Oklahoma City Thunder

Since the 2013-14 season, the NBA has used player-tracking technology to collect all kinds of interesting data, including a player&rsquo;s average speed, distance traveled, number of touches and more.
Second Spectrum is the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;official optical tracking provider,&rdquo; and they&rsquo;ve installed a player-tracking system in the catwalk of every NBA arena. Using multiple cameras, state-of-the-art machine learning and computer-vision techniques, the software identifies and locates every player and the ball 25 times per second. If something happens on the court, the player-tracking system catches it, and the data gets uploaded to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.
That&rsquo;s how we know that five players &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Miles Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes &mdash; ran more than 200 miles throughout the course of last season. And for the second-straight season, Fred VanVleet led all players in average distance traveled, running 2.82 miles per game.&nbsp;
Which players are currently covering the most distance this season? And which players have the fastest and slowest average speed? Let&rsquo;s take a look:
MOST MILES PER GAME
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">LaMelo Ball</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.8 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Fred VanVleet</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.77 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Terry Rozier</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.74 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.73 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Pascal Siakam</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.72 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Dejounte Murray</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Tyler Herro</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.68 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">C.J. McCollum</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Zach LaVine</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
MOST TOTAL MILES
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">163.7 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Anthony Edwards</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">159.6 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Buddy Hield</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">156.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Franz Wagner</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">155.3 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Julius Randle</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">154.1 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">153 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Evan Mobley</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">151.5 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Jalen Brunson</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">150 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">P.J. Washington</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">149.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Domantas Sabonis</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">148.9 miles</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Clearly, a player's role and their team's style of play influence how many miles they're running each game.
FASTEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Wendell Moore Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.71 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Luka Garza</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">T.J. McConnell</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Jordan McLaughlin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.61 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Blake Wesley</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Caleb Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.58 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Cody Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Sam Hauser</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Dalano Banton</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Aaron Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
SLOWEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 209px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Joel Embiid</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">DeAndre Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Eric Gordon</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.63 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.66 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.67 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">John Wall</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 11px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 11px;">Kyle Lowry</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 11px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.72 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
If you're interested in checking out all of the NBA's tracking data, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it can be found here</a>.

The NBA uses player-tracking technology to find out every player’s average speed, average distance traveled and much more.

Tracking data shows which NBA players run the most miles per game

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

On Wednesday night, Bennedict Mathurin treated NBA fans to another highlight-reel performance by an inbound rookie.
The sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft dropped 27 points, shot 61% from the field and threw down this monster dunk for the Indiana Pacers in their preseason contest against the New York Knicks:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Bennedict Mathurin is making everyone who had him Top 5 look very smart in this preseason&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/MgcKLeA05g">pic.twitter.com/MgcKLeA05g</a>
&mdash; Draft Deeper (@DraftDeeper) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftDeeper/status/1580373117926805505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Mathurin is averaging 20.3 points in just over 22 minutes per game this preseason, ranking second in scoring among all rookies who have played multiple games. He's been a leading hype-getter over the past month, along with others like Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-tari-easons-preseason-play-forecasting-a-breakout-rookie-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who I wrote about on Monday</a>), Sacramento Kings swingman Keegan Murray and Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey. As always, though, there's the asterisk that comes with a stellar showing in a contest that doesn't count.&nbsp;
So how well does preseason rookie stardom forecast the first year of production? Obviously, countless variables can change the environment for a player between the preseason and regular season. But past trends are always worth a peek and offer a historical look at a portion of the NBA calendar that always gets forgotten.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Per-game scoring has some of the highest weight in the All-Rookie race. Last year, the top five per-game scorers made up the All-Rookie First Team. In 2020-21, the first-team members included five of the top six scorers. Points shouldn't be the crux of the voting process (see Herb Jones getting snubbed from the First Team!!), but they are.
Here's a look at preseason historical rookie scoring leaders over the last 10 seasons, and how they ended up faring in Year 1. This data is courtesy of RealGM (minimum 2 preseason games played and 50 regular season games played).
(Note: Exceptions were made for Zion Williamson and Joel Embiid, who landed on All-Rookie First Team despite playing well below 50 games. They are included in applicable categories.)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 76.50130548302872%; height: 242px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 preseason scorers who were also top-10 in reg. season</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 preseason scorers who made All-Rookie teams</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">No. of top-10 reg. season scorers who made All-Rookie teams</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">7</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2016-17</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">6</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">9</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2015-16</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2014-15</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">2</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2013-14</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">6</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 8.998963522219945%; height: 22px;">2012-13</td>
<td style="width: 23.9518220184301%; height: 22px;">5</td>
<td style="width: 19.021436368956508%; height: 22px;">4</td>
<td style="width: 17.556894488460735%; height: 22px;">8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table) 
This table eschews some of the context that comes with the ups and downs of different rookie classes. For example, just four rookies averaged more than 9 points per game, and Steven Adams averaged 3.3 points and managed to land on the All-Rookie Second Team... yeesh. Cade Cunningham probably would have been a preseason top scorer if he wasn't hurt, and the same could be said for Jabari Parker's 2014-15 regular season had he not torn his ACL.
Still, the general theme appears to be that preseason bucket-getters can signal regular-season success, but it's not an automatic transition. And this makes sense &mdash; playing time is obviously different in the preseason, and roles that appear to be solid might dissolve. Jared Butler, Trey Murphy III and James Bouknight were all top-five preseason rookie scorers last year who scarcely played in the regular season (though Murphy caught on late).&nbsp;
The last 10 years of preseason scoring leaders, in reverse chronological order, are Jared Butler (18.0 PPG), Theo Maledon (15.5), Zion Williamson (23.3), Deandre Ayton (18.2), Kyle Kuzma (17.3), Troy Williams (13.2), Emmanuel Mudiay (15.0), Jabari Parker (15.1), Victor Oladipo (13.9) and Damian Lillard (16.2). Seven of those guys landed on an All-Rookie team, but only Lillard earned Rookie of the Year.&nbsp;
That being said, it's significant that Eason and Mathurin have thrived at their current level. They're both putting up over 30 points per 36 minutes, which is ridiculous given their sizeable preseason roles. Williamson is the only other qualifying rookie in the last 10 years to clear such a threshold while averaging more than 20 minutes per game. Let me go find the wide-eyed emoji.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Playing time, ultimately, is perhaps the trickiest puzzle to solve with preseason. Eason and Mathurin should have room to play through mistakes on teams in rebuilding situations. But what about some of the less emphatic rookie standouts?
This year's 10 leading scorers are Eason (20.7 PPG), Mathurin (20.3), Murray (16.0), Ivey (13.7), Jaden Hardy (13.5), Paolo Banchero (13.3), Jalen Williams (12.8), Shaedon Sharpe (11.8), Ousmane Dieng (11.0) and Jamal Cain (10.0). I'd consider Hardy, Sharpe and Cain the toughest All-Rookie bets of the group, just because they'll have to overcome deeper rosters and show they can impact winning for playoff hopefuls.
It's a boring takeaway, but here's my final thought: Remember that it's the preseason, and the jump to games that matter gets bumpy fast. But be cautiously excited about your favorite rookie. It's healthy to enjoy fun basketball. As interesting as it is to look back at history, every young player faces their own unique set of obstacles on the pathway to success.
Meanwhile, Rockets and Pacers fans &mdash; go wild. Even if the team scores are meaningless, Tari Eason and Bennedict Mathurin sure are awesome.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Happy belated birthday to our Nekias Duncan! He dropped a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-pacific-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific Division season preview</a> and mentioned the Golden State Warriors' we-won't-call-it-a-Death Lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green outscored opponents by 42 points in 105 playoff minutes last year. That's a group to watch out for.</li>
<li>Let's not forget how huge Jerami Grant's addition could be for the Blazers defense (via this graphic from SIS Hoops):&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
In Jerami Grant, Portland adds a versatile defensive chess piece, adept at limiting advantages on the ball and cleaning up as a help rim protector: <a href="https://t.co/un8bilBhI5">pic.twitter.com/un8bilBhI5</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1580221934603640838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

<ul>
<li>Todd Whitehead has put together some neat visualizations of how players have changed roles over the course of their careers. I thought this one with Pascal Siakam was particularly interesting:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Who might follow this career path next? Pascal Siakam was super efficient as a slashing wing a few seasons ago but then he took on a more central role in Toronto's offense and his PPP hasn't fully recovered. Perhaps this is the year. <a href="https://t.co/A4WlUBAmj5">pic.twitter.com/A4WlUBAmj5</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1580345468344623105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Ethan Fuller looks at past trends to see if this year's preseason rookie stars can keep the momentum going into the regular season.

NBA Stats Notebook: Does preseason stardom translate to rookie success?

Nekias Duncan previews each of the Pacific division teams ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Pacific Division

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

Who is poised to become a free agent next offseason? Here’s a look at the top 40 NBA players who could be available next summer.

2023 NBA Free Agency: Looking ahead to next summer's free-agent class

The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the big winners, winning the No. 1 overall pick for the fourth time in franchise history.
Winning the lottery is a big deal for any team, as it gives them a tremendous opportunity to add an elite young talent. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 draft class</a> features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects who have already adequately separated themselves from the other top youngsters. Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero are easily the most electrifying players in the 2022 class.
All three of these prospects are versatile big men, which is a role that the Magic would be well-served in addressing. Orlando had two lottery picks in 2021, which they used on Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs and Michigan small forward Franz Wagner. If the Magic add a big man who grows into a superstar, their roster will be mostly set for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the allure of prospects wears off almost immediately after the draft. Ignoring the scouting process and all the work that goes into prosect evaluation, a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals that first-overall picks are far from the sure things we make them out to be:
2012 NBA Draft: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Ten years ago, the New Orleans Pelicans selected Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick. Davis grew into a superstar quickly, and his impact on the Pelicans was clear almost immediately. He led the Pelicans to the playoffs twice, in 2014-15 and 2017-18. The 2017-18 team was particularly good, winning 48 games in the regular season with a core of Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday. Cousins&rsquo; injury played a major role in Davis departing the Pelicans, as New Orleans failed to replace Davis&rsquo; friend and running mate. Had Cousins stayed healthy, who knows how good New Orleans could have been?
Still, Davis is clearly a great player who was absolutely worthy of the No. 1 pick. He has become an eight-time All-Star and earned a spot on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Davis helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship in 2020, and he has career averages 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds 2.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals.
Verdict: Success, although not necessarily for New Orleans.
2013 NBA Draft: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers 2014 NBA Draft: Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland Cavaliers 
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked first overall in 2013 and 2014. The strange thing about both picks is that neither Anthony Bennett nor Andrew Wiggins made an impact in Cleveland. Both were sent to Minnesota in a package for Kevin Love. Bennett played one uneventful season with the Cavaliers, and Wiggins was sent out prior to the start of his rookie season. So, which team do we assess? Cleveland or Minnesota? Let&rsquo;s review both.
Technically, getting two consecutive first overall picks and trading them to the Timberwolves helped Cleveland win their first championship in franchise history. That&rsquo;s a big win for the Cavaliers, even if it cost them both players. Cleveland&rsquo;s championship was more so a product of LeBron James (and Kyrie Irving to a lesser extent), but Love was impactful and the trade worked out.
Conversely, Minnesota did not fare well with Wiggins and Bennett. They qualified for the playoffs only once in Wiggins&rsquo; five-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota, and Bennett was off the team after only one season. Wiggins seems to have found a home in Golden State, but he's the team&rsquo;s fourth-best player, which is not what most people expect from No. 1 picks (especially one with Wiggins' hype).
Verdict: Both are failures relative to expectations, but Wiggins has become a significant contributor.
2015 NBA Draft: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Speaking of Minnesota, they fared so poorly following the aforementioned Love-for-Wiggins-and-Bennett trade that they received the No. 1 overall pick in 2015. Yes, that means they technically had the first overall picks from three consecutive drafts on their roster, at least for a short period of time.
The pick in 2015 turned out to be Karl-Anthony Towns, who has now played seven seasons in Minnesota. Until recently, the Timberwolves' front office failed to surround him with the talent needed to compete. Towns has led Minnesota to the playoffs only twice, but regardless how one views the lack of team success, Towns was a good pick. He's a career 20-and-10 guy who shoots an unbelievable 40% from three-point range. The 26-year-old is a perfect big man for today's NBA.
Verdict: The Towns pick is a relative success.
2016 NBA Draft: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft: Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers
We can&rsquo;t really discuss the first overall picks of the past 10 seasons without diving into Sam Hinke&rsquo;s Philadelphia 76ers. Hinke led the &ldquo;Trust the Process&rdquo; 76ers from 2013-2016, during which time he received significant scorn from the NBA, media and basketball purists who felt he was cheapening the game by blatantly losing to increase the odds of being awarded the first overall pick.
Thoughts on Hinke&rsquo;s philosophy aside, he picked first overall in two consecutive seasons. Philadelphia won the draft lottery in 2016, selecting Ben Simmons. Then, they traded up to No. 1 overall in 2017 to nab the rights to Markelle Fultz.
Neither Simmons nor Fultz fulfilled their potential in Philadelphia. Fultz had a misdiagnosed shoulder injury, which resulted in an awkward shooting motion. After two sub-par seasons in Philadelphia, he was traded to Orlando, where he&rsquo;s played better but still nowhere near what's expected from a No. 1 pick.
Simmons was better for the 76ers, co-leading them to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. But Simmons&rsquo; time in Philadelphia ended infamously last season, culminating with him forcing his way to Brooklyn after a lengthy holdout.
Verdict: Degrees of failure, though Fultz was considerably more disappointing than Simmons. At least Simmons became a three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.
2018 NBA Draft: Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns picked first in the 2018 NBA Draft, which is another strange case. Objectively, Deandre Ayton is a major piece on Phoenix&rsquo;s roster. In his fourth NBA season, he averaged an impressive 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Can we really analyze players in a vacuum though? Ayton was picked a few selections before Luka Doncic, who received serious first-overall-pick buzz that June. Imagine if the Suns had paired Doncic with Devin Booker? Like the Rockets and Trail Blazers both did in 1984, the Suns simply overthought this one.
2018 is too recent to accurately judge the long-term impact of this pick. Ayton could very possibly end up being a major contributor on a championship team. Still, this is a push at best, and if he ends up signing elsewhere this offseason, that makes the Ayton selection look even worse.
Verdict: Who the hell knows?
2019 NBA Draft: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans also picked first overall in 2019, selecting the electric athlete, Zion Williamson, who is the toughest first pick to grade in the last 10 years. In his lone injury-free season, he averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 62% on two-point attempts.
But injuries make it far more difficult to grade him. Williamson has played in only 85 of a possible 202 career games, missing the entire 2021-22 season.
Verdict: Time will tell.
2020 NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is experiencing a major resurgence, and the credit belongs to Towns and the 2020 first overall pick Anthony Edwards. Edwards had a good rookie season, but he exploded in his sophomore campaign.
This season, he helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs, averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 44.1/35.7/78.6 shooting splits. In the postseason, he took his game to another level, contributing 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.8 threes, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks on 45.5/40.4/82.4 shooting splits.
Verdict: After only two seasons, Edwards looks like a huge win for Minnesota.
2021 NBA Draft: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Last but not least, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham first overall in 2021. Despite playing alongside less talent than most of his peers, Cunningham's rookie campaign was successful. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds, was named a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection and placed third in Rookie of the Year voting.
One season is too small of a sample size to grade a young player, but Cunningham looks like the absolute right pick.
Verdict: Success (so far).&nbsp; &nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the first overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just four times (2012, 2015, 2020 and 2021). He has been a complete dud twice (2013 and 2017), a good player twice (2014 and 2018), a malcontent once (2016) and an injury-prone player once (2019). Five of the last 10 first picks were traded too. If Ayton is allowed to leave this offseason, then six of the last 10 are no longer with the team that drafted them, erasing the benefit of player development.
For every franchise-changing No. 1 overall pick &mdash; such as LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; there are a handful of players who didn't work out in the long run. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 1 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The Orlando Magic came out of Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery with the first overall pick. How successful does history suggest they will be?

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft

The energy in The Bay was palpable, a crowd starved for its team's first Western Conference Finals berth since 2019. The dominant rule of this Golden State dynasty had been rudely interrupted by a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, a slew of untimely injuries and a superstar migrating across the country to skyscraping lands. Even the Chase Center flooring glimmered in anticipation.
The only thing that gleamed more was the twinkle in the eye of the Warriors' team defense.
The Warriors faced a new challenge in the West Finals, going from containing the quick-twitch athleticism strewn across the Memphis Grizzlies' roster to now containing the pick-and-roll craftsmanship of Luka Doncic, arguably the best player of the 2022 postseason. Luka's a nightmare to deal with, to say the least. He can attack your bigs or smalls on switches in isolation. He makes passes that only a select few across the globe can make should he even gain the slightest bit of an advantage. Most of all, he's a true-blue three-level scorer, geared up with step-back threes, post-ups with Dirk Nowitzki-legged fadeaways, sikly floaters and elongated layups at his disposal.&nbsp;
Containing a player of that ilk is not as simple as just throwing one perimeter player his way and hoping for the best. And while Luka's primary defender, Andrew Wiggins, did an admirable job on Wednesday of holding Doncic to 4-of-10 shooting, it was Golden State's medley of defensive coverages that kept Dallas at bay during the 25-point evisceration.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Steve Kerr's crew threw out six different coverages in the first half &mdash; blitzes, hedge-and-recovers, a shallow drop coverage, pick-and-roll switches, a 3-2 zone and even a Box-and-1 &mdash; to stifle Dallas' second-ranked playoff half-court offense to a crawl. Golden State's coordinated chaos worked effectively, as Dallas put up just 78.8 points per 100 possessions in the half-court during Game 1 (10th percentile, yikes!), well below the 101.3 Offensive Rating that Dallas normally averages in this setting.&nbsp;
We'll touch on a few of those coverages momentarily, but it was Golden State's zone looks that were particularly interesting. The Mavericks haven't seen a ton of zones this postseason, especially coming off a series against the Phoenix Suns that featured mostly drop coverage or the occasional switch with Deandre Ayton manning the middle.
Interestingly, Golden State aligned its 3-2 zone so that Stephen Curry was atop the formation, meaning that he was typically Luka Doncic's primary defender. This goes against conventional thinking; normally, you'd expect the Warriors to hide Curry in the corners on one of Dallas' non-threatening options (think: how Miami deployed Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro in the 2020 postseason) instead of guarding the best mismatch-hunter on the floor. The Warriors, however, felt confident about shuttling defensive possessions to Curry at the point-of-attack, trusting their superstar to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/stephen-currys-defense-continues-to-shine-for-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">utilize his best defensive attribute</a> &mdash; his quick hands&mdash; to frustrate Maverick ball-handlers.
Of course, it helps with Wiggins and Draymond Green situated at the nearby wings, able to sink down and contain should Doncic bullrush his way past the slighter Curry. That's exactly what happened during this first-quarter possession below; Curry bothered Doncic's dribble by sticking in an arm, and when Doncic gathered himself and prepared his attack, Wiggins provided assistance at the nail to erase the driving lane and coerce the kick out. Jalen Brunson, of course, misses the spot-up three (a trend on Wednesday night), and Golden State gets its desired result from the 3-2 zone.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NPsmPpIC3SE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
There's some irony in the Warriors &mdash; the same team that once complained about Toronto's "junk defenses" in the 2019 NBA Finals &mdash; throwing out Box-and-1s to fluster Dallas' heliocentric offense. And yet, a minute later, Golden State busted out that janky look, with Curry, Jordan Poole, Green, and Otto Porter Jr. spread across the lane lines to form the "box," and Wiggins smothering Luka from basically the mid-court line.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/box-and-1_lg.png" alt="" width="701" height="348" />
When Maxi Kleber comes to set a screen for Doncic, Poole and Wiggins trap Luka and use the sideline as a third defender to force the pass. Dallas hot-potatoes the ball across the perimeter, frantically searching for a vialble option, and eventually the Mavs are left with a 27-foot three from Kleber. A result the Warriors will live with.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HxxAJcUQFVk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Mavericks mustered up just 18 total points in the first quarter, which effectively set the tone for the rest of Game 1. Looking ahead after the brutal loss, it begs the question: Where can the Mavericks go next?
Well, there's the obvious answer, for one: Make more friggin' threes. Duh. The Mavericks whiffed on 37 of their 48 total outside looks, with some of those misses being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT-vnjKYwf0&amp;ab_channel=MattBrooksNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pretty dang brutal</a>. But there's more to the game than just blindly hoping for better results.
Thinning Out the Hedges
As mentioned, one of the coverages that Golden State threw at Luka was hedging and recovering on pick-and-rolls. Typically, this was done when Doncic and the Mavericks looked to target Curry in screening actions. Dallas would have Curry's defender &mdash; Reggie Bullock in the first clip; Spencer Dinwiddie in the second&mdash;set a screen on Luka's defender, Wiggins.
Rather than having Curry switch outright onto Doncic, Steph would instead jump out toward the 6-foot-8 ball-handler to buy Wiggins time as he recovered back to his assignment. Though it goes in, a tightly contested step-back three &mdash; which Luka is shooting just 32.1% on in the postseason &mdash; is a result the Warriors can stomach, especially with one of its smallest defenders (Curry) involved in the play.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I-rPUXtU8wY" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Thus, going at Curry with a slew of straight pick-and-rolls wasn't particularly profitable in Game 1. Golden State is too experienced, too disciplined and too even-tempered to be caught off-guard by opponents repeatedly targetting its superstar. After all, that's been the game plan since, what, 2015? Steph is well-versed in evading such narrow offensive game planning.
But Dallas has some unexplored avenues.
One such way could be to mix in more slips to the rim. Below, after Golden State pre-switches to initially neutralize the Doncic-Bullock pick-and-roll, Luka calls for a second screen from Brunson to bring Curry into the fold. When Steph hedges, Brunson then cuts to the rim instead of flaring out to the perimeter. And although the possession is smothered by Draymond Green audibling a switch with Curry and playing some free safety (goodness was he ever incredible in Game 1!), Dallas was able to get two feet into the middle of the paint to make decisions.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ae7EGP5ofcs" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Flipping the angle of the screen at the very last second, which is something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grizzlies-flattening-out-the-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies did against the Warriors</a> in the second round, is a counter yet to be tested by the Mavericks' offense. When Dallas did elect to re-screen in Game 1, it was only because the initial screen failed to connect.&nbsp;
Dallas could also add some intricacy to its pick-and-rolls by forcing Golden State to navigate secondary screens. Screen-the-screener (STS) plays were, once again, something the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/memphisminnesota-game-5-was-a-masterclass-in-playcalling-wizardry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grizzlies tinkered with</a> in the earlier rounds of the postseason, and forcing Curry to navigate an off-ball screen before being dragged into a ball-screen for Luka could put him behind the play, thus throwing off the timing of his hedge.
All Doncic needs is a moment of hesitation to create for himself or others, so mixing in each of the following&mdash; re-screens, slips to the rim, ram screens and/or STS plays and straight pick-and-roll&mdash;to keep the Warriors on pins and needles could prove to make the difference going forward.
Sniffing Out the Proper Switches
So yes, scoping out Curry on pick-and-roll-induced switches didn't go as planned for Dallas in Game 1 given his comfort level with hedging those plays into oblivion; but that's not to say that Dallas failed to get any sort of traction when Golden State swapped assignments after ball screens.
Here's something that should keep Mavericks fans up at night: Dallas was hunting the wrong Warrior guard. Poole was tested by both of Dallas' secondary and tertiary options (Brunson and Dinwiddie), and he looked like a fish out of water on switches. Collectively, Dinwiddie and Brunson went 2-for-3 from the field when defended by Poole in Game 1.
Dinwiddie is both too tall and too quick to be even slightly bothered by Golden State's prolific 22-year-old, and Brunson's veteran craft left Poole stumbling. Jalen's portfolio of pump-fakes, B-Boy dancer pivots and up-and-unders was one hell of a handful for the third-year player.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HxNEy4W2Lqw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Even when Golden State attempted to hide Poole with hedges, he just wasn't disciplined enough to masterfully pull off this coverage with regularity. Here, he "shows" (or hedges) way, way too high up the floor against Brunson, who has yet to burn Golden State with pull-up threes, and Poole ends up getting flamb&eacute;d in isolation.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S07T62TXJIE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dallas' one-two punch of Doncic and Brunson also got off some pretty clean looks when served up Kevon Looney on a platter. Look, Looney had himself one hell of a Wednesday evening and was maybe the Game 1 MVP, but his lateral mobility was tested by Dallas' lead options. Take a look for yourself:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvKVVoWWnwA" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dallas should continue to hammer this home in the series. Though it's admirable that Looney feels empowered to pick up individual creators of Doncic and Brunson's ilk so high up the floor, his hip flexibility doesn't afford him the requisite oomph when changing directions on either player's array of dribbling moves. Doncic found relative consistency in forcing Golden State rotations and passing to open shooters after beating Looney off the dribble; Brunson, meanwhile, danced and jitterbugged his way to his spots to go 3-of-4 when defended by the Warriors' starting center.
It's integral that Dallas continues to exhaust Curry by involving him in a never-ending loop of pick-and-rolls. The more mileage put on his body defensively, the better. But there's also some value in getting some easy ones against guys like Looney and Poole.
Other notes:
<ul>
<li>Testing Klay Thompson, still fresh off two major injuries, is inherently not a terrible idea. Doing so by posting him up and allowing him to use his strong base and 6-6 frame, however, is not so brilliant. Doncic wasn't able to gain any ground against Golden State's sturdy wing, and the Mavericks would be better suited having the bursty Dinwiddie or even the guileful Brunson go at Thompson in space.</li>
</ul>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bpvem8GA9Rg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<ul>
<li>Speaking of Brunson, how often he can make Golden State pay via pull-up threes should be a major theme in the West Finals. Golden State regularly went under ball-screens against Brunson, daring him to shoot, and he responded with a whole bundle of record-scratch moments. Brunson has shot a combined 30.4% on pull-up three-pointers in the regular season and the postseason on just 105 total attempts, and if he continues to feign at chucking them up when the defense drifts underneath screens, Dallas' offense will sludge itself to death.</li>
</ul>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gl63W8B4LoI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<ul>
<li>The Mavericks are one of those teams where you just wish they'd incorporate a little more movement into their offense. Dallas leaves food on the table with screening actions on the weak side of the floor, and it allows the low man to stay engaged when helping over should Doncic (or Brunson or Dinwiddie) discover a crack in the defense. That's particularly problematic against a team like the Warriors and Green, a hellish secondary defender to tangle with. Notice how Golden State preoccupies Luka, the low man in the clip below, with screening action between Wiggins and Thompson. When Looney slips to the rim, Doncic is late on his rotation because of the ensuing traffic on the weak side.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cRDrbXUmlTY" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It'd be great if Dallas could incorporate some of&nbsp;that&nbsp;stuff into their pick-and-roll heavy offense.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Matt Brooks goes in-depth to break down what the Mavericks can improve on offensively against a stout Warriors defense.

How the Warriors' defense flummoxed Dallas, and where the Mavs go next

NBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Saturday, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each first-round series. Let's dig in, shall we?
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-in-weigh-in-part-two/id1547857052?i=1000557698545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II</a> of our series previews at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.)
(1) HEAT VS (8) HAWKS: STAR SWITCH BATTLE
Any hope of an Atlanta Hawks upset begins with the virtuosic creation ability of Trae Young. He's one of the NBA's best pick-and-roll creators, blessed with the ability to bend defenses to his will with a blend of pull-ups, floaters, stop-on-a-dime foul-drawing and every pass in the book.
Enter the Miami Heat, who do a tremendous job of flattening out offenses with switches. And that&nbsp;discussion begins with the versatility of Bam Adebayo.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/njfr19" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The Hawks score on this possession, but look at how much work it takes. Double drag? Nope. Running to a handoff to create an advantage? Nope. Forcing a favorable switch (Tyler Herro will have his work cut out for him) and hoping to attack? Nope, here comes a double.
Only two teams &mdash; the New Orleans Pelicans (0.847 PPP) and the Sacramento Kings (0.722 PPP) allowed fewer points per possession against Young-led ball screens than the Heat (0.851 PPP), and Miami faced more picks (182) than those two teams combined (119).&nbsp;
There's a reason for that. The Heat have the personnel and scheme versatility to make Young's life difficult.
(2) CELTICS VS (7) NETS: BRUCE BROWN'S PLAYMAKING
"We got to be physical with them. Now they don&rsquo;t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint. We can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] Theis. Them not having Rob Williams is huge.&rdquo;
That was Bruce Brown following the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1 of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant had to put out the fire shortly after, but the message rang loud: We think we have another avenue to attack your defense.
I think a lot about this possession from their most recent outing.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/qnbufa" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The Nets opened the quarter with Spain pick-and-roll (!!!) and Boston switched every bit of it. That led to an Al Horford-Kyrie Irving matchup, but Williams felt comfortable trapping Kyrie to get the ball out of his hands. Brown has been making hay as a short-roll threat in 2022, and does so here by nailing a floater.
How often will those advantages be there for Brown? With no Williams, the Celtics will have to decide which of their frontcourt guys &mdash; Horford or Theis &mdash; will take the Brown assignment. And from there, what coverage will they go with? Will they switch, possibly throwing Horford or Theis on Kyrie or Kevin Durant in space? WIll they trap from there?
If so, the Nets may have a way to create some advantage situations aside from their stars.
(3) BUCKS VS (6) BULLS: KHRIS MIDDLETON LEADING THE DANCE
This doesn't seem like a great series for the Chicago Bulls. Quick hat tip to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore</a> for detailing just <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1515199182641926145?s=20&amp;t=9hbXMskZXIW6rvu06kVdpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how much of a mismatch</a> &mdash; on paper, at least! &mdash; this matchup projects to be.&nbsp;
If there's a Milwaukee Bucks thing to keep an eye on, it's the Khris Middleton-led stuff. The Bucks swept the season series, but Middleton wasn't his best self. He shot a shade under 28% from three and, for the purposes of this section, averaged nearly 4 turnovers per contest.
For the brilliance that Middleton can provide with his shot-making, his handle has long been a weak point against the peskiest of defenders. He's likely to see a steady dose of Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, guards who don't mind getting in his jersey.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/97dfi9" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
If Middleton isn't able to get to his spots comfortably &mdash; or worse, turns the ball over &mdash; the Bulls may have an avenue to junk up the Bucks' half-court attack.
(4) SIXERS VS (5) RAPTORS: JAMES HARDEN'S STEPBACK
I think James Harden's hamstring has been talked about enough. I'm not a doctor; I simply hope he's good to go because he's freaking awesome when he's healthy. It unlocks the full breadth of his game.
Regardless of which version of "Harden, The Driver" we get, he's going to need this shot.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/9bq5ke" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Harden made one of his eight stepback-three attempts against Toronto this season, and has converted just 31.6% of his stepback threes this season (roughly 4.0 attempts per game) via InStat tracking. That's a wild dip from last season (36.7% overall on 4.3 attempts) and the year before that (34.7% on 6.5 attempts).
I don't have to explain why shooting under 32% on an already-tough shot isn't ideal. The layer beyond that shot is the real issue; the nature of the shot, and location of the shot, makes Harden one of the last lines of defense in transition. The Sixers have been bad at getting back &mdash; they rank 20th or worse in every transition defense stat, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; while the Raptors have been incredibly fruitful when they're able to run.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
(1) SUNS VS (8) PELICANS: WHO DEFENDS CHRIS PAUL?
Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the sport. My pals and I landed on him as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's best screen navigator</a> already. His nimbleness and persistence will bother someone in this series.
That's the thing though: He's only one dude.
If Jones gets the Devin Booker matchup (a reasonable guess), who's defending the other All-NBA caliber guard for Phoenix? That might land on nominal point guard CJ McCollum, who hasn't had the best luck at defending Paul.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/uziglr" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Paul-led pick-and-rolls with McCollum as the primary defender have generated well over 1.5 points per possession over the last three seasons, per Second Spectrum. That number drops to the 1.3 PPP range when filtered for drop coverage, but, like, that's still pretty absurd.
The Pelicans will have some options. Chief among them: Switching screens between Paul and Deandre Ayton, then tasking Jaxson Hayes (likely to defend Jae Crowder) with saving McCollum by executing a scram switch.
Of course, the Suns have counters to that counter; don't be surprised if Crowder is used as an off-ball screener to occupy Hayes' attention.
(2) GRIZZLIES VS (7) TIMBERWOLVES: WHERE IS JAREN JACKSON JR.?
Let's take a look at two possessions. Ja Morant-led pick-and-rolls, the Minnesota Timberwolves in their base "two to the ball" pick-and-roll coverage. Two missed shots. Keep an eye on Jaren Jackson Jr. for both.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/keoife" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That's JJJ chilling at the left wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt stunting at the roll from Steven Adams before retreating. D'Angelo Russell is now tasked with making the rotation as the low-man.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7otf7v" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
On this one, Jackson is chilling in the dunker spot after clearing the left side of the floor. The Memphis Grizzlies are setting up a screening action for Desmond Bane &mdash; a smart counter to the Wolves sending two players to Morant &mdash; but look at Vanderbilt. He's able to peel over early while Karl-Anthony Towns works his way back to Adams. Russell tasked with dropping down to Jackson if a full rotation from Vanderbilt is needed.
When I say "Where is JJJ.?", you can take that in a "Will he show up?" context. He will need to knock down threes, and his mobility will be needed against Towns in space when he's asked to play the 5.
But it's important to note Jackson's literal location on the court. Where he's stationed can lead to some tough rotations for the Wolves if they continue to defend aggressively.&nbsp;
(3) WARRIORS VS (6) NUGGETS: FINDING THE BLEND WITH NIKOLA JOKIC
Nikola Jokic has improved quite a bit as a defender over the past three seasons. He's firmly good as an at-the-level defender, and he made real strides as a drop defender this season. Arguing for an All-Defensive team selection is a bridge (or two) too far, but the liability talk should've died a while ago.
With that being said, the Golden State Warriors pose some real trouble for him. The Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole-Klay Thompson triumvirate has the pull-up chops to abuse drop coverage. Kevon Looney screens and hand-backs could also create open threes.
With Draymond Green (or Gary Payton II when he's out there), the Warriors have the short-roll playmaking chops to beat a two-to-the-ball scheme.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/9an8tq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
We get both coverages from Jokic on this possession. He starts in drop, with Monte Morris doing a fine-enough job staying attached to Poole. The ball swings to Thompson, and Jokic plays higher up. Two screens, two coverages, two solid results for Denver.
Then the&nbsp;third&nbsp;action happens, which also coincides with Poole jetting to the right corner and Aaron Gordon being occupied with Andrew Wiggins. Jokic is in another drop but he can't beat Thompson to his spot, nor does he have help on the backline.
What do you do with that?
Probably not drop.&nbsp;
The Warriors generated north of 1.3 points per possession (!!!) when facing Jokic in drop coverage during their regular season meetings, per Second Spectrum. Playing Jokic to the level will be a tough task, especially considering the offensive workload he'll have to carry, but that may be the easier poison to deal with.&nbsp;
(4) MAVERICKS VS (5) JAZZ: SPENCER DINWIDDIE'S DRIVES
With no Luka Doncic for at least Game 1, more offensive responsibility will fall into the hands of Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
He's been a godsend for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16-3-4 while shooting over 40% from three since joining the team. He's been a great complement to Doncic; naturally, some of Dinwiddie's success is due to Doncic drawing the best perimeter defender on the opposing team.
That may shift to Dinwiddie now &mdash; I doubt we're going to see, like, Royce O'Neale on Jalen Brunson for extended stretches. It'll be up to Dinwiddie to puncture defenses and start the chain of rotations. He hasn't had much success against Utah this season; he's shooting just 44.4% off of drives against the Jazz, and he's paired that with a paltry 8.5% assist rate.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Nekias Duncan breaks down a key factor for each first round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Critical first-round battles in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

Trae Young is in the midst of a historic season.
It's flown under the radar due to the other powerhouses (and storylines) in the conference, as well as the underwhelming nature of the Atlanta Hawks' season. And to be fair, Young's less-frequent-but-still-problematic apathy on defense has contributed to the Hawks' issues this year.
But as of this writing, Young leads the NBA in total points (1915) and assists (649). If it holds, he'll become the first player since Nate "Tiny" Archibald in 1972-73 to lead the league in both categories.
The bedrock of Young's success is the pick-and-roll. Nobody in the league blends volume and efficiency quite like he does. Consider these tidbits, courtesy of Second Spectrum tracking:
<ul>
<li>He's received 317 more on-ball picks (3288 total) than second-place Luka Doncic this season</li>
<li>Among 51 players to receive at least 1000 picks, only three players &mdash; Seth Curry (1.15), Chris Paul (1.11) and Stephen Curry (1.08) &mdash; have generated more points per possession (PPP) than Young (1.07)</li>
<li>He's received 805 more picks than Paul (2483), and has more than the Curry brothers combined (2572)</li>
</ul>
You can keep going down the rabbit hole and find fun stuff, like him being the only player to receive 10,000 picks over the past three seasons, but you get the gist. He's the system &mdash; more importantly, he's good enough to be&nbsp;the system.
There isn't a great answer for Young. Play drop against him, and he's able to pull-up from deep (36% on pull-up 3s out of ball screens, per InStat tracking) or get downhill for floaters, lobs, or kick-outs.&nbsp;Switch against him, and he'll boogie against less talented defenders.
Your best bet may be to force the ball out of his hands, but that can pose its own issues. One, Young is shifty enough to flat-out split your trap and put the rest of your defense in a bind. On a more basic level, sending two players to Young means tasking your defense to defend four players with three. It's not an easy thing to do for long stretches of time.&nbsp;
The Warriors found that out the hard way on the opening possession of Friday night's game.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/kzarxv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Opening sets are always fun. Tone-setters, if you will.&nbsp;
The set kicks off with Danilo Gallinari setting a decoy ghost screen for Young. He then receives a pass before flowing into a handoff with Kevin Huerter. As Huerter receives the handoff, Clint Capela lifts higher on the floor. The Hawks are getting ready to set up a variation of Blind Pig action &mdash; Young sprinting into an exchange.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_26_18_49_47_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
The beauty of Blind Pig action is the suddenness of it. If done correctly, the ball handler's defender gets demolished by the pick, thus creating a 2-on-1 advantage.
The Warriors have their two best defenders (Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green) involved in the action,&nbsp;and&nbsp;they attempt to counter this action by blitzing Young. But if you have two to the ball, somebody has to zone up behind it. Due to the spacing on the possession, that responsibility falls to Klay Thompson.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2022_03_26_18_53_09_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
Young doesn't panic when the pressure arrives, and simply flips the ball ahead to De'Andre Hunter in the strong side corner. With Thompson dropping down to cut off Capela's roll, and Jordan Poole accounting for Gallinari in the weakside corner, Huerter is left wide-the-heck open.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-03-26-at-12-07-50-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="575" height="325" />
The "Blitz Young" strategy is one we've seen work on occasion, most recently (and egregiously) against the Charlotte Hornets last Wednesday (March 16). But it's an occasional remedy for a reason. Letting an NBA team play 4-on-3, 3-on-2, or 2-on-1 consistently is still a risky bet.
The Warriors didn't have much success on Friday, giving up an ungodly 1.7 PPP on possessions where they sent two to the ball against Young. On the year, the Hawks are generating 1.02 PPP on possessions featuring a trap against Young, a top-ten mark among high-volume ball handlers per Second Spectrum.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Nekias Duncan breaks down the difficulties of slowing down Trae Young.

Explain one play: It takes two with Trae Young

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Klay Thompson scored a season-best 38 points, raising his right arm in triumph to ignite the home crowd and leading the Golden State Warriors past the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, 122-109 on Saturday night.
Thompson had his second 30-point performance since returning Jan. 9 from a two-year absence following knee and Achilles surgeries.
Milwaukee native Jordan Poole returned to Golden State's starting lineup and scored 30 points with five 3-pointers to go with six rebounds and five assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points and eight rebounds, but the Warriors&rsquo; defense held the rest of the Bucks down. Milwaukee had won six a row.
This was a bad night for Milwaukee on the injury front.
New forward DeAndre&rsquo; Bembry, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-toronto-raptors-atlanta-hawks-milwaukee-bucks-nba-4d42277951d1b40a5e49f06f7ebc1997">only signed last month </a> when the Nets waived him, injured his right knee and was helped to the locker room with 2:31 left in the third quarter. He went down hard along the sideline leaping to defend Poole's 3-point attempt.
Serge Ibaka received stitches in the first half for a right eye laceration after he was injured in the opening quarter. He didn&rsquo;t return, scoring 11 points over nearly 9 minutes.
The Warriors opened the first 1:58 of the third quarter on an 11-0 spurt to go ahead 78-58 before Antetokounmpo's basket at the 9:43 mark.
Andrew Wiggins added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Warriots. Poole started for just the second time in the past 13 games and shot 9 of 16, while Stephen Curry had eight points and eight assists taking just seven shots.
Golden State held Milwaukee to 42.9% shooting in the first half including 3 of 11 by Khris Middleton, who wound up with 18 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
WISEMAN WATCH
Second-year center James Wiseman will play his second game with the G League Santa Cruz Warriors at home in the Chase Center on Sunday, and coach Steve Kerr can't wait to catch it live.
Wiseman, who has been out all season recovering from right knee surgery, also played Thursday at Stockton and scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go with six rebounds in Santa Cruz's 109-99 loss.
&ldquo;I was so happy to see him the other night,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;I watched the tape and he just looked happy. It looked like he was excited and moving well. It's been a long 11 months for him. Thrilled for James that he's back on the floor. He deserves it.&rdquo;
WIGGINS AT THE LINE
Kerr spoke to Wiggins about his free-throw struggles of late then the All-Star made his only two Saturday.
He had been 4 of 16 from the line since the All-Star break coming into the game.
&ldquo;The most important thing is this happens to everybody, maybe not Steph,&rdquo; Kerr said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Bucks: Milwaukee had just one turnover in the first half but was outrebounded 33-17, partly given Golden State's 49% shooting. ... George Hill (neck soreness), Pat Connaughton (right finger surgery), Lindell Wigginton (right ankle sprain) and Brook Lopez are still out.
Warriors: F Draymond Green, sidelined since early January with a back injury affecting his calf, is &ldquo;still on pace for Monday,&rdquo; Kerr said. &rdquo;He scrimmaged today." His 5-year-old son, Draymond Jr., again served as towel boy near the team bench. ... F Otto Porter Jr. missed a fourth straight game because of a seasonal illness. He scrimmaged Saturday and is expected to play Monday. &ldquo;He feels a lot better,&rdquo; Kerr said. ... G Gary Payton II sat out again with left knee soreness.
UP NEXT
Bucks: At Utah on Monday night.
Warriors: Host Washington on Monday night.

Klay Thompson scored a season-best 38 points, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Milwaukee Bucks, 122-109.

Klay Thompson scores season-high 38, Warriors top Bucks

Moke Hamilton reacts to the BasketballNews.com staff's picks for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game and explains his selections.

Selecting the 2022 NBA All-Star reserves

NBA championships are often determined by the superstars participating in the series. Those superstars are also judged by the number of championship rings they possess at the end of their illustrious careers. However, in most series, there are unsung heroes who play a massive part in their team reaching the pinnacle.
These X-factors do the necessary things not only for their teams to win, but also for their stars to shine the brightest.&nbsp;Think about Andre Iguodala in 2015, Marc Gasol in 2019 or Danny Green in just about any year.&nbsp;
Iguodala is obviously an extreme case by winning Finals MVP, but his work on the defensive end made what Steph Curry and Klay Thompson did easier. The Toronto Raptors traded Jonas Valanciunas for a fossilized version of Gasol, but the veteran big's defensive prowess and playmaking added up just enough to lead The North to a title. Green just did his thing, shooting from deep and defending top-tier wings.
The NBA is loaded with more talent than ever, which leads to more contending teams than ever. There are the favorites like the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, and some fringe favorites such as the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. Outsiders like the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are making noise too.
With a number of teams in true contention, and others that could be a few trades or buyouts away from contention, the team who has the biggest X-factor will prevail. Let's take a look at who's been the most impactful this season so far.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Honorable Mention: Ben Simmons (from a team perspective) 
This is more like a multiverse scenario, or one of those "choose your own path" books you read as a kid. Ben Simmons is an X-factor who could determine this season's NBA champion for a few different reasons.&nbsp;
Scenario 1:
Nothing happens. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Sixers president Daryl Morey has stayed adamant on standing pat, even after a meeting with Simmons' agent Rich Paul. So say Morey keeps his strong stance of only taking back one of the 25 players on his <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sixers/sixers-daryl-morey-holding-firm-ben-simmons-says-buckle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-secret wish list</a>. The Sixers have managed to still do well &mdash; currently fifth in the East &mdash; but with 21% of their payroll not even coming around the team, they will be hard-pressed to be actual contenders this season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Lunch meeting in Philadelphia with Paul and Sixers' management to talk through the ongoing Simmons situation, sources said. Sixers continue to want Simmons to return to the floor, but there's no movement on that front --- nor traction on a trade now. Trade deadline is Feb. 10.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1481378946608291840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Simmons staying put and not playing would all but eliminate the Sixers from championship contention.
Scenario 2:
Ben Simmons shows up eventually and plays for Philly. Would this be a mentally and physically prepared Ben Simmons, or an "I'm just here so I don't get fined" Ben Simmons? The former would put this team back into the conversation as a real threat in the Eastern Conference, while the latter would sabotage the season even worse than sitting out has. This feels like the least likely of all scenarios to happen.
Scenario 3:
Morey finds a deal of his liking, whether that brings back what he has been holding out for all along or he settles for "good enough." Even finding a couple of competent starters in return for a player who hasn't played at all would be an increase in title odds for Philadelphia.
On top of the Sixers gaining valuable players to add to their rotation for a playoff push, whoever adds Simmons also likely improves their odds at contending as well. Teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks would all immediately improve and have the ability to throw a wrench into the postseason picture.
The biggest wildcard in the NBA continues to be Ben Simmons and his elite defense and playmaking has the ability to reshape the playoff picture. Mix in some confidence if he were out of Phildelphia and he is one of the biggest X Factors in the league.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets 
The third-year big out of the University of Georgia has burst onto the scene in Brooklyn for Steve Nash and the Nets. The Brooklyn roster hosts LaMarcus Aldridge, Day'Ron Sharpe, Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap as the team's "bigs" other than Claxton. With a high-powered offense led by future Hall-of-Famers Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant, the Nets need somone to on the back end to do the dirty work: rebound, set screens, block shots, etc.
Enter Claxton.
Some might argue that a larger role coming at this point in his career is one season too late, as Brooklyn opted to feed DeAndre Jordan minutes when Bruce Brown wasn't playing as the small-ball 5. Nonetheless, we are here, and more importantly for the Nets, Claxton is here.
Per 36 minutes, Nic leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots for players who have played at least 300 minutes on the season. Even more surprising, according to Basketball-Reference, he leads the team in Offensive Rating at 129, which is 10 points higher than Durant, the next in line. His Defensive Rating of 106 is also second behind Brown.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e2JSBKwiveI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It's his ability to drive and use his length to finish over and around the most elite shot-blockers like Myles Turner that makes him such a great fit in this offense. He's a perfect pick-and-roll partner for any of the stars handling the ball and an even better rim-runner in transition.&nbsp;
Gary Payton II, Golden State Warriors 
In the Warriors' Jan. 11 matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant got what and where he wanted when he wanted, early and often, to the tune of 15 first-quarter points. After a quick opening run by Golden State, Memphis responded by Ja, Ja and more Ja. He seemed unstoppable.
Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.
Payton II might be the only player in the NBA who can slow down Morant. Andrew Wiggins, an important defender for the Warriors himself, had little success hanging with Morant. If GP II can hang with the electric Morant, he will be able to frustrate the likes Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and more of the like over the course of a playoff series.&nbsp;
Payton single-handedly flipped the game from an 18-point deficit to a Golden State lead by cutting off the head of the snake. Picking up Morant for 94 feet and being extremely physical slowed down the All-Star guard to the point where he was asking the refs for a foul call. It forced the Grizzlies to insert Tyus Jones as a secondary ball-handler... meaning Payton's defense changed a game plan.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bi8J9IXSPyg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Warriors are, once again, an elite defensive team. The player with the best Defensive Rating on the team? Payton, allowing just 98 points per 100 possessions, is among the top defenders in the entire league by this metric. GP II is not a one-trick pony with his stellar point-of-attack defense; he is also shooting the three-ball at a 42% clip this season on just under 2 attempts per contest.&nbsp;
While Stephen Curry has certainly improved defensively throughout his career, Steve Kerr having the option to unleash Payton on the other team's best guard will prevent Curry and even Klay Thompson from expending that energy and picking up fouls.
Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Mikal Bridges. <a href="https://t.co/0AApeLPjVt">pic.twitter.com/0AApeLPjVt</a>
&mdash; Dom2K🎄🎅🎁 (@Dom_2k) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dom_2k/status/1465017291175870464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Every team in the NBA would want Mikal Bridges if you gave them the chance. He is absolutely the perfect glue guy for any lineup. His length and defensive ability allow him to guard almost every team's best player in the league. He currently possesses a Defensive Rating of 107, which is ironically the second-highest on the Suns, but that is more about who he is guarding rather than his ability.
Bridges is also a highly efficient, low-usage-rate player. He does not need nor demand the ball offensively to be effective. He fits that Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier role quite well. 58% of his three-point attempts are from the corner, and he is converting those at a 40.7% rate &mdash; the ultimate 3-and-D player that teams across the league covet.
His basketball IQ and fit next to Paul and Devin Booker are crucial to the success of the Phoenix Suns. Just like Payton in Golden State, Bridges can guard Morant, Mitchell, LeBron James, Paul George and more at a high level, allowing Booker to use his legs primarily on the offensive side of the ball.&nbsp;
Mikal Bridges makes the Suns one of the toughest outs in the NBA. Not Devin Booker. Not Chris Paul. Not Deandre Ayton. Mikal Bridges.
It is what he does on both sides of the ball at a high level, night-in and night-out, that ultimately fuels the Suns.

Justin Lewis highlights the X-factors making the most impact across the NBA this season, including one who hasn't played yet.

Analyzing 3 crucial NBA X-factors who deserve praise this season

It only takes one tweet to describe the inauspicious nature of where we are in the NBA to tip off the New Year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Following last night&rsquo;s games, the total number of NBA games lost to injury or illness this season surpassed 3,000. It took 34 days to pass 1,000, 26 days for the second 1,000, and just 17 for the most recent 1,000.
&mdash; Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) <a href="https://twitter.com/InStreetClothes/status/1478357378928193537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

This season is constantly defined by incongruity, as the past month-and-a-half has seen a consistent ramp-up of players entering health and safety protocols and missing extended time. While it's commonplace for depth players to see increased playing time due to injuries any given year, an outlier number of them have been presented with larger opportunities due to sheer necessity.&nbsp;
While it is a small silver lining in an overall negative situation, some have really popped in extra time with more consistent minutes. Not every burst carries the same weight, comes through in a similar way or creates the same overarching questions that arise when a rotation's homeostasis is recalibrated on the fly. Unexpected flourishes from the 10th or 11th man in a rotation? Sign me up!&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Who's popping, why are they popping and what does it mean moving forward? Let's find out.
Jalen McDaniels, Charlotte Hornets
The third-year forward's seen a bump in his rotational minutes with P.J. Washington missing time due to injury/health and safety protocols, and is responding with the highest efficiency output of his career. McDaniels is hitting 62.4% of his two-pointers (54.2% over his first two seasons) and 40.9% from three, albeit on modest volume.
His ability to drive and put the ball on the deck to make positive plays is the highlight of his offensive package. McDaniels' handle isn't flashy, but it's functional, especially for his size (6-foot-9), and he parlays his long-strided drives into quality, live-dribble passes that open up his teammates.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/lwd107" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Add in that McDaniels is converting 61.1% of his field goal attempts on drives since returning to the lineup on Dec. 15 (a figure in between Myles Turner and Jrue Holiday over that span), and another brush stroke is painted on an impressive season.
His defense is much like Charlotte as a whole &mdash; eventful and chaotic. He's better playing out on the perimeter, using his length and footspeed to bother ball-handlers and jut into passing lanes, but also has utility as a weak-side rim-protector at times. His timing isn't really there to be relied upon for primary rim-protection capabilities, and he can get caught ball-watching as well, but Charlotte has often employed him as a 5 due to Mason Plumlee and the aforementioned Washington missing time.
The framework is there for a really high quality defensive player if he can rein in some of his tendencies. A better structured defense with more defined rules and surrounding personnel could do wonders for his development on that end.
He also dazzles in transition, adding another wrinkle to his game. His flashes of contact-finishing and his ability to use his length to guide in touch shots are incredibly intriguing.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/m3iac0" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
McDaniels has flashed brightly for the Hornets routinely throughout his young career, but is cemented behind Washington, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre Jr. in the wing room. While he certainly has a role with the Hornets moving forward, I'd be surprised if other organizations haven't taken notice of his extended play in a larger role.
While I don't think Charlotte should be willing to move on from McDaniels easily, the idea of him on a contender is tantalizing. Jerami Grant is considered the "Belle of the Ball" of the trade season, but Chicago, Utah and Miami should all be calling up Mitch Kupchak if they haven't been already. McDaniels seems primed for more.
Skylar Mays, Atlanta Hawks 
The Hawks were lauded for their depth prior to the season, housing talent across their roster. And yet, it just hasn't clicked like expected due to a myriad of reasons, injuries chief among them. With their wing rotation in shambles over the past month, sophomore Skylar Mays has gotten his foot in the door.
Mays is one of the best players on a two-way contract in recent memory, and I would've argued prior to the season that someone should have signed him to a guaranteed deal. His time in the rotation since December has reinforced that. A 10.2-point/3.3-rebound/2.0-assist split on 59.9% True Shooting isn't earth shattering by any means, but it's indicative of his steadiness as a productive player.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/v112bg" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Mays is a fantastic pick-and-roll operator, although oddly is much better as a scorer than a passer. He's not traditionally bursty or adept at creating space with speed, but is incredibly strong and manufactures angles with constant readjustments, spins and off-hand craft.
He's a capable shooter off-the-catch and as a relocator, but not much of a threat off-the-dribble from deep.&nbsp;
Defensively, Mays is a bit plodding and doesn't have great footspeed, so he can be limited at the point of attack. However, he's a very good communicator and active off-ball defender, using his length well to impact passing lanes. He often catches unsuspecting drivers off-guard at the nail, where he's prone to spear the ball loose with quick jabs; Mays is currently averaging 3.88 deflections per 75 possessions according to Basketball Index (94th percentile).
Nate McMillan has been beholden to Lou Williams for backup point guard minutes, one of my major gripes with Atlanta this season, and Delon Wright struggles to impact the offense without the ball in his hands running pick-and-rolls. Mays shouldn't technically be a backup point guard, as he's more of a combo or outright 2-guard, but it stands to reason that there are minutes that he could be soaking up without injury. Regardless of whether or not it happens in Atlanta, Mays has shown that he's ready for a consistent rotation spot.
Jalen Smith, Phoenix Suns 
Across the last five games, Jalen Smith has nearly eclipsed the amount of minutes he played all of his rookie season; 120 minutes and 30 seconds compared to 156 minutes total in 2020-21.
With both Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee out for the Suns, Smith was injected to the rotation and eventually the starting lineup after mostly being out of the rotation this year. He's quickly made everyone take notice, as he's averaged 15.2 points &amp; 9.4 rebounds on 66.9% True Shooting since Dec. 27.
I have absolutely no idea what to make out of Smith's play. On one hand, some of the flashes have been so encouraging and exactly what I imagined for him coming out of Maryland. On the other hand, how on earth does this work in Phoenix, a team trying to return to the Finals, where consistency is a must?
The calculus is quirky!
What Smith has flashed and theoretically brings is a stretch option and versatile pick-and-pop option for Chris Paul and Devin Booker as a counter to what they run with Ayton. Their bench thrived last season early with Dario Saric operating as a hub on the perimeter as a popper, which opened the floor for a new style of play.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/g3r73l" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Smith has shot 36.4% from deep in those five games, which is good, but he's only taking slightly over two per game and is a career 23.1% perimeter shooter. The idea of what he could be is clear, but without a sizable role, is that all that attainable right now? Even with a continued larger role, is he shooting more and still hitting at a clip that will make the defense care?
To make it more muddled, Smith is just not a passer or playmaker to much degree at this stage, which is a tough sell for a team that's just as predicated on ball movement as Golden State.
His defense is also hard to stomach for a title contender at the moment. He does offer shot-blocking and some mobility, but he's more of a tweener big than a true 4 or 5, which outright is not a problem. But, it makes it harder to envision him spending time alongside McGee or Ayton to find easier ways to get him minutes. He's better offensively at the 5, but he's pretty lost as a primary rim-protector right now. However, there have been some great sequences from him blowing up plays at the rim or playing out in space, even with some viable switching.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/kre8x6" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
But, more often than not, Smith is caught in the wrong place with poor positioning leading to fouls or wide-open plays at or around the rim.
To be fair to Smith, he hasn't even played 50 NBA games in his career! But again, I'm not under the impression that Phoenix can necessarily coax the most out of him while dealing with some of the warts of a very raw player.
A five-game swing shouldn't redefine a player, but *this* five game stretch certainly has made me question what to think more than most. I don't have an answer for Phoenix; the organization seemingly made its bed by <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-decline-thirdyear-option-on-2020-lottery-pick-jalen-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not extending Smith a qualifying offer</a> this offseason.
How much has this recent play raised the eyebrows of other teams looking to try and make a move for a young talent? It's one of the more intriguing storylines to track moving forward, and most importantly, I'm stoked for Jalen Smith. It's awesome to see him finally put some good tape together.
Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder 
The OKC Thunder have quietly played .500 basketball over the last few weeks, and have dispelled the preseason notions that they could be worse than "The Process" Sixers. The Thunder are in a much different place than the playoff hopefuls above, still searching for the players who will comprise their next playoff push alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Nothing is set in stone, but rookie Aaron Wiggins has put together one of the best stretches by a young role player in the NBA this season.
After a DNP-CD on Dec. 22 against Denver, Wiggins has started the past six games, averaging 14.7 points on 66.3% True Shooting while hitting 40.0% of his threes and getting to the line at a decent rate.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/laz96h" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Wiggins has a downhill guile that I just love and find invaluable in a player who's operating off the ball primarily. He's not bursty, but he operates quickly, loves throwing ball fakes, low swings and stutters to give himself an extra hair of space; it just works. Is he going to shoot 80% at the rim for life? No way, but he's flashing some quality finishes through contact, and has attempted more self-created looks in the half-court as well (to varying degrees of success).
There's a twitchiness there with his upper body that allows him to maneuver well through tight space, but his legs aren't always on the same page. Coordination as a ball-handler is not easy! Just ask Darius Bazley.&nbsp;
I really liked what I saw of him at Maryland, but wasn't expecting him to have an early impact and continue to be impressed. I want to see him shoot way more from deep. He has a quick release, but doesn't get a ton of pop on his jump, which feels like it plays into him not being fully comfortable gunning yet; he hasn't played 20 games to this point.
But I cannot wait to see more from Wiggins moving forward.&nbsp;

Deep rotation players are taking full advantage of opportunities created by missed games due to COVID by playing larger roles.

4 rotation players making the most of NBA roster inconsistency

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; The Golden State Warriors kept it close despite being short-handed, setting the stage for a player to take over down the stretch.
One did &mdash; and it wasn&rsquo;t Stephen Curry. Otto Porter Jr. took late-game honors.
Curry had 33 points, Porter scored seven of his 19 during a key late stretch and the Warriors regained to top spot in the NBA from Phoenix, beating the Suns 116-107 on Saturday.
&ldquo;I drew up every play, I completely organized every aspect of it,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said sarcastically. &ldquo;Otto was great. He&rsquo;s just added so much to our team with his shooting from that position and his rebounding and defense.&rdquo;
Golden State arrived in the desert short-handed, missing three of its top four scorers to health and safety protocols: Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-136">&nbsp;</div>
Curry carried most of the load, overcoming a mediocre shooting night to crack 20 points for the first time in nine Christmas games. He finished 10 for 27, including 5 for 16 from 3 to help the Warriors end Phoenix&rsquo;s 15-game home winning streak.
Porter hit a step-back 3 and a pair of jumpers in a span of 1:02.
&ldquo;Coach drew up a couple plays that freed me open,&rdquo; Porter said. &ldquo;Did a good job of finding me, was able to find a rhythm.&rdquo;
The Suns had their chances, keeping it close until the closing minutes in a raucous home atmosphere. They couldn&rsquo;t close it out, failing to score over the final 3:01 to lose for the third time in 28 games.
Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists to take up some of the slack from leading scorer Devin Booker, who was held to 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Deandre Ayton added 18 points and Mikal Bridges 17.
&ldquo;They created those breaks. They played harder than us,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s rare when I say that about our team. They outworked us more consistently for 50-50 balls, timely offensive rebounds, diving out of bounds to save balls.&rdquo;
The two teams with the NBA&rsquo;s best records played in just the third Christmas game in which both teams had a winning percentage of at least .800.
Playing on Christmas is nothing new to the Warriors. This was their ninth straight Christmas Day game and 11th in 12 seasons. The Suns, once regulars on the Christmas schedule, were in their first since 2009.
Both teams put on an after-the-presents offensive show at Footprint Center, sending oohs and aahs across the Footprint Center with each dunk and 3-pointer.
Curry had 11 points in the first quarter and Payton a massive rebound slam as the Warriors built an early 10-point lead. The Suns revved it up in the second quarter, going on a 15-3 run and taking a 62-58 halftime lead on Paul&rsquo;s last-second 3-pointer.
The teams continued to trade 3s and baskets in transition, neither able to gain any separation until Golden State went on a short run to go up 107-99.
The Suns pulled within two, but Porter hit consecutive jumpers and a long 3 to stretch Golden State&rsquo;s lead to nine.
&ldquo;They wanted it more and they played like it,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;We just have to take this loss and move on to our next game.&rdquo;
MISSING COACHES
The four players weren&rsquo;t the only ones Golden State had in health and safety protocols. The Warriors also had four coaches out, forcing Kerr and his staff to shuffle responsibilities.
&ldquo;Missing all those guys was really bizarre,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;The group did a really good job. These are strange times for a lot of reasons, but I&rsquo;ve never seen four coaches out at the same time.&rdquo;
TIP INS
Warriors: Reserve G Moses Moody also was out in health and safety protocols. ... Draymond Green was called for a technical foul in the second quarter while arguing for a push-off by Booker. ... Curry has made a 3-pointer in 156 straight games, one off the NBA record he set from 2014-16. He&rsquo;s also made least two 3-pointers in 15 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA with Phoenix&rsquo;s Cam Johnson.
Suns: F/C Frank Kaminsky (knee), F Abdel Nader (knee) and F Dario Saric (knee) were all out. ... Paul was called for a technical foul in the third quarter after aggressively giving the ball to one of the officials after a non-call on a drive to the basket. ... Johnson went 2 for 5 from 3 to continue his streak of making at least two to 15 games.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Denver on Tuesday night.
Suns: Host Memphis on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Curry scored 33 points and added six assists in the Warriors victory.

Stephen Curry, Warriors beat Suns 116-107 to regain top spot in NBA

It was Deandre Ayton's turn on Tuesday night.&nbsp;
The big fella led the Phoenix Suns with 24 points, while also grabbing 11 boards (6 offensive) and swatting a couple of shots away. While the Suns beat the Warriors by eight points, they outscored the Golden Crew by 16 points in Ayton's 34 minutes.
It would be convenient to frame Ayton's big night as a "he stepped up without Devin Booker" performance, though that wouldn't be entirely fair. Yes, Ayton's contributions on the interior helped after Booker sustained a hamstring injury in the second quarter, but Ayton didn't just fill the gaps.
He set the tone.
With Andrew Wiggins getting the Booker assignment, and Draymond Green taking on Chris Paul for switch-the-1-5-pick-and-roll purposes, it was up to Ayton to make that plan a bad one.&nbsp;
He won early by doing the little things. Hard screens and even harder rolls to the basket. Quick (and deep) seals against smaller opponents. Timely offensive boards. Nine of his 24 points, and 4 of his 11 rebounds came in the first quarter.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/3uoyd6" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Zoom out, though, and you see the beauty &mdash; and deadliness &mdash; of this Suns team. You have to worry about the three-level scoring prowess of Booker. There's Paul's playmaking ability and otherworldly mid-range shooting. And if you focus on taking those things away, you still have to deal with Ayton.
Tuesday night was a snapshot &mdash; a loud one, considering the opponent &mdash; of what the Suns have been during their 17-game win streak. Relentless. Calculated. Suffocating. Versatile. They often get a lot from a few, but they consistently get a little bit from everyone.&nbsp;
That's how <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-win-over-warriors-another-crescendo-moment-for-their-incredible-rebuild" target="_blank" rel="noopener">you win 17 straight</a>. It's how you build a top-five half-court offense and&nbsp;defense, per Cleaning The Glass.
THE BALLING BACKCOURT
It starts with the duo of Paul and Booker, who seem to have struck a nice balance between lead duties. And by balance, I really mean that Paul is really commandeering this thing.
Paul has taken even more ownership of the offense; he once again leads the team in touches, and his overall time of possession has increased from last season. Booker has seen a decrease in both, an odd phenomenon on the surface considering Booker is ascending while Paul is, well, 37 years old.
Here's where we are this season, with last season's mark in parentheses.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 66px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.7351%; height: 22px;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 16.1356%; height: 22px;">Touches</td>
<td style="width: 19.607%; height: 22px;">Time of possession</td>
<td style="width: 20.0074%; height: 22px;">Avg. seconds per touch</td>
<td style="width: 19.2064%; height: 22px;">Avg. dribbles per touch</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.7351%; height: 22px;">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 16.1356%; height: 22px;">75.7 (77.4)</td>
<td style="width: 19.607%; height: 22px;">7.5 (7.2)</td>
<td style="width: 20.0074%; height: 22px;">5.95 (5.56)</td>
<td style="width: 19.2064%; height: 22px;">5.29 (4.84)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 15.7351%; height: 22px;">Devin Booker</td>
<td style="width: 16.1356%; height: 22px;">51.5 (56.2)</td>
<td style="width: 19.607%; height: 22px;">3.6 (4.0)</td>
<td style="width: 20.0074%; height: 22px;">4.14 (4.32)</td>
<td style="width: 19.2064%; height: 22px;">3.39 (3.52)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The shift has worked for both parties. Paul is one of the best decision-makers of all time; he leads the NBA in assists (10.1) while only turning the ball over 2.3 times per contest. It's probably a good idea to let a guy like that direct the half-court attack, especially one with the diverse pick-and-roll attack Phoenix has.
Paul has continued to be the NBA's premier drop coverage beater. Play him too tightly, and he's slipping a pass to his big. Give too much grace to the big, and he's firing from mid-range; by the way, Paul is knocking down an absurd 52.1% of his pull-up twos this year. Send a third defender into the action, and Paul will slice you apart with skips to the corner.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/174mff" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
For Booker, the off-ball benefit has been two-fold. He doesn't have to carry a ridiculously heavy creation burden, and as a result, he also gets to take easier shots.
Booker's a madman when curling off of screens. Between the lifts from the baseline and flares above the break, Booker is often attacking with a head start. He doesn't have to spam dribble moves to free himself; he's generally within his wheelhouse with a dribble or two.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/15r0go" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
With Booker operating more off the ball, he's also gotten to take more (and easier) catch-and-shoot looks. Not only is Booker draining a career-high 44.4% of his catch-and-shoot threes, this is the first time since 2016-17 that he's averaging more catch-and-shoot attempts (3.0) than pull-ups (2.8).
Coincidentally, Booker's overall three-point clip (40.3%, also a career-high) seems more in line with his actual shooting ability.
It's almost like shot diet matters when considering a player's efficiency.
NO BURNING BRIDGES
There's much to be said about Mikal Bridges' defense. Frankly, he should already have an All-Defensive team selection under his belt. He's certainly on pace to achieve the feat this season.
Only a handful of players have a tougher matchup difficulty &mdash; percentage of possessions defending high usage players &mdash; than Bridges does. He takes the toughest on-ball assignment virtually every night.
Among the players he's defended for at least 30 possessions, per NBA.com's tracking data: Damian Lillard, Trae Young, Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James and Michael Porter Jr.
Big, small, bulky, lanky. Pull-up artists, pick-and-roll maestros. Silky jump shooters. Isolation masters. Mid-post powerhouses. You name it, Bridges has held his own against it at the very least.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/5a9xah" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The real intrigue lies with how Bridges is being used offensively. His scoring is down a point this season, which coincides with a slight dip in three-point accuracy (39.1%, down from 42.5%). Volume is the real story; Bridges' three-point rate has dropped over 12 percentage points from last season.
He's seen a bump in both at-the-rim and mid-range (10-to-16 feet, per Basketball-Reference) frequency. As pointed out by tremendous Suns follow (and recent <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-valley/id1547857052?i=1000542454702" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guest of The Dunker Spot</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/theIVpointplay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Kevin</a>, the Suns are using Bridges in place of Booker in some of their intricate pick-and-roll sets.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/dskwdy" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
With Booker set to miss the next few games with his hamstring issue, it wouldn't be a shock to see an(other) uptick in usage from Bridges.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
And then, there's Ayton &mdash; figuratively and literally at the center of it all.&nbsp;
His physicality gives the Suns a much-needed boost in rim pressure, whether that comes with rim-running in transition, or rolling hard (and sealing) after ball screens. Ayton is converting a career-best 84% of his shots inside of 3 feet.
Ayton has been just as impressive defensively. While Bridges (rightfully) gets the love for his defensive aptitude, Ayton's combination of size and mobility allows the Suns to shapeshift when necessary.
The Suns don't run a strict drop system with Ayton. They play him way back in ball screens &mdash; this is a large human being, of course &mdash; to wall off the rim, then late/peel switch to keep the action in front. The block numbers aren't there (career-low 0.7) because of it, but neither are the fouls (career-low 3.1 per 36 minutes).
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/rgka2l" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Teamwide, the system works as designed. Only seven teams give up a lower share of rim shots than the Suns. Conversely, only four teams allow a higher share of mid-range shots.
It's not like teams have much success if they happen to get to the rim. Opponents are shooting just 50% at the rim when defended by Ayton, serving as the stingiest number of his career, and the 10th best mark in the NBA among players defending at least <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact/?sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four shots per game</a>.
It's hard to overstate how impressive the synergy is between the Suns' top four guys.
Paul's playmaking (further) unlocks Booker as a scorer; Booker's scoring chops tilts the defense in a way that makes like easier for Bridges. The combination of playmaking and shooting from those three gives Ayton ample room to roll into.
Defensively, Bridges and Ayton hold down the exterior and interior respectively. Paul is able to fill gaps as a helper and communicator; Booker is able to take the lesser of wing options when he wants, though it's worth noting his on-ball defense has graduated well beyond the "liability" range at this juncture.
And with those four gelling the way they do, life becomes even easier for The Others.&nbsp;
Cameron Johnson (39% on 4.8 attempts) and Landry Shamet (37.8% on 4.5 attempts) are able to bomb away from deep; Crowder fills that role as the fifth starter, and has rebounded nicely from a slow start (37.1% on 5.6 attempts in November). JaVale McGee has thrived alongside Paul in pick-and-roll. Cam Payne has been able to shake loose when sharing the floor with Booker in hybrid second units.
The Suns took the NBA world by storm last season, riding their momentum all the way to a Finals berth. You can quibble about some of the injury "luck" they faced among the way (as long as you do it for literally every other Finals team in league history), but their proficiency on both ends was hiding in plain sight.
They seem to be even better this year. With reasonable health, there may only be one team with a chance of stopping them from returning to the Finals &mdash; and they just beat them.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Suns' two-way dominance and the reasons why they're rolling during their 17-game winning streak.

Stop sleeping on the Phoenix Suns

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Deandre Ayton scored 24 points, Chris Paul added 15 points and 11 assists, and the Phoenix Suns tied a franchise record of 17 straight wins by beating the Golden State Warriors 104-96 on Tuesday night in an early showdown between the NBA&rsquo;s top teams.
The Suns won despite losing star guard Devin Booker to a left hamstring injury in the second quarter. He had 10 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. The 25-year-old appeared to get hurt when driving to the basket for a layup, grabbing at the back of his left leg before walking to the locker room a few minutes before halftime.
Even without Booker, the Suns led 56-54 at halftime and 80-78 going into the fourth quarter. The game stayed tight, and neither team led by double digits until Landry Shamet knocked down a 3-pointer &mdash; on an assist by Paul &mdash; with 54.4 seconds left.
It was a highly anticipated showdown, as Suns and Warriors have NBA&rsquo;s best records. It was also the first time in league history that two teams from the same division played each other with winning percentages of .850 or higher after at least 20 regular-season games, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The game mostly lived up to the hype &mdash; at least until the Warriors, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped, went cold in the fourth quarter.
Jordan Poole led Golden State with 28 points. Stephen Curry &mdash; who came into the game averaging 28.6 points per game &mdash; had 12 points on 4 of 21 shooting, including 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
The Suns limited the Warriors to just 42 points in the second half.
The Suns and Warriors are now both 18-3. The only other time Phoenix has won 17 straight games was during the 2006-07 season. They&rsquo;ll go for their franchise record 18th win against the Pistons on Thursday.
The Suns hadn&rsquo;t lost since Oct. 27 when Harrison Barnes hit a game-winning 3 at the buzzer for the Sacramento Kings.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Warriors: F Andre Iguadola (right knee), G Damion Lee (personal), G Klay Thompson (right Achilles recovery) and C James Wiseman (right knee recovery) didn&rsquo;t play. ... F Andrew Wiggins was bothered by back spasms earlier Tuesday but played. He finished with 10 points in 33:17 minutes. ... The Warriors lost despite a 51-35 rebounding advantage and leading 40-14 on points in the paint.
Suns: F/C Frank Kaminsky (right knee), F Abdel Nader (right knee) and F Dario Saric (right knee) didn&rsquo;t play. ... Booker hasn&rsquo;t missed a game this season. He was averaging nearly 24 points per game before Tuesday. ... Cam Johnson started the second half for Booker and finished with 14 points. ... Ayton finished 11 of 19 from the field and also had 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host the Suns on Saturday.
Suns: Host the Pistons on Thursday night.

The Phoenix Suns tied a franchise record of 17 straight wins by beating the Golden State Warriors 104-96 on Tuesday night.

No Booker, No Problem: Suns beat Warriors 104-96 to win 17th straight

<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo;</a> is back to go over today&rsquo;s slate on a loaded Friday in the NBA. Every single day, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; gives you the inside advantage before games begin. So far this season, we are carrying a 120-94-2 record (56.0%) against the spread.
As always, our odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook and over/under power-play prop bets are provided by <a href="https://www.prizepicks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PrizePicks</a>.
It&rsquo;s hammering time!
<iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=BNI5695263228" width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Detroit Pistons vs. Golden State Warriors (-2)
This spread is small, but the reason why is because the Warriors are giving Stephen Curry a well-deserved night off. Against the Pistons, it might not even matter if Curry sits. In this matchup, I still love hammering the lower point spread in favor of the Curry-less Warriors. Cade Cunningham could help keep this one close for a little bit, but expect Golden State to open the floodgates late, easily cruising to cover the 2-point spread in Detroit. On PrizePicks, tail me on this fun power play: Andrew Wiggins over 19.5 points, Jordan Poole over 19.5 points, Cade Cunningham over 14.5 points, Jerami Grant over 1.5 threes.
Charlotte Hornets (-1) vs. Indiana Pacers
I love this matchup in favor of the Hornets. Charlotte&rsquo;s pace-and-space style is a bad clash for Indiana, who continues to be so inconsistent opening up the 2021-22 season. Who exactly are the Pacers? Always dealing with injuries and not knowing what to expect almost every game, is it time to blow up some of this core? Personally, I think so. Stay tuned to <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a> next week on this, because my thoughts go very in-depth. In the meantime, hammer Hornets -1 and the following power play on PrizePicks: Malcolm Brogdon over 19.5 points, Miles Bridges over 18.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 11.5 rebounds, LaMelo Ball over 6.5 assists.
Boston Celtics (-3) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
As long as LeBron James remains out, it&rsquo;s so hard to trust the Lakers from a betting perspective. In Boston, the same idea holds here because I'm actually wagering on Celtics -3 here. Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook should have solid outings, but I like a charged-up environment in Boston alongside a monster outing from Jayson Tatum pushing it in favor of the Celtics. On PrizePicks, we&rsquo;re locking in this power play to tail our prediction of Boston covering the 3-point spread: Tatum over 25.5 points, Davis over 19.5 points, Westbrook over 6.5 assists, Marcus Smart over 3.5 rebounds.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Brooklyn Nets (-10) vs. Orlando Magic
No Kevin Durant, no problem for Brooklyn at home tonight against the Magic. Although Orlando continues to surprise on some nights, they tend to struggle mightily against the NBA&rsquo;s elite teams. Even without Durant, Brooklyn still qualifies thanks to a James Harden-centric system being put on display. Harden helps the Nets roll over Orlando, cruising to an easy double-digit victory. Smash the Nets to cover the 10-point spread, plus the following power-play prop on PrizePicks: Harden over 24.5 points, Cole Anthony over 17.5 points, Patty Mills over 13.5 points, Mo Bamba over 7.5 rebounds.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers (-4)
New Orleans is well within the NBA&rsquo;s abyss right now. How exactly will they escape? It&rsquo;s almost impossible to see how they can, even when Zion Williamson eventually returns from the foot injury he suffered during the offseason. The Pelicans are well on their way to a top lottery pick, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pelicans-exec-david-griffin-on-hot-seat-after-slow-start-altercation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the seat is now getting warm for GM David Griffin</a> in the Bayou. Griffin&rsquo;s work in New Orleans has been very up-and-down, bordering on potentially squandering a rebuild attempt around a generational talent. You have to wonder if Williamson starts to seriously consider leaving the Pelicans relatively soon as well. For this matchup, though, let&rsquo;s hammer the Clippers to cover the 4-point spread. Betting against the Pelicans right now is an easy money-making exercise, so let&rsquo;s keep riding that train. On PrizePicks, lock in this power play: Paul George over 25.5 points, Brandon Ingram over 20.5 points, Reggie Jackson over 17.5 points, Jonas Valanciunas over 11.5 rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks (-13) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
What a massive spread for this matchup, but that&rsquo;s not scaring me off here. I&rsquo;m taking the Bucks to easily cover the 13-point spread, because the trend of Oklahoma City not being able to hang with top-tier teams still holds true. Milwaukee is finally getting back to full health, so expect their starting lineup to feast against the inexperienced Thunder. Hammer the Bucks to cover, plus project a monster performance once again from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Let&rsquo;s lock in this fun power play on PrizePicks as well: Giannis over 24.5 points, Khris Middleton over 16.5 points, Josh Giddey over 4.5 assists, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 4 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets (-1.5) vs. Chicago Bulls
This is going to be the most entertaining matchup for Friday&rsquo;s slate, so make sure to tune into this one in Denver. Nikola Jokic is playing even better than he was last season as MVP, which says a lot about how incredible he's been. Meanwhile, the Bulls&rsquo; offseason retooling is paying huge dividends right now with all of their new additions thriving alongside Zach LaVine. And once Nikola Vucevic is back in the starting lineup, Chicago will be even better. Although I&rsquo;m so tempted to bet on the underdog here, I&rsquo;m siding with Jokic and the Nuggets to get the job done covering the 1.5-point spread at home. On PrizePicks, this is one of my favorite power plays to tail: Zach LaVine over 23.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 21.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 6 rebounds, Lonzo Ball over 4.5 assists.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Phoenix Suns (-8.5) vs. Dallas Mavericks
These two teams once again lock horns after a super entertaining comeback victory for Phoenix on Wednesday. This time around, we&rsquo;re betting once again on the Suns to cover the spread against the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks. Dallas led for most of the game because of super-hot, unsustainable three-point shooting. I&rsquo;m not projecting that will happen again, so, honestly, I expect the Suns to roll here and win by double-digits. The Suns are winners of 10-straight, and that streak should only continue as they continue to gain even more confidence. Phoenix is one of the most dangerous teams in the Association, so betting against them isn&rsquo;t a wise investment. Hammer the Suns at -8.5, plus the following power-play on PrizePicks: Devin Booker over 22.5 points, Mikal Bridges over 11.5 points, Deandre Ayton over 10.5 rebounds, Chris Paul over 8.5 assists.
Sacramento Kings (-3.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors will be without OG Anunoby for an extended period of time due to a hip injury, which is a major blow because he&rsquo;s been showcasing why he&rsquo;s so important to their long-term future. However, even without Anunoby in Sacramento, I like the Raptors as underdogs to cover the 3.5-point spread. The heat is on for Kings head coach Luke Walton, and it&rsquo;s hard to envision how he survives the entire regular season. Give me the Raptors in this matchup on the road in Sacramento, thanks in large part to their reliable veteran combo of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. On PrizePicks, I&rsquo;m locking in this intriguing power play as well: Siakam over 18.5 points, Scottie Barnes over 6.5 rebounds, VanVleet over 2.5 threes, Tyrese Haliburton over 1.5 threes.
Recapping our picks against the spread for &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s what is being locked in for Friday&rsquo;s fun slate: Warriors -2, Hornets -1, Celtics -3, Nets -10, Clippers -4, Bucks -13, Nuggets -1.5, Suns -8.5, Raptors +3.5.
All users that deposit and use the promo code NEWS on PrizePicks will receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! <a href="https://www.prizepicks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here</a>.

Ahead of Friday' slate, "Nothing But Bets" shares their latest picks against the spread and over/under power-play props via PrizePicks.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/19/21

After rolling out my<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-the-top-150-nba-players-for-fantasy-basketball-in-2021-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Top-150 NBA Fantasy overall rankings</a> last week, I have broken down each position into tiers.
It is important to state that these rankings are based on a nine-category roto format (points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, three-pointers, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage and turnovers). Also, please note position eligibility is based on Yahoo&rsquo;s fantasy settings and, as a result, many players qualify at multiple positions.
Guards
The two biggest question marks among all guards reside in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Ben Simmons has (awkwardly) returned to Sixers, but it is still unclear whether Big Ben plans to "merely report to the team or truly rejoin the team," <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-arrives-in-philly-takes-covid19-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>. Thus, Simmons is arguably the biggest boom-or-bust fantasy pick in the NBA this season.
Irving, on the other hand, is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/itll-be-difficult-for-kyrie-and-the-nets-to-come-back-from-this" target="_blank" rel="noopener">persona non grata in the borough of Brooklyn</a>. Although Kyrie is eligible to participate in the Nets' away games, Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said Tuesday that Irving will not be allowed to play or practice with the team at all until he gets vaccinated. &ldquo;He has a choice to make, and he made his choice,&rdquo; Marks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-say-kyrie-irving-cant-play-or-practice-with-team-while-unvaccinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters Tuesday</a>. &ldquo;And my job here is to make what we deem is the best choices for the organization moving ahead and as a whole.&rdquo; There is certainly still a chance Irving gets his jab and is cleared to play, but it&rsquo;s too much of a risk to roll the dice until late in the draft, in my opinion.
Tier 1: James Harden PG, SG (BKN)&nbsp; Luka Doncic PG, SG (DAL) Stephen Curry PG, SG (GSW) Damian Lillard PG (POR)
Tier 2: Bradley Beal SG, SF (WAS) Trae Young PG (ATL) Jimmy Butler SF, PF, SG (MIA) LeBron James PG, SG, SF, PF (LAL)
Tier 3: Fred VanVleet PG, SG (TOR) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG, SG (OKC)
Tier 4: Jrue Holiday PG, SG (MIL) Chris Paul PG (PHO) &nbsp; Zach LaVine SG, SF (CHI) Donovan Mitchell PG, SG (UTAH)
Tier 5: Khris Middleton SF, PF, SG (MIL) Jaylen Brown SG, SF (BOS) De'Aaron Fox PG (SAC)&nbsp; Devin Booker SG, SF, PG (PHO)
Tier 6: LaMelo Ball PG, SG (CHA) CJ McCollum PG, SG (POR) Russell Westbrook PG (LAL) Kevin Porter Jr. SG, SF, PG (HOU)&nbsp; Dejounte Murray PG, SG (SAS) Malcolm Brogdon PG, SG (IND)&nbsp; Terry Rozier PG, SG (CHA)
Tier 7: Mikal Bridges SG, SF (PHO) Lonzo Ball PG, SG (CHI) Gordon Hayward SG, SF (CHA) Ja Morant PG (MEM) Bogdan Bogdanovic SF, PF, SG (ATL) Darius Garland PG, SG (CLE) Anthony Edwards SG, SF (MIN) DeMar DeRozan SF, PF, SG (CHI) Kyle Lowry PG (MIA) Tyrese Haliburton PG, SG (SAC) Derrick White PG, SG (SAS)
Tier 8: Mike Conley PG (UTAH) Jalen Suggs PG, SG (ORL) Spencer Dinwiddie PG, SG (WAS) Cade Cunningham PG, SG (DET) Ben Simmons PG (PHI) Caris LeVert SG, SF (IND) D&rsquo;Angelo Russell PG, SG (MIN) Collin Sexton PG, SG (CLE) Marcus Smart PG, SG (BOS) Jordan Poole PG, SG (GSW)&nbsp;
Tier 9: Andrew Wiggins SG, SF (GSW)&nbsp; Nickeil Alexander-Walker SG, SF, PG (NOP) Devonte&rsquo; Graham PG, SG (NOP) Evan Fournier SG, SF (NYK) Buddy Hield SG, SF (SAC) Norman Powell SG, SF (POR) Kemba Walker PG (NYK) RJ Barrett SG, SF (NYK) Reggie Jackson PG, SG (LAC) Dennis Schroder PG (BOS) Jordan Clarkson PG, SG (UTAH) Joe Ingles SG, SF, PF (UTAH) Joe Harris SG, SF (BKN)&nbsp; Malik Beasley PG, SG, SF (MIN) Kyrie Irving PG, SG (BKN)&nbsp;
Tier 10:&nbsp; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton PG, SG (MEM) Jalen Green SG (HOU) Klay Thompson SG, SF (GSW) Dillon Brooks SG, SF (MEM) Matisse Thybulle SG, SF (PHI) T.J. McConnell PG, SG (IND) Derrick Rose PG, SG (NYK) Tim Hardaway Jr. SG, SF (DAL) Kelly Oubre Jr. SG, SF, PF (CHA) Eric Bledsoe PG, SG (LAC) Kevin Huerter SG, SF (ATL) Josh Giddey PG, SG, SF (OKC) Tyrese Maxey PG, SG (PHI)
Forwards
Looking for a potential sleeper at forward? I&rsquo;d suggest highlighting Pascal Siakam or Evan Mobley on your cheat sheet.&nbsp;
After a phenomenal 2019-20 campaign, in which he was named to the All-NBA Second Team, Siakam failed to live up to expectations last season; his scoring average, three-point makes and effective field goal percentage all decreased. In addition, Pascal is still working his way back from surgery on a torn labrum, which has forced his ADP (Average Draft Position) to plummet. However, earlier this week, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said his star forward has been &ldquo;going 100%&rdquo; without contact for about 4-6 weeks, and could return later this month.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Evan Mobley is going to be a special defender in the NBA. GMs believe that Mobley will be the best player from his draft class in five years 👀 (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mike_Schmitz</a>) <a href="https://t.co/iPiaabn2Gu">pic.twitter.com/iPiaabn2Gu</a>
&mdash; NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1446161049753882629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Mobley&rsquo;s stock is soaring after impressive performances and extended usage for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the preseason (he&rsquo;s leading his team in playing time, logging 28.4 minutes per game). Mr. Mobley is probably worth the gamble, as his upside is emarkably enticing.&nbsp;
Tier 1: Nikola Jokic PF, C (DEN)
Tier 2: Jayson Tatum SF, PF (BOS) Giannis Antetokounmpo PF, C (MIL) Kevin Durant SF, PF (BKN) Joel Embiid PF, C (PHI) Anthony Davis PF, C (LAL)&nbsp; Bradley Beal SG, SF (WAS) Paul George SF, PF, SG (LAC)
Tier 3: Jimmy Butler SF, PF, SG (MIA) LeBron James PG, SG, SF, PF (LAL) Domantas Sabonis PF, C (IND) Bam Adebayo PF, C (MIA) Michael Porter Jr. SF, PF (DEN Zach LaVine SG, SF (CHI)
Tier 4: Khris Middleton SF, PF, SG (MIL) Jaylen Brown SG, SF (BOS) Julius Randle PF, C (NYK) Devin Booker SG, SF, PG (PHO) Myles Turner PF, C (IND) OG Anunoby SF, PF (TOR)&nbsp; Tobias Harris SF, PF (PHI)
Tier 5: Richaun Holmes PF, C (SAC) Brandon Ingram SF, PF (NOP) Christian Wood PF, C (HOU) Kristaps Porzingis PF, C (DAL) John Collins PF, C (ATL) Kevin Porter Jr. SG, SF, PG (HOU)&nbsp; Zion Williamson PF (NOP)
Tier 6: Pascal Siakam PF, C (TOR) Mikal Bridges SG, SF (PHO) Jaren Jackson Jr. PF, C (MEM) Chris Boucher PF, C (TOR) Gordon Hayward SG, SF (CHA) Bogdan Bogdanovic SF, PF, SG (ATL) Anthony Edwards SG, SF (MIN) DeMar DeRozan SF, PF, SG (CHI) Robert Williams III C, PF (BOS)
Tier 7: Draymond Green PF, C (GSW) Jerami Grant SF, PF (DET) Caris LeVert SG, SF (IND) Robert Covington PF, C, SF (POR) Miles Bridges SF, PF (CHA) Kelly Olynyk PF, C (DET) Buddy Hield SG, SF (SAC)&nbsp; Isaiah Stewart PF, C (DET) Andrew Wiggins SG, SF (GSW)&nbsp;
Tier 8: Nickeil Alexander-Walker SG, SF, PG (NOP) Evan Fournier SG, SF (NYK) P.J. Washington PF, C (CHA) Norman Powell SG, SF (POR) Kyle Anderson SF, PF (MEM) Jonathan Isaac SF, PF (ORL) Evan Mobley C, PF (CLE) Larry Nance Jr. PF, C (POR) Harrison Barnes SF, PF (SAC) Mason Plumlee PF, C (CHA) Bobby Portis Jr. PF, C (MIL) De&rsquo;Andre Hunter SF, PF (ATL) Daniel Gafford C, PF (WAS)
Tier 9: Thaddeus Young PF, C, SF (SAS) Joe Ingles SG, SF, PF (UTAH) Lauri Markkanen PF, C (CLE) Joe Harris SG, SF (BKN)&nbsp; Keldon Johnson SF, PF (SAS) Malik Beasley PG, SG, SF (MIN) T.J. Warren SF, PF (IND) Jae'Sean Tate SF, PF (HOU) Daniel Theis PF, C (HOU) Brandon Clarke PF, C (MEM) Saddiq Bey SF (DET)\ Klay Thompson SG, SF (GSW) Derrick Favors C, PF (OKC) Al Horford PF, C (BOS)
Tier 10: Kyle Kuzma SF, PF (WAS) Matisse Thybulle SG, SF (PHI) Nicolas Batum SF, PF, SG (LAC) Derrick Rose PG, SG (NYK) Marcus Morris Sr. PF, C, SF (LAC) Dillon Brooks SG, SF (MEM) Alperen Sengun PF, C (HOU) Tim Hardaway Jr. SG, SF (DAL) Montrezl Harrell PF, C (WAS) Kelly Oubre Jr. SG, SF, PF (CHA) Nerlens Noel PF, C (NYK)&nbsp; Isaiah Roby C, PF (OKC) Kevin Huerter SG, SF (ATL) Khem Birch PF, C (TOR) Aaron Gordon SF, PF (DEN)
Centers
Centers take on added importance in fantasy hoops due to the scarcity. That&rsquo;s part of the reason why Jokic is viewed as the near-unanimous top overall selection in drafts this year.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Last season, Jokic authored a season for the ages. Not only did he score a career-high 26.4 points and rip down 10.8 rebounds per game, but he also dished out an average of 8.3 dimes each night, joining Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 10 boards and 8 assists over a season. Incredibly, Jokic tallied a total of 599 assists in 2020-21, which was the third-most in the entire league. Wilt Chamberlain, who led the NBA with 8.6 APG in 1967-68, is the only center to post a higher assist-average over a full season. As a fantasy cherry on top, the Joker proved incredibly durable, appearing in every game last season.
Tier 1: Nikola Jokic PF, C (DEN)
Tier 2: Karl-Anthony Towns C (MIN)
Tier 3: Giannis Antetokounmpo PF, C&nbsp; Joel Embiid PF, C (PHI) Anthony Davis PF, C (LAL)
Tier 4: Nikola Vucevic C (CHI) Domantas Sabonis PF, C (IND) Bam Adebayo PF, C (MIA) Rudy Gobert C (UTAH)
Tier 5: Myles Turner PF, C (IND) Clint Capela C (ATL) Julius Randle PF, C (NYK) Richaun Holmes PF, C (SAC) Deandre Ayton C (PHO) Christian Wood PF, C (HOU)&nbsp; Kristaps Porzingis PF, C (DAL) John Collins PF, C (ATL)
Tier 6: Jaren Jackson Jr. PF, C (MEM) Jusuf Nurkic C (POR) Pascal Siakam PF, C (TOR) Chris Boucher PF, C (TOR)&nbsp; Robert Williams III C, PF (BOS) Jonas Valanciunas C (NOP) Draymond Green PF, C (GSW) Robert Covington PF, C, SF (POR) Jarrett Allen C (CLE) Kelly Olynyk PF, C (DET) Isaiah Stewart PF, C (DET)
Tier 7: P.J. Washington PF, C (CHA) Evan Mobley C, PF (CLE) Mitchell Robinson C (NYK) Larry Nance Jr. PF, C (POR) Jakob Poeltl C (SAS) Wendell Carter Jr. C (ORL) Brook Lopez C (MIL) Mason Plumlee PF, C (CHA) Bobby Portis Jr. PF, C (MIL)
Tier 8: Daniel Gafford C, PF (WAS) Thaddeus Young PF, C, SF (SAS) Lauri Markkanen PF, C (CLE) Daniel Theis PF, C (HOU) Brandon Clarke PF, C (MEM) Ivica Zubac C (LAC) Derrick Favors C, PF (OKC) Al Horford PF, C (BOS)
Tier 9: Marcus Morris Sr. PF, C, SF (LAC) Mo Bamba C (ORL) Montrezl Harrell PF, C (WAS) Thomas Bryant C (WAS) Nerlens Noel PF, C (NYK)&nbsp; Alperen Sengun PF, C (HOU)&nbsp;
Tier 10: Khem Birch PF, C (TOR) Isaiah Roby C, PF (OKC) Andre Drummond C (PHI)&nbsp; Steven Adams C (MEM) Serge Ibaka PF, C (LAC)&nbsp; James Wiseman C (GSW) Naz Reid C (MIN) Marvin Bagley III PF, C (SAC) LaMarcus Aldridge PF, C (BKN) Nicolas Claxton PF, C (BKN) Kevin Love PF, C (CLE) Hassan Whiteside PF, C (UTAH)

Tommy Beer divides the top NBA fantasy guards, forwards and centers into 10 tiers each based on their value.