Phoenix Suns

In a notable trade for the Charlotte Hornets, they have acquired center Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-round draft pick from the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania. In return, the Suns receive forward Cody Martin, guard Vasilije Micic, and a 2026 second-round pick.&nbsp;
Trade Details:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Charlotte Hornets Receive:</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Jusuf Nurkić</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">2026 first-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Phoenix Suns Receive:</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Cody Martin</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Vasilije Micić</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">2026 second-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
</ul>
ANALYSIS: Jusuf Nurkic, 30, has averaged 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game this season. His addition aims to fill the void Hornets' frontcourt after they traded away Nick Richards and Mark Williams, and also provide veteran experience to a young team.
Cody Martin, known for his defensive versatility, and Vasilije Micic, a EuroLeague standout, are expected to enhance the Suns' roster as they pursue a deep playoff run.&nbsp;

In a notable trade for the Charlotte Hornets, they have acquired center Jusuf Nurkic.

Hornets acquire Jusuf Nurkic and 2026 first-rounder from Suns

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

The NBA announced today that Hall-of-Famer Mike Krzyzewski, the all-time wins leader in NCAA Division I men&rsquo;s basketball and a six-time gold medalist as head coach of the USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s Senior National Team, has been appointed special adviser to basketball operations.
In his new role, Krzyzewski will provide counsel to the league office, NBA team executives and other leaders across the league on a host of issues related to the game. He will begin in this consulting capacity by attending a meeting of NBA general managers next week in Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are honored to have Coach K join the NBA family and share his vast experience and expertise with the league and our teams,&rdquo; said NBA president, league operations Byron Spruell. &ldquo;As a preeminent coach and renowned leader who cares deeply about the game of basketball, he is uniquely suited to drive discussions and offer insights about the present and future of the NBA.&rdquo;
&ldquo;This is a tremendous opportunity to deepen my connection to the NBA and participate in conversations about further strengthening the league and the game,&rdquo; said Krzyzewski. &ldquo;Even in my retirement from coaching, my passion for the sport has never been higher.&nbsp; This role will enable me to stay engaged with basketball at the highest level.&rdquo;
Krzyzewski joins the NBA one year after completing a storied 47-year career as a college basketball head coach, including 42 seasons at Duke (1980-2022) and five seasons at his alma mater, Army West Point (1975-80). He went 1202-368 (.766) overall and 1129-309 (.785) with the Blue Devils, making him the winningest men&rsquo;s coach in NCAA history and at one school.
During his extraordinary tenure at Duke, Krzyzewski won five national championships and set the NCAA record for Final Four appearances by a head coach with 13. He also holds NCAA Tournament records for the most victories (101) and appearances (36) by a head coach.
Duke averaged nearly 27 victories per season under Krzyzewski, who won a national Coach of the Year award in eight different seasons and was selected as the ACC Coach of the Year five times. The Blue Devils spent 127 weeks ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 College Basketball Poll, the most by a head coach in poll history. Krzyzewski tutored 73 NBA Draft selections at Duke, including 46 first-round picks and four No. 1 overall picks.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In addition to his historic college coaching career, Krzyzewski made his mark in international competition as head coach of USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s Senior National Team from 2005-16. He guided the program to an 88-1 record, including a 24-0 mark in the Olympics.&nbsp;
With Krzyzewski at the helm, the United States won three gold medals in the Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016), two in the FIBA Basketball World Cup (2010 and 2014) and one in the FIBA AmeriCup (2007).&nbsp; Krzyzewski is the only basketball head coach to lead a nation to three consecutive Olympic championships, and he helped the United States earn back-to-back titles at the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time.&nbsp; He was named the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year a record seven times.
Among his other accolades, Krzyzewski was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.&nbsp; The Chicago native was also enshrined in the Army Sports Hall of Fame (2009), the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (2010) and the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame (2011).&nbsp;
A West Point graduate and three-year letterman on the basketball team, Krzyzewski served as an Army officer and attained the rank of Captain before moving into college coaching.&nbsp; In recognition of his service to the United States, Krzyzewski was honored with the Distinguished Graduate Award by the United States Military Academy in 2005 and the George Catlett Marshall Medal by the Association of the United States Army in 2014.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hall-of-Famer Mike Krzyzewski is joining the NBA league office as a special adviser to basketball operations.

NBA names Mike Krzyzewski a special adviser to basketball operations

Longtime pro Jordan Crawford opens up to Spencer Davies about his unpleasant NBA experience, his Detroit connection and more.

Ex-NBA pro Jordan Crawford has a story to tell — and a whole lot more

Since Nike made the decision to end its relationship with Kyrie Irving and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-nike-employs-adl-tactics-as-they-officially-drop-kyrie-irving-etan-thomas-torraine-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discontinue his signature shoe</a> after he shared the documentary "Hebrews To Negroes," many brands have reportedly reached out to his camp to attempt to lure him into joining them &mdash; Adidas, New Balance and PUMA to name a few.&nbsp;
During a postgame conference while discussing being a shoe company free agent, the lone company Irving has publicly acknowledged as a possibility was SIA Collective. In addition, he explained that he is not in a rush and wants to take his time to find the right place so he doesn&rsquo;t duplicate a similar situation as the one he had with Nike, who he referred to as &ldquo;that other brand.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Number one, I&rsquo;m in no rush to make any business decisions right now&hellip;. I just want to take my time," Irving said on Dec. 28 after the Brooklyn Nets' win over the Atlanta Hawks. "In terms of SIA Collective &mdash; great brand, great brothers, great operation team behind the scenes. But again, I'm looking for a home where we can build a huge marketplace and I can have some ownership, and that takes time to build. So I&rsquo;m willing to stay patient, but work with people that are willing to work with me.
&ldquo;SIA Collective has been a great brand to converse with, but I don&rsquo;t want to settle with one. I think I just want to keep my options open, look for ownership and enjoy the free agency for a little bit. It&rsquo;s been a long time coming, and then, I think there are a lot of details that are going to come out in the future about what was actually going on. And I think once my platform is created, when I can do that, then we'll share that. But shout out to SIA Collective and everybody that's been recruiting me during the process. I&rsquo;m appreciative. But I&rsquo;m definitely not going to go back into a similar contract that I was in &mdash; or any type of situation or circumstance that I was in or similar to what I was at &mdash; with that other brand.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyrie Irving was asked about his sneaker free agency &amp; touched upon what went wrong with Nike "There are a lot of details that are going to come out in the future about what was actually going on. I'm not going to go into a similar contract I was with at the other brand" <a href="https://t.co/K8AUxOEXnh">pic.twitter.com/K8AUxOEXnh</a>
&mdash; Nets Videos (@SNYNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets/status/1608333645558816770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Since then, many have been asking: Who is SIA Collective, and what are they about?&nbsp;
On <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-62-devlin-carter-talks-his-desire-to-partner-with-kyrie-irving,-owning-his-own-brand,-fashion,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the latest episode of the The Rematch</a>, I had the opportunity to sit down with the founder of SIA Collective, Devlin Carter, who founded the company in 2019. SIA Collective, which stands for Somewhere in America, is an independent, Black-owned shoe and apparel company.
Almost immediately after Nike dropped the Nets star, Carter took to social media to make a public plea to Kyrie to sign with SIA Collective instead of Adidas or PUMA or New Balance or any of the other companies that have reached out following the Nike divorce. The main theme of his pitch is that he is open to offering Irving the very ownership that he expressed is his desire. In Carter's words: "When you have that nobody can drop you because they don&rsquo;t agree with something you do or say.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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During our interview, Carter detailed his meeting with Kyrie&rsquo;s entire team, and expressed why he feels SIA Collective would be the perfect fit for Irving.
Etan Thomas: So, you <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cly41bVvJvZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made the video</a> initially after Nike decided to essentially drop Kyrie Irving making the plea to him to consider joining SIA Collective, and the response from the video was that a lot of people in the community started tagging Kyrie in your video to try to connect you with Kyrie, so walk us through what happened after that point.
Devlin Carter: :Sure. So after I made the video, I got a DM of Kyrie&rsquo;s agent Shetellia Riley Irving saying, 'Hey, send me an e-mail at your earliest convenience.' So I sent the e-mail and they responded asking when I was available for a Zoom call. I responded, 'Whenever you guys are, I&rsquo;m open. Whatever y&rsquo;all want (laughing). We can do it right now if you want.'
"So we had it scheduled for Friday &mdash; not this Friday that just passed, but the prior Friday. So we had that set up, and in between that meeting, I also sent them a shoe that we&rsquo;ve been working on called the EVO Bounce, which is a performance basketball shoe. So I sent them some images of it. I had my photo shop guy mock it up in a Brooklyn Nets design and put a No. 11 on it. And (Shetellia) hit me right back and asked, 'When could you get us this shoe?' So I explained to them that, right now, we were in the sole process. So we&rsquo;re making the sole and adding the technology to it, but I said, 'As soon as we&rsquo;re done, I&rsquo;ll send you as many samples as you need.'"
Etan: So they had a quick response?
Carter: "Yes, and I can tell by how quickly they responded that they liked the design of the shoe. That&rsquo;s one thing that I don&rsquo;t have any issues or concerns about is my ability to design a dope looking basketball shoe for Kyrie. So then, from there, we had the meeting on the Zoom call, and it&rsquo;s me, his agent Shetellia Riley Irving, Kyrie&rsquo;s dad (Drederick) and another gentleman who is Kyrie&rsquo;s brand manager. So we&rsquo;re all on the Zoom and Shetellia is quarterbacking the call. And she tells the gentlemen to tell me about themselves, so basically, they&rsquo;re pitching me. And I&rsquo;m thinking, 'Wow, I think I should be pitching myself to y&rsquo;all.'"
Etan: Right, right, but they&rsquo;re telling you about who they are.
Carter: "Yeah. So Kyrie&rsquo;s dad &mdash; super cool, super down to earth. He&rsquo;s telling me how he worked in finance and is from the Bronx. And the brand manager told me how he started with Kyrie and (how) he used to work with Nike, but left Nike to work solely with Kyrie, and how he helps his sister (Asia) with her branding and whatnot. And Shetellia tells me how she worked at BET and launching Power 105.1 (in New York). And then, they asked me how I started, my whole background in fashion design. Then, they started pitching questions."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: What were some of their questions?
Carter: "One of their questions was how long have I been doing this. They asked about my company and our sales, and I told them that I started in 2019 and we&rsquo;ve done over $40 million in sales really without any advertisement at all. I feel like spending money on advertisement doesn&rsquo;t really reach your core, and she liked that concept as well.&nbsp;
"They also asked me about technology, if I had any patents on technology. And I said, 'Right now, we actually do have a new foam that we&rsquo;re developing and it&rsquo;s just about done, so we&rsquo;ll be putting a patent on that.' But then, I was just honest with them and said, 'Listen, no matter what technology I design and I patent, (China companies) are going to steal it if they want to steal it; they steal Nike&rsquo;s stuff all the time. That&rsquo;s just the way it works. But I told (Irving's team) one thing you will not have to worry about is technology, and whatever he wants his shoe to feel like and whatever he wants in there, we can do it.&nbsp;
"Here&rsquo;s the thing &mdash; these avenues and all of this stuff have never been open to us. Because an athlete has always been just an endorser. So Nike&rsquo;s not going to take you to their factories and say, &ldquo;Yeah, this is where we get our air cushion and 'This is this and this is that, this is such and such who runs the factory and you can e-mail him at any time with any adjustments you want to make.' They&rsquo;re not going to want to give you that level of say in your signature shoe. They&rsquo;re going to keep that gate closed to you."
Etan: Right, and that was actually a thing because Kyrie reportedly wanted a say in the design of his shoe at Nike.
Carter: "Right, and I told them, 'I can open that gate for you.' My whole pitch with them at the end of the day was... I said, 'Listen, I&rsquo;m not doing this for the money. I&rsquo;m set for life. I own real estate, I&rsquo;m good, my kids are good. I&rsquo;m not doing it for that. I&rsquo;m doing this for the message that it sends. This is transcending if we could make this happen.' And who better to do this than a player like Kyrie? Because at the end of the day, Kobe [Bryant] wanted to do something like this. He wanted to start Mamba Sports; he did not want to be signed with Nike forever because he opened his eyes and saw that there was a better way to do this &mdash; ownership vs. being an employee.&nbsp;
Etan: Interesting. I didn&rsquo;t know that.
Carter: "Yeah, and it&rsquo;s not that only Nike can do this stuff. Look at D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) with Li-Ning; their shoes are outperforming Nike&rsquo;s shoes. Nike does not possess a monopoly on superior technology or anything. Technology is simply monetary, meaning anybody can get the technology if they have the money. The shoe just needs to be a good foam, you need to have a good shank plate and a good lockdown. That&rsquo;s really all a basketball shoe really needs, but we can take it to that next level and add the extra cushion and add the extra foam and add the custom orthotics. We have the capability to do all of that. But again, because we&rsquo;ve never been privy to this information, to us, it seems so foreign."
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Etan: I posted on social media that Adidas and PUMA and New Balance have reached out to Kyrie for potential sponsorship deals, and I posted it alongside an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-nike-employs-adl-tactics-as-they-officially-drop-kyrie-irving-etan-thomas-torraine-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article I wrote for Basketball News</a> called, "Nike Employs ADL tactics as it officially drops Kyrie Irving." I tagged you in it, and I saw in the comments section that a lot of other people were tagging you in as well. You responded in the comment section:
<blockquote>
If you just want an endorsement deal&hellip;..then sign with whoever will pay you the most, but as soon as you say something they don&rsquo;t agree with, it&rsquo;s goodbye. But if you really wanna make a change and create a movement &hellip;.ownership is the only way.
</blockquote>
Can you expound on that?
Carter: "Basically, that&rsquo;s saying: Once you take that check, you&rsquo;re just an employee. There&rsquo;s no power in taking that check. These are the times where you take a chance. I&rsquo;ll explain that in my own story.
"I was in the military. I had already done 11 years. Most people who serve in the military, once you pass 10 years, you don&rsquo;t get out of the military because you only need two more transfers, then you get your retirement. But in my 11th year in the military, I was doing the custom shoes. I&rsquo;m going to the post office with 10 boxes of shoes that I customized for people, making... say $4,000 off of those custom shoes that I did. I&rsquo;m in the line and I&rsquo;m looking at the mail clerk. I&rsquo;m looking dead at him and he looks miserable, and I asked myself... there&rsquo;s no way that when he was a kid, he told his mom, 'I&rsquo;m going to grow up and I&rsquo;m going to sell stamps for a living.'
"No, that&rsquo;s just what life brings you, curveballs. You do what you gotta do to make ends meet, and much respect to everyone who is in a position where they have to do that. I didn&rsquo;t want to be someone who said to my kids, 'You can chase your dreams, you can be whatever you want, but I didn&rsquo;t do it. I didn&rsquo;t chase those dreams, I stayed at a job that I really don&rsquo;t want to do, but it pays the bills, I&rsquo;m comfortable, so I&rsquo;m going to stay here.' I didn&rsquo;t choose that. I started SIA Collective. I have the freedom I have always wanted, and I have never struggled. In fact, I am making more money than I have ever made in my life.
"Now, relating this to Kyrie &mdash; you&rsquo;re already set for life. What&rsquo;s another $11 million a year &mdash; which is what Nike paid him last year &mdash; going to really do for you when you can easily make that, and much more, as an owner of your own shoe and not be muzzled? Ownership vs. being just a worker. Without ownership, if he goes to Adidas, New Balance, PUMA or whoever, it will just be the same as his Nike experience. If you say or do something they don&rsquo;t like, they&rsquo;ll drop you.
"We should encourage looking outside for answers, that&rsquo;s all Kyrie was doing. The seeking of knowledge should never be punishment, but In order to really be free, ownership is the only way, and Kyrie can have that with SIA Collective."

Etan Thomas interviews SIA Collective founder Devlin Carter about his behind-the-scenes pitch to Kyrie Irving and his team to collab.

SIA Collective's Devlin Carter details meeting with Kyrie Irving’s team

Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball is coming relatively soon — with new players.

Allisha Gray, NaLyssa Smith headline Athletes Unlimited new additions

NBA, ATLANTA HAWKS AND MILWAUKEE BUCKS TO HOST SERIES OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS AS PART OF LEAGUE&rsquo;S FIRST GAMES IN ABU DHABI
- League&rsquo;s First &ldquo;Jr. NBA Week&rdquo; in the Middle East Will Engage Nearly 2,000 Youth Basketball Players and Coaches Through Clinics, Camps and Showcases
- Events Will Feature Appearances by Hawks and Bucks Players and Coaches, and NBA and WNBA Legends
- The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 Will Feature the Hawks and Bucks Playing Two Preseason Games on Oct. 6 and 8 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island
LONDON AND ABU DHABI &mdash; The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a series of youth basketball engagement programs that will be hosted in collaboration with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks as part of The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022.&nbsp;
The week of activities, which will include the league&rsquo;s first Jr. NBA Week in the Middle East, will run from Monday, Oct. 3 &ndash; Sunday, Oct. 9 and will reach nearly 2,000 youth, coaches and basketball stakeholders from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and across the Middle East and Europe. Jr. NBA Week will be comprised of youth basketball clinics, camps and showcases focused on teaching the game of basketball, promoting health and wellness, and empowering the next generation of female players and coaches. The events will feature appearances by Hawks and Bucks players and coaches, NBA and WNBA legends, and USA Basketball Head Coach/Coach Director, Youth &amp; Sport Development, Don Showalter.&nbsp;
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 will feature the Hawks and the 2021 NBA champion Bucks playing two preseason games at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. GST, marking the league&rsquo;s first games in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf. The games are part of a groundbreaking multiyear collaboration between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism &ndash; Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) that earlier this year saw the launch of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls ages 11-14 from schools across Abu Dhabi. The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event.
Below please find an overview of the week&rsquo;s activities:&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks Youth Programming&nbsp;
On Oct. 3 as part of Jr. NBA Week, Hawks players and coaches will lead three simultaneous youth development events at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus&rsquo;s three-court facility, including basketball clinics for boys and girls from the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League and the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics program, as well as an NBA FIT clinic for local youth that will focus on the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle with an emphasis on mindfulness, nutrition, rest and recovery. The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League participants will then attend the game on Oct. 6.&nbsp;
NBA Coaches Clinics&nbsp;
On Oct. 3 and 4, Hawks assistant coaches Joe Prunty and Mike Longabardi and Bucks assistant coaches Mike Dunlap and Vince Legarza will each host Coaches Clinics for more than 300 male and female basketball coaches from across the UAE. The clinics will teach coaching techniques and best practices for team and player development at any level.&nbsp;
Milwaukee Bucks Youth Programming&nbsp;
On Oct. 4 as part of Jr. NBA Week, Bucks players and coaches will lead players from the NBA Basketball School in Dubai and the Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp through a series of basketball drills, skills stations and challenges at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.
Jr. NBA School Clinics&nbsp;
On Oct. 4 and 5 also as part of Jr. NBA Week, the NBA will conduct eight Jr. NBA clinics for boys and girls at local schools across Abu Dhabi, two of which will be attended by NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins and WNBA Legend Ticha Penicheiro (Portugal). The clinics will focus on basketball skill development with an emphasis on teamwork, positive attitude and effort, and healthy habits.&nbsp;
NBA Hoops For Troops Meet &amp; Greets&nbsp;
In collaboration with the United Service Organizations (USO), the NBA will host members of the U.S. Military for meet and greets with NBA legends at both games.&nbsp;
NBA Basketball School Showcase&nbsp;
On Oct. 4 and 5, youth athletes from the NBA Basketball School in Dubai, the only full-time basketball program in the UAE for boys and girls ages 6-18, will travel to Abu Dhabi to participate in a multi-day basketball development program, including a training session on Oct. 4 led by Showalter and culminating with a showcase at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus on Oct. 5. On Oct. 6, the league&rsquo;s first NBA Basketball School Workshop will convene NBA Basketball School partners and operators from across Europe and the Middle East to collaborate and share best practices.&nbsp;
Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp 
From Oct. 4-9 as part of Jr. NBA Week, the NBA will host 25 of the top boys and girls from Jr. NBA leagues across Europe and the Middle East, and the NBA Basketball School in Dubai, at an Elite Training Camp in Abu Dhabi. The athletes, who come from 11 countries and were selected following a Jr. NBA Elite Camp in Rome in May, will participate in training, practices and competitions against the NBA Basketball School from Dubai and the UAE under-18 Men&rsquo;s National Team, as well as life skills programming and cultural activities in the local community.
NBA District Youth Basketball Clinics&nbsp;
On Oct. 5, 7, 8 and 9, the league will host nine youth basketball clinics at NBA District, an immersive, interactive fan event that will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in conjunction with The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022. Part of Jr. NBA Week, the clinics will feature a range of basketball programming for local youth and Jr. NBA League, NBA Basketball School and Special Olympics players.
Make-a-Wish Experience&nbsp;
In collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the NBA will host four local children and their families at the Oct. 6 game. The children will receive goody items and participate in a meet and greet with an NBA legend.&nbsp;
Her Time To Play Clinic&nbsp;
On Oct. 8 as part of Jr. NBA week, the NBA will host a &ldquo;Her Time To Play&rdquo; clinic at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus for 70 girls from the Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp and the NBA Basketball School in Dubai. Participants will engage in a basketball clinic and conversations focused on female empowerment and opportunities for women in sports and leadership, highlighted by a Q&amp;A with Penicheiro. Her Time To Play is an initiative dedicated to championing girls and women through sport and providing them a forum to connect, collaborate, and actively engage with the game of basketball and one another.&nbsp;

The NBA announced a series of youth engagement programs that will be hosted in collaboration with the Hawks and Bucks.

Hawks, Bucks to host youth programs as part of NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022

France sent a message on its way to grabbing a spot in the EuroBasket championship game and a showdown with Spain.
Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points, and France rolled past Poland 95-54 in the semifinals of the European championships on Friday.
&ldquo;We just played our basketball,&rdquo; Yabusele said. &ldquo;We were really good on defense and we were really aggressive. We made everything hard for them.&rdquo;
The 41-point margin was the largest ever in a EuroBasket medal-round game played under the current tournament format, one more than 40-point wins posted by Croatia over Greece in the 1993 bronze-medal game and by the Soviet Union over Poland in the 1967 semifinals.
Elle Okobo and Evan Fournier each had 10 points in a rare easy one for France, which had outscored opponents by a total of 11 points in its first seven games of the tournament &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-france-poland-italy-71f01c5c88ed542aa26ad87ce9151f9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plus won each of its last two contests in overtime,</a>&nbsp;benefitting in both from missed free throws in the final moments by Turkey and Italy.
"We started the game with will and determination,&rdquo; France coach Vincent Collet said. &ldquo;That is what made the difference.&rdquo;
Next up for France: Spain, which defeated host Germany 96-91 in Friday&rsquo;s other semifinal. The gold- and bronze-medal games are Sunday.
It&rsquo;ll mark the fifth time in the last six EuroBaskets that either Spain or France has won gold; the exception was 2017, when Slovenia prevailed. It&rsquo;ll also be a rematch of the 2011 EuroBasket final, where Spain topped France.
&ldquo;We worked really hard to put ourselves in this position,&rdquo; said France center Rudy Gobert, who had six rebounds and three blocks. &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;ve got one more game to go. When we started preparations, the goal was to win the gold medal and now we&rsquo;re in position to make it happen. So, one more game.&rdquo;
Playing for gold represents the latest big chance for France, which captured its last major crown by winning EuroBasket in 2013. Since then, the French have won two bronzes at the World Cup (2014, 2019), a bronze at EuroBasket (2015) and silver at the delayed Tokyo Olympics that were contested in the summer of 2021.
Every stat Friday showed France&rsquo;s dominance. It shot 62%, compared with 32% for Poland. France held a 40-21 edge in rebounding, a 22-9 edge in points off turnovers and a 40-16 advantage from points in the paint.
&ldquo;Like a lot of games in this tournament, it could go south, it could go north,&rdquo; Poland coach Igor Milicic said. &ldquo;This game went south.&rdquo;
A.J. Slaughter and Michal Michalak led Poland &mdash; which made the semifinals by upsetting defending champion Slovenia 90-87 on Wednesday &mdash; with nine points apiece. It was Poland&rsquo;s third loss of the tournament, all coming in blowouts. The others were a 30-point defeat to Finland and a 29-point loss to Serbia in the group stage.
&ldquo;We tip our hats off to France,&rdquo; said Slaughter, a Kentucky-born guard who helped Western Kentucky to upset wins as a No. 12 seed in both the 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments. &ldquo;They played a really good game tonight. ... But we still have our heads high. We still have a medal game on Sunday. We&rsquo;ll come back, play with pride and see if we can leave here with a medal.&rdquo;
SPAIN 96, GERMANY 91
Lorenzo Brown scored 29 points, and Spain used a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to rally past host Germany in the second semifinal.
Germany led by 10 points late in the third quarter, before Spain took over. Juancho Hernangomez scored seven of his 13 points in the game-deciding run, one where Spain turned a 77-70 deficit into an 83-77 lead with 4:04 remaining.
&ldquo;I cannot find the words to congratulate my players,&rdquo; Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said. &ldquo;Probably this medal is the least expected, but to me, the most satisfactory. Built upon hard work, togetherness, team basketball, defensive effort, desire to overcome our limits ... and guts in the fourth quarter.&rdquo;
It was Spain&rsquo;s fifth consecutive win at the tournament, the last four of them coming by 10 points or less.
&ldquo;When you bring intensity to the game, anything can happen,&rdquo; said Usman Garuba, who had a team-high seven assists for Spain.
And it was Brown&rsquo;s highest-scoring game of the tournament, plus more than doubled his per-game average entering Friday; he was averaging 13.4 points in Spain&rsquo;s first seven games.
Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 30 points for Germany, but managed only two points in the fourth quarter. Franz Wagner and Andreas Obst each scored 15 for Germany, while Daniel Theis added 10.
&ldquo;The energy was amazing out there,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that crowd came to play tonight. Felt amazing from the jump. I felt like our guys felt amazing from the jump as well. Schroder came out, playing unbelievable, finished the game unbelievable as well. But it just took a lot of guts from our end.&rdquo;
Germany coach Gordie Herbert said losing momentum early in the fourth quarter was key.
&ldquo;We had a tough five, six minutes,&rdquo; Herbert said.
EuroBasket ends Sunday, and from there, Schroder is headed to Los Angeles. The agency that represents him, Priority Sports, said Friday that Schroder &mdash; who has averaged 21.6 points and 7.3 assists per game at EuroBasket &mdash; agreed on a $2.6 million contract with the Lakers for the coming season.

France sent a message on its way to grabbing a spot in the EuroBasket championship game and a showdown with Spain.

France tops Poland, Spain beats Germany in EuroBasket semis

MILAN (AP) &mdash; The stars showed up at EuroBasket on Tuesday in a big way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 41 points in 27 minutes for Greece, Luka Doncic had 36 points for Slovenia and two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 29 points for Serbia &mdash; three of the world&rsquo;s best players all leading their teams to big group-stage wins at the European championships.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ain&rsquo;t nothing but a little Luka Magic 🪄 36 PTS 10 REB 4 AST<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a><a href="https://t.co/hIo3xZOABm">pic.twitter.com/hIo3xZOABm</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567255650132004865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There&rsquo;s one more group-stage game left for each to play, and then a trip to Berlin awaits since Greece, Slovenia and Serbia have all clinched spots in the 16-team knockout round that begins Saturday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic had himself a night at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a>. 🃏👀 29 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST<a href="https://t.co/yqgLLMI2AS">pic.twitter.com/yqgLLMI2AS</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567261660729032706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s point total was the most in a EuroBasket game since Dirk Nowitzki had 43 for Germany in 2001. And when he heard that stat, all Antetokounmpo did was nod.
&ldquo;I try not to rate my performance,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I just try to go out there and have fun as much as possible, try to focus as much as I can on what I can control, try to bring energy any way possible. ... But I&rsquo;ll say this: I think this is one of the years where I feel very, very excited to go out there on the court and play with my teammates.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis went OFF today in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a>. 41 PTS 9 REB 72% FGM On fire. 🔥<a href="https://t.co/XRF620yKBK">pic.twitter.com/XRF620yKBK</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567208097826963458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As Antetokounmpo did, Doncic also deflected credit after the game. Told that Germany&rsquo;s postgame reaction was &ldquo;Luka Doncic happened,&rdquo; Doncic replied by saying &ldquo;Slovenia happened.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The whole team was ready,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;Everybody who stepped on the court was fighting, whether they played one minute or 30. I&rsquo;m really proud of this team.&rdquo;
Doncic was asked after the game if he or Antetokounmpo was in a better position to break the EuroBasket single-game scoring record.
Doncic didn&rsquo;t hesitate with his answer: He picked Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;I would bet on Giannis,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;Why? Because he&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo.&rdquo;
GROUP C
GREECE 99, UKRAINE 79
At Milan, Antetokounmpo simply overpowered Ukraine and ensured that Greece would finish atop its group.
Antetokounmpo &mdash; who got Monday off to rest &mdash; had his 41 points and nine rebounds in just 27 minutes to lead Greece (4-0).
He was 13 for 18 from the floor, 15 for 18 from the foul line.
&ldquo;It was very easy to prepare the team because it is absolutely clear what Greece does when Giannis is out there,&rdquo; Ukraine coach Ainars Bagatskis said. &ldquo;They play really aggressive basketball. And if you don&rsquo;t put against them the same aggressiveness, even higher aggressiveness, then you have big problems.&rdquo;
Nick Calathes and Tyler Dorsey had 13 apiece for Greece.
Issuf Sanon and Svi Mykhailiuk each scored 16 for Ukraine (3-1), while Alex Len and Illya Sydorov added 10 apiece. Ukraine led by seven at the half, before Greece won the third quarter 32-11.
ESTONIA 94, GREAT BRITAIN 62
Henri Drell scored 20 points, Siim-Sander Vene added 18 and Estonia had no trouble on the way to its first win of the tournament.
Maik-Kalev Kotsar scored 15, Kristjan Kitsing added 14 and Janari Joesaar finished with 11 for Estonia (1-3).
Myles Hesson scored 14 for Great Britain (0-4), with Carl Wheatie and Patrick Whelan each scoring 12.
ITALY 81, CROATIA 76
Simone Fontecchio and Nicolo Melli each scored 19 points to lead Italy (2-2).
Bojan Bogdanovic led Croatia (2-2) with 27 points, while Ivica Zubac scored 13 and Dario Saric added 10.
Both teams are headed to the knockout round.
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GROUP B
SLOVENIA 88, GERMANY 80
At Cologne, Germany, Doncic&rsquo;s 36 points came with him making 14 of 25 shots. He also had 10 rebounds for Slovenia (3-1).
Goran Dragic scored 18 points and Mike Tobey added 10 for Slovenia.
&ldquo;We showed what we are made of,&rdquo; Dragic said.
Dennis Schroder scored 19 points, Andreas Obst had 14 and Maodo Lo added 13 for Germany (3-1).
LITHUANIA 87, HUNGARY 64
Lithuanian basketball is known for a lot of things, including passionate fans.
They go everywhere to cheer for their national team. And Tuesday, they even cheered for France &mdash; for good reason.
Lithuania topped Hungary and that, combined with France&rsquo;s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, means the last qualifying spot out of Group B is still unclaimed. It&rsquo;ll be decided Wednesday when Lithuania plays Bosnia and Herzegovina, the winner moving on to Berlin and a round-of-16 game, the loser heading home eliminated.
&ldquo;Lithuanian fans are the best,&rdquo; France guard Evan Fournier said.
If France had lost Tuesday, Lithuania would have been eliminated. Instead, those Lithuanian fans serenaded the French with cries of &ldquo;Merci!&rdquo; for keeping their national team&rsquo;s hopes alive.
&ldquo;It feels amazing,&rdquo; Lithuania forward Domatas Sabonis said. &ldquo;They travel to every championship to support us. It&rsquo;s sad we couldn&rsquo;t give them a win over the weekend, but we&rsquo;re glad we could give them one today and the goal is to give them another one tomorrow.&rdquo;
Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Sabonis added 19 for Lithuania (1-3).
Marius Grigonis had 15 points and Rokas Jokubaitis added 10 for Lithuania. Zoltan Perl scored 16 for Hungary (0-4), while David Vojvoda and Rosco Allen each finished with 10.
FRANCE 81, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 68
Thomas Heurtel&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 5:49 left put France ahead to stay and started a game-ending 22-7 run for the winners, who were already assured of a spot in the round of 16.
Guerschon Yabusele scored 15 for France (3-1), while Heurtel and Fournier each had 14 and Rudy Gobert posted an 11-point, 12-rebound performance.
Jusuf Nurkic, Miralem Halilovic and Dzanan Musa all had 14 for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2), while John Roberson had 13 and Edin Atic finished with 10.
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GROUP A
TURKEY 78, BELGIUM 63
At Tbilisi, Georgia, Alperen Sengun scored 24 points, Furkan Korkmaz had 16 and Turkey (3-1) remained tied atop Group A.
Ercan Osmani added 12 for Turkey.
Haris Bratanovic scored 15 for Belgium (2-2) and Hans Vanwijn scored 11.
SPAIN 82, MONTENEGRO 65
Spain (3-1) clinched its berth in the round of 16, with Dario Brizuela leading the way with 18 points.
Willy Hernangomez scored 14 for Spain, while Jaime Pradilla and Lorenzo Brown added 12 apiece.
Vladimir Mihailovic scored 18 for Montenegro (2-2), which got 11 from Marko Simonovic and 10 from Kendrick Perry.
BULGARIA 92, GEORGIA 80
Dee Bost had 33 points and 12 assists, Aleksandar Vezenkov finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Bulgaria kept its hopes alive.
Pavlin Ivanov scored 17 for Bulgaria (1-3).
Goga Bitadze scored 21 for Georgia (1-3), while Thaddus McFadden had 19, Alexander Mamukelashvili scored 13, and Giorgi Shermadini and Duda Sanadze scored 10 apiece.
GROUP D
SERBIA 89, ISRAEL 78
At Prague, Jokic was 11 of 13 from the floor and also grabbed 11 rebounds for Serbia (4-0), while Vasilije Micic added 19.
Nikola Kalinic and Ognjen Jaramaz each scored 10 for Serbia.
Yam Madar scored 20 for Israel (2-2), while Deni Avdija had 14 and Roman Sorkin added 11.
POLAND 75, NETHERLANDS 69
Poland was down by 13 in the third quarter before closing the game on a 39-20 run to tune up for its knockout-stage appearance.
Michal Sokolowski scored 24 for Poland (3-1), which got 16 from Aleksander Balcerowski and 10 from Jakub Garbacz.
Charlon Kloof led the Netherlands (0-4) with 26, and Yannick Franke scored 13.
FINLAND 98, CZECH REPUBLIC 88
Lauri Markkanen continued his strong tournament with 34 points and 10 rebounds, and Finland clinched its berth in the round of 16.
Sasu Salin scored 23 and Petteri Koponen added 14 for Finland, with Elias Valtonen finishing with 11.
Vojtech Hruban scored 22 for the Czech Republic, with Jan Vesely adding 15 and Patrik Auda and Jaromir Bohacik scoring 13 apiece. The Czechs play Israel on Thursday and, according to FIBA, could reach the knockout stage with a win.
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WEDNESDAY&rsquo;S SCHEDULE
First-round play in Groups A and B concludes, with Groups C and D getting the day off before they finish their round-robins on Thursday. Friday is an off day and the knockout round in Berlin starts Saturday.
Group A: Turkey (3-1) vs. Spain (3-1), Bulgaria (1-3) vs. Belgium (2-2), Georgia (1-3) vs. Montenegro (2-2). The Turkey-Spain winner will win the group. Bulgaria and Georgia are in must-win scenarios.
Group B: Lithuania (1-3) vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2), France (3-1) vs. Slovenia (3-1), Hungary (0-4) vs. Germany (3-1). France, Slovenia (which wins the group with a victory) and Germany have already qualified, Hungary is eliminated and the Lithuania-Bosnia game is the one that matters most.

Antetokounmpo scored 41 points in 27 minutes for Greece, Doncic had 36 points for Slovenia and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic scored 29 points for Serbia.

Stars shine bright: Giannis, Luka, Jokic lead at EuroBasket

FIBA EuroBasket is making a triumphant comeback this week after five years away from competition. Per ESPN, that's the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34457762/eurobasket-2022-scores-schedules-teams-news-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">longest gap in the tournament since World War II</a>, so EuroBasket 2022 should turn out to be a remarkable celebration of basketball's growth across Europe.
A&nbsp;lot has changed in five years. Luka Doncic was the "chosen one" of European hoops in 2017 as an 18-year-old suiting up for Slovenia, Giannis Antetokounmpo had just won Most Improved Player with the Milwaukee Bucks and earned his first NBA All-Star appearance, and Nikola Jokic had yet to clear 30 minutes per game in an NBA season.
Today, the three international stars are among the faces of basketball in the NBA and around the world, and the trio will compete in EuroBasket 2022. That's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the immese talent slated to participate. We've already gotten a peek of what the action could look like via the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers that have taken place over the past week.
EuroBasket features 24 teams in four groups, with action beginning on Thursday and culminating in a gold-medal showdown on Sept. 18. Here's a rundown of the must-see NBA players (as of last season), international stars and top prospects (under age 23) in each group.
(Note: If a player is listed as "questionable," it is because their playing status is uncertain. Not all EuroBasket rosters have been finalized, so several countries' teams may look slightly different. <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2022/news/roster-tracker-fiba-eurobasket-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here is a full roster tracker</a>.)
GROUP A: SPAIN, TURKEY, MONTENEGRO, GEORGIA, BELGIUM, BULGARIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Alperen Sengun against Serbia: 17 PTS | 13 REB | 2 AST | 2 BLK | 61 TS% Spearheaded the Turkey comeback in the third quarter 🔥<a href="https://t.co/faBFt2SQLe">pic.twitter.com/faBFt2SQLe</a>
&mdash; Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/JTGatlin/status/1563966082322468869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Top NBA Players: Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Willy Hernangomez (Spain), Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey), Cedi Osman (Turkey), Goga Bitadze (Georgia), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia)
Top International Players: Rudy Fernandez (Spain), Lorenzo Brown (Spain), Shane Larkin (Turkey), Bojan Dubljevic (Montenegro), Retin Obasohan (Belgium), Sasha Vezenkov (Bulgaria)
Notable Prospects: Usman Garuba (Spain), Vrenz Bleijenbergh (Belgium), Alperen Sengun (Turkey), Marko Simonovic (Montenegro)
Spain and Turkey might not have quite the Tier 1 star power of some other countries, but both squads are fun and deep. Fernandez and Brown are stalwarts who have starred on their respective European teams for years. Then for Turkey, Osman and Korkmaz are NBA rotation players boosted by an electric point guard in Larkin.
We'll hopefully get to see the pair of Houston Rockets sophomore talents as well. Sengun impressed with his flashes last season and has already created highlights with Turkey over the summer. Garuba was quieter as a rookie, but has experience on a large Spanish stage with his time playing for Real Madrid.&nbsp;
GROUP B: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, FRANCE, GERMANY, HUNGARY, LITHUANIA, SLOVENIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Luka Doncic drops 25 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST in win over Estonian National team 🔥😭<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/4khnb7BEr3">pic.twitter.com/4khnb7BEr3</a>
&mdash; MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) <a href="https://twitter.com/NationMffl/status/1562897679155204098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Top NBA Players: Jusuf Nurkic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Evan Fournier (France), Rudy Gobert (France), Timoth&eacute; Luwawu-Cabarrot (France), Daniel Theis (Germany), Dennis Schr&ouml;der (Germany), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Ignas Brazdeikis (Lithuania), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Goran Dragic (Slovenia), Vlatko Cancar (Slovenia)
Top International Players:&nbsp;Dzanan Musa (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Elie Okobo (France), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Thomas Huertel (France), Vincent Poirier (France)
Notable Prospects:&nbsp;Th&eacute;o Maledon (France), Franz Wagner (Germany), Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania), Ziga Samar (Slovenia)
Yeah, this group is absolutely loaded. Five of the six rosters could potentially boast multiple players with 2021-22 NBA experience. Slovenia, led by Doncic and Dragic, is considered a favorite to win EuroBasket. But France has a loaded roster (though no Victor Wembanyama), too. They'll be worth checking out additonally because Okobo has been balling in Europe since leaving the NBA.
New York Knicks fans might want to circle Lithuania as the team to watch. They'll receive a nostalgia injection in the forms of Brazdeikis and Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and they'll get a glimpse of the future with Jokubaitis, the team's 2021 draft-and-stash guard. Franz Wagner is one of the best young talents in EuroBasket too, making Germany a team to monitor.
GROUP C: CROATIA, ESTONIA, GREAT BRITAIN, GREECE, ITALY, UKRAINE
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis Antetokounmpo <a href="https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Giannis_An34</a> dropped 26pts 7rebs in the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fibawc</a> Qualifiers win for Greece. Watch all the games of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> Qualifiers on Courtside 1891 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForAll?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForAll</a> <a href="https://t.co/t7JNIYvGgG">pic.twitter.com/t7JNIYvGgG</a>
&mdash; Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) <a href="https://twitter.com/swishcultures_/status/1564222344067010561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Top NBA Players:&nbsp;Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia), Dario Saric (Croatia), Ivica Zubac (Croatia),&nbsp;Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tyler Dorsey (Greece), Simone Fontecchio (Italy), Alex Len (Ukraine), Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine)
Top International Players: Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Sacha Killeya-Jones (Great Britain, questionable),&nbsp;Nick Calathes (Greece), Georgios Papagiannis (Greece, questionable), Kostas Papanikalou (Greece), Kostas Sloukas (Greece, questionable), Nicolo Melli (Italy)
Notable Prospects:&nbsp;Karlo Matkovic (Croatia), Roko Prkacin (Croatia),&nbsp;Issuf Sanon (Ukraine), Nico Mannion (Italy)
Three of the Antetokounbros (the above two, plus Kostas, who is questionable at this time) could assemble for their home country. Greece also has a handful of international stars who might play; their roster has yet to be finalized. Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 40 points in a World Cup Qualifiers loss against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, so it's safe to say he's firing on all cylinders.
Croatia, however, might be my pick for most intriguing team in the tournament. They have a trio of NBA players, plus a former top-five pick in Mario Hezonja. Prkacin has been on NBA Draft radars for several years now, and Matkovic just went No. 52 overall in the 2022 Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans. This is a fun mix of talent at different stages and platforms.
GROUP D: CZECH REPUBLIC, FINLAND, ISRAEL, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, SERBIA
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
They call him the MVP for a reason 🃏 Deadly in so many ways, Nikola Jokic was in top form for Serbia during World Cup Qualifying 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinForSrbija?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinForSrbija</a> 🇷🇸 <a href="https://t.co/1ZqvDPLQsi">pic.twitter.com/1ZqvDPLQsi</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1564286832510226436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Top NBA Players:&nbsp;Vit Krejci (Czech Republic), Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic, questionable), Lauri Markkanen (Finland), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Nemanja Bjelica (Serbia, questionable),&nbsp;
Top International Players: Jan Vesely (Czech Republic), Vasilije Micic (Serbia, questionable), Nikola Milutinov (Serbia)
Notable Prospects: Deni Avdija (Israel), Yam Madar (Israel), Balsa Koprivica (Serbia, questionable)
Nikola Jokic instantly makes Serbia a frontrunner for the gold, but the nation could have several veterans backing him up in a potential deep run. Micic in particular should be on NBA fans' radars as a player who could immediately come over and produce in the league. The 28-year-old guard won two EuroLeague titles and was named MVP in 2021. Oklahoma City currently owns his draft rights, though he was mentioned frequently in offseason trade rumors.&nbsp;
Israel has a pair of notable young talents leading the way. Deni Avdija took a legitimate step forward in his second year with the Washington Wizards. Madar, meanwhile, has been playing overseas as a draft-and-stash prospect selected by the Boston Celtics in 2020.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic lead a stellar group of competitors in EuroBasket 2022.

FIBA EuroBasket 2022: Top teams, players and prospects to watch

The Kremlin said Friday that it&rsquo;s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.
Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and an eight-time all-star with the WNBA&rsquo;s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after police at Moscow&rsquo;s airport said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
A judge convicted the 31-year-old athlete Thursday of drug possession and smuggling, and sentenced her to nine years in prison. The politically charged case comes amid high tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia&rsquo;s military action in Ukraine.
In an extraordinary move, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke last week to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia on espionage charges, would go free.
Lavrov and Blinken were both in Cambodia on Friday for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Blinken did not even glance at his Russian counterpart as they took their seats at an East Asia Summit.
Lavrov told reporters that Blinken didn&rsquo;t try to contact him while they were attending the ASEAN meeting.
&ldquo;We were separated by just one person at the discussion table, but I didn&rsquo;t feel his desire to catch me. My buttons are all in place,&rdquo; he said when asked about Washington&rsquo;s statement that Blinken would try to buttonhole Lavrov for a quick interaction in Phnom Penh.
Lavrov said Moscow was &ldquo;ready to discuss&rdquo; a prisoner swap but that the topic should only be discussed via a dedicated Russia-U.S. channel that U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to establish when they met in Geneva in June 2021.
&ldquo;If the Americans again try to engage in public diplomacy and make loud statements about their intention to take certain steps, it&rsquo;s their business, I would even say their problem,&rdquo; Lavrov said. &ldquo;The Americans often have trouble observing agreements on calm and professional work.&rdquo;
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the same point more harshly, saying &ldquo;the U.S. already has made mistakes, trying to solve such problems via &lsquo;microphone diplomacy.&rsquo; They are not solved that way.&rdquo;
He, too, emphasized that any discussions on a possible trade should be held via the previously established confidential channels that Putin and Biden agree to during last year&rsquo;s summit.
&ldquo;Such mechanisms exist, but they will be thrown into doubt if the discussion continues in the public domain,&rdquo; Peskov said. He said: &ldquo;If we discuss any nuances related to the issue of exchange via media, no exchange will ever take place.&rdquo;
People familiar with the U.S. proposal have said it envisions trading Griner and Whelan for a notorious Russian arms trader, Viktor Bout. He is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.
The call between Blinken and Lavrov marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago, underlining the public pressure that the White House has faced to get Griner released.
Griner was arrested as she was returning to play for a team in Russia, where she has competed since 2014. Blinken said Friday that her conviction and sentence &ldquo;compounds the injustice that has been done to her.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It puts a spotlight on our very significant concern with Russia&rsquo;s legal system and the Russian government&rsquo;s use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda using individuals as political pawns,&rdquo; he said.
On Thursday, Biden denounced the Russian judge&rsquo;s verdict and sentence as &ldquo;unacceptable&rdquo; and said he would continue working to bring Griner and Whelan home.&nbsp;

A judge convicted the 31-year-old Thursday of drug possession and smuggling, and sentenced her to nine years in prison.

Kremlin says Griner swap must be discussed without publicity

Bookmark this page and we'll keep you up-to-date on every NBA rumor. We'll continue updating this tracker over the next 24 hours.

NBA Rumor Tracker: Compiling the latest news and intel

<a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-paolo-banchero-deandre-ayton-jalen-brunson-tyus-jones-vasilije-micic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto</a>, the Washington Wizards have Tyus Jones on their offseason radar. Jones, one of the most underrated guards in the Association, is well overdue for a full-time starting role somewhere after thriving with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Washington has been linked to seemingly every starting-caliber point guard on the open market, sans the star tier of free agents. Malcolm Brogdon continues to be a strong trade candidate, so Jones could be their top choice to chase once free agency begins next week.
Whether it be Brogdon or Jones, both of these players feel the most likely to be Washington's starting point guard on opening night alongside Bradley Beal (if he stays).
&nbsp;

The Wizards reportedly have Tyus Jones on their offseason radar in their search for a starting point guard.

Wizards expected to pursue Tyus Jones

Things could get messy with the Brooklyn Nets.
Most of the chatter surrounds Kyrie Irving's future. He's up for new money &mdash; either on an opt-in-and-extend deal, or by opting out and testing the free agent market. The Nets are reportedly willing to play ball, but not in the way Irving wants. That <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2022/6/25/23182609/woj-negotiations-between-nets-and-kyrie-irving-have-turned-acrimonious-as-lakers-loom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranges from</a> a shorter-term deal, to an opt-in-and-prove-it type scenario.&nbsp;
Irving, of course, wants long-term security. He's one of the most talented guards to lace up a pair of sneakers, and balled out in (self-imposed) limited action to the tune of 27.4 points on 59.2% True Shooting, and a shade under six assists per game. If he and the Nets aren't able to come to agreement, he's reportedly <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34138693/sources-kyrie-irving-sign-trade-wish-list-no-deal-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ready to find a new home</a> via sign-and-trade.
That's enough to flip this summer on its head. But the domino effect could lead to an even bigger shift: Kevin Durant wanting his Brooklyn exit too.
The Athletic's Shams Charania <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1540064142555496452?s=20&amp;t=vNPqKF6zRYFSv1rv_KLiuw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has reported</a> that Durant is monitoring the Irving situation and mulling his own options. On the most recent episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN's Zach Lowe said that teams are already setting up contingency plans for a potential Durant pursuit.
We're less than a week out from Irving's opt-in decision, which means it's more than possible he and the Nets are able to find common ground and we laugh about all of this. But if they aren't, and Durant actually becomes available, there isn't a team in the league that won't inquire.
And why would any team skip over the possibility to acquire a top-15 player of all-time? This is a player who just slapped up 30-7-6 on 63.4% True Shooting this season, and was in the thick of the MVP race before suffering an MCL injury in mid-January.
Though Durant doesn't have the threat of free agency as leverage &mdash; he just&nbsp;signed a four-year extension last August &mdash; you have to assume he'll have some say in his next stop, if it gets that far. The Nets will want to do right by him. And with him heading into his age-34 season, it's fair to assume he'll want to land somewhere he'd have an immediate chance to win.
The challenge from there will be finding teams that have enough to offer the Nets to appease them &mdash; because you're not getting equal value for Kevin freaking Durant &mdash; while also having enough of a supporting cast to pursue a title with.&nbsp;
The first team that came to mind was the Phoenix Suns.
They have a trio of young pieces &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and the oddly-wasn&rsquo;t-given-a-max Deandre Ayton &mdash; they could theoretically offer up. Between Ayton&rsquo;s max in a sign-and-trade, Bridges&rsquo; extension kicking in and Johnson&rsquo;s team option, the Suns could easily get to north of $40 mililion in salary to make it work.
(There could be some haggling for Johnson. The Suns do have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm">all their picks</a> from 2023 and onward &mdash; and it's not like they're <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/34126111/how-phoenix-suns-plan-nail-nba-draft-mostly-ignoring-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fans of the draft anyway</a> &mdash; so maybe they'd be willing to sub in future firsts in an effort to keep Johnson.)
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I can hear Boston Celtic fans yelling now because of the age gap, but using Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece of a deal for Durant is feasible. They'd love to form a Big Three with Durant, Jayson Tatum and Brown of course, but it's hard to picture a package of Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard and picks getting it done. Starting with Brown would get them in the room pretty quickly.
Then there are the Miami Heat, who would try to use Tyler Herro as the blue chip piece to build a deal around. With Herro's question marks as a lead-dog &mdash; can he get to the rim enough? &mdash; and defensive shortcomings, on top of him being extension-eligible this offseason, I don't know if that would be enough. Herro and Duncan Robinson wouldn't be enough salary anyway, and it's hard to imagine the Heat toss Kyle Lowry into a deal considering a) what it cost to bring him in and b) his relationship with Jimmy Butler.
And to that point, a Durant pursuit could serve as a fork-in-the-road moment for this franchise. Whose timeline is most important: Butler's or Bam Adebayo's? Because like the Celtics with Brown, the Heat could put themselves in the room easily by offering up Adebayo in an effort to maximize Butler's window. I'd be shocked if they went that route, but it's something to keep in mind.
There are funkier options that intrigue me. Lowe already touched on it in his most recent pod, but Zion Williamson (and other stuff) for Durant is something to think about. The New Orleans Pelicans have enough young prospects (that may not even have room to crack the rotation, as things currently stand) to raise Brooklyn's brow. Even with the health concerns for Williamson, it's hard to pinpoint a trade headliner with his kind of potential.
The other issue with a Zion-led package is his current cap number, a little over $13 million. Him plus other young pieces sound nice in theory, but it'd be hard to cobble up the salary to match Durant's number from there. At best, it would cost them Jonas Valanciunas, who Brooklyn could use or ask to be rerouted to a third team. One way to make all of this easier would be to swap out Zion and use Brandon Ingram as the headliner instead. New Orleans would have to decide if they'd want to push that button following the postseason run Ingram just had.
The Toronto Raptors could offer up Scottie Barnes as a headliner, though I'm sure they would try to keep him (and Pascal Siakam) out of talks. Would three of Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. or Precious Achiuwa plus pick equity get it done? The Raptors do own their first-round picks moving forward.
The Memphis Grizzlies have enough non-Ja Morant pieces &mdash; Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane in particular &mdash; to put something together if they want. If the on-court potential of Morant and Durant isn't enough, they'd easily be the most prolific Twitter duo in the league. But the "if they want" looms large in this regard. They may not want to give up on JJJ considering his importance to their defense. And as good as Bane is offensively, it's at least fair to question what his potential as a legit primary guy is.&nbsp;
Oh, hey, the Golden State Warriors could...
Nevermind.
If there's one other team worth monitoring here, it would be the New York Knicks. Between Julius Randle or RJ Barrett &mdash; offering up both would defeat the "having something for Durant when he gets there" point &mdash; they have something to build a deal around. Immanuel Quickley would likely be involved regardless of which headliner the Knicks choose.
Beyond that, the Knicks have the mid-tier salaries necessary to match Durant's number, as well as an influx of future picks due to their draft-night moves. If their cards are played right, there exists a world where they could cobble a deal together for Durant, have at least one young(ish) guy they like, and meaningful enough cap space to make another splash.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan looks into potential trade packages for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant if their situation turns dire.

What would a Kevin Durant trade look like?

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, June 2. Remarkably, that date is the exact one-year anniversary of the Boston Celtics' announcing Brad Stevens had stepped away from head coaching duties to assume the role of president of basketball operations in place of the departing Danny Ainge.
Let's have a look back at what has been an extraordinary and almost unimaginable 12 months&hellip;
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During his eight seasons on the sidelines in Boston, Stevens was viewed as one of the league's better head coaches. He was regarded as an elite tactician and considered an important part of the Celtics' sustained success. Under his stewardship, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in four years.
So when the club announced that its long-time top executive in Ainge was retiring and that Stevens would be promoted to team president last June, it came as a shock to most. Would Stevens be able to replicate the regular-season success he enjoyed as head coach? Could Boston get over the hump and advance all the way to the NBA Finals?
Although Ainge left a roster stocked with a budding superstar in Jayson Tatum, his All-Star caliber sidekick in Jaylen Brown, veteran stalwart Marcus Smart and a few promising youngsters, Stevens took control at a precarious juncture. Boston entered last summer capped out (with a directive from ownership not to incur a costly luxury tax bill) and lacking excess draft capital.&nbsp;
Stevens' first order of business was parting ways with Kemba Walker and his cumbersome contract. With two years and $73 million remaining on his deal, Walker was the team's highest-paid player. When healthy, the four-time All-Star Walker was highly productive on the offensive end for the C's, but his balky left knee had robbed him of his quickness. Some suggested the Celtics sit tight, hoping that an entire offseason of rest would allow Kemba to re-establish himself as a quality starter. If Boston wanted to trade Walker, Stevens would have to get creative.
The week before the 2021 NBA Draft, Stevens dealt Boston's first-round pick (16th overall) and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford and a 2023 second-rounder.&nbsp;
At the time, Stevens' first significant move as team president was considered highly questionable.&nbsp;
Following the 2019-20 season, when Horford posted career-worst numbers for the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a monstrous four-year, $109 million pact, the veteran big man's contract was viewed as one of the worst in the league. In December 2020, the Sixers were forced to attach a future first-round pick and the draft rights to Vasilije Micic (who just won his second EuroLeague Final Four MVP) in a trade with OKC just to get out from under Horford's contract.
During his lone season in Oklahoma City, Horford appeared in just 28 games for the Thunder. After the trade deadline passed in February 2021, the Thunder shut him down for the rest of the season. At the time, it felt like Stevens was trading for a potentially washed-up 35-year-old center with two years and $53.5 million left on his contract ($41 million of it guaranteed).
But after struggling at times to find his groove in the regular season, Horford has been a crucial cog in the Celtics' run to the Finals. During these playoffs, he is averaging 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 three-pointers,1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game, all while shooting 50.0% from the floor, a scorching 43.2% from downtown, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
Per Basketball-Reference, Horford is just the third player in NBA history (joining Draymond Green and Rasheed Wallace) to average more than 1.5 blocks and more than 1.5 made treys in a postseason (minimum 15 games played). Horford is also the first player ever over the age of 35 to tally more than 25 blocks and more than 25 three-pointers in a single postseason.
To say the Walker/Horford trade has worked out well for Boston would be a dramatic understatement.&nbsp;
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After acquiring Horford, Stevens' next critical decision would be choosing a new head coach. After interviewing several candidates, Stevens zeroed in on Ime Udoka and officially hired him in late June. Udoka was a bit of a gamble, as he had never been a head coach, having spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant with San Antonio (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia (2019-20) and Brooklyn (2020-21).&nbsp;
Udoka's job was made that much more difficult when the C's stumbled out of the gates this season. By the turn of the new year, there was some finger-pointing in the locker room with the Celtics losing too many winnable games. Three weeks into January, Boston was still below .500 with a 23-24 record.
However, Udoka remained stoically stern, providing a calm and reassuring presence in the locker room and on the sideline. His ability to outcoach opponents and his command of the X's and O's gained him the trust of his team. Over the second half of the season, Boston ranked in the top three in Defensive Efficiency, and led the league in Offensive Efficiency (122.6) and Net Rating (plus-12.7) by a wide margin.
Udoka earned Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, and would go on to finish fourth in the NBA Coach of the Year voting. The league-wide respect he's garnered has only increased as he's helped guide his team to the championship series.&nbsp;
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When the free agency frenzy commenced in July 2021, Stevens had to decide what to do with shooting guard Evan Fournier. Ultimately, Boston opted to let Fournier leave for New York.
The Celtics' only free-agent addition of note last summer was inking Dennis Schroder to a team-friendly, one-year deal for $5.9 million. However, Stevens signed Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams III (four years, $48 million) to lengthy extensions.
The Smart signing, in particular, looks genius in retrospect.&nbsp;
It had been rumored that Ainge was seriously considering trading away Smart in different deals in years past. However, Stevens made it clear that he was committing to Smart for the long term. Just as importantly, Stevens let it be known he would entrust Smart with the team's primary point guard duties. This may seem like an easy decision with the benefit of hindsight, but it's important to point out that entering this season, Smart had started in just 228 of the 449 games he had appeared in. And a large percentage of those starts were alongside point guards such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.&nbsp;
The C's flourished with Smart installed as the floor general, especially on the defensive end. Smart, as we know, would be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996.
Starting in each of the 71 regular-season games he played, Smart finished the season ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68), ranked fifth among all guards with a Defensive Rating of 105.2, and led the NBA with 1.1 loose balls recovered per contest. He was also near the top of the league in deflections, charges drawn and defensive rebounds. On the offensive end, he averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game and posted an Effective Field Goal percentage above 50% for the first time.
Had Stevens not locked up Smart last summer, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most highly sought-after players on the free-agent market next month.&nbsp;
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Before being sidelined by a knee injury late in the season, Williams had also been enjoying a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging career-highs in points (10.0), rebounds (9.6), blocks (2.2), steals (0.9), field-goal percentage (73.6%) and free-throw percentage (72.2%). Like Smart, Williams' value now exceeds his salary.&nbsp;
In February, Stevens recognized Boston's backcourt needed an upgrade. Hence, he sent Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford and a top-four-protected 2022 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Derrick White at the trade deadline. Udoka, who was familiar with White having spent time as an assistant in San Antonio, asked him to sacrifice some of his offense. White would serve as a reserve, which meant fewer field goal attempts and fewer minutes. White embraced the role, supplied solid defense on the perimeter and knocked down a handful of big buckets during Boston's run to the Finals.
Ironically, of all the trades and signing Stevens has made over the past 12 months, arguably the most important and impactful are the ones he did NOT agree to. It sounds outlandish now because the C's are four wins away from the franchise's 18th championship, but plenty of pundits and fans in New England had been calling for the Celtics to break up the duo of Brown and Tatum.
While there was no denying their collective talent, many argued the roster was unbalanced, and that the skill sets Tatum and Brown brought to the table were a bit duplicitous. Thus, some folks contended that the best path forward was trading Brown (possibly in a package with Smart) for a pure point guard (such as Damian Lillard).
Pressure and the corresponding rumors reached a fever pitch in the dark days of December and January.&nbsp;
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Damnit I&rsquo;m holding everybody in Boston accountable, from the front office, to the coaching staff and down to Jaylen and Tatum. It&rsquo;s time to break them up! Carry on&hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a> <a href="https://t.co/2fNHMFavfd">pic.twitter.com/2fNHMFavfd</a>
&mdash; Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1479494503765524483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As noted above, Boston was below .500 for much of the season. On Jan. 15, the Celtics had a worse record than both the Knicks and Washington Wizards. Boston was 11th in the East, on the outside of the Play-in Tournament looking in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Stevens never budged, trusting in the roster he helped construct. And the results speak for themselves. Twelve months after he was hired, Stevens's squad is preparing for the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Earlier this month, the NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 Basketball Executive of the Year Award. Stevens came in sixth, receiving only one first-place vote. However, that award is based on regular-season accomplishments.
Given how well Boston has performed in the playoffs, there is little doubt about which executive's moves have looked best in the postseason.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews Brad Stevens' first season as Celtics president with his one-year anniversary coinciding with NBA Finals Game 1.

Brad Stevens deserves massive credit for the Celtics' success

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, Dillon Brooks committed a flagrant foul that caused Gary Payton II to fall and fracture his left elbow. Brooks was ejected and suspended one game, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr blasted Brooks after the game.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it was intentional, but it was dirty,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a code that players follow. You never put a guy&rsquo;s season or career in jeopardy by taking someone out in mid-air and clubbing him across the head and ultimately fracturing Gary&rsquo;s elbow... He broke the code. Dillion Brooks broke the code."
Now, after a Ja Morant injury in Game 3, the Grizzlies have accused the Warriors of breaking the very same code.
Morant had to exit Game 3 with a knee injury, and the replay showed Jordan Poole grabbing and pulling Morant&rsquo;s knee. Is that what ultimately caused Morant's injury? Ja seems to think so, as Morant tweeted (and later deleted) the following video with the caption, &ldquo;broke the code."
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Ja Morant reacted to Jordan Poole grabbing his knee. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9XhvkPfYxG">pic.twitter.com/9XhvkPfYxG</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1523148192551899136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Poole told reporters that he hadn&rsquo;t gotten a chance to see the replay. After watching the video, he defended himself.
&ldquo;Yeah, it was a basketball play when we doubled him, and I hit the ball and I was going for the ball,&rdquo; Poole said. &ldquo;I mean, obviously you don't want to see anybody get hurt. I'm not even that type of player. I respect everybody. So I mean, obviously, hopefully he gets better, and we can see him out there next game. I don't even play like that, for real. That's not my type of game.&rdquo;
When asked specifically about Morant&rsquo;s &ldquo;broke the code&rdquo; tweet, Poole refused to engage.
&ldquo;We've got another game on Monday,&rdquo; he said.
Some Grizzlies players and coaches were frustrated and felt this was a dirty play.
&ldquo;We just watched the replay: He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I'm actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that,&rdquo; Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;There was a grab. I'm just curious what happened.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;It's unfortunate. Ja is obviously having a great series,&rdquo; Desmond Bane added. &ldquo;For something like that to happen, something that is somewhat controllable... Jordan Poole reached out and grabbed his knee and kind of put him in an awkward position. It's unfortunate.&rdquo;
Jaren Jackson Jr. brought up &ldquo;the code,&rdquo; just like Kerr did following Payton&rsquo;s injury.
&ldquo;We're going to ride for our own. You know our mentality&hellip;&rdquo; Jaren Jackson Jr. said. &ldquo;It's unfortunate. You never want to see that type of stuff. No one is out here [playing] dirty. No one is out here like that. But it's just unfortunate. You know the code. We&rsquo;ll talk about the code all series at this point.&rdquo;
The Warriors argued that the play wasn&rsquo;t intentional or dirty, with Klay Thompson even laughing when asked about Morant&rsquo;s tweet (and taking another shot at Brooks).
&ldquo;That's playoff talk,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;Me personally, I've been through a tough knee injury, and I don't think there's any malicious intent from Jordan. I don't even think he's strong enough to affect somebody's knee. But we're not out there trying to hurt people or trying to club people in the back of the head on a fastbreak. We play the game the right way and I'm going to have his back.&rdquo;
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If you think Poole&rsquo;s tug is what caused Ja&rsquo;s knee injury, stop. Not nearly enough force to cause it &amp; seconds prior Poole&rsquo;s knee hits the outside of Ja&rsquo;s which can cause medial (inner) stress on the knee. That&rsquo;s where Ja &amp; the training looked to be examining.
&mdash; Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) <a href="https://twitter.com/3cbPerformance/status/1523153717553352707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;It's unfortunate that that's a conversation right now because obviously nobody wants to see anybody get hurt,&rdquo; Stephen Curry added. &ldquo;But there's nothing malicious about what Jordan did. There's no comparison to what Dillon did or Draymond [did], nothing in that vein. So it's not a joking matter that Ja is hurt, but all the rest it is total BS in terms of the conversation right now. I remember <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-jokes-about-nbas-hot-stove-contact-ruling-steph-curry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that term they came up with</a>: &lsquo;hot-stove contact.&rsquo; That's what it felt like. Keep it moving.&rdquo;
Draymond Green thought they bumped knees, then added: &ldquo;No, [we&rsquo;re] not going to sit here and go tit-for-tat. We've got a basketball game to try to win on Monday.&rdquo;
Morant has been incredible during this series, averaging 38.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 threes and 3.0 steals on .518/.451/.797 shooting splits. If he&rsquo;s forced to miss any time, that would be a huge blow to the Grizzlies.
However, Memphis is a very well-rounded, deep team that managed to go 20-5 without Morant this season. His teammates know that he&rsquo;s going to do whatever he can to take the court on Monday night.
&ldquo;I mean, we've seen Ja, he's like Wolverine out there,&rdquo; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton said. &ldquo;He could be limping one day, the next day be fine. He's a warrior. He's a competitor. He's just a hooper. Who knows what his level of injury is at? He understands his body, and he understands what the team needs, so he'll make the best decision.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's good,&rdquo; Jackson added after speaking to Morant. &ldquo;He's going to do whatever he's got to do. War mentality. He has the same mentality he always has. Yeah, we'll bounce back, play great. We've got to finish the game.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Grizzlies and Warriors is tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET. Golden State leads the series 2-1.
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Did Jordan Poole try to hurt Ja Morant by grabbing his knee in Game 3? The Grizzlies and Warriors shared their thoughts after the game.

Did Jordan Poole 'break the code' and hurt Ja Morant in Game 3?

It&rsquo;s the most wonderful time of the year. We've reached the end of another NBA regular season, and the playoffs are just around the corner. Good teams are prepping for their matchups, bad teams are looking forward to next season, and media types are debating awards.&nbsp;
From Most Valuable Player to Defensive Player of the Year to Sixth Man of the Year, end-of-the-season awards are meant to honor players, coaches and executives for a remarkable season. And yet, despite a failed season, one man keeps finding his way onto people&rsquo;s All-NBA ballots: LeBron James.&nbsp;
Now, let me preface this by saying: I do believe there&rsquo;s a case to be made for LeBron earning All-NBA honors. I just also believe that for the first time in a long time, there&rsquo;s also a case to be made that he should be left off of the ballot.&nbsp;
All-NBA slots are awarded to the top 15 players of a given season, divided by positions: six guards, six forwards and three centers. James is certainly one of the six best forwards in the league, but I&rsquo;d argue that he isn&rsquo;t having a top-six season and that's a demarcation that should nudge James off of anyone&rsquo;s ballot.&nbsp;
As the old NBA saying goes, "If you believe someone should make a roster, you must name who they would replace." So, if I don&rsquo;t believe LeBron is All-NBA worthy, I should name the forwards who ought to make it ahead of him.
In my opinion, those slots should be reserved for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler. All six forwards listed are on winning teams.&nbsp;
LeBron's case for All-NBA appears to be twofold &mdash; one is his statistical dominance, and the other is his legacy.
This season, many point to his scoring proficiency to bolster his All-NBA case. James is the second-leading scorer in the league, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 boards and 6.2 assists on 61.9 TS%.&nbsp;
These are gaudy numbers that are certainly hard to ignore. But let&rsquo;s take a closer look.
LeBron leads all forwards in points per game and assists per game. However, because he only played 56 games this season, Tatum, Antetokounmpo and DeRozan all scored more total points than James.&nbsp;
Still, LeBron would finish with 144 more total points than Siakam. But if we dig a little deeper into these numbers, we&rsquo;ll see that James also leads forwards in total points scored while their team is trailing big, per NBA.com. LeBron scored 189 points this season when his team was down by more than 16 points. By comparison, only 35 of Siakam&rsquo;s points came when his Raptors were trailing big.
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It&rsquo;s easy to poo-poo LeBron&rsquo;s scoring as having happened in low-leverage moments. In fact, James has been criticized quite a bit this season for chasing statistical milestones when his team had no hope of winning. His defenders would argue the Lakers needed every point, rebound and assist to have a chance in the game, and detractors would point to the times he&rsquo;s hunted for baskets even after the game was out of reach.&nbsp;
This isn't to say LeBron is scoring maliciously and padding his stats. The question I ask is: if much of his case is bolstered by his scoring prowess, should we not question how much of his scoring was done in low-leverage moments or why it didn't translate to wins?&nbsp;
Despite being in contention for the scoring title, LeBron would not have qualified because he didn&rsquo;t meet the requisite number of games. A player must play in 58 games to qualify, and LeBron only suited it up for 56.&nbsp;
Though there aren&rsquo;t similar benchmark requirements for an All-NBA selection, this is also something that voters should take into account. The best ability is availability, and LeBron would have played the second-fewest games of all potential All-NBA forwards, only ahead of Kevin Durant (who will finish one game shy of LeBron).
I can already hear you asking: does that mean Durant should also be written off All-NBA ballots? I don&rsquo;t think so, and that&rsquo;s because of one key factor: wins.&nbsp;The Nets are 44-38 and in the Play-In Tournament as the East's seventh seed. The Lakers are 32-50 and are the 11th seed.&nbsp;
Though it&rsquo;s easy to point to the Lakers&rsquo; roster flaws for their bad record, a similar argument could be levied at the Nets. Without LeBron, the Lakers are 7-19. Without Durant, the Nets are 8-19 &mdash; similarly bad records on par with the worst teams in the league.&nbsp;
But, with Durant, the Nets are 36-19 in contrast to LeBron&rsquo;s record of 25-31, so it&rsquo;s easy to see how a case can be made that Durant&rsquo;s presence elevated one of the worst teams in basketball to contention. And this season, LeBron simply has not.&nbsp;
In fact, LeBron has a negative net rating (-2.5) for the first time since his rookie season. For the first time in nearly two decades, James&rsquo; team is not winning the minutes he&rsquo;s on the court.&nbsp;And though that isn&rsquo;t entirely his fault, it&rsquo;s hard to mount an argument that you&rsquo;ve had one of the six-best seasons at your position when your team loses with you on the court.&nbsp;
LeBron has celebrated more birthdays than he has celebrated wins this season. I&rsquo;m not sure if that&rsquo;s more a testament to his greatness and longevity or an indictment on the Lakers' poor season.
However you choose to see it, remember that only one of those numbers matter when honoring a player for end-of-the-year awards, and that&rsquo;s wins.
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Many seem to marvel at his superhuman ability to play at this level in year 19 and at 37 years old, and rightfully so. It&rsquo;s incredible, a true testament to his greatness, and it will surely matter in the greatest of all-time debate.
But it doesn&rsquo;t hold up in this debate. All-NBA doesn&rsquo;t grade players on an age curve; you&rsquo;re not rewarded more for your ability to excel in spite of something believed to be holding you back.&nbsp;
It is more than just wins and losses, it&rsquo;s about meaningful basketball. The Lakers haven&rsquo;t played a meaningful basketball game in weeks, and you could argue that they haven&rsquo;t won one in months. LeBron has only led them to four wins since the All-Star break. In that span, they have a worse record than the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been actively tanking.&nbsp;
For years, guys have been derided for putting up showy stats on poor-performing teams. We&rsquo;ve used terms like &ldquo;empty calories&rdquo; to describe racking up counting stats in relatively meaningless games. In 2019-20, Bradley Beal missed out on All-NBA honors while also being the NBA's second-leading scorer (averaging a similar 30.5 points per game) on the ninth-seeded Wizards.&nbsp;
While it&rsquo;s easy to dismiss the Beal comparison and point to LeBron&rsquo;s better efficiency and rebounding rate, the point remains that players with showy numbers on poor-performing teams have a history of being ignored come award season, and for good reason. &nbsp; &nbsp; Why should LeBron&rsquo;s season be any different? I get it. He&rsquo;s LeBron James and he has a history of impacting winning. This will mark the first time in over a decade that he will miss back-to-back Finals. No one has won more or impacted winning more over the last two decades. But this isn&rsquo;t a legacy award; this isn&rsquo;t about who we know LeBron James to be. This is about the 2021-22 season and though it feels sacrilegious to type, LeBron is a high-usage guy on a bad team, racking up numbers as quickly as he racks up losses.&nbsp;
Like many high-usage players on bad teams before him, LeBron has also been absolutely horrid on the defensive end. He has a 113.5 defensive rating and though that&rsquo;s not a number that can capture the entire story, tune in to any Lakers game and you can catch multiple instances of LeBron simply not getting back on defense. His defensive rating is the lowest of the bunch &mdash; a far cry from the defense he was playing en route to the Lakers' last championship.&nbsp;
James' individual numbers are remarkable. This season, he catapulted Karl Malone for second all-time on the NBA's all-time scoring list and Oscar Robertson for seventh on the all-time assists list. LeBron&nbsp;has been exceptional this season, but unlike in previous seasons, it hasn&rsquo;t translated to wins.&nbsp;
And if you&rsquo;re not winning, and others are, why should you be rewarded over them? After all, the point is to win games. He isn&rsquo;t impacting winning, he has ignored the defensive end and he is scoring a ton in low-leverage moments for a team that couldn&rsquo;t even crack a top-10 seed. It seems harsh, but I believe the All-NBA teams should represent the players who mattered most that season. Despite his best efforts, James and the Lakers did not matter in 2021-22.
Yes, James has been a staple on All-NBA ballots since his sophomore season. But as Laker fans have come to learn this season, staples change, word to Crypto.
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Does LeBron James deserve a spot on one of the All-NBA teams this season? Imman Adan shares her thoughts.

A closer look at LeBron James' All-NBA case

There wasn&rsquo;t exactly a consensus about how the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; season would end, but it&rsquo;s probably safe to say that nobody foresaw this.
On Tuesday night, the Lakers saw their bleak playoff hopes reduced to zero when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets, and immediately thereafter &mdash; and rightfully so &mdash; Frank Vogel, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were all in the news.
In the end, there&rsquo;s no single reason the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history &mdash; there&rsquo;s enough blame to go around.
What Rob Pelinka needs to figure out is how to fix it.
The answer, ironically, would probably be to start thinking small.
This past season, the team managed to find some serviceable pieces to augment the star-studded core, but only Davis, James, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves are under contract next season. The Lakers hold a team option on Stanley Johnson and Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn both have player options they are likely to pick up.
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The official 2021-22 Kendrick Nunn highlight reel 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/wDPehJyqpN">pic.twitter.com/wDPehJyqpN</a>
&mdash; Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1508967570560458762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Combined &mdash; thanks in large part to the commitments to Westbrook, James and Davis &mdash; the Lakers are in line to have about $148 million on their 2022-23 ledger, which is already about $26 million over the projected salary cap.
Said differently, outside of offloading one of Westbrook, James or Davis without taking much salary back in return, the team wouldn&rsquo;t be able to manufacture enough cap space to have a competent opportunity of improving via free agency. Obviously, the club could go the route it went this past season and hand out one-year, minimum salary contracts to aging veterans, but the players who could actually make a difference for the Lakers won&rsquo;t exactly be lining up to sign on the dotted line given the performance of this year&rsquo;s team.
To make matters even worse, the Lakers don&rsquo;t own a pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. Their first rounder was sent to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, while their second-round pick is owned by the Spurs.
So how does a team with no cap space and no draft picks improve?
Simple: by thinking small.
Ask the Brooklyn Nets, and look toward the Miami Heat.
A historically frugal franchise, Miami has never necessarily found itself in the kind of salary cap hell the Lakers are in at the moment. Part of the reason why is because one of the constants during Pat Riley&rsquo;s tenure has been investing heavily in scouting and player development. The same rings true of most successful small market franchises.
Players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis may win you the championship, but throughout history, it&rsquo;s always been players like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who get you there in the first place.
Contenders invariably unearth valuable and sometimes unknown role players and maximize those role players' talent. For example, this year's Miami team has enjoyed the combination of Tyler Herro, Max Strus and Omer Yurtseven combining to earn only about $7 million. That's about $3 million less than Talen Horton-Tucker alone. Strus and Yurtseven are far from household names, but Miami wouldn&rsquo;t be entering play on April 6 as the first seed out East without them, especially considering the injuries the team has dealt with this season.
Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn also go on a list that features the likes of Bam Adebayo, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as players drafted and developed by the staff in Miami.
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Some time ago, the Lakers had what looked like a competent core of young players. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were all teammates in Los Angeles. They&rsquo;ve all come and gone, most to facilitate the arrivals of LeBron, Davis and then Westbrook.
The Lakers do have a championship to show for that roster churn, but from this point forth, the way out might actually be to go back to the drawing board. Sean Marks and his Brooklyn Nets, another franchise that Lakers VP of Operations Rob Pelinka would be wise to mimic this summer, provide a blueprint for how to go about doing that.
When Marks took over the Nets in 2016, Brooklyn was not in a good place. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry had all come and gone, and the draft picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Collin Sexton were living their best lives elsewhere. The Nets had a bloated payroll, a team of scrubs and no future.
The NBA's Chicago Draft Combine was only two months after Marks was hired in Brooklyn, and despite not owning a first-round pick, he sent quite a contingent to the Windy City. Their directive was to do as much recon work as possible to find Marks some players who could help. Marks used Thaddeus Young to trade his way into the first round and came away from the draft with Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. Within the next six months, he signed two diamonds in the rough, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.
One season later, Marks drafted Jarrett Allen and landed D&rsquo;Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers, and that was essentially the core that both got Brooklyn back on track and ultimately landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Highlights Kyrie Irving &amp; Kevin Durant 🆚 Sixers<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBATwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/viw7ZzQQIZ">pic.twitter.com/viw7ZzQQIZ</a>
&mdash; Back2Back (@B2BFR) <a href="https://twitter.com/B2BFR/status/1502186067541307394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Obviously, that all took time to come to fruition, and time isn't something that LeBron James has. But the point is that no matter how daunting the situation, a competent NBA front office can build a team without having the most obvious assets readily available. That the Lakers have two superstars should actually make the task a bit less difficult.
In this league, there are generally two types of teams: those who rely on free agency and trades to build their contender, and those who build their programs organically, most often through the draft. Big-market teams tend to be the former, while small market teams usually go the other route.
If either Marks or Riley were put in charge of the Lakers&rsquo; front office, they would probably trade Horton-Tucker for draft capital after realizing he&rsquo;s not the right fit there. They&rsquo;d engage the Pelicans, Blazers, Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Grizzlies &mdash; teams who may have multiple first-round picks &mdash; and find a way to come away from the draft with a young piece and at least one more promising player from the summer circuit. Only then would they go knocking on the doors of guys like Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye and Victor Oladipo, all of whom could help and potentially be had for cheap.
By the time the 2022-23 season tips off, the team could be remade. Some names we&rsquo;d know, and many we wouldn&rsquo;t. But as we&rsquo;ve seen before, often, it&rsquo;s the names we don&rsquo;t know who end up making the biggest difference. Alex Caruso, anyone?&nbsp;
Neither DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield nor Kyle Lowry will be coming to save the day; Pelinka and James got themselves into their current mess, and they&rsquo;ll have to get themselves out.
With their season ending much sooner than anyone could have imagined, the Lakers will have plenty to address over their long summer.
But, at least in the NBA, small steps can lead to major strides.
With few options, the Lakers should be so wise.
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With the Los Angeles Lakers out of playoff contention, they must now focus on rebuilding like a small-market team.

Only fix for LeBron’s Lakers is to operate like a small-market team

He can&rsquo;t be a lead guard.
He&rsquo;s not a point guard.
He can&rsquo;t get to the rim.
You&rsquo;ve probably seen these kinds of phrases thrown around as long as you&rsquo;ve watched the NBA, and for good reason. Lead guard/primary ball-handler play is pretty essential to good offense.
Driving the ball, getting to the rim, collapsing the defense and forcing a defensive rotation/help at the rim with a well-timed pass to the vacated spot where the help came from (or an even more ambitious pass to where help is coming from next) are staples of modern offense in the league.
Ja Morant, Luka Doncic and Trae Young are three of the idyllic rim-pressure threats in their own variations.
Morant is the absurd downhill athlete with incredible at-rim pop. Defenses sell out to stop him from even nearing the paint. Doncic (No. 2 in the league in drives per game) breaks down his man with strength, rhythm and angles
Young is a pull-up artist with a type of guile in his movements that forces overplays on the exterior, and he uses it to his benefit, gliding to the paint and utilizing one of the best floaters in the league (also disguised as a lob!) to punish the defense. Young takes the least shots at the rim of the three, but getting there is not an issue in the slightest, and he's worked his game to use his touch and shiftiness to his advantage.
All three are varying levels of passers ranging from very good to preternatural, but the point remains that their differing gifts, along with their honed craft, are the perfect catalysts for destructing defenses.
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What about the guards/ball-handlers who are imperfect though? I'm not sure I've been more interested in such a thought than I have been this season.
Darius Garland, a player whom many draft analysts wondered if he could get to the rim enough, just makes it work. Prolific pull-up shooting, a phenomenal handle and stellar court vision allow him to work around his own at-rim struggles. He gets to the rim and to the paint with regularity, but due to his lack of verticality, finishing there isn't his forte. Drop-offs, dump-offs and well-placed and disguised lobs in tandem with his floater (in the same vein of Young) formulate the ability to set up his fantastic array of lob partners.
That timing aspect &mdash; VERY IMPORTANT.
Part of what makes this work for Garland is how sneaky he is with his interior game. Everything he does is lightning quick, often even taking his bigs by surprise (I swear at least one-third of his turnovers are bobbled passes that shock the recipient). Quickness, pace and timeliness.&nbsp;
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Oh my word, Darius Garland <a href="https://t.co/fYhSjPzfUP">pic.twitter.com/fYhSjPzfUP</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1459617261405327369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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First off, this pass is freakin sick. Second, this is a great (albeit exaggerated) microcosm of what makes Garland so effective: the defense is always guessing. He's always pushing and probing and again, the defense is on its heels as he keeps the pressure on making it look like he could score. If stifled, he's superb at moving the ball, moving himself with quickness and then making himself available for the ball again as soon as possible. He's like a hornet, constantly stinging with an absurd work rate that's so difficult to keep pace with as a defender.
Immanuel Quickley enters stage left
The aforementioned three questions have been asked over and over again this year in regard to Immanuel Quickley and his ability to lead an offense. They're the same questions that were asked when he was drafted.
By definition, Quickley IS a combo guard. He is not Garland, as he lacks the same handle and playmaking ability that made the Cavs' maestro a first time All-Star, but through that same lens, there are some comparisons that can be drawn.
Since the All-Star Break (20 games, Knicks 10-10), Quickley is averaging 15.2 points and 4.2 assists with 1.2 turnovers per game on 61.1% True Shooting in slightly over 26 minutes of play per night. He's bombed away from three, taking 5.1 treys per game hitting at a 39.2% clip; most importantly, it's how he's getting these shots off.
Three-and-a-half of these long-distance tries per game are pull-up threes (shooting 41.4%), forcing defenses to prioritize his jumper and consistently forcing his defender to go over on ball-screens he runs.
One of my favorite and the most encouraging things: He is becoming quite cunning at grifting for fouls (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-defense-of-fouldrawing-a-gift-not-a-grift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a gift</a>), averaging 4.8 trips to the line per game after the break. He's eighth in percentage of points derived from free throws in that time frame, actually ahead of RJ Barrett, who has been putting work in at the line.
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He's so good at snaking, using his body to wall off his man and baiting him into contact. He has a real knack for selling fouls while also deserving them if that makes sense, even if it is grifty! This is an awesome development and legitimate way to buoy his offensive game.
Quickley is shooting 45.0% from 4 to 14 feet over that span (30% of his total shots), a large portion of his offense. The <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-immanuel-quickleys-unusual-shot-diet-can-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floater is essential for him</a>. Much like we've seen with Bruce Brown in his ebbs and flows, the floater diet is a tough one; if it's not falling, the defense will adjust accordingly. But, if it is at a high clip, it puts the defense in a quandary. It is just a really hard shot to NOT contest even if it typically has less inherent value than a layup in theory.
Quickley is a good passer, not a great one &mdash; an important distinction. Ideally, he's not your best playmaker on the floor. I would honestly love to see him be more aggressive in some of the reads he makes. He'll make really good quick decisions, but he can be rather safe with the ball at times. He doesn't have the typical downhill burst of a primary ball-handler who will fully break a defense, but the quickness and timing of the passes he does make &mdash; due to the gravity he commands as a pull-up threat out of pick-and-roll &mdash; can allow him to imitate some of those looks.
Since the All-Star Break, Quickley is averaging 8.3 potential assists, accounting for all passes that lead to a shot attempt regardless of a make or miss. That puts him in the same ballpark of Jimmy Butler (8.2), DeMar DeRozan (8.6) and Julius Randle (8.5), all players with a significant usage and substantially higher minutes played than Quickley. That's not to say that he's a better scorer or playmaker, but rather to illustrate that he's doing more than the assists might indicate at face value.
This possession is such a great encapsulation of what Quickly brings offensively.
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The young Knicks who move the ball quickly and with purpose are just joyous Really fun possession <a href="https://t.co/tKXGZb4irJ">pic.twitter.com/tKXGZb4irJ</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1511079654471442434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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RJ Hampton sells out for the Quickley stepback three. Quickley makes a really quick outlet pass to Obi Toppin in the slot and moves himself immediately.
A quick pause: YES. This is so huge; the relocation and constant movement. A great way to offset the lack of other primary skills is to push the tempo &mdash; always moving, always scanning and always relocating after you're out of an action. If you immediately make yourself available after the ball leaves your hands, you can put some added strain on a defense. Simple, but very effective. (This is something Tyrese Haliburton is great at.)
Yes, the initial dent Quickley puts in the defense might be lesser than that of a true primary, but with a good offensive ethos and the principles laid out, we've seen the ability for some really solid offenses to live on continuous advantage creation and maintenance.
Quickley gets far enough in to draw Devin Cannady over in a help scenario before kicking to Barrett for the corner three. I don't have a "for sure" answer, but it feels like if Quickley is able to get another step into the paint with even more of an at-rim/floater sell, perhaps he puts even more of a dent in the defense. I'm nitpicking, but it's also important to note that this is just a harder way of life as an offensive player. If Cannady is actually a wing-sized player guarding Barrett, it's a shot that's much easier to contest.&nbsp;
With Robinson in the dunker spot, Robin Lopez is rather frozen, and on the IQ fake, he immediately seeks out Robinson's body to prevent the lob or box him out on a shot attempt.
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There are subtleties in pacing Quickly can improve upon (he's already shown great signs of growth) that could make him even more impactful. Pairing him with lob partners like Robinson and Jericho Sims makes his floater and the threat of it that much more impactful, as he starts to work on masking his shot and pass to mimic one another. Sims' screening has been very fun to see work in tandem with Quickley as well; he's easily the best screener on the team that isn't IQ.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks' offense scores 5.3 points per 100 possessions more with Quickley on the floor. Yes, on/offs are extremely finicky and New York's awful starting unit plays a huge part in this sizable differential. Yet, that's also part of the point, no?
When IQ is on the floor, the Knicks actively seek more opportunities in transition and push more off of live rebounds. Truly, they just move quicker and with more purpose, something that's been a real issue for this Knicks team. The young guys play with pace, actively relocate, make quick decisions and continue to exploit advantages.
Barrett is the power wing that was promised, currently in the midst of his own breakout with high usage. In some ways, tasking IQ and Barrett with overlapping usage and quasi-primary creation together could be (and has been) a boon. RJ is one of the best in the league at getting to the rim (the finishing deserves its own article), and the pair together can mask some of its offensive flaws/inefficiencies. Both can start sets, both can capitalize upon advantages, and both are still feeling out their own abilities as creators.
Per Cleaning the Glass, lineups with Quickley and Barrett that don't feature Randle are outscoring opponents by 4.8 points per 100 possessions (747 possessions total, a solid sample). This is not intended as a refrendum on Randle; it's just a case in point when looking at who is commanding usage on the court.
Quickley doesn't get to the rim with regularity, but he does things that can emulate lead guard play. It's a harder diet to survive on, but so is *checks notes* everything else the Knicks have tried this season. He's shown enough encouraging signs that he can thrive.
It's been time for the Knicks' front office/Tom Thibodeau/whoever the heck is in charge there to prioritize Quickley and his ability to elevate the offense &mdash; and with hope, that's what they'll do this offseason.
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While Immanuel Quickley might not get to the rim like a traditional point guard, he elicits lead ball-handler traits with regularity.

Immanuel Quickley: Pressuring the rim without getting there

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