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Raptors

There were 229 minutes in which Raptors forward OG Anunoby was on the floor <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612761&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=200768,1628384,1627783" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam</a> last season.
Lowry, as he had been for several years, was the offensive engine. The transition pusher, floor general, pick-and-roll initiator. Siakam was the hesi-pulling, cross-to-spinning Top Dawg tasked with carrying the primary scoring load.
In those 229 minutes without them, the Raptors were roughly neutral in terms of net rating, per PBP Stats (plus-0.6). But in the case of Anunoby, we saw a natural shift in role.
He didn't become a primary initiator &mdash; he often shared the floor with at least one of Fred VanVleet or Malachi Flynn, and often both &mdash; but he was tasked with more on-ball responsibility.
The occasional post-up. A pindown that would lead into a ball screen. Some "hand-back" action in early offense that would lead into a ball screen.
Anunoby did his thing in those minutes, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/impact/#!?LineupIDs=1628384&amp;VsLineupIDs=200768~1627783&amp;TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsTeamID=1610612761&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Per36&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;sort=MIN&amp;dir=1">posting per-36 averages</a> of 19.4 points while shooting 50% from two, and 44.4% from three (5.7 attempts per 36), 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists (yuck, more on that later). Those averages aren't too far off from his overall post-All-Star-Break numbers: 18.3 points (55.6% from two, 40.1% from three on 6.9 attempts), 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Both samples are relatively small &mdash; 229 minutes without Lowry and Siakam; 20 games after the All-Star break &mdash; and require context, but the samples are intriguing nonetheless. And for the Raptors, those samples are important to parse through as they head into next season.
The Lowry-less, Siakam-less sample will grow. Lowry is taking his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-way talents to South Beach</a>, while Siakam isn't expected to make his season debut until November at the earliest due to shoulder surgery. Not only should the Raptors explore if Anunoby's second-half surge is indicative of a leap, but they may also need it to be in order to fill the creation void they're facing.
If that is the case, a simple question presents itself: What is the path to Anunoby succeeding in a bigger role?
THE FOUNDATION
Hey, remember that time Anunoby flipped Dennis Schroder after a wrap-up foul and was genuinely surprised that he did so?
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This is to say that Anunoby is a strong human being. So strong, that it's fair to question if he even recognizes how strong he is.
The encouraging portion of Anunoby's post-ASB stretch was that it seemed like he was starting to get it. He became a more effective driver last season compared to the year prior, but specifically flourished after the break. His volume of drives &mdash; and shot attempts following drives &mdash; nearly doubled while his efficiency also improved.
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Anunoby did a better job of creating space when attacking the basket. His shoulder became his weapon of choice, either subtly leaning into a defender once gaining inside leverage, or flat-out chucking dudes out of the way. Like-sized wings barely stood a chance, and even rim protectors struggled to keep Anunoby out of favorable positions.
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While power was his primary method of space creation, Anunoby flirted with other avenues. While not an advanced ball-handler (more on that later, too), he did start mixing in basic-dribble combos to set up drives.
A hang dribble into a hard cross and drive here; a subtle in-and-out to throw off a backpedaling big there. He explored Eurosteps and spin moves. It didn't always work, but he didn't look completely out of his element by the end of the season.
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It was (and remains) important for Anunoby to find craft-based solutions as a driver. He can overpower most players, but he can't overpower&nbsp;everyone. Even if he could, the predictability of those shoulder nudges can lead to offensive fouls if defenders know they're coming.
In terms of the actual rim attempts, the set-ups &mdash; dribble moves and/or displays of fancy footwork &mdash; are ways to create bigger and more efficient finishing windows.
Anunoby tends to jump off one foot versus powering off two, and he isn't a super explosive leaper to begin with. He relies on extension-based finishes quite a bit at this stage. It's a diet he can live on, but one with a smaller margin for error &mdash; one that requires a blend of strength and craft to generate space before the shot.
Anunoby showcased encouraging flashes in that regard. This is the natural progression to 1) having the ball more and 2) needing to get downhill effectively because of teams running him off the three-point line more often.
It's funny to look back on now, but Anunoby's jumper was a <a href="http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/OG-Anunoby-93246/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bit of a question mark</a> heading into the 2017 draft. Outside of a funky second season (33.2% on 3.0 attempts overall, 26.6% clip from the corners), he's more than quieted those concerns.
Anunoby is coming off a season in which he shot nearly 40% from deep on north of six attempts per contest. The encouraging part was the split; he converted 41.3% of his corner threes (2.9 attempts), and 38.3% of his non-corner looks (3.1 attempts).
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Thrusting Anunoby into a more prominent role doesn't just mean more shots; it means having to make more decisions.&nbsp;
He'll be tossed into more handoffs, more ball screens, more post-ups against mismatches. More attention will be shown to him by proxy of Siakam (and Lowry) being unavailable. There will be more playmaking opportunities for Anunoby; this is important since playmaking is the weakest aspect of his game.
This might be my favorite possession of Anunoby's film from last season, largely because so many things pop.
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I posted this <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1428094217180663808?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clip on Twitter</a> with a simple question: What stands out to you?
Many pointed out Michael Porter Jr.'s poor screen navigation. Nikola Jokic's surprisingly sturdy rep in drop coverage popped for others. Neither of those are wrong answers.
What stood out to me, with the obvious caveat that I was focusing on Anunoby for this piece,&nbsp; is that you could actively see Anunoby going through a mental checklist on this possession. The lack of reacting &mdash; the lack of feel &mdash; sticks out like a sore thumb.
Okay, Porter is caught on the screen. Let me slow down to get him on my hip.
(Crap, I can't feel him.)
What is Austin Rivers doing? Tagging? Okay, the pocket pass to Khem Birch isn't there anymore.
Crap, I'm in the paint. Let me gather.
[Jokic contests]
Craaaaaaaaap.
Sure, you can make the argument that after the pocket pass window closes, Anunoby could fit in a wrap-around once he engages Jokic on the roll. But that's the kind of short-area reactiveness he's trying to add to his bag, and that only comes with reps. Synergy only has Anunoby pegged for 75 pick-and-roll possessions (passes included) total last season &mdash; also known as "two Trae Young games."&nbsp;
Anunoby is very much expanding his palette as a passer. He's comfortable making pocket passes and dump-offs to rolling bigs. Corner kick-outs are far and few between in his film, especially of the live-dribble variety. He certainly isn't at the stage of manipulating weakside helpers, though that's okay. Again, that comes with reps.
Going back to the Nuggets clip: the other alternative for Anunoby was a pull-up jumper after Porter gets caught on the screen. There's a slight dig from Aaron Gordon at the nail, but not enough to really disrupt Anunoby if he wanted the shot.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2021_08_21_04_59_16_lg.png" alt="" width="577" height="325" />
But that's the thing: He didn't really want the shot.
This is a two-fold issue for Anunoby right now. He's not a fluid (or loose) athlete on the offensive end. That shows itself when he flows into pull-up jumpers. The mechanics are a bit awkward for him, particularly on forward momentum shots. Between the natural dip on his gather and his relatively slow load-up, it's no surprise that he doesn't go into those kind of looks&nbsp;unless he has an acre of space to dribble into.
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His off-the-dribble makes from last season are mostly of the "get comfortable behind the screen his defender is ducking under" variety, like this:
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Anunoby took 56 shots off the dribble last season per Synergy, and converted just 32.1% of those looks.
That leads us to the larger issue: Anunoby isn't comfortable with his handle, particularly in tight areas.
Adding the counters he did towards the end of last season is genuinely encouraging. Zoom out, and it's still fair to dub Anunoby's handle as slightly below average.&nbsp;
He's not an And-1 Mixtape ball-handler, which isn't an inherent issue. But you have to be able to get to your shots; you have&nbsp;to be able to get to your spots.
Anunoby isn't there right now, which is why many of his best half-court reps come with the defense already being scrambled, or the Raptors running some sort of action to get him attacking on the move.&nbsp;
But even when that's the context, helping or recovering defenders can still make him uncomfortable. Sometimes, it doesn't take that. He may lose his handle just because he loses the handle.&nbsp;
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The handle really does impact everything. You can't flow into pull-ups, side-steps or stepbacks comfortably without having the ball on a string. Can't make live-dribble passes if your dribble is shaky. Can't capitalize on drives if your handle can be bothered.
Anunoby developing a tighter handle is the single most important part of his offensive development.
Having a more natural transfer between his dribble and his gather will unlock a broader shot profile for him. Considering he's turned himself into a good shooter, the avenue to becoming a three-level scorer wouldn't be farfetched at all.&nbsp;
Take this possession against the Jazz, for example. This is a tremendous&nbsp;isolation rep that ends in a solid shot, but it's ruined because the handle-to-gather transfer is botched.
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A tighter handle would help him puncture the rim more effectively. Heck, it would help puncture the rim&nbsp;more.&nbsp;More paint touches, in theory, would lead to more shots, more free throw attempts and, if he forces extra attention, more kick-out opportunities.
As it stands now, Anunoby can provide value as a moderately-high volume, spot-up shooter with enough juice to beat close-outs and scrambling defenses. That, combined with his own elite defense &mdash; how has he not made an All-Defensive team yet? &mdash; makes for a darn good player.&nbsp;
But the path to becoming more is there. More finishing craft, better and quicker decisions as a passer. More than anything, though, the handle must improve.
If that comes, a leap won't just be possible &mdash; it'll be imminent.

Nekias Duncan debuts his "Something To Prove" series by breaking down OG Anunoby's offensive film and exploring his shot creation upside.

Something To Prove: OG Anunoby's shot creation

Toronto Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby has agreed to a four-year, $72 million extension, including a player-option for the 2024-2025 season, @KlutchSports Head of Basketball Omar Wilkes tells ESPN.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1341153643056214021?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: As most young players do, Anunoby took a giant leap in Year 3 of his budding NBA career. He is a stout defender with a quickly improving offensive game, specifically as a three-point shooter with his 39 percent clip from deep. He is always tasked to guard the most difficult assignments on the opposing team, and more times than not, he has delivered on his end of the bargain. Anunoby proved last postseason that he has a clutch gene, too, so it'll be right to see him continue to grow with this Raptors' squad.

Toronto's young rising wing is locked in with the organization as the team continues to grow together.

Raptors, OG Anunoby agree to 4-year, $72 million extension

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/brettsiegelnba/status/1461387124578652165?s=21">Brett Siegel/Hoop Analysis Network</a>
ANALYSIS: Anunoby is off to a great start for the Raptors, averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
The 7-8 Raptors will need to rely heavily on Pascal Siakam and hope for an early recovery from Anunoby if they hope to make a playoff run in a competive Eastern Conference.
&nbsp;

OG Anunoby is dealing with a hip pointer injury and coach Nick Nurse said he could be out "a while" as a result.

OG Anunoby could be out 'a while' from hip pointer injury

OG Anunoby was a popular candidate to make the vaunted Leap&trade; heading into this season. Raptor fans were excited about him for good reason. ESPN's Zach Lowe listed him as one of the most interesting players in the league. Heck, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">half of our staff</a> &mdash; including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202122-nba-season-and-award-predictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yours truly</a> &mdash; chose Anunoby as its Most Improved Player pick.&nbsp;
So it was a bit disheartening to see Anunoby kick things off with an 11-point performance on 3-of-17 shooting. It was even more disappointing to follow that up with 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting, though at least that one came in a victory.&nbsp;
It wasn't just the result (missed shots); the process seemed to be off. He was still trying to figure out how to leverage his strength as a higher-volume driver. Mix in the off-the-bounce jumpers he clearly emphasized during offseason work. Make more passing reads. All of this came while adjusting to life as the focal point of a defense.
Anunoby is starting to find some answers. Since that two-game brick-fest, Anunoby is averaging 22.8 points with 52/41/85 shooting splits. He's also chipping in with 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists (1.5 turnovers), 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks.
The Raptors have bllitzed opponents by <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1628384&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 10 points per 100 possessions</a> with Anunoby on the floor over this six-game stretch; during the Raptors' four-game winning streak, that number <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612761&amp;VsPlayerID=1628384&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eclipses 12 points per 100</a>.&nbsp;
There's plenty of season left for Anunoby, but he gave us an early candidate for his "I'm HERE" game on Monday, dropping a career-high 36 points in a win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
We saw a mix of it all from Anunoby. He knocked down 4 of his 12 triples; an off night compared to his season averages (35.3% on 8.5 attempts). He sprinkled in an array of off-dribble jumpers from the mid-range area, showcasing a fluidity we only saw hints of last season:
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There were the shoulder-chucking drives used to create space. Anunoby plays with a physicality that only a few wings in the league are comfortable with, much less equipped to deal with consistently. There have been counters added to his brute strength; his improving handle has allowed him to incorportate head-fakes and spins to get to his spots more effectively.
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That ability, combined with the attention he draws as the (pigeon-holed) focal point of the offense opens up passing windows that didn't exist for him in the pass. It's nice to see a flash like this:
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You won't confuse this with LeBronian manipulation, but it's a step up for Anunoby.
He surveys the court, peeping Julius Randle nudge his way to the right elbow. Anunoby sets up RJ Barrett (defending his tail off this year, by the way) with a jab before flowing into a right-to-left spin. Midway through his spin, he recognizes Derrick Rose committing to help, as well as Alec Burks trying to track two Raptors on an exchange.&nbsp;
You see the strength shine through &mdash; Rose has no chance at knocking this ball loose &mdash; as well as the quick processing, as Anunoby hits Gary Trent Jr. on his lift. Progress.&nbsp;
What's been impressive, in the Knicks game but also during the season as a whole, is how locked in Anunoby has remained as a defender despite his heightened offensive role. His work on Randle, particularly in the second half, was strong. He mirrored his drives, stayed disciplined against Randle's movement jumpers and absorbed whatever blows Randle tried to dish out.
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Even when off-ball, Anunoby provided value as a helper in multiple contexts. At the nail; as the low-man; timely rotations underneath. This may have been my favorite possession from him on the night:
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Yes, you're looking at aggressive help at the nail, a disciplined close-out and a strong contest in roughly four seconds. It's boring stuff, but it's effective. Aggressive, but controlled.&nbsp;
That's really what the Raptors want from Anunoby this season: aggressive, but controlled play. We know he can bring it defensively. He's smoothing out some of the rough edges offensively. It won't always be a 36-point night, but as long as the process is sound, nights like this will become more common.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the impressive two-way play of OG Anunoby and his huge night in New York.

OG Anunoby putting an early stamp on Most Improved Player candidacy

Hi, hello, and welcome to the first edition of Roaming The Baseline! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film -- it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film -- but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
DEVONTE&rsquo; GRAHAM IS BUZZING&nbsp;
The Charlotte Hornets have been League Pass darlings all season long. Most of that was behind the play of LaMelo Ball, though the enthusiasm of an Eric Collins call is up there on the intrigue list. Seriously, that man is the Kevin Harlan of local broadcasts.
Anyway, Ball is out of commission with a wrist fracture. He&rsquo;s missed the last five games, and the Hornets&hellip; are 4-1, with their lone loss coming in overtime against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.&nbsp;
What stood out in that game -- aside from a blown and-1 against Miles Bridges and Devin Booker cooking the <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1376555228791771139?s=20">Hornets&rsquo; early help</a> -- was Devonte&rsquo; Graham&rsquo;s shotmaking. That dude ran hot.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/devonte-pull-up.gif" alt="" width="575" height="321" />
Graham isn&rsquo;t the only player keeping the Hornets afloat; Terry Rozier continues to be a #ClutchGawd, Gordon Hayward is doing his smooth-operator things in the mid-post area, and Miles Bridges is dunking just about everything.
But the bounceback for Graham has been huge. Via InStat tracking, Graham has drained 40% of his pull-up threes during this five-game stretch. It&rsquo;s made him more or less the type of pull-up threat he was during his breakout sophomore campaign.
(Can sophomore campaigns classify as &ldquo;breakouts&rdquo; or do we just call that progression? Hello? Bueller?)
Getting back to that level of shotmaking is going to help the Hornets stay afloat. And, on a more personal note, reestablishing himself as that sort of threat is going to help get him paid this summer.&nbsp;
Kudos to that man!
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CHRISTYN WILLIAMS CAN BALL, TOO
The Lady Huskies of UConn have made their 13th-straight Final Four appearance. The talk of the town is guard Paige Bueckers, who is one of the best freshmen guards we&rsquo;ve seen in a looooong time. She&rsquo;s been great during the tourney, averaging 22.5 points (47/37/91 shooting split), 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals.&nbsp;
But UConn is much more than a one-woman show. They&rsquo;ve gotten key contributions from a host of players, but I&rsquo;d like to spotlight Christyn Williams for a bit.
The 5-foot-11 junior has been a two-way force for the Huskies. She&rsquo;s added value as a driver, especially against closeouts. She&rsquo;s also been bombing away from three, drilling 41% of her triples on nearly six attempts per contest. Her shot-making has been key to helping the offense loosen things up against the zones they&rsquo;ve faced.&nbsp;
Defensively, she&rsquo;s been a disruptor at the point-of-attack. Her on-ball tenacity played a large part in Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark having her third-least-efficient game of the season -- 0.75 points per play, via the good folks at <a href="https://herhoopstats.com/">Her Hoop Stats</a>.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/christyn-williams-defense.gif" alt="" width="574" height="323" />
This is more of a feel thing, but the plays that Williams has made throughout the tourney have felt timely. She doesn&rsquo;t just hit threes -- she knocks &lsquo;em down to cap a run or to end one from the other team. She doesn&rsquo;t just get to the rim; she breaks up the side-to-side swings and adds some juice to the offense near the end of the shot clock.&nbsp;
Bueckers may be the driving force, but the Huskies wouldn&rsquo;t be in the Final Four without the play of Williams.
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OG ANUNOBY CAN GUARD ANYBODY
I mean anybody.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/og-vs-cp3.gif" alt="" width="574" height="319" />
I mean anybody.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/og-vs-barton_jokic.gif" alt="" width="574" height="319" />
I. Mean. Anybody.&nbsp; 
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/og-vs-bam.gif" alt="" width="575" height="319" />
It freaking sucks that OG Anunoby hasn&rsquo;t been able to string together a large swath of games since, like, January. His development was something I was looking forward to this season, and so much has been outside of his control.
Even still, he&rsquo;s averaging a career high in points (14.7), rebounds (5.9), assists (1.8, bleh),&nbsp; steals (1.7), blocks (0.8), and three-point shooting (40.6% on 5.7 attempts). We&rsquo;ve seen some fun on-ball flashes from him, and the defense has been worthy of an All-Defensive team selection. Let&rsquo;s hope he stays healthy for the rest of the season.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO &ldquo;HMMMM&rdquo;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Aaron Gordon averaged roughly 13 shot attempts per game over his final three-ish seasons in Orlando. He&rsquo;s taken 13 shots total in his first two games in Denver. It&rsquo;s way too early to know if that means anything meaningful, but there seems to be an inherent buy-in on being a glue guy around the Jokic-Murray-Porter triumvirate.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Very quietly, Andrew Wiggins is on a bit of an upswing. In March, he&rsquo;s drilled 54.1% of his threes on north of five attempts per contest. The on-ball defense has largely held all year long. Another thing to keep tabs on: the Curry-Wiggins-Draymond trio without Kelly Oubre on the floor has a plus-15.1 net rating in 221 minutes, per <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612744&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=203952,1626162,201939,203110">PBP Stats</a>.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Going back to the UConn-Iowa matchup in the Sweet 16, I still can&rsquo;t believe Iowa went that entire game without trying to attack Paige Bueckers in pick-and-roll. It is unfathomable to run a pick-and-roll heavy offense against a team that was willing to switch 1-through-3, and not attack the player that doubles as the worst on-ball defender in the lineup and their most important offensive player. What a blown opportunity.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Nearly a third of the Clippers&rsquo; shot attempts have come at the rim over the past two weeks. That ranks 11th during the stretch, and the actual number (32.9%) would rank 15th if extrapolated over the course of the season. That isn&rsquo;t an elite mark by any stretch, but &ldquo;average&rdquo; is all they need to complement their jump shooting. Also, 15th is a lot better than their actual rank (29th). And they&rsquo;ve done this without Rajon Rondo playing. It&rsquo;s almost like&hellip;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It took until mid-February, but De&rsquo;Anthony Melton is a regular part of the Grizzlies&rsquo; rotation. And it is glorious. He&rsquo;s providing his usual brand of hungry-bulldog defense across both guard spots. More intriguing: since February 19, he&rsquo;s shooting 44% from deep on four attempts per contest. His contract (4/35) was a steal at the time of the signing. If his three-point shot is even close to what it&rsquo;s been this season, his agent may have some &lsquo;splainin&rsquo; to do.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Smart Improvisation
Marcus Smart made some, uh, decisions later on in Boston&rsquo;s loss to the Pelicans, but I liked this possession from him. He pushed the ball after a made basket to set up an early clock post-up. Robert Williams then lifts from the free throw line as an outlet before receiving the pass from Smart. From there, Kemba Walker curls around Williams to receive the handoff, then Smart sets an impromptu screen to get Walker downhill.&nbsp;
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/smart-improv.gif" alt="" width="574" height="319" />
I&rsquo;m not sure if that&rsquo;s a set piece or some freelance goodness, but it looked pretty. So, here we are.&nbsp;
Mikal Bridges Fakes the Funk
What a freakin&rsquo; ATO. A simple, but layered beauty.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/mikal-fake-dho.gif" alt="" width="574" height="319" />
This entire play is about deception. The Suns love running Double Drag almost as much as the Hawks do, so you can see hints of &ldquo;Aha! We&rsquo;re ready!&rdquo; as Bogdan Bogdanovic is preparing to switch the first action. He plays it high as Trae Young trails Chris Paul, but the exchange never happens.
Bridges pulls the football from Charlie Brown, darting to the hoop for an easy deuce. The hidden goodness is Devin Booker hauling tail to the left corner before things kick off, essentially turning this into an empty corner affair on the right side of the court. Danilo Gallinari tries to rotate over, but he can&rsquo;t get there.
The Heat have options
Everyone and their mother knows that the Heat want to get Duncan Robinson looks from three. The issue is that 1) he&rsquo;s insanely good at getting open and 2) the Heat do a fantastic job of making you think.
Quick, what does it look like they&rsquo;re setting up here?
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/screenshot_2021_03_31_18_18_00_lg.png" alt="" width="576" height="324" />
I could argue that Goran Dragic is setting a cross screen for Robinson so he can run off the Trevor Ariza screen on the left side of the floor. I could also argue that the Heat are setting up &ldquo;Elevator&rdquo; doors for Dragic to pop out on the left wing. Heck, I could argue Dragic could reverse course and come off of Ariza&rsquo;s screen himself, then flow into a 1-4 PnR to force (and attack) a switch.
This is what actually happened.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/duncan-triple.gif" alt="" width="574" height="319" />
Dragic aborts, then Robinson basically crawls through a mouse door to shake loose for a three from the left wing.&nbsp;
Good luck.
THE READING LIST
I&rsquo;m still working out the kinks of how I want this thing to flow, but I know this will be a staple. People reach out to me pretty often (humbling, to say the least) asking how to get better at this writing thing. I surely don&rsquo;t have all the answers -- I maintain that I&rsquo;m not even the best Duncan doing this -- but I do have one simple piece of advice: write a ton, and read more than you write.
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. It&rsquo;ll help you become smarter and better at what you do. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of Zach Lowe or Chris Herring or Caitlin Cooper or Mirin Fader or, well, you get the point.
Anyway, here are some -- not all, but some! -- of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week (since 3/24) that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlin Cooper</a> on <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2021/3/29/22351630/nobody-puts-edmond-sumner-in-the-corner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edmond Sumner&rsquo;s usage</a>, as well as the Sumner-TJ McConnell backcourt at large.
<a href="https://twitter.com/rohitnaimpally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Naimpally</a> with a <a href="https://rohitnaimpally.substack.com/p/weekly-rewatch-5-nets-wizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fantastic deepdive</a> on a fun Nets-Wizards game.
<a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Herring</a> on the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/25/andre-drummond-rebounding-daily-cover" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current value of rebounding</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/LaurenWilli23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauren Williams</a> with a <a href="https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2021/03/meet-the-woman-helping-build-the-detroit-pistons-back-into-a-contender.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dope feature on Britta Brown</a>, the newly hired senior director of basketball administration for the Detroit Pistons. Never a bad day to highlight a black woman in a position of power in the sports world.
<a href="https://twitter.com/wtevs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katie Heindl</a> on the <a href="https://basketballfeelings.substack.com/p/what-kind-of-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murky business of trades</a>. I&rsquo;d also recommend checking out her appearance on the latest <a href="https://twitter.com/wtevs/status/1376914647819911175?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">episode of Spinsters</a>, a basketball-and-more podcast hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/HaleyOSomething" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Haley O'Shaughnessy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/_jordanligons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jordan Ligons</a>.

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays, stats and more.

Roaming the Baseline: OG Anunoby, Devonte' Graham, UConn, more

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) &mdash; The Toronto Raptors were a half-second away from falling into the abyss that no NBA team has ever escaped. Down by two points, down by two games, the reigning champions needed a miracle.
OG Anunoby delivered.
Anunoby caught a cross-court pass that Kyle Lowry threaded over everybody else on the floor and hit a 3-pointer as time expired, giving the Raptors a 104-103 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night.
The Celtics still lead the series 2-1. But it's not 3-0 &mdash; and that means the Raptors still have realistic hope. The Raptors mobbed Anunoby after the shot, reveling in the moment.
&ldquo;Someone hit me in the nose," Anunoby said. &ldquo;It's cool."
The Celtics took a two-point lead when Kemba Walker found Daniel Theis for a dunk with a half-second left.
No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 series deficit. The Raptors won&rsquo;t have to try it now; Lowry elected to audible and throw the long pass &mdash; threading it over Boston's 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall, who was put in specifically to disrupt the inbounds play &mdash; to Anunoby.
&ldquo;The pass was nothing," Lowry said. &ldquo;OG made the shot. All the credit goes to the shot, man. That's a tough shot. Give OG that credit. The pass was just to get it to a guy like OG. It's OG's moment, man. That's a great moment for that kid."
Lowry played virtually the whole way, finishing with 31 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Fred VanVleet scored 25 points, Pascal Siakam had 16 and Anunoby 12.
Walker scored 29 points for Boston, which lost for the first time in seven playoff games. Jaylen Brown had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Jayson Tatum finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Celtics.
&ldquo;It hurts and stings to lose," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. &ldquo;But we'll just get back to it and get ready for Saturday."
Marc Gasol made a layup with 5:57 left for a four-point lead; the Celtics responded with the next eight points, going up 99-95 on a dunk by Brown with 3:02 remaining.
Lowry got a pair of layups, both drawing Toronto within two. The Raptors had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final half-minute, VanVleet getting an acrobatic layup to drop with 21.5 seconds left and knotting it at 101.
Theis&rsquo; score put Toronto on the brink. Anunoby rescued the champs.
&ldquo;Much credit to those guys," Walker said. &ldquo;That was a hell of a shot."
Toronto was clawing uphill most of the night. The Raptors were outscored 19-10 to close the half, a run that gave Boston a 57-47 lead at the break. Walker had 17 points in the first quarter, capping that period with a 3-pointer &mdash; and did it again to end the second to give Boston what was its biggest lead.
&ldquo;We knew they wouldn't quit," Walker said.
He was right.
Lowry had been 0 for 5 from 3-point range in the game &mdash; and 1 for 17 in the series &mdash; before connecting from the left corner midway through the third, getting the Raptors to 61-60. Toronto would eventually lead by as many as four in the third, but Boston reclaimed the lead and took an 80-76 edge into the fourth.
In the final moment, the Raptors found a way.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure that that doesn&rsquo;t rank with our gutsiest performances," Nurse said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Lowry sat for a 1:31 stretch of the first quarter. He returned late in that period and played the final 37 minutes, 29 seconds. ... Nurse tied Dwane Casey for the franchise postseason wins lead, with 21.
Celtics: Walker&rsquo;s 17 first-quarter points were a career-best for any postseason quarter. He had 14 for Charlotte in the fourth quarter against Miami on April 29, 2016. ... Robert Williams&rsquo;s first shot attempt of the night was blocked by Serge Ibaka with 8:19 left in the first half, significant because Williams had been 10 for 10 in the series to that point.
ANOTHER ONE
It was the fifth consecutive playoff game to go to the final second. Tuesday saw Boston win when VanVleet missed a 3-pointer for the tie at the buzzer, followed by Mike Conley missing as time expired in Denver's Game 7 win over Utah. On Wednesday, Jimmy Butler hit a game-ending free throw in Miami's win over Milwaukee and Houston denied Oklahoma City on the last play of their Game 7. And Thursday was Anunoby's turn.
NURSE ON NASH
Nurse is friends with new Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash and had talked to him quite a bit of late &mdash; but Nash didn&rsquo;t reveal that he was in the mix for the job. &ldquo;Caught me off guard, that&rsquo;s for sure,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;He kept all that to himself, close to his chest. ... He&rsquo;ll be great, man. He&rsquo;s one of the greatest players ever.&rdquo; Nash&rsquo;s hiring was announced Thursday morning. He&rsquo;s the second Canadian to become an NBA head coach, joining Jay Triano.
UP NEXT
Game 4 is Saturday.

Down by two points, down by two games, the Raptors needed a miracle. OG Anunoby delivered.

Raptors earn nail-biting win in Game 3

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet doesn&rsquo;t worry about players who aren&rsquo;t teammates anymore, or what can&rsquo;t be done without them.
He just wants to win.
Finally back home in Canada after two frustrating seasons disrupted by the pandemic, the Raptors are a far cry from the star-studded team that Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry helped lead to the 2019 NBA championship.
Leonard is long gone and Lowry left this summer in a sign-and-trade with Miami, but don&rsquo;t tell VanVleet the Raptors can&rsquo;t compete.
&ldquo;The goal is to win a championship every year,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m certainly not going to lower my standards. I don&rsquo;t care who&rsquo;s on the team.&rdquo;
Coach Nick Nurse agrees.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never really approached the season with thoughts other than trying to win and win big,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s got to be a way.&rdquo;
VanVleet, along with fellow championship holdovers Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, will be counted on to provide the kind of leadership that Lowry once delivered.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll try to pick up the slack that he left behind, the greatest Raptor to do it,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;I read a quote the other day that said &lsquo;There&rsquo;s things that have never been done (before) done every day.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m up for the challenge, I think the team is ready for the challenge. We have a young, hungry group that are looking to prove themselves.&rdquo;
After missing the playoffs last season and ending up with the fourth pick in the draft, Toronto chose Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, adding another long, athletic player to a growing stable of similar talents, including Siakam and Anunoby.
&ldquo;We want to go out there and have people not want to play us,&rdquo; Siakam said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the energy and mindset you&rsquo;ve got to have, being that team you don&rsquo;t want to play against because of the length, the athleticism, the energy, all those things.&rdquo;
General manager Bobby Webster understands why the Raptors aren&rsquo;t considered championship contenders any more, but is happy with the way things are headed.
&ldquo;We feel like the trajectory of the team is on the climb and we feel like we have some interesting pieces,&rdquo; Webster said. &ldquo;If one or two or three players pop, maybe we&rsquo;re in a different group.&rdquo;
Here are some other things to watch with the Raptors this season.
DON&rsquo;T FORGET FLYNN
With his big talent and bubbly personality, Barnes is the newly drafted star that has grabbed the most attention during training camp. VanVleet doesn&rsquo;t want anyone sleeping on second-year guard Malachi Flynn, who averaged 7.5 points in 47 games as a rookie.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s more of a shot-maker than I was at that point,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s got it going, he&rsquo;s a really tough cover. You can&rsquo;t touch him. He&rsquo;s one of those Trae Young body types where any little body contact, he&rsquo;ll be going to the line.&rdquo;
MY PRECIOUS
An intriguing part of the return for Lowry was 6-foot-8 forward Precious Achiuwa, who turned 22 last month. Achiuwa played one season of college ball at Memphis and saw limited action for the Heat as a rookie, averaging 5.0 points in 61 games.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a competitive sense about him,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;He just doesn&rsquo;t go grab rebounds, he takes rebounds. He&rsquo;s really talented. I think he&rsquo;s got a really, really bright future.&rdquo;
COMFORTS OF HOME
Toronto played its two home preseason games in front of half-capacity crowds but Ontario&rsquo;s provincial government has relaxed restrictions, allowing the team to sell all available tickets once the regular season starts. After a season in Tampa, Florida, that&rsquo;s welcome news to the Raptors, who went 23-9 at home in Toronto before the 2019-20 season was shut down.
&ldquo;We always feel like we have one of the best fan bases in the league,&rdquo; Webster said. &ldquo;I fully expect that to be back in our pocket this year.&rdquo;
Toronto plays five of its first six at home, and finishes the season with eight of 10 at home.
NEW ON THE BENCH
There&rsquo;s an international flavor to the three new additions to Nurse&rsquo;s staff. The first is former UCLA and NBA star Earl Watson, and the second is Canadian Nathaniel Mitchell, a former assistant in Charlotte. The final addition is Australian Trevor Gleeson, whose Perth Wildcats won five National Basketball League titles in seven seasons from 2014 to 2020.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s really smart and a really good coach and he&rsquo;s won a lot,&rdquo; Nurse said of Gleeson. &ldquo; I like all those characteristics.&rdquo;

Fred VanVleet, along with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, will be counted on to provide the leadership that Kyle Lowry once did.

VanVleet not letting Lowry departure lower his expectations

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second career triple-double and the Toronto Raptors overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat the cold-shooting Milwaukee Bucks 103-96 on Saturday night.
OG Anunoby added 24 points to help the Raptors improve to 3-0 this season against the defending champion Bucks, who shot a season low 33.8%. Toronto has won five straight in the series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 30 points, making all 17 of his free throws but going 6 of 17 from the field. He didn't play in the previous two games with Toronto this season, with the Raptors winning <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-toronto-milwaukee-bucks-canada-1a40fb1cdd8cff35c81eedb7cb920320">97-93 in Toronto </a> on Dec. 2 and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-nba-sports-health-toronto-591a950b009aaa7835d273ae3f7caad4">117-111 in Milwaukee </a> on Jan. 5.
Fred VanVleet added 17 points for Toronto, Chris Boucher had 15, and Preston Achiuwa finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Grayson Allen had 18 points for Bucks, and Khris Middleton added 16.
After spending two minutes on the bench with five fouls, Siakam returned with 6:46 left in a tie game and made a jumper 21 seconds later. After Antetokounmpo tied it again with two free throws, Siakam hit a corner 3-pointer in front of the Bucks&rsquo; bench with 5:53 left to put the Raptors back in front for good.
The Bucks took a 16-2 lead in the first four minutes and the Raptors missed 11 of their first 12 shots. Milwaukee extended the lead to 22-7.
Toronto chipped away at the deficit and tied it on OG Anunoby's free throws with 45 seconds left in the half. Pat Connaughton made a 3-pointer with 38.5 seconds left to give the Bucks a 49-46 halftime lead.
The Raptors took their first lead at 53-52 on Siakam&rsquo;s 11-foot jumper with 9:19 left in the third quarter. Preston Achiuwa followed with a layup that capped a 9-0 spurt for Toronto.
Milwaukee tied it twice later in the third quarter and three more times in the first six minutes of the fourth period, but Toronto responded and regained the lead each of those instances.
The Bucks were missing guard Jrue Holiday for a fifth straight game as he deals with a sore left ankle. Toronto was playing without Gary Trent Jr. (swollen left ankle) and Scottie Barnes (right knee).
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TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto was playing a night after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-toronto-detroit-canada-45d2596bb55f80eb05ca91526279fb85">losing 103-87 at Detroit.</a> ... Siakam has averaged 27.7 points in three games against the Bucks this season. ... Rookie Justin Champagnie had a career-high 12 rebounds.
Bucks: Wesley Matthews went to the locker room in the first quarter with a bruised collarbone but returned to the game in the second period. ... The Bucks made 32 of 35 free throws. ... Middleton shot 3 of 12.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Miami on Monday night.
Bucks: At Atlanta on Monday night.

Pascal Siakam had 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second career triple-double as Toronto overcame the Bucks 103-96.

Pascal Siakam has triple-double, Raptors beat Bucks 103-96

NBA teams can typically anticipate where most of their production will come from and, barring injury, most are usually correct. But sometimes, players surprise us, taking a leap that suddenly changes their career trajectory. Sometimes, it&rsquo;s a relatively unknown veteran who establishes himself as a dependable role player. Other times, role players or young prospects grow into stars.
No matter the cause, breakout seasons are fun. They keep us on our toes and lead us to question how we assess talent. As is the case every season, there will inevitably be breakout players in 2021-22 &ndash; but who? Let&rsquo;s look around the Association to identify&nbsp; the five most likely candidates to have breakout seasons, ranked in order of likelihood.
ODDS: VERY LIKELY
OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors, 24: As was alluded to above, there are different types of breakout campaigns. Some guys make a name for themselves, while others escalate their existing profile. Anunoby is absolutely a case of the latter. He seized the opportunity created when Kawhi Leonard left for Los Angeles in 2019, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game in 2019-20. Anunoby made another relatively big jump last year, averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in his fourth NBA season. He&rsquo;s gone from an average, low-volume three-point shooter to a moderate-volume, above-average shooter, connecting on 39.8% of his deep attempts last season. His ball-handling is also worlds better than it was when he first came in the league, and so is his defense.
Still, there&rsquo;s a case to be made that Anunoby is not done demonstrating growth. Anunoby came on strong toward the end of last season, averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 33 minutes per game across his final 20 contests, while scoring 20 or more in six of his final seven. If he continues performing like that, he will be in the All-Star conversation. And there&rsquo;s no reason to think he won&rsquo;t take <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season">the next step in his development</a>. staff&nbsp; Anunoby doesn&rsquo;t turn 25 until July and while he&rsquo;s been given a little more opportunity with each professional season, the departure of Kyle Lowry, the first full season without Normal Powell and the fact that Pascal Siakam will miss the first month or so of the season should result in even more production. So, get ready for your close up, Mr. Anunoby.&nbsp;
Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets, 21: Porter, like Anunoby, already took a relatively big step between his rookie and sophomore seasons. The former USC Trojan averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 assists per game last year, his first with the Rockets. He even put the league on notice with a 50-point outing. But Porter hasn&rsquo;t been nearly efficient enough to warrant mass praise&hellip; yet. Porter shot just 31.1% on three-point attempts, posting a 49.3 effective field goal percentage last season. He&rsquo;ll look to improve on his sub-par defensive numbers too; ESPN&rsquo;s defensive RPM stat ranked him last in the entire NBA.
But Porter is entering his third season &ndash; one that talent evaluators widely agree is a make-or-break season for young pros &ndash; with a lot of momentum. He was always seen as a top-tier talent, league executives just weren&rsquo;t sure if he was mature enough to handle the NBA. The guard, who was once traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers for nothing more than a heavily protected second-round pick, could make a lot of teams regret not selecting or trading for him. And that could happen as soon as this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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ODDS: LESS LIKELY, BUT STILL A GOOD BET
Devonte&rsquo; Graham, New Orleans Pelicans, 26: Graham already had a breakout year, but he can really make a name for himself this season. Graham was in an interesting situation in Charlotte, where he was obviously the odd man out. But even before the arrival of LaMelo Ball, it wasn&rsquo;t an ideal situation for Graham. Sans Ball and Gordon Hayward, the Hornets just weren&rsquo;t talented enough for Graham to prosper and starting alongside Terry Rozier meant one of the two undersized guards would have to guard a shooting guard.&nbsp;
New Orleans offers Graham a far better situation to flourish. Less will be asked of him and he&rsquo;ll play alongside a more balanced lineup with Nickeil Alexander-Walker (who is a true shooting guard), Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas &ndash; and this is the most talented roster he&rsquo;s been on. Graham will be able to take what the defense gives him without having to force production, and he&rsquo;ll be able to play freely without looking over his shoulder, which was probably an issue to some degree last season. While nothing is guaranteed, I believe in the Pelicans roster this season, and believe that Graham will look even in New Orleans.&nbsp;
ODDS: LONG SHOTS
Malik Monk, Los Angeles Lakers, 23: Monk has had a disappointing start to his career since being selected No. 11 overall pick in 2017. He was never an ideal fit in Charlotte, and he didn&rsquo;t really begin carving out a role for himself until last season (his fourth in the league). If you look closely, though, Monk did begin to realize some of his potential last season. Specifically, he averaged 14.6 points in 23.5 minutes per game on 47/42/83 shooting splits between January 27 and March 26, notably torching the Miami Heat for 36 points on February 2 and again for 32 points on March 26.
Monk will play a very different role for the Lakers, playing alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers will get Monk far more easy looks and while he&rsquo;ll battle for minutes with Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn and Talen-Horton Tucker, his shot-making ability should be a differentiator. Considering Monk has only received an average of 17.8 minutes per game across four seasons, he already understands how to impact a game in a limited role. He should be able to thrive as an under-the-radar option and get his career back on track.
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Obi Toppin, New York Knicks, 23: Toppin is shooting at an entirely different basket than any of the aforementioned players, figuratively speaking. Toppin enters his second NBA season as an older-than-normal sophomore, and his rookie season was certainly less successful than he would have liked. But it wasn&rsquo;t all his fault. Head coach Tom Thibodeau loves veterans and he was slotted behind breakout star Julius Randle. What&rsquo;s more, Toppin couldn&rsquo;t play in Summer League last season because there wasn&rsquo;t a Summer League thanks to the pandemic, and he was slowed down by a calf injury suffered in the very first game of the season.&nbsp;
Last season, Toppin looked lost at times. But this summer, he proved that he is a different player when healthy and confident. Toppin dominated in Summer League, averaging 21.0 points and 8.3 rebounds with 45/34/89 shooting splits. Granted, the competition is less accomplished than what it will be night-in and night-out in the regular season (and the playoffs), but Toppin demonstrated all the skills that led to the Knicks selecting him eighth overall in 2020. He certainly won&rsquo;t enter the All-Star discussion this season, but he is primed to take a profound step forward &ndash; even if it&rsquo;s in a reserve role. And as much as the third season is the one that front offices look to for evidence of growth and star potential, most players build off momentum from their sophomore seasons &ndash; and Toppin should be in a prime position to have a strong second year.&nbsp;
Predicting breakout players is never easy, but Anunoby, Porter Jr., Graham, Monk and Toppin seem like solid bets.

Who seems poised to break out entering the 2021-22 NBA season? Drew Maresca shares 5 players to watch.

5 breakout candidates to watch entering 2021-22 NBA season

No need for any big shots this time. Not the way the Toronto Raptors just kept getting stops.
Pascal Siakam had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Kyle Lowry added 22 points and 11 boards and the Raptors evened the Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece, beating the Boston Celtics 100-93 on Saturday.
Two days after winning Game 3 on OG Anunoby&rsquo;s 3-pointer as time expired, the Raptors shut down most of Boston&rsquo;s perimeter shooters and Jaylen Brown in particular.
Serge Ibaka had 18 points off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting and Fred VanVleet finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Raptors shot only 39.5 percent, but believe they'll eventually put their offense and defense together on the same night.
&ldquo;I think we can always get to another level. I feel like we can always do that and obviously everyone clicking at the right time, and once we have that we&rsquo;re a pretty special team,&rdquo; Siakam said.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics. They won their first six postseason games before dropping the last two. Kemba Walker had 15 points and eight assists.
&ldquo;Obviously, we didn&rsquo;t play that well, I didn&rsquo;t play that well,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;We've got to bounce back and be ready to fight. That&rsquo;s what it comes down to.&rdquo;
The Celtics were 7 for 35 (20 percent) from 3-point range. Brown missed his first nine attempts behind the arc and finished 2 for 11, and 4 for 18 overall. Tatum, Walker and Marcus Smart were all 1 for 6 on 3-pointers.
&ldquo;I think we made it a little bit tougher for them tonight but they still had a lot of shots that they were able to get off,&rdquo; Lowry said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just trying to contain those guys: Tatum, Brown, Walker even Smart. We&rsquo;ve just got to continue to make it tough on those guys.&rdquo;
The Raptors got their own shooting untracked late in the third quarter to open the first sizable lead by either team and Boston couldn't hit nearly enough shots to put much of a dent in it.
The Celtics were a half-second from taking a 3-0 lead, from which no NBA team has recovered, after Daniel Theis' basket gave them a two-point lead Thursday. But Anunoby's 3 got the defending NBA champions, who overcame a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals, on the way to what they hope will be a similar recovery.
Coach Nick Nurse assumed the Raptors would quickly refocus after the euphoria of that victory, recalling how well they played on short rest after Kawhi Leonard's series-winning shot to beat Philadelphia in Game 7 of the second round before falling in Game 1 at Milwaukee.
He was right, as Lowry sent them to a quick 11-4 lead with eight points. He scored 11 points in the first quarter, which ended with Toronto leading 31-27. There were five ties in the second quarter, including when VanVleet's 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds to go made it 49-all.
After some cold perimeter shooting by both teams, the Raptors finally had a strong stretch late in the third, getting two 3-pointers by VanVleet and another by Ibaka in a little over a minute to open their largest lead at 79-68. Toronto led by eight after three.
The Celtics never got closer than five in the final quarter and when they did for the final time, Tatum was called for an offensive foul with 32 seconds left.
Walker took only nine shots, a number he said was unacceptable on his behalf.
&ldquo;We've just got to be better. We've got to be tougher. We've got to want it more,&rdquo; Walker said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: When Lowry checked out 1:31 left in the first quarter, it was his first break in game action since late in the first quarter of Game 3. He re-entered that game with 1:29 left in the period after about a 90-second break and he played the remainder of the game.
Celtics: Boston shot 44 percent overall. ... Brown finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
HAYWARD'S HEALTH
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he believed Gordon Hayward, who sprained his right ankle in Game 1 of the first round against Philadelphia, would return to campus Monday. He said Hayward would then have to quarantine for four days, though it will be much longer before he
&ldquo;But then he&rsquo;s not going to play anytime soon,&rdquo; Stevens said.
FAMILY MATTERS
Nurse agreed with Denver coach Michael Malone's comments Friday expressing disappointment that coaches weren't allowed to have guests join them inside the bubble this week, as players did. But he also said he probably wouldn't have brought his family anyway, not thinking it would be a great place for family, and noted that there are other team personnel who also couldn't bring guests.
&ldquo;So it&rsquo;s more than just the coaches that are affected,&rdquo; Nurse said.
7-UP
When Lowry and Brown fouled each other, it caused some headaches for the public address announcer, who mixed up his No. 7s. When Brown fouled Lowry in the first quarter, he announced the foul was on Lowry, saying &ldquo;my bad&rdquo; after a moment of confusion. Lowry hacked Brown in the second and it was announced as a foul on the Celtics player.

The Toronto Raptors evened the Eastern Conference semifinal at 2-2, beating the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

Raptors beat Celtics 100-93, even series

The Toronto Raptors have been dealing with COVID-19 issues for the last few days, and the news got a bit worse on Tuesday evening. While their game originally scheduled for Tuesday against Detroit was pushed to Wednesday night, that certainly doesn't mean the team will be anywhere near full strength.&nbsp;
The Raptors have ruled out Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Malachi Flynn, and Pat McCaw as part of the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols for the matchup against the Pistons. Siakam has already missed time in the protocol, as has head coach Nick Nurse and five other coaches in total.&nbsp;
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The Raptors will be without Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Malachi Flynn and Pat McCaw because of the NBA&rsquo;s health and safety protocols for tomorrow&rsquo;s game against the Pistons. That is in addition to Nick Nurse and several other coaches.
&mdash; Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1366891502815883266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Raptors are also scheduled to play on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics.

The Raptors are already missing head coach Nick Nurse and five assistant coaches.

Raptors to be down five players due to NBA's Health and Safety Protocols

Along the lines of which NBA player <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-has-surprised-you-in-the-first-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has suprised the most</a>, there is a curiosity surrounding who will actually take home a trophy for taking that next step from good to great.
While it's still very early, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers:
Who is your early favorite for the Most Improved Player award? 
Alex Kennedy: Miles Bridges has been sensational and I can absolutely see him winning the award if he keeps this up. He increased his scoring average by 8.9 points, and he&rsquo;s currently posting career-highs in points (21.6), rebounds (7.6), assists (3.4), steals (1.4), blocks (0.8), threes (2.4), player efficiency rating (18.9) and box plus/minus (+2.0). While some players get off to a hot start and then inevitably fizzle out, Bridges&rsquo; terrific play may just be sustainable. After all, he had a similarly impressive stretch toward the end of last season. Over the final 20 games of the 2020-21 campaign, the 23-year-old averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 threes, 2.8 assists, 1.0 block, 0.8 steals and 1.8 turnovers (while shooting 51.1% from the field, 43.5% from three and 83.9% from the free-throw line). Bridges&rsquo; production isn&rsquo;t some fluke, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if he continues to shine and takes home Most Improved.
Nekias Duncan: Ja Morant has given me pause, but I'm rolling with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/og-anunoby-is-putting-an-early-stamp-on-mip-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my preseason pick</a> &mdash; OG Anunoby. He's taken on much more on-ball responsibility and is holding his own. To become a 20-point scorer on a whim without sacrificing the defense &mdash; he's still hounding dudes at an All-Defensive team level &mdash; is wildly impressive.
Spencer Davies: Despite the Memphis Grizzlies&rsquo; inconsistencies as a team, Ja Morant is probably leading the charge. He&rsquo;s on track to make his first All-Star team with the kind of production he&rsquo;s putting forth &mdash; 25.1 points, 7.0 assists and a career-best 5.9 rebounds per contest. Adding the three-ball and willingly pulling up from distance, that makes him an entirely different threat as an offensive player. If the opposition begins to respect that outside shot and defends him too closely, with the agility and quick decision-making Morant possesses, it&rsquo;s going to be a long night for them. The Grizzlies really need to shore up that defense first, but No. 12 is on a tear.
Ethan Fuller: Miles Bridges is the leading scorer on a Charlotte Hornets team loaded with offensive firepower. That's a testament to his improvement creating for himself off the dribble. Bridges has produced more as a passer and rebounder, and is taking on a much larger role than the pure shooter and cutter he was in years past. As he acclimates to the increased responsibility, Bridges should see his efficiency go up and only solidify his MIP case.
Jannelle Moore: Miles Bridges is my early favorite for MIP. He has consistently stepped up as the Hornets' first scoring option. He's improved his shot and improved defensively, and has been more consistent than other players that have been up for consideration.
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🔥 Career-high for Miles Bridges 🔥 35 PTS | 10 REB | 50.5 FPTS <a href="https://t.co/IJXfKPXogI">pic.twitter.com/IJXfKPXogI</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1462257951822032898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Moke Hamilton: It&rsquo;s a two-man race between Miles Bridges and Jordan Poole, right? I lean Bridges. He&rsquo;s been more productive, and is also being relied upon a bit more heavily than Poole. I'm not sure who else could rightfully claim to be pushing those two right now.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going with Miles Bridges because his all-around growth has been so impressive to me. Ja Morant is likely the consensus favorite, but we all knew he had superstar upside. On the other hand, who expected this leap from Bridges? He&rsquo;s established himself as a primary core piece alongside LaMelo Ball in Charlotte.
Blake Hairston: Miles Bridges is the first to mind. The jump he's made from last season to this season is impressive, and he's really exuding confidence on a team that's looking to make some noise this year. If he can maintain 20-plus points per game on relative efficiency and career-highs in numerous statistical categories, then it's got to be his award.
Alexander Cohen: Miles Bridges has always been capable of having explosive games, but him scoring over 21 per game after scoring 13 a night the last two seasons has caught me off guard. He's been a great scorer in the early season, and just when it looked like he was cooling off, Bridges dropped a career-high 35 points in Atlanta. He had three 30-plus point games in his three-year career coming into this season and has five already in just 18 games. If Bridges can keep up this level of play, the Hornets' future becomes much brighter, and Bridges should run away with Most Improved.
Drew Maresca: It has to be between Miles Bridges and Ja Morant. Bridges is averaging 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 45.8% from the floor for the surprise Hornets (10-8). That&rsquo;s up from 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a 2.2 assists per game last season. Bridges' jump to stardom is impressive. But it's not quite as impressive as Morant&rsquo;s entry to superstardom. Though just 8-8 through 16 games, Morant has has averaged 25.1 points, 7.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.8% on three-point attempts. Last season, Morant averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, shooting 30.3% on three-pointers. Both of these guys will remain on radar for the foreseeable future.
Jesse Blancarte: Ja Morant's leap has been extremely fun to watch.

Who is your early favorite for the Most Improved Player award? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who is your early favorite for Most Improved Player?

The Toronto Raptors ended their three-game preseason with a loss to the Miami Heat. The first two matchups for Canada&rsquo;s team consisted of two wins against the new-look Charlotte Hornets and their lottery pick LaMelo Ball.&nbsp;
The Raptors had a bit of a new look too, with their center rotation featuring Aron Baynes, Chris Boucher and Alex Len. With the loss of centers Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol (who played a big role during the Raptors&rsquo; championship season), team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster quickly beelined to plan C with their acquisition of the 34-year-old Australian big man for the starting lineup. So far, Baynes seems like a solid fit. He has naturally set excellent screens that the team&rsquo;s six-foot guards seem to greatly appreciate. Once Baynes gains the muscle memory and team trust to properly execute Coach Nick Nurse&rsquo;s complex defensive schemes, one can expect to see even more from the free-agent addition.
Because this turnover, the Raptors will need to find new avenues to replace the missing production of Ibaka and Gasol.&nbsp;
Here are five preseason observations of a team trying to reimagine their dynamic for the future:
Malachi Flynn is an Old Soul
Right after November&rsquo;s NBA draft night, I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-2020-toronto-raptors-malachi-flynn-pick">wrote a piece</a> detailing the style and fit of Malachi Flynn for the Raptors. I expected to see a two-way guard with the potential to be immediately useful for the team, but I feel like right now, it&rsquo;s a bit of an understatement given how great Flynn looks. The 22-year-old drew countless comparisons to Fred VanVleet, but within those preseason matchups, the former San Diego State point guard was more reminiscent of Kyle Lowry (with his pick-and-roll ability, impactful passes to teammates and impressive help defense.) Yes, it's only the preseason, but I&rsquo;d be remiss if I didn&rsquo;t mention how the rookie already looks like a vet.
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Pascal Siakam Was on Autopilot and That Shot Looks Good
At the moment, Raptors fans are highly critical of the franchise forward -- still left with the taste of last postseason&rsquo;s disappointing play in their mouths. Pascal Siakam looked ready for the playoffs back in March prior to the hiatus, tearing up the team&rsquo;s West Coast road trip. But the extended stoppage left him unbalanced and unconfident. The close loss against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 didn&rsquo;t help. For the preseason, Siakam left plenty for the imagination, opting to take it easy on offense and sticking to practicing in-game jumpers. His three-point shot looks as good as ever, as he made 60 percent of such shots at a high clip across all three games. His willingness to shoot is reassuring but, like many, I&rsquo;ll be waiting for the regular season to begin so I can see the improvements he&rsquo;s made to his dribble-drive game when at full effort. I&rsquo;m not yet willing to let a bubble postseason alter how I see Pascal Siakam.
The Center Position Game Plan Will Be Interesting
So far, Aron Baynes looks like the clear choice for the starting center position. The guards continuously utilized his brick-wall screens to launch threes all night long, and for a team that has lost offensive production, such high-percentage looks are valuable. Outside of Baynes, Chris Boucher and Alex Len have shown equal flashes of roster fit and inconsistency. After discovering the usefulness of small-ball lineups featuring either OG Anunoby or Siakam at the center, the coaching staff may frequently look to these lineups in order to bypass the inconsistency of the bench centers (at least certainly for the playoffs). As it stands, the Raptors may go very small throughout the season&rsquo;s closest games due to the thinness at the forward spot outside of their two starters.
Kyle Lowry Hasn&rsquo;t Lost a Step
Listed as &ldquo;shooting guard&rdquo; in his first game back, Kyle Lowry played in his first and only preseason game versus the Miami Heat. Nurse bragged that the team&rsquo;s leader has looked sharp and fit during training sessions, and Lowry demonstrated just that, playing at 100 percent effort on both ends Friday night. Although the team seemed lethargic, Lowry took charges, sliced through the defense and argued with refs as if it was an important playoff game. Because the veteran point guard is rapidly approaching age-35 and seems to look even better as the months go, it may not be a reach to say that since his usage is slated to go up with the losses of Gasol and Ibaka, Lowry might be closing in on his seventh All-Star season with the Toronto Raptors.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/lowdd_lg.jpg" alt="" width="743" height="AUTO" />
Important Season For OG Anunoby
It looks as though the Raptors may be waiting until next offseason to extend third-year small forward OG Anunoby. OG impressed fans with his off-the-dribble scoring in the first preseason matchup against the Hornets (with many suggesting he&rsquo;d end the season a better player than Siakam), but he was muted in the games since -- settling for spot-up shots and wobbly drives. Even though I believe the excitement was overzealous, OG has made undeniable strides as a ball handler. His performance this season will be the deciding factor on his value, and at his very best, OG looks like an up-and-coming star. A season of more responsibility may be exactly what he needs for his confidence to take that leap.
The Raptors' regular season will tip off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. EST. The game will be played in Tampa, FL, which is where the Raptors will be holding their home games this season due to Canada's travel restrictions amidst the pandemic.

Yasmin Duale breaks down the new-look Toronto Raptors and shares five observations from the team's three preseason games.

5 preseason observations for the new-look Toronto Raptors

Believe it or not, NBA training camps are right around the corner, which means a blank slate for everybody. 
Recently, our staff discussed which organizations <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-best-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had the best offseason</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-worst-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which teams did the worst</a>, plus <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this summer's most underrated moves</a>. Now, we're going to turn our attention to individual improvement. Today, we asked our staff: 
Which player is poised to break out next season?
Nekias Duncan: No Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam missing the first month or so of the season, plus a strong second half of last season leads me to believe that OG Anunoby could be in line for a production bump &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-og-anunoby-shot-creation-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I wrote over the weekend</a>.
Alex Kennedy: It feels like De'Andre Hunter is on the verge of breaking out... if he can stay healthy. Last year, as a sophomore, he was outstanding in the first half of the season, averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 threes and a steal on 51.4/36.6/87.7 shooting splits prior to the All-Star break. Then, he hurt his lateral meniscus in his right knee and needed surgery. After a brief return, he tore that same meniscus, which also required surgery. Despite losing Hunter early in the second round, the Atlanta Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, Hunter is expected to be healthy in time for training camp, so this could be the year he takes a major leap forward and shows why he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2019. The 23-year-old has all of the tools to be a difference-maker on both ends of the court.
Jackson Frank: OG Anunoby made considerable strides offensively last season with his handle, driving craft and general self-creation. Yet he was beset by various ailments and only played 43 games, despite averaging a tidy 16-5.5-2-1.5 on 60.5% True Shooting. I&rsquo;m betting he&rsquo;ll get some All-Star buzz and continue his development on a fun, funky Raptors squad.
Imman Adan: OG Anunoby is poised to have a breakout year. With Kyle Lowry gone, the Raptors enter their next phase. Siakam is expected to miss some time rehabbing from shoulder surgery, so the Raptors should see a lot of offensive possessions go to Anunoby.
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Spencer Davies: You know, Darius Garland had one hell of a summer. He grew an inch or two, added some muscle and just really seems ready to take that leap following a successful run with Team USA&rsquo;s Select Team. Before he went down with an injury that ended his season prematurely for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Garland was on a post-All-Star-break tear, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 assists per game on over 40% from long distance. He and Collin Sexton began to develop a solid relationship on the floor, and based on what <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/isaac-okoro-sharpening-shot-pivoting-to-playmaking-for-cavs-in-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaac Okoro did at summer league</a>, we can probably expect those cutting abilities to help Garland&rsquo;s case as a passer as well; plus, the third-year point guard is a confident knockdown shooter coming off dribble hand-offs and in transition, and can throw up lobs with the best of them. Defensively, his efforts are there, and now that he has Evan Mobley along with Jarrett Allen behind him, there&rsquo;s enough protection to cover those angles. Year 3 is typically the time when prospects put what they&rsquo;ve learned into action, and Garland just seems to have the right personnel surrounding him for success.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going to cheat here, listing two names that are poised for breakout campaign: Anthony Edwards and OG Anunoby. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-will-anthony-edwards-surge-lead-to-nba-rookie-of-the-year-award-minnesota-timberwolves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After the All-Star break</a>, Minnesota&rsquo;s No. 1 pick averaged almost 25 points per game. With another year of seasoning, it's very possible that Edwards could be a top contender for Most Improved Player in 2021-22. Another name to keep an eye on is Anunoby. With Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s departure from Toronto, more opportunity opens up for Anunoby to become a primary scoring option. Anunoby&rsquo;s continued shooting development gives me strong indications he&rsquo;s poised for a massive breakout with an increased workload.
Ethan Fuller: OG Anunoby was already on the verge of a breakout last season after posting career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds, (5.5) assists (2.2), steals (1.5), three-point percentage (39.8%) and True Shooting percentage (60.5%). That doesn't account for him being one of the best defenders on the Toronto Raptors. Anunoby is only 24 years old, and as the Raptors look to get back in the playoff hunt, expect him to be a key contributor.
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Jesse Blancarte: If you watched Game 6 between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, then you have a good idea why Terance Mann is poised to have a breakout season. In that crucial game, Mann posted 39 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. Mann shot 15-of-21 from the field, 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and was instrumental in the Clippers&rsquo; come-from-behind victory. Mann is athletic, a good defender and hustles on both ends of the court. He's also improving as a playmaker and shooter. With Kawhi Leonard possibly out for the entire season, Mann will play a large role in filling the void left behind by Leonard.
Drew Maresca: Obi Toppin. At summer league, Toppin averaged 21 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and slashed 44.5 / 34.4 /88.9. Once again, he wowed with his athleticism, had a significantly better-looking jumper and made quicker decisions with and without the ball. Toppin&rsquo;s biggest hurdle in breaking out continues to be his inability to crack an NBA rotation. He plays behind Julius Randle, and Randle will probably be a leader in minutes played again next season. But when he's given an opportunity, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/new-york-knicks-youngsters-exceed-expectations-in-nba-summer-league-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toppin will be ready to prove the doubters wrong</a>.
Chris Sheridan: Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.

What NBA player is likely to take a huge leap next season? Our writers share their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which player is poised to break out next season?

Nowadays, betting on the NBA is more popular than ever. With more states legalizing sports gambling and some NBA franchises even gearing up to offer sportsbooks inside their arenas, it's about to become even easier to bet on The Association.
This season, BasketballNews.com will be pumping out plenty of betting content since the industry is booming and there's a ton of interest among NBA fans.
Looking ahead to future bets, especially for end-of-season awards, now is the best time to find the juiciest odds on buy-low candidates. Who could quadruple your money as an eventual Most Valuable Player or Coach of the Year winner? Let&rsquo;s explore the most eye-opening odds that could put a ton of cash back into your pocket down the road.
MVP = JAYSON TATUM (+2500)
A lot more shot attempts are about to filter over to Tatum following the departures of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Boston&rsquo;s big offseason acquisition was Al Horford via the Walker trade, while betting on further internal development from their young core including Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard and Romeo Langford.
Over the last three months of the Celtics&rsquo; season, Tatum averaged 29.0 points while shooting 39.7% on three-pointers. He also sprinkled in some absurd box scores along the way, including multiple 50-point outings. Boston's young wing is on the verge of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-jayson-tatum-growing-around-margins-passing-floaters-scoring-boston-celtics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a leap to superstardom</a>, and these odds were too good to pass up.
If the Celtics overachieve next season, it will be due to Tatum becoming a 30-plus point-per-game scorer while willing them to a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. Tatum is one of the best <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-under-the-radar-mvp-candidates-for-the-202122-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under-the-radar MVP candidates</a> and at +2500, it&rsquo;s worth a flier bet in hopes that he can maintain his post-All-Star-Break scoring leap.
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DPOY = BAM ADEBAYO (+1400)
Miami is about to have one of the best defenses in the NBA next season. After the huge free-agent acquisition of Kyle Lowry, the Heat are forming an amazing foundation on that end of the court. Jimmy Butler will take on the primary scoring wings, Lowry will handle the guards and Bam Adebayo will protect the rim with his tantalizing athletic profile.
Adebayo continues to develop at a rapid rate as a multi-dimensional offensive chess piece in Miami, but his calling card continues to be his terrific defense. However, after averaging 1.2 steals and 1.0 block last season, he still has some untapped defensive potential too.
Wth Miami well on their way to leading the second tier in the East behind the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, there&rsquo;s a realistic scenario where Adebayo sees an uptick in his defensive stats while the Heat maintain an elite defensive rating. If that&rsquo;s the case, Adebayo at +1400 odds is an absolute steal.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/og1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="399" />
MIP = OG ANUNOBY (+4500)
The BasketballNews.com staff <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loves the idea of OG Anunoby taking a huge leap forward</a> in his fifth season and snagging Most Improved Player honors. However, Vegas is still lagging behind, placing Anunoby at insanely good odds (+4500) giving those in the know a chance to capitalize.
With Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s departure and Pascal Siakam expected to miss roughly one month (plus rumors that he may be available), Anunoby is poised to step into a primary scoring role. Already known as one of the league&rsquo;s most versatile defenders, Anunoby has continuously improved as scorer in each of his first four years with the Raptors.
It wouldn&rsquo;t be a shock to see Anunoby average close to 20 points per game while hovering around 40% shooting on three-point attempts. Couple that with an already strong defensive profile and the former Indiana Hoosier is poised for a big-time leap in 2021-22. When you can bet $20 to win $920 on Anunoby winning MIP, take the money and run before it&rsquo;s too late.
ROY = JALEN GREEN (+275)
While Green ranks No. 2 for best odds to win Rookie of the Year, it&rsquo;s surely a surprise that he&rsquo;s not the top-ranked option after what he did during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The silky-smooth scoring that Green showcased with the G League Ignite immediately translated over to Summer League action. Green has all the makings of a 20-plus point-per-game scorer immediately as a rookie, which is a rarity.
The Rockets have hit the full reset button, and who knows what the future looks like for John Wall. Green will lead an enticing young core that also includes Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate. Green&rsquo;s high-usage scoring style should allow him to put up some impressive numbers throughout his rookie campaign.
Even at +275 odds, I would wager on Green winning ROY before he likely overtakes No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham early in the regular season.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
COY = IME UDOKA (+1500)
I love the potential of Ime Udoka winning Coach of the Year with Boston in 2021-22. Based off a leap forward from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston could seriously push their way among the other powerhouses in the Eastern Conference. If the Celtics overachieve and win 50-plus games, Udoka is going to receive a ton of credit.
After working his way up and serving as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs, Udoka has waited for this opportunity. He&rsquo;s known as one of the best player development coaches in the entire NBA, which is certainly going to help Boston&rsquo;s young core.
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau were able to help their organizations bounce back to legitimate relevancy as top Coach of the Year candidates last season. Udoka stands out from the rest of the bunch as the most realistic option to win you a ton of cash by season&rsquo;s end.

Looking at the 2021-22 NBA end-of-season awards, who stands out as the best bet to win you some significant cash?

5 best future bets on 2021-22 NBA award races

The Toronto Raptors are 6-3 to start the new year, and they ripped off five straight wins to open 2022 before hitting a buzzsaw section of their schedule: Phoenix, Milwaukee, Miami and the Dwane Casey blood-feud Pistons (Detroit is 8-2 against Toronto during Casey's tenure) in the span of a week.
Fred VanVleet has put forth an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-Star caliber season</a>, continues to play top notch defense and has somehow turned out to be the best player from the <a href="https://youtu.be/ZBmT9szzr_o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014 Wichita State vs Kentucky game</a>, which I still find mind boggling.
OG Anunoby has shown flashes as an on-ball creator and shot-maker, while still playing stellar (although slightly less consistent) defense. A tamped down role appears to be on the horizon, which is not a bad thing!
Scottie Barnes has blown me away as a rookie compared to what I thought he'd be coming out of Florida State, continually finding a random avenue to explode into developmentally.
Precious Achiuwa is doing intriguing things defensively and a lot of things offensively. Gary Trent Jr. has improved as a defender markedly as well. This team has so much going for it in a year predicated on development and finding a new direction as an organization post-Kyle Lowry.
Somewhat lost in the sauce has been the exceptional play of Pascal Siakam.
Siakam had a rough start to the year coming off of surgery to repair a torn labrum, missing training camp and the preseason, not seeing court time until early November. His defense was notably off and inconsistent compared to his usual self (as was the entirety of the Raptors' defense, to be fair), and his relatively subpar play by his standards drew the ire of fans amid a rough stretch after returning.
Well, after finally settling into the season, finding his place again in the offense, his footing on defense and re-establishing his comfort as a ball-handler, Pascal Siakam is playing at an All-Star level and putting forth one of the best stretches of his career.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 100px; border-style: hidden;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">Month</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">Points Per Game</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">True Shooting </td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">Assists Per Game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">November</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">17.9</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">54.9%</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">3.7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">December</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">22.6</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">53.9%</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">4.6</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">January</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">23.3</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">55.4%</td>
<td style="width: 23.1133%; height: 22px;">6.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Siakam has dazzled since returning from health and safety protocols after Christmas, maintaining a career-high assist percentage (29.1%) and assist-to-usage rate (1.04, 88th percentile per Cleaning the Glass) across his last 11 games, and has greatly impressed as a playmaker.
Pascal has shown his proficiency as a driver as he ascended in prior years, using his burst and a herky-jerky, jittery nature to craft and bully his way to the rim. He's thrived out of the mid-post, and mashing these two areas of his game into one realm has created some fantastic middle-of-the-floor passing windows for him.
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He's seemingly found more comfort handling help and traffic in the paint, which &mdash; along with his proficiency facing up and taking defenders off the dribble &mdash; creates an ability to pick apart defenses with more regularity. Particularly against Miami and Milwaukee in recent outings, two teams who love to send two to the ball, Siakam was able to showcase this (he finished with 10 assists in both games).
The Raptors have been a rather pick-and-roll averse team this season, and during Nick Nurse's tenure, much to my chagrin.&nbsp;
That changed up the past week, as Nurse funneled more of the offense through Siakam on the perimeter, giving him countless opportunities to attack defenses with ball-screens. As a team that's comfortable playing without a center, and Siakam oft being the tallest player on court for the Raps, it creates many chances to get a little funky in the half-court when considering the size and skill sets Toronto employs together.
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Put a mobile center like Deandre Ayton in a ball-screen, and Siakam is capable of using his downhill gravitas and angles to force him into a losing game on the backfoot. Switch a smaller wing to save your big, and Siakam will back them down into post or overwhelm them with power to get to the rim. Trap him on the perimeter, and he's capable of keeping the ball moving and making the defense pay.
I simply never thought I'd see a world where we got to see Pascal Siakam reject a screen and throw a dart of a pocket pass on the drive, but here we are!
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Pascal's playmaking has been legitimately impressive, and the gumption he's shown as a scorer out of pick-and-roll is so enticing to what he could do for the offense with a more routine diet of reps running offense from the perimeter.&nbsp;
However, his utility as a screener and in two-man games alongside other handlers is what sent me to a higher state. Siakam's blend of size, speed, strength, vision and scoring make him viable as a ball-handler, yet all the more devastating as an outlet.
I wouldn't necesarily consider Pascal a great screener when diving into the nuance and technicality of it, but his threat as a popper and roller make him lethal when involved in screening actions.
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The intersection of his skillset with VanVleet's prolific shooting is a headcase for defenses, as actions involving the duo create a torsion in the defense, twisting the arm of opposing defensive coordinators.
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Siakam has shot much better from three lately, but is still below average on the season and the past two years. However, it is near impossible for defenses to resign themselves to not guarding him in the slot or on the perimeter when he comes off a screening action. A quick swing to a wide open Siakam with momentum driving to the rim after sending two to the ball is a recipe for free throws or another kickout to keep the defense spinning.
In straight-up rolling opportunities, Pascal's fluidity into rolls is remarkable. It sounds like a minor thing, but being able to quickly get off a screen into the paint (emphasis on quickly) is major. In a way, it opens up even more of those mid-post looks he feasts on, but against a bent defense with help already drawn.
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Not every team is going to send two to the ball on the perimeter, but the point remains: involving Siakam in pick-and-roll makes good things happen! Getting creative with how and where Pascal gets the ball has led to better and more effective offense for the Raptors and Siakam individually.
While VanVleet has on balance been the best player for the Raptors by a wide margin this season, Siakam has been neck and neck with him since Christmas. It's been awesome to see him find his groove after some rough stretches the past two seasons. While I personally wouldn't have him on my All-Star ballot due to time missed and inconsistent play early, he's making it very hard to keep him off.
As Toronto looks to push for a secured playoff spot during the second half of the season, the team will need continued high-level play from its star forward, and continued willingness to throw things at the wall offensively from the coaching staff.&nbsp;

The Raptors are starting to find their stride as Pascal Siakam puts forth one of the best stretches of his career.

How the Raptors are maximizing Pascal Siakam in the pick-and-roll

The Play-In Tournament is underway, which also means we're a few days away from the Fight For 16 kicking off. The NBA community at large will rightfully shift their focus to the teams participating in postseason play.
With the regular season wrapping up on Sunday night, I wanted to give one last ode to the teams that didn't make it to the big dance. They'll garner plenty of draft talk moving forward, but it's fair to acknowledge the fun portions of their actual seasons. This is what I enjoyed -- or will miss -- about the current lottery teams.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: KEVIN PORTER JR.'S DANCE PARTY
The Houston Rockets could never find their footing. An offseason trade of Russell Westbrook for John Wall; a trade demand, and a lot of extracurriculars, from James Harden; injury woes from Wall and Victor Oladipo; sitting, then eventually trading beloved vet PJ Tucker, as well as Oladipo.
A season that began with fringe title hopes quickly shifted to hard-reset mode. And that's okay, because the Rockets enter the offseason with a clean salary sheet, a lot of future pick capital, and a dude who can do stuff like this:
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Kevin Porter Jr. was an absolute joy to watch at times. Given the reins as a full-time starter on March 27, Porter Jr. averaged 17.2 points (43/35/76), 4.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists (3.6 turnovers) in 19 games.&nbsp;
Porter Jr. really got busy in isolation. He graded out in the 69th percentile overall this season, but especially turned it up after becoming a full-time starter. You can insert the #SmallSampleAlert disclaimer if you must, but he converted nearly 58% of his shots in iso situations in those 19 games, per Synergy. His shot breakdown was even more absurd:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">10-of-16 at the rim (62.5%)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">3-of-6 from mid-range (50%)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">6-of-11 from three (54.5%)</li>
</ul>
His slick, effectively-loose handle allowed him to catch defenders leaning. His ability to decelerate kept defenders off-balance. That timing, footwork, and touch often came together for some fun finishes. Stepbacks, side-steps, eurosteps. You name it, he did it.
Can't wait to see how he builds on that stretch next season.
DETROIT PISTONS: ISAIAH STEWART'S RAPID EVOLUTION
I was not a fan of the Stewart pick.
It was less about him, and more about the general confusion I had about Detroit's direction. A big-centric offseason only added to that confusion. I had no idea where he would slot into the rotation, nor did I have a real feel for how the pieces around him would make him better.
Stewart blew my expectations out of the water.
He popped as your prototypical energy guy, muscling dudes out of the way for offensive rebounds. You can't teach this kind of motor.
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But then Stewart began to branch out his game. He didn't just lurk around the paint, hunting for dump-offs and offensive rebounds. He started picking-and-popping for threes. From there, he's flashed an ability to attack from the perimeter. 
His numbers after the All-Star break -- 10.4 points (55/35/70) and 7.6 rebounds -- won't wow you, but it's fun watching him get the opportunity to try new things. The Pistons have a good one.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: THE POKU EXPERIENCE
Aleksej Pokusevski averaged 8.2 points with a 43.0 True Shooting percentage this season. He finished 11 games with four or more turnovers; that ain't easy to do as a big (I use that term loosely). I have absolutely no idea what position he can defend full-time right now.
He can also do this.
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I am&nbsp;never&nbsp;going to quit this dude. And on a more serious note, he bounced back nicely from a predictably horrific start to his rookie campaign. Poku averaged 11-5-3 after the break, including four games of 20 or more points.&nbsp;
The efficiency still isn't great, at all, but it's evident that he's getting used to the speed and physicality of the NBA. A seven-footer with his level of ball skills and touch is someone to track, especially once you consider how young he is.
ORLANDO MAGIC: CHUMA OKEKE-WENDELL CARTER JR. CONNECTION
It's a nerdy thing for sure, but I really appreciate big-to-big actions on the perimeter. Ball-handling wings are all the rage; ball-handling bigs might be the meta moving forward.
At any rate, one of the hidden joys of this post-trade-everybody squad was Chuma Okeke and Wendell Carter Jr. hooking up to make Magic. I'm not apologizing.
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I'm down to see more of that. Okeke isn't a primary, but he's certainly someone you can run secondary actions through. And honestly, any time Carter Jr. is able to rack up a field-goal attempt is a win for my viewing experience.
Spread your wings, young man.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: EXPLORATION WITH KAT
After the Ryan Saunders firing, I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-minnesota-timberwolves-karl-anthony-towns-reshape-offense-primary-initiator-playmaker-chris-finch-dangelo-russell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a piece</a> about the Wolves needing to shape their team in Karl-Anthony Towns' image. Give him more touches, and do so from further out. Unlock the passing ability. Invert your offense, and good things will follow for everyone involved.
Chris Finch did that, and we got to see stuff like this.
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Towns' per-game numbers were outstanding after the Finch hiring -- 25.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists -- and the Wolves scored over <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612750&amp;VsPlayerID=1626157&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DateFrom=02%2F23%2F2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">115 points per 100 possessions</a> with Towns on the floor in that stretch.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: DARIUS GARLAND'S GROWTH
Garland walked into the league with a slippery handle, plus-passing vision and a quick trigger from deep. The skeleton of a high-level initiator was there; it was just going to take time -- and reps -- for him to showcase it consistently.
If the second half of the season is any indication, Garland may get there sooner than expected. I'd highly recommend this breakdown from my guy <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackson Frank</a> on Garland's <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/05/is-darius-garland-rising-to-stardom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strengths and weaknesses</a>. In the meantime:
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</div>
TORONTO RAPTORS: OG ANUNOBY DOING IT ALL
It was at this point that I just knew OG Anunoby was going to win the Most Improved Player award this season.
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Is a transition behind-the-back against a backpedaling LaMelo Ball a huge deal? Not in a vacuum. It was for Anunoby, who mostly operated as a straightline driver and spot-up shooter for the Raptors the year before. Any amount of wiggle in his dribble would be welcomed.
(He's not going to win MIP this season. He probably won't get any accolades due to games played and Toronto's record, though I believe he's been one of the six or so best defenders on the planet.)
SACRAMENTO KINGS: RICHAUN HOLMES' PUSH SHOT
I could talk about Holmes bringing the funk as a rim runner. The rim protection improving, the absurd amount of times he was asked to switch screens. No, no, no, no, no. This is what I'm going to miss.
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Aside from TJ McConnell's six-foot fading jumpers, I don't know if there's a more peculiar role-player-good-at-random-shot combo than Holmes and his mid-range fling. It's a weird quirk I've come to enjoy. Breaks up the monotony of regular season COVID-ball. Holmes <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke to BasketballNews.com</a> about adding this shot to his repertoire: "I worked hard on my floater so that if I didn&rsquo;t have a dunk, I still had a go-to move."
CHICAGO BULLS: ZACH LAVINE, PULLING UP
Stephen Curry is the league's preeminent "He's hit four shots in a row; get to your television NOW!" player. His fallen partner, Klay Thompson, might be second.
Could I suggest Zach LaVine as a sneaky pick for third?
I know that the result is all that matters when it comes to scoring, but it's worth pointing out how freakin'&nbsp;cool&nbsp;LaVine looks. He's an incredibly smooth offensive player. He glides with the ball, really. Combining that with an effective pull-up jumper -- not just an effective jumper, but one with deeeeeeep range -- lends itself to some dope possessions.
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A quick stat, if I can indulge: LaVine is one of 17 players to take at least 200 pull-up threes. Only Mike Conley (41.5) and Steph (40.9) made a higher percentage of them than LaVine (39.0).
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: POINT ZION
Well first, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/zion-williamson-is-breaking-basketball-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read this</a>.
Then, watch this.
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You tell me if you're excited to see more of Zion as a lead ball-handler next season.

Nekias Duncan gives a parting shot this year's lottery teams as we head into NBA postseason play.

What I'll miss from each of this year's NBA lottery teams

TORONTO (AP) — Devin Booker scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:02 remaining, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 12 assists as the Phoenix Suns beat Toronto 99-95 on Tuesday night to snap the Raptors' longest winning streak of the season at six games.
Jae Crowder scored 19 points, Deandre Ayton had 16 and Mikal Bridges added 12 as the Suns improved to 31-9, matching the franchise's best record through 40 games.
OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Pascal Siakam had 22 and Fred VanVleet added 21 for the Raptors, who lost for the first time since Dec. 28 against Philadelphia.
Chris Boucher had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Raptors, who played without injured starters Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr.
Trent missed his second straight game because of a sore left ankle, while Barnes sat out with a sore right knee.
The Raptors led 83-81 after Boucher made a pair of free throws with 6:19 left, but Crowder and Bridges each hit a 3-pointer before Ayton capped an 8-0 run as Phoenix opened an 89-83 lead with 4:13 to go, its biggest of the game.
Siakam stopped the run with a basket and Anunoby added a 3 to make it 89-88 with 2:36 to play.
Booker fouled Anunoby as they scrambled after a loose ball with 1:41 left, and the Toronto forward made both to put the Raptors up 90-89.
After three missed 3-pointers by the Suns, Booker hit a go-ahead jumper with 62 seconds left and, after Siakam missed, Paul’s pull-up jumper made it 93-90 with 32 seconds remaining.
Anunoby cut it to one with a driving basket, but Booker restored the three-point cushion with a pair of free throws.
Toronto’s Khem Birch and Paul each converted a pair of free throws and the Suns sent VanVleet to the line with four seconds left. He made the first and missed the second, but Phoenix’s Jalen Smith grabbed the rebound and Ayton pushed the lead to four with a pair of free throws.
VanVleet scored 10 points in the first as Toronto led 31-23 after one, but Crowder answered with 13 points in the second as the Suns cut the deficit to 48-46 at halftime.
Siakam hit a tiebreaking jumper with 8.8 seconds left in the third to give the Raptors a 71-69 lead heading to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Suns: F Cam Johnson (left ankle) was not available after being injured in Saturday’s loss to Miami. … G Landry Shamet returned after missing the past three games while in the health and safety protocols. … F Justin Jackson (personal) did not travel to Toronto. Phoenix coach Monty Williams said Jackson could rejoin the team Friday in Indiana. … F Ish Wainwright (health and safety protocols) was not available. … Phoenix signed C Bismack Biyombo for the remainder of the season.
Raptors: Siakam had four assists in the first quarter. He finished with seven. … Yuta Watanabe missed the previous four games after entering the health and safety protocols.
UP NEXT
Suns: Visit the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
Raptors: Begin a five-game road trip at Detroit on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Phoenix Suns became the best team in the NBA record wise after beating the Toronto Raptors.

Booker scores 16 as Suns cool off streaking Raptors, 99-95

The NBA is often deemed a copycat league, and a trend doesn&rsquo;t truly become popular until it surfaces as a buzzword in our NBA lexicon.
When bully ball was deemed the route to success, big, bruising centers were at a premium. Centers like Roy Hibbert were highly coveted and &ldquo;verticality&rdquo; became the buzzword du jour. However, these centers were often too slow-footed to keep pace with the new era.&nbsp;
In fact, this next era demanded mobility. Pace-and-space came to be in direct response to the lumbering center, with the hopes of playing them off the floor.&nbsp;
This was spearheaded by the three-point revolution and the small-ball revolution (which are often conflated for one another).&nbsp;
The three-point revolution boils down to a simple math equation: 3 &gt; 2. The small-ball revolution exists to attack the limitations of a traditional roster construction. It does so by targeting a position that often struggles to guard in space: a plodding center.&nbsp;
Trends in basketball are no different than trends on the runway, in that they&rsquo;re cyclical and must come to an end (bye bye skinny jeans). While most teams are busy copying the latest fad, the most innovative teams are taking risks by developing their counters in search for the next trend.&nbsp;
The three-point revolution is unique in that the math makes it difficult to solve for. As long as a three-pointer is greater than a two, the NBA will never do away with a healthy reliance on the outside shot.
Small ball, however, is finally beginning to see it&rsquo;s counter. A new iteration of basketball is materializing, having been born out of a generation of big men who grew up watching the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; affectionately nicknamed &ldquo;Death Lineup&rdquo; make their traditional role obsolete.&nbsp;
To understand this next iteration of NBA basketball and the emergence of modern bigs, we must first understand the specific advantages that made small ball so successful and their necessary counters.&nbsp;
Small ball as a concept is easier to understand than to define. In the most simplistic terms, it is a style of play with a single big as opposed to two. A more granular definition is ripe with overlapping concepts that evolve with each new season. Buzzwords like &ldquo;positionless," &ldquo;5 out," &ldquo;pace-and-space&rdquo; and &ldquo;switchability&rdquo; have made up our understanding of small ball in recent years.&nbsp;
The base idea is by playing without a traditional two-big-man lineup, what you lose in size, strength and interior presence, you more than make up for in speed, agility and shooting. Seeing as centers are often the least mobile and fleet of foot, they&rsquo;re usually replaced by sliding a smaller player up.
For example, in 2012, while &ldquo;verticality&rdquo; was the buzzword that was taking the league by storm, Hibbert&rsquo;s Indiana Pacers faced the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After Chris Bosh got injured, the Heat were forced to play 6-foot-8 Shane Battier, a career wing, in Bosh&rsquo;s place at the 4.&nbsp;
That nerdy love child of necessity and innovation gave way to big-time small-ball success. This would grow and take shape over the next decade, playing big men off the floor and reaching it&rsquo;s pinnacle with the Warriors dynasty.&nbsp;
Trading size and a domineering interior presence for shooting and speed is not a new concept. Offensively, it has not only existed but thrived for a long time, most notably with the 'Seven Seconds or Less' Phoenix Suns from the mid 2000s. However, for the better part of the last decade, we&rsquo;ve also begun to see it succeed defensively, and that&rsquo;s when teams all over the NBA started trying to imitate it. &nbsp;
As the old saying goes: Defense wins championships. Even the poster child of the NBA's small-ball era, the Warriors &mdash; who featured two of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time &mdash; won on the back of the most versatile defense in the league. The most successful small lineups aren't just a menace on the offensive end with their elite shooting; they must also wreak havoc defensively.
As teams in the three-point era attack with heavy diets of pick-and-roll, switching defenses became a necessity. On the flip side, traditional centers being switched onto crafty guards around the perimeter usually spells doom. And with an extreme emphasis on floor spacing and three-point shooting, this mismatch can do serious damage quickly. In order for small ball to succeed in keeping the big man off the floor, smaller defenders who can more than hold their own against bigger guys are essential (&agrave; la Draymond Green).
It&rsquo;s easy to understand why small ball took the league by storm. But while most teams have conformed, trying to play smaller with an emphasis on floor spacing, a few teams have gone in another direction: banking on length and hoping that "long ball" is the answer to the league&rsquo;s small-ball reign.
Though colloquially &ldquo;long ball&rdquo; refers to spacing the floor, in this case it refers to long players replacing small players to shrink the court. This next iteration features lengthy wingspans and wreaks havoc in the best way. It's built out of wings with the dimensions of a center (and centers who have ditched the weight room for a skills clinic). A perfect example is Anthony Davis.&nbsp;
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In 2020, the Houston Rockets took small ball to an extreme, trading away center Clint Capela and having no one taller than 6-foot-8 on their roster. In the regular season, they punished bigs by playing an inverted pick-and-roll, using guard James Harden as a screener and pretend big man Jeff Green as the ball-handler.
Though the experiment was successful in the regular season, it didn't work as well in the playoffs, as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the micro-ball Rockets in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers won because of Anthony Davis, who prefers to play the 4 but moved up to the 5 without fear of getting beat up down low. Unable to punish Davis in the pick-and-roll, Houston floundered.
Davis is unique in that he has the skills of a guard and the body of a big. This is because he was a 6-foot-3 guard <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-davis-growth-spurt-2014-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up until his growth spurt</a> to 6-foot-11 over the span of a year-and-a-half.&nbsp;
And now, we have a whole generation of future centers who are training to be like Davis. This is the revenge of the bigs, who have heard take after take about how the NBA is disposing of them and seen one too many small guys replace their role. The once foundational piece to every team&rsquo;s wardrobe has been left to either adapt offensively (&agrave; la Davis and Nikola Jokic) or be relegated to rim-runner duties.
With this archetype of big man disrupting the advantages of small ball, the question that innovative teams are asking is: How would a team fare with multiple Anthony Davis types? How about multiple Giannis Antetokounmpos? Would several tall, long men whose wingspans eat up inches on the court be able to suffocate the dimensions and disrupt passing lanes?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are testing this question out with their extra tall lineup, which many are referring to as "tall ball." &nbsp; I&rsquo;m hesitant to call this tall ball, because it&rsquo;s not about height as much as it is length. The same can be said of the Toronto Raptors, who are also bucking the small-ball trend despite not having a single player who's taller than 6-foot-10 on their roster. Instead, Toronto has six players with a wingspan of 7-feet or greater.&nbsp;
Height doesn&rsquo;t matter; length matters because it measures how far out you can guard. Basketball isn&rsquo;t played on the ground or above your head, it&rsquo;s played in the space in front of you and what&rsquo;s necessary is the arm length to guard it.&nbsp;
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The unfortunately-named Ape Index measures your height minus your wingspan. The majority of us average citizens have a neutral Ape Index, meaning our height and wingspan are identical in length.&nbsp;
Most NBA players have a positive Ape Index. The Raptors' starting frontcourt of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and rookie Scottie Barnes have an absurdly long Ape Index, with an average of +5. What they lack in height, they more than make up for in length.
While having a long wingspan has its offensive benefits &mdash; as it allows you to get your shot up and score over your defender with relative ease &mdash; the main benefits are seen defensively.
It&rsquo;s no surprise that big men are slower than smaller guards; just Imagine Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valanciunas in a foot race. Taller men also have slower reflexes. This is because our reactions stem from electrical signals that travel along our nerves to our brain and then back to muscle that reacts. The longer the distance, the slower our reaction time. This would explain why a big man can never keep up with a guard&rsquo;s first step.
What length provides is additional leeway &mdash; the extra inches help you recover from a slower response time. Longer limbs provide better lateral movement and, not to mention, it&rsquo;s easier to block and contest shots without ever moving your feet.
The Raptors&rsquo; length affords them the ability to gamble a ton on defense, as their long limbs allow them to recover quicker than most. Toronto leads the league in deflections per game (20.9). Gary Trent Jr. leads all NBA players with 4.4 deflections per game, while Fred VanVleet ranks third (3.9), Siakam comes in at 10th (3.3) and Anunoby is 12th (3.2). That&rsquo;s four of the Raptors' starting five currently placing in the top-12 of the NBA's deflections leaderboard.
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This is a direct result of the aggressive, blitzing style of defense that head coach Nick Nurse deploys, which uses a flurry of limbs to rattle opposing offenses. Toronto's defense is still a work in progress, but it shows great promise.&nbsp;
Curiously, the NBA doesn&rsquo;t measure the in-seam. With more and more teams looking for the next Giannis Antetokoumnpo, you'd think that most teams would want to know whether a prospect can dribble the length of the court in three giant leaps.&nbsp;
Contact length measures the space between each step. Usain Bolt is often thought to be the fastest man in the world because of how he towers over his competitors. More than his height, it&rsquo;s his long legs that give him an advantage. The longer your legs, the longer your gait. Bolt only <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2008/08/usain-bolt-takes-sprinting-to-new-heights.html#:~:text=Bolt%20takes%2040%20to%2041,9%20bronze%20medalist%2C%20takes%2047.&amp;text=If%20Bolt's%20long%20legs%20give,as%20a%20detriment%20to%20sprinting." target="_blank" rel="noopener">requires 40 strides to run 100 meters whereas his competitors require at least 45 strides</a>.&nbsp;
In the NBA, that translates to the distance you can cover and ground you can make up scrambling on the court. While small ball creates space, long limbs fill the gaps. Shrinking the court allows guys to close out with plenty of recovery time to spare. It can be the added advantage in beating your man out to loose balls, and it makes getting out in transition a breeze. The Raptors rank first among all teams in loose balls recovered (7.6) and fastbreak frequency (with 20.3% of their possessions in transition).&nbsp;
No position has seen a shift in duties quite like centers. Prototypical centers of the 2010s like Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins had to shed weight to stay in the NBA and play in this pace-and-space era. And no team exemplifies this shift in duties for seven-footers more than the Cavaliers.
After a couple years of drafting up-tempo guards, Cleveland has gone all-in on big men, becoming home to the biggest starting lineup in the NBA. The Cavaliers start three near seven-footers Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen.
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What would once be considered an outdated and slow-footed trio is actually the most innovative starting lineup in the NBA. And it&rsquo;s all <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/evan-mobley-jarrett-allen-frontcourt-pairing-provides-unique-longterm-advantage-for-cavs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">centered around</a> the duo of Mobley (the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) and Allen (the fifth-year center). Mobley is 6-foot-11, with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and +5 Ape Index. Allen, who stands at 6-foot-11, has an impressive +6 Ape Index, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan.&nbsp;
The third big man in this gargantuan lineup is Markkanen. Despite Markkanen&rsquo;s 6-foot-11 frame, he only has a 6-foot-10 wingspan, which is the shortest Ape Index on the roster at -1. Markkanen is also far and away the worst defender of the trio (mentioned solely to stress the correlation between wingspan and good defense).
The Cavaliers' starting lineup features all three modern-big-man archetypes. Markkanen is the three-point specialist who spaces the floor and prefers to play on offense like a wing. Allen is the prototypical big who's an elite rim protector and excellent on the boards. And Mobley is the unicorn who makes this all work as a Swiss-army knife that can guard multiple positions, including hanging with quick guards on the perimeter.
The Cavaliers have a top-five defense despite the fact that their starting five features three poor defenders. The length of both Mobley and Allen more than makes up for the defensive liabilities at the other three positions. With Allen protecting the rim and Mobley guarding the perimeter, the two have been phenomenal, proving that multiple bigs can be on the floor together. Their length and ability to recover quickly mean a lot fewer bail-out fouls too. And despite being able to get to the rim, teams are having a very difficult time scoring there, as they&rsquo;ll always run into a seven-footer.
The defensive rating for the Cavs with Mobley, Allen and Markkanen on the court is 99.0 through eight games, which would be good for second-best in the league behind only the Warriors. Teams are shooting 58.5% within five feet of the basket, which is good for fifth-best in the league, per NBA.com.
Since the dawn of NBA time, giants have ruled the game. From Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon, centers were the foundation of a franchise. Within the last decade, the small-ball revolution and three-point revolution have made them an afterthought. Even All-Star ballots did away with the position, opting to keep it open to any frontcourt player.
Meanwhile, a new generation of seven-footers have been waiting in the wings and they are finally emerging. These big men were taught the value of pace-and-space and trained to exploit the lack of size in small-ball lineups, while not giving up anything in terms of speed and quickness. And now these long-legged bigs are ready to step onto the runway, with teams like the Raptors and Cavaliers going all-in on them and playing several together for the first time in a long time.
This is an era where seven-footers are long, slender and skilled, and just as adept at guarding along the perimeter as they are at protecting the rim. A new era, where seven-footer is now defined by wingspan rather than height. It's also an era certain to dictate the next NBA trend because, in the NBA, size still matters.

NBA teams like the Raptors and Cavaliers are ushering in a new era where length is valued above all else, writes Imman Adan.

Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming

One instance when analytics and the eye test reluctantly shake hands is when a team has bottomed out. Even when a team is excelling, serving up a feast for the eyes night after night, there are still numbers to poke and prod, to get fussy over whether the thing that appeared so masterfully done could have been more efficient.
With a losing team, there&rsquo;s less to disagree on.
A lot has been strange during the first weeks of the 2020-21 NBA season. There&rsquo;s been an inversion writ-large across the league, a sense of bizarro basketball with playmaking bigs that shoot, driving guards, and a level of overall parity not seen since before the Warriors&rsquo; ironclad dynasty. There have been upsets by underdogs, historically low-ranking teams rushing the standings in either conference, and in spite of all that weirdness, the rapid decline of the Toronto Raptors has been strangest of all.
What&rsquo;s happening to the team since its arrival in Tampa seems like such a complete 180 for the club that the rest of the league&rsquo;s tumultuous start fades out and takes a backseat to the Raptors&rsquo; transformation.
Toronto is 24th in effective field goal percentage (50.6), 26th in offensive efficiency (103.3 points per 100 possessions) and 21st in True Shooting Percentage (54.6) -- and these are areas the team expected to feel some discomfort in. Meanwhile, they are 14th in defensive efficiency (106.3 points per 100 possessions) and 16th in defensive rating. There are imposing problems for the Raptors, just by the numbers, at either end of the floor.&nbsp;
Unfold the less tangible issues and the problems only deepen. There isn&rsquo;t even a clear sense that the difficulties the club is currently dealing with started when the season did. It&rsquo;s possible the roots of these issues go further back.
Take the team&rsquo;s most pronounced change: it&rsquo;s relocation to Tampa, a decision made by the Raptors&rsquo; front office only a week before Toronto&rsquo;s training camp was scheduled to start. Most players hadn&rsquo;t been back to Canada in the brief stretch between the Raptors&rsquo; elimination in the playoffs and their return to Florida given Canada&rsquo;s closed borders and quarantine protocols. The Raptors essentially went from one bubble to another and while some players have since secured temporary housing, others are still living in the downtown Tampa hotel that they&rsquo;ve been in since their arrival.&nbsp;
It wouldn&rsquo;t be a stretch to say that the team&rsquo;s move and lack of a home court since last winter could be getting to them, but asked about the effects of the back-to-back relocations earlier this week after the team&rsquo;s loss to the Boston Celtics, Kyle Lowry was quick to refute the idea,&nbsp;
&ldquo;I mean, this is what we have to do for our jobs,&rdquo; Lowry said. &ldquo;Our job had us relocate. We relocated [to the] bubble and we were fine; we relocated to Tampa and guys gotta figure it out. We&rsquo;re grown men. This is what we do. We get paid to play basketball and if we have to relocate, we relocate.&rdquo;
It doesn&rsquo;t mean the effects of playing in an unfamiliar place with new routines won&rsquo;t be felt by the team at points throughout this season, but Lowry&rsquo;s message, as the leader of the club, was clear: it can&rsquo;t be an excuse.&nbsp;
If anything, Toronto&rsquo;s new home could have been an opportunity for its slew of incoming players to mesh and make new attachments, free from any holdover habits. Instead, it feels like the differences between last season&rsquo;s roster and the Raptors&rsquo; current lineup have only grown more pronounced, in gameplay and in culture.
With the way new bigs Aron Baynes and Alex Len have yet to adequately replace Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka -- and in light of <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/ujiri-webster-misses-years-led-raptors-struggles-see-now/">recent reporting</a> that gave a glimpse into the negotiations&nbsp; -- the departure of both bigs seems less an outcome that had been planned for and more a setback that genuinely took the front office by surprise. Should the loss of Gasol and Ibaka have sent the team into such a tailspin? By the numbers, no, but both were important cultural drivers for the team as much as they offered a robust skillset that wasn&rsquo;t only focused on their individual defensive capabilities. Ibaka added shooting capabilities that the team is clearly missing. And even when he wasn&rsquo;t making shots, Gasol had the mind of a defensive scholar, expertly spacing the floor and easing his teammates into their spots.&nbsp;
Baynes and Len, while seasoned, are much more one-dimensional players defensively and add nothing to the Raptors&rsquo; offensive cache. Even Chris Boucher, who has come a long way since his time with the team&rsquo;s G-League arm, is not strong or versatile enough to go toe-to-toe with the league&rsquo;s new caliber of positionless bigs, nor should he have to. It can&rsquo;t be Boucher&rsquo;s responsibility to fill the gap left by two championship players.&nbsp;
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Nick Nurse has relied on being a frank coach that calls out poor performance in his players for two seasons now, and he hasn&rsquo;t grown any more demure. In recent scrums, Nurse has made plain his disappointment in mainstays like Norman Powell and Boucher as well as in Matt Thomas, Stanley Johnson and Terence Davis. Even rookie Malachi Flynn hasn&rsquo;t been let off the hook. It was the kind of criticism that once lit a fire under players and would spark a night-and-day turnaround in performance, but that hasn&rsquo;t been the case with any of his recent critiques. Without the ballast of a superstar like Kawhi Leonard, or being a team fresh from a title and more or less wholly intact with its heart and a chip on its shoulder, this season will be the biggest challenge Nurse has had to face as head coach and thus far, his regular techniques aren&rsquo;t working. It&rsquo;s a situation where a coach would look to their core to set the tone and the standard, but aside from Lowry and the unflappability of Fred VanVleet, the franchise&rsquo;s identity players have been largely absent.&nbsp;
Powell has been inconsistent off the bench, Boucher is working to fill multiple shoes, and while OG Anunoby has been a bright spot of intention, attacking the rim where the team has had so much trouble finishing, he&rsquo;s still developing as an on-ball shooter and reliable scorer.&nbsp;
But the most puzzling regression has been in Pascal Siakam.&nbsp;
Prior to the season, Siakam was honest about his shortcomings in the Orlando bubble, citing a lack of joy as the reason for his poor performance. He said he didn&rsquo;t recognize himself in rewatching tape from the NBA restart, a sentiment largely shared by fans who would have been more likely to believe that the real Siakam had been body-snatched and replaced. It was an encouraging realization, especially on the heels of Gasol and Ibaka&rsquo;s departure and questions around team identity rising. But as soon as this season got underway, it was alarmingly apparent that nothing had changed. Siakam has lacked confidence on the floor, his shot selection has been bizarre, and he&rsquo;s favoring ISO-plays over the energy-creating spark of team-focused ball movement that fizzles long before he reaches the rim. There is none of the swagger or spice that ran flush through his game in prior seasons, and he&rsquo;s shown a lack of commitment to any other way he might contribute on the floor if his shots don&rsquo;t fall.&nbsp;
Siakam&rsquo;s rise has always been meteoric, with plateaus and periods of leveling out met with further improvement or development. And through it all, he&rsquo;s kept a cool head and a humble approach to challenges. This season, Siakam has fouled out in two of the six games he&rsquo;s played, walked off court with time left on the clock and his team still on the floor, and was suspended for a game as a result of his behavior. By now, there is a palpable sense that there&rsquo;s more to Siakam&rsquo;s out-of-character behavior that his poor performance on court, and it's only giving further shape to the looming cloud hanging over the club.
Because it hasn&rsquo;t only been the team&rsquo;s actions on the floor that have been atypical, there&rsquo;s an overarching sense of a slow character shift in the front office of the franchise, too.
Beyond the accelerated position the organization was put in with its relocation due to the pandemic and, ostensibly, ongoing discussions with the Canadian government in hopes of staying put in Toronto, the decision to move to Tampa came abruptly. Housing and practice facilities hadn&rsquo;t been secured, with many players viewing the same rental properties as one another upon arrival. The move also came at a time when negotiations were ongoing between the club and GM Bobby Webster for a renewal of his contract, and with the future contract of President Masai Ujiri still up in the air. Webster made it clear that the logistics around the team&rsquo;s move were, understandably, the priority, but nothing has been clarified with Webster&rsquo;s &mdash; or Ujiri&rsquo;s &mdash; contract now that the team is settled. Webster and Ujiri, who were both so present in the bubble -- either hanging around to watch games or out and about on the Disney campus -- have been largely invisible so far this season.&nbsp;
Also, in recent months, the team has faced two very public accusations of domestic violence against a coach and a player. In the bubble, the Raptors&rsquo; mandate around activism was clear: be outspoken, saying the things that need to be said even if they&rsquo;re difficult. Toronto&rsquo;s response to the allegations against assistant coach Adrian Griffin and second-year player Terence Davis have been the opposite: say the minimum and hope the silence speaks loudest.&nbsp;
When asked about the claims against Griffin, Nurse spoke of Griffin&rsquo;s character, calling him a &ldquo;class individual&rdquo; and a &ldquo;hard-working guy,&rdquo; as if either had bearing on the claims against him. With Davis, the league swiftly took over the investigation and when Webster, Ujiri or Nurse were questioned on the case and its developments, all acknowledged a kind of holding pattern the team had been placed in. But when former G-League player, Kay Felder, was arrested on domestic assault charges in 2018 similar to Davis&rsquo;, he was cut in less than a day. With Davis&rsquo; case still very real and very much ongoing, he has, quietly, returned to the regular rotation, as if he had sat for the requisite, arbitrary amount of time the team had internally decided was sufficient. Whether or not they say it explicitly, it&rsquo;s actions like this that align the franchise to a position they have vocally rejected in the past &mdash; condoning violence, or at the very least signalling that it&rsquo;s permissible depending on perceived value to the organization.
The relative quiet the team has settled into feels rife because it is. It&rsquo;s a heavy silence and its effects are permeating, sapping the kind of energy and identity the Raptors were very recently rife with. What&rsquo;s most difficult is that for a franchise as hands-on and interconnected as Toronto, there can&rsquo;t be one simple solution. It has always been a top-down, multifaceted approach whether in chasing a championship or all the gruelling years of building to get there, years that were formative and joyful amidst difficulty and strain. The team&rsquo;s losing streak won&rsquo;t be reversed by forfeiting a huge chunk of the franchise&rsquo;s future for a star like James Harden, because the team itself isn&rsquo;t ready to take on that kind of player. There&rsquo;s no place for Harden, at present, to fit in with a team that&rsquo;s gone so flat and so solitary, with every player attempting to sort through their own problems individually instead of collectively buying back in.
As the season continues to stretch on, so will its strains further weary the team unless there is a real and concerted attempt to reconcile the deeper issues at hand. What makes the Raptors so unrecognizable at present -- what&rsquo;s made them so flat on the floor and unable to catch or create their own spark -- is a lack of confidence and conviction as much as grit and resolve, but in short, an absence of trust. Trust is what&rsquo;s needed now, extended from Nurse to his roster, within the team from one player to another, and from the organization, when setting its way forward. Trust is the thing that underscores every eye test, every winning stat. Without it, the only thing ahead is more uncertainty, with Toronto&rsquo;s bad start sure to become a worse season.

What's wrong with the Toronto Raptors? Katie Heindl breaks down the team's struggles and behind-the-scenes issues amidst the 1-6 start.

OG