely forgetting about James and Davis when building the squad and simply try to assemble units that make sense together.&nbsp;
NEW YORK KNICKS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, could change based on Play-In results), Second-round pick via Boston and Charlotte (if 56-60)
Potential free agents: Mitchell Robinson, Ryan Arcidiacono 
Central question: What's going to happen with the veterans?
The top six moneymakers for the Knicks next season are all 27 or older, and I think many fans would say that out of the group, only Julius Randle should have started &mdash; and he seriously regressed this season. The young Knicks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explain-one-play-young-knicks-playing-chess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clearly showed they're ready to take the mantle</a>.
So what happens with Randle, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kemba Walker? Is Tom Thibodeau prepared to reduce their (their meaning Burks specifically in this case) minutes and usage, will trades be coming, or will Madison Square Garden burn when Immanuel Quickley opens the season by playing 16 minutes off the bench? New York has drafted extremely well in recent seasons, but the ceiling of the young core is capped if these youngsters don't get a chance to prove themselves in meaningful situations.
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OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 
Draft assets: First-round pick (12.5% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via Clippers, First-round pick via Phoenix, Second-round pick
Potential free agents: Derrick Favors (player option), Mike Muscala (team option), Lu Dort (team option), Isaiah Roby (team option), Melvin Frazier (restricted)
Central question: What is the pathway in the frontcourt?
I've stanned Sam Presti's team-building strategy for years now, and I still think it's on track for a serious payoff. Josh Giddey slots in somewhere on your All-Rookie ballot, and draft classmates Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins flashed rotation-caliber play as well. It is simply a joy to watch a random young player have a breakout game on any given night, and OKC has already shown the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early stages of a prominent defense</a>.
Next up: Capitalize on a draft loaded with intruiging frontcourt players. Banchero, Holmgren and Smith are obviously the best of the best. But even if the Thunder slide in the lottery, they could pounce on an athletic shot-blocker like Jalen Duren, or use one of their later picks on a center like Mark Williams. I'm just spit-balling, but the point is that OKC has plenty of chances to find its big-man anchor and further flesh out its core.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Draft assets: First-round pick (14.0% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Indiana
Potential free agents: Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, Bol Bol (restricted), Ignas Brazdeikis (restricted), Admiral Schofield (restricted)
Central question: How do the offensive pieces fit together?
Orlando quietly logged a 17th-ranked defense this season, and an 11th-ranked unit since Feb. 1. A dismal offense ultimately doomed the Magic, who were riddled with inconsistent shotmaking and poor team efficiency marks throughout the half-court. We don't need to sound any player alarms; it takes time for young guards in particular to grasp the responsibilities of running NBA offenses.&nbsp;
But what if I told you Orlando has wielded bottom-10 offensive ratings every season for the last decade?&nbsp;
Change can start in the draft, again with some of the top offensive forward options like Banchero or Smith. Adding another ball-dominant guard in Jaden Ivey might be overkill, but AJ Griffin and Bennedict Mathurin feel like good wing fits at first glance. Spotrac estimates the Magic could have up to $30 million in practical cap space, leaving plenty of room for veteran players to accentuate the young talent.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE D IN DREW STANDS FOR DUNK DO NOT GOOGLE THIS <a href="https://t.co/2AojdAskYV">pic.twitter.com/2AojdAskYV</a>
&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1508636734900166659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Draft assets: First-round pick (9.0% chance at No. 1), First-round pick via New Orleans (if 5-14), Second-round pick, Second-round pick via Memphis
Potential free agents: Joe Ingles, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore, Anfernee Simons (restricted), CJ Elleby (restricted), Elijah Hughes (restricted), Keljin Blevins (restricted)
Central question: Is Portland actually trying to win "now" or win soon?
Some really great development happened for the Blazers during the "wash" portion of the season in the form of players like Trendon Watford, Keon Johnson and Drew Eubanks. Add them to Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and the incomng draft picks, and Portland suddenly has... kind of a sneaky-deep prospect pool? There's real potential to mold this group into a rotation cast that gives Portland one of its deepest rosters in years.
That's why these <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jerami-grant-trade-rumors-portland-is-still-the-frontrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerami Grant trade rumors concern me</a>. Giving up a possible lottery pick to try and piece together a short-term playoff team risks too much and keeps the Trail Blazers in the limbo they have lounged in for several years. Understandably, the franchise wants to build a contender while Damian Lillard is invested and in his prime. With some patience, Portland can without sacrificing sustainibility.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Draft assets: First-round pick (7.5% chance at No. 1), Second-round pick, Second-round pick (via Chicago)
Potential free agents: Jeremy Lamb, Josh Jackson, Damian Jones, Donte DiVincenzo (restricted), Neemias Queta (restricted), Trey Lyles (team option)
Central question: How does Sacramento turn into a competitive NBA defense?
The Kings have trotted out lackluster defenses for as long as I can remember. In fact, they haven't ranked above 20th in Defensive Rating since 2005-06 &mdash; notably, the last time they made the playoffs.
And that didn't change under interim head coach Alvin Gentry. (Gentry will not return as head coach next season, but is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-alvin-gentry-no-longer-interim-coach-of-the-kings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in talks for a front-office role</a>, per ESPN.) However, the on-paper roster actually shines some hope. Davion Mitchell made highlight reels out of his "Off-Night" defense. Justin Holiday is a solid individual defender, as is Harrison Barnes, and even De'Aaron Fox has his sporadic moments.&nbsp;
Can Sacramento find a head coach who turns a group of intriguing players with defensive potential into even an average squad? What draft and free agency options exist? Of course, the Kings would like to end their NBA-leading playoff drought. That'll come with changing the culture on defense.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Draft assets: First-round pick (2.5% chance at No. 1, depends on Play-In results), Second-round pick (via Dallas)
Potential free agents: Bradley Beal (player option), Thomas Bryant, Raul Neto, Tomas Satoransky, Anthony Gill (restricted), Cassius Winston (restricted)
Central question: What style of guard play is a feasible best fit?
Okay, so obviously the biggest question mark surrounds Bradley Beal's free agency. But from a conceptual standpoint, Washington has tried and failed over the past few seasons to find Beal's best-fitting partner in crime. John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie were each supposed to provide the downhill juice Beal lacks. The Wizards either did this at serious expense of another skill area (Wall, Westbrook), or it just didn't translate their at-rim ability (Dinwiddie). All battled injuries as well.
"I think we need bigger guards," <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/bradley-beal-outlines-what-wizards-need-build-contender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beal said in March</a>. "We need more guys that can get in the paint for us, more ball-handlers, more guys that can really create and get two feet in the paint, but also who can knock down threes."
I mean, Beal's needs make total sense. The problem is that every other basketball team on Earth also wants this type of guard.
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Ethan Fuller sets the offseason stage for each team that missed the NBA playoffs.

Summer plans for the NBA's 10 non-playoff teams

Every day,&nbsp;BasketballNews.com&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up thousands of dollars on PrizePicks.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA betting plays for Saturday's slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers (-2) vs. Chicago Bulls
This matchup has turned into one with massive implications within the division. The Bulls have really seen the wind sink from their sails over the last month-plus, which is the exact opposite of what they want before the postseason. Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to stay afloat behind their dynamic duo of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. At home, we love the Cavaliers in this spot. Garland should pile up the stats, plus Mobley will be able to deter shots consistently around the rim.
Pick: Cavaliers -2
PrizePicks Power Play: DeMar DeRozan over 25.5 points, Evan Mobley over 15.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 10 rebounds, Darius Garland over 9.5 assists
Brooklyn Nets (-4) vs. Miami Heat
Finally, Kyrie Irving is set to become a full-time player after New York City changed its rules around unvaccinated players. Now, Brooklyn is set to become a major threat within the Eastern Conference. Against the slumping Heat, Irving and Kevin Durant are primed for monster performances. Miami isn&rsquo;t in a rhythm right now, and facing Brooklyn&rsquo;s superstar duo is not the ideal recipe to bounce back. Hammer the Nets in this spot as 4-point favorites in South Beach.
Pick: Nets -4
PrizePicks Power Play (No Heat props currently available): Kyrie Irving over 27.5 points, Kevin Durant over 27.5 points
Denver Nuggets (-15.5) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
As &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; longtime listeners know by now, we love betting on the Thunder when the spread is massive. In this case, we're looking at a monster 15.5-point favorite line for the Nuggets in Denver. However, we&rsquo;re going against that trend today for a few reasons. First off, Oklahoma City is full-on tanking with so many players out due to injury, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Another item of note: the Nuggets are going to play angry after their loss earlier this week against the Phoenix Suns. Expect one of those special performances from Nikola Jokic, which should lead to a blowout win for the Nuggets.
Pick: Nuggets -15.5
PrizePicks Power Play (No Thunder props currently available): Nikola Jokic over 23.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 6 rebounds
Make sure to&nbsp;<a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out PrizePicks</a>&nbsp;and use the promo code NEWS when you sign up, and they'll instantly match your deposit up to $100! Also, make sure to listen to "Nothing But Bets" for daily betting analysis on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3rnooUvIsHtvykhPY9Ddt8?si=36d61d2c59a44523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.

For a big Saturday slate in the NBA. "Nothing But Bets" provides their favorites picks and prop plays.

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/26/22

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; All-Star point guard Darius Garland had 24 points and 12 assists, Evan Mobley had his NBA rookie-high 20th double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Saturday night.
Mobley finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Cedi Osman scored 16 points and Kevin Love had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who earned their 41st win to clinch their first non-losing season in four years.
&ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve got a lot of games left and a lot more opportunities ahead of us,&rdquo; Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;The fans are always engaged here and you can feel the wave that comes over the building, which is why I think it&rsquo;s one of the best arenas in the league.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers extended their lead to 1 1/2 games over Toronto for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They trailed 80-68 in the third quarter, but outscored Detroit 31-9 over the next 9:18 to take command and win for the 18th time in the last 23 home games.
Cleveland completed a back-to-back set after rallying from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beating Denver 119-116 in overtime Friday.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re pretty tired from last night, but we had to do what we could to get the win,&rdquo; Mobley said. &ldquo;We really dug deep, and Kevin Love and Cedi rallied us back.&rdquo;
Jerami Grant scored 27 of his season-high 40 points in the first half and No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham added 15 points and 10 assists for Detroit. Saddiq Bey had 20 points, following up his career-best 51 at Orlando two days earlier.
The Pistons have lost five of six and have the second-worst record in the East at 19-52.
&ldquo;I was feeling it, but it really didn&rsquo;t mean nothing because we didn&rsquo;t get the win,&rdquo; Grant said. &ldquo;Once Kevin Love got hot, they got a lot of confidence and you could feel it. Honestly, I live for games like this because it reminds me of the playoff environment.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers are 3-1 on their longest homestand of the season, a five-gamer that concludes Monday against LeBron James and the Lakers. All-Star center Jarrett Allen missed his seventh straight game with a broken finger on his left hand.
A dunk by Marvin Bagley III gave the Pistons the largest lead of the game at 80-68, but Love drained three 3-pointers in a 14-1 surge to end the quarter and put Cleveland up one.
Grant was 6 of 7 on 3-pointers as Detroit built a 60-55 advantage in the first half. The Pistons used a 14-0 run, with six players scoring, midway through the second quarter to erase Cleveland&rsquo;s 36-27 lead.
&ldquo;It had a playoff feel, a playoff atmosphere and that was good for evaluating our young guys,&rdquo; Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;That team was playing desperate and we weren&rsquo;t, but there were a lot of positives to take out of this game.&rdquo;
ROOKIES ON THE RISE
Cunningham, Mobley and Raptors F Scottie Barnes are the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award. Thunder G Josh Giddey, Rockets G Jalen Green and Magic F Franz Wagner also are in the upper tier of a very deep group.
&ldquo;This is going to go down as a top-three or four draft class of all-time,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There are so many guys who can play at a high level and play the game more maturely than their age.&rdquo;
Casey views the class similarly, saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a while since we&rsquo;ve seen a group like this. You could make a case for each player, but I&rsquo;m very biased for Cade.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pistons: G Killian Hayes (head contusion) was not in uniform after being hurt Thursday at Orlando. &hellip; G Frank Jackson (lumbar spine spasm), G Hamidou Diallo (left finger sprain) and two-way G Chris Smith (left knee sprain) were unavailable. &hellip; C Luka Garza is on a G League assignment with the Motor City Cruise. &hellip; Detroit has a three-game home winning streak against Cleveland.
Cavaliers: G Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) worked out on the court late in the afternoon, but was inactive for the fourth game in a row. &hellip; F Dean Wade (right knee soreness) has not played since March 12 at Chicago. &hellip; Cleveland went to overtime twice in a three-game span, beating the Clippers and Nuggets, after not going beyond regulation in its first 67 contests.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Jerami Grant scored 27 of his 40 points in the first half, but it wasn't enough to overcome Darius Garland's 24 points and 12 assists, as Cleveland beat Detroit 113-109.

Cavaliers beat Pistons 113-109 despite Grant's 40 points

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro got through an ankle scare and scored 26 points, Duncan Robinson scored 19 points in 19 minutes and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108 on Friday night.
Bam Adebayo had 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and Kyle Lowry added 16 points for the Heat. Miami used a 16-2 run late in the first half to take control of what was a tie game, and pushed the lead out to 29 in the second half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played through ankle soreness and scored 26 points for the injury-depleted Thunder, who have dropped eight straight and reached the 50-loss mark in back-to-back seasons. Tre Mann added 25 points.
&ldquo;It's our jobs to be professionals," Lowry said. &ldquo;They've got a bunch of talent down there. They play hard. We had to do our jobs and stick with the game plan."
The Thunder have used five starting lineups in their last five games, giving them 30 such combinations so far this season. That ties the franchise-record total that the Thunder used a season ago.
&ldquo;They have guys out of the lineup and, you know, their record is what it is,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Those teams can be extremely dangerous. With 10, 12 games left in the year, they&rsquo;re just playing free and young guys can play with a lot of confidence and they can become dangerous.&rdquo;
Markieff Morris scored 13 points, Max Strus scored 12 and Caleb Martin &mdash; back after missing just over a week with a knee injury &mdash; added 11 for Miami (47-24), which moved 2-1/2 games clear of second-place Milwaukee in the East standings. The Heat played without Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with an ankle sprain, and Victor Oladipo (back spasms).
&ldquo;They bring the fight to their opponent every night,&rdquo; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re such a good team. They&rsquo;re a good team because they do everything well. And that&rsquo;s the baseline for any good team. It&rsquo;s that competitive spirit over 82 games and they&rsquo;re ready to rock every single night.&rdquo;
The scare for Miami came midway through the third quarter when Herro went airborne and twisted his left ankle after landing on Thunder reserve Isaiah Roby&rsquo;s foot. Herro stayed down briefly, punching the floor in obvious pain and even went to the Heat locker room for evaluation.
He missed all of 1:04. Herro returned to the court, checked right back in and remained in the game until midway through the fourth.
&ldquo;He brings it every single night," Robinson said. &ldquo;As a young player, it can be tough to establish that. He's establishing himself as a star."
TIP-INS
Thunder: Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points and Darius Bazley added 15 for the Thunder. ... Oklahoma City plans to update the status on rookie Josh Giddey (right hip) in about a week, Daigneault said. ... This is the sixth losing streak of at least eight games for the Thunder since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. Of those, four have come in the last 12 months.
Heat: Miami went 5-2 in its seven-game homestand. ... Butler&rsquo;s ankle sprain doesn&rsquo;t have the Heat overly concerned. &ldquo;Thankfully, this is not something that&rsquo;s long-term,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. ... The Heat play eight of their next 10 games against teams that are, at worst, likely to be in the play-in tournament. ... Chris Bosh, part of Miami&rsquo;s 2012 and 2013 NBA title teams, was honored at halftime for his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an amazing journey,&rdquo; Bosh said.
UKRAINE GIFT
The family foundation of Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine is donating $3 million to World Central Kitchen, Direct Relief and UNICEF USA to assist Ukrainians affected by the war in their homeland. Carnival Cruise Line donated an additional $50,000 to World Central Kitchen in honor of employees and crew members from Ukraine.
HERRO 1K
Herro&rsquo;s sixth point Friday gave him 1,000 in games where he came off the bench this season. He&rsquo;s the third player in Heat history to have that many in a reserve role; he&rsquo;s now up to 1,020, closing in on the team single-season reserve record of 1,028.
SWEPT AGAIN
The Thunder have now been swept by nine teams this season &mdash; Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland, Golden State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. They still could be swept by Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix and Utah. OKC was swept by 10 clubs last season; that&rsquo;s the most since it endured 12 sweeps in 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit Orlando on Sunday.
Heat: Visit Philadelphia on Monday.

Tyler Herro scored 26 points and Duncan Robinson scored 19 points Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108.

Herro has 26 points, East-leading Heat beat Thunder 120-108

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

Changing of the guard: The future of screening is here

The NBA Draft is a thrilling and captivating night for everyone interested in basketball. From players rising and dropping from their projected slots to the blindsiding blockbuster trades, the variables of the night are intoxicating each and every year.
Leading up to the big night, there are numerous mock drafts and big boards created by several draft experts. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock is our resident draft expert who puts together a phenomenal draft preview each season.
Prior to the 2021 NBA Draft, Babcock and his team had Ziaire Williams being selected at No. 18 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was one pick behind the Memphis Grizzlies' original draft position before their trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Here was Babcock's analysis of Williams:
<blockquote>
Having struggled with his consistency at Stanford, Ziaire Williams has become a somewhat polarizing prospect. Overall, his freshman season was underwhelming. Although his slim build and ability to finish at the rim have drawn concerns, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ziaire-williams-eager-to-take-his-next-developmental-steps-in-the-nba-2021-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his upside is worth noting</a>. A 6-foot-8 wing who is capable of creating space and hitting tough, contested shots, Williams has the potential to be a versatile scoring wing at the next level.
</blockquote>
Babcock obviously goes beyond the numbers and dives into every aspect of a prospect with his evaluations, but if you were to just look at the box scores from Williams' freshman season at Stanford, you would probably be scratching your head as to why the Grizzlies moved up to take him at No. 10.
(Memphis dealt the No. 17 pick, No. 51 pick and Jonas Valanciunas to the Pelicans for the No. 10 pick, No. 40 pick, a top-10-protected 2022 first-rounder, Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams.)
Needless to say, Williams struggled in his lone collegiate season with the Cardinal. Most believed he would have been available at No. 17 and that Memphis gave up too much in order to get him. There is a sense that the Grizzlies had some intel that Ziaire could have been taken anywhere from 13th to 15th, and in order to get him, they felt they needed to jump ahead of the field. Other rumblings indicated Memphis actually moved up to snag Josh Giddey at the 10th spot and settled on Williams as its Plan B.
As draft night played out, most in Memphis were in love with the idea of Moses Moody from Arkansas, and before the 10th pick was announced, the expectation was that the Grizzlies were choosing between Moody and James Bouknight.
However, it turned out to be Williams.&nbsp;
"Who?" echoed around the city of Memphis, but the quiet California kid had a new basketball home. Little did Grizzlies fans know, Williams was the player that Memphis executive president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman wanted all along &mdash; Plan A.
So why did Kleiman move up to get a prospect that many believed would be there at No. 17?
What did the Grizzlies see?
Who is Ziaire Williams?
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Stanford associate head coach Adam Cohen knows quite a bit about the young man who calls LeBron James his uncle. When asked about who Williams is as a person, Cohen said the magic words that make prospect evaluators grin from ear to ear.
"Ziaire is a high-character individual who is going to do the right thing on the court and off the court," Cohen told BasketballNews.com in a Zoom interview. "He is going to work hard and wants to be a part of a great culture, which is obviously being developed in Memphis. He is the type of person that you want around your team, your families and your community."
Furthermore, he spoke about how difficult it was for the Cardinal to integrate Williams into the team due to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the nation.
"Ziaire was the highest-ranked recruit we ever had come in, and it was a unique situation where we thought we could bring a young guy along with some older guys and have a great situation, but unfortunately COVID put us all in a bad spot," Cohen said. "Schools not in California were able to have their players on campus the summer before to train, but we never had them on campus prior to Ziaire's freshman year. We did not get our players until Sep. 15. When they got here, they could not be in a gym; we had to practice and shoot on outdoor courts."
Cohen shared that the team took off for the Maui Invitational &mdash; which was moved to Asheville, NC, due to the ongoing pandemic &mdash; and had everybody returned to campus, they would have had to quarantine for two weeks. So the team stayed in North Carolina and practiced at Chapel Hill for a few weeks before flying to Los Angeles to face off with Southern California. The game against the USC Trojans was canceled due to COVID, but Stanford's team was not allowed to return to campus until Christmas.
Unable to see their families or return home, members of the team set up shop in a Santa Cruz hotel. The Cardinal had access to a high-school gym for about an hour per day.&nbsp;
Just imagine going from living in the gym and working to perfect your craft to being granted a measly hour-a-day access as you attempt to prepare for Division I basketball games and the possibility of playing at the next level. That kind of disruption would certainly carry over to games.
"For Ziaire, being a young guy, not being able to spend as much time as he usually did in the gym, the weight room, treatment, the whole deal... it wasn't great for his development while at the same time, [he] made the best of the situation and did what he could," Cohen said.
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Transitioning from the college experience, Cohen discussed how Williams has been able to adapt to the NBA game with Memphis trusting him to learn and grow as a part of the rotation.
"The question about Ziaire is his strength because, physically, he is just not that strong. However, his IQ is super-high and he has been put in a perfect position," Cohen said. "He is not a guy on that team that has to go make plays for everyone else; he has Ja [Morant] who can do that for him, so he can just go out there and do his job and fill his role. In a lot of ways, I am not surprised [at how he has adjusted to the league] because his IQ is really high and he is being put in a position to suceed."
The Grizzlies handled Desmond Bane similarly last season by not handing him a heavy load during his rookie year, allowing him to adjust and grow his game. Bane stepped in and played his role in his first season, and now, has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/desmond-bane-cementing-himself-as-essential-part-of-nextgen-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exploded in his second season</a>. Perhaps Kleiman has found a formula for player development that works while his team still competes at a high level.
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Perseverance must coexist with patience, and that patience not only comes from Williams, but his coaching staff, teammates and fans.
Coach Cohen absolutely nailed what's been taking place in Memphis in regards to the rookie's development: Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is putting him in a situation to succeed. Dillon Brooks has only played 21 games this season due to injury, and Jenkins has opted to start Williams in his place, forcing the rookie to learn on the job.
Williams looked every part the project early on this season, shooting an abysmal 24.6% from deep on 3.8 attempts, which ranked 37th among qualifying rookies through the end of January; he was also 25th in Net Rating at minus-1.6. His lack of physical strength and loss of a developmental year were clear with an occasional flash of upside at times.
Down one point against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 31, Morant drove to the rim looking for a game-winner only to be met by a wall of defenders. Rather than forcing up a tough shot, he found Williams in the corner, wide open. He trusted the rookie to knock down the shot. When asked about the decision to pass it, Ja had this to say:
"[Ziaire was] open. His man came to help. It was the right play. I wouldn&rsquo;t change it. If it happens again, I&rsquo;ll make the same pass. I passed because I believe in him and know he is capable of making that shot. If that play comes again, I&rsquo;ll pass it again," Morant said.
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Since this shot, Williams leads all qualifying rookies in three-point percentage at 45.6%. In fact, among all NBA players since Feb. 1 who have played 15 games and attempted 3.0 or more threes per game, Ziaire has the eighth-best shooting clip from deep. For a month-and-a-half, he has been a top-10 shooter in the NBA. He has also improved to third among rookies in NET at plus-9.6, trailing only Jose Alvarado and Dalano Blanton.&nbsp;
For now, Williams is filling his role as a spot-up shooter and lengthy defender who disrupts passing lanes. What the Grizzlies have not unleashed is the Z who can facilitate as well as put someone on a poster at any given moment. Memphis is simply building his confidence now, just to unleash him in the future.&nbsp;
For years, the Grizzlies have sought the missing piece on the wing. They looked for it in Rudy Gay and Chandler Parsons to name a couple, but the search has always come up empty. But now, the organization has identified Williams as a high-character, high-IQ player with plenty of length and skill to fit between Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. As the rookie continues to work and progress, growing with this young Grizzlies core, the sky could actually be the limit for both Williams and his team.&nbsp;
Ziaire Williams may not be the flashy name in his draft class and likely won't go down as a top-five talent, but the Grizzlies snuck up and stole a gem who was overlooked due to specific circumstances &mdash; and they will reap the rewards for years to come.&nbsp;
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Justin Lewis speaks with Stanford associate head coach Adam Cohen about Ziaire Williams and breaks down his recent success.

Quiet perseverance of Ziaire Williams paying off for the Grizzlies

Lu Dort, Oklahoma City's No. 2 scorer, will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to address a cartilage tear in his left shoulder.
Dort joins reserves Ty Jerome and Mike Muscala as Thunder players who had procedures on Tuesday, the team announced.
Dort, a well-established defensive guard, stepped up his offensive game this season and averaged 17.2 points per contest. The team said he is expected to return to full basketball activities before next season.
Muscala, a power forward and center, had procedures to repair his injured right ankle. The crowd favorite averaged 8.0 points in 43 games and shot 42.9% from 3-point range. He is expected to return to full basketball activities prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.
Jerome, who plays guard and small forward, had surgery to repair a sports hernia. He averaged 7.1 points in 48 games. He is expected to return to full basketball activities in approximately eight weeks.
The Thunder already were without starting point guard Josh Giddey (right hip) and don't expect him back for at least a few weeks.

Dort joins reserves Ty Jerome and Mike Muscala as Thunder players who had procedures on Tuesday, the team announced.

Lu Dort has season-ending left shoulder procedure

Which top rookie in the class of 2021 will end up being the best long-term? Mat Issa breaks down the case for each young stud.

Why they are all special: A guide to the top-five NBA rookies

International players have been dominating the NBA in recent years.
An American-born player hasn&rsquo;t won the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player award since the 2017-18 season (thanks to Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo). This streak will likely continue this year, as the MVP frontrunners are Joel Embiid (-120), Jokić (+260) and Antetokounmpo (+600).
Every Defensive Player of the Year award since 2016-17 has gone to an international player too (with Rudy Gobert winning three and Antetokoumpo winning once). This year, oddsmakers once again see this as a two-man race between Gobert (-145) and Antetokounmpo (+440).
A record six international players were named to an All-NBA Team last year: Antetokounmpo (All-NBA First Team), Jokić (All-NBA First Team), Luka Dončić (All-NBA First Team), Embiid (All-NBA Second Team), Gobert (All-NBA Third Team) and Kyrie Irving (All-NBA Third Team).
This year&rsquo;s All-Star Game featured six international players (including a record-tying four starters): Antetokounmpo, Jokić, Embiid, Dončić, Gobert and Andrew Wiggins. Overall, All-Star Weekend included 15 international players from 12 different countries.
Opening-night rosters around the NBA featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries &mdash; the eighth-consecutive season with at least 100 international players across NBA rosters.
BasketballNews.com caught up with NBA Vice President and Head of International Basketball Development Troy Justice to discuss the growing impact that international players are having on the NBA, how much easier it is for foreign players to get discovered today, how today&rsquo;s international stars have helped the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and more.
Many of today's international players say that they fell in love with basketball after watching past international stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash among others. How excited are you to see what kind of impact Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić and so on will have on the next generation over the next 10-20 years?
Troy Justice: &ldquo;Great question. And I'll tip this off by just going back through the history of international players in the NBA. Thirty years ago, when we really started digging in and investing in the international landscape from the NBA side, there were only 23 international players. Now, we have 121. [That&rsquo;s] incredible growth over that period of time. And to be real honest, I think we're only scratching the surface in terms of not only talent identification but just the development of the game globally. So, it's amazing.
&ldquo;What I would say is that it goes back to our mission statement for the NBA. I don't know if you've heard our new mission statement, but it's, &lsquo;To inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.&rsquo; That's exactly what's happening. The next generation watched the previous generation and because of that, they said, &lsquo;I can do it!&rsquo; Like, &lsquo;Somebody else has done it, and look where they came from, look at their path, and nothing can hold me back. If I put my mind to it and work hard, I can do it too.&rsquo; And so that inspiration is what I think has created this legacy and also this new amazing level of stars that we're experiencing. We're really at an all-time high from an international perspective.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve talked to some executives about how difficult it used to be to scout international talent, and how some foreign players were even drafted sight unseen. How much easier is it for international players to be discovered now compared to 20-30 years ago?
Justice: &ldquo;Well, that landscape has completely changed. First of all, it's the 20-year anniversary of the Basketball Without Borders program that we, as the NBA, run all around the world for the top talented players. All of the NBA scouts attend our four summer camps and our Basketball Without Borders global camp during All-Star. They're all in attendance and scouting because they know that we have the best of the best and five different opportunities for data points for them. And we bring them all to one place, so they don't have to travel all over the world. So, it's more convenient for them. We do that work for them in a lot of ways in creating these platforms and programs. And then, of course, with the launch of our NBA Academy program, we're bringing players like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels to our NBA Academy games or the G League Showcase or other events where the pro scouts can also see them here on U.S. turf, domestically, so they're not traveling all over the world. Those types of things are just making it more convenient.&rdquo;
When you&rsquo;re seeing NBA Academy alumni like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels thriving and participating in All-Star Weekend, that has to be the best feeling.
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing journey that they&rsquo;re on. For us, it's rewarding because we see their dreams come true, and that's what we're all about. Our job is to create pathways and develop programs and provide everything that they need to succeed, and they just have to work hard and grab hold of it and take the teaching. And it's paying off, We're seeing that now. And there's a whole bunch coming behind them. I think with Basketball Without Borders, we have over 94 former campers who have been drafted or [signed as] free agents. Honestly, it either gives me chills or I tear up, if you really want to know the truth.
&ldquo;But because we're investing in them early, they come more prepared than ever. I think that's why we're seeing Josh Giddey doing what he's doing as a rookie. People were very surprised when he went No. 6 in the draft, so great job by OKC on the scouting and on the pick. But I think you can see the proof point now that when you're in the NBA system and in the NBA family early, you're way more prepared than you would be otherwise. And so it's just a testament to the great work by all the people who have been a part of their journey.&rdquo;
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With many international players dominating, I&rsquo;ve heard fans wonder: Is there something that international players are doing that American-born prospects aren&rsquo;t? How does an international prospect&rsquo;s path and development differ from an American player&rsquo;s path? &nbsp; &nbsp;
Justice: &ldquo;One thing I'll mention and this is an international concept: For example, in Africa, there&rsquo;s a saying, &lsquo;In the jungle, it's the hungry lion that hunts best.&rsquo; And I really think it's the concept of really having to come in and prove yourself. There's humility, No. 1. There is a desire and hunger. So the work ethic is very strong &mdash; and I'm not saying the domestic players [don&rsquo;t work hard], I'm not speaking negatively about them, but I'm just speaking directly to the characteristics I see in international players. You know, the work ethic, the desire. And I would say they are incredible learners, very humble in the way they approach it. So they're great listeners, they take coaching very well in the sense that it immediately translates into change and improvement in their game &mdash; from IQ to skillset.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And then finally, you typically see that they're really great team players. They're team-first players, with very little ego usually and they&rsquo;re very professional in their approach. Also, I would say that they're family oriented and community oriented. A lot of them come from places where this core value that sits within them allows them to not be self-focused or self-centered, but to be other-focused. And I think that allows them to be great teammates.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve heard international players talk about how they grew up playing other sports (like soccer), whereas American players often hone in on one sport because they want to get a scholarship or go pro. Do you think the fact that international players have played multiple sports helps them in terms of their development and skillset?
Justice: &ldquo;Yes, 100%. That's one of the things that we recommend globally as part of our Jr. NBA global curriculum that we use around the world. When we developed that, we put together documentation on this with the experts in the field and multi-sport at a younger age, without sports specialization, allows an athlete to excel further in the future &mdash; no matter which sport they choose. So this is not just an idea, this is stuff that experts study; it's stuff that's real. And so there's no doubt about it.&rdquo;
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One of my favorite things about international players thriving is that the misconceptions and stereotypes about these players have been disproven and they&rsquo;ve largely disappeared. They were always really unfair, but how nice is it to see those ridiculous stereotypes &mdash; like &ldquo;they&rsquo;re soft&rdquo; or &ldquo;they don&rsquo;t really love basketball&rdquo; &mdash; go away?
Justice: &ldquo;You are right on there. When you have Giannis and Jokić and Joel, I mean&hellip; come on! That just erases all of that. Because when your top players are your hardest workers&hellip; I mean, look at Giannis and how hard he plays night in and night out. And to do that, you know he had to work hard. He had to work hard to become a Most Improved Player and to get to that level. When the fans and sportswriters see that, it's real. That's reality TV, and they're seeing his growth right in front of them! And that's definitely a pattern we're seeing. So I'm so glad that the stereotypes have changed.
&nbsp;&ldquo;And these are young stars! What's amazing is these MVPs are not veteran players. These are young, talented players. When you are looking at the 121 international players, I mean, a large majority of them are young, hungry, growing players who are learning and reaching new heights. And so you're gonna see [a lot more from] guys like Giddey. I mean, he's got three triple-doubles, and he&rsquo;s the youngest player to have those three triple-doubles; he's gonna have a lot more in his career. That&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;
You mentioned that we&rsquo;re just scratching the service in terms of international players dominating the NBA. What are some of your goals going forward?
Justice: &ldquo;I would start by saying that we're currently working in 145 countries as of this last year with all of our programs. And these programs are grassroots through Elite. So we're working with young players and we're working with coaches around the world &mdash; we're training coaches and we're training and developing players at the age of 10-and-up through our Jr. NBA program and then our NBA Basketball School program and our Basketball Without Borders program and our academies. So we've created a global basketball ecosystem in partnership with FIBA and federations around the world to say, &lsquo;Let's all work together for the greater good of the growth of the game, and all boats will rise together.&rsquo; And that's really what's been taking place. And then in the future, we're going to expand all these programs. We're looking to go to 160 countries this year, with a goal to go up to 170 countries. And so we're just going to keep growing and expanding, and doing what we do even better and doing more of it.&rdquo;
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In Australia, Patty Mills had the top-selling NBA jersey and Josh Giddey was No. 4 (trailing only Mills, Stephen Curry and LeBron James). When so many international players are thriving, how does that help the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts and worldwide popularity?
Justice: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible because you see these fans coming [to games] with their flags flying. Even here at All-Star, I think Luka's going to be very popular because I know that there's a large community here from Slovenia. Wherever these stars go, not only do they attract global fans, but in particular, fans from their home country. And many of these players, if not all of them, are going back to their home countries in the offseason to give back &mdash; whether it's running their camps or refurbishing courts or providing training or giving shoes. Whatever it is, they're doing a lot to put back into the game because they realize what others have done to help them, so they're looking to help others on that journey. That's just kind of part of the culture and the ecosystem and that give-back stuff is like compounding interest that we're experiencing together.
&ldquo;We are so proud of these international players and how they are representing themselves and their countries and their teams and their league. These are really incredible people who are making a real difference. And not only are they having these tremendous careers, they&rsquo;re doing a lot of great things off the court to grow the game globally and give back. We often talk about their stats and awards, but they are also tremendous global citizens who are using this platform for a lot of the right reasons, and we&rsquo;re very excited about them and for what the future holds.&rdquo;
You and your team have also helped develop many young women through Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Program. Can you share some details about those efforts?
Justice: &ldquo;This is a huge focus area for us, a real area of passion, and something that we really work hard at. I just met with our women&rsquo;s Elite team this morning and they briefed me that we now have over 60 athletes from around the world that we have placed in U.S. prep schools and U.S. colleges, including some at the highest levels like at South Carolina and Connecticut. We have women in our program internationally that are at the highest levels competing. And then Han Xu from China was our first women&rsquo;s Academy player to be drafted into the WNBA, so there&rsquo;s a lot of work we&rsquo;re doing on that side too.&rdquo;
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Troy Justice, the NBA's Head of International Basketball Development, discusses the NBA's recent international takeover.

An inside look at how international players are taking over the NBA

The NBA has named its Players, Rookies and Coach of the Month for February on Wednesday.
DeMar DeRozan and Luka Doncic were announced as Players of the Month in their respective conferences. DeRozan averaged 34.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists, as Chicago went 8-5. Doncic averaged 34.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists as Dallas went 7-3 during their stretch in February.
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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in February. <a href="https://t.co/4fNol8mLpz">pic.twitter.com/4fNol8mLpz</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1499474709615947787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Oklahoma City guard Josh Giddey earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in the Western Conference, while Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors. 
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Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in February. <a href="https://t.co/wvTRywVpVZ">pic.twitter.com/wvTRywVpVZ</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1499489832740999172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
Boston head coach Ime Udoka and Utah head coach Quin Snyder took home Coach of the Month honors in their respective conferences.
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Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in February. <a href="https://t.co/wvTRywVpVZ">pic.twitter.com/wvTRywVpVZ</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1499489832740999172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The NBA announced its award winners for the month of February 2022.

NBA announces award winners for month of February

I'd like to get a quick thought off my chest.
Why do we dub the post-All-Star break games as the second half of the NBA season? It's an 82-game season, and every team in the league has played north of 50 games. That's simply not how math works?
Anyway, we&nbsp;are ramping up for the postseason push. As such, most of the storylines will center around the top of each conference. Contender talk, flaws, favorable matchups, buyout targets &mdash; all that Jazz.
We'll focus in on the Play-In races. As of now, the Washington WIzards (0.5 games back) and New York Knicks (3.5) are a mini-run away from overtaking the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks (or No. 9 Charlotte Hornets) in the Eastern Conference. The San Antonio Spurs (2.0), New Orleans Pelicans (2.0) and Sacramento Kings (3.5) are all within striking distance of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The teams at the bottom &mdash; firmly outside of the Play-In race, likely to jostle for better lottery odds &mdash; are going to get lost in the grand scheme of things. I get it from a "winning matters/is more fun" perspective, but you'll miss a lot of cool things if you completely disregard those teams.
Remember, for example, that Darius Garland averaged 18.8 points and 6.3 assists with a 57.0% True Shooting percentage after the All-Star break last season before getting shut down. The hints of his growth &mdash; slick interior feeds and a more aggressive trigger from deep (40.4% on 5.4 attempts vs. 38.4% on 4.5 attempts before the break) &mdash; were present if you peeped those games.
Related: We just watched him in&nbsp;the All-Star game.
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Every team at the bottom doesn't have an All-Star in waiting, but this is my plea to keep an eye on them. I'm here to give you a brief guide.
INDIANA PACERS &mdash; TYRESE HALIBURTON'S ON-BALL GROWTH
Haliburton serving as the blue-chipper to bring Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento wasn't on my bingo card. The early returns have led to super-charged offenses on both sides, so I'm not sure either team is too upset right now.
On the Haliburton front, he's enjoyed a near-unquestioned run as a primary ball-handler. He's averaging 20.8 points (.519/.452/.813 shooting splits) and 11.0 assists (3.5 turnovers) through his first four games as a Pacer, but even that undersells it a bit.
He has completely transformed how the Pacers play; their pace with Haliburton on the floor is roughly four possessions faster than their regular-season mark (97.95, 20th). You have to take that with a grain of salt &mdash; it's been a four-game sample &mdash; but watching this team blaze up the floor after misses&nbsp;and&nbsp;makes has been a startling shift.
The heightened pace makes it a little easier for Haliburton create advantages. Against an unset defense, he's able to manipulate his defender into screens, and reads second- and third-level defenders with ease. He's a darn&nbsp;good passer, and his ability to shoot off the dribble &mdash; he's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1630169/shots-dash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting north of 40%</a> of his pull-up twos (44.1%) and&nbsp;threes (41.7%) this season &mdash; makes him a pretty dynamic weapon.
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There are some areas of growth present though. He's not particularly bursty, so he does occasionally require a re-screen (or two, or three) against top-notch defenders. His shooting has gotten good enough to where ducking under probably isn't a good idea; he still has some questions to answer against switches though.
Beyond that, keep an eye on how consistently Haliburton accesses the paint. His film is (still) littered with reps where he'll come off the screen and find an outlet once he reaches the free-throw line, versus taking an extra dribble or two in order to engage the big.
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STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Isaiah Jackson seems fun! He's already a dynamic roller and pairs well with Haliburton; the very, very early returns have been good &mdash; a whopping 1.4 points per possession on direct hookups, per Second Spectrum.</li>
<li>Buddy Hield is averaging 5.0 assists (1.8 turnovers) since becoming a Pacer. And this isn't of the "find a guy in transition" or "pass it to an open guy as part of a set play" variety. He's making, like, live-dribble reads. If that proves real, we need to start rethinking his offensive value (and how he fits a contender).</li>
<li>As someone who genuinely wasn't familiar of him until a couple of weeks ago, I want to see more of Terry Taylor. He's 6-foot-5 and stocky, and has averaged 13.6 points and 9.5 rebounds (!) since joining the regular rotation nine games ago.</li>
</ul>
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER &mdash; TRE MANN'S SHOT CREATION
Tre Mann is fun.
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No, I mean&nbsp;really&nbsp;fun.&nbsp;
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You generally don't get this blend of ball-handling, shooting touch and footwork from a rookie guard. It's easy to get caught up in the aesthetic of this kind of shot creation, but I'm keeping an eye on it.
His shot profile is already wild. To this point, only 69.4% of his threes and 24.7% of his twos have been assisted on. It makes his overall three-point percentage (36.5%) a little more impressive; it also makes his two-point percentage (39.9%) wildly concerning. But hey, I'm interested in seeing if he can leverage his pull-up shooting into cleaner driving lanes.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>He's overqualified for the stray thoughts section, but good lord is Josh Giddey good. Similar to Haliburton, how intentional he is about generating paint touches vs. early kick-outs is going to be key to his development as a high-level initiator. The fact that's been able to create (and rack up triple-doubles) to this degree with that question mark is a testament to how good he is.</li>
<li>Hey, the Thunder have the third best half-court defense in the NBA in 2022. My pal Mark Schindler <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently wrote about it</a>. Let's see if it holds after the break.</li>
<li>I just... don't want Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shut down for the year like he was last season. I hope we see plenty of him, provided the ankle sprain isn't too severe. Provided he plays, have fun laughing at his weird drives and hope the jumper comes around. He's your "Garland to watch for" in this exercise.</li>
</ul>
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HOUSTON ROCKETS &mdash; KEVIN PORTER JR.'S PG EXPERIMENT
Porter's transition to point guard was something I wrote about as part of my <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-kevin-porter-jr-at-point-guard-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Something To Prove</a> series before the year. It's worth checking in on that.
First 13 games: 13.2 points (.375/.301/.644 shooting splits), 5.2 assists (4.4 turnovers)
Next 13 games: 11.6 points (.344/.360/.556), 6.5 assists (3.4 turnovers)
Last 13 games: 16.6 points (.481/.477/.600), 6.9 assists (2.8 turnovers)
Two quick things on that.&nbsp;
For starters, that second section of games is pretty split up due to him being in and out of the lineup. A poor roster context, plus inconsistent burn (in a new role!), is going to lead to some shoddy play.
Second, look at the relationship between assists and turnovers! The dimes are up, the giveaways are down. Beyond the numbers, you could see the gradual progression of Porter's processing.
The simpler reads were (and are) being made more quickly. He isn't as interior-focused, as he's gotten more reps reading the second level. Nearly 46% of Porter's assists have come via threes this season, way up from his 35.6% clip last year.
He's finally looking for the corners! About 14% of his assisted threes came from the corner in his first two seasons; that's up to 22.7% this year.
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Hopefully Porter is able to stay healthy so he can continue to get these reps. Even if he doesn't prove to be point guard material, this experience should make him deadlier in a secondary role moving forward.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Keep an eye on Jalen Green's progress as a downhill threat. A larger share of his shots have come at the rim since the turn of the year (34% in 2021, 42% so far in 2022, per Cleaning The Glass). His turnover rate on drives has been cut in half (14.1% to 7.0%)... but he's also passing at a less-frequent rate on drives (41.1% to 31%) during the same time period. It's gonna be fun watching him find that balance.</li>
<li>Can Stephen Silas find a way to supplement the Christian Wood/Alperen Sengun frontcourt he's been running with lately? The early returns haven't been great (minus-12.9 Net Rating in 523 possessions, per Cleaning The Glass). The most used trio around that pairing &mdash; Porter, Green and Jae'Sean Tate &mdash; has a pretty solid defense (108.1 DRTG) and a ghastly offense (96.0 ORTG) in 126 possessions. Keep an eye on this group with Garrison Mathews in place of Tate; it's only 25 possessions, but there *are* positive (plus-10.1) returns.</li>
<li>KJ Martin is fun, man. I'd just like to see him get more burn so we can see if the jumper is real. If he isn't the best weak-side rim-protector under 6-6 in the league, he has to be top-five.</li>
</ul>
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DETROIT PISTONS &mdash; CADE CUNNINGHAM'S FREE THROWS
Stop me if you've seen this scene play out.
Cade Cunningham runs a high ball-screen. His defender either gets caught on the pick, or tries to duck under, but fails to cut off the driving angle. Cunningham gains inside leverage, absorbs a blow, puts up a shot that rolls off the rim, and the play goes the other way.
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There are <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;sort=DRIVE_FTA&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=DRIVES*GE*10:DRIVE_FGA*GE*5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">32 players</a> currently averaging at least 10 drives and 5 field-goal attempts on drives. Cunningham's 1.2 free-throw attempts via drive rank 25th; the players below him on the list:
1) Are point guards, with the exception of Tyler Herro (1.1 FTA)&nbsp;
2) Average fewer attempts at the rim than Cunningham does.
Cunningham has had to figure out how to win with drives &mdash; the pace + bump + shoulder nudge seems to be his ideal method of madness. But now he's up against the "rookies don't deserve calls" thing. It's as hilarious (for non-Piston fans) as it is perplexing when watching live.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>It should be noted that Saddiq Bey is averaging 18-5-3 while shooting 37.4% from three on 8.4 attempts in 2022. He's absolutely&nbsp;flinging&nbsp;it and mixing in post-ups against smaller guys. Teams are very &mdash; almost disrespectfully &mdash; comfortable with switching against the Pistons since they don't have pure blow-by or deadly pull-up threats right now. That's led to a lot of mismatch hunting, and thus, Bey getting to put his shoulder into people. It makes for a rough watch at times, but the reps should matter down the road</li>
<li>Will Isaiah Stewart get back to shooting? Please? At least try it? Me and my homies miss second-half-of-2021 Beef Stew.</li>
<li>Killian Hayes is a good defender, darn it. Don't sell all your stock on him yet.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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ORLANDO MAGIC &mdash; DOUBLE BIG LINEUP
This possession is going to live in my head for a long time.
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This is the Magic attempting to use their talented big-man duo of Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba together. It's a Double Drag look that flows into another screening action for Bamba to shoot off of.
In theory, opposing bigs should have trouble tracking across screens. It should be a unique way to stress defenses out. Instead, we get LUKA DONCIC playing DROP COVERAGE because he is not at all worried about the initial pop in Double Drag. Even with Doncic eventually fighting over and contesting the shot, the rest of the defense stays at home.
And this, my friends, is the center (you laughed, it's fine) of my intrigue with this group. Defensively, you see the upside. Two very good rim-protectors with enough mobility (especially in Carter's case) to switch up your schemes. Want to go back to the Chicago Bulls/Jim Boylen days trap with Carter? That's cool, because Bamba and his tree limbs are behind the action. Want to show Bamba high? That's cool, because Carter can clean up messes too.
The Magic are holding teams to 94.1 points per 100 half-court possessions with Carter and Bamba on the floor together, a mark that ranks in the 56th percentile. Their starting unit &mdash; Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Carter and Bamba &mdash; is holding teams to an 87.3 offensive rating in the half court, a ridiculous figure.
But then there's the half-court offense, which is awful in that lineup (83.1) and generally awful with those bigs on the floor together (88.5). While Bamba (34.4% on 3.7 attempts) and Carter (32.1% from 3.6 attempts) are willing shooters from deep, teams don't fear them. They're able to shrink the floor, which is a bit problematic considering Suggs' shooting woes and Anthony's size issue.
I want to see if they can figure the offense out, because they are a joy to watch defensively.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>On-Ball Franz has arguably been the most surprising development of this draft class; at the very least, it's the most suprising among rookies playing in the United States. He's a mean driver with plus-passing chops to boot.</li>
<li>You know who's still delightful? Robin Lopez and his array of sweeping hooks. Perfectly capable third big. I have no clue if he's going to get bought out, but he'll give you some low-post funk.</li>
<li>Aside from the shooting, keep an eye on Suggs defensively. I touched on it <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dont-forget-about-jalen-suggs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in an earlier piece</a>, but he's a few on-ball tricks-of-the-trade away from being a gnarly defender.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan gives a guide for what to watch for among the non-playoff teams during the second half of the season.

Views from the bottom: What to look forward to from NBA non-contenders

As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-wont-mortgage-future-for-lebron-this-is-the-bed-you-made" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramona Shelburne said</a> when she paraphrased the Los Angeles Lakers' front office stance: "You guys got yourselves into this; this is the bed that you made."
We're past the trade deadline and NBA All-Star weekend and into the season's stretch run. Aside from some leftover waivings and G League call-ups, teams have their rosters set. From here on out, it's about just playing with the guys you have.&nbsp;
For the teams in this week's Sour Rankings, there's still time to adjust season goals and find a measure of success. Young rosters might hope for promising player development instead of wins. Those on the fringe of playoff contention might have the Play-In Tournament or the traditional postseason as a benchmark. Disappointing title hopefuls can salvage positivity even if they don't go all the way.
I've listed a target for each squad on the list. It might not be the ideal outcome, but the bar can at least bring some level of satisfaction to a year gone awry.
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 Oklahoma City Thunder made a brief pit stop, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-giddeys-rise-make-thunders-rebuild-even-more-intriguing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey's brilliance</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-oklahoma-city-thunders-emerging-defensive-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team-wide budding defense</a> launched them right back out.
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10. New Orleans Pelicans (23-36)
Zion Williamson's general situation has once again made things sour. CJ McCollum <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cj-mccollum-on-zion-williamson-i-havent-had-conversations-with-him-directly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said on TNT</a> that he has yet to speak with Williamson since being the blockbuster addition for the Pelicans at the trade deadline. The quotes raise serious questions about how Williamson and the Pelicans are handling his extended absence.
At this point, who knows if Williamson will return this season. New Orleans should be aiming to make the Play-In games behind Brandon Ingram and McCollum. The latter has gotten off to a hot start with his new team. The Pelicans are two games back of the Trail Blazers for 10th place in the Western Conference and have plenty of time to move up.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Utah Jazz (36-22)
The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have asserted themselves as the favorites in the West. No other team, including Utah, is in a similar tier. The Jazz also didn't make any significant moves to inspire title hope at the trade deadline, and a recent five-game winning streak doesn't exactly turn the tables. Utah hasn't reached the conference finals since 2006-07, and that seems like a reasonable, yet valuable goal since the team will likely have to get through one of the two powers to get there.
(Last week: 8)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (25-34)
Anfernee Simons averaged 28.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 44.8% from long range over his last five games entering the break. He's been the breakout star of the 2022 calendar year, and has given a listless Trail Blazers team some life. Simons' development might be more important than any team outcome, especially if Damian Lillard does not return this season. If he can finish out the year as the dynamic offensive weapon he's becoming, Simons can show Portland why he's a long-term core piece for the next era.
(Last week: 6)
7. Sacramento Kings (22-38)
When the Kings swung on Domantas Sabonis (and to a lesser extent, Donte DiVincenzo), they basically set the goal: make the playoffs. Play-In exits won't do any good for a franchise that has not made a postseason appearance since 2005-06 and just dealt arguably its top young talent, however. Sacramento is tied with New Orleans and also two-and-a-half games out of 10th in the West. It's going to be a brawl for that last spot, but if the Kings do snag it and advance through the mini-bracket, that means the Sabonis-De'Aaron Fox pairing is worth building around.
(Last week: 5)
6. Charlotte Hornets (29-31)
Charlotte has a top-10 Defensive Rating over the past two weeks, part of this wild roller-coaster ride the Hornets' defense has been on throughout the season. The team's Offensive Rating, however, ranks 27th during that stretch. Gordon Hayward's absence dealt a tough blow to the lineup's synergy. Ultimately, this is still a young team growing into its potential. Remaining in Play-In and playoff contention is a given goal, but I'd also like to see the team find some consistency on both ends and shoot for league-average ratings or better for the rest of the schedule.
(Last week: 9)
5. Houston Rockets (15-43)
On a seven-game slide, Houston has give up a whopping 128.9 points per 100 possessions in February, nearly five points more than any other team. This is an extremely young roster that will take time to mesh on defense, but that's still extremely rough. Tanking outright is not a "goal," but record isn't exactly a concern at this stage.&nbsp;
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More of this, please. They&rsquo;re giving it to you. <a href="https://twitter.com/JalenGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JalenGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/zfRvLkunXL">pic.twitter.com/zfRvLkunXL</a>
&mdash; heypartner (@theheypartner) <a href="https://twitter.com/theheypartner/status/1495761190370353155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Jalen Green is averaging 16.5 points per game this month while canning 41.7% of his three-pointers. He's the face of the future in Houston, so his flashes are what the fans and front office should want to see. As long as Green demonstrates noteworthy growth this spring, things will look up for the Rockets.
(Last week: 7)
4. Washington Wizards (27-31)
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to make his Wizards debut. When he does, it marks the start of a desperate push for Washington to appease Bradley Beal and make the playoffs. The Wizards are in 11th place and currently out of the Eastern Conference postseason picture, but sit just a game back of Charlotte and the Atlanta Hawks. A Play-In appearance can't satisfy; but a playoff appearance is much easier said than done. If two of Toronto, Boston and Brooklyn don't make it to a top-six seed, making the traditional eight is going to be a tall order for the Wizards or any other team.
(Last week: 4)
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3. Brooklyn Nets (31-28)
The Nets sorely needed this All-Star break to put the drama of the James Harden trade and the stench of losing behind them. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are still out for an indefinite period, and Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated, so this current ragtag bunch will have to keep Brooklyn in the playoff hunt. (They did also just ink Goran Dragic to a rest-of-the-season contract on Monday as well.) This is still a title contender on paper... but so was the pre-deadline iteration of the Nets. However, the East is wide open, and fans should expect a healthy roster to go at least two rounds in the postseason. 
(Last week: 2)
2. New York Knicks (25-34)
New York went 3-13 in a one-month span before the pause and promptly decided to forge ahead at the trade deadline with no changes. This doesn't bode well for a team with several veterans, but almost no hope of extending its season at this time.
Since Jan. 17, the Knicks have a 25th-ranked defense and a 22nd-ranked offense. The defense especially needs to improve for the sake of Tom Thibodeau's viability as a head coach. If it's not league-average or better the rest of the way, New York's direction will start to look a lot like the Thibodeau era in Minnesota.
(Last week: 3)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-31)
In the latest Hollywood drama, LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept things pretty wide open</a> when he chatted with The Athletic's&nbsp;Jason Lloyd about his future. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rob-pelinka-refused-to-trade-russell-westbrook-draft-pick-for-john-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report also wrote</a> that Rob Pelinka refused to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for John Wall. So yeah, there's a very obvious disconnect within this franchise.
The Lakers cannot be satisfied with stumbling their way through a Play-In bracket that James himself has gone on record hating. They have to be a top-six seed for the sake of roster durability and image. But being six games behind sixth-place Denver right now, Los Angeles may have already run out of luck.
(Last week: 1)
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Ethan Fuller gives end-of-season benchmarks for success to the league's disappointing teams.

NBA Sour Rankings: Can teams in the dumps still salvage success?

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns gave big men everywhere something to shoot for.
Minnesota's 7-footer became the first center to win the 3-Point Shooting Contest, defeating seven guards during the NBA's All-Star Saturday and providing a memorable moment on a night the dunk contest barely got off the ground.
Towns, who has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong about his range, posted a 29 &mdash; the highest total in the competition &mdash; during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Clippers, who tied for second with 26 each.
New York's Obi Toppin won the four-person dunk contest, scoring a 47 out of 50 in the final round by putting the ball between his legs in the air, touching it off the backboard and re-directing it through the rim.
Golden State's Juan Toscano-Anderson was second as the dunk contest, once a marquee event that at times trumped the All-Star Game, fell flat.
A trio of Cleveland Cavaliers, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, won the Skills Challenge.
After his surprising 3-point win, Towns accepted his trophy at mid-court and immediately turned toward Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal sitting courtside in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
&ldquo;I told you Shaq,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Vegas got the odds wrong.&rdquo;
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Towns was considered, well, a long shot among a field of shot makers that included Young, Kennard, New Orleans' CJ McCollum, Brooklyn&rsquo;s Patty Mills, Toronto&rsquo;s Fred VanVleet, Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane.
&ldquo;I wanted to prove I was the best shooting big man in the world, and now I got the trophy to prove it,&rdquo; Towns said.
There have been other big men crowned 3-point champions, but Kevin Love (2012) and Dirk Nowitzki (2006) are considered power forwards.
&ldquo;I think this is a nice little thing to put on that r&eacute;sum&eacute;,&rdquo; Towns said. &ldquo;Big man hasn&rsquo;t won in 10 years, and, of course, 10 years ago, a decade ago, who won it? The Wolves. It&rsquo;s coming back home where it belongs.&rdquo;
The dunk contest started with some promise and fizzled fast.
Orlando's Cole Anthony caused a stir when he swapped his sneakers for a pair of Timberland boots and then dunked in them with an assist from his father, former NBA guard Greg Anthony.
Toppin said all the participants are great dunkers who wanted to put on a show, and they all were encouraging each other.
&ldquo;When Cole missed those two first ones with the Timbs on, I was like no those Timbs are heavy," Toppin said. &ldquo;I was like, we got to boost his energy up. I was trying to get everybody on their feet.&rdquo;
It worked, momentarily.
But Anthony couldn't complete his second dunk in three tries and he was eliminated along with Houston's Jalen Green, who also struggled while trying to impress a panel of Hall of Fame judges &mdash; Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins.
The hometown Cavs added another moment to their impressive season by winning the re-formatted Skills Challenge, which pitted teams and not individual players.
Garland, Mobley and Allen teamed up to outperform Team Antetokounmpo &mdash; MVP Giannis and his brothers Thanasis and Alex &mdash; and a rookie trio of Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Toronto's Scottie Barnes and Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey.
Mobley, a leading candidate for rookie of the year honors, sealed the win by making a half-court shot on his first attempt, allowing the Cavs to close the segment of the contest in 5.5 seconds and defeat Team Rooks.
The Cavs started the shooting competition off target as Allen, hardly known for his outside touch, made just two shots in 30 seconds. However, Garland brought Cleveland back &mdash; and brought their crowd to life &mdash; scoring 21 points.
However, the Cavs came out of the relay portion tied with Team Antetokounmpo for second place and needed Garland to win a shoot-off with Thanasis to place Cleveland in the final.
After Cunningham drained his 47-footer in 9.9 seconds, Mobley calmly stepped into his winning shot.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of a kind,&rdquo; Allen said of his 20-year-old teammate. &ldquo;Defense, offense and now half court. The whole league knows Evan by now. If they&rsquo;ve ever driven to the paint, they definitely know him, so the NBA should know him by now.&rdquo;

Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 29 during the final round to defeat Atlanta's Trae Young and Luke Kennard of the Clippers.

Center of attention: Towns wins All-Star 3-Point Contest

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The latest from All-Star Saturday:
Obi Toppin won the slam dunk contest, earning a 47 on his final dunk when he needed to do little more than put the ball in the basket after Juan Toscano-Anderson couldn't on his previous try.
In a disappointing finish to All-Star Saturday, the four dunkers occasionally left the judging panel of Hall of Famers with expressionless looks on their faces.
Toppin, the New York Knicks forward, beat Golden State's Toscano-Anderson in the final round to win the event after finishing second as a rookie.
Houston rookie Jalen Green and Orlando guard Cole Anthony failed to advance. Anthony couldn't make his second dunk and appeared to hurt his thumb banging it against the rim.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Obi Toppin had some creative dunks to become the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATTSlamDunk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATTSlamDunk</a> Champion! 🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StateFarmSaturday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StateFarmSaturday</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAAllStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mt0DJqgjbc">pic.twitter.com/Mt0DJqgjbc</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1495254668313874433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

___
The big man was the big winner in the 3-point contest.
Minnesota All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns showed off his long-range shooting skills and was a surprising winner of the event, scoring 29 points in his final round.
Towns beat Luke Kennard of the Clippers and Atlanta's Trae Young in the final round.
Towns has long considered himself the best-shooting big man in the game and vowed he was going to back up his boasts with a victory.
"I needed this trophy to prove it," Towns said.
Brooklyn's Patty Mills, Toronto's Fred VanVleet, Chicago's Zach LaVine, Memphis' Desmond Bane, and New Orleans' CJ McCollum failed to advance.
___
The host Cleveland Cavaliers were the first winners of the revamped Skills Challenge.
Rookie Evan Mobley gave his team a victory by nailing a halfcourt shot on his first attempt, allowing the Cavs to close out the final portion of the contest in 5.5 seconds.
All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland were the other members of the winning team to kick off All-Star Saturday.
The rookie squad of No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham of Detroit, Scottie Barnes of Toronto and Josh Giddey of Oklahoma City was the runner-up in the contest combining shooting, passing and dribbling.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers Thanasis and Alex finished third.
The Antetokounmpo brothers clearly enjoyed competing together as a team. There were engaged and all smiles from the outset of the challenge. They were asking the referees for a video review of the end of the passing portion of the event.
Still to come is the 3-point shooting and dunk competitions.

New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin won the slam dunk contest on NBA All-Star Saturday night.