Battlin' Bears

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As the 2024-25 NBA regular season winds down, it&rsquo;s time to spotlight the standout performers who rose above the rest. From breakout stars to defensive anchors and rookie sensations, here are my picks for the major awards this season &mdash; including some deserving runner-ups and honorable mentions.
<h3>Most Improved Player: Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks)</h3>
Runner-ups: Ivica Zubac, Christian Braun
Notes: Dyson Daniels has made the leap. After being traded to the Atlanta Hawks, Daniels not only found a larger role but embraced it fully, evolving into a dynamic two-way guard. His length, defensive instincts, and vastly improved shooting have made him one of the league&rsquo;s biggest revelations. Daniels went from being a defensive specialist to a legitimate secondary playmaker and spot-up threat, thriving alongside Trae Young. Daniels also has a legitimate case for the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in steals, and this only strengthens his case for Most Improved.
Ivica Zubac has a notable case for runner-up after seeing growth as a more consistent interior anchor for the Clippers. Zubac also had a huge year offensively, often conniving with James Harden for lob and post opportunities. Meanwhile Christian Braun carved out a bigger offensive role in Denver with increased minutes and responsibility as he saw the biggest increase in PPG from over a season ago.
<h3>Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics)</h3>
Runner-ups: Malik Beasley, Ty Jerome
Pritchard stepped up in Boston&rsquo;s championship-caliber rotation, giving them much-needed energy, scoring punch, and floor-spacing off the bench. He played with confidence, controlled tempo, and was crucial during clutch stretches when starters rested. His knack for scoring in bunches and orchestrating the offense when Jrue Holiday or Derrick White sat was invaluable.
Beasley&rsquo;s sharpshooting in Detroit has stood out, garnering a league-2nd-best 319 threes as a bench player while Ty Jerome&rsquo;s steady second-unit play in Cleveland has them at the top of the East and worthy of 6th man consideration.
<h3>Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)</h3>
Runner-ups: Evan Mobley, Lu Dort
This should have been Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s award if not for the blood clot injury, but here we are. There should be a winner, and my pick would be Draymond Green. Even in his 30s, Green remains a defensive savant. He quarterbacked Golden State&rsquo;s schemes, constantly switching, communicating, and anchoring a defense that ranked among the best post-All-Star break. While Green&rsquo;s impact isn&rsquo;t always in the stat sheet, his presence turned the Warriors into a top-tier defensive team when he was on the floor.
Mobley continued to showcase elite versatility for Cleveland, while Dort was once again a perimeter nightmare for opposing guards and wings. Both Mobley and Dort deserve these runner-up spots due to their teams (Cleveland and OKC) performing well because of them.
<h3>All-Defensive Teams</h3>
1st Team: Draymond Green, Evan Mobley, Lu Dort, Amen Thompson, Dyson Daniels 2nd Team: Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Toumani Camara, Ivica Zubac
Amen Thompson&rsquo;s disruptive length and switchability earned him a First-Team nod as a rookie, while Dyson Daniels brought relentless on-ball pressure. On the Second Team, Shai&rsquo;s defensive improvements were evident this year, and Camara turned heads with his rugged, fearless wing defense in Portland. Zubac was a rock-solid rim protector all season long.
<h3>Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs)</h3>
Runner-up: Zaccharie Risacher
Castle made an immediate impact in San Antonio with his poise, defense, and playmaking. He embraced the challenge of playing next to Victor Wembanyama and flourished as a stabilizing backcourt force. Castle's two-way effort, ability to guard multiple positions, and unselfish offense stood out in a deep rookie class.
Risacher showcased his offensive polish and smooth shooting stroke in Atlanta and made a strong late push for the award.
<h3>All-Rookie Teams</h3>
1st Team: Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey 2nd Team: Bub Carrington, Isaiah Collier, Matas Buzelis, Kel&rsquo;el Ware, Yves Missi
From Sarr&rsquo;s shot-blocking to Jaylen Wells&rsquo; scoring flashes, this rookie class was filled with gems despite a no-clear-star tag. Edey proved his game could translate at the next level, and Buzelis quietly put together a solid two-way campaign. Carrington and Collier each had stretches of brilliance at the point guard spot for their respective teams.
<h3>Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)</h3>
Runner-ups: J.B. Bickerstaff, Tyronn Lue Honorable Mentions: Ime Udoka, JJ Redick, Mark Daigneault
Kenny Atkinson&rsquo;s return to head coaching was a rousing success. He reshaped the culture in Cleveland, maximizing the young core&rsquo;s strengths and installing a balanced system that translated to wins. The Cavaliers became the best team in the East, and Atkinson&rsquo;s ability to unlock both offense and defense from a good squad last year to a better squad this year was remarkable.
Bickerstaff turned Detroit around after a league-worst record , and Lue once again juggled egos and lineups with the Clippers to keep them near the top of the West despite losing Paul George in free agency.
<h3>Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)</h3>
Runner-ups: Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry
Jalen Brunson owned the fourth quarter. His combination of poise, patience, and pure bucket-getting in crunch time made him one of the league&rsquo;s most dangerous closers. Whether isolating, using the pick-and-roll, or getting to his spots, Brunson delivered when it mattered most &mdash; and turned Madison Square Garden into his stage.
Edwards embraced the big moments in Minnesota to have one of the most points in clutch time, while Curry remained a timeless threat late in games.
<h3>All-NBA Teams</h3>
1st Team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards 2nd Team: Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Cade Cunningham, Donovan Mitchell 3rd Team: Jalen Brunson, Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr., James Harden, Ivica Zubac
SGA led the way with MVP-level consistency and picking Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Tatum were no brainers.Edwards made his All-NBA debut with a huge leap in production and impact, being a top 5 scorer in the league. Cade Cunningham took over the reins in Detroit and finally stayed healthy, while Zubac&rsquo;s defensive presence and scoring efficiency earned him a well-deserved spot among the league&rsquo;s elite.
<h3>Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)</h3>
Runner-up: Nikola Jokic Honorable mention: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Rather than rehash the argument, I&rsquo;ll let this piece explain it in full detail: 🔗 <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-shai-gilgeousalexanders-case-as-the-2025-nba-mvp">Making Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s case as the 2025 NBA MVP</a>

As the 2024-25 NBA regular season winds down, it’s time to spotlight the standout performers who rose above the rest.

OPINION: Picking the 2024-2025 NBA Awards winners

The NBA today is a long-range shooter&rsquo;s league. The 3-point shot is now the foundation of most offenses and most teams rely on it to create more scoring opportunities and generate space on the floor. Over 18 teams are shooting more than 36 threes per game 10 games into the season, a notable jump from just 12 last year as teams lean heavily into analytics and allow players to adapt in order to maximize spacing and scoring efficiency.&nbsp;
Two generational prospects, 2020 no.1 overall pick Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and 2023 no.1 overall selection Victor Wembanyama in particular, are two budding superstars taking the league&rsquo;s 3-point trend to new heights.&nbsp;
Last year, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals by breaking the all-time 3-point rate record. This season, the Minnesota Timberwolves rank third in the league for 3-point field goal frequency with 48.6% of their shots coming from deep &ndash; almost half their shots. Edwards is a big proponent of this being tied for 2nd in the league in three-point attempts at 11.6 per game. This has led Minnesota to the 9th ranked offensive rating in the league even when they lost stretch big Karl-Anthony Towns who was one of their main weapons from beyond the arc.&nbsp;
Wembanyama himself has stepped into this 3-point-heavy style, molding his game according to the current modern NBA trend. Despite shooting poorly at just 23%, Wembanyama already has attempted 62 threes. Including his 23 mid range attempts, this would total to 85 shot attempts outside the paint, a staggering number compared to the 53 shots he&rsquo;s taken inside the paint and restricted area.
This has shown contrasting results to start both of their seasons. But as each of Edwards and Wembanyama embracing the perimeter game, the question is written on the wall: are they sacrificing the skills and natural physique that make them special?
For Edwards, increased shooting gives him more room to operate and makes defenses respect his jumper. But by prioritizing long-range shooting, is he leaving his best attributes behind&mdash;attacking the rim and creating contact? And for Wembanyama, who has a rare 7-foot-4 frame, there&rsquo;s an expectation that he&rsquo;ll dominate inside. But he, too, has embraced the 3-pointer, raising questions about whether he&rsquo;s fully utilizing his size advantage.
Now in his 5th season, Edwards has become a high-volume 3-point shooter. He has taken more than half his shots from beyond the arc (104 out of 185 total) and is hitting them at an impressive 48% clip. Edwards&rsquo; three-point volume is reaching historical highs, as he now holds the third-best start to a season in terms of 3-pointers made just behind the greatest shooter of all time Stephen Curry with 50 in 9 games (50/104).
Most three-pointers in NBA history through 9 games:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">55 &mdash; Stephen Curry, 2018-19</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">53 &mdash; Stephen Curry, 2023-24</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">50 &mdash; Anthony Edwards, 2024-25</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
ANT-MAN GOES OFF! 🐜 37 PTS, 9 threes, and a historic feat&mdash;Anthony Edwards joins Steph Curry as the only players in NBA history with 50+ threes through the first 9 games of a season! 🐺🏀 📲Watch games live and on demand with NBA League Pass 👉 <a href="https://t.co/DiARukKMPn">https://t.co/DiARukKMPn</a> <a href="https://t.co/44Mf8PYivP">pic.twitter.com/44Mf8PYivP</a>
&mdash; NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_Philippines/status/1855181214904422751?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Edwards&rsquo; jump shooting has reached levels comparable to Stephen Curry&rsquo;s historic seasons, a testament to his improved shooting skill and the willingness to take more this season. This might have a direct correlation to Edwards in his Olympic run where he mentioned that Steph has had the biggest influence on his game. He has made it to a point to shoot more threes, but has offered a simple yet encouraging response when asked about it: <a href="https://x.com/MorvalNBA/status/1855111187173953997">if the opponents keep going under the screen, he will take the three every time down the floor.</a>
But as impressive as this may be, the question lingers: Will Edwards&rsquo; 3-point-heavy game ultimately help him develop as a player or take away from the strengths that make him one of the league&rsquo;s most explosive finishers?
Known for his explosive drives, Edwards has always excelled at creating contact and finishing at the rim. His strength and athleticism make him a natural inside threat, where he can put pressure on defenses and draw fouls. However, with his increased focus on 3-point shooting, there&rsquo;s a noticeable shift in his play style. Instead of attacking and putting pressure on the rim, he&rsquo;s often stationed behind the arc, waiting to catch and shoot or set up a pull-up jumper.
In a recent game against the Mavericks, Edwards scored 24 points in the first quarter alone by finding space to shoot. But as Dallas adjusted, switching on screens and applying more ball pressure, Edwards struggled to create looks for himself inside. The lesson here? While his 3-point shot is an asset, his ability to drive to the basket remains his most reliable weapon.
That said, Edwards&rsquo; 3-point success does have significant upsides. With defenses now forced to respect his range, he has more freedom to drive or play-make, potentially creating even more scoring opportunities as teams spread out to cover him. This evolution may not take away from his strengths but instead enhance his overall game, giving him options that make him more unpredictable and difficult to guard.
Wembanyama, like Edwards, has shown a willingness to stretch his game out to the perimeter. At 7-foot-4, Wembanyama has the size to dominate the paint, yet he often operates from the 3-point line. While his shooting ability is impressive for a player of his size, it raises questions about whether he&rsquo;s fully maximizing his physical gifts.
When he does work inside, his height and reach make him nearly unstoppable. However, by spending significant time on the perimeter, Wembanyama might be reducing his impact near the rim, where he has a natural advantage. As he adjusts to the NBA, striking a balance between perimeter shooting and inside dominance will be crucial for his growth and effectiveness.
With his shot not yet falling to start the season, perhaps it would be more beneficial for Wembanyama if he&rsquo;s going to start to position himself inside and shoot over shorter defenders, or station near the paint for an easy bucket.
For both Edwards and Wembanyama, balancing their 3-point shot with their unique strengths is key to reaching their potential. Edwards embracing his rim-attacking abilities while using his newfound 3-point marksmanship could maximize his offensive power. For Wembanyama, leveraging his height in the paint with selective 3-point attempts could establish him as a multifaceted threat.
Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama illustrate the NBA&rsquo;s 3-point revolution, but both face the challenge of staying true to their best skills. Edwards shooting more threes may indeed provide new dimensions to his game, but it&rsquo;s crucial he doesn&rsquo;t lose his aggressive drives that make him a unique talent. And for Wembanyama, balancing his rare size with perimeter skills could make him one of the most versatile threats in the league.

Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama are embracing the 3-point shot, but is it enhancing or detracting their respective games?

Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama shooting more threes: a good or a bad thing?

It&rsquo;s 2024, and teams led by Stephen Curry and LeBron James are once again near the top of the Western Conference. The Warriors have surged to a 6-1 record, placing them tied for 2nd, while the Lakers aren&rsquo;t far behind, holding the 5th spot in a jam-packed situation with several other teams with a 4-3 start. These strong beginnings reflect the impact of both veteran leadership and tactical innovation from new coaching staff.&nbsp;
At the center of it all are James and Curry. The two will always be intertwined after all those years of squaring off in the Finals, even more so now after being the de facto faces of the league. Despite some rocky performances, both Steph and LeBron remain the league's gold standard for sustained excellence.
The Warriors have been on fire to start the season, and they&rsquo;re doing it through defense. They are first in the league in deflections through 7 games played, disrupting opposing teams&rsquo; schemes. More than their high-octane offense, it's their defense that&rsquo;s had a noticeable jump from last year and it&rsquo;s showing up early in the standings.&nbsp;
At the heart of the Warriors&rsquo; offense though is the generational talent in Steph. Curry's impact on the game remains unmatched &ndash; his consistent scoring and playmaking are invaluable and he commands the respect of defenses while creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Draymond Green&rsquo;s defensive influence has anchored Golden State&rsquo;s early success. Even without Curry for three games, the Warriors have continued their winning streak and Draymond was leading the pack with their leader sidelined. His energy and presence bring stability to the defensive end, setting the tone for the entire team. Green&rsquo;s communication and hustle provide a roadmap for the younger Warriors, exemplifying what&rsquo;s expected in terms of effort and awareness on defense.&nbsp;
Younger players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have brought depth and energy. Kuminga&rsquo;s athleticism and refined shot selection have given the Warriors a scoring boost, while Moody&rsquo;s steady hand and court vision have added depth.&nbsp;
Under head coach Steve Kerr and his new assistants Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse, the Warriors&rsquo; dynamic rotations leverage both the experience of seasoned stars and the energy of rising talent.&nbsp; With a more reliable bench this season, head coach Steve Kerr has even more flexibility in his rotations. The team signed free agents Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and DeAnthony Melton &ndash; all solid role players that have contributed to their cause.&nbsp;
Along with second year players Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Warriors&rsquo; depth is crucial as it allows the team to maintain intensity and momentum when the starters rest. Each player is clear on their role, which keeps the Warriors competitive in all game situations and allows Kerr to implement strategic adjustments without compromising the team&rsquo;s flow.
The Lakers are also enjoying a strong start to the season despite recent disappointing losses. With new head coach JJ Redick bringing a fresh perspective and strategic shift to the team, the Lakers look an entirely different team from a year ago. Redick&rsquo;s emphasis on ball movement and three-point efficiency has provided the Lakers with an offensive boost, allowing their shooters to maximize space and versatility. His experience as a former player gives him a strong rapport with the team, allowing him to instill a confident and cohesive approach.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain crucial, with LeBron&rsquo;s court vision and leadership guiding the Lakers&rsquo; offense while Davis continues to dominate defensively and in the paint. Their veteran presence is balanced by young players like Austin Reaves, who has stepped up as a consistent scoring and playmaking option, enhancing the Lakers' depth.
Why LeBron and Steph, Lakers and Warriors, being good is great for the NBA
With James and Curry&rsquo;s teams on top, the NBA benefits from a renewed excitement to their teams. Both the Lakers and Warriors lead in national TV appearances this year &ndash; with 39 and 36 respectively &ndash; underscoring the pull of their megastar leaders.&nbsp;
These two franchises add a level of intrigue that fans and the league can&rsquo;t get enough of. In a landscape with younger stars emerging, LeBron and Steph&rsquo;s presence at the top underscores their lasting impact and broad appeal&mdash;creating a formula for success and driving fan engagement everywhere.
The simultaneous resurgence of both the Warriors and Lakers is not only exciting for their fans but also beneficial for the NBA. These two franchises, with storied rivalries and legacies, bring added viewership and energy to the league.&nbsp;
Their renewed competitiveness boosts the Western Conference&rsquo;s intrigue and sets up the potential for classic matchups in the playoffs, reigniting a rivalry that has captivated fans for years.&nbsp;
As the season unfolds, the Warriors and Lakers are proving that their presence at the top is essential for keeping the NBA as thrilling as ever.

It’s 2024, and teams led by Stephen Curry and LeBron James are once again near the top of the West --- it’s great for the game.

The Warriors and Lakers could be back, and it’s great for the NBA

Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid has signed a huge max extension deal worth up to $192.9 million, <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1837099208769196061">according to The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania.</a>
The former NBA MVP will now have a total of nearly $300 million in his current deal, and will include a player option in the contract&rsquo;s last year in 2028-2029.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5781843/2024/09/20/joel-embiid-sixers-extension-contract/">According to Charania</a>, Embiid will make $51.5 million in 2024-25 and $55.2 million in 2025-26, per the terms of his pre-extension contract. He then will make up to $59.54 million in 2026-27 &mdash; the maximum salary he can make if the salary cap, as expected, has the maximally allowed increases of 10 percent for each of the next two offseasons. Tack on eight percent raises of that amount in the following two seasons, resulting in salaries of $64.3 million in 2027-28 and $69.07 million in 2028-29.
Embiid&rsquo;s contract will now be the third-largest signed in NBA history, behind only Boston Celtics&rsquo; superstar duo Jayson Tatum ($314 million) and Jaylen Brown ($304 million). Embiid will join LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Paul George as the only players in NBA history to make more than $500 million in total career earnings.
Embiid announced his contract extension signing via a heartfelt Instagram post.
&ldquo;Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career,&rdquo; Embiid wrote. &ldquo;I love this community and everything you&rsquo;ve given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we&rsquo;re just getting started!&rdquo;
The Sixers recently made perhaps their biggest offseason moves since trading for Jimmy Butler when they signed free agent forward Paul George from the Los Angeles Clippers, giving Embiid his most talented Sixers roster since he was drafted by the team in 2014. Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers&rsquo; rising star, has also signed his contract extension this offseason after a strong playoff performance last season. With these set of moves, Philadelphia is banking all in on this roster to bring the franchise an NBA title, and it all starts and ends with their superstar center Embiid.
Despite averaging a league-leading 34.1 points per game last season, Embiid was only able to play 34 games after tearing his left meniscus that sidelined him for most of the regular season. He was able to come back at the tail end of the season and help the Sixers in the playoffs but their season was ended by the New York Knicks in 6 games.
After winning the gold medal with Team USA over the summer at the Paris Olympics, Embiid is poised to lead the Sixers in their quest for an NBA championship.

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid has signed a max extension deal worth up to $192.9 million, according to Shams Charania.

Joel Embiid signs $193 million max extension with Sixers

Former NBA GM Pete Babcock opens up to Etan Thomas about how the media's false narratives can greatly influence NBA front offices.

Former NBA GM on how media coverage, false narratives impact players

When San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich chose to rest four starters during a nationally televised game back in 2012, he likely didn't think much of it.
Little did he know, this decision to sit Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green would go on to create a massive ripple effect, with the NBA creating rules about resting players and terms like "load management" entering the lexicon.
At the time, NBA commissioner David Stern fined Popovich and the Spurs $250,000 and said this decision was "a disservice to the league and our fans."
Nearly 12 years later, the NBA is still trying to combat this issue, implementing a new Player Participation Policy in order to prevent teams from resting their best players.
This new policy could conceivably be named the Coach Popovich Rule, but it&rsquo;s not. The NBA&rsquo;s Player Participation Policy specifically governs how teams are allowed to rest their stars. Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver put a very fan-friendly spin on the new rule.
&ldquo;This is ultimately about the fans,&rdquo; Silver recently told reporters following two days of Board of Governors meetings in New York. &ldquo;And that we&rsquo;ve taken this [load management] too far. This is an acknowledgement that it has gotten away from us a bit.&rdquo;
The league&rsquo;s perceived intention seems fair: reverse the load-management trend, which has seen a rise in star players voluntarily missing games &ndash; an admittedly bigger problem now than in the recent past. During the 2022-23 season, the average games played by the league's top-10 scorers was 65 games per player. Comparatively, the average games played by the top-10 scorers in 2012-13 was 75 games!
Ultimately, this move will benefit the fans, but was this really done with the fans&rsquo; interests in mind? By limiting how often stars rest, the NBA&rsquo;s on-court product will inevitably be more compelling. While that's good for fans, it's also good for the NBA itself (but more on that in a moment). Stars sitting out nationally televised games was never a good look, so putting an end to that trend is important.
But digging a bit deeper, I believe it becomes clear that this move is more about business than fan satisfaction. Let's consider, for a moment, that the league&rsquo;s current broadcast rights deal expires following the 2024-25 season. The current TV deal is worth a total of $24 billion over 10 years. The NBA hopes to double &ndash; or even triple &ndash; that number in its next deal, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/22/nba-is-next-up-for-a-big-rights-increase-and-75-billion-is-the-price.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Young of CNBC</a>. It is entirely possible that the league is looking to demonstrate increased value for its bidders, which will likely include the usual suspects like Turner Sports and ESPN as well as streamers like Amazon and Apple.
For what it&rsquo;s worth, Apple recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball, paying $85 million annually to air Friday Night Baseball games over the next seven years. Meanwhile, Amazon reached an agreement with the NFL to pay $1 billion annually for 10 years for exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football games. The NBA is trying to entice these same companies to bid for their broadcast rights.
It's important to note that the Player Participation Policy isn't the league&rsquo;s first attempt to improve its televised product. The NBA also recently announced its <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-details-for-inaugural-inseason-tournament-&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1695515248097037&amp;usg=AOvVaw0mEzpohBfg-49Qyl7iKxR6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inaugural in-season tournament</a>, conveniently beginning this season, which is likely to be marketed differently and, therefore, viewed more regularly. Furthermore, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was ratified in April 2023, dictates that players must participate in at least 65 games to qualify for in-season awards. In total, these are major changes in order to ensure that the NBA's best players are suiting up more often than not.
This could ultimately be a win-win for the league and its fans. Players will probably need more convincing. But if the league plans to continue with an 82-game season &ndash; which it should &ndash; star players must lead the way, meaning they need to be front and center as often as possible. Rest is, of course, an important part of the process, which is likely to be an area of frustration for star players. But the medical advancements, health-oriented amenities and teams of on-staff trainers should ultimately translate to more games played for modern players &ndash; not fewer.
And considering how aggressively maximum salaries have increased, stars will understand. In 2012-13, the highest salary in the NBA was $30.5 million (Kobe Bryant). In 2022-23, it was up more than 50% to $48 million (Stephen Curry). By 2026-27, the highest salary will be at least $63 million (Damian Lillard). Of course, a big reason for these monster salaries is the NBA's TV money. This was never more apparent than during the summer of 2016, when the NBA's new broadcasting deal caused the salary cap to spike and teams went on a spending spree (handing out massive contracts that some would quickly regret).
But for the league&rsquo;s TV partners to also benefit monetarily, star players must be available as often as possible as a means of driving interest &ndash; especially since more and more fans are pledging their allegiance to stars rather than teams. The league clearly understands this fact. Just look at how the NBA structures its Christmas Day games, which are normally among the most-viewed games of the season. Last year, we saw LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker and Ja Morant, who represent seven of the top-10 players in jersey sales.&nbsp;We also saw Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the two finalists for 2022-23 NBA MVP award.
Like most major changes, the new Player Participation Policy will inevitably ruffle feathers, especially among some players. But it should also improve the NBA&rsquo;s viewership numbers and result in more competitive games. There will probably be some bumps along the way, but fans will benefit as much as anyone. I only wish the league would have referenced the TV deal in announcing the rule as a means of transparency. But regardless of whether the league, owners and players get richer, it&rsquo;ll be refreshing to see stars more frequently &ndash; and that&rsquo;s probably the point.

The NBA introduced rules to combat load management just as their TV deal is set to expire. That's no coincidence, writes Drew Maresca.

NBA’s new Player Participation Policy may lead to even larger TV deal

Now in his eighth season with the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner is easily the team&rsquo;s longest-tenured player. In fact, no other Pacer on the current roster has been in town longer than four seasons.
Turner arrived in Indiana as a wide-eyed teenager who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In the years that followed, Turner would watch as the team continually changed around him. He has played for four different head coaches &mdash; Frank Vogel, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren and Rick Carlisle &mdash; and witnessed a ton of roster turnover. But despite Turner&rsquo;s name surfacing in trade rumors annually, he has been the one constant in Indiana.
As a rookie, Turner suited up alongside stars like Paul George and Monta Ellis. During his sophomore campaign, he called Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague and Lance Stephenson teammates. The following year, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison joined the squad. Turner has also played with veterans such as Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Rodney Stuckey, Caris LeVert, Doug McDermott, T.J. Warren and C.J. Miles over the years.
However, one could argue that no teammate has had a greater impact on Turner&rsquo;s game than his current star running mate: Tyrese Haliburton.
When the Pacers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings</a> prior to last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, Turner was ecstatic. He was a fan of Haliburton&rsquo;s game and potential, and couldn&rsquo;t wait to team up with the pass-first point guard. Unfortunately, Turner wasn&rsquo;t able to play alongside Haliburton in the second half of last season due to a stress reaction in his foot.
This year, the Pacers&rsquo; one-two punch of Haliburton and Turner has been on full display, and they have become one of the most productive pick-and-roll duos in the NBA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
pretty.😍 Tyrese Haliburton to Myles Turner for two. <a href="https://t.co/TupiSM909t">pic.twitter.com/TupiSM909t</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1629656051175026688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Turner has set 814 picks for Haliburton, which is the third-most of any pick-and-roll duo in the league, per Second Spectrum. The only tandems who have run the pick-and-roll more are Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Joel Embiid (893 picks) and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton (897). Possessions featuring a Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll have generated 1.063 points per possession &mdash; the fifth-best PPP of the 24 duos with at least 500 picks.
&ldquo;This has been a wonderful opportunity for Myles to play with a playmaking guard of Tyrese&rsquo;s caliber,&rdquo; Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told Basketball News. &ldquo;A couple weeks ago, we checked and they were top-five or top-six in the league as a successful pick-and-roll connection, and that&rsquo;s pretty amazing. Myles is getting all different kinds of stuff &mdash; he&rsquo;s getting rolls for dunks, he's getting a little bit of mid-range, he's getting good looks for threes and he's getting some late passes underneath for dunks as well.
"I just love the force that he&rsquo;s playing with. Tyrese has had a wonderful impact on Myles and certainly the rest of the team, but the connection those two guys have has been special.&rdquo;
The partnership has been mutually beneficial. Turner gets easy looks from an elite floor general who ranks second among all players in assists per game (10.2) and assist percentage (46.9%), while Haliburton gets a unique big-man partner who can score inside (62.8% on twos) and out (40.3% on threes). It&rsquo;s no coincidence that both players are having career years.&nbsp;
Turner is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (8.0), field-goal percentage (54.9%), three-point percentage (40.3%) and made threes (1.7), while also contributing 2.3 blocks, 1.4 deflections and 0.6 steals per game. Turner's dominance shows up in his analytics too, as he's posting personal bests in win shares per 48 minutes (.157), Box Plus/Minus (+2.6), True Shooting percentage (65.8%), Player Efficiency Rating (20.6) and total rebound rate (14.7%).
&ldquo;Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now,&rdquo; Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said recently. &ldquo;This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a great core.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Haliburton <a href="bit.ly/3AyPKHC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became a first-time All-Star</a> after averaging career-highs in points (20.1), assists (10.1) and threes (2.8), while also contributing 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. Haliburton is also posting personal bests in advanced stats like assist percentage (46.9%), PER (23.0), VORP (3.8), BPM (+6.9) and WS/48 (.189).
&ldquo;It was unfortunate that I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play with him last year and really start to develop that synergy, but I think we&rsquo;ve really picked it up quickly,&rdquo; Turner told Basketball News. &ldquo;Ty is someone who&rsquo;s easy to play with. Obviously, he sees the floor well. And as the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve done a better job of communicating with each other. It&rsquo;s been a fun experience.&rdquo;
Despite the fact that they&rsquo;ve only played 44 games together, they have developed a strong connection and can often anticipate each other&rsquo;s next move.
&ldquo;I think I know what he&rsquo;s going to do before he does it in a sense,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think that just comes with playing with him.&rdquo;
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this sequence.🔥 a huge block by Myles Turner followed by a huge dunk by Tyrese Haliburton.👀 <a href="https://t.co/4MpAf4Kp0B">pic.twitter.com/4MpAf4Kp0B</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1630770909442191360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We just needed time together, that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; Haliburton told Basketball News. &ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;ve had pretty good chemistry with my bigs throughout my NBA career, and I knew that playing with Myles wasn&rsquo;t going to be any different. He brings a different dynamic than what I&rsquo;m used to, with his ability to space the floor. And he&rsquo;s the best shot-blocker that I&rsquo;ve ever played with, so that gives me confidence on the defensive end to be able to take more risks and get into the ball a little bit more.
"I think it&rsquo;s a mutual relationship where he&rsquo;s got my back and I&rsquo;ve got his.&rdquo;
Not too long ago, Turner&rsquo;s days in Indiana seemed numbered. After all, the team traded away nearly all of its veterans last season (including Sabonis, LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb), and Turner&rsquo;s name continued to pop up in trade rumors. However, since Turner is only 26 years old, the Pacers&rsquo; brass felt that he could be on a similar timeline as Haliburton, who is 23.
It certainly seems that the Pacers are building around this duo, especially after Turner was given a two-year, $60 million extension in January.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that we got it done. I think it was a win-win for both sides,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think I have a good relationship with (Pacers owner) Herb Simon, and I think he has a big belief in what I&rsquo;m capable of as well. I&rsquo;m glad that we were able to come to terms on an agreement. Behind the scenes, for me personally, I was open to the idea of free agency, but I also wanted to at least give Indy a fair chance, and both sides came to an agreement.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable. I&rsquo;m where I want to be. I&rsquo;m growing with a young team that&rsquo;s hungry. I think we&rsquo;re just trying to get better and better every day, and that&rsquo;s the main goal of this whole thing. I have a lot of belief in this city, a lot of belief in this program and a lot of belief in the guys in this locker room, so that was a big initial factor in me wanting to stay here.&rdquo;
Since Turner was a popular trade candidate, many fans of other teams got excited about the possibility of him joining their favorite squad. When Turner inked his extension with the Pacers, some of these fans reacted negatively &mdash; upset that he was no longer on the market.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What fans don&rsquo;t realize is that this is a business, and both sides have to do what&rsquo;s best for them,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t work out where you&rsquo;re able to stay with the same team, but I&rsquo;ve been blessed and fortunate enough to be with the same team for my entire career. That&rsquo;s not something that happens a lot, and I never take that for granted. That was obviously something that went into my decision as well. For the casual fan, they have to realize that while basketball may be a fun game, the business aspect of it will always reign supreme.&rdquo;
As Turner mentioned, not many players stay with one NBA team for the entirety of their career. He admits that retiring in Indiana would mean a lot to him.
&ldquo;Yeah, obviously, it&rsquo;s something that would be very special,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Like I always talk about, the business of basketball always reigns supreme, but my loyalty is with the organization that drafted me and the city that took me in, and hopefully it&rsquo;s able to stay that way for years to come.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Turner has been a part of many different iterations of Pacers basketball. Now, looking at the current pieces around him, he&rsquo;s excited about the team&rsquo;s promising future.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen the growth in a lot of our young guys throughout the entire year,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;The best thing for them was getting a chance to play early. For <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-indiana-pacers-rookie-andrew-nembhard-rick-carlisle-tj-mcconnell-gonzaga-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew [Nembhard]</a>, Ben [Mathurin] and those guys, playing heavy minutes early was big for their development, and not every rookie has a chance to do that. The fact that they&rsquo;re getting battle-tested so early is going to bode well for them.
"I&rsquo;ve just enjoyed the overall spirit and fight of this team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who clock in and work hard day in and day out, and they&rsquo;re coming in here and getting a chance to compete after working their whole life to get here.&rdquo;
While playing alongside Haliburton has certainly helped Turner, the big man does deserve a lot of credit for the leap he has taken this season. He&rsquo;s put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to maximize his potential and make the most of his opportunity.
&ldquo;I attribute [my career year] to patience and obviously the hard work I put in over the offseason to prepare for these moments,&rdquo; Turner explained. &ldquo;I also attribute it to just the years that I&rsquo;ve been in the league, where I&rsquo;ve been able to play out on the perimeter at the 4 position and now I&rsquo;m able to play my natural position (the 5).
"I&rsquo;m thankful that I was able to just stick it out those years that I was here and see what the other side of basketball was like, outside of just getting what you want when you want it. I think I waited my turn and, obviously, I&rsquo;m thriving now, and I&rsquo;m only hoping to get better from here.&rdquo;
Nekias Duncan contributed to this article.

Alex Kennedy catches up with Pacers big man Myles Turner to discuss his extension, playing with Tyrese Haliburton and more.

Pacers' perfect pairing: Turner, Haliburton form dominant 1-2 punch

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic scored 41 points in his NBA-leading fifth triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 116-113 on Tuesday night in the first meeting of last season's Western Conference finalists.
The fourth quarter had plenty of playoff intensity as the Mavericks ended a four-game losing streak, their longest in two seasons under coach Jason Kidd.
The Warriors, who beat the Mavericks in five games last spring on their way to the title, lost for just the second time in seven games after a slow start to their season.
Stephen Curry scored 32 points for Golden State, including a quick-draw 3-pointer over Maxi Kleber for a 110-108 lead, but Dallas responded by scoring the next five points to go ahead for good.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 22 points, answered Curry's 3 with one on Doncic's 12th and final assist. Josh Green's short jumper came after Doncic blocked Curry's layup try.
The Warriors were down two when Curry was called for traveling &mdash; the 10th of the game between both teams &mdash; with 10 seconds remaining.
Golden State had one more chance after Dorian Finney-Smith missed one of two free throws to keep the deficit at three. Klay Thompson got a good look off for 3, but the shot was short as Curry's Splash Brother finished 1 of 6 from deep with five points.
Doncic had 12 rebounds in his 51st career triple-double.
Jonathan Kuminga had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Golden State, which trailed by 17 in the first quarter but took its first lead before halftime.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 14 points for Dallas before he was ejected for a flagrant-2 penalty when his elbow hit Jordan Poole in the face on an offensive foul early in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Kuminga and Anthony Lamb had eight points apiece off the bench in the second quarter, combining to go 7 of 8 from the field. Lamb hit consecutive 3-pointers early in the quarter. Lamb scored 11. ... Draymond Green had his third consecutive double-figure game with 12 points.
Mavericks: Four-time All-Star G Kemba Walker signed, but the timeline for him to play is uncertain. The club hopes to get him on the court for practice Wednesday. The 32-year-old with a history of knee issues was unsigned the first six weeks of the season.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Chicago visits Friday to start a three-game homestand. The Warriors have a 10-game winning streak in the series.
Mavericks: A two-game trip starts Thursday in Detroit before the first meeting with former Dallas guard Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in a Saturday matinee game.

Luka Doncic scored 41 points in his NBA-leading fifth triple-double, and the Mavericks beat the Warriors to snap a four-game skid.

Doncic, Mavs edge Curry, Warriors in West Finals replay

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo is motivated by winning. In his mind, he didn&rsquo;t do enough of that last season.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward spent the NBA offseason working on his game and body &ndash; while also representing his country &ndash; as he makes a run at another championship.
It is what drives the 27-year-old two-time MVP.
Sure, he is flattered to be thought of as the world&rsquo;s greatest basketball player, but Antetokounmpo says that title belongs to the best player hoisting the NBA championship trophy, That wasn't Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo considers Golden State&rsquo;s Stephen Curry the best in the world by virtue of the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-golden-state-warriors-covid-nba-sports-c6818338e673369a41ee8951ebe3b2f5">Warriors&rsquo; status as reigning champions.</a>
&ldquo;Do I believe I&rsquo;m the best player in the world? No,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last one standing, is the person that takes his team to the final, to the finish line and helps them win the game, win games and become champion.&rdquo;
That explains how Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html">10th NBA season</a> is different from the rest as the Bucks prepare for their opener Thursday night at Philadelphia.
After spending much of his career chasing his first title before <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-milwaukee-bucks-phoenix-suns-64e76fe1b9f0851dbcf46ad66d90d6de">leading the 2020-21 Bucks to their first championship in a half-century,</a> he now understands what it&rsquo;s like to have that crown wrested from him, Antetokounmpo doesn&rsquo;t want to feel that way again.
&ldquo;I kind of got jealous of Golden State and seeing them in the parade and the ESPYs,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;You know that feeling now. You know what is getting stripped away from you.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo certainly wasn&rsquo;t to blame for the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-aeac11f8f2750f8ce657b41e5bf2dc7f">Bucks&rsquo; seven-game loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.</a> He averaged 29.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists against Boston to become the first player to record 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a playoff series.
That followed a regular season in which Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 29.9 points and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-khris-middleton-015dff4ac123c65254c0b2f02417b4a5">surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the Bucks&rsquo; all-time leading scorer.</a>
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing player that does amazing things,&rdquo; Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why people turn on their TVs. That&rsquo;s why people buy the tickets. They want to come in and see something special or different that they can talk about that night or the next day. Giannis probably does as many or more of those things than anybody in the world.&rdquo;
But that's not enough &mdash; not for Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee is counting on Antetokounmpo to lead a roster <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-khris-middleton-a679a1638996b729054b2a6b8ffdd0fe">that returns virtually intact from last season,</a> with a nucleus featuring three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-khris-middleton-8c3adc414aa74c0b23bbd12391523408">Middleton underwent surgery on his left wrist this summer and won't be ready for the start of the season.</a>
The Bucks' biggest change is a greater defensive emphasis on containing 3-point shooters than they've shown in previous seasons. The Celtics made 22 3-pointers in their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-travel-7d6fd7328f8ecf8df8dfb59001a9ce22">Game 7 victory</a> over the Bucks.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, defense is all about effort,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;If the effort is not there, whatever you come with, whatever scheme, whatever plan you have, it's not going to work.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo doesn&rsquo;t believe his busy summer will wear him down as he goes through the grind of an NBA season. He expects his EuroBasket experience this summer will make it even tougher for NBA defenses to contain him. Antetokounmpo joined his brothers &ndash; Bucks teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Chicago&rsquo;s Kostas Antetokounmpo &ndash; on the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-greece-germany-spain-63fb9455ce5ffc0fc553ecf96af9b266">Greek team that reached the quarterfinals.</a>
&ldquo;The game in Europe is way harder than the game in the NBA,&rdquo; Giannis Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I know the talent obviously in the NBA is way higher, but the space, you have a lot of lanes to drive the ball, a lot of lanes to create. Over there, it&rsquo;s more intense.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo went into more detail by explaining how teams in Europe would throw a variety of different defenses at him, making it tougher for him to find open spaces.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no lanes to drive" in Europe, Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just more physical. I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s because the talent&rsquo;s less and you have to be more physical to catch up, but it&rsquo;s harder. I think always playing there prepares me for the (NBA) season.&rdquo;
He&rsquo;s already been through this before.
Antetokounmpo expects a similar situation to what he encountered after playing in the FIBA World Cup in China in 2019. Antetokounmpo returned to the U.S. later that year and produced his second straight MVP season.
He acknowledges the pressure associated with playing for his country but also said it made him appreciate the game that much more.
&ldquo;Even though we came up one game short from the medals, I feel like people had hope,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;That was the most amazing thing. People were following us on the road everywhere we went. They were cheering for us, cheering for the flag.&rdquo;
He wants to make sure he can build on that tenacity he showed this past summer.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always going to be desperate,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I always try to maximize my potential. I&rsquo;m blessed to be sitting in this seat, you know, and I&rsquo;m not going to take that for granted.&rdquo;

Giannis Antetokounmpo is motivated by winning. In his mind, he didn’t do enough of that last season.

Playoff loss drives Antetokounmpo as he aims to regain title

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic has a new sidekick &mdash; but not a co-star &mdash; as the Dallas Mavericks try to build on their first deep playoff run in a decade.
Spencer Dinwiddie, a midseason trade acquisition before the Mavs reached the Western Conference finals, joins the starting lineup after Jalen Brunson chose to run his own show with the New York Knicks.
The return of healthy stars should be a boost for several West contenders, and defending champ Golden State still has Stephen Curry and company after beating Dallas in five games in the conference finals.
The Mavs are sticking with their formula of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-jason-kidd-4434e905ada4689f467fbe0b6dc1f2c9">Doncic and a host of complementary pieces</a> to go with the defensive-minded approach of coach Jason Kidd, who changed that culture quickly in his first season.
Doncic said there were &ldquo;no expectations&rdquo; &mdash; just the same goal.
&ldquo;Always the goal is the same for me, for the team,&rdquo; the three-time All-Star said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to win the championship. That&rsquo;s the only goal we have. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re going to work for.&rdquo;
The biggest offseason move for second-year general manager Nico Harrison was a trade with Houston for Christian Wood. Turns out that was just the start of revamping the frontcourt.
The plan for Wood to start changed when free agent center JaVale McGee agreed to a second stint with the Mavs. The three-time champ (two with the Warriors, one with the Lakers) spent last season with top-seeded Phoenix, which was blown out by the Mavs at home in Game 7 in the second round. Dallas opens this season at the Suns on Oct. 19.
At media day before the start of training camp, Wood said that was the first he had heard of who was starting. Nor did he seem too concerned about it.
&ldquo;I'm motivated either way, off the bench or starting,&rdquo; said Wood, a one-time journeyman who blossomed into a 20-point scorer with the Rockets before they wanted to clear the way for younger draft picks.
Brunson played a huge role in Dallas' first-round victory over Utah when Doncic missed the first three games. During the regular season, Dinwiddie showed he could be a scorer with Doncic out.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-mavericks-utah-jazz-washington-wizards-nba-sports-d78a2ce4b20bdb476ed23714469b0254">Dinwiddie is going into his first full season</a> with the Mavs and is almost two years removed from surgery for a partially torn ACL. Tim Hardaway Jr. returns after missing most of last season with a broken foot.
The guard-heavy starting lineup includes 3-and-D specialists Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock. Together, the foursome knows its supporting role behind Doncic.
&ldquo;I think what made last year&rsquo;s team so special was the chemistry it had and how the sum of its parts became better than any individual talent,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;We should be better on paper, but it comes down to how we mesh as a group.&rdquo;
MVP CHATTER
Doncic is the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball?tab=futures">FanDuel SportsBook preseason betting favorite</a> for MVP going into his fifth season &mdash; and first with the $215 million, five-year rookie supermax extension he signed in the summer of 2021.
The 23-year-old Slovenian has become an international star while also leading his national team. Slovenia reached the semifinals of its first-ever Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 before an upset in the quarterfinals of EuroBasket this summer.
The past four MVP awards have gone to two other Europeans: Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) the past two years and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) the two before that.
&ldquo;To be an MVP of his league, not a lot of people can say,&rdquo; said Doncic, who was third in the NBA in scoring and fifth in assists last season. &ldquo;It's a long progress. Hopefully one day I can win it.&rdquo;
G LEAGUE ADDITION
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-dallas-draft-houston-f33267fee99c507907f1d9c24e96c2ad">The Mavericks traded into the second round</a> of the draft this past summer to get G League Ignite player Jaden Hardy, who projected as a potential lottery pick after a one-and-done college career before bypassing that route.
Playing time might be an issue in a deep backcourt that also includes Josh Green, who had the fourth-year option on his rookie contract picked up Tuesday, and Frank Ntilikina. But Dallas will have an interesting option if Hardy shows an early ability to score.
&ldquo;He's got a little wiggle to his game,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;He had a couple of days where he was getting some buckets.&rdquo;
FRONTCOURT HOLDERS
Dwight Powell probably will have to get used to coming off the bench again after starting a career-high 71 games last season and playing all 82. Maxi Kleber has a $33 million, three-year extension to take into his sixth season, all with Dallas.

Luka Doncic has a new sidekick — but not a co-star — as the Dallas Mavericks try to build on their first deep playoff run in a decade.

Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie try to build on Mavs' deep playoff run

It's hard to predict when a slump ends without the benefit of hindsight.&nbsp;
Even the best NBA shooters are vulnerable to outlier struggles that can last an entire season, and those years jump out at you on the stat sheet. But how do we distinguish between an outlier and a harbinger before letting the full story play out? With so much context to account for &mdash; new teams, new roles and changing health status &mdash; that becomes a challenging question to address.
In this week's NBA Stats Notebook, we'll highlight five players with enough indicators to make me believe that they'll bounce back from last year's struggles. By no means are these predictions a guarantee, however, as I also outlined what hurdles could stand in the way of them getting back on track.&nbsp;
Let's dive in and think "positive regression!"
SADDIQ BEY, DETROIT PISTONS
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Cory Joseph talks about the improvement he&rsquo;s seen in Saddiq Bey&rsquo;s game and what Bojan Bogdanovic brings <a href="https://t.co/vzL7ZIisLD">pic.twitter.com/vzL7ZIisLD</a>
&mdash; Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) <a href="https://twitter.com/omarisankofa/status/1575894014280097794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Bey is a quiet, but still vital piece to a Pistons rebuild that has quickly ramped up. The 2020 first-round pick logged some massive games last season, including a 51-point explosion on March 17. But he took a step back as a perimeter scorer on a team with few reliable long-range threats; Bey sported a 34.6% three-point clip that isn't horrendous, but still feels disappointing given his stature as a spacer.
With that said, Detroit fans should bank on a big swing. For starters, the Pistons added Jaden Ivey, who will command quite enough attention as an individual scorer. Cade Cunningham should improve his own perimeter presence, and Bojan Bogdanovic joins the squad as an immediate marksman. To his part, Bey should get more catch-and-shoot chances and create less as a pull-up scorer, which should in turn help his final percentage.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Bey is a much better shot-maker off the catch. According to InStat Scouting, he knocked down a whopping 51.4% such threes in his sophomore year at Villanova. So, even though he doesn't have a long NBA track record yet, Bey has proven himself as a shooter and should continue to this season.
Additionally, Bey seems to be merging the 3-and-D role that began his career with some of the off-dribble skills he added last season, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3645146/2022/09/30/pistons-training-camp-saddiq-bey/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic</a>. I'm happy to bet on natural growth from a young player and more manageable responsibilities, giving Bey a path to success.
MAXI KLEBER, DALLAS MAVERICKS
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remember when Maxi Kleber hit 8 3s in a huge game 3 against the Jazz the second most 3s in a playoff game in Mavs history <a href="https://t.co/4y6diQm2ZP">pic.twitter.com/4y6diQm2ZP</a>
&mdash; Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) <a href="https://twitter.com/BiasedSlightly/status/1570831726536192001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Kleber's shooting slump already ended in the 2022 postseason. The stretch big man was unreal for the Mavericks last spring, knocking 'em down to the tune of 43.5% from distance in Dallas' three series. That dwarfs the 32.5% rate he posted in the regular season, which was the worst since his rookie year.
The 30-year-old has made strides with his NBA shot since entering the league in 2017. His catch-and-shoot clip improved for four straight seasons (up to 41.0% in 2020-21) before it took an absolute nosedive to 32.9% last year. Kleber's 2021-22 struggles are not a fair indicator of his career growth.
His health, however, is a fair question mark. Kleber battled injuries at five different points of last season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/nba/maxi-kleber-player-injuries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Fox Sports</a>. To build a rhythm, he needs a string of good fortune. Hopefully the Mavs' beefed-up big rotation, including new additions Christian Wood and JaVale McGee, can lessen the load.
DAMIAN LILLARD, PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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"I just felt relaxed. I just wanted to come out and have fun, just hoopin' again." Damian Lillard on his first game in 10 months "I was just happy that I felt good out there. I didn't have anything on my mind other than just playing"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RipCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RipCity</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> <a href="https://t.co/WvohbUbJOm">pic.twitter.com/WvohbUbJOm</a>
&mdash; Orlando Sanchez (@orlandokgw) <a href="https://twitter.com/orlandokgw/status/1577201323807604737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Dame Time is one of the best pull-up scorers basketball has ever seen. But between coming back from the Tokyo Olympics, injuries, team discord and his own lackluster play, Lillard's 2021-22 was a derailment from his past superstardom. He played just 29 games before shutting things down as the Blazers hit mini-rebuild mode. In those contests, Lillard made a career-low 32.4% of his triples.
According to PBP Stats, Lillard converted just 29.8% of his "self-created" three-point attempts (shots coming after having possession for at least two seconds). That's by far the lowest rate of his nine-year career to date. Lillard typically hovers around 35% on self-created threes. Can he get back there?
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The positive argument claims that Portland is in a far better offensive situation. Jusuf Nurkic is healthy, Jerami Grant is a nice acquisition and, though CJ McCollum is gone, Anfernee Simons appears capable of filling his shoes. The counterargument: Lillard is 32 years old and coming off of a long recovery from an abdominal injury. He'll still be a star, but it remains to be seem how much Lillard looks like his usual self.
DUNCAN ROBINSON, MIAMI HEAT
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Highest Career 3P% On 6+ 3PA per game: 42.8 &mdash; Stephen Curry 41.7 &mdash; Klay Thompson 40.6 &mdash; Duncan Robinson 39.8 &mdash; Buddy Hield <a href="https://t.co/lRoB0a6XTd">pic.twitter.com/lRoB0a6XTd</a>
&mdash; NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAMuse24/status/1574765864435466241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The case for a Robinson rebound year is easy. He's one of the best shooters in the world, and it's going to take more than one down season (in which he still made 37.2% of his threes, by the way) to jostle that reputation. Robinson knocked down just 34.7% of his catch-and-shoot triples in 2021-22; in his prior two years, he reached marks of 41.7% and 46.0%. He also actually made a career-high 45.1% of his pull-up attempts last season. Nekias Duncan even <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-curious-case-of-duncan-robinson-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down why this slump was so odd</a> early in the fall.
Robinson is, quite plainly, a much better shooter than he showed last year, and he even returned to his regular self as the winter went on. Robinson canned over 41% of his threes in three of the final four months of the regular season. The problem: His playing time also decreased in each of those months, and in the playoffs, the sharpshooter averaged just 12.2 minutes per game.
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What is Robinson's place in this year's Heat rotation? He played 18 minutes in Miami's first preseason game, suggesting he's still a fixture in Erik Spoelstra's vision. If that's true, he should be an obvious bounce-back candidate. But Robinson has to keep that spot by shooting well and at least reaching the bar defensively for a tough Heat squad.
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS, WASHINGTON WIZARDS
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These players were true long-range shooters last season 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/kvdsCk3M0a">pic.twitter.com/kvdsCk3M0a</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1555174776804614145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Porzingis was a shooting mess with the Mavericks last season before somewhat regaining his perimeter success following a trade to Washington. But across his 75 games, he made just 31.3% of his threes after holding the ball for less than two seconds &mdash; easily a career-low percentage.
Fans should be confident that rate rises; it's unclear to what extent. Porzingis has always been a somewhat streaky scorer, which unfortunately fits right in with a lot of Washington's current offensive threats. As with Kleber, health also plays into developing some consistent momentum as a shooter. Porzingis has the history of prolific perimeter prowess, though, with some of the more difficult shot diets for an NBA big man.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Yep, Victor Wembanyama is pretty good! (Can you guess who did this in the NBA?)</li>
</ul>
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Wembanyama finishes with 7 three-pointers and 5 blocks, something that's only happened once in NBA history
&mdash; Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBADraftWass/status/1577514952725856259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Yep, Victor Wembanyama might be really good!</li>
</ul>
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The NBA record that everyone assumed would never be broken, suddenly feels very...breakable 😂 <a href="https://t.co/RrpQ8Yw2v5">pic.twitter.com/RrpQ8Yw2v5</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1577711805316489217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>A noteworthy graphic from SIS Hoops that shows how Malcolm Brogdon can really add some juice to the Boston Celtics' offense:</li>
</ul>
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Last season, Malcolm Brogdon's pick-and-roll proficiency ranked near the top of the league. Check out how his pick-and-roll advantage creation ability stacks up with the rest of Boston's returning players: <a href="https://t.co/bErVKOIHBY">pic.twitter.com/bErVKOIHBY</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1576978735256911877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller highlights Damian Lillard, Duncan Robinson, Saddiq Bey and others as candidates for positive shooting regression.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who could have bounce-back shooting years

At this time last year, Marcus Smart's impending debut as full-time starting point guard for the Boston Celtics was one of the top storylines for a team entering a transitional season.
Now, it's hardly a storyline at all.
Smart emphatically answered the bell last year, helping steer the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance. He obviously shined on defense, becoming the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton way back in 1996. But he also silenced most of the critics on offense with a steady, impactful season as Boston's floor general.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Smart logged 51% of his minutes at point guard, nearly doubling any other previous season in his career. Boston outscored teams by 13.7 points per 100 possessions in those minutes, putting Smart in the 99th percentile at his position. Positional estimates are always murky, but both CTG and Basketball-Reference claim Smart effectively doubled his time at the 1 with a tremendous payoff. He averaged a career-high in touches per game (65.2) and saw it spike in the playoffs (78.0), per Second Spectrum.
As the season progressed and the Celtics started winning, the chatter turned from Smart's trade value to his on-court value within his team's system. Jackson Frank highlighted for Basketball News <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/marcus-smarts-versatile-playmaking-has-proven-vital-to-the-celtics-offensive-resurgence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how Smart fueled Boston's second-half turnaround with his playmaking</a> and his pairing with Jayson Tatum. When Malcolm Brogdon joined the franchise this summer, he quickly said that he would happily come off the bench &mdash; meaning Smart stays entrenched at the point.
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Smart enters his ninth NBA season at 28 years old. He's likely reached his athletic peak, but at the same time, he has just one full season of experience in his role despite being the longest-tenured Celtic. Is there room for him to keep growing at this point, and if so, what does that look like?
I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wondered similarly</a> entering the 2021-22 season. Perhaps my biggest question mark for Smart was how he could effectively pressure the basket as a scorer to complement his innate talent as a drive-and-kick passer. Smart had never been a particularly efficient finisher before last season, and he wasn't exactly a slasher.&nbsp;
In 2021-22, that changed &mdash; sort of. Smart took 23% of his shots at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass, which was about league average for his listed position as a "combo guard" and a slight uptick from recent seasons. He made 63% of those shots in the regular season, though, which was a 14% increase from 2020-21 and the second-best rate of his entire career.&nbsp;
Then, the playoffs happened. Smart still got to the rim at a similar rate, but his efficiency plummeted all the way down to 51%. Boston in general got stonewalled at the rim, as the team ran into tougher defenses in each progressive postseason series.
The positive side of Smart's attacks was that, from my eye test, he relied less on brute strength and more on craft last regular season. That's something I noted and hoped he would improve upon. He mixed in some unique finishes and showed off a bit more pace-changing chops than I anticipated:
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But then, as driving lanes started to clog up in the postseason, he started to sink a little more towards the straight-line drives and bully-ball shots. The Warriors, in particular, had some awesome help defense that thwarted some of the advantages Smart created. Fatigue from a long, physical playoff run probably didn't help.
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Overall, though, Smart showed he could make strides as a crafty inside scorer. He also created more of these shots himself in his new role at the 1. And with continued development, he should get even better:
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Marcus Smart dramatically asserted himself as a driver last year. He self-created his highest frequency of at-rim shots ever and you can see there was a clear, concerted effort to get to the rim vs. prior seasons. This plus the next chart are both very positive developments <a href="https://t.co/VxA5F904W1">pic.twitter.com/VxA5F904W1</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1554176213027094529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Smart's increase in self-created shots at the rim aligned with a decrease in self-created threes (shown in the Twitter thread), which is a fantastic redistribution of shots. But there's something else that's quietly interesting: He also took more "short mid-range" looks than ever before. According to Cleaning the Glass, 26% of Smart's field goal attempts came between 4-to-14 feet from the basket &mdash; by far a career-high &mdash; and he made those at a solid 45% clip.
Some of these shots are short mid-range jumpers, but many are floaters. InStat Scouting says Smart hit 45.6% of his floater shots last season. Smart embraces contact, but he also knows how to use a bump to create space, and as shown in the last clip below, he can even mix in some off-hand shots:
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Using the short-mid-range area gives Smart some extra space to add onto however he pressures the rim. It also challenges the defense with another pressure point, which further opens up the outlet pass. The payoff looks like this, from Boston's first preseason game on Sunday:
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Fun little play that you think is just going to be a Smart-Al two-man thing, but Smart creates this window with a ball fake and lasers one to Derrick White, then extra pass, Brogdon for 3 <a href="https://t.co/iuHYtG80hk">pic.twitter.com/iuHYtG80hk</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1577024804095291394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Smart works off a side pick-and-roll with Al Horford, and Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards plays a little bit further up in his drop coverage, making Smart's effort to drive to the rim or shoot a floater more difficult. That means Horford has a lane to roll to the basket, which is what PJ Washington is trying to negate by coming over from the weak side. But that&nbsp;leaves Charlotte vulnerable to a corner kick to Derrick White, which Smart opens up with a nifty ball-fake and pass. One more extra dish and Brogdon gets a three-pointer.
This type of pass comes about because Smart challenges defenses with his driving and scoring. He's already one of the better passers in the entire league. (I won't bog this story down by re-hashing that point, but if you have an issue, I can show why it's true.) Threatening as a driving scorer will only create more windows for Smart to maximize so his teammates can reap the rewards.
The last wrinkle in a potential next step from Smart would be how he is used without the ball.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-atlantic-division-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to our own Nekias Duncan</a>:
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The Celtics generated 0.992 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Smart-led ball-screen &mdash; a mark that ranked 22nd among 62 high-volume pick-and-roll players (min. 1,000 picks), and one that placed him ahead of names like Darius Garland (0.987), Damian Lillard (0.978) and Ja Morant (0.972). Those ball-screens were more dangerous when Smart set the pick (1.04 PPP), a top-10 mark in the NBA.
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That last sentence piqued my interest.&nbsp;
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Boston tried Smart as a screener a decent amount last season and went to it a few times in the Finals. The Golden State Warriors often switched on the screens, so this play helped get Tatum a perceived mismatch against Stephen Curry (for the record, though, Curry did a great job of defending in this series). If the screen went how Boston wanted, Tatum could go to work. Or, Smart could slip the screen or roll, and Boston could find him open in the middle of the half-court. Then, he could drive or pass, where, as explained, he can truly be a threat.
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New head coach Joe Mazzulla tried this a couple of times in the first preseason game, but didn't get much traction. This is something I'm definitely going to watch for against the Toronto Raptors, who are a tough, switchable defense, as well as in games where Boston could generate a mismatch for Tatum.&nbsp;
Marcus Smart's offensive game is versatile enough to where he can set Boston's stars up for success while also putting together some highlights in his own right. Now, it's about sharpening enough blades that defenses don't know how he'll hurt them on any given possession.

Marcus Smart's first year as Boston's starting point guard provided a solid foundation for growth in 2022-23. Ethan Fuller writes.

What we could see in Marcus Smart's second year as Celtics point guard

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic didn't really have time to get out of playing shape after leading Slovenia at the EuroBasket tournament coming off a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-295f852415ba2ca337d8b768ec4ac3f0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trip to the Western Conference finals</a> with the Dallas Mavericks.
Therefore, the topic on the eve of training camp was how to ease the young superstar into the NBA season, quite the contrast to a year ago when Doncic was criticized for appearing to be out of shape as the Mavericks started slowly.
Doncic's break after EuroBasket was longer than he would have hoped, with the defending champs from his home country losing a shocker to Poland in the quarterfinals.
Still, that wasn't quite two weeks ago, as opposed to almost two months in 2021 after Doncic carried Slovenia to the semifinals as a first-time Olympic qualifier in Tokyo.
&ldquo;We're going to start a little light,&rdquo; coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;Luka loves to play basketball, and so he's ready to go. We want just to start slow. This is a marathon, and he just got done playing.&rdquo;
Analyst Reggie Miller questioned Doncic's conditioning on national TV during a loss to Brooklyn last December, and a 10-game absence because of injuries and COVID-19 soon followed.
When Doncic returned for the first game on the 2022 calendar, the Mavericks had just started a 36-12 finishing kick that carried them from under .500 to the fourth seed in the West playoffs.
Dallas knocked off Utah in the first round despite Doncic missing the first three games with a calf strain and blew out defending West champ Phoenix on the road in Game 7 in the second round before losing to Golden State in five games in the conference finals.
&ldquo;Hopefully we don't start like last year,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;But it's not how you start. It's how you end. It was a good run. Not the best, obviously, but it was a good run.&rdquo;
In his first season, Kidd coached Dallas beyond the first round for the first time since he was the point guard on the Dirk Nowitzki-led team that won the 2011 title.
Now the Mavericks have to figure out how to make another run without Jalen Brunson, the point guard who surged from backing up Doncic to starting alongside him and playing a huge role without him in winning two of three against the Jazz.
Brunson decided he wanted a leading role similar to what he had in winning two NCAA titles with Villanova. A second-round pick in 2018 when Doncic was drafted third overall, Brunson signed with the New York Knicks in free agency.
Doncic didn't have Spencer Dinwiddie in his backcourt to start last season, and finished it with shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. sidelined by a broken foot. Both will have to help fill the Brunson void, along with 3-and-D specialist Dorian Finney-Smith.
&ldquo;I'm happy to try to co-pilot with a top five, probably, player in the NBA and try to improve on last year,&rdquo; said Dinwiddie, acquired in a midseason trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington. &ldquo;I think we have the talent to do that.&rdquo;
The Mavericks have a retooled frontcourt with free agent pickup JaVale McGee and Christian Wood, who was an expected starter after being acquired in a trade with Houston but now appears to have a sixth-man role after Kidd said McGee would start.
&ldquo;This is a different team,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;C-Wood can score the ball, JaVale can roll with the best of them and we all know Luka's playmaking. Don't know if we're going to try to create 40 (3-pointers) like we did in the playoffs because that's what we needed to do to win.&rdquo;
CHEERING SECTION
The dynamic of the cheering section will change with Hardaway's return from injury. He and Theo Pinson led the boosters from the bench in the playoffs in such a way that the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-stephen-curry-171b1c7a09da7d977562ad6162c49102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA fined the Mavericks three times</a> for violating rules of bench decorum during the postseason.
The third fine came after the Warriors threw a pass out of bounds in the direction of the Dallas bench when Pinson was wearing white, similar to Golden State's home jersey. The league tightened the bench rules during the offseason, giving officials the option of penalizing teams during games.
&ldquo;We had a little &lsquo;Miami Vice&rsquo; action going on on the bench,&rdquo; Hardaway said. &ldquo;The NBA made a rule after us, so we must have been doing something right.&rdquo;
KLEBER CONTRACT
Maxi Kleber, who broke out of a lengthy shooting slump to key a Game 2 victory that sparked the first-round win over Utah, enters his sixth season with the Mavericks after signing a $33 million, three-year extension.
Kleber&rsquo;s Dallas tenure could push a decade, but he&rsquo;d still have a ways to go to match the other longtime Maverick from Wurzburg, Germany. Nowitzki set an NBA record by playing all 21 seasons with the Mavs.
&nbsp;

Following changes in the offseason, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are gearing up for a run deep into the NBA playoffs.

Doncic on short rest as Mavs seek replay of deep playoff run

We've reached the dog days of the NBA offseason. The draft has passed, the fun part of free agency is over with, and the trade market is currently frozen in light of the Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell sagas reaching stalemates.
The closest thing we've gotten to on-court news this week came via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. In <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-lebron-james-meeting-with-lakers-front-office-darvin-ham-offensive-plan-rob-pelinka-roster-patience-014115495.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Laker-centric piece</a>, he revealed their plans to run next season's offense through Anthony Davis &mdash; and what does that really mean? &mdash; and hopes that Russell Westbrook shoots better on corner threes.&nbsp;
If we're not getting games right now, and the transaction mill is essentially paused, the next best thing is... schedule news? Schedule news it is.
The Athletic's Shams Charania gave us an <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1558494648099749889?s=20&amp;t=lECscqXY3TUs96QAPnMLkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening-night nugget</a> on Saturday, reporting that the Golden State Warriors will open their season at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. A little later, Marc Stein gave us his second Christmas note of the weekend, following up <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1558269112064909313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Friday's report</a> of a Lakers-Mavericks matchup with <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1558566130599559168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news</a> that the Warriors would take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day.
I want to hone in on the Christmas portion for a moment, because it's one of many things that I get irrationally annoyed about. In an ideal world, we simply wouldn't have basketball games on Christmas. It truly should act as a day off so players can spend time with their families. But if we're going to get games, we need high-level matchups. I want to see great teams &mdash; not historically&nbsp;great teams, but teams that are, or project to be, great during the season &mdash; face off. I want to see a mix of established and up-and-coming stars.&nbsp;
The league has nailed the latter with these leaked matchups, at the very least. Putting the Warriors and Grizzlies together on Christmas was low-hanging fruit. Stephen Curry is at his apex; Ja Morant played MVP-caliber basketball for a large portion of last season. Their playoff matchup screamed "this is a rivalry in the making" &mdash; it would make sense to capitalize on that.&nbsp;
I do wonder if we're going to get a fully maximized version of this matchup, and that's mostly because versatile Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from right foot surgery. He was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34175064/memphis-grizzlies-jaren-jackson-jr-foot-surgery-4-6-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">given a four-to-six month timeline</a>; if it's closer to six months, we may not see him until December. The Grizzlies would likely be conservative with him, either putting him on a pitch count, holding him out of some games (likely back-to-backs) or some combination of the two.&nbsp;
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It's easy to see the draw for Lakers-Mavs. LeBron James and Luka Doncic are the premier point-forwards in the NBA at this point. It screams torch-passing in a way, with LeBron on the downslope of his otherworldly career and Doncic coming off his first deep playoff run.
I just don't know what to make of either of these teams right now.
With all due respect to new head coach Darvin Ham, I think it's fair to say that the Lakers aren't exactly sold on their starting point guard. Both LeBron and Davis have missed chunks of games over the past two seasons; you'd hope both will be available by the time Christmas rolls around.
On the Mavs front, I'm curious to see what they're going to look like without Jalen Brunson. Sorting out the frontcourt combinations with Chrstian Wood (shout out for the low-risk, moderate-reward move), JaVale McGee, Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell should be interesting. This could be a case of both teams trying to find themselves by the time their matchup comes around.
The other three games have yet to be released, but here's what I'd like for the slate to look like.
12:00 p.m. EST: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
<ul>
<li>You can definitely sign me up for a pair of MVP candidates (Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum) as headliners. James Harden and Jaylen Brown bring star power in their own right. We need Tyrese Maxey transition attacks while little ones across the globe open their presents. Both teams project as high-level defenses, which could put us in position to see some clutch bucket-getting late in the game.</li>
</ul>
2:30 p.m. EST: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat
<ul>
<li>You have an MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo), a bonafide star (Jimmy Butler), versatile All-Stars (Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton) and a history of fun matchups dating back to the 2020 bubble.</li>
</ul>
5:00 p.m. EST: Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. EST: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
10:30 p.m. EST: Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
<ul>
<li>It's the Tim Connelly Bowl! In all seriousness, you can't snub the MVP on Christmas... again. Beyond that, the Wolves introduced themselves to the national consciousness with a thrilling (and frustrating) first-round matchup with the Grizzlies last season. Build on that and give the people Nikola Jokic vs. Rudy Gobert, more shine for Karl-Anthony Towns and a platform for everything&nbsp;that is Anthony Edwards.</li>
</ul>
If the league wants a cross-conference matchup, Suns-Bucks would be a fun Finals rematch in place of Heat-Bucks. While I'd love to see Nuggets-Timberwolves, I think something like Clippers-Pelicans &mdash; with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Brandon Ingram and the triumphant return of Zion Williamson &mdash; will end up being too hard to pass up.
[UPDATE: The Nuggets and Suns will reportedly face off on Christmas, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1558893393048215558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Singer of the Denver Post.</a>]
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And if we don't see fireworks with the Brooklyn Nets before the season starts, surely they're going to get a game, right? A Nets-Celtics first-round rematch would be on the table. Nets-Clippers would have all the star power you'd want. And of course, the storylines for a Nets-Sixers game would write themselves.
The NBA has some tough choices to make, but this is also a testament to how much talent is in the league right now.

Nekias Duncan gives his thoughts on the Christmas Day matchups we know of, then shares his ideal Christmas slate.

What is the ideal slate of NBA games for Christmas Day?

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

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

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not a high-flying leaper like Ja Morant, a ball-handling wizard like Stephen Curry or a court-mapping surgeon like Luka Doncic. Instead, one of the NBA's premier driving threats is somewhere in the middle of his peers.
According to NBA tracking data provided by Second Spectrum, Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 23.9 drives per game last season. It's the highest per-game driving rate in the NBA's player tracking history dating back to 2013-14. If Gilgeous-Alexander met the minimum games played qualifier in 2020-21, he would have led the league again with a whopping 25.2 drives per game.
The 24-year-old does it with an understated blend of sharp angles, long arms, crafty contortion and aerial acrobatics, stymying defenders by creating openings where they don't seem to exist. (Our Nekias Duncan <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/taking-a-drive-with-shai-gilgeousalexander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down his unorthodox driving game</a> in further detail earlier this spring.)
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Gilgeous-Alexander is the lone member of the youth-movement Oklahoma City Thunder to truly arrive at stardom. He put up a career-high 24.5 points, 5.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game last season, and popped off after the All-Star break to the tune of 30.4 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds (with a 63.4% True Shooting clip) across 13 games. SGA dropped those numbers while shouldering some of the heaviest creation burdens in the entire league.&nbsp;
PBP Stats lists "self-created" shots as an attempt that takes two or more seconds to generate. Gilgeous-Alexander generated a stunning 90.3% of his field goal attempts via self-creation in 2021-22, just behind Trae Young (90.6%). SGA also cleared 90% in 2020-21 (91.5%), and holds 2 of the 4 seasons in NBA tracking history with a self-creation frequency over 90%.
In short, Gilgeous-Alexander is responsible for generating a ridiculous amount of offense in Oklahoma City. The Thunder had the second-worst Offensive Rating in the league last season, though they wielded a defense that looked promising at times. OKC's 43.5% Effective Field Goal percentage on "assisted" shots (taking less than two seconds to shoot) was dead last, per PBP Stats.
There's also this stat:
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The bottom-five in teammate FG% on potential assists (passes leading to a shot attempt) among 132 NBA players with at least 300 potential assists: 1. RJ Hampton - 40.7% 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - 45.6% 3. Caris LeVert - 46.3% 4. Cory Joseph - 46.4% 5. Anfernee Simons - 46.7%
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1557733094232576000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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SGA has one of the lowest potential-assist conversion rates across the NBA. Theoretically, this could stem from several causes. Maybe Gilgeous-Alexander is throwing tons of bad passes, or his pass selection involves more difficult shot locations, or his teammates are poor collective shooters, or, it's simply bad luck. I lean toward the latter two given OKC's team-wide struggles.&nbsp;
At age 24, Gilgeous-Alexander is still in the growth phase of his pro career, but also notably older, more experienced and more proven than most of his teammates. The Thunder (most likely) aren't flipping the switch to "win now" quite yet, and should be content to let the young guys ride through mistakes as the draft picks continue to flow in.
But what does that mean for Gilgeous-Alexander and his development? We just saw the San Antonio Spurs trade Dejounte Murray, another talented breakout star guard leading a prospect-laden squad, to the Atlanta Hawks. Is Gilgeous-Alexander destined for a similar exit?
I don't think so. However, both the player and the team must strike a balance to foster everyone's growth.&nbsp;
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Gilgeous-Alexander is a phenomenal catch-and-shoot player, having cleared 41% on catch-and-shoot threes each year in Oklahoma City. Yet, his volume &mdash; already pretty low &mdash; dipped to under one attempt per game last season.&nbsp;
For SGA to feel some creation relief, OKC needs additional players &mdash; namely Josh Giddey and Tre Mann &mdash; to take serious steps forward.
We never got to see Giddey hit a spring stride; he missed every game after Feb. 24 due to a hip injury. Giddey landed on the All-Rookie Second Team last season, but still took the classic rookie point guard lumps.
Giddey ranked 10th among all players with 1.6 bad-pass turnovers per game (per PBP Stats), and his 17.3% overall turnover rate was third among all players who logged at least 800 minutes (per Cleaning the Glass). He also shot 44.1% on drives to the basket, the fourth-lowest among 61 players who averaged eight or more drives per game.
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The Aussie point guard relies on his court vision, size and semi-natural touch to find driving lanes and make shots. He doesn't have a quick first step, upper-body strength or contortion ability to make many off-balance shots at this stage. When Giddey doesn't get that initial blow-by, he struggles at times to create another lane for himself with a defender in front of him. That should change in due time, and, before his injury, Giddey did show some increased aggression and a willingness to play through contact.&nbsp;
Giddey also functioned well driving off the catch, where he should continue to play frequently as Gilgeous-Alexander dominates the ball. The 19-year-old's off-ball awareness lines up with his on-ball vision, and he also attacks quickly and can keep defenders from regaining their footing after a closeout.
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If SGA can use his gravity to open up these types of changes for Giddey, the latter will find easier chances for himself and, thus, pull some of the focus away from SGA. Of course, I glossed entirely over Giddey's passing as well, which will keep defenses on their toes as long as he's playing basketball.
Jackson Frank brilliantly <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tre-mann-and-the-importance-of-looking-past-the-box-score" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dissected Tre Mann's game</a> towards the end of last season. His piece covers the necessary growth steps for Mann to become a consistent pull-up scorer and passer. I'll let Jackson's piece speak for itself, but here's an observation he made that applies in this context:
<blockquote>
For many scoring-inclined prospects or young guys, a hurdle that often exists is the inability to create open or comfortable looks when transitioning from their pre-NBA context to the league. Whether it&rsquo;s athletic shortcomings, atypical shooting mechanics or something else, the capacity to consistently find clean shots prevents them from burgeoning into high-level scorers.
With Mann, that&rsquo;s not a problem because he&rsquo;s routinely producing open, replicable shots for himself. He&rsquo;s not hitting a ton of them thus far, but the process is encouraging. Shot-making is a staple of developmental curves, even if it&rsquo;s usually just implied rather than stated analysis. He views offensive decision-making through a lens of distinguished creativity."
</blockquote>
Mann might be the only player like this currently on the Thunder roster &mdash; aside from maybe SGA himself. I'm excited to watch Tre's development next season.
Luguentz Dort and rookie lottery pick Jalen Williams should get in on some of the self-creation action next season, and maybe we'll see a bit from Aleksej Pokusevski, Chet Holmgren and Ousmane Dieng. However, Giddey and Mann are the primary drivers (literally and metaphorically) behind Gilgeous-Alexander and will lead the support.
Gilgeous-Alexander will still carry a sky-high usage rate though. To maximize his effectiveness as a playmaker, others need to step up and hit shots they simply did not make last season.&nbsp;
According to the NBA's tracking data, nearly 52% of SGA's passes last season went to four players: Giddey, Dort, Darius Bazley and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Bazley was the only one of the four to shoot over 37% from the field on those passes. None of them cleared 30% from beyond the arc.
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As a team, Oklahoma City converted a paltry 32.6% of its catch-and-shoot threes, by far the worst mark in the NBA. The Thunder attempted the most "wide open" threes (no defender within 6 feet) of any NBA team last season and shot the second-worst clip in the league at 35.1%. And on top of that, they were also dead last in efficiency within 5 feet from the basket (58.3%). Yuck.
Giddey and Dort quite simply must improve as off-ball shooters. For Giddey, adding a viable catch-and-shoot three-ball will only make things easier for him when he attacks a closeout; right now, defenses can relax when he's spacing the floor. Dort, meanwhile, launched 7.7 triples per game last season, but converted only 33.2% of them.
Robinson-Earl is an interesting case. Barely a stretch forward at Villanova, he took 47.0% of his shots from behind the arc as a second-round rookie. Robinson-Earl made 35.2% of his threes, which is pretty solid at this stage and a very positive launch pad for his future.
Bazley has not arrived as a consistent shot-maker since going No. 23 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He brings value on the defensive end, but has poor shooting splits no matter the context. About 44% of Bazley's shots came at the rim (83rd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass), but he made them at just a 58% rate (20th percentile).
And now, in addition to that quartet, OKC has three new lottery picks to add to the mix. Holmgren and Williams, in particular, could help space the floor right away.&nbsp;
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Holmgren balled out at his two Summer League showcases in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. We saw a bit of him in pick-and-pop-type actions, and he seemed undeterred in freeing himself from the screen defender and setting himself quickly to shoot. Holmgren has been an elite perimeter shooter and rim-finisher since high school; expect that to translate very quickly to the NBA. Imagine defenses having to constantly monitor Holmgren's space on the court when he's also in an action with Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Williams has been billed for his versatility as a playmaking option, and he also spaced the floor well at Santa Clara. The 6-foot-6 wing made 20 of 41 catch-and-shoot looks as a junior, per InStat Scouting. He knows how to subtly shift into passing lanes and confidently rise up with consistency. Even before discussing Williams' on-ball skills, he at least has a stable floor as a relocating wing who can be another outlet for SGA, Giddey, Mann and others.
Of course, Williams and Holmgren are still only rookies, and they won't be surefire successes in just one year. This circles back to the broader challenge for OKC: How do you continue the youth movement (not using the T-word yet) with a scoring guard capable of putting up an All-Star season in 2022-23?
This is where Gilgeous-Alexander must simply trust the process. He assuredly has room to improve on the defensive end, and his pull-up efficiency dropped off last season after stellar numbers in 2020-21. SGA is talented enough to take over possessions and get his own buckets, but that isn't always in the best interest of the team's development. He'll have to be patient and continue being a supportive teammate as the others catch up.
The 2022-23 Thunder season will ultimately be a trust exercise between one star and one organization. Oklahoma City is putting the pieces around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that he needs to ultimately thrive. We'll see how much time it takes for the rotation to finally coalesce.

Ethan Fuller details how both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can get what they want next season.

How can the Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander balance their needs?

To understand why Damian Lillard is still with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022, examine why he enrolled at Weber State in 2008.
Weber State showed serious interest in Lillard before any other school. That resonated with Lillard, and when higher-profile schools came calling late in the recruiting process, he didn&rsquo;t forget how Weber State was the first one to believe in him.
So, he went there. And he stayed there. Fast forward to now: Portland was the team that drafted him a decade ago, and Lillard hasn&rsquo;t left there, either.
Lillard&rsquo;s tale is a reminder: NBA players may be more empowered now than ever before. They can align with their friends and form superteams. They can force trades (even though asking for one publicly is against league rules). They can get coaches fired.
Or they can do what Lillard has done, decide to stay in one place and try to win a ring instead of bouncing around from team to team and chase one.
And with the NBA waiting to see how the latest bit of big drama &mdash; Kevin Durant&rsquo;s request to be traded out of Brooklyn &mdash; plays out, Lillard hopes more will jump off the spinning carousel.
&ldquo;It shows that there&rsquo;s something there for being committed and having your heart in the right place and having your mind in the right place,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;Hopefully it&rsquo;ll have the impact going forward on players seeing that it doesn&rsquo;t have to be &lsquo;Oh, the media says this&rsquo; or &lsquo;Everybody is telling me this&rsquo; and you just get swayed into doing what everybody is trying to convince you to do, because nobody is going to have to live with those decisions like you will.&rdquo;
It also should be noted that Lillard, by staying in place, has maximized his earning potential. He came to Las Vegas and hit a jackpot this past weekend: Lillard signed a two-year, $122 million extension with the Trail Blazers on Saturday, a deal that will keep him until contract through the 2026-27 season.
By the time that season ends, he will have been paid $452 million in his career.
&ldquo;Superstars in our game today are different than in my generation, in the way that they&rsquo;re taking ownership of their careers,&rdquo; Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;And what I mean by that is there&rsquo;s a lot of superstars that will want to be somewhere and they&rsquo;ll find a way to get where they want to go.&rdquo;
Here&rsquo;s the full list of current players with at least 10 years in the NBA and have never changed teams: Miami&rsquo;s Udonis Haslem, Golden State&rsquo;s trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Washington&rsquo;s Bradley Beal, and Lillard. That&rsquo;s it.
They&rsquo;re doing it their way.
Others are choosing a different way and moving around when they think there's something better to be had.
Durant, if he gets traded and doesn&rsquo;t go back to Oklahoma City or Golden State, next season will be playing for a fourth different franchise. LeBron James has played with three franchises, winning titles with Miami, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chris Paul has played for five teams. James Harden has played for four. Russell Westbrook has played for four and Kyrie Irving has played for three. And if Westbrook and Irving get traded for one another, it&rsquo;ll be time to add another one to their totals.
That said, not every big name was filling out change-of-address cards this summer.
Zach LaVine returned to Chicago for more than $200 million over five years, a decision that made a ton of sense considering the Bulls could offer him $56 million more than any other team could. Beal got a new $251 million deal from Washington. Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic signed an extension with Denver worth $270 million.
&ldquo;We focus a lot on ensuring through a salary-cap system that teams, in essence, have the same fair opportunity to compete,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. &ldquo;And that is something we&rsquo;re always looking at as part of our system, something we are constantly talking to the Players Association about. And to me, that should be not just a concern shared by fans of all 30 teams but for all players in the league, all 450 players, presumably want an equal chance to win championships and be part of championship teams.&rdquo;
Lillard wants a ring. Everybody does. It would just mean more to him to win one in Portland than anyplace else.
So, he&rsquo;s staying.
&ldquo;Something that&rsquo;s missing in our league is the character and the fight and the passion and pride about not just the name on the back, but the name on the front and how you impact the people you come into contact with,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;I think because of how much I&rsquo;ve embraced that, and haven&rsquo;t pretended to embrace it, this just shows the power in that.&rdquo;

Damian Lillard hopes more of his NBA colleagues will jump off the spinning carousel of moving from team to team.

Damian Lillard shows NBA players have power to stay, too

Andrew Wiggins was once touted as the next in line behind LeBron James. The Canadian teenager nicknamed &ldquo;Maple Jordan&rdquo; would become a phenom because of his jaw-dropping highlights that showcased his breathtaking athleticism. Once Wiggins arrived at the University of Kansas, the hype didn&rsquo;t die down as NBA fan bases were hoping to &ldquo;tank for Wiggins&rdquo; in order to save their franchise.
Wiggins&rsquo; NBA career began with a bang, as the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft before proceeding to trade him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love after James decided to sign with the Cavs.
Unfortunately for Wiggins, he was never able to consistently play at a star-caliber level while in Minnesota. He showed flashes, but the pressure and expectations seemed to overwhelm him.
The Timberwolves still decided to sign Wiggins to a rookie-scale max extension, which shocked some executives around the Association. Soon after, the inefficient Wiggins had a contract that was viewed as an unmovable albatross in trade talks. It eventually became Minnesota&rsquo;s top priority to shed Wiggins&rsquo; salary, which led to another trade for the 24-year-old. Wiggins was dealt to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, and the Timberwolves even had to include a lightly protected future first-round pick in the deal due to his contract.
Now, on the biggest stage of his career, Wiggins is proving the naysayers wrong. The former No. 1 pick is shining within his simplified role, making his presence felt on both ends of the court during the Warriors&rsquo; NBA Finals run.
With Golden State, Wiggins&rsquo; job is to be a pest on defense and knock down open shots. He&rsquo;s done exactly that, especially throughout the 2021-22 campaign, hitting 39.8% of his catch-and-shoot threes. In the postseason, Wiggins is averaging 16.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals on 54.8% True Shooting. Aside from Stephen Curry, Wiggins has arguably been the Warriors&rsquo; most impactful and consistent rotation piece throughout the postseason. What Wiggins is accomplishing right now isn&rsquo;t lost on head coach Steve Kerr, who has helped the 27-year-old get the most out of his tantalizing talent.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very mild-mannered guy, but he&rsquo;s taken a leap in these playoffs in terms of his impact on the game defensively,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;The biggest thing is he&rsquo;s a two-way player.&rdquo;
In the Warriors&rsquo; Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics, Wiggins was instrumental, putting together an incredible effort on both ends of the court. Curry stole the show with 43 points, but Wiggins tallied 17 points and 16 rebounds while also hounding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as an on-ball defender. Incredibly, the Warriors were +20 with Wiggins on the court, and -10 in the five minutes he sat on Friday.
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Against the Celtics, Wiggins is averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steal on a 54.8% True Shooting. Wiggins is shining most on the defensive end, holding Tatum to 33.3% (13-of-39) shooting from the field when the two are matched up. Brown has also had trouble against Wiggins in a lighter sample size, shooting just 25% (2-of-8) from the field.
Wiggins continuing to improve and realize his potential has been one of the best storylines to follow throughout this postseason. While his stats are similar, Wiggins is proving his worth in the games that truly matter most. Two-way wings are the most valuable player archetype in the modern NBA. Wiggins is not the superstar that fans hoped he'd be when he entered the Association, but he stars within his role as a secondary option. Wiggins' maturation is happening in real time, and he helped flipped the series momentum back to Golden State with a title on the line.
&ldquo;Wiggs was fantastic,&rdquo; Kerr said after Game 4. &ldquo;To go against Boston, you've got to deal with Tatum and Brown, and they are just powerful, skilled players [with] great size. They are coming downhill at you constantly, so we had to have Wiggs out there. I thought he was great defensively.&rdquo;
Proving that he can thrive in the postseason bodes well for the next chapter of Wiggins&rsquo; rollercoaster career. It finally feels like he&rsquo;s found solid footing, especially now that he's playing within a perfect system to maximize his strengths. He has bought in completely as a third or fourth option, yet he can also step up and deliver big performances when his team needs him most.
&ldquo;I want to win,&rdquo; Wiggins said about his career-high 16 rebounds after Game 4. &ldquo;I know rebounding is a big part of that. I just want to win and I feel like sometimes we play small. So, I just decided to go out there and rebound, help the team out.&rdquo;
Throughout Golden State&rsquo;s triumphant return to the Finals, Wiggins leads the Warriors in adjusted net rating (+9.0 NetRtg on-court; -6.8 NetRtg off-court). Wiggins is extremely valuable and he fits seamlessly alongside Golden State's three future Hall-of-Famers in Curry, Thompson and Green. And who knows, he could be the veteran who leads the next era of Warriors basketball along with Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman.
At 27 years old, Wiggins&rsquo; prime is on the horizon. If this postseason run is any indication, Wiggins may have one of the most incredible career arcs of any player in recent memory. Wiggins has become a key cog to the Warriors&rsquo; machine and it wouldn&rsquo;t be functioning right now without him.
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Andrew Wiggins was once viewed as a bust. Now, the 27-year-old has become one of the most valuable pieces in the modern NBA.

How Andrew Wiggins changed his career trajectory with the Warriors

Two numbers supersede any statistics surrounding Klay Thompson's journey to the 2022 NBA Finals.
The first is 1,086 &mdash; the total days since Thompson last appeared in a Finals game. In that time, he tore an ACL and an Achilles tendon, missed two full seasons of professional basketball, returned to the Golden State Warriors and rejoined the starting lineup on another hunt for glory.&nbsp;
The second number is 6. Barring those two lost years, and despite a daunting road to recovery, Klay will appear in his sixth consecutive NBA Finals as a healthy player. We can debate the semantics of the streak, but I'd argue that Thompson's remarkable comeback makes his return as impressive as any of the 10 players in NBA history to make six or more straight title appearances.
Put bluntly: Klay is not supposed to be here. But the 32-year-old sharpshooter has overcome the odds and is once again the core of a potential Warriors championship. But it's been essentially three long years since Thompson shot that solemn free throw before hobbling off the court in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors. Who is 2022 Klay, how is he similar or different from past years and how can he help assert the return of a Golden State dynasty?
Well, for those who haven't kept up with his performance all season &mdash; or for Boston Celtics fans &mdash; I suggest you prepare yourselves for the same Klay we've always known on offense.
Thompson struggled out of the gate in the regular season. He shot 38.5% from three-point range, which, while impressive on its own, is remarkably a career-low. He canned just 36.7% of his catch-and-shoot threes, the first time ever that he fell under 40%. But Thompson's slump was simply a slump, compounded by his ramping up from injuries and the absence of Stephen Curry due to his own ankle injury.&nbsp;
Since the playoffs began, the veteran is back up to a 39.9% clip from beyond the arc and 43.0% on catch-and-shoot treys. He's flying around screens in classic Klay fashion. According to Synergy, approximately 21.6% of Thompson's possessions this postseason have come off screens, more than any major rotation player in the playoffs. His mark of 1.17 points per possession ranks third behind Devin Booker and Davis Bertans.
One minor, interesting note: Thompson continues to struggle shooting from the corners. He made just 36% of his regular-season attempts, per Cleaning the Glass, and has fallen further to just 29% in the playoffs. Both are career lows. Obviously, this does not mean the Celtics should start sagging off Thompson or treating him any differently than they should treat an all-time great marksman. It's just a trend worth monitoring.
Thompson will keep on trucking from long range. However, there's one other notable change happening inside the arc that I wanted to explore. This is Thompson's shot chart from the 2021-22 playoffs to date, courtesy of Cleaning the Glass:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-06-02-at-10-58-31-am_690w.png" alt="" width="345" height="327" />
Now, let's compare this to a shot chart from the 2018-19 postseason:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-06-02-at-10-59-41-am_690w.png" alt="" width="322" height="304" />
At first glance, these probably look pretty similar. It appears Thompson's threes are coming from all over this season, whereas three years ago, he largely shot from the wings. But more importantly, I'm focused on the change in frequency at the elbows. Thompson isn't shooting those nearly as much this year, and instead has an even stronger presence on the baseline. This will look more pronounced in a table (scroll right to view in full on mobile):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Short-MR Freq. (Reg. Season)</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Short-MR Freq. (Playoffs)</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Long-MR Freq. (Reg. Season)</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">Long-MR Freq. (Playoffs)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2015-16</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">15%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">14%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">18%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">15%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2016-17</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">12%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">13%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">24%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">26%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">12%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">11%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">31%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">30%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">15%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">17%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">27%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">27%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">19%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">24%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">20%</td>
<td style="width: 18.174771540469976%;">12%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Thompson's frequencies of shot attempts in the short-mid-range area (which would include those baseline attempts) are the highest they've been since 2013-14. Meanwhile, we're seeing a meaningful decline in those elbow attempts and long mid-range looks. It's not a direct correlation; an astonishing 50% of Thompson's shots have been threes (and 52% in the playoffs), meaning he's stretch some of the twos out to the arc. But some have also crept in toward the basket and the baseline.
One plausible theory is that the elbow area has been soaked up by presence of Andrew Wiggins. It's probably partially true, but Wiggins has removed most of those long twos from his arsenal. Thompson has also simply been extremely comfortable attacking closeouts from the corner.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/nz4ks5" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Thompson is a strong dude. He might not seek out contact like most scoring guards, but the 32-year-old can deal with opponents in his way. In several of these clips, he's actually using a bump to create a rhythm and generate some extra space. Thompson expertly darts off of the corner. He doesn't charge downhill, but instead takes a dribble or two to probe, position a defender and rise up.
<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/z3mbnu" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Sometimes, though less frequently, Thompson digs into his bag of post footwork. When he finds a size mismatch, the shooting guard can quickly establish positioning and fade away. That second clip is particularly impressive given Dorian Finney-Smith's size and length.
So, we arrive at this Finals matchup against the Celtics. Obviously, Golden State will look to get Thompson firing away from long range and maximize what he can do away from the ball. However, I'll also be intrigued by what the veteran can do in these sorts of situations.
Our Nekias Duncan expects Jaylen Brown to be the primary defender on Thompson to start the series. (Please prepare yourself by reading his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-finals-scouting-report-how-the-celtics-and-warriors-matchup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scouting report</a>; it also touches on Thompson's defense that I didn't get into here.)
That's an interesting matchup in this context. Can Thompson create the necessary separation against Brown for these types of shots, and is Brown up to the task defending them? Thompson should also find extra chances to use his size as the teams mix and match their lineups. If Thompson finds Derrick White or Payton Pritchard on him, for example, I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to take advantage.
One last point to monitor: Joe Viray, writer for SB Nation's Golden State of Mind, also wrote a phenomenal <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/5/30/23147089/nba-finals-warriors-celtics-series-preview-deep-dive-steph-curry-jayson-tatum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series preview.</a>&nbsp;Viray mentioned that the Celtics allowed the most long twos of any NBA team in the regular season, sacrificing that zone to keep teams out of the paint and inside the three-point line. Boston will assuredly try for a similar pattern in the Finals. Does this mean we see more of Thompson attacking and a subsequent rise in more short and long mid-range shots?
We'll find out in a few short hours.
The Klay Thompson we've always known is about to make a spectacular Finals comeback with some additional tweaks to his offensive game. I simply cannot wait to watch him back out there.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Another significant note from Nekias' <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-finals-scouting-report-how-the-celtics-and-warriors-matchup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breakdown</a>: No team switched more off-ball screens per 100 possessions than the Celtics at 15.2. That battle between Golden State's movers and Boston's defenders will be a series-defining storyline.</li>
<li>One of the most important NBA streaks stays alive. Someone who played for the New York Knicks at one point in his career has now appeared in every single NBA Finals. Thank you Luke Kornet!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Luke Kornet keeps one of the league&rsquo;s most amazing streaks alive by advancing to the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics. A former New York Knick has now appeared in 76 straight finals 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/Zy3Rd50ozj">pic.twitter.com/Zy3Rd50ozj</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1531285872297005058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

<ul>
<li>On a completely different note, someone please wear No. 29!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
For the 4th straight year, nobody wore #29 in the NBA this season. <a href="https://t.co/57kH9vyqC1">pic.twitter.com/57kH9vyqC1</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1530956383222435841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

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Klay Thompson makes a long-awaited return to the NBA Finals, where his road to injury recovery began in 2019.

NBA Stats Notebook: Klay Thompson is back, but what does that look like?

Klay Thompson shimmied his way to 32 points and the Golden State Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight seasons by beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night.
Thompson scored 19 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer that he punctuated with teammate Stephen Curry&rsquo;s signature shake as the Warriors raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Draymond Green scored 17 points and Curry had 15 points and nine assists for Golden State.
Luka Doncic overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26.
After missing the playoffs in 2020 and &rsquo;21 in back-to back injury-plagued seasons, the Warriors are returning to a familiar stage. They are the first team to make six finals appearances in an eight-year span since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had a pair of three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.
Golden State will host the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Miami on June 2 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics hold a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 at home on Friday night.
The Warriors followed their pattern from the first two rounds by bouncing back after squandering a chance to end a series on the road by winning at home. Golden State is now 9-0 at the Chase Center this postseason, tying the 2017 team for the the most consecutive home wins in a single postseason in NBA history.
The star this game was Thompson, who sat out the past two seasons with injuries but showed flashes of his old self in this clincher.
After making just seven 3-pointers in the first four games of the series, Thompson had eight this game. He gave the Warriors a 13-point lead in the first half when he hit one from the corner before dancing and added two early in the third quarter for a 23-point lead.
Dallas cut a 25-point deficit down to eight in the final minute of the third quarter but couldn&rsquo;t get over the hump in the fourth. Thompson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with just under 3 minutes left gave the Warriors a 15-point lead.
SLOW START
Doncic has typically been a playoff star. His 32.7 points per game in his first 27 playoff games were second best to Jordan&rsquo;s 33.4 ppg among players with at least 10 playoff games.
But he had a rough start in this elimination game against Golden State. He shot 2 for 10 in the first quarter with his eight misses, tied for the most in the opening quarter of a playoff game since LeBron James missed all nine of his attempts in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Atlanta in 2015.
Doncic was held to six points in the first half, his lowest opening half of his postseason career, on 2-for-12 shooting before finding his stroke in the third quarter.
MOODY MANIA
With Otto Porter (left foot) sidelined for a second straight game, the Warriors got a big boost in the first half from 19-year-old rookie Moses Moody.
Moody scored all of his seven points in the second quarter with his 3-pointer giving Golden State a 56-38 lead. Moody scored just six points the first three games of this series for the Warriors before scoring 17 the past two games with Porter sidelined.

Klay Thompson shimmied his way to 32 points and the Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight seasons.

Maxim