https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/orl.png

Magic

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 Orlando Magic finished another losing season singing a familiar refrain.
Despite dropping 60 games, posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference and missing the playoffs for the third time in five years, the club insists it&rsquo;s latest overhaul is headed in the right direction.
&ldquo;From when we walked into the building on Day One, we talked about how we were going to compete at a high level, defend at a high level, work every day and have fun doing it,&rdquo; first-year coach Jamahl Mosley noted Sunday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
The Magic dropped 27 of 32 games to start the season and never won three games in a row, yet Mosley said a young team that played most of the season without two of its best players never got discouraged.
&ldquo;Practice (Saturday) felt like Day One. There was an energy, an enthusiasm, a joy for being on the court with one another throughout the day,&rdquo; the coach said before Sunday night&rsquo;s finale against the Miami Heat.
&ldquo;And I think it was about what we&rsquo;ve talked about from the beginning. It&rsquo;s about us getting better every single day. Whether we win or lose, we&rsquo;re putting that work in every single day,&rdquo; Mosley added. &ldquo;These guys have embraced that, and they have embraced each other.&rdquo;
In a sense, this season was doomed from the start with Jonathan Issac and Markelle Fultz, two of the young players the Magic are trying to build around, on the mend from serious knee injuries.
Issac tore his left anterior cruciate ligament when the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season resumed in the Disney bubble. He&rsquo;s missed all of the past two seasons and only played 136 games since being drafted five years ago..
Fultz tore his ACL in January 2021 and was sidelined almost 14 months before returning late this season and playing well enough to gradually work his way back into a starting role.
Team president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond remain committed to building through the draft after trading veterans Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon in March 2021 for future first-round picks in 2023 and 2025.
The current roster includes eight players selected in the first round of the past five drafts, including Fultz (No. 1 overall by Philadelphia in 2017) and Wendell Carter Jr. (seventh by Chicago in 2018).
Isaac (sixth, 2017), Mo Bamba (sixth, 2018), Chuma Okeke (16th, 2019), Cole Anthony (15th, in 2020), Jalen Suggs (fifth, 2021) and Franz Wagner (eighth, 2021) are Orlando picks.
Suggs and Wagner showed flashes of promise as rookies this season. The 6 foot-10 Carter looks like part of the future, too, after averaging a confidence-bolstering 15 points and 10.5 rebounds in 62 games.
&ldquo;All the young teams in the league &mdash; the Memphis Grizzlies, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; I feel like we&rsquo;re right there,&rdquo; Carter said.
&ldquo;Especially with us being so young, it gives us the opportunity to really mold everyone,&rdquo; Carter added. &ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re in a perfect opportunity where everybody understands what everybody is capable of, and we all like each other.&rdquo;
WORK TO DO
Despite insisting there are signs of progress, this the seventh time in the past 10 seasons the Magic have won fewer than 30 games.
Orlando has had five different coaches and only posted one winning record (42-40 in 2018-19) during that span. The franchise hasn&rsquo;t won a playoff series since 2010.
MIXED REVIEWS
Suggs was the fifth pick in last year&rsquo;s draft out of Gonzaga. He earned a starting job right away, but would up missing 34 games due to various injuries. He shot just 36% and averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 assists in 48 games..
Wagner, the 8th pick out of Michigan, averaged 15.2 points in 79 games. He started the first 74 games before being sidelined by an ankle injury.
GET IN THE GYM
Mosley said one of the team&rsquo;s priorities is improving its perimeter shooting.
The Magic finished 28th in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 43.4, including 33.4 from 3-point range.
Fultz (23.5%, Suggs (21.4%) and Anthony (33.8%) all struggled from beyond the arc.
Without mentioning any names, Mosley said he wants everyone to return in September with better jump shots.
&ldquo;Being able to shoot the heck out of the basketball, and coming back with that conditioning level all the way up, I think those are going to be the big keys,&rdquo; the coach said.

The Magic dropped 27 of 32 games to start the season and never won three games in a row, yet Mosley said they remained upbeat.

Jamahl Mosley: Young, rebuilding Magic have promising future

Play-In and playoff time are right around the corner in the dwindling NBA season. As such, most of conversations will understandably revolve around the league's premier teams. It's easy for the teams at the bottom to get lost in the shuffle. They generally reach a point where lottery odds take precedence; in some instances, important young pieces are getting shut down like the veterans are.
I wanted to take a moment to highlight some players who are likely flying under the radar. You have to take post-All-Star break stretches with at least two grains of salt, but this is a time for unheralded players to stretch themselves. In a best-case scenario, they wind up showing you something that transfers to the next season.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Here are a few players &mdash; just a few! &mdash; who have caught my eye recently.
KILLIAN HAYES
The Stats: 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists (1.4 turnovers), 2.8 steals over last five games&nbsp;
The Skill: Downhill Comfort
It's been a hectic start for Killian Hayes, a high-upside guard project who's had his career derailed by injury woes to this point. Young ball-handlers need live reps to work out the kinks of their game; Hayes hasn't consistently been able to do that, which make his flaws look even worse when he's been on the floor.
Hayes is in the midst of finding himself though. He's one of the most underrated guard defenders in the sport already, boasting off-ball prowess and a knack for getting over or&nbsp;ducking under picks and remaining attached.&nbsp;
Offensively, there's been a bit of a chicken-or-egg ordeal with him. He's shown legit passing chops from the jump, but his ability to create advantages &mdash; via explosive drives or out of fear of his jumper &mdash; hasn't been there. Putting him off-ball has led to teams ignoring him as a threat.
That's what makes Hayes' recent aggression worth paying attention to. This is probably the most I've seen him generate paint touches.
<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/1noylj" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
How about this: Hayes is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">converting over 68%</a> of his shots via drive over this five-game stretch. That's wildly impressive, and likely unsustainable. The rising drive volume is the key here. After averaging 6.0 drives per game <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612765&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;SeasonSegment=Pre%20All-Star" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the All-Star break</a>, that number has risen to 7.1. Over the last five, it's up again to 8.8.
If Hayes can get downhill more consistently, that should open up more passing windows for him. If you want to zoom out a bit, that should unlock some off-ball opportunities for Cade Cunningham so he doesn't have to create all the time (even though he's probably good enough to do so.)
Don't sell your Hayes stock, folks.
BRANDON WILLIAMS
The Stats: 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists (2.8 turnovers), 1.6 steals over last five games
The Skill: Pick-and-Roll Passing
The Blazers are an absolute mess right now, but that's mostly fine. They're playing for lotto odds and hoping to make some "keep Damian Lillard" splashes in the offseason.
In the meantime, can I just say I've oddly enjoyed the dynamic between Brandon Williams and Drew Eubanks? Also, did you know Eubanks was averaging nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds over his last five games? You do now!
<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/2roz1f" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
But seriously, Williams has a real feel for pocket passing. There's a pace to him that allows him to operate with slower rollers. I've also seen enough skips in his film to say he can make most of the reads you want from him.
The question becomes: What level of a shooter is he going to be? The three-point shooting has fluctuated in both directions since he's been given more reps, and the pull-up middy <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/pullup/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1610612757&amp;sort=PULL_UP_FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn't been great either</a>. There's enough craft there to be excited about though. I'm curious to see what he looks like in a more defined role next season.
DAMIAN JONES
The Stats: 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.8 blocks over last six games
The Skill: Playmaking
Damian Jones had stops with Golden State, Atlanta, Phoenix and the Los Angeles Lakers before landing in Sacramento. Go down the line; you don't think the Dubs could use a vertical spacer like this? Think the Suns would rather have Bismack Biyombo than Jones? Would the Lakers turn down young talent to... well actually, nevermind.
Jones has&nbsp;really&nbsp;been balling since newbie Domantas Sabonis has been out of the lineup. Averaging 17 and 8 is nothing to sneeze at, and he's predictably getting busy as a roll man and glass-cleaner.
What's been interesting &mdash; the Kings are putting the ball in his hands a little. You won't confuse him with Sabonis, but he's been allowed to be a handoff hub in Delay sets. And when the Kings are able to draw two to the ball, Jones hasn't looked entirely out of place as a short-roll decision-maker.
<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/47uwzv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Expectations of "traditional" centers are changing. If you aren't good enough to build the boat around, you'll need to complement stars with something. Some bigs have attempted to expand their range to the three-point line &mdash; something Jones has dabbled with on occasion this season &mdash; while others are becoming more adept as initiators. That Jones is showing flashes in the latter should add to his value moving forward.
ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI
The Stats: 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists (4.3 turnovers), 0.8 steals over last four games
The Skill: Decision-Making
Let's start right here, because what the heck.
<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/nbzqmq" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
That is Aleksej Pokusevski getting&nbsp;Chris freakin' Paul&nbsp;on a rip-through foul. After that, you get Pokusevski running a pick-and-roll and freezing Cam Johnson with a jump pass to the corner. The pass accuracy was off, but it's hard not to appreciate the level of manipulation.
It's easy to point to the recent triple-double, but the overarching thing is that Pokusevski looks more comfortable on both ends as of late. The shot is falling for him at nearly a 48% clip &mdash; wildly impressive considering the amount of movement attempts he fires. He's made some real strides on the ball too. He's still trying some wild stuff, but the chaos is more controlled.
Pre-break, Pokusevski had an assist rate of 11.6 and a turnover rate of 16.2. Since then, he's been firmly in the positive (22.0 to 16.7). Both numbers have shot up during this four-game stretch (35.1, 26.2) but, he's still largely been a plus-playmaker statistically.
Skipping steps in pick-and-roll. No-looks in transition. Timely "one more" passes when the ball gets to swinging. The level of ball placement with some of his interior reads should not be possible for a guy his size.
I have been, I am and I will continue to be intrigued by Poku.&nbsp;
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>What Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin brings to the table as a (violent) dunker and weak-side shot-blocker should be well documented at this point. I think he's also firmly proving you can't leave him completely open. I'm not buying him being a 48% shooter from deep like he has been since the All-Star break (on "meh" volume), but the form and touch are to the point where he should be accounted for as a spot-up option.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I'd keep an eye on Markelle Fultz (13.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals over his last five) if I were you. The burst looks solid, as does the defense. So much focus has (understandably) been on his injury history and whatever the heck happened with his jumper, but that's one crafty dude with the ball in his hands.</li>
<li>Nothing deep here, just want to say I'm glad Goga Bitadze is showing some signs of life in a weird context. Related: I have no idea what Indiana's big man room is going to look like next season.</li>
</ul>
<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 highlights some young (role) players on struggling teams who are worth keeping an eye on.

Views from the bottom: 4 young NBA players to keep an eye on

Whether Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. is retweeting praise for Duke basketball's March Madness run or hyping up his girlfriend, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, during her own tourney run as a senior at UConn, one thing is a constant part of Carter's social media presence: the hashtag #ABC.&nbsp;
Accept, believe and confess.
"Accept that whatever happens happens, believe that it happens for a reason," Carter said. "If you did something good, confess that. If you did something bad, confess that too. It's allowing yourself to think on certain things that happened in your life, but not allow them to dictate what's going to happen next."
It's his life mantra, instilled in him by his mother, Kylia. He credits Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski for continuing to build those qualities in him, reinforcing the importance of enjoying the moment and remaining present.
Carter is a spiritual person, having grown up in the church. As such, confession as a concept is essential to him, and it comes through in his honesty as a speaker and openness about his development. The work speaks for itself, but he's transparent in the time and energy that's gone into a career-year, crediting those who have been key in finding his game in Orlando.
Acceptance was a key element for Carter at the 2021 trade deadline, when he was traded from Chicago to Orlando in the deal for Nikola Vucevic. He thought Chicago was going to be his home as a professional and couldn't fathom being traded.
"I thought I was going to be there forever," Carter said.
The move took him by surprise and hurt in the moment, but he was quick to shift and reframe his mindset.
"I felt what happened," he said. "I believed that one person didn't want me, but the next person does."
Carter says that the confession aspect of things didn't really factor in, but anyone who has watched him this season knows he's confessed every night on the court with his play.
He's averaging career-highs across the board both in per-game and per-minute queries. It's not just the production but also how he is producing that's been the difference. His aggression is staggering compared to his first three seasons, which has resulted in his creating more shots for himself.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.5856%; height: 66px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Time Frame</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2 point %</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2 point assisted %</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Pull-up 2s taken and %</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">True-shooting %</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">First 3 seasons</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">53.4%</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">74.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">61 (26.2%)</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">56.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">61.5%</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">60.9%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">60 (55%)</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">60.1%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right for full table on mobile)
To put into perspective how remarkable that two-point percentage is, Carter is on the verge of breaking Orlando's single-season record previously held by Dwight Howard (who shot 61.7% from two in 2009-10).
Carter is launching more from three, and while the percentages have dipped as the season has gone on, he's no longer hesitating from behind the arc like in past season. According to <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/player?player_id=1628976" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dunks and Threes</a>, Carter has a career-high in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (+1.2) after not posting a neutral mark any of the prior three seasons.
Carter's handle is also noticeably tighter. He's more fluid off the bounce and has real verve in face-ups and isolation. He's flashed these skills throughout his career, but he has emboldened and exacerbated them this season.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/attdpq" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
He's finishing better through contact and has more control and counters near the basket, shooting 75% at the rim this season, per Cleaning the Glass. That's a near 10% uptick compared to his career rate from 0-4 feet (65.9%).
Furthemore, he's played more at the four this season than he has his entire career, and his skill growth has made that much more viable and realistic than in prior years.&nbsp;
Carter gives a great deal of credit to Orlando's coaching staff for their belief in him, but also for empowering him to be this player every day. He had three different head coaches in Chicago, and it was difficult to find a consistent footing with so much in flux. That changed in Orlando, where he has found stability.
"They've kind of instilled in me like, 'Man, you're a great player. We've seen plenty of flashes. We know what Wendell can really be. Can we see you do this for a whole 48-minute game? Can we see you play like those little spurts we'll see every now and then? Can you do that more often?'"
He says they didn't put pressure on him but rather enabled his upside and fostered his development. He credits head coach Jamahl Mosley, associate head coach Nate Tibbets and assistant coach Dale Osbourne with helping him start to realize his potential.
"Coach Mos, Nate, Os, they all really helped me, and they all believe that there's something special in the kind of player I am," Carter said.
Carter also works out with video coordinator Randy Gregory every night.
"That's a guy I definitely trust and have a lot of respect and love for," Carter said.
That in-season work coupled with his offseason training set the table for his career-year. He notes that conditioning was the biggest thing he tackled over the summer, putting in the work to keep up with smaller and quicker players on defense. In order to tighten his handle and hone his shot, he worked on them each day, fine-tuning them with repetition and mental imagery, repeating scenarios in his head and replicating in-game scenarios.
The process has helped him find his "swagger," which oozes on-court with his play and intensity.
"The work shows up at some point," he said. "I'm grateful that I'm able to display that each night."
He laughs that it's a cliche statement, but it resounds in truth, cliche or not. The consistency he's displayed this season shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt, as the reps he put in have instilled that confidence and augmented his game, allowing him to become one of the better up-and-coming players in the NBA.
Carter has always possessed a good feel for the game and playmaking chops, but he's put it all together this season. Orlando has a great deal of ball-handlers and players who can soak up some on-ball usage, including Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz and others. The Magic run an offense predicated on motion and flow, so without a true primary option, they rely on advantage continuation buffering from smaller actions to open up better looks.
Dribble handoffs are a staple of this offense, and Carter is the main vessel for stabilizing the offense through DHOs. At times with the Bulls when he'd run these actions, he could get stuck and hesitate if the offensive player coming to the ball was denied. Not anymore. He's reading, reacting and taking what the defense gives him with gumption.
<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/4vrpb6" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Another part of his offseason and in-season prep has been a heavy dose of breaking down tape and segmenting the game. He's looked to find new ways to process the game. Slowing things down off the court has allowed him to speed up his on-court activity.
"I've been training my mind and looking at film and doing the little things," Carter said. "Now when I get in those situations, it's not that I'm overthinking, but that's literally just what I see."
If his defender leans one way, he knows he has the crossover and can take it to the rack. If the incoming defender goes under the DHO, he has the throwback to his man outside the arc.
He's a bonecrushing screener, capable of creating separation at a high level to screen open a ball-handler. But it's not just the strength; he's adept at flipping and angling his screens and adjusting for each individual handler on the team.
"Certain guards like for screens to be set at certain angles and come up with their left hand," Carter said. "Some like to come up with the right hand. Some like the pick to be flat so they can come off either way to create their own advantage for themselves."
There's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explaining-why-we-need-to-appreciate-screening-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot more that goes into setting a screen</a> than meets the eye, and Carter is a master of of it. His amalgamation of strength, playmaking and ferocity as a roller afford him the blend of skills necessary to create offense at a high level with and without the ball.
"I think there's so many ways in which he can go," Jamahl Mosley said when asked about Carter's growth and future development. "He&rsquo;s shown the ability to finish at the rim and to step out and make the three. The next step is continuing to make his teammates better by making those decisions and getting guys open and good looks.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Carter has a wide array of passes in his bag. He can make a pocket pass, put good touch on a post-entry, paint the corners or slot on the short roll, hit cutters out of the mid or high post and even throw in some enamoring one-handers off the dribble. The consistency has improved, but as Mosley notes, there's even more for Carter on the table.&nbsp;
The passing and processing strides this season are notable and play out routinely on the court, but one of Carter's most sizable gains have been as a leader of Orlando's young core.
"His growth is not just on the floor, it&rsquo;s off the floor as well," Mosley said. "His voice in that locker room, keeping guys up, keeping guys accountable. Our group is a group of that, just tied together, continuing to communicate and working on and off the floor."
While that growth in leadership isn't fully visible to an outside observer, the communication comes through on the court, and not just from Carter. The Magic have struggled offensively like any young team still searching for more consistent and efficient modes of creation, but they're building a rock-solid defensive foundation.
Since the All-Star Break, the Magic are second in the NBA in defensive efficiency (allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions) behind only the Memphis Grizzlies, per Cleaning the Glass. They're 7-11 in that time frame, including quality wins (over the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans) and close games against some top-notch competition (such as the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers). Widen the lens, and the Magic are eighth in defense since the turn of the calendar. There's something here, and Carter is central to Orlando's growth as a defensive unit.
Carter has been among the league's best rim protectors this season, capable of operating in a deep drop, higher up in centerfield or helping off the weak-side as a secondary rim protector alongside Mo Bamba. According to Second Spectrum Tracking, opponents shoot 11.2% worse than expected when Carter is defending the rim, a mark that puts him in the upper tier of paint protectors in the league and comfortably in the top 10 of that metric. He doesn't block an outlier number of shots, but don't let that fool you. Come at the king, and you best not miss because he's going to be in the right spot with extremely well-timed contests and verticality, getting the most of his 7-foot-3 wingspan.
In a pinch, he can switch onto smaller players and hold his own on the perimeter, something Carter mentions he focused on as he prepared for the season. 
"I had to kind of tackle that this past offseason, being able to keep up with a lot of these 4s and 3s," he said.
<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/7dzdf5" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
"He&rsquo;s taken on the defensive challenge of playing some of these big-time bigs," Mosley said. "He&rsquo;s guarding 1-through-5 in situations, being able to step into big moments as he has."
Orlando's game against Philadelphia earlier in March was a showcase of Carter's growth on both ends, as he matched up with top-notch competition. He went right at Joel Embiid all night off the dribble, attacking from the outside in and finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He defended Embiid most of the night, and while Embiid scored 35 points, it was on mediocre efficiency (49.3% TS), buoyed by trips to the line. Carter defended the MVP candidate one-on-one better than just about anyone has this season while giving him work on the other end. 
There's a short list of players in the world who can put together that sort of game, and those performances are becoming more of a regularity. Carter recently set a new career-high in scoring (30) against Oklahoma City, and he has scored fewer than 10 points just once in 2022.
The foundation is set, and the seeds of the next hopeful era of Magic basketball have been sown over the course of the regular season. Orlando's year will end in roughly a week after the final buzzer sounds out at Amway Center on April 10, closing out against the Miami Heat at home. In spite of a losing record, the future seems much brighter in Orlando than recent years. Carter's strides underscore the budding potential of a young and talented organization.
He wants to be an All-Star someday. He says he wants to make All-Defensive teams and earn a First-Team All-NBA selection in the future.
"On a deeper level, I feel like just turning up Orlando to the levels that Shaq and Penny had this place rockin' &mdash; sold-out games every night, don't matter who we play, because they come to see us," Carter said.
He loved the 30 for 30 "This Magic Moment" about the '90s Magic and says that documentary and "The Last Dance"&nbsp;got him hyped and motivated about the future in Orlando.
He details the process, which involves taking the next steps as a competitive team, getting to the playoffs, winning rounds and developing the confidence as an organization to eventually win a championship.
"That's the game within the game that I'm looking at," Carter said. "If we get that swag, that feeling, you know we've got the whole city behind us, rocking with us. I feel like that's just such a dope feeling to have."
Hitting higher grounds as an individual clearly means a lot to Carter, but he lit up in an entirely different way when talking about revitalizing Magic basketball. He wants it bad. He's spearheading Orlando's youth movement with his play and development this season, showing his commitment to the process and growth while building upon and unsheathing his potential. As the Magic continue to take steps forward, Carter has cemented himself as a franchise cornerstone as they carve out a more auspicious horizon.
<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>!

Wendell Carter Jr. has made leaps across the board and is primed for more, foreshadowing a bright future for himself and the Magic.

Wendell Carter Jr.: Turning up his game and 'turning up Orlando'

Franz Wagner made three free throws with 12.2 seconds left and dunked on an inbounds play for the final points, leading the Orlando Magic to a 94-90 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
Mo Bamba's 3-pointer with 52 seconds left gave Orlando an 89-88 lead.
Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando with 19 points and Wagner finished with 18.
With the Warriors' loss, the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns (58-14) clinched first place in the Pacific Division.
Jordan Poole scored 26 points for the Warriors, who shot 40% for the game and had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter on the way to their third straight loss. Klay Thompson added 15 points and Otto Porter Jr. had 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Warriors shot 7 for 24 without and failed to hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter, falling behind 25-12 before Porter and Thompson scored the final five points of the period.
Jonathan Kuminga had 10 points and four rebounds in the second quarter to keep the Warriors in it.
Golden State was 3 for 18 from 3-point range until Poole, Porter and Thompson combined for five straight in a five-minute pan, giving the Warriors with a 69-61 lead with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Poole's long 3-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter gave Golden State its first double-digit lead of the game at 77-65.
But Markelle Fultz scored twice in a 13-0 run by the Magic while the Warriors were scoreless for nearly five minutes.
TIP-INS
Warriors: F Moses Moody missed a second game with a sore right shoulder.
Magic: One week after declaring him out for the season, the Magic announced F Jonathan Isaac has undergone a &ldquo;small surgical procedure&rdquo; for a right hamstring injury. Isaac has missed two straight seasons due to a torn left ACL. ... G Jalen Suggs missed a fourth straight game with a bruised right ankle. ... The Magic signed free-agent G Jeff Dowtin to a 10-day contract.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Play at Miami on Wednesday night.
Magic: Play at Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

Franz Wagner made three free throws with 12.2 seconds left and dunked on an inbounds play for the final points.

Warriors fall to Magic 94-90; Suns clinch Pacific Division

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid had 35 points and 16 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers kept rallying, finally beating the Orlando Magic 116-114 in overtime Sunday night.
Down by 17 points in the first half and trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, the Sixers were behind 113-109 with 1:25 left in OT.
James Harden hit one of two free throws with 6.7 seconds left in overtime to give Philadelphia a two-point lead. Cole Anthony missed a 3-pointer at the horn for Orlando.
Anthony's three 3-pointers had put the Magic ahead in the final minutes.
Harden finished with 26 points and Tobias Harris added 25 for the 76ers.
Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Embiid set up Tyrese Maxey for a 3-pointer just before the fourth-quarter buzzer, but Maxey missed. Embiid missed two foul shots with 1:39 left after making his first 15 free throws of the game.
The Magic led 57-40 late in the first half, in which the 76ers shot 33%. A 10-footer by Georges Niang and free throws by Harden and Embiid helped reduce Orlando's lead to 12 at halftime.
The 76ers opened the second half on a 13-3 run with the help of 3-pointers by Maxey, Harden and Harris.
The Magic went without a field goal for nearly seven minutes of the third quarter, but Markelle Fultz capped a Magic bench rally with a couple of assists and a 3-pointer of his own for a 10-point lead with 10:03 left.
Harden responded with four free throws and Niang hit two 3-pointers to get the 76ers back in it. Embiid made a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia up 101-98, its first lead since the first quarter.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
76ers: The 76ers held Orlando without a field goal for the final 3:50 of regulation. . . . F Danny Green missed a third straight game with a finger laceration.
Magic: The Magic have lost eight straight to Philadelphia, including all four meetings this season. . . .. Mo Bamba, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds Friday night in a win over Minnesota, did not score in the first half.
UP NEXT
76ers: Play at home against Denver on Monday night.
Magic: Play at home against Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

Joel Embiid had 35 points and 16 rebounds and the 76ers kept rallying, finally beating the Orlando Magic 116-114 in overtime Sunday night.

Embiid's 35 points, 16 boards lead 76ers over Magic in OT

It&rsquo;s been a tough season for Syracuse freshman Benny Williams, the 6-foot-8 forward from Prince George&rsquo;s County, Md. &mdash; the same place that produced Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Markelle Fultz, Victor Oladipo and many other NBA standouts.&nbsp;
Williams arrived at Syracuse as a five-star, top-25 prospect. In fact, he's the highest-rated recruit that Syracuse has landed in a long time. Fans couldn&rsquo;t wait to see what a recruit of this caliber would do once he set foot inside the Carrier Dome.&nbsp;
However, this season didn&rsquo;t go as planned.&nbsp;
Williams was relegated to the bench for the majority of the season, seeing inconsistent spot minutes and failing to live up to the expectations set for him. And while the majority of Syracuse fans were up in arms over Williams' lack of playing time, his status didn&rsquo;t change.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It looked like things could possibly turn around for the freshman after a good showing in a lopsided loss to Duke (when he had 14 points and 6 rebounds on 71.4% shooting from the field). However, these hopes were crushed when it was announced that <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2022/03/benny-williams-will-miss-the-rest-of-the-2021-22-season-with-an-injury-su-announced.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Williams would miss the rest of the season</a> with a lower-body injury.
But what was strange was that he was not on the bench for the final game against Miami nor for the first game of the ACC Tournament against Florida State. This, of course, has led to more chatter and speculation from fans about the possibility of him not returning to Syracuse next season.&nbsp;
Syracuse legend Derrick Coleman was a guest on my podcast "The Rematch," and we discussed Benny Williams, his limited playing time and the likelihood of him returning next season. Below is an excerpt of our conversation.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbeWqISd99s" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Etan Thomas: "Let me ask you a question about the current team. It's been a tough season."
Derrick Coleman: "Cardiac 'Cuse." (Points to his hoodie)&nbsp;
Thomas: "Cardiac 'Cuse! It's been a tough season. And there are a lot of aspects that are troublesome. One of them is: I saw <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ncaa-basketball-news-losing-kadary-richmond-tragedy-for-syracuse-university-orange-transfer-portal-jim-boeheim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what happened with Kadary [Richmond]</a>. I saw his demeanor. I was watching him on the bench &mdash; watching him sitting there, not playing. Then, watching him when he played, he got in there and he did well, but there was no joy. There was no happiness. You know what I mean? He did what he did, and went back to the bench emotionless. So I knew he was going to leave. That's why I kept saying, 'He's going to leave if we don&rsquo;t play him.' And I see the same thing with Benny Williams. And the thing about it, he&rsquo;s from this area. PG County. I've seen him play. My son knows him and has seen him play for years.
"He is someone who is a special talent. And now it's setup to where it's like, 'I'm going to play you sparingly here, and then take you out, and then tell the media you're not ready.' Or, 'I'm not going to play you for four games, and then put you in for two minutes. After one mistake, I'm going to talk about that mistake publicly, and then tell the media again, 'That's why you're not ready.'' And that's the part that bothers me because I&rsquo;ve seen this script before. Benny&rsquo;s saying all the right things publicly. He's staying after the game, shooting, all that stuff, which is great because somebody's advising him very well, most likely his father."
Coleman: "But that's not getting him into the game. Let me just say this, okay? Benny Williams is a top-30 prospect. Can you name anybody else on our team that's a top-30 prospect?"
Thomas: "No."
Coleman: "Can you name anybody on our team the last two, three years that has been a top-30 prospect?"
Thomas: "Hmmm..."
Coleman: "So how you got a top-30 prospect sitting on the bench when nobody on our team is a top-30 prospect? That's sad. But the thing that I don't like about it [is]: You're playing with kids' lives, their livelihood, and just what you just said, he now has no enthusiasm. No joy. So now you&rsquo;ve sucked the soul out of me so now the game of basketball, something that I love, is not fun anymore."
Thomas: "Right."
Coleman: "So when it's not fun, okay, I got to go somewhere where it's going to be fun for me again. And just like you say, I sit and... Every time Seton Hall plays, I'm watching because I'm rooting for [Kadary]."
Thomas: "He puts on a show too, every single time."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kad2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="735" height="372" />
Coleman: "Because it doesn't make any sense what's going on at our university. And you cannot do that."
Thomas: "Yeah. I agree."
Coleman: "You&rsquo;re taking the life out of a kid, man. He's no longer having any fun, and nothing that he's doing in the game of basketball is fun anymore and it&rsquo;s not supposed to be like that. Basketball is supposed to be fun, man. Like you said, you're not even having fun with your teammates."
Thomas: "Right. There's no joy."
Coleman: "The demeanor is dry. Your smile is dry. You know what I'm saying?"
Thomas: "Yeah, you can tell."
Coleman: "You're not really engaged and then you&rsquo;re constantly looking over your shoulder because any mistake..."
Thomas: "You're coming out."
Coleman: "And you&rsquo;re going crazy about me making a mistake? When I'm coming out of the game, you&rsquo;re yelling and cursing at me. I expect a mistake, Coach. Went from a 2-3 to a 1-3-1, Coach. Where they do that at?"
Thomas: "Right. Where they do that at? "
Coleman: "Yeah. Come on, man. What are we doing?"
Thomas: "And somebody throws me a bad pass and I don't catch it, and it's my fault. And I get snatched out and I get fussed at. And you&rsquo;re yelling and snarling and spitting and carrying on ."
Coleman: "Right."
Thomas: "And it's interesting because I've been on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/syracuse-center-jesse-edwards-answers-critics-with-his-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Free Jesse [Edwards] campaign</a> and rooting for Jesse for some time now. And I saw the same thing happening with him. Me and Roosevelt Bouie, we've been talking to him. He was in the same predicament that Benny is currently in &mdash; not getting to play, you saw the demeanor changing. Put him in for a minute, take him out. Publicly saying, 'He's not ready. He's not this, he&rsquo;s not that.' Now, this year, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/syracuse-center-jesse-edwards-answers-critics-with-his-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesse is ballin'</a>! You know what I mean? It's amazing what you can do with time on the court, being allowed to play through mistakes."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jesse2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="735" height="378" />
Coleman: "Thank you."
Thomas: "And then gaining confidence, and then you're able to produce because everybody's like, 'Well, oh, Jesse all of a suddenly learned how to play...' And I&rsquo;m like, 'He could&rsquo;ve done this last year!'"
Coleman: "Exactly. You gotta get a chance to have some type of rhythm out there on the court."
Thomas: "And that's where we, as Syracuse alumni, step in. I was talking to Jesse all the time, lifting his spirits and encouraging him &mdash; the same way that Roosevelt Bouie did with me when I was playing. You didn't go through any of that."
Coleman: (Laughing) "Nah, nah."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Thomas: "Come on DC, you know you don&rsquo;t know nothing about that. Having the freshman blues where you&rsquo;re sitting there in practice, looking at Coach Boeheim and you&rsquo;re like, 'Let him say one thing to me today and this going to be the day! One thing, and it goin' down today!'" (Laughing) &nbsp;
Coleman: (Laughing) "But what you got to understand with me, man, everybody have a rock on their shoulder. I got a brick."
Thomas: "I got you."
Coleman: "I got a brick on my shoulder. I'm raised by strong women, man. And I tell people that all the time: Man, the strongest person in my life has been my grandmother. Period. So I'm raised not to take no shit. I'm raised to be respectable and to have respect, regardless of what the situation is. You might not like me, don't like what I say or whatever I do, but you know what? You going to respect me. So I'm raised that way. And like I said, I used to go through my pitfalls and have my battles with Coach. But again, confidence, man. I would never let nobody take away my confidence from me."
Thomas: "Who were the older players, the vets, that came back and poured into you, while you was at Syracuse?"
Coleman: "Well, again, it started for me probably being up there, playing in camp. And I used to always play with Leo Rautins and those guys. So they used to always be up there. And then seeing Pearl [Washington], talking to Pearl a lot. Seeing Gene Waldron and Howard [Triche], you know what I mean? So as a freshman, I'm just trying to feel my way through everything. Like Derek Brower... I probably spent more time with Derek Brower [than anyone]... He was my ride, as a freshman, you know what I'm saying? He was my ride everywhere."
Thomas: "He's a character. He's so funny on Facebook."
Coleman: "A character, man! A great dude, but he is a character. But I spent a lot of times with him and Greg Monroe. Hhe actually gave me my nickname, Coast To Coast. Because people were always like, 'Why they call you Coast?' I say, 'Because I would grab the rebound and push it coast to coast. Greg Monroe gave me that nickname.' And it was always great having those guys motivate me just like I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s great for Jesse to have you motivate him.
"But again, man, confidence is everything. And like you said, when I'm looking at Benny... Body language tells us everything. So when I'm sitting there watching the games, like we do, I see it. I see it in the kid&rsquo;s face. The way he looks, his whole body language. He's just like, 'Man, I'm just here.'"
Thomas: "I'm just here so I won&rsquo;t get fined."
Coleman: "Exactly! So I&rsquo;m like what&rsquo;s going on? You know what I'm saying? And again, I don't see nobody better than him or with more upside."
Thomas: "And you better believe there are other programs, especially around the DMV, that would love to have him. I'm sure Maryland is on the horn... If they are smart, they're on the horn talking to his parents like, 'Hey, you&rsquo;re not going to have to go through what you're going through there, over here.' I know it! Any coach should do that right now. So I'm a little bit doubtful [he returns]&hellip; I mean, he&rsquo;s always saying all the right things. The media keeps asking him and putting him on the spot, but what is he supposed to say to the media? I hate it here and I can&rsquo;t wait to get up outta here the first chance I get? But no, I don't have the confidence to say he's going to be back next year."
Coleman: "Me either. But why would he? Why would he come back to go through all of this stuff again that he did as a freshman? What&rsquo;s really gonna change, Coach? How are you gonna convince me that anything will be different?"
Thomas: "It&rsquo;s just unfortunate."
Coleman: "It&rsquo;s very unfortunate, because you&rsquo;re playing with a kid&rsquo;s life and he really has a chance to go to the next level. And now, you have this kid second-guessing himself out there and not even playing like himself anymore."
Thomas: "And like I said, I saw him in high school, the kid can play!"
Coleman: "I saw him too, he can go. Bounce, shoot, drive, defend, I saw him and said, 'Oh, he&rsquo;s gonna be special.' So now, he may be special for another school and that&rsquo;s terrible."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="672" height="336" />
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>!

Etan Thomas speaks with Derrick Coleman about the Syracuse men's basketball team and the future of Benny Williams.

Derrick Coleman isn't confident Benny Williams will be back next year

Markelle Fultz played in an NBA game for the first time in 418 days, returning to the Orlando Magic after a lengthy rehab for a knee injury. Fultz played 16 minutes in a sizable victory over the Indiana Pacers, finishing with 10 points and 6 assists, going 5 of 7 from the field.
While Fultz is still just 23 and an intriguing part of Orlando's rebuild, this team has changed a lot in the year and change since he last played. What can we glean from his initial foray to the hardwood this season?
It was just one game and he was on a minutes restriction, However, I did think it was pretty interesting that he didn't log a single minute with Jalen Suggs or Cole Anthony. I'd imagine this is largely due to wanting to get him comfortable in his first game back, but considering that Suggs and Anthony aren't going anywhere soon, it definitely made me go "hmmm," as Nekias Duncan would say (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to the Dunker Spot</a>).
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It's worth noting just how porous the Pacers' defense has been of late (No. 28 in February, per Cleaning the Glass), but Fultz dazzled with ease, slicing into the defense.
He pushed the pace off misses and looked for easy kick-aheads in early offense.
<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/np1s47" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
He primarily operated out of a ball-screen or with a snug screen on drives (something I particularly enjoyed being thrown in from Magic head coach Jamahl Mosely).&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/135i0f" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This allowed him to mostly avoid driving into significant contact, and he was adept at setting up his man right into the screener, or even just using his bigs as a barrier if they weren't setting a screen.
I also loved the utilization of quick pitches and pistol actions to mimic the action of ball-screens while making it harder to go under them. Fultz didn't take a three last night, but he also didn't fully need to, as Orlando schemed to try to make it all about getting to paint and creating.
<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/ai97of" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This drive still gets stalled, but by using the pitch instead of the screen, it forces a switch between Chris Duarte and Duane Washington Jr.; Fultz took full advantage of it by immediately backing down the latter, as he still got some downhill traction.
Tyrese Haliburton brings late help, but from the strong side and on a poor angle, and Fultz hits the cutting Gary Harris to draw free throws.
In the moments where Fultz was walled off and didn't have an immediate passing window when he got into the paint, he let his pull-up jumper fly &mdash; and it looked pretty good!
<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/f663q8" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The footwork was immaculate, the jumper was fairly fluid; the hitch just isn't as big of a deal or as detrimental when he's inside the arc; there's the slight pause at the top of his release, but these are crisp shots. (He shot 43.3% on pull-up twos in 2019-20, his last healthy season, a pretty solid mark!)
Fultz felt smooth as a mover throughout his time on the floor, but definitely seemed a bit fatigued later on, entirely sensible considering how long it's been since he's played a game. He was really active on defense, routinely tagging up the roller and using his wingspan to be a nuisance. You could see some slight struggles with screen navigation, and he got dusted at the point of attack pretty cleanly once, but it felt much more due to fatigue rather than the residual impact of his knee injury.
The most encouraging thing to me from his comeback game? Fultz was not afraid of contact, a common barrier when returning to 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/o5splh" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
With both of these boards he went after, I let out a little cheer at my desk! Fultz's game is so predicated on interior play, so returning without hesitancy is so crucial to his efficacy and confidence. (Also, oof Mo Bamba.)
Here's my highlight of the night though.
<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/ix96lx" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Fultz attacked the second side off the catch on a broken play. Again, the Pacers' defense was BAD (it helps to have both players involved in ICE coverage), but the finish was so slick to adjust to the late contest.
Overall, this was a really fun game from Fultz, as he demonstrated his feel and court vision. He pretty easily factors in as the best live-ball passer on the Magic, and I'm very intrigued to see how he starts to mesh into the current core.
I really liked his minutes with Wendell Carter Jr. and find them to be a pretty natural pairing. Dynamic screening will be a boon to helping optimize Fultz, along with mixing in Carter's pop game.
Franz Wagner and Fultz in tandem is so, so enticing, and I fast-forwarded through the game in hopes of seeing that they played another stint together. I need more! The people demand it.
While last night allowed for some rose-colored optimism, it's worth noting that it could be a while before Fultz is fully back to his true self. Just seeing him on the court again last night and doing the things that make him such a funky and endearing player was joyous, and made for a great evening of basketball.
As the Magic look to find further footing in their core the remainder of the season, it's more than worth tuning in to see how things develop.
<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>!

Markelle Fultz returned to the court for the first time in over a year on Monday. What flashed in his game? Mark Schindler analyzes.

Takeaways from Markelle Fultz's much-anticipated return in Orlando

Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 12 rebounds and eight Orlando players scored in double figures as the Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 119-103 on Monday night.
Mo Bamba and Franz Wagner had 15 points apiece for Orlando.
The game marked the return of Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who tore his left ACL almost 14 months ago. Fultz had 10 points and six assists in 16 minutes, leaving the game with the Magic up by 16 points in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton had 23 points and seven assists for the Pacers, and Buddy Hield added 18 points.
Indiana forward Jalen Smith was ejected after picking up two technical fouls with 7:04 left in the third quarter. The ejection came in the middle of a 14-2 run by the Magic, and the Pacers never recovered.
Hield and Duane Washington Jr. hit 3-pointers during a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter that gave the Pacers their biggest lead of the game at 49-38.
Carter answered with three dunks to help Orlando finish the half on a 17-7 spurt, and the Magic pulled ahead for keeps when Wagner and Carter opened the second half with a layup and a 3-pointer, respectively.
It was the second straight win for the Magic, and the ninth loss in 11 games for the Pacers.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Rookie C Isaiah Jackson had all six of his points and all five of his rebounds after sitting down with four fouls with 9:13 left in the third quarter. ... G Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) and F Lance Stephenson (ankle) did not play, but the Pacers are hopeful of having both back Wednesday night.
Magic: Fultz's last start for the Magic was on Jan. 6, 2021. He played four minutes in a win against Cleveland that left Orlando with a 6-2 record. The Magic went 15-49 in the remainder of the season, and none of the other starters from that game are still on the roster. ... Carter had double-digit rebounds for the fifth straight game. ... The Magic have not won three straight since Feb. 17-21, 2021.
UP NEXT
Pacers and Magic play again in Orlando on Wednesday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Wendell Carter Jr. had 21 points and 12 rebounds and eight Orlando players scored in double figures.

Fultz scores 10 in return, helps Magic beat Pacers 119-103

Markelle Fultz has announced he will return from injury against the Pacers tomorrow.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/Magic_PR/status/1497613694196461575?s=20&amp;t=upsPfSM-tQOAnixFW14v3w">Magic PR</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Fultz has not played since tearing his ACL 8 games into the 2020-21 season.
The 23-year old guard will attempt to live up as his hype as the #1 pick and solidify himself as a member of Orlando's young core over the last 21 games of their season.
Fultz has averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 assists as a member of the Magic.

Markelle Fultz has announced he will return from injury against the Pacers tomorrow.

Markelle Fultz announces he will return from injury Monday vs Pacers

We're flipping our calendar at BasketballNews &mdash; but not before taking one look back at a memorable 2021.
Sports never cease to give us compelling storylines. Last year, they came from all places, from the pros in the U.S. and abroad, to college, to youth levels, and even off the basketball court. Below are some of our staff's best stories, arranged in several categories. Read the Best of BasketballNews 2021:
Best Features
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gary-payton-ii_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-raptors-905-gary-payton-ii-on-growing-up-in-fathers-shadow-we-have-two-different-paths">Gary Payton II on growing up in father's shadow: 'We have two different paths'</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro p</a><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparation</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-daniel-gafford-washington-wizards-russell-westbrook-bradley-beal-tony-falce-arkansas-razorbacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-dozier-took-a-whirlwind-journey-to-the-denver-nuggets-starting-lineup">Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/g-league-finals-mvp-devin-cannady-remains-focus-bigger-goals">NBA G League Finals MVP Devin Cannady remains focused on bigger goals</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-frank-ntilikinas-failure">There&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around for Frank Ntilikina&rsquo;s failure</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-vucevic-may-finally-get-credit-he-deserves-with-newlook-bulls">Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kristaps-porzingis-renewed-confidence-leading-to-resurgent-season-with-mavericks">Kristaps Porzingis' renewed confidence leading to resurgent season</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scoot-henderson-aspirations-far-exceed-any-hype-we-can-give-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA G League star Scoot Henderson's aspirations far exceed the hype</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
Best Interviews and Q&amp;As
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/markelle-fultz_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team">Richaun Holmes Q&amp;A: 'I definitely feel I&rsquo;m deserving of the All-Defensive Team'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling">Magic's R.J. Hampton Q&amp;A: 'I don&rsquo;t think you can put a cap on our ceiling'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry">The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins Episode 7 - Stephen Curry</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-10-episode-9-james-jones">The Rex Chapman Show: James Jones on Suns' culture change, player-to-GM leap</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">One-on-One: Derrick White, Spurs' youth trying to make a name for themselves</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-one-on-one-patrick-patterson-los-angeles-clippers-tyronn-lue-paul-george-kawhi-leonard-demarcus-cousins-kentucky-wildcats-basketball">One-on-One: Patrick Patterson opens up as Clippers begin playoff run</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing">Larry Nance Jr. Q&amp;A: 'I did not come out here to half-ass this thing'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jermaine-oneal-on-reconciling-with-ron-artest-i-didnt-know-about-mental-health">Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal on reconciling with Metta World Peace: 'I didn't know about mental health'</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/markelle-fultz-reveals-what-really-happened-with-his-shot-shoulder">Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-29-thad-young-on-getting-blindsided-by-trade-to-spurs,-dealing-with-recent-trade-rumors,-the-key-to-nba-longevity,-more-ep-29">Thad Young on being blindsided by Spurs trade, trade rumors, key to longevity</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
Best Player Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kyle-lowry_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/on-lock-how-jrue-holiday-became-the-nba-finals-xfactor-">On Lock: How Jrue Holiday became the NBA Finals&rsquo; X-Factor</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enough-no-bag-talk-giannis-antetokounmpo-put-the-nba-on-notice-finals-mvp-champion">Enough 'no bag' talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo put the NBA on notice</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat">Film study: What Kyle Lowry brings to the Miami Heat</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dime-fest-breaking-down-courtney-vandersloot-historic-night-wnba-playoffs">Dime Fest: Breaking down Courtney Vandersloot's historic night</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player">What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics? </a>&nbsp; &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gay-is-injecting-the-jazz-with-funk">Rudy Gay is injecting the Jazz with funk</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-jaren-jackson-jr-a-star-in-making-or-something-else">Is Jaren Jackson Jr. a star in the making, or something else?</a> &mdash; by Matt Brooks
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense">Dissecting Desmond Bane's growing role in the Grizzlies' offense</a> &mdash; by Jackson Frank
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-dave-bing-right-about-cade-cunningham">Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?</a> &mdash; by Mat Issa and Bryce Simon
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-nba-all-star-case-for-cavs-big-man-jarrett-allen">Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best Team and League Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jarrett-allen_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-to-tank-or-not-to-tank-analyzing-the-toronto-raptors-present-and-future">To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-draft-lottery-is-not-rigged-and-heres-why">The NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged, and here's why</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings">Why NBA bigs take more time to develop: 'They're used to imposing their will'</a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-the-offseason-revs-up-what-nba-teams-are-in-the-dead-money-doldrums">As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-create-unnecessarily-awkward-situation-not-signing-deandre-ayton-to-extension">Suns create unnecessarily awkward situation by not extending Ayton</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited">Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grindhouse-how-the-grizzlies-are-winning-with-defense">The Grindhouse: How the Grizzlies are winning with defense</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle">Tom Thibodeau isn&rsquo;t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-warriors-reclaim-top-spot-from-suns">NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns </a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Tommy Beer
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential">Hornets' embarrassing defense sinking their enticing potential</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
Best Opinion
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/draymond-green_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all">Injuries Galore: The NBA&rsquo;s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-can-the-nba-do-to-prevent-ugly-fan-incidents">What can the NBA do to prevent more ugly fan incidents?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rachel-nichols-maria-taylor-incident-exposes-espn-racism-sexism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN&rsquo;s racism, sexism&nbsp;</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The discourse around NBA stars and super-teams is tiresome</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-beginners-guide-to-nba-stats-written-by-a-beginner">A beginner's guide to NBA stats: The three types of statistics</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-players-could-have-realistically-played-in-the-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA players could have realistically played in the NFL?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone">No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nets-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves">The Nets should be ashamed of themselves</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/missing-the-forest-through-the-trees-on-christmas-day-games">Missing the forest through the trees on Christmas Day games</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season">NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best of the NBA Draft
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-bouknight_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training">Behind the scenes with projected lottery pick James Bouknight</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-demands-your-attention">Q&amp;A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-2021-nba-draft-intel-with-lead-draft-analyst-matt-babcock-rumors-offseason">2021 NBA Draft: Matt Babcock on rumors, trades, risers, fallers</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller and Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses">The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate">2022 NBA Draft Q&amp;A: French big man Ismael Kamagate</a> &mdash; by Jason Filippi
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-jean-montero-scouting-report">2022 NBA Draft: Jean Montero scouting report</a> &mdash; by Doc Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcocks-takeaways-jabari-smith-patrick-baldwin-jr-matthew-cleveland-more">Babcock&rsquo;s Takeaways: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-the-evolution-of-kansas-guard-ochai-agbaji">2022 NBA Draft: The evolution of Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji</a> &mdash; by Derek Murray
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-getting-to-know-alabamas-native-son-jd-davison">2022 NBA Draft: Getting to know JD Davison, Alabama's native son</a> &mdash; by Grant Aqui
Best Player Pieces
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-posey_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-troy-brown-jr-bradley-beal-russell-westbrook-outbreak-covid-19-coronavirus-virus-contract-health-safety-protocol">Behind the scenes of the Wizards' COVID-19 outbreak: 'It's been a wild season'</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-a-shame-carmelo-didnt-end-up-in-portland-sooner">It&rsquo;s a shame Carmelo Anthony didn&rsquo;t end up in Portland sooner</a> &mdash; by Kenyon Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-first-time-getting-traded-learning-what-its-like-to-be-dealt-in-the-nba">My first time getting traded: Learning what it's like to be dealt in the NBA</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kwame-brown-stephen-a-smith-stephen-jackson-matt-barnes-charlemagne-etan-thomas-washington-wizards-media">After 20 years of public degradation, Kwame Brown is fed up</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/paul-george-is-silencing-his-critics-los-angeles-clippers-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul George is silencing his critics</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-is-big-business-and-players-should-be-allowed-to-act-like-it">The NBA is a big business, and players should be allowed to act like it</a> &mdash; by James Posey
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-doesnt-seem-to-be-succumbing-to-father-time-just-yet">LeBron James doesn&rsquo;t seem to be succumbing to Father Time just yet</a> &mdash; by James Posey

BasketballNews highlights its best stories over the calendar 2021 year.

The Best of BasketballNews: 2021

Since he arrived to the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2017 for the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been so much misreported about Markelle Fultz.
Fultz went through two tumultuous years of misinformation by the media and fans, conspiracy theories, unfounded rumors, criticisms and internet jokes, and he was labeled a bust by people who are paid a king&rsquo;s ransom on ESPN &mdash; namely Stephen A. Smith, who called Fultz &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG8Vtvkq8Fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the biggest bust in NBA history</a>.&rdquo;
But what actually happened is quite the opposite. Fultz wasn&rsquo;t a &ldquo;bust.&rdquo; He was dealing with an injury that is not only untraceable by an MRI, but also rarely (or hardly ever) seen in basketball players. In spite of all that, he was still trying to play through the pain because of his love for the game of basketball, and it's something that he does, in fact, regret doing.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JjKMviYPcPc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
I spoke with Fultz on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my podcast</a>, "The Rematch," and the Orlando Magic guard opened up on everything that happened with his shoulder and finally put all of the incorrect rumors to rest. Below is a snippet of our conversation:
Etan Thomas: You mentioned your shoulder. You injured your shoulder, and you initially tried to play through it and not tell anybody about the injury, right? Am I correct?
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely."
Etan Thomas: So walk me through that process because people don't really understand how it works sometimes. And I'm sure the pressure of being No. 1 was a contributing factor to why you wanted to play through the injury. But walk me through that process.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. Well, a lot of people just don&rsquo;t know my love for the game. Growing up in the area I grew up, you have bumps and bruises. But that's where it becomes a business, taking care of your body. And me being who I am, loving the game so much, I feel like, although my shoulder was messed up, I feel like I can still contribute to the game and help my team win. So I wanted to go out there and just compete and have fun with the game. And also, it's my first year. And I think that I did a poor job of communicating to my agent and my family what I was feeling, instead of just going out there and trying to compete without expressing what I was feeling. And all I was doing was making it worse. But when I realized that certain situations weren't going my way, I knew I had to speak up, and I had to do what's best for myself.
"And I think that was the toughest part about it, because I felt like I could still play and contribute to my team, but I wasn't myself. I wasn't 100%, and it wasn't what was best for the team. So I took that time and tried to figure out what was going on. And I went to go see certain doctors and started that rehab process then. But I think the biggest thing I learned from that is just taking care of my body, and communicating what I feel to not only my agent and my family, but also trainers and stuff like that."
Etan Thomas: So how long were you in pain before you told anybody?
Markelle Fultz: "Actually, my shoulder started hurting before training camp [in my rookie year]. &nbsp;But I just thought it was from how much work I was putting in, from me shooting so much that my shoulder was just sore. So I tried to work through it. I'm going in the gym, shooting thousands of shots, trying to shoot through it. And the whole time, I just continued to make it worse. But again, the mindset that I had, I'm just trying to grind. I'm trying to continue to work through these issues, and not knowing that I'm making it worse. Again, I'm just kind of being young and being selfish, I would call it, in a sense, not understanding my body. And I think that was a big part of it. And again, once I communicated, I started to get the help that I needed. And I started to work and rehab, and it started to get better."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan Thomas: You mentioned you learned how to advocate for yourself. I want you to go a little bit more detail with that. And speak up because still, a lot of people don't really understand how it works with team trainers and team doctors, and how a lot of times players have to speak up and advocate for themselves. Just go into a little bit more detail about that point.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. And this is no knock on any team or anything like that, but it's a business, at the end of the day. And sometimes, again, it's a long season, so you have bumps and bruises. And sometimes, some people play through it, some people don't. Everybody's body is different. So especially not knowing a person and not knowing the situation, if you don't communicate and advocate for yourself, you never know what could happen. And it can be something as small as your toe hurting. But what I've learned so much about my body is your body compensates. And we're so good, as athletes and as humans, that if we're trying to do something, our body's going to find a way to do it. So it might not be the right way, but we can do certain stuff and hurt ourself, in the long run.
"And so my one thing would be: try to be in tune with your body as much as you can. And [it could be something] as small as your toenail hurting. I mean, you always get this phrase of 'You're soft' or you're whatever. But what I've learned is I'd rather overcommunicate about how my body's feeling and still be able to work out. I still want to work out, but I'm going to let you know, 'Hey, my big toe's hurting. Hey, my right hamstring is feeling like this today. My knee's feeling like this.' So they can start to know that you're caring about your body, and you're documenting certain stuff, so you don't end up compensating and hurting yourself in the long run."
Etan Thomas: Yeah, well, it's interesting. You go to different gyms, and they could be even as young as high school. And you see phrases on the wall like "Pain is weakness leaving your body" and stuff like that. And I hate that. I do, because it puts the wrong mentality into players, to thinking that them being injured is somehow their fault, like they're not being tough enough to play through an injury. And I just personally cannot stand that mentality at all.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. And I think that's how I kind of grew up. Not in a bad way. But growing up, I'm playing through whatever. I don't want to be soft. I want to show that I'm tough. But when you get to a certain point where your body is your brand... Your body is your car, so you need to take care of that thing like it's a Ferrari. You hear phrases like that, but it's true. You have to take care of your body.
"You have to get the right recovery. You have to get the right sleep. If not, it's going to end up hurting you. It might not hurt you right away, but down the road it can give you certain side effects. Or you never know, it can lead to something happening right away. But there are also freak accidents that happen. But I think that's the one thing that I would recommend to any player at any age, is just communicating about your body. [That] doesn't mean that you have to sit out of a drill, but it can start to put an awareness on people's mind. You can start to document certain things. And you'll have a better understanding, going forward, of why you do what you do."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Markelle Fultz&rsquo;s story is a great example for all younger players on fighting through adversity, having the right mentality, ignoring critics and perseverance. His testimony is something every young athlete should hear. Powerful interview <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRematch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheRematch</a> <a href="https://t.co/25vHkql1Rj">https://t.co/25vHkql1Rj</a> <a href="https://t.co/LpHu9jQxfG">pic.twitter.com/LpHu9jQxfG</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1464569831324332045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Etan Thomas: But I think that sometimes a player does have to sit down. A player does have to say, "Okay, I can't go. You're going to talk bad about me. You're going to tell..." So I use the example a lot with my son about Robert Griffin III. So when RG III first came to D.C., my son was the biggest RG III fan on earth. And then I took him to... you know when they have the open scrimmages? So he met him, and RG III was cool with him. And they took a picture, and he's been the biggest RG III fan forever since then. And you remember that game where RG III was limping out there? And so, I'm watching that game with Malcolm. And he was like, "Why is he playing? What is he doing? He's going to injure himself," and so forth. This is what a young Malcolm is saying.
And sure enough, in fact his entire career, the trajectory of everything, went downhill from there. And then you saw the trainer say, "Well, I didn't tell him to go out there." Nobody wanted to take responsibility. But it should be the trainer's job to tell you that you are going to hurt yourself more if you continue playing. And that's the problem that I personally have with a lot of NBA trainers. I'm not throwing anybody in particular under the bus; this is a league-wide issue. They're employers of the team, and they want to do what's best for the team, not what's best for the player.
Markelle Fultz: "Exactly. And that's where it comes back to a relationship. So you have to have the certain people in your corner that's going to always keep it real with you because at the end of the day, like I said, your body's your brand. And it's about the longevity. It's different if it's Game 7 in the playoffs or the championship, and you're sacrificing for that. What I've also learned is rest is a big part of recovery, and getting the right amount of rest. Some days you got to go hard, and some days you have to not do anything at all. I mean, you can do some light stuff. But I think you hit it right on the head. Some people&rsquo;s mind is set for the team. Not everybody has your best interest [in mind]. You have the best interest for yourself. So I think that's why it's huge to communicate how you feel to whoever it is &mdash; whether it's your mom, your dad, your trainer, whoever &mdash; and do what you feel is best because you know your body the best.
"Nobody else can tell you how your body is supposed to feel, how your body feels at that time. And I think that's where I learned how to advocate the most for myself. And I've gotten more respect from a lot of people when I do that. And again, it doesn't mean you're soft. It's just being smart about certain things. But at the same time, you do have to push yourself in certain limits to be able to... It's going to be certain days where you're sore, and you still have to push through. That's part of it, but it's a difference between sore and hurt. So just trying to learn... The sooner you start to communicate certain things, you start to learn what's pain, and what's okay to work through and what's not to work through. And that's where I think I've learned the most. I've learned how to identify what's going on in my body, and understand what I need to do to make that feel better, or if I need to take rest or if I need to go get treatment."
Etan Thomas: Yeah. I mean, I always heard the saying that there's a difference between being injured and hurting. So sometimes you're going to have to play through being hurting. That's just part of being an athlete. But being injured, you need to sit down.
Markelle Fultz: Exactly.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan Thomas: So, I want to ask a few specifics. I remember seeing some videos of you, watching you play and seeing your different routines on the free-throw line. And I just wanted to ask: Was that when you was trying to push through it? Was it part of the rehab? So there was one where you would kind of pat the ball like this, and then shoot it. And then there were some where you would go up and it would be kind of like a hitch, kind of. What exactly was going on?
Markelle Fultz: "Yes. So what a lot of people don't know is, what TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) is. It's a nerve... It's when your nerves are getting pressured on, and you can start to lose feeling in your hands. So at the time when I was playing, I still had TOS. I wasn't diagnosed with TOS. I still was working through certain shoulder stuff. But again, with my love for the game, I still wanted to be out there.
"And another thing people don't know, TOS is not diagnosed through a MRI, CAT scan. It's very hard to diagnose TOS, which is a big part of why, in the beginning, I kind of thought that nothing was going on. And I just thought it was my shoulder, because when I got MRIs and I got the scans, I didn't see anything that was going on. But I had to continue. So I went from shooting 40% in college to coming into the NBA.... It's so funny, people were like, 'He changed his shot.' Like, what would I change my shot for? There's no reason. So that was one of the funniest things that I heard, then I used to hear all these rumors about me being injured on a motorcycle, but that's another story."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;JJ Redick stood up for me to the media. He went off on them in front of the camera and I really appreciated that a lot. He was like a big brother to me&rdquo; Markelle Fultz <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRematch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheRematch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JJRedick?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JJRedick</a> <a href="https://t.co/U5IHeV99rU">https://t.co/U5IHeV99rU</a> <a href="https://t.co/GwGJ3a3FSB">pic.twitter.com/GwGJ3a3FSB</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1464597794677743621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Etan Thomas: Oh, man! There were so many different rumors about you... They got the story wrong so many times. I heard so many different stories.
Markelle Fultz: And that's what was the funniest thing because to me... I never went out to address it because I didn't care about that. Again, my main focus was getting back on the court, doing what I needed to do. But some of the stuff I used to see, I used to be like, 'Yo, that's crazy that somebody actually believes that.' But it also taught me another thing: You can't believe everything you read, right? But yeah. So pretty much what people didn't know is, so when I was going... The whole thing on my shoulder, when I would try to shoot, it almost felt like I had a too-small suit jacket on. So I would go, try to go up, and it felt like somebody was almost holding my arm there. I would try to move fast, but I felt like I couldn't move fast. So what I ended up doing is continue to try to shoot on it. I ended up building up more and more pressure on my shoulder where I'm not using... where I'm starting to hinge my shoulder up. I'm starting to use the wrong muscles, and I'm building bad habits.
"But what people don't understand is I'm out there playing, still. Still trying to shoot, still doing this. I was still making free throws. I wasn't very high percentage, but I was still making free throws. And so the first thing, when I would go up sometimes, I would lose feeling in my hand. And so, that's the reason I'd double clutch, because I would get here and I wouldn't feel like the ball was in my hand. But when I'd come up, my feeling would come back because the way it is &mdash; when I'm going through a certain motion &mdash; my muscles are pushing on my nerve, which is cutting my feeling off. And when I go through, it releases off the nerve, and that's when I would get my feeling back. So when I would do the double clutch, it was because when I would get here, I wouldn't feel the ball in my hand. So it was no way I was shooting if I don't feel like the ball [was] in my hand.
"So I would go up a little bit and it would come back, so I would just come from here and shoot the ball. And so when I went to practice, I'm like, 'Alright, that's not working, so let me try something else.' So another thing I tried to do was, this wouldn't have me holding the ball. So the desensitization of just moving the ball back and forth until I get into where I get feeling, which is right here, then I can just shoot. I was fine shooting from here. If I had just caught the ball here and shot up, it was perfectly fine. So that was why I went to that because I was just trying to be more efficient at the free-throw line. I didn't care what people were saying. I was just trying to get my flow in. So when I got to where I needed to go, I can just shoot the ball fine. But again, that was another realization of me compensating. And I said, 'Markelle Fultz, you don't need to compensate. You need to get healthy.'
"And another instance where I talked to my agent, I just told him I have no problem playing. I just feel like I want to be myself so I can just go out there and play without thinking, just playing my game, be who I am. And so, that's where it kind of went from. But just a lot of repetition of shooting the wrong way, it just builds bad habits and it builds your muscle memory wrong. And so, that was the biggest thing, trying to get back to... And I'm still working on it now. It's something I'm always going to have to work on. It's just trying to get my brain to process the ball being over my head the same way. And it's something that is a everyday grind, but I'm enjoying it. I feel way more comfortable now, and I feel the improvement. And again, I know my body, so I know what I need to work on.
Listen to the full episode of Markelle Fultz on The Rematch <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-39-markelle-fultz-talks-injuries,-dealing-with-criticism-his-love-of-the-game-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Markelle Fultz gives a behind-the-scenes breakdown of the shoulder injury he suffered as a rookie and how it affected his jump shot.

Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-bucks-jump-into-top-5-suns-still-streaking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Milwaukee Bucks, now finally healthy, have vaulted further in the top-five, while the league's top two teams are set to square off in a much-anticipated duel, with potential historical implications, Tuesday night in Phoenix.&nbsp;
1. Golden State Warriors (18-2) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Today in "further proof that Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter that has ever walked the earth," over his last 10 games, Steph is averaging 31.8 points, 7.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 made three-pointers while shooting 50.7% from the floor, 46.6% from downtown and 91.7% from the charity stripe. Oh, and as if they needed it, the Warriors have reinforcements on the way. Both Klay Thompson (right Achilles surgery) and James Wiseman (right knee surgery) were assigned to the team's G League affiliate in Santa Cruz earlier this week, as they inch closer to a return to action.&nbsp;
2. Phoenix Suns (17-3) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
The Suns have a chance to notch their 17th consecutive victory Tuesday night, which would tie the franchise's all-time record. But they'll have to earn it, as they take on the Warriors in a showdown that will generate plenty of juice for a regular-season game played in November. It will be the first game in history in which both teams playing each other have a winning percentage of at least .850, and both teams are riding winning streaks of at least seven games.&nbsp;
3. Brooklyn Nets (14-6) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
The Nets got some bad news Monday when it was announced that sharpshooting guard Joe Harris would undergo surgery on his left ankle. Harris' agent said the guard is expected to miss 4-to-8 weeks, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that "there's optimism that Harris can return to the Nets on the shorter end of that timeline."
4. Milwaukee Bucks (13-8) 🔼 Last Week: 5
The Bucks have now won seven straight, and are still undefeated this season (a perfect 10-0) when Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are all in the lineup. The Bucks have also added veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins, who will be available to play this week. "When you look at the depth chart and look at how we're subbing, depth at the big position is something that we could use," Budenholzer said over the weekend. Starting center Brook Lopez (back) has been sidelined since opening night.&nbsp;
5. Chicago Bulls (14-8) 🔼 Last Week: 6
Nikola Vucevic did it all in the Bulls' victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, tallying 30 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Alex Caruso also had another solid game, and has been a terrific addition for Chicago. Over his last five games, Caruso, who leads the NBA in steals, is averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 53.8% from the floor.
6. Utah Jazz (14-7) 🔼 Last Week: 8
The Jazz have won 6 of their last 8 games, thanks largely to consistent excellence from Rudy Gobert. On the season, Rudy is averaging 15.1 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while converting over 73% of his field-goal attempts.&nbsp;
7. Miami Heat (13-8) 🔽 Last Week: 4
After losing to the Nuggets on Monday night in Miami, the Heat are 2-3 in their last five games, with one of those wins coming against the lowly Detroit Pistons. Miami will look to get back on track Wednesday night when the team hosts the Cavs before heading to Indiana on Friday.&nbsp;
8. Washington Wizards (13-8) 🔽 Last Week: 7
After averaging 30.5 points per game in 2019-20 and 31.3 points in 2020-21, Bradley Beal has scored more than 30 points in a game just once this entire season. Over the Wizards' last six games, Beal is averaging 21.0 points per game. However, the Wiz are five games over .500 and sitting in fourth place in the conference.&nbsp;
9. Charlotte Hornets (13-10) &harr;️ Last Week: 9
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LaMelo continues to amaze. 28 PTS 13 REB 7 AST 3 STL 60.1 FPTS <a href="https://t.co/0Hi7yRXMa2">pic.twitter.com/0Hi7yRXMa2</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1463209482213859335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Remarkably, LaMelo Ball has dished out 13 assists in each of the Hornets past three games. According to Basketball-Reference, only four other players in NBA history have tallied at least 13 assists with double-digit points and over five rebounds in more than three consecutive games. Those four players are Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Russell Westbrook and Oscar Roberston.&nbsp;
10. Philadelphia 76ers (11-10) 🔼 Last Week: 12
The Sixers were just 2-8 over their previous 10 games heading into Monday night when they secured a much-needed victory over Orlando. To make things even better, Joel Embiid has returned to action after missing over 20 days of action. Tyrese Maxey continues to impress on a nightly basis, making a solid case for the Most Improved Player award while buying time for the Sixers front office to patiently deal with the Ben Simmons saga. Over Philly's last 10 games, Maxey is averaging 22.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds.&nbsp;
11. Dallas Mavericks (10-9) 🔼 Last Week: 13
Luka Doncic missed all four free throws he attempted in Monday night's loss to the Cavs. Dating back to Nov. 3, Doncic is shooting just 59% from the charity stripe, and is at 65.2% for the season. It's befuddling considering Doncic's accuracy from long range, and that over the first two months of the 2020-21 season, Doncic was 178-for-224 (80%) from the free-throw line. In addition, Doncic's on/off splits this season are stunning. The Mavs have been outscored by 110 points with Doncic on the floor this season. The only player in the NBA on a winning team with a worse plus/minus is Kemba Walker (-122).
12. Los Angeles Clippers (11-10) 🔽 Last Week: 10
The Clippers' seven-game winning streak earlier this month seems like a distant memory, as L.A. has since dropped 5 of its last 7 contests. The Clips' defense had been solid all season, but they shockingly gave up 123 points to the undermanned Pelicans on Monday night.&nbsp;
13. Denver Nuggets (10-10) 🔼 Last Week: 14
The Nuggets were happy to welcome MVP Nikola Jokic back to the lineup on Monday after he missed four straight due to a wrist injury. However, Denver fans got some devastating news earlier in the day, when Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Michael Porter Jr. will undergo a surgical procedure on his back and will miss an indefinite period of time.
14. Boston Celtics (11-10) 🔽 Last Week: 11
The Celtics are about to endure a brutal three-week stretch. Boston hosts the Sixers on Wednesday before embarking on a five-game road trip against Utah, Portland, both LA teams and the Suns. Then, the C's return home to take on the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Sixers. Ten consecutive contests against teams at or above .500. Yikes.&nbsp;
15. New York Knicks (11-9) 🔼 Last Week: 20
There was some very surprising news courtesy from Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau on Monday, as he told reporters that not only was Alec Burks going to replace Kemba Walker in the starting lineup, but that Walker would be out of the rotation entirely &mdash; at least for the immediate future. It was surely a difficult decision for the coach to bench the veteran, but it was the right call. The Knicks have been outscored by a mind-boggling 122 points in the 441 minutes Walker has played this season.&nbsp;
16. Los Angeles Lakers (11-11) 🔼 Last Week: 18
The Lakers are 4-5 over their last nine games, which is concerning enough. But that record is even more troubling when you realize all four of those wins have come against teams far below .500. Conversely, Los Angeles is 0-4 in its last four games against teams with winning records.&nbsp;
17. Atlanta Hawks (11-10) 🔼 Last Week: 19
The Hawks had reeled off seven straight victories before the Knicks beat them in Atlanta over the weekend. The NBA announced on Monday that Trae Young was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/booker-young-earn-nba-player-of-the-week-honors-for-nov-2229" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named Eastern Conference Player of the Week</a> for his performance last week. Young averaged 31.3 points and 8.5 assists as the Hawks went 3-1 over four contests.&nbsp; &nbsp; 18. Cleveland Cavaliers (11-10) 🔽 Last Week: 15
Lauri Markkanen has been a beast for the Cavs since returning to the lineup after missing nearly three weeks due to COVID. In the four games he's played since rejoining the team, Lauri Legend is averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 made treys while shooting 50% from the floor, including 42.4% from behind the arc.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-10) 🔼 Last Week: 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Where would you rank the Anthony Edwards/Karl-Anthony Towns duo amongst the rest in the league. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaisedByWolves?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RaisedByWolves</a> <a href="https://t.co/1VjhsN1SNc">pic.twitter.com/1VjhsN1SNc</a>
&mdash; Daily NBA Fantasy (@DailyNBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyNBAFantasy/status/1465511438965821446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

The Wolves are rolling right now, and are winners in 7 of their past 8 games. During this eight-game stretch, sophomore Anthony Edwards is averaging 20.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.1 made triples. At just 20 years of age, the kid is starting to establish himself as a star already. &nbsp;
20. Memphis Grizzlies (10-10) 🔽 Last Week: 16
The entire city of Memphis held its collective breath when it saw superstar point guard Ja Morant crumble to the court in pain on Friday night, clutching his knee. However, Grizz fans got good news over the weekend, as coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant is only dealing with a left knee sprain. "He'll be out for a few weeks, and each week, we'll have a better idea as (things) unfold," Jenkins said Sunday. "We expect a full recovery, and this is nothing long-term that we're worried about."
21. Portland Trail Blazers (10-11) 🔽 Last Week: 17
The Blazers have lost three in a row, and Damian Lillard is mired in another shooting slump. During these three straight defeats, Lillard is shooting just 35.6% from the floor and 26.1% from downtown. Dame has never finished a season shooting below 34% from deep, but has converted just 30.2% of his triple tries in 2021-22. Lillard is expected to take a rest day on Tuesday vs. Detroit.
22. Toronto Raptors (9-12) 🔼 Last Week: 23
The Raptors have played without OG Anunoby (left hip) and Khem Birch (right knee) in each of their past six games, and are just 2-6 in their last eight. Fortunately for Toronto, the team has an excellent opportunity to jumpstart its season over the next few weeks, as they play 9 of their next 10 contests at home.&nbsp;
23. Indiana Pacers (9-14) 🔽 Last Week: 22
The Pacers lost to the Wolves on Monday, but the defeat can't be pinned on Domantas Sabonis, who was everywhere for the Pacers. He racked up a monstrous triple-double: 16 points, a career-high 25 rebounds and 10 assists. According to Basketball-Reference, Sabonis is the first player to grab 25 boards in a triple-double effort since Shaquille O'Neal in 1993.
24. Sacramento Kings (8-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 24
The Kings won back-to-back games last week, including a thrilling triple-overtime victory over the Lakers on Friday before getting blown out in Memphis in Sunday night. As we <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-bucks-jump-into-top-5-suns-still-streaking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted last Tuesday</a>, Marvin Bagley III has worked his way back into the Kings rotation. Over Sacramento's past three games, he's averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 boards in 24.1 minutes while shooting 71.4% from the floor.&nbsp;
25. San Antonio Spurs (6-13) 🔼 Last Week: 26
Break up the Spurs! They've won consecutive contests! For a Gregg Popovich-coached team, that is usually a meaningless accomplishment. However, by beating the Celtics last Friday and the Wizards on Monday night, San Antonio has a winning streak for the first time this season. According to the Associated Press, San Antonio has won back-to-back games 881 times under coach Pop since 1996, which is the most of any coach in NBA history. (Phil Jackson is second with 823.)
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-14) 🔽 Last Week: 25
OKC lost to the Rockets on Monday nightm but did get an encouraging performance from its young big man, Isaiah Roby, who tallied a season-high 17 points in 27 minutes. Tre Mann also notched his career-high with 17 points vs. Houston.&nbsp;
27. New Orleans Pelicans (6-17) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
Jonas Valanciunas erupted for a career-high 39 points along with 15 rebounds in Monday's victory over the Clippers. Valanciunas was a perfect 7-for-7 from downtown in the first half. Shockingly, Valanciunas now leads the NBA in three-point percentage this season, as he has knocked down 30 of his 58 attempts (51.7%).
28. Houston Rockets (4-16) 🔼 Last Week: 30
The Rockets young guns propelled them to a victory over OKC on Monday, which was Houston's third consecutive victory. Christian Wood poured in 24 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds, while Kevin Porter Jr. notched the first triple-double of his career with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. At 21 years and 209 days old, KPJ became the youngest player in franchise history to record a triple-double.
29. Detroit Pistons (4-16) 🔽 Last Week: 28
The Pistons have lost six straight and sophomore Saddiq Bey, the 19th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, continues to struggle with his efficiency. Bey has been asked to shoulder more of the offensive load for the rebuilding Pistons this season, but has not been able to locate his stroke. After posting a respectable 53% Effective Field Goal percentage as a rookie, Bey is shooting just 36.3% from the floor, including 29.4% from downtown and 73.2% from the free-throw line this season.
30. Orlando Magic (4-18) 🔽 Last Week: 29
Monday night was a bummer for the Magic. Not only did they lose to the Sixers, but they lost No. 5 overall pick, Jalen Suggs, for an "extended period of time," as he fractured his right thumb. Guards Michael Carter-Williams and Markelle Fultz are both also sidelined with injuries. (Editor's Note: Fultz <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-39-markelle-fultz-talks-injuries,-dealing-with-criticism-his-love-of-the-game-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined "The Rematch" with Etan Thomas recently to discuss his recovery and more</a>.) Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said Monday there is no timeline for either player to return. Cole Anthony has missed six straight games due to an ankle injury to boot.

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Warriors, Suns still standing above the rest

Nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, fantasy managers are already looking back at their drafts &mdash; celebrating certain steals and kicking themselves over their biggest busts.
It&rsquo;s always fun to track which players are overachieving from a fantasy standpoint. This list features a wide variety of surprise breakouts &mdash; from rising stars who have made a significant leap forward, to prospects who are making the most of an increased role, to veterans who find themselves in the right place at the right time following a change of scenery.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s break down the NBA players who have exceeded expectations out of the gate and helped fantasy managers get off to a strong start. (This article uses fantasy scoring from Yahoo's points leagues and all stats are up-to-date to reflect games played through Nov. 11).&nbsp;
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs | 46.18 FPPG, 9th in NBA
Entering this season, Dejounte Murray was a popular breakout candidate among fantasy analysts and managers, which is why he was being drafted in the third or fourth round of most fantasy drafts. However, nobody saw this kind of leap coming, as he&rsquo;s been a top-10 fantasy option through 11 games. The 25-year-old has become the focal point of the Spurs&rsquo; attack, averaging 18.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.4 threes, 0.5 blocks and just 2.1 turnovers in 34.3 minutes. Murray is filling the stat sheet on a nightly basis, like when he posted a monster 21-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound, 2-steal, 2-block performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 26. San Antonio has shifted its focus to rebuilding and developing their young talent, so Murray's role isn't changing anytime soon.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies | 46.29 FPPG, 8th in NBA
Like Murray, Ja Morant was being selected as a third- or fourth-rounder in fantasy drafts, but he has dominated out of the gate, and his 46.29 fantasy points per game rank eighth-best among all NBA players. Morant is averaging a career-high 26.5 points (up from 19.1 PPG last year) to go along with 7.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 threes and 1.7 steals. Also, this has been his most efficient campaign, as he&rsquo;s shooting 48.5% from the field, 34.5% from three-point range and 77.9% from the free-throw line (all of which are career-highs). He needs to limit his turnovers, as he's averaging 4.4 per game (which is eighth-most in the league). But otherwise, he's been an absolute steal for managers who bet on the high-upside guard.
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans | 43.65 FPPG, 13th in NBA
Jonas Valanciunas has been a solid fantasy option in recent years, totaling the 30th-most fantasy points in the league last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, after changing teams over the offseason, the fantasy community wasn&rsquo;t sure what to expect from the 29-year-old. Fantasy Pros&rsquo; preseason Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) had Valanciunas projected as the <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nba/rankings/overall-points-yahoo.php?filters=34c251ed83" target="_blank" rel="noopener">69th-best player</a>, and his Average Draft Position (ADP) was <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/average-draft-position/basketball?league=h2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">74.09</a>. Well, through 12 games, he's been a top-15 fantasy weapon, averaging a career-high in points (20.0), rebounds (14.0), assists (2.7), threes (1.0) and steals (0.8). With Zion Williamson recovering from offseason foot surgery and Brandon Ingram sidelined due to a hip contusion, Valanciunas has taken on a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pelicans-made-right-decision-by-extending-jonas-valanciunas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much bigger role than initially anticipated</a>, and he&rsquo;s made the most of the opportunity in New Orleans. He&rsquo;ll likely come back down to earth at some point, but he absolutely deserves praise for his impressive start.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17040790_lg.jpg" alt="" width="685" height="457" />
Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets | 41.35 FPPG, 23rd in NBA
One week before the season tipped off, Miles Bridges had an ADP of <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/average-draft-position/basketball?league=h2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">103.70</a>. That means he was typically being picked in the same range as Klay Thompson (who remains sidelined) and Delon Wright (who&rsquo;s averaging 9.18 FPPG). Now, the 23-year-old is suddenly a top-25 option, averaging 21.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 threes, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and just 2.5 turnovers in 36.2 minutes per game. Bridges is one of the biggest surprises of this fantasy season because nobody outside of Miles&rsquo; family could've seen this kind of breakout campaign coming. With Morant and Murray, there was plenty of talk about how this could be their year, but Bridges wasn&rsquo;t receiving that kind of hype. The high-flyer has always been a ton of fun to watch, and it&rsquo;s been a pleasure seeing him round out his game and realize his full potential. Bridges has been incredibly consistent so far this season, finishing with 36.0 or more fantasy points in 10 of 12 games.
Al Horford, Boston Celtics | 37.23 FPPG, 42nd in NBA
It&rsquo;s easy to see why fantasy analysts and managers didn&rsquo;t feel like they could trust Al Horford entering this season. While a reunion with the Celtics was nice, he turned 35 years old in June and played in just 28 games last season for the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder (who were trying to showcase him and increase his trade value). Horford understandably slipped to the 11th or 12th round in drafts (and even went undrafted in some leagues), but he&rsquo;s been outstanding for Boston. Through nine games, he&rsquo;s averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks, 0.9 steals, 1.1 threes and just 1.1 turnovers in 28.9 minutes per game. Prior to this season, Horford had never averaged over 1.5 blocks per game, so his 2.4 rejections have been a surprise. And the last time he averaged this many rebounds was back in 2012-13, when he was on the Atlanta Hawks. Horford has turned back the clock, and it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see just how much of this production is sustainable going forward.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic | 37.29 FPPG, 41st in NBA
As of Oct. 17, Cole Anthony&rsquo;s ADP was <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Cole_Anthony/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">146.68</a>, which means he went undrafted in some leagues and some lucky managers landed a stud off of waivers. This season, Anthony has emerged as Orlando&rsquo;s leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.0 threes, 1.3 steals and 2.8 turnovers in 33.9 minutes per game, while shooting 44.0% from the field, 39.1% from three and 85.0% from the free-throw line. The 21-year-old has become a fan favorite thanks to his aggressiveness, swagger and <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1457528011700547588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amazing interviews</a>. The Magic have assembled an impressive young core that is a lot of fun to watch.
Mo Bamba, Orlando Magic | 32.56 FPPG, 59th in NBA
Speaking of Orlando's young core, Mo Bamba also deserves a mention on this list. His ADP was even lower than Anthony&rsquo;s at <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Mo_Bamba/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">151.47</a>, but he&rsquo;s been playing at a high level on both ends. Shortly after he became the sixth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, his trainer Drew Hanlen <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/07/29/nba-offseason-training-joel-embiid-gordon-hayward-jayson-tatum-markelle-fultz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that he was a very raw project; it would likely take three-to-five years before he could become a real low-post threat on offense since he needed to bulk up, improve his lower-body strength and learn to make the right reads. Bamba put in work behind the scenes, following the same developmental plan that Joel Embiid used under Hanlen earlier in his career. Well, here we are four years later, and Bamba looks like the real deal. The 23-year-old is averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.8 assists, 1.6 threes and 0.9 steals on 49.5/40.4/70.8 shooting splits, and it's clear his best basketball is still ahead of him.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings | 37.52 FPPG, 40th in NBA&nbsp;
Barnes has been a serviceable role player for fantasy teams throughout his 10 years in the NBA, but he's been much more impactful this season now that he's playing the best basketball of his career. Barnes, who had an ADP of <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Harrison_Barnes/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">99.1</a>, is averaging the 40th-most fantasy points in the league (37.52) thanks to his 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 threes, 1.2 steals and 2.0 turnovers (plus his efficient 49.0/42.5/86.7 shooting splits). While he has certainly helped many managers in point leagues, he has been even better in category leagues (where he's a top-15 option).
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers | 30.41 FPPG, 73rd in NBA
Following a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ricky-rubio-will-demand-the-best-out-of-young-cleveland-cavaliers-himself" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrific Olympic showing with the Spanish national team</a> &mdash; during which he averaged 25.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 threes on 47.8% shooting from deep &mdash; Ricky Rubio has picked up right where he left off. The 31-year-old is putting up a career-high 14.3 points as well as 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 threes, 1.3 steals and 3.0 turnovers while shooting a personal-best 41.0% from three-point range. Now, with Collin Sexton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-collin-sexton-sidelined-whos-next-man-up-for-cavs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sidelined indefinitely due to a torn meniscus</a>, Rubio will take on a larger role and workload, and become an even bigger steal. Though Isaac Okoro appears to be the team's new starting guard, in the four games that Rubio's played over 30 minutes for Cleveland this season, he&rsquo;s averaged 19.5 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 threes and 1.5 steals on insane 50.0/50.0/100.0 shooting splits.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers | 30.21 FPPG, 74th in NBA
Once it became clear that Ben Simmons wouldn't be suiting up for the start of the season, Tyrese Maxey became an interesting sleeper to keep an eye on at the end of drafts. But instead of emerging as a quality role player, the sophomore guard has looked like a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-centered-on-getting-1-better-every-day-for-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rising star for the 76ers</a>. Two nights ago, Maxey had 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 0 turnovers against the Milwaukee Bucks, and then he followed that up with a 33-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound, 2-block, 1-steal, 2-turnover performance against the Toronto Raptors. The 21-year-old doesn't lack confidence. On the season, he's now averaging 17.1 points, 4.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 threes, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.5 turnovers in 35.8 minutes, while shooting 50.6% from the field, 38.1% from three and 87.2% from the free-throw line.
Honorable Mention: The 2021 Rookie Class&nbsp;
Fantasy managers who put their faith in the 2021 NBA Draft class have largely been rewarded, especially if they bet on Scottie Barnes (33.70 FPPG, 56th-ranked), Evan Mobley (33.33, 57th) or Josh Giddey (30.44, 72nd) &mdash; all of whom are averaging at least 30.0 FPPG and currently top-75 options.
Franz Wagner (25.86, 106th) and Chris Duarte (25.01, 114th) have been the biggest surprises among rookies, as they each got off to a hot start after stepping up amidst injuries. (The Orlando Magic started the season without Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Chuma Okeke, while the Indiana Pacers have dealt with injuries to Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb).
Other rookies such as Cade Cunningham (23.48, 134th), Jalen Green (23.31, 135th), Alperen Sengun (21.98, 153rd), Jalen Suggs (21.06, 160th) and Davion Mitchell (20.74, 164th) have shown flashes early on as well.

One month into the NBA season, which players have been fantasy-basketball steals? Alex Kennedy breaks down 10 overachievers.

Fantasy basketball steals: 10 players exceeding expectations

I can't help but love a good rebuilding basketball team.
Maybe it's the romantic MyLeague player in me, who spent hours trading 2026 draft picks and using Untapped Potential camps (if you know, you know) to turn a roster of under-25 players into a dynasty. But watching a young core struggle, learn and adjust to the NBA game never gets old. When those glimpses of the future sneak out, they make every loss seem worthwhile.
That's where I'm at with the Orlando Magic, who have become one of the most fun bottom-feeders in the NBA. The Magic, at 2-8, aren't exactly lighting up the league. But three prospects in particular have stood out in surprising fashion, giving fans even more optimism that this core can contend down the road.
Second-year guard Cole Anthony is the first and most obvious young talent on breakout watch. Anthony has been a simply phenomenal shot-maker &mdash; even beyond what I realized.
According to NBA Stats, the 2020 No. 15 pick is shooting 48.4% on pull-up threes &mdash; tops in the entire league among players with at least 20 attempts. Among 119 players with at least 20 pull-up attempts from anywhere on the court, Anthony's Effective Field Goal percentage is tied for fourth-best with Darius Garland (59.8%).
Overall, Anthony's perimeter game has taken a dramatic leap. He's shooting 7.7 threes per game compared to just 3.7 as a rookie, and his three-point attempt rate (the percentage of his shot attempts that are threes) has skyrocketed from 31.2% to 50.7%. Anthony has whittled down his rookie mid-range game and traded it in for a three-point fireball.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Anthony has jumped from the 19th percentile among guards in points per shot attempt as a rookie to the 66th percentile this season. That's massive. And even though Anthony himself is not massive (6-foot-2), his 7.5 rebounds per game rank fourth-most among all guards, behind only Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic and Dejounte Murray. Altogether, it's been an extremely fun start for Anthony, and he's still very much a work in progress.
Anthony shares the starting backcourt with No. 5 overall rookie Jalen Suggs, who is enduring his fair share of bumps as he adapts to the NBA. But Orlando's other rookie lottery pick has come out firing.
Franz Wagner has already made 20 total catch-and-shoot threes per NBA Stats, which is tied for the 10th-most in the entire league. He's done so at a very respectable 40.8% clip, and is shooting 39.6% from three overall. Wagner is also finishing an impressive 71.4% of his attempts at the rim, and to the delight of analytics folks, has not attemped a single long two-pointer all season.
He's not Mikal Bridges, but Wagner can very clearly fill a Bridges-like offensive role as a sharpshooter who can effectively attack the basket off-ball. Orlando is 17.1 points per 100 possessions better when the eighth overall pick is on the court. Sects of Draft Twitter were extremely high on Wagner throughout the summer. I concede I was not, and am happily wrong so far.
Speaking of efficiency... Mo Bamba, everybody.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
NBA players finishing at over 70% in the restricted area and 40% on threes (min. 20 attempts of each): - Mikal Bridges (87.5%/44.0%) - Nikola Jokic (78.0%/40.6%) - RJ Barrett (77.8%/42.9%) - Mo Bamba (77.8%/40.6%) Some elite efficiency 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/iv1d9rS8eX">pic.twitter.com/iv1d9rS8eX</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1455909816380051466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Bamba has made 40% of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers. And while he's technically dipped under the original stat, the 23-year-old is still canning 39% of his career-high 4.1 three-point attempts per game. The former fifth overall pick also continues to be a forceful rim-protector; his 3.4% block rate is in the 86th percentile at his position, per Cleaning the Glass.
There's a level of surprise to all three of these breakouts. The public had come pretty close to slapping the "bust" label on Bamba after three seasons glued to the bench behind Nikola Vucevic. Anthony appeared to be much more of a long-term project after last season, and Wagner was frequently overshadowed by his pre-draft counterpart in Suggs.
But all three are delivering, particularly as scorers. It's an exciting development for an Orlando franchise that has lacked shooting depth for the better part of a decade. In fact, Orlando hasn't yielded an above-average offensive rating (by Cleaning the Glass standards) or a top-10 team-wide eFG% since 2011-12.
Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz are still working to get back into the fold. Chuma Okeke and Wendell Carter Jr. are finally stringing some healthy contests together. The Magic have turned me from "intrigued" to "Christmas morning excitement" with this season's early developments, and the best should be yet to come.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):
<ul>
<li>One more thing on the Magic: Orlando led the league in three-point rate for five straight seasons from 2007-2012 &mdash; when Dwight Howard was on the team! Props to Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu, JJ Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis.</li>
<li>Malcolm Brogdon continues to fly under the radar. The talented Pacer point guard drives 23.2 times per game and dishes out 3.5 assists per game on drives &mdash; both tops in the NBA. He's even leading the league in passes made per game (68.8)m and is fourth in potential assists per game (16.3).</li>
<li>Stealing this one from our own Jackson Frank: 96% (49 out of 51) of Julius Randle's assists this season have been on at-rim makes or threes. That's a testament to many things: Randle's improved facilitating, the Knicks' improved perimeter presence and perhaps an overall stronger offensive focus. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bizarro-world-new-york-knicks-reside-in-the-big-apple-these-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go read his story for more</a> on this because it's phenomenal.</li>
<li>Congrats to Owen Phillips (@<a href="https://twitter.com/owenlhjphillips" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owenlhjphillips</a>) on getting a job with the Knicks' coaching analytics department! He's been my gold standard of stats gurus; I highly recommend you check out his Twitter and Substack. Phillips creates relevant, unique, understandable data visualizations, which is all you could ask for.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Ethan Fuller takes a look at exciting young Orlando players and Malcolm Brogdon in his latest Stats Notebook.

Stats Notebook: Hop on the Magic School Bus

The general consensus in the NBA is that <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">big-man prospects take longer to develop</a>. In the case of Mo Bamba, it&rsquo;s been an extensive project within the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s organization. Taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bamba simply hasn&rsquo;t lived up to the lofty expectations yet.
However, there&rsquo;s a caveat that should be thrown in for Bamba. He was stuck behind All-Star center Nikola Vucevic for the first two-and-a-half years of his career, while playing for a win-now head coach in Steve Clifford. Orlando was trying to push through as a playoff team with a low-ceiling outcome during the Clifford era. Once the Magic wisely pulled the plug on this idea, shipping off Vucevic and Aaron Gordon for peak value at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, a full-scale rebuild was finally embraced in the Magic Kingdom.
Entering the 2021-22 season, everyone knew the expectations for Orlando were as low as possible. New head coach Jamahl Mosley &mdash; who was instrumental in the early development of superstar Luka Doncic in Dallas &mdash; was brought in to help this extremely young and inexperienced core take baby steps forward for a fruitful long-term outcome.
Bamba is the perfect example of a player who has benefited. A 7-foot moldable ball of clay with a pterodactyl-like 7-foot-10 wingspan, he&rsquo;s thriving within this new environment where development is being prioritized over short-circuited attempts to make the playoffs. With Vucevic out of the picture, Bamba became a top priority for Orlando. However, there were still some questions surrounding the former Texas Longhorn.
Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner were pivotal pieces to add via the 2021 NBA Draft. Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz and R.J. Hampton are locked in as young guards who each bring their own strengths to the table. Wendell Carter Jr. recently signed a new four-year rookie-scale extension to avoid restricted free agency next offseason. The same can&rsquo;t be said for Bamba, whom Orlando needed to see more seasoning from to potentially commit long-term.
Once Vucevic was shipped off to the Chicago Bulls, Bamba was very up-and-down for the Magic to finish out the 2020-21 campaign. Bamba averaged 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while committing four fouls per 36 minutes. Another ever-developing aspect of Bamba&rsquo;s game that was so intriguing when he entered the Association is his three-point stroke. Post-Vucevic, Bamba hit only 33.7% of those opportunities - a respectable number to keep defenses honest, but not enough to warrant shooting those at high volume.
Entering a make-or-break fourth season, Bamba had to hone in on his three-point shooting, foul awareness and ability to finish around the basket as a significantly-gifted big to go alongside his proven value of rebounding and defensive versatility. So far, the results have been very promising.
Bamba is averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 threes and 1.9 blocks in 32.0 minutes per game. Those numbers don&rsquo;t exactly jump off the page at first glance, but from where Bamba first began, it&rsquo;s a bigger step than the baby ones experienced previously.
Bamba&rsquo;s effective field goal percentage has jumped from 51.8% to 61.3%, including finishing a career-best 76% around the rim, per Cleaning The Glass. The biggest encouragements have been Bamba&rsquo;s excellent three-point efficiency (44.8% on 4.1 attempts) paired with his dip in fouls (2.6). Only two bigs so far in the 2021-22 season have shot above 40% on threes and have added 1.5 blocks per game: Karl-Anthony Towns and Bamba. That&rsquo;s excellent company for the 23-year-old to be in, and it again proves the point that sometimes these bigs just take longer than expected to reach an intriguing baseline performance level.
Sure, it&rsquo;s a small sample size of 224 minutes in the Magic&rsquo;s first seven games of the season, but Bamba is out to prove his worth not only to Orlando but other teams who could potentially be circling his name as a restricted free agent option. Imagine the possibilities for Bamba if he were to land in an even bigger high-usage situation with an organization like the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. It's an intriguing thought exercise, especially with someone who has the rare physical gifts like he does.
If this continues, Orlando will be more than comfortable coughing up a good chunk of change to the uniquely skilled 7-footer.
Now, it&rsquo;s time to see whether Bamba can maintain this level of production or if more growing pains ensue.

Mo Bamba entered the season in a contract year for the Magic, and so far the results are encouraging for the former top-10 pick.

Is Mo Bamba stabilizing into a long-term piece for the Magic?

Jamahl Mosley waited a long time for this chance. He&rsquo;s not about to let very low expectations douse his enthusiasm.
The new coach of the Orlando Magic understands that this season, his first as an NBA head coach, is part of a massive rebuild that started last spring when the team traded away its best players &mdash; Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon.
Here&rsquo;s what he has now: a roster of players with a combined zero NBA championships, zero All-Star appearances, and somewhere around zero expectations.
&ldquo;The great part of this group is this is one of the most tied-together, push-the-next-man teams I've ever been around," Mosley said. &ldquo;So whatever the noise about us is, I don't think they listen. I think they block it out. We just have to get better every day. We have to improve mentally, physically, just making sure we're healthy. ... Do that, the results always take care of themselves."
He also wants them to ring the bell.
Along one of the sidelines on the Magic practice court is a bell, which gets put into use when a player makes a winning or selfless play of some sort &mdash; diving for a loose ball, that sort of thing &mdash; or shoots exceptionally well in a drill.
The more times the bell gets heard a day, the closer the Magic will be to getting where Mosley wants.
&ldquo;When we&rsquo;re making those hustle, winning plays, that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s going to get us over the top," Mosley said.
There is a ton of potential in the backcourt, with the development of rookie shooting guard Jalen Suggs and second-year point guard Cole Anthony major keys for Orlando to start the season. Former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz remains sidelined indefinitely after tearing an ACL eight games into last season.
Mosley toiled through 15 years as an assistant &mdash; four in Denver, four in Cleveland and the last seven in Dallas &mdash; to get this chance.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve worked with some obviously great coaches and I don&rsquo;t have the same style that they have,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;But what I&rsquo;ve known is what&rsquo;s worked for me and how I came into this league as understanding that players want to have their voices heard. Now, obviously there&rsquo;s a standard that needs to be set for how we&rsquo;re going to play and what we&rsquo;re going to do and that&rsquo;s going to come down to my decision-making."
SO MUCH NEW
The Magic return only 45% of their scoring from last season, when they needed 28 players and had a franchise-record 32 starting lineups in 72 games &mdash; after using 26 different lineups in the previous two seasons combined.
SO MUCH YOUTH
About half of the players on the roster will be 24 or younger when the season starts, with four players &mdash; Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner &mdash; all either 20 or 21. Combined, everyone on the Magic training camp roster had scored a total of 35,909 points in their NBA careers. That&rsquo;s only 542 points more than LeBron James has scored in his career.
SO MUCH STRUGGLE
No team in the NBA has a worse combined record over the last 10 seasons than Orlando, which has posted a .369 winning percentage in that span. Sacramento (.383) is next on that list, followed by Minnesota (.384). But in perhaps a sign of hope, the next two worst records over the last decade belong to Phoenix (.404) and New York (.405); the Suns went to the NBA Finals last season and the Knicks made the playoffs.
ONE OF FIVE
Mosley is one of five coaches who has never been the boss at the NBA level before, joining Boston&rsquo;s Ime Udoka, New Orleans&rsquo; Willie Green, Portland&rsquo;s Chauncey Billups and Washington&rsquo;s Wes Unseld Jr. Of those five, he and Unseld are the only two who also never played in the NBA.
THE SCHEDULE
A five-week stretch from Nov. 15 through Dec. 22 looks arduous for Orlando, with 15 out of 20 games on the road and the first five of those all against playoff teams from last season &mdash; including two in a row at NBA champion Milwaukee. The Magic visit the Bucks Nov. 20 and 22, then play host to the champs Dec. 28 and 30. The last stretch of the season is favorable, with 11 of Orlando&rsquo;s final 15 games scheduled to be at home.

Jamahl Mosley waited a long time for this chance. He’s not about to let very low expectations for the Magic douse his enthusiasm.

Coach Mosley's plan for Magic: Ring the bell, then win games

The Detroit Pistons desperately hope Cade Cunningham is the superstar they have been searching for in their long climb back to being a contender.
Detroit took the Oklahoma State star with the first pick and Cunningham looked into the history of No. 1 overall picks in the NBA draft, saying it was fun to do as he entered his rookie season.
The group includes many all-time greats such as LeBron James and some players who haven&rsquo;t panned out, including Markelle Fultz, who has averaged about 10 points a game since being selected first in 2017.
Cunningham, though, is not motivated or discouraged about the disparate paths of players taken No. 1 overall.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m writing my own story,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not any of those guys.&rdquo;
Coach Dwane Casey agreed.
&ldquo;Cade won&rsquo;t be a bust,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one thing you can guarantee, but there will be growing pains. We have to be supportive. He&rsquo;s going to have a target on his back each and every night. There's going to be nights he scores seven. There's going to be nights he scores 25."
The 6-foot-8 guard, who turned 20 last month, will get a chance to lead a potentially promising young team right from the jump when Detroit hosts Chicago in the season opener Oct. 20.
His surrounding cast includes 27-year-old forward Jerami Grant, who averaged a team-high 22.3 points last season, and and a pair of 2021 All-Rookie selections, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
Cunningham and Co. will have a quest to turn around a franchise that has won just 20 games each of the previous two years and hasn&rsquo;t had a winning record the past five seasons.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not going to cut it anywhere whether you&rsquo;re rebooting, rebuilding, or in our case, restoring,&rdquo; general manager Troy Weaver said. &ldquo;We want to win more games than we lose."
The Pistons have earned a spot in the playoffs just twice since 2009, when they ended an eight-year playoff run that included their third NBA championship, two Eastern Conference titles and six trips to the conference finals.
&ldquo;We definitely want to come in and restore what&rsquo;s been here,&rdquo; Weaver said.
CONFIDENT CASEY
While Detroit's roster is young, Casey has 12 seasons of experience as an NBA head coach and believes his team can surpass low expectations.
&ldquo;Why not us?" he said. &ldquo;Everybody's counting us out."
TURNED OVER
The Pistons gave <a href="https://apnews.com/article/b456fedc3d1c77bf48963dc066b1d588">Weaver </a> his first NBA general manager job in June 2020, and there is not one player on the roster who was on the team when he was hired.
FAMILY TIES
Josh Jackson averaged a career-high 13.4 points last season for his hometown team, showing some of the promise the Phoenix Suns saw in him when they drafted him No. 4 overall in 2017 out of Kansas.
The 24-year-old Jackson seems to fit in well with this team with some very young players and 30-year-old veterans Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph.
&ldquo;I'm known as the middle child on the team," Jackson said.
GET A STOP
The Pistons ranked 10th defensively with Stewart and Grant leading a scrappy, high-energy team. To take a step forward this season, Weaver said Detroit has to get even better without the ball.
&ldquo;We have to hang our hat on defense," Weaver said. &ldquo;The strength of our team will be our effort, our energy and our depth."
A LAYUP
The Pistons are not not sharing the vaccination rate of their players, but one of them said he didn't have to think long and hard about it.
&ldquo;My own personal reasons made it easy for me to take the vaccine,&rdquo; Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart told about 20 journalists in room at Little Caesars Arena. &ldquo;It was just so I can do things like this and being comfortable and being around my parents, who are older in age, without feeling like I was going to be a threat to them.&rdquo;

The Pistons desperately hope Cade Cunningham is the superstar they have been searching for in their long climb back to being a contender.

Pistons hope Cade Cunningham is star they desperately need

Nikola Vucevic has become a terrific player, but he never seems to get the attention he deserves. Will that change in Chicago?

Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/the-worst-draft-day-comparisons-in-nba-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Nearly every rookie who enters the NBA draws comparisons to a current or former NBA player leading up to draft night. It helps the fans get more familiar with the players who are coming into the league, and gives a perspective of their capabilities and potential career. Many of these comps are correct and representative, but from time to time, we get horrendously wrong and funny comparisons that end up being way off in the long run. Here are some of the worst draft comparisons in NBA history:
Adam Morrison: Larry Bird
Coming into the 2006 NBA Draft, Adam Morrison was one of the most sought-after prospects, and for good reason. The Gonzaga star averaged 26 points and 8 rebounds in his final season, and got drafted third by the Charlotte Bobcats. Expectations were significant, especially after getting the Larry Bird comparison. At the time, it seemed relatively justified, as Morrison was a small forward with similar size to Bird, a sweet stroke and knack for scoring. After a solid rookie season in which he averaged 12 points per game, Morrison would tear his ACL and never be the same again. He was mostly known for warming the bench during the Los Angeles' Lakers championship runs before eventually going overseas and retiring. Had he not suffered the injury, Morrison could have had a better career, but likely nowhere near Bird's.
Eddy Curry: Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal
Shaq was the most dominant force the NBA has ever seen, so how do you even compare any incoming rookie to The Diesel? When Eddy Curry came into the 2001 NBA Draft right out of high school as a 7-foot, 300-pound center, he had a frame that was very similar Shaq's. And since he also had a finesse game and a jumpshot, NBA decision-makers fell in love with his potential. While Curry would have a few good seasons and even averaged 20 points per game one year for the New York Knicks, he was nothing close to what people predicted. The so-called &ldquo;Shaq with a jump shot&rdquo; battled major weight problems throughout his career and eventually retired from the NBA in 2013 at 30 years old.
Markelle Fultz: James Harden
Markelle Fultz's NBA career is one of the more confusing and unexplainable stories in recent history. The first pick of the 2017 NBA Draft came into the league with the reputation of an all-around scorer and NBA-ready player. But after a mysterious shoulder injury, Fultz&rsquo;s jumpshot simply disappeared and became too ugly to look at. It's something we have never seen before, especially with a No. 1 pick. The comparison he was constantly receiving before the draft was James Harden due to his scoring ability and strength. But as fate would have it, Fultz would be the polar opposite of Harden. Nowadays, Fultz managed to turn things around for the better in Orlando last season before tearing his ACL. Still, even if he continues to improve after getting healthy, Fultz could become a valuable NBA player &mdash; but nowhere near Harden or a No. 1 pick.
Darko Miličić: Dirk Nowitzki
Getting drafted ahead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh already made Darko Miličić one of the biggest busts in NBA history. Getting compared to one of the best power forwards ever also didn&rsquo;t help his case. There was plenty of mystery surrounding Darko leading up to the 2003 NBA Draft and, with his size and skill, he had a ton of potential. However, things would just never click for the Serbian big man. His poor work ethic, mixed with a limited skill set, had Darko riding the pine with the Detroit Pistons. Before the draft, Pistons executives fell in love with his mobility and soft touch for a player his size. Naturally, that led to comparisons with another European big man &mdash; Dirk Nowitzki. However, that comparison would turn out to be way off; it seemed to be based more on Darko's appearance and the fact that he was an international big than anything. Darko managed to stick around in the NBA for 10 seasons and even won a ring (with Detroit in 2004), but he still remains a huge draft miss for the Pistons.
Editor's Note: Let's not forget the infamous <a href="https://www.nbadraft.net/players/deshawn-stevenson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBADraft.net prospect profile of DeShawn Stevenson</a>, which compared the longtime NBA journeyman guard to... arguably the greatest player of all-time, Michael Jordan.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

From time to time, NBA Draft comparisons can be way off. Basketball Network looked at some of the worst comparisons in NBA history.