Bobcats

Spencer Davies speaks with Taqwa Pinero about his life journey and how he's preparing both the future and current hoop generations.

Taqwa Pinero's knowledge is its own currency, and he's paying it forward

The NBA G League today announced the field of 44 draft prospects who will attend the 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp, which will take place May 16 and 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
The 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp gives draft prospects an opportunity to display their skills in front of NBA and NBA G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives over the course of the camp by playing in five-on-five games and participating in strength and agility drills.
Based on performance, select players from the NBA G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in 2022 NBA Draft Combine, which will be held May 18-22 at Wintrust Arena.
&ldquo;We are thrilled to host this talented group of draft prospects at our NBA G League Elite Camp,&rdquo; said NBA G League head of basketball operations Malik Rose. &ldquo;This is an incredible opportunity for these 44 young men to showcase their basketball abilities in front of both NBA and NBA G League front office personnel.&rdquo;
NBA players who have participated in past NBA G League Elite Camps include New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, LA Clippers guard Terance Mann and Miami Heat guard Max Strus.
Here are this year's participants:
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" width="567">NBA Draft-Eligible Players (College/Club)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Abmas, Max (Oral Roberts)</td>
<td width="300">Lee, Hyunjung (Davidson)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Akinjo, James (Baylor)</td>
<td width="300">Lofton Jr., Kenneth (Louisiana Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Aluma, Keve (Virginia Tech)</td>
<td width="300">Manek, Brady (North Carolina)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Bernard, Jules (UCLA)</td>
<td width="300">Martin, Tyrese (Connecticut)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Boeheim, Buddy (Syracuse)</td>
<td width="300">McCormack, David (Kansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Bouyea, Jamaree (San Francisco)</td>
<td width="300">McCullar, Kevin (Texas Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brooks, Eli (Michigan)</td>
<td width="300">McGusty, Kameron (Miami FL)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brooks Jr., Keion (Kentucky)</td>
<td width="300">Nance, Pete (Northwestern)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brown, Tevin (Murray State)</td>
<td width="300">Notae, J.D. (Arkansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Brown, Gabe (Michigan State)</td>
<td width="300">O&rsquo;Neal, Shareef (LSU)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Burton, Tyler (Richmond)</td>
<td width="300">Randolph, M.J. (Florida A&amp;M)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Days, Darius (LSU)</td>
<td width="300">Rhoden, Jared (Seton Hall)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Devoe, Michael (Georgia Tech)</td>
<td width="300">Samuels, Jermaine (Villanova)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="266">Flanigan, Allen (Auburn)</td>
<td width="300">Sasser, Marcus (Houston)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Foster, Kyle (Howard)</td>
<td>Scheierman, Baylor (South Dakota State)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Freeman-Liberty, Javon (DePaul)</td>
<td>Travers, Luke (Perth Wildcats)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Grady, Kellan (Kentucky)</td>
<td>Turell, Ryan (Yeshiva University)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Green, A.J. (Northern Iowa)</td>
<td>White Jr., Fabian (Houston)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gresham, Brison (Texas Southern)</td>
<td>Williams, Bryson (Texas Tech)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gueye, Mouhamed (Washington State)</td>
<td>Williams Jr., Vince (VCU)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Hall, Jordan (St. Joseph&rsquo;s PA)</td>
<td>Wilson, Jalen (Kansas)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jackson, Quenton (Texas A&amp;M)</td>
<td>Yat, Kok (Overtime Elite)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

The NBA G League announced the field of 44 draft prospects who will attend the 2022 NBA G League Elite Camp in Chicago.

NBA announces field of 44 draft prospects for G League Elite Camp

Are we absolutely sure that Greg Monroe should&rsquo;ve been&nbsp;out of the league&nbsp;prior to Monday night?
May 12, 2019 is the last time we saw Monroe in an NBA game, when he logged fewer than two minutes of play in the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. And while he only logged 9.0 minutes per contest in Philly's 12-game playoff run that spring, he had&nbsp;just&nbsp;been signed on April 4, and played three regular-season games to end the season. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywCh-CFaW2c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He played pretty well, too</a>.)
But despite averaging 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 51.4% shooting from 2010 to 2019 in 632 career NBA games, Monroe found himself out of the league for over two-and-a-half years until the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him this week. And fresh off the flight, he put up an 11-9-6-2-1 line against his former Boston Celtics.
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The vet hasn&rsquo;t lost a step! Greg Monroe went for 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in his <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Timberwolves</a> debut. This was his first game in the NBA since 2019. 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBACallUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBACallUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/XAiJh53Tw7">pic.twitter.com/XAiJh53Tw7</a>
&mdash; NBA G League (@nbagleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/1475679537065349122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Monroe, by the way, doesn&rsquo;t turn 32 until June, and when we last saw him, he was one month away from turning 29.&nbsp;
On opening night, the average age of an NBA roster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/lakers-oldest-nba-teams-entering-season/1gvfecopluvy71rmj43y8ezgtf">for 2021-22 was 26.1</a>. Though the number precedes what we&rsquo;ve seen regarding roster reshuffling due to COVID and injuries, the 26.1 median age is the youngest the league has been this century. It&rsquo;s also roughly where we&rsquo;ve been&nbsp;for at least a few seasons.
Ten seasons ago, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2012.html">the average age was 26.7</a>. In 2001-02,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2002.html">we were at 27.4</a>, with five teams hovering around 30 years old on average and only two leveling at 25 or under. Entering the new millennium, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2000.html">the average was up at 27.8</a>.
Over the last several years, we&rsquo;ve also experienced <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/16/21566647/nba-undrafted-alex-caruso-duncan-robinson">a boom in undrafted talent making NBA rosters</a>. Many four-year college players are entering the league between the ages of 22 and 24, occasionally older, which &mdash; along with the continual record amount of one-and-dones &mdash; contributes to what generally is a less-experienced league than what we&rsquo;ve seen previously.
Think about this: You already can&rsquo;t have a &ldquo;Greatest Undrafted NBA Player of All-Time&rdquo; discussion without mentioning Fred VanVleet. And he&rsquo;s one of the many reasons NBA teams keep trying to find those possible diamonds in the rough instead of signing a 30-year-old veteran who's been around. The VanVleet revelation doesn&rsquo;t happen often, and he&rsquo;s also a Toronto Raptor; they don&rsquo;t exactly suck at development. Nevermind that a VanVleet or a Wesley Matthews is rare; if the Sacramento Kings had scooped up Gabe Vincent in 2019, he might be guarding Shane Larkin in the EuroLeague right now instead of Tyrese Maxey or... *checks Dec. 26 notes* ... Hassani Gravett. 
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It&rsquo;s something that magnifies an even larger societal complication &mdash; eliminating much of the middle class in any profession. We&rsquo;re increasingly watching decision-makers seek to hire fewer advanced and/or experienced employees in favor of entry-level labor, or shapeshifting transactions with those of the one percent with little in-between. It has long been reported on, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/03/18/the-pandemic-stalls-growth-in-the-global-middle-class-pushes-poverty-up-sharply/">the gap is continually increasing</a>. The NBA, as a business, isn&rsquo;t much different. Look up your favorite team and see how many guys are on minimum deals or minimum-adjacent (think rookie-wage scale) contracts.
No one with Monroe&rsquo;s career production and resume should&rsquo;ve been out of the whole-ass league by age-29. It&rsquo;s not to say he should&rsquo;ve been on a contender&rsquo;s starting five, or even in a playoff rotation, but out of the NBA entirely? Forced to play (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/greg-monroe-1.html">and play well, by the way</a>) elsewhere? In his case, he had been productive in the EuroLeague since leaving the NBA.
(As an aside: In Europe, it&rsquo;s harder to score, rotations are deeper and you don&rsquo;t play as much, so numbers will be lower. Look at <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/luka-doncic-1.html">Luka Dončić&rsquo;s MVP 2017-18 season</a> or <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/teams/barcelona/2021.html">Liga ACB champion FC Barcelona&rsquo;s 2020-21 stats</a> for example.)
Jeremy Lin ranted about this last season where, after averaging 19.8 points and 6.4 assists on 51/43/88 splits in the G League during a shortened season, he was the only top-10 G League scorer to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3161207/coronavirus-omicron-spreads-global-gloom-over-new-years-celebrations?module=perpetual_scroll_2&amp;pgtype=article&amp;campaign=3161207">not earn an NBA 10-day contract</a> last season. The players who did include Henry Ellenson, 24, Justin Harper, 23 at the time, Tyler Cook, 23, Oshae Brissett, 22, and Ignas Brazdeikis, 22.
Lin, 32 then, 33 now, never received an offer, he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
❤️ <a href="https://t.co/7socHMLMkH">pic.twitter.com/7socHMLMkH</a>
&mdash; Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLin7/status/1394798832542699521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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COVID accelerated and exposed <a href="https://time.com/5888024/50-trillion-income-inequality-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much of the nationwide economic imbalance</a>, but a deep dive on that is for another discussion. (Etan Thomas, if you&rsquo;re reading this...)
One of the only good things to come from this particular COVID surge is the temporary <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-four-10day-veterans-who-can-revitalize-their-nba-careers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revitalization of some NBA careers</a>. It includes James Ennis, Lance Stephenson, Joe Johnson, Langston Galloway and Monroe, along with Alfonzo McKinnie (<a href="https://www.latinorebels.com/2021/12/06/prosportslatinamerica/">Mexico&rsquo;s own &hellip; kinda!</a>), who is the first 10-day to full-timer this season.
In more recent days, <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/10daytracker">we&rsquo;ve seen Al-Farouq Aminu, Brandon Knight and Darren Collison get deals</a>, too. But plenty of the guys we&rsquo;re seeing get these calls probably should&rsquo;ve been in the league longer than they were over some of the undrafted guys who probably aren&rsquo;t true NBA players. Even if they don&rsquo;t play much, the locker room presence and leadership, if you find the right veteran, is priceless.
But hey, <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/12/salaries-for-10-day-contracts-in-2021-22.html">it saves a billionaire money</a> to go entry-level instead, and I&rsquo;m over hear bitching about it on the internet during the holiday week while trying to recover Dr. Dre&rsquo;s phone in the new GTA V: The Contract, so what do I know?

Bryan Fonseca dives into how veterans should hold more importance in the NBA over younger players on smaller contracts.

NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why

Hi, hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK KEEPS ON FLYIN'
There's always a "but..." with Russell Westbrook.
He can get to the rim whenever he wants! But the free throws...
He can make any pass in the book! But the turnovers...
He can hound dudes as an on-ball defender! But when he's off-ball...
Even the triple-doubles -- his teams have won roughly 75% of their games in which they occur -- draw some casternation. How contested were those rebounds? How friendly was the scorekeeper for those assists? How many shots did he take?
As someone who has been on both sides of the fence -- I appreciate his rim pressure and passing chops, not so much a fan of the decision-making and defense on a per-possession basis -- even I find the discourse around him exhausting.
My favorite part of the Westbrook Experience may be the rebounding, but on the offensive end. He's technically tied with Bruce Brown atop the guard list for offensive rebounds (1.7) this season, though calling Brown a guard may be a stretch due to his role.
At any rate, Westbrook's penchant for timely clean-ups are uniquely him. Beating the odds may be underselling the ridiculousness of his adventures.&nbsp;
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That's Westbrook high-pointing a ball with two Pacers in the vicinity, then flinging a dart to Alex Len before touching the floor. That, uh, is not an easy play to make! And somehow, that wasn't even the most impressive board Westbrook snagged.
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Following a Bradley Beal pull-up jumper, there are three Pacers -- all taller than Westbrook -- who have better rebound positioning. Westbrook is able to slither inside of Kelan Martin, dislodge the ball from Martin and Domantas Sabonis, then beat Doug McDermott to the ball. He then caps off that feat by dishing the rock to a cutting Rui Hachimura for an open flush.
Westbrook finished with four offensive rebounds (19 total) in that game, the seventh instance of Westbrook having at least four offensive rebounds in a game this season.&nbsp;
Regardless of how you feel about the man, these things remain true:
1) Westbrook is one of the best guards in NBA history, and will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
2) That man brings it. Every single night. Even when the result isn't great, it's hard not to respect the process.
3) He is the primary reason that the Wizards would be incredibly annoying to play against during the play-in and playoffs.
IS ANDREW WIGGINS... UNDERRATED?
Let's start with a wonky stat query, shall we?
Wiggins is averaging 18.6 points while shooting 37.7% from deep (5.2 attempts), and also blocking a shot (1.0) per night. The only two players <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional/?sort=FG3_PCT&amp;dir=-1&amp;CF=FG3A*GE*5:PTS*GE*18:BLK*GE*1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">matching or besting those marks</a> are Kevin Durant and Karl-Anthony Towns.
That means next-to-nothing from a big picture perspective -- Wiggins is no KD or KAT. It's only to point out that it isn't easy to find that combination of scoring, three-point shooting proficiency, and event creation defensively.&nbsp;
But dig into Wiggins' season a bit, and you should come away... mildly impressed. He isn't just flying down the court and operating as a play-finisher alongside Steph Curry. He grades out well in self-created actions, per Synergy: post-ups (51st percentile), pick-and-rolls (71st percentile), and isolation (83rd percentile).
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After an outlier bad start as a finisher, Wiggins is converting a career-high 70.7% of his shots <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wiggian01.html#shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inside of three feet</a>. It's a shame that's coming with a career-low free throw rate (.226), but hey. Baby steps.
More surprisingly, Wiggins has seemingly graduated from the good-when-he-cares class on defense. The Warriors have trusted him with a variety of tough assignments thorughout the season. Not only has he held his own, he's flat-out shut the water off sometimes.
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Who the heck had this on the Bingo! card before the year?
A fun stat to round things out: the Curry-Wiggins-Draymond Green trio without Kelly Oubre on the floor has a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612744&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203952,1626162,201939,203110" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plus-11.9 net rating</a> in 631 minutes.&nbsp;
WES MATTHEWS, FILLING IN THE GAPS
It's no secret that the Lakers have been injury-ravaged this season, with notable absences from their two superstars. It feels like we've had a microsope on their role players -- sometimes unfairly -- because of how their level of importance has fluctuated. Talen Horton-Tucker shouldn't be the only credible ball-handler the Lakers have available. Heck, I just wrote about Marc Gasol's playing time <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/marc-gasol-should-get-more-minutes-los-angeles-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a week ago</a>.
If we're tossing out hat-tips for recent play, I'd like to nominate Wes Matthews. His per-game numbers won't pop for you -- 7.3 points in 25.3 minutes over the last four games -- but he's doing what's needed.&nbsp;
He's knocking down threes at a high clip; the Lakers will take 37% on five attempts from him. Defensively, he's taken on an assortment of tough matchups recently: CJ McCollum, Chris Paul, and RJ Barrett (boy was he <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1392349962785153028?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put in a tough spot</a> at the end of that game) are just a few.&nbsp;
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The Lakers have been [checks notes] over 17 points per 100 possessions better with Matthews on the floor over the past four games. That number 1) isn't entirely on him and 2) seems unsustainable, but it's at least a testament to Matthews providing plus-value on both ends.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>All-NBA is tough. There are a lot of great players in the league. Injuries/COVID will make those discussions even tougher. But, like, where is the Trae Young buzz for an All-NBA team? He's 15th in scoring (25.6) and second in assists (9.5). He's the&nbsp;creator for a team with home-court advantage, and the Hawks have been 8.5 points per 100 possessions better <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612737&amp;VsPlayerID=1629027&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with Young on the floor</a>. I encourage you to look at the same stat for <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612742&amp;VsPlayerID=1629029&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a guy in Dallas</a>, just for funsies.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on Evan Fournier, now that Jaylen Brown is done for the season with a wrist injury. He's averaging 21.3 points (59/59/75 shooting split) in the four games since Brown went out.</li>
<li>Uhhhh, Kelly Olynyk is #not #slowing #down. He's putting up 18.9 points (56/38/85 shooting split), 8.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists since the All-Star break. Pick-and-pops, herky-jerky post-ups, fake handoffs. I keep waiting for his usual regression and it... just hasn't happened. His free agency should be fun.</li>
<li>Jaxson Hayes' last three games: 19 and 8 with 3 blocks, 18 and 8 with 6 blocks, and then 13 points against Memphis on Monday... and he went 3-of-3 from deep. #2KWasRight.</li>
<li>Speaking of former lottery bigs we don't quite know what to think of: Marvin Bagley is averaging 17 and 8 in May. The pathway to being a high-level play finisher, on the interior anyway, is still there.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
The Butler Did It
It's always a good time when the Heat 1) run some screening action for Duncan Robinson or 2) clear a corner. It's especially fun when they do both.
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An Iverson cut brings Robinson from one side of the floor to another. But from there, the Heat pivot.&nbsp;
Jimmy Butler darts from the left corner to the right block, giving off the illusion of a post-up clear-out. With Marcus Smart top-locking him (a heavy theme from this game), Butler uses Smart's positioning against him, back-cutting him and getting a lob from Goran Dragic in the process.
One might say it was a Smart play from Butler.
Masterful Misdirection
This is freaking hilarious.
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The play initially caught my eye because I was like, "Hmmm, is this a 'Floppy' look? Teams are still doing that?" I like the set up regardless; Kevin Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and John Collins form this weird triangle and it immediately throws the Wizards for a loop.
Westbrook calls out a switch early; clearly some wires get crossed because of it. Bogdanovic flies through the escape hatch beofre relocating to the left wing. Hachimura starts chasing Bogdanovic for... some... reason. That leaves Westbrook caught between Huerter and Collins, and they win that 2-on-1 pretty easily.
Fun stuff. Confusing stuff. Creative stuff. Effective stuff.
Bringing Down the House
Seems a bit mundane, but I wanted to give a quick shout to the budding chemistry between Tyrese Maxey and Dwight Howard off the bench.
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We get a variation of HORNS Flare to kick things off; Anthony Tolliver (still alive!) ghosts a screen for Maxey before relocating to the right wing. The action then flows into a pick-and-roll between Maxey and Howard.
With George Hill stashed in the left corner -- he's shooting 46% from there over the past three seasons, per InStat -- TJ McConnell can't tag Howard on the roll in good conscious. Maxey does a phenomenal job of driving deep enough to engage Goga Bitadze, then flips a lob over his head for the easy slam.
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or, well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/ariivory">Arielle Chambers</a> on the <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1391860599555039235?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25 greatest moments</a> in WNBA history.
<a href="https://twitter.com/DorothyJGentry">Dorothy Gentry</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/DorothyJGentry/status/1392119386585042946?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a fantastic feature</a> on WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper.
<a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck">Matt Ellentuck</a> gives you a guide to help <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1392146591436390402?s=20">pick your favorite WNBA team</a> (if you don't have one already.)
<a href="https://twitter.com/juscarts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Carter</a> gave his <a href="https://twitter.com/juscarts/status/1392493429108744194?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WNBA preseason power rankings</a>. It would appear the Sky is the limit.
<a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader">Mirin Fader</a> came through with the goods on <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1392476775356108800?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart</a>.&nbsp;

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

Roaming the Baseline: Russell Westbrook, Andrew Wiggins, Wes Matthews

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for January 25, 2021.
Greek Freak Asleep 
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Did Giannis just get called for a 10-second free throw violation?? That's gotta be the first one in AGES!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FearTheDeer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FearTheDeer</a>
&mdash; Sully Akbari (@SullySays__) <a href="https://twitter.com/SullySays__/status/1353543550114398208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
Concentration is one thing, but there is a thing as too much focus on the goal at hand. Classic case of overthinking, which explains the ghastly 58.5 percent at the charity stripe.
In the words of the great Wes Mantooth... 
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me: lebron james and sue bird winning championships in year 17 is incredible. they're ageless. what an incredible accomplishment. longevity should be celebrated. also me: tom brady retire bitch
&mdash; Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/mellentuck/status/1353476781848862726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
Dear TB12: "Deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure, straight hate you! But God damn it, do I respect you!"
Halipuppy
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My son!💛 <a href="https://t.co/jn6iIdZMZO">https://t.co/jn6iIdZMZO</a>
&mdash; Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) <a href="https://twitter.com/TyHaliburton22/status/1353076687206932480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
That doggo is gonna learn how to anticipate where that tennis ball is going in less than a month.
Love and Basketball 
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Quarantine has allowed us to pursue side hustles we didn&rsquo;t know we had...me included. 🤓 That being said, check out these sneaker/ball inspired greeting cards. Perfect for those couples who find themselves in situationships and need some clarity for an upcoming holiday...🙄 <a href="https://t.co/pGaeMYB3zD">pic.twitter.com/pGaeMYB3zD</a>
&mdash; Zharita Sese (@zharitamay) <a href="https://twitter.com/zharitamay/status/1353199984791924737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
In the 28 years I've been on this planet, the only time I've celebrated Valentine's Day was in my elementary school classroom, and these would have been at the top of my list even as a kid.
Abort Mission 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
when you see your friend flirting with their ex at the party <a href="https://t.co/l9UHJC325M">https://t.co/l9UHJC325M</a>
&mdash; Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) <a href="https://twitter.com/mollyhannahm/status/1353189484515495940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
"Why don't we go see what's going on over here," you said, knowingly dragging your friend to the opposite side of the house.
Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
this week's mailbag is going to be special, let me tell ya <a href="https://t.co/wvQSo4TndE">pic.twitter.com/wvQSo4TndE</a>
&mdash; Orange is the New Openly Black (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1352986280230055937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
Send us your NBA comparison for the Eugene H. Krabs vs. Sheldon J. Plankton series. I want to know.
DeMar DeFROzan 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
open for a surprise <a href="https://t.co/9Czc5AFyew">pic.twitter.com/9Czc5AFyew</a>
&mdash; din (@klooowry) <a href="https://twitter.com/klooowry/status/1352740706759172096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
That's what you call a max vert.
I'm Here, Too 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kawhi Leonard had 34 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers today. It's only the 10th time in NBA history a player has recorded at least 34-9-8 with 0 turnovers, and the first since Nikola Jokic in October 2018. Clyde Drexler is the only player to ever do it twice.
&mdash; Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyByKnite/status/1353487928048029696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
Paul George has been getting all the hype, but Kawhi is just quietly ho-humming along with his own 50-40-90 season.
Top of the Line 
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Current NBA league leaders w/ at least 10 GP. PPG &mdash; Beal (34.9) RPG &mdash; Drummond (15.1) APG &mdash; Harden (11.0) SPG &mdash; L. Nance (2.4) BPG &mdash; M. Turner (4.1) MPG &mdash; Harden &amp; Sabonis (38.2) PER &mdash; Jokic (31.3) FG% &mdash; R. Holmes (67.7%) 3P% &mdash; Caruso (56.7%) FT% &mdash; Redick (25-for-25, 100%)
&mdash; J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeskeets/status/1353334506745421825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
From a diehard Akron Zip, shout out to MAC alum and former Bowling Green State University Falcons standout Richaun Holmes. Though I still don't know what the Sacramento Kings are, I do know that dude brings energy and hustle on a nightly basis.
Crispy 
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Portland, Oregon. Tomorrow we feast on FREE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/McNuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#McNuggets</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> gets us to 100 points and once again it&rsquo;s a GREAT day to be a blazer fan <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/McNuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#McNuggets</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RipCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RipCity</a> <a href="https://t.co/6aJiIARYkP">pic.twitter.com/6aJiIARYkP</a>
&mdash; Did Blazers Get McNuggets? (@BlazerMcNuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlazerMcNuggets/status/1353567037918826496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
I'm sorry, I can't find the greatest caption for this one because I keep humming the "Bolt 24" commercial. I blame you, Dame.
And That's What's Up 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;Defence is cool. Defence is neat. Yo who clamped down Brogdon? His name is Fredderick Edmund VanVleet.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/RzosCXpe9c">pic.twitter.com/RzosCXpe9c</a>
&mdash; Mya (@matthomasburner) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthomasburner/status/1353562819224956928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
Look who's inching back up the standings...*eyes emoji*
See a tweet that should be featured in tomorrow's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our staff scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Jan. 25, 2021.

Kellen