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Jazz

In January, the NBA and NBPA launched <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nba-all-world/id1632344574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA All-World</a> &ndash; an officially licensed geolocation augmented-reality basketball game with Niantic, the creators of Pok&eacute;mon Go.&nbsp;
Just like with Pok&eacute;mon Go, users are encouraged to explore neighborhoods around the world and encounter today&rsquo;s NBA stars. Users can challenge the NBA players one-on-one, add them to their team, level them up and compete to become the ruler of real-world courts, while also collecting gear from well-known brands (such as adidas, Puma and Todd Snyder).
BasketballNews recently caught up with Marcus Matthews, the senior producer of NBA All-World. Prior to joining Niantic, Matthews spent the last few decades working on various sports video games including the original NBA 2K, NFL 2K, NHL 2K and NBA Action 98.
In this Q&amp;A, Matthews opened up about the inspiration for the game, lessons that Niantic learned from Pok&eacute;mon Go, the future of video games, advice for anyone who wants to work on video games and more.
How did this idea come about and what was the inspiration behind NBA All-World?
Marcus Matthews: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been at Niantic for about two years now and the inspiration for the game came from our CEO, John Hanke, who is an avid basketball fan. He played high-school basketball in Texas and he&rsquo;d play pick-up regularly in college at Berkeley, and even now since he joined Google and Niantic. At NBA All-Star Weekend, we had a couple of pick-up games with Hanke and other employees. Overall, he&rsquo;s a huge basketball fan. And with Hanke&rsquo;s experience with Google Earth and map-based, location-based gaming, he was always just trying to find a way to bring his love and passion for basketball to this new platform. My background in sports games goes back more than 20 years including being the senior producer on the original NBA 2K and NFL 2K on the Sega Dreamcast. I&rsquo;ve always tried to look at the cutting edge with sports games and not just copy what&rsquo;s already here, but try to move the industry forward.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So when I heard about this opportunity, I was like, &lsquo;Wow, this is amazing.&rsquo; Here we are with this new way of gaming, of turning the real world into a gaming board, literally, and that&rsquo;s the future: connecting the real world with digital bits and integrating them and having all of these novel experiences. And I was like, &lsquo;Nobody has done that in sports. This is an opportunity to once again create a ground-breaking sports gaming experience.&rsquo; And those kinds of opportunities only come around every blue moon, with the right technology, funding, resources and team. And I was like, &lsquo;Yeah, let&rsquo;s jump in. Let&rsquo;s see what we can figure out.&rsquo; So I came in and it was in gestation for probably about a year or two before I got there. My role was just to bring that sports-gaming, basketball experience and merge that with what was already existing, so we could create a novel experience.&rdquo;
When Niantic created Pok&eacute;mon Go, it was a huge success and introduced AR games to a lot of people. Since this game is similar, were there any lessons that you all learned from Pok&eacute;mon Go that helped you while working on NBA All-World?
Matthews: &ldquo;Absolutely. Pok&eacute;mon Go was an absolute overnight success, but there were still some challenges that they ran into. We wanted to make sure that we took the good learnings (from Pok&eacute;mon Go) and try to avoid upfront the negative learnings that come with building something outdoors. Probably the biggest challenge of building any kind of outdoor experience is trying to break that obvious habit of just playing games where you&rsquo;re at. It&rsquo;s not a console, it&rsquo;s mobile, so you have access to the whole world and environment right there on your screen. And our game isn&rsquo;t really a screen-only experience, so we were just trying to get users out of the habit of just doing everything on the screen. We&rsquo;re really trying to connect real-world places with authentic experiences for your player. If there&rsquo;s a bank or ATM in your area, you can go get money for your player in our game. If there&rsquo;s a shoe store near you, you can go get shoes for your character. If there&rsquo;s a clothing store or department store near you, you can go get apparel, shirts and pants for your player. If you&rsquo;re out and about, you want to remember to open up this game because there may be some unique things out in the world that may not be available at your home or your job. There are different things you may discover. That&rsquo;s the main thing: (helping users understand that) it&rsquo;s a whole new way of interacting with the world. We really want to enhance and improve users&rsquo; experience by tying real-world locations to virtual-world locations. We just think that&rsquo;s so novel, so different and so new. I think that&rsquo;s going to be the foundation of a lot of games moving forward.
&ldquo;And the other biggest challenge that we had was probably just the randomness of the real world. With traditional games, when you lay out a world or environment, you have total control over where every object goes and how users are going to interact in it. We had to kind of abstract that out, like, &lsquo;Okay, well we&rsquo;ve got this city that has a lot of real-world game objects that we can use. But when you&rsquo;re in the suburbs or rural areas, there are fewer items for us to tag and for you to interact with &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s a court or a shoe drop or a boost or an energy or an arena pass. Now, we&rsquo;ve got to get a little more creative. How do we balance out the experience for people who live in different kinds of environments in terms of density? We&rsquo;ve been learning a lot and pulled a lot from Pok&eacute;mon Go on those items like real-world game boarding, how to (get) our players out into the world and how to balance that all out. There was definitely a lot that we learned from our other games.&rdquo;
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NBA All-World hosted some real-world events at All-Star Weekend like a pick-up game and meet-up, where attendees were able to access special content and drops in the game. In the future, I could see this becoming a cool way to reward users who attend NBA games and events. Are you planning to do more stuff like that in the future?
Matthews: &ldquo;Absolutely! That&rsquo;s an automatic in the playbook that we&rsquo;re going to use because that&rsquo;s what makes our game different &ndash; the fact that you can play our game in the world and you can get unique experiences. We can control the drops, and we can allow the user to do all kinds of cool things that you wouldn&rsquo;t normally be able to do in other locations. We want people to go outside and explore and game, so the more live events we can host and get people to engage in, the more powerful it&rsquo;ll be for our game and our audience.&rdquo;
Do you think these augmented-reality games are the future of video games? What do you see as the future of gaming?
Matthews: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s an awesome question. I think it is by far the most realistic, tangible new area of gaming. I think Pok&eacute;mon Go is a perfect example of what can be done because it can be well-monetized and create a great experience that literally hundreds of millions or even a billion people can enjoy. I really feel like AR is proving to be the next wave. But just like there were only console games before mobile games came out, console games are not going away (even though) mobile gaming is growing into its own thing. I think this will be like the third big wave or area of gaming, so we&rsquo;ll have console gaming, more mobile gaming and then this area that&rsquo;s going to expand over the next decade around exploration and connecting digital to the real world, and gaming is going to lead that charge. There will be other apps and experiences that will fall out of that, but the big, main utility that makes business sense is going to be gaming and it&rsquo;s going to become its own vertical. I don&rsquo;t see (AR) replacing anything or eliminating the other categories, I just think it&rsquo;s going to be its own thing alongside the other existing categories.&rdquo;
I know the game is still relatively new, but what&rsquo;s been the reception from the audience?
Matthews: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been actually pleasantly surprised with the initial media response and consumer response. We've been in the top five on the app stores for free-to-play sports games and we have a 4.8 rating in the app stores. There are numerous things and features that are coming in the future, and we&rsquo;re going to make a big push for next NBA season to really round out the experience, but we&rsquo;re very, very pleased with the initial response. For me, I think the biggest thing is that people realize that the sports-gaming world is different from the Pok&eacute;mon world. We&rsquo;ve made a game that was organically built from the ground up around basketball fans and basketball players, and we&rsquo;ve made that world work. It&rsquo;s not just a straight copy of another game; we&rsquo;ve built this game organically and from the ground up around that.
"And the beauty of basketball is that A) it&rsquo;s played outside and B) it&rsquo;s naturally played in groups of friends. Our game does both very well. When I was growing up in Jacksonville, FL, as a kid, me and my friends would walk to the neighborhood park and go play basketball for a few hours in the summer and hang out. Now, my son does that with his friends. But now, not only is there an opportunity to play real basketball, you can also play this game while you happen to be at the court and see what&rsquo;s around and maybe gain some new players. What we&rsquo;re hoping to do is get people, especially kids, back out to real-world courts to play not just our game but also real basketball. That would be the ultimate impact that I hope this game could have.&rdquo;
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Are you ready to ball? Get into the gameplay of NBA All-World in episode 2 of &ldquo;Beyond The Game.&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/nbaallworld?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAAllWorld</a> 🏀 <a href="https://t.co/6Q55ogVuAR">pic.twitter.com/6Q55ogVuAR</a>
&mdash; Niantic (@NianticLabs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NianticLabs/status/1617684389089136641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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You mentioned that some new features will be rolled out next season. Can you share any new features that are coming or things that you hope to add to the game?
Matthews: &ldquo;We have a lot of things on the list, but it&rsquo;s too early to say (when they&rsquo;ll be added) in the second half of the year, so I don&rsquo;t want to get into any specifics. We&rsquo;re working through all of the feedback and different ideas that didn&rsquo;t make it at launch. But one feature that we&rsquo;re going to ramp up before next season that&rsquo;s going to be a major push is camera-based AR experiences in the game. We&rsquo;re going to have some things coming down the pike later on this year that are going to expand what I like to call our &lsquo;basketball theme park.&rsquo; This is a platform that can be built on top of, so just like Disney World, we&rsquo;re always going to be expanding the experiences in our park. This game is really a virtual-world game at its core, so we&rsquo;re going to be adding on more pieces and just building on the experience as we go.&rdquo;
This is Niantic&rsquo;s first officially licensed sports game. Are there any plans to launch similar games with other sports leagues?
Matthews: &ldquo;I mean, I wouldn&rsquo;t rule out any expansion of this sports-gaming experience that we developed. To your point, expansion could include other sports. Right now, we&rsquo;re totally focused on making the basketball experience as great as possible, but we&rsquo;re definitely open to future opportunities and expansion.&rdquo;
I saw that Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordan Poole and other players were part of the game&rsquo;s launch. What has been the response or reception from NBA players?&nbsp;
Matthews: &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;re interested. Games like 2K and Madden have been around for 20+ years and the players who grew up on those are always looking for the next thing, and everyone was aware of Pok&eacute;mon Go and its success. So, yeah, Jordan Poole, Karl-Anthony Towns and those guys have been really interested in how their player looks, what their player&rsquo;s moves are, when we&rsquo;re going to update it to add more moves, so they&rsquo;re really interested in the world and how they&rsquo;re represented. Today, not only do people care about their real-world representation, they really care about their virtual representation. They want to make sure that the player looks and moves like they move. We&rsquo;ve gotten really good buy-in (from players) and I&rsquo;m very confident that as we add onto this game, we&rsquo;re going to get more and more players engaging and wanting their likenesses and movements to be part of the experience. And that&rsquo;s the beauty of this, it&rsquo;s a system that&rsquo;s set up to scale and be built upon, and we&rsquo;re going to relish that.&rdquo;
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You&rsquo;ve had a very successful career and worked on some incredible games. What advice would you give to someone who wants to work on video games?
Matthews: &ldquo;I give talks at high schools and colleges about breaking into the video-game industry and I went to Georgia Tech, even though Atlanta isn&rsquo;t known as a video-game hub. But ever since middle school, I was coding with friends and trying to make games on my own. When I got to college in the early &lsquo;90s, there wasn&rsquo;t any kind of video-game major or anything like that. This was actually before the internet really kicked in. But I was really passionate about making games, it was just something innate in me. So whenever I had a class project or assignment that was flexible, I would try to do it around video games. In my spare time, I would start designing sports video games because I love sports, I love games and technology. I would just play around with my own gaming ideas. Luckily, in Atlanta, there was an education games company there, so after I graduated, I figured, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s close enough. I&rsquo;d rather do that than be a consultant or an engineer at a plant or something.&rsquo; So I went with my passion; I didn&rsquo;t know where it was going to take me. Then, after work, I&rsquo;d just work on my own sports-game designs and I started working on a prototype with some friends.
"This is an entertainment business, so it&rsquo;s kind of like movies and music where you kinda have to do short films or demos to showcase your talent. And when people see that, they see that you can help them. So I was working on my designs and saw that there were some weaknesses with the current sports games. They didn&rsquo;t feel like the folks who actually played sports were programming and designing them. So, I did a lot of work and then got lucky. A friend of mine went from IBM to Sega and a couple years later, they needed a sports producer and he reached out: &lsquo;Hey Marcus, I know you&rsquo;ve been working on these sports-game designs and doing all of this stuff on the side.&rsquo; I sent my resume to the head of sports and got flown out for an interview. We talked for two-and-a-half hours and I told him everything that was wrong with the games and how I would improve them, and two weeks later, they hired me.
"But it took five or six years or more of working on designs on my own time and just diving into the space and waiting for the right opportunity. I was going to all of the conferences back then like GDC (when it had just started) and E3 and just networking to try and get that big break. It&rsquo;s a tough business to break into &ndash; especially being in Atlanta &ndash; but you have to do the extra work. Don&rsquo;t think you can just go to school, get your degree and then work on sports games. It&rsquo;s going to take more than that &ndash; whether you&rsquo;re an artist, a programmer, a producer or a designer.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nba-all-world/id1632344574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA All-World</a> is available now in the app store and it's free to play.

NBA All-World senior producer Marcus Matthews opens up about the game, lessons from Pokémon Go, the future of gaming and more.

NBA meets Pokémon Go: Inside the augmented-reality game NBA All-World

The Trail Blazers are signing free agent center Norvel Pelle to a training camp deal, sources tell ESPN.
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The Trail Blazers are signing free agent center Norvel Pelle to a training camp deal, sources tell ESPN.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1554979370938376193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1554979370938376193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: Pelle averaged 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds over 3 games last season with the Utah Jazz. Pelle, a former undrafted free agent, has spent time in short bursts with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics over the last four years after bouncing around the G League. The 6-foot-10 center will look to compete for a roster spot and reinforce a short-handed center position in Portland, which currently only holds Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller.

Pelle averaged 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds over 3 games last season with the Utah Jazz.

Blazers sign Norvel Pelle to training-camp deal

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from the NBA&rsquo;s healthy and safety protocols to score 36 points on Saturday, but Wesley Matthews stole the spotlight when he knocked down a 3-pointer with 30.3 seconds left to give the Milwaukee Bucks their first lead en route to a 117-113 win over the Boston Celtics.
Seeing his first action since Dec. 12, Antetokounmpo played 30 minutes and connected on 13 of 23 shots while shooting 10 for 15 from the free-throw line. Milwaukee also got center Bobby Portis and guard Donte DiVincenzo back from COVID-19 protocols in time for the televised Christmas showdown.
Boston had just eight players available after putting Dennis Schroder in the protocols earlier Saturday, but took control behind Jaylen Brown, who scored 14 of his 25 points in the opening quarter. Jayson Tatum also scored 25 for Boston, which led by as many as 19 and went into halftime with a 35-22 advantage.
Milwaukee trimmed the deficit to one when Middleton knocked down a 3 with 3:39 left in the third. But the Celtics answered with five straight and opened the fourth with a 8-0 run, including six from Parker, who converted a three-point play to make it 102-90 with 10:15 to play.
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Portis&rsquo; put-back with 8 minutes left was the start of the Bucks&rsquo; charge, tying the game at 111 when Antetokounmpo scored and drew a foul with 1:26 left. He missed the free throw and Brown made a pair on the other end to put Boston back in front.
But Matthews buried his 3 for a 114-113 lead, and the Bucks held on.
Portis finished with 16 points, while DiVincenzo, who hadn&rsquo;t played since suffering a left foot injury in the playoffs last season, got his first and only points on a 3-pointer late in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
To help fill out their depleted roster, the Celtics signed Al-Farouq Aminu and Norvel Pelle to 10-day contracts Saturday morning. ... The Bucks are 5-3 all-time on Christmas Day, including a 3-0 mark in Milwaukee. The Celtics fell to 15-20 all-time in Christmas Day games.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At Minnesota on Monday.
Bucks: At Orlando on Tuesday.
___
More AP NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

Bucks rally late in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return for 117-113 win

The Boston Celtics are planning to sign 11-year NBA veteran Al-Farouq Aminu and G League center Norvel Pelle to 10-day hardship deals.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1474399445987074064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Celtics currently have eight players in league health and safety protocols in advance of their Christmas Day matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Aminu has played 11 seasons in the NBA and last suited up for the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls in 2020-21. Pelle, a third-year veteran, played for the Nets, Kings and Knicks last season. He is currently averaging 8.9 points and 8.3 rebounds with the Cleveland Charge.

The Celtics currently have eight players in league health and safety protocols in advance of their Christmas Day matchup.

Celtics sign Al-Farouq Aminu, Norvel Pelle to 10-day contracts

Sometimes Justė Jocytė needs to slow down her warp-speed world.&nbsp;
The Lithuanian channels Drake and "chill music" through her headphones, and takes a walk to find a space for herself. In her preparation process, Jocytė makes it a point to clear her head of stress.
"Literally, it's almost like meditating," Jocytė told BasketballNews.com in an exclusive interview via Zoom. "You just stop thinking. Just take a deep breath, clear your head out and really just stop overthinking everything. I think that helps; when you're thinking a lot before a game, that's not good for you."
Jocytė speaks with the calm poise of a veteran professional because she is one, in her third season at the highest levels of European basketball with Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin in France. But the 6-foot-2 lefty guard is also considered one of the top prospects on Earth, and, at just 15 years old, is accomplishing more than most young hoopers do in their lifetimes.
San Antonio Spurs great Tony Parker recruited her at at age-13, and she debuted with the Lithuanian senior national team that same year. At 14, Jocytė became the youngest player to debut in modern EuroLeague history. Today, she regularly competes against WNBA players and European stars, and even holds a small sponsorship deal from Nike.
Jocytė carries the faith of an NBA legend, the hopes of an entire country and the potential of a future global star on her teenage shoulders. But she holds the burden with a placid purpose, knowing that as long as she works, her pathway will reveal itself.
"I mean, the dream is obviously to get to the WNBA &mdash; but I don't really know if it's gonna be my style of game, it's kind of different from Europe &mdash; but obviously playing there, and just living my best life," she said.
"I love basketball &mdash; that's what I'm planning to do for a living &mdash; and [I] just take pleasure every day in every practice," she added. "And I think, yeah, that's most important: just to be happy."
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"Every day, we live with basketball."
According to Jocytė's father, Alvydas Jocys, the house TV is almost always tuned to hoops: NBA, WNBA, men's and women's EuroLeague and EuroCup, Lithuanian competition, you name it.&nbsp; Basketball is the country's most popular sport. It is woven into the fabric of Jocytė's family.
"It's just our life, you know?" Alvydas told BasketballNews.com over the phone.
Alvydas played college basketball through the end of the 1990s for Mid-Plains Community College, and then Bellevue University, in Nebraska. His brother, Evaldas, logged professional and collegiate careers, including stints with Lithuanian club Olimpas Plung&eacute; and Division I East Carolina University. Jocytė's older brother, 17-year-old Rokas, competes in Lithuania after having spent time on Stellazzurra Rome's U18 team in Italy.
Jocytė was even born in Washington D.C. before the family moved back to Lithuania when she was an infant. She has played above her age bracket since she could first dribble a basketball. First, it was in the backyard against Rokas. Then, at 6 years old &mdash; when she began to take a serious interest in the sport &mdash; Alvydas and his wife, Aurelija Jociene, noticed their daughter was unusually talented.
"We noticed that she had the ability to play with the ball, and play and dribble and shoot. She was different at that kind of age from other girls," Alvydas said.
Jocytė entered a program in her hometown of Palanga on the Baltic Coast of the country. Then, she outplayed her competition, and the family signed her up for training in Klaipėda, a nearby city. Jocytė was hopping from bus-to-bus at 9 years old, attending practices and games with kids three years her senior.&nbsp;
"Year after year, we saw that she was developing into a pretty good basketball player," Alvydas said. "As a family, all our job was just to get her physically and emotionally ready for the journey she has right now."
The <a href="https://twitter.com/jrnba/status/1028733912321859585?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jr. NBA came</a> at age-12. But in 2019, Jocytė's star truly shined. She led Lithuania to its first-ever U16 FIBA European Championship as a 13-year-old, then three months later, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/womenseurobasket/2021/qualifiers/news/the-future-is-here-13-year-old-jocyte-has-lithuania-back-on-the-rise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made her debut with the country's senior national team</a> in the EuroBasket Qualifiers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
SHE IS 13 😱 ! Juste Jocyte's 20PTS &amp; 15REB led @Musukrepsinis 🇱🇹 to a first EVER <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAU16Europe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAU16Europe</a> Final 🔥 ! <a href="https://t.co/gAjWbsLocB">pic.twitter.com/gAjWbsLocB</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1167346821678678017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2019</a></blockquote>

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Europe took note &mdash; including one Tony Parker. The four-time NBA champion co-owned the men's and women's LDLC ASVEL clubs, and was starting his <a href="https://tpadequatacademy.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Parker Ad&eacute;quat Academy</a> in Lyon for students desiring advanced opportunities in a number of different professions. He invited Jocytė and her family to an individual workout in Oct. 2019.
"It was kind of tough, you know? You don't really know what to say because you're... scared," Jocytė said. "But I mean, he was really pretty normal as a person, so he was easy to talk to."
At that same workout, Jocytė also met her idol: former New York Liberty guard, and future teammate, Marine Johann&egrave;s.
"She was there to pass me the ball. That was cool," Jocytė said with a laugh.
Parker saw Jocytė as a headlining addition and made his pitch to Alvydas and the family. Jocytė would join the academy and become a member of Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin, with a three-year agreement centered on her development in Lyon. If the family ever had a question or concern about her well-being or development, Parker was a phone call away.
"It was, for myself and my wife, ver,y very surprising [to hear] the kinds of superstars as Tony Parker &mdash; we just saw them on TV prior [to when] we came to France," Alvydas said. "But when you talk to them after one minute, you already know that they're so simple and they know what they're doing. They know what kind of business they're in."
On Nov. 7, 2019, the academy announced the signing.
"I am very happy for the Tony Parker Ad&eacute;quat Academy because it&rsquo;s the first big signature," Parker said in the official press release in French. "Justė is the most special player of her generation. It&rsquo;s one of the reasons that I opened the Academy: to welcome the best prospects of their generation, evolve with young enthusiasts of all fields, and enrich each other."
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"She's definitely one of the most gifted European players to come up in a long time."
Mark Williams is a Global Scout for Premier Basketball (the same service that compiles ESPN's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings). He has watched Jocytė rise through the youth ranks since 2018, and says the smooth shooting guard is one of the most advanced players he has seen in recent years. Her cool confidence, surgical vision and sweet perimeter shot all set her apart.
"She's gifted with the ball in her hands [and] can score at all three levels," Williams told BasketballNews.com over the phone. "One of the things that she's really done well over the last year is develop the ability to get everybody else shots... I mean, she's really gifted. She can play multiple positions. She can play on the ball. She's a better defender than people give her credit for. And she can score anytime she wants."
Jocytė carved up the competition at the 2021 FIBA U18 Women's European Challengers tournament. She averaged 20.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in effortless fashion, patrolling the court while exuding serenity and swagger.
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Jocytė can spot up, step back and hesi her way to any shot on the floor. She glides with an effortless grace, and shrugs contact off of her. She also operates the offense like a surgeon, rifling pinpoint cross-court passes with either hand. Williams said that if he ranked the entire 2023 recruiting class with both U.S. and international players, the Lithuanian phenom would rest on top.
"For her, it's just kind of come together really, really early. And it's fun to watch, for sure," Williams said.
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British FIBA writer Paul Nilsen has watched the international youth game for over a decade. From the first moments he scouted an age-12 Jocytė, Nilsen was floored by her clutch gene.
"You could just tell straight away she's got it," Nilsen told BasketballNews.com over the phone. "The clutch, the ice through her veins, the smarts, the I.Q., on top of, obviously, the skill factor of being able to do what you want, when you want.
"I think that maturity so young is quite a rare and special thing."
Both Williams and Nilsen lauded Jocytė's trajectory as that of a high WNBA draft pick and a potential No. 1 overall selection. But they also cautioned against the familiar trap of locking prospects in as surefire generational superstars.&nbsp;
"It's one thing, I think in any sport, being a wunderkind, where often you find other players catch up," Nilsen said. "Sometimes you're the best out of that age at 12-13, and you're phenomenal because you've got so much natural talent. And you have to try and maintain large gap, which can sometimes be hard.
"It all boils down to whether she keeps working hard and she keeps learning," he added. "Nothing else [matters] apart from her. It's got to come from her."
For Jocytė to be challenging herself on a professional team, Nilsen says, is a testament to her dedication.
"One of the things I'm very, very committed to is this concept of: the hardest decision is always for the most talented players... even though you've got lots of choices, it's very very, very difficult," he said.
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"Playing against them every day is just a dream come true. I mean, that's the best practice you can get."
In Dec. 2019, 14-year-old Justė Jocytė subbed in for the the first time with Lyon ASVEL F&eacute;minin, and became the youngest woman to debut in the modern EuroLeague, perhaps the highest level in the world outside of the WNBA. Fast-forward two years, and she has now locked down a role in the regular rotation before her 16th birthday.
Lyon competes this season in the EuroCup; it's one league lower than the EuroLeague, but still arguably the third-best league worldwide. The EuroCup is littered with WNBA talent this season, including Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald, Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner and Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Mack among many others.
But that's only half of the battle. In LFB (Ligue F&eacute;minine de Basketball) competition, the team squares off against players like Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, Chicago Sky guard Lexie Brown and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nia Coffey. For Lyon, Johann&egrave;s and Julie Allemand both have WNBA experience.
On non-game days, Jocytė's schedule typically includes distance schooling, plus two grueling practices per day with some of the best basketball players on the planet. It's a grind she embraces.&nbsp;
"This is the pro life," she said. "Get used to it, because they will not change for you."
Jocytė generally stayed on the bench in her first two years with Lyon; she logged just 31 total minutes across both seasons. However, that doesn't mean she was stuck; behind the scenes, Jocytė was adapting to the speed and physicality of pro ball with the help of her teammates and coaches.
"I really appreciate the the work that they put in. Nobody sees the work, but they're helping me a lot," she said.
This season, the young phenom has begun to emerge. Jocytė is averaging 11.8 minutes per game in LFB play and 15.0 minutes per game in the EuroCup. She's dished out 17 assists against just six turnovers, and is shooting 75% from the field across both leagues. The performances aren't coming on some experimental squad, either &mdash; Lyon sits 3-1 in the EuroCup and 4-2 in the LFB.&nbsp;
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Even more impressive is hearing the 15-year-old critically reflect on her role with the methodical understanding of a grizzled vet:
"The physical part is tough, so you obviously had to find other ways. I think mine is just reading the game, really, because obviously you will not be faster [or] stronger," Jocytė said. "Coach puts you in [and] you have to just bring the energy; he doesn't expect you to, like, score 20 points in the game. So as a young player, you just have to stay humble, stay calm and just read."
Breanna Stewart and Nikola Jokic, as well as fellow lefty D'Angelo Russell, are film favorites for the Lithuanian. She had the last laugh this fall as one of the few members of Lyon cheering for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals. And even after two years playing next to Johann&egrave;s, Jocytė still marvels every day at the star guard's talent.
"It's kind of weird because before, yeah, she was my role model, and now that it's my third year playing with her, it's kind of... she's like my friend," Jocytė said of Johann&egrave;s.
Though Jocytė is still technically the youngest player on the roster, she's no longer the only teenager. Dominique Malonga &mdash; a 6-foot-6, 15-year-old center loaded with athleticism and potential &mdash; joined ASVEL F&eacute;minin for the 2021-22 campaign. Malonga is also a Tony Parker Academy student, and Parker even labeled her "<a href="https://ldlcasvelfeminin.com/dominique-malonga-nouvelle-lionne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the feminine Victor Wembanyama</a>."
"She's my roommate, so we kind of get along pretty easily," Jocytė said of Malonga. "This goes better than last year, when you're, like, really young with all these &mdash; I'm not gonna say old (laughs) &mdash; but older ladies. So it's kind of cool to have [someone] your age."
Jocytė is still a kid, after all &mdash; a kid playing on the other side of the continent, away from her family. Alvydas and Aurelija check-in nearly ever day with their daughter via WhatsApp. When Jocytė comes home, she'll get back on the court and battle with her brother and father, and everyone in Palanga knows her name. She says she's "not that sensitive of a person," but that doesn't mean leaving Lithuania is easy.
"I really miss home, and it's kind of hard without your family and friends. So it's always a good feeling when you come back home. It doesn't matter if it's, like, two days or something. It's really good to be there," she said.
"It was hard to let her go the first time because, you know, the '14-year-old girl on her own in the big city 2000 kilometers away' &mdash; kind of scary," Alvydas added. "[But] we know that she is in good hands [and] she gets taken care of."
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Lthuania may be a basketball-crazed nation, but its women's leagues lack sustained prominence. Top players and prospects typically latch onto a development track in another region, and return home to play during the offseason. Jocytė and her father cited that lack of consistency at home as a factor in them looking toward France for her pro career.
With the national teams, though, Jocytė feels immense pride in representing her country on European and global stages.
"It's an amazing feeling to play with your national team," she said. "It's just something you really appreciate when you play overseas or something. When you come back, it's really just amazing."
(Her most recent opportunity came in the 2023 EuroBasket Qualifiers, where she scored four points on Thursday against Finland before leaving the game with a minor ankle injury. Lithuania will play again Sunday.)
The world only continues to open up for Lithuania's young star. Her current agreement with the Tony Parker Academy and Lyon reaches an option of sorts after this season. Jocytė could continue on for another three years, adding continued professonal experience and growing with ASVEL F&eacute;minin. Or, she could opt out and attend another program or school just about anywhere &mdash; including the United States.
According to a source, high-major colleges are already demonstrating interest in Jocytė. Even WNBA teams have her on their radar when the earliest she could be draft-eligible appears to be 2025. (There's confusion here due to her U.S. birth vs. Lithuanian upbringing/playing status.)&nbsp;
The family will face a monumental decision after the season. They'll weigh pros and cons, including developmental situations, level of play and even endorsement opportunities. But for now, Jocytė is focused on what she loves &mdash; playing basketball &mdash; with the regimented mentality of continued growth each day.
"I feel good here and there's a good opportunity for me here," Jocytė said. "I'm still young, so that's normal that I don't play a lot. So really, I'm just working on myself every day trying to earn the trust of my coach, and hopefully in one year or two, I will be able to really have a big impact on the team."
That's what Alvydas admires most about his daughter. Jocytė remains a level-headed sailor amidst rocky seas, letting a pure love for the sport guide her to whatever big stage is next.
"I'm very proud that she's still a simple girl, and she's very supportive to other kids," Alvydas said. "I'm very proud that she's still very, very simple and focused on what she's doing."

Lithuanian star Justė Jocytė is turning heads as the youngest woman to ever compete in the modern EuroLeague.

Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to lead New York to a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the Knicks' NBA-best eighth straight win.
Randle&rsquo;s driving layup with eight seconds left in regulation gave New York a 122-119 lead, but Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The Knicks scored the first 10 points of the extra session.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been challenged throughout the season and sometimes they haven&rsquo;t gone our way,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;But right now ,we&rsquo;re finding ways to close games and win games.&rdquo;
Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley each scored 20 points for New York. Reggie Bullock added 18 and R.J Barrett had 16. Nerlens Noel had 12 rebounds.
&ldquo;This was a playoff-type atmosphere,&rdquo; Quickley said. &ldquo;As an NBA player, you have to be ready to step up.&rdquo;
Trae Young had 20 points and 14 assists for the Hawks, but left the game with 1:13 remaining in the third quarter after suffering an ankle injury and did not return. X-rays were negative and he is expected to get an MRI on Thursday.
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Chris Capela had 25 points and 22 rebounds for Atlanta. Bogdanovic scored 20 points. John Collins finished with 18 and Kevin Huerta 17.
Atlanta took a game-high 11-point lead, 95-84, when the Knicks&rsquo; Norvel Pelle was called for goaltending on a shot by Onyeka Okongwu with 1:47 left in the third quarter.
Young left the game soon after and the Knicks took advantage, moving into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
&ldquo;We were searching tonight to get ourselves going,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;But, we have a true team. As we head down the stretch, we want to be playing our best.&rdquo;
The Knicks pulled within two at 109-107 on the second of Quickley&rsquo;s consecutive 3-pointers with 7:01 remaining, then took their biggest lead of the game at 116-109 on Rose&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:46 left.
Lou Williams added 11 points for the Hawks, who had won nine of their last 11 games.
&ldquo;I saw a lot of fight from our guys,&rdquo; Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t have enough in overtime to win this game.&rdquo;
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TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta&rsquo;s last win at Madison Square Garden (114-107) came on January 21, 2018. ... The Hawks had won five consecutive road games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Knicks: Randle, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is the first Knicks player to earn that distinction since February 2017 (Kristaps Porzingis).
IRON MEN
Only one player from each team has seen action in all of his team&rsquo;s games this season. Kevin Huerter has played in all 59 for the Hawks, starting 44. Barrett has played and started in all 60 games for the Knicks. Randle and Solomon Hill have only missed one game each this season.
LOOKING FOR A PLAYOFF PAYOFF
Neither the Knicks nor the Hawks have reached the playoffs for quite a while. Atlanta hasn&rsquo;t seen postseason action since the 2016-17 season, while New York hasn&rsquo;t been in the playoffs since the 2012-13 campaign.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
The Knicks won all three meetings against the Hawks this season. New York had not swept Atlanta since winning all three games during the 2012-13 season.
UP NEXT:
Hawks: Host Miami Heat on Friday.
Knicks: Host Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to beat the Hawks in OT on Wednesday night, the Knicks' NBA-best eighth-straight win.

Knicks beat Hawks 122-119, win streak at NBA-best 8 games

The New York Knicks are signing Norvel Pelle to a second 10-day contract.&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/StevePopper/status/1381608669138259969" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Popper/Newsday</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The 27-year-old played just three total minutes with the Knicks in the first 10-day stint. A 6-foot-10 big man, Pelle is on his third NBA team this season after playing short stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings. He also played 24 games with the Philadelphia 76ers as a rookie last year.

Pelle signed his first 10-day deal with the Knicks on April 2.

New York Knicks sign Norvel Pelle to second 10-day contract

The Kings announce the signing of Norvel Pelle to a 10-day deal.
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1365002793485021192" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Norvel Pelle has spent the majority of his time in the league with the G League and will now hope to make something of this 10-day contract opportunity with Sacramento. Pelle did appear in three games for Brooklyn this year after spending the 2019-20 season in Philadelphia.

The Sacramento Kings have signed Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract.

Kings sign Norvel Pelle to 10-day contract

There are 18 days until the NBA All-Star break, which was supposed to be a break with no All-Star festivities. But then that plan changed, much to the dismay of many of the league&rsquo;s top superstars.&nbsp;
The Utah Jazz look unstoppable, sort of like the Milwaukee Bucks did at this time a year ago, and there is not a whole lot of defense being played as teams slog their way through the mid-winter schedule and make adjustments on the fly (whether because of coronavirus issues or injuries or slumps).
Every night brings major surprises, some of them positive &ndash; as fans of the Detroit Pistons could tell you. Until recently, they were the worst team in the East; now, they are making us NBA hardcores take notice of the likes of Saddiq Bey and Mason Plumlee.
The week begins with news that Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis will both be back on the shelf; Durant with a hamstring issue and Davis with an Achilles. Neither injury is particularly serious, and let&rsquo;s all remember that what happens in February often has very little impact in May and June when things ramp up.
So with 18 days remaining until the All-Star break, here are 18 observations (aside from the ones listed above) that will be at the forefront of NBA conversations between now and the All-Star break.
1. What on earth is wrong with the Boston Celtics? They got toasted by the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the East, on Sunday afternoon to make it four losses in their past five games. Prior to that, they lost to the Detroit Pistons and they are now 13-13. It looks like they miss Gordon Hayward more than we anticipated, and there is no underestimating how important Marcus Smart is to that team. Payton Pritchard has earned Brad Stevens&rsquo; trust, but what about rookie Aaron Nesmith, the No. 14 overall pick in the draft? He did log 29 minutes of garbage time on Sunday, which is a step in the right direction... or he was being showcased.
2. Why are so many superstars speaking out about having to play in an All-Star game? Well, they were told at the outset of the season that they were going to have a one-week break, and then that promise was broken. NBA contracts include language that obligates players to participate in All-Star activities if invited, so three Saturdays from now a bunch of players will be flying into Atlanta, locking themselves in their hotel rooms and getting ready for the annual Sunday night show. Let&rsquo;s just hope the fourth quarter is competitive, like it normally is.
3. When can we expect the Utah Jazz to lose a game? On Thursday, we were wondering whether it would come in a span of the next eight days, because the schedule was getting tough for them. But they beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 14 and the Miami Heat by 18. Tonight, it is Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers trying to end the Jazz&rsquo;s hot streak, and then Utah plays back-to-back games against the Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday and Friday. If Paul George (right foot) and Kawhi Leonard (left leg contusion) are both healthy by then, we will have a litmus test.
4. Will the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets trade for a big man? Brooklyn has had a donut problem (a hole in the middle) since Jarrett Allen was traded in the James Harden deal, and Noah Vonleh and Norvel Pelle do not look like long-term solutions. The Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting Andre Drummond until they can find a trade partner, and JaVale McGee is expendable as well. The same goes for Hassan Whiteside in Sacramento. The Nets may not have the assets to trade for any of them unless they surrender Joe Harris, so they&rsquo;ll likely wait to see who is bought out. Meanwhile, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that he is OK with moving Julius Randle over to center while Mitchell Robinson recovers from a broken hand (and they also have Nerlens Noel). The Knicks have won four of their last six games, but will have to contend with Clint Capela and Nikola Vucevic in their next two games, after which Leon Rose, Thibs and Worldwide Wes may need to come up with a plan to find a new center.
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5. What is wrong with the Milwaukee Bucks? They lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night and have been surrendering more than 123 points a night in their current three-game losing streak. A year ago, on Feb. 15, they were 46-8 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had pretty much wrapped up the MVP award. But this season, they have been running hot and cold like a leaky faucet (the three recent losses were preceded by five-straight wins, which followed consecutive losses, which followed consecutive wins). They&rsquo;ll need better, more consistent production from Brook Lopez, who scored 6 points last night against Al Horford. His scoring has dropped from 12.0 points per game to 10.8, and his assists are down from 1.5 to 0.6. His next double-figure rebounding game will be just his third of the season. It is worth noting that Milwaukee is trying to get their new pieces acclimated, which hasn&rsquo;t helped.
6. Which teams figure to be active at the trade deadline? I would say the New Orleans Pelicans are the team to watch. If the supporting cast around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram continue to underperform, they will look for hungrier players along with extra draft picks to add to the ones they got from Milwaukee in the Jrue Holiday-Eric Bledsoe deal. New Orleans has lost its last three games -- not playing a lick of defense against Chicago, Dallas and Detroit -- and 11-15 is not where they wanted to be, especially with Zion shooting an unfathomable 65.5 percent from the field this month (he was 14-for-15 against the Mavs on Friday). Boston, New York and Brooklyn have already been mentioned, and major underachievers (Miami, Dallas, Toronto) are always looking to tinker in order to bolster their roster for a playoff push.
7. What makes this season very different from last year&rsquo;s campaign? Aside from the coronavirus disruptions, the rule change that will allow for 20 of the 30 teams to qualify for the playoffs (including the play-in tournament) has disincentivized players from competing at their highest level during the regular season. One Eastern Conference coach (who spoke on the condition of anonymity) said it has been one of the worst rules changes ever enacted. We&rsquo;ll see if he feels the same way if his team finishes ninth or 10th and has a chance to play meaningful postseason games rather than beginning preparations for the draft extra early.
8. Why are the Phoenix Suns sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference? The addition of Chris Paul is the biggest reason, and they are 6-0 thus far on a seven-game homestand that ends Tuesday night against a Brooklyn team that will be without Kevin Durant. They&rsquo;ve won nine of 10, and at a certain point, Mikal Bridges <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mikal-bridges-phoenix-suns-breakout-season-three-point-shooting-pick-and-roll-defense-deandre-ayton-turnover-percentage-monty-williams-chris-paul-villanova-jay-wright-ashley-howard">has to enter the Most Improved Player conversation</a> (<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/103?category=awards&amp;subcategory=most-improved-player">he is 100-1 at DraftKingsSportsbook</a>, where <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/103?category=awards&amp;subcategory=mvp">Chris Paul is 500-1 to be MVP</a>).
9. Who is the Coach of the Year? One would assume that Quin Snyder (Jazz) and Doc Rivers (Sixers) would be the frontrunners, but get this: None of the major sportsbooks operating in the legalized U.S. sports gambling market have Coach of the Year odds listed. This award typically goes to the coach whose team has overachieved the most, and everyone expected the Sixers and Jazz to be good. So Monty Williams in Phoenix, Thibodeau in New York, Terry Stotts in Portland (he lost C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic) and James Borrego in Charlotte may be in the mix.
10. Who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft? Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State is the flavor of the moment, followed by Jalen Green of the G-League Ignite, a team that just began playing bubbleball last week. Scouts are being hampered by their inability to get inside gyms, watch prospects closely and observe things such as body language, pre-game habits, interactions with teammates, etc. Because of that, this summer&rsquo;s draft is going to be more of a crapshoot than usual, and the team with the most first-round picks is Oklahoma City with three. Houston and New York have two apiece.
11. What is the best game to watch over the remainder of the first half of the season? Many teams are starting to allow fans back into the arenas, but we will probably not see a full house until next season, which removes the crowd factor for the most part (shout out to Courtside Karen), which would normally make certain matchups more enticing. If Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis are back by Thursday, Nets-Lakers on TNT is a candidate. We have Jazz-Clippers on Wednesday and Friday, followed by a Heat-Lakers NBA Finals rematch on Saturday (ABC) and Nets-Clippers the following night. Fans will be allowed at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23 when Steph Curry faces the Knicks, but the winner in this category is Lakers at Jazz on Friday, Feb. 24.
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12. Who will win the Rasheed Wallace Award (a.k.a. Hothead of the Year)? Dwight Howard of the Sixers and Russell Westbrook of the Wizards are tied for the league lead in technical fouls with eight apiece. Among coaches, Nick Nurse of Toronto leads with five.
13. What record might fall? Jose Calderon holds the record for the highest free-throw percentage (98.1 percent in 2008-09 for Toronto). Entering Monday&rsquo;s games, Suns guard Chris Paul is 68-for-70 (97.1 percent) and Nets guard Kyrie Irving is 77-for-81 (95.1 percent). If either has a few games of perfection from 15 feet away, perhaps Calderon&rsquo;s record will be in jeopardy.
14. Anzejs Pasecniks of the Washington Wizards was released a month ago after appearing in one game. In five minutes of playing time, he committed six turnovers to go along with two personal fouls, one assist and one offensive rebound. Ish Smith converted the bucket off the Latvian kid&rsquo;s assist. That&rsquo;s a rough outing.
15. Monte Morris of the Denver Nuggets leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 5.5 (among qualified players) and Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks is at 5.7. Among players who log major minutes, DeMar DeRozan of San Antonio is at 4.20. In the steals-to-turnover ratio category, Matisse Thybulle is head and shoulders above everyone at 5.0. Among players who log major minutes, the league leader in steals is Jrue Holiday of Milwaukee with 1.91 per game.
16. In the &ldquo;hustle stats&rdquo; categories, Ben Simmons leads the NBA with 4.1 deflections per game, Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league in loose balls recovered (38), Domantas Sabonis leads the league in screen assists (6.7), and Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Lowry are tied for the league lead in charges drawn (12).
17. The league&rsquo;s oldest player, Udonis Haslem of Miami, wears uniform No. 40&hellip; matching his age. The youngest player, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Aleksej Pokusevski, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is 19 years old and has 19 blocked shots.
18. What&rsquo;s the season-low for offensive rebounds in a game? One. The Philadelphia 76ers were the team to grab a single offensive rebound against Washington on Jan. 6, when the Sixers scored 141 points. Danny Green grabbed the lone offensive board.

With the NBA All-Star break approaching, Chris Sheridan shares his thoughts on the season thus far.

Sheridan: 18 observations with 18 days until NBA All-Star break

The Brooklyn Nets have two open roster spots and, after trading away Jarrett Allen in the James Harden deal, they will likely turn to the free-agent pool as they try to improve their frontcourt depth and defense.
One of the open roster spots needs to be filled by tomorrow and, according to Nets head coach Steve Nash, the team will likely use that roster spot on a free agent rather than promoting one of their two-way players, per <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/NYPost_Lewis/status/1355300739959156737">Brian Lewis of the New York Post</a>. Based on what Nash is saying, it seems that Brooklyn wants to bring in a veteran big man rather than taking a chance on a young, unproven player.
The Nets signed big man Norvel Pelle yesterday, with hopes that the 27-year-old can provide some rim protection and frontcourt depth. Pelle had a stint with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but he's mainly played overseas and in the G League.
The Nets are currently on a three-game winning streak and sit 12-8 on the season, which is fourth in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn takes on the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight and they will be without early MVP candidate Kevin Durant.
&nbsp;

Steve Nash says the Nets will likely use their open roster spots on free agents rather than promoting a two-way player.

Nets likely to use open roster spots on free agents, not two-way players

The Brooklyn Nets plan to sign free agent big man Norvel Pelle, pending approval via the league's health and safety protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1352707122304327681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
ANALYSiS:&nbsp;The 6-foot-10 forward/center player for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, averaging 2.4 points and 3.0 boards in 9.7 minutes per game. Pelle should help bolster a Nets bench that lacks physicality inside with the departure of Jarrett Allen. Brooklyn used only nine players in Wednesday's loss to the Cavs.

Pelle played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Bubble last season.

Brooklyn Nets plan to sign free agent Norvel Pelle

Sources says, there&rsquo;s a real chance Nerlens Noel, 25, could reunite with the Sixers. Teams officially will be permitted to contact free agents or their agents at 6 p.m. Friday. Players will be allowed to sign free-agent deals at 12:01 p.m. Monday.
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/philadelphia-sixers-nba-norvelpelle-nerlens-noel-joelembiid-dallasmavericks-oklahomacitythunder--20201119.html?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer</a>
ANALYSIS: The 76ers only have two centers on the roster right now after waiving Norvel Pelle this week. Joel Embiid and newly drafted center Paul Reed are the two big men on Philadelphia's roster at the moment. Philadelphia will likely want to have a more experienced back-up center option to Embiid and former Sixer Nerlens Noel could very well be that guy.
Noel played in a reserve role for the Thunder last year averaging 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game. Nerlens had the best numbers of his career in the two years he was with Philadelphia and the Sixers are expected to pursue him once free agency opens up.

The 76ers have reported interest in bringing back 25 year-old Nerlens Noel.