Lions

Young point guards Quincy Olivari and Yuki Kawamura have been rewarded by their respective ball clubs after impressing in the preseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies both gave out two-way NBA contracts to the young guards, upgrading their previous Exhibit 10 deals.&nbsp;
To make the move, the Lakers had to waive two-way center Colin Castleton and guard Grayson Murphy, allocating the space to Olivari.
The 22-year-old Olivari in his preseason stint with the Lakers, having totals of 35 points on 12-23 shooting, 8-14 3PT, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists across 4 games.
Olivari particularly stood out for the Lakers in their game against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, providing necessary energy on both ends of the floor.
Olivari quickly became the best wholesome story of the whole preseason <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/undrafted-lakers-guard-quincy-olivari-gets-emotional-after-exchange-with-stephen-curry-thats-my-favorite-player-ever">after his exchange with lifetime favorite player Stephen Curry.</a>
Kawamura, 23, has also shined for the Grizzlies in a similar way by fighting over screens and playing on and off ball defense with a concerted effort despite just standing at 5-foot-8.
Kawamura has been a playmaker for the Grizzlies&rsquo; offense and will now be the shortest active player in the NBA &ndash; and the ninth player 5-foot-8 or shorter since the merger.
The Japanese guard&rsquo;s play has caught Memphis&rsquo; eye and this has resulted in a two-way contract. The Grizzlies brought in Kawamura this offseason following a strong performance for Japan at the Olympics, where he nearly led his country to a monumental upset against Victor Wembanyama and hosts France. Kawamura stood tall amongst the giants by pouring in 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists despite falling short in the end.
Kawamura averaged 3.4 points, 4.2 assists and 15.1 minutes in preseason, leading Grizzlies with 21 total assists, and has now earned a roster spot.
In other news, the New York Knicks have waived guard Landry Shamet after he suffered a dislocated shoulder.&nbsp;
The Knicks are expected to keep 12 standard roster players and look to bring Shamet back once he recovers after averaging 0.8 PPG on 36% FG and 30% 3PT in the preseason.&nbsp;
The Knicks also waived Chuma Okeke and TJ Warren in the process.

Young point guards Quincy Olivari and Yuki Kawamura have been rewarded by their respective ball clubs after impressing in the preseason.

Olivari, Kawamura get rewarded by Lakers, Grizzlies after strong preseason play

Every NBA hooper&rsquo;s dream is to be able to meet and have a wholesome exchange with the players they have looked up to since they were kids. It is one of the most fulfilling things a player can achieve entering the NBA, and a moment like that could make that player&rsquo;s day.
For some however, that would be their lifelong wish granted and more.
Lakers guard Quincy Olivari just had that time of his life when he met Warriors superstar Stephen Curry after their preseason game on Friday night. The Lakers lost big against the Warriors 74-132 as they sat out their starters. In their place, Lakers head coach JJ Redick started Olivari and he delivered, scoring 22 points on 8-16 shooting including 5-9 from three with 7 rebounds. Olivari was all over the floor for the Lakers, providing energy and picking up full court against the Warriors&rsquo; ball handlers.
Although the Lakers&rsquo; lost, Curry took notice of the young guard&rsquo;s performance and chatted with him post-game. The two dapped up and had a brief moment, with Curry talking to Olivari about the game, giving him some advice.
When asked by the reporters in the post-game press conference, Olivari could not help but tear up at that wholesome instance.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s crazy &lsquo;cause I liked him since like I was in 6th grade,&rdquo; said a teary-eyed Olivari. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even know what to say, man &ndash; that&rsquo;s like my favorite player ever. The first thing he told me was like &lsquo;I&rsquo;m a big fan of your game.&rsquo; And truth be told, I&rsquo;m a big fan of him &ndash; I had his jersey, he signed it twice and I used to sleep on that jersey. I just want to be like him so bad.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Just to be able to meet him, he be able to have some respect for me... it means a lot." &mdash; Quincy Olivari got emotional about meeting his idol Stephen Curry 🥹 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/SpectrumSN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpectrumSN</a>)<a href="https://t.co/4LmOP5tcJb">pic.twitter.com/4LmOP5tcJb</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1847521000378020200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2024</a></blockquote>

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

Although Olivari is not guaranteed a roster spot with the Lakers having only an Exhibit 10 contract, his story is easily one of the best moments of the preseason. Having that moment with the player you idolized means the whole world for a young player like Olivari.
&ldquo;Just to be able to meet him and him being able to have some respect for me &ndash; and he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them. Like, that meant the world to me &ndash; my dad knows, my mom knows. It just means a lot.&rdquo;

Lakers guard Quincy Olivari just had that time of his life when he met Warriors superstar Stephen Curry after their preseason game.

Undrafted Lakers’ guard Quincy Olivari gets emotional after exchange with Stephen Curry: “That’s my favorite player ever”

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra and Denver&rsquo;s Michael Malone are two of the four NBA coaches to have spent at least eight years with their current team.
They know how rare that is &mdash; especially as the league&rsquo;s coaching changes mount.
Championship-winning or title-contending coaches aren&rsquo;t safe in the NBA these days. In recent days, 2019 NBA champion Nick Nurse, 2021 champion Mike Budenholzer, 2021 Western Conference champion and 2022 Coach of the Year Monty Williams and most recently 2008 NBA champion Doc Rivers were all fired.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/raptors-nick-nurse-fired-c2b7dc404915ee3ae12fe1a52e589830">Nurse was fired by Toronto</a>,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-budenholzer-fired-e9ab56f83d317afd621adb7d7c244006">Budenholzer by Milwaukee</a>,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/suns-monty-williams-fired-53f33c2c3c8d69af7449cbfbf931bc0a">Williams by Phoenix</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-nba-doc-rivers-fired-09368e77a8f741576222c975c3affe55">Rivers by Philadelphia.</a>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disturbing,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Doc&rsquo;s a Hall of Famer. ... There&rsquo;s only so many teams that can advance. It&rsquo;s just a really hard thing to do. Yeah, it&rsquo;s been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of just some really surprising firings.&rdquo;
It doesn&rsquo;t make sense to Spoelstra, or likely to many other coaches. Spoelstra has the NBA&rsquo;s second-longest current tenure with one team. San Antonio&rsquo;s Gregg Popovich has coached the Spurs since 1996, Spoelstra took over the Heat in 2008, Steve Kerr became coach in Golden State in 2014 and Malone became coach in Denver in 2015.
&ldquo;I understand this business,&rdquo; said Malone, who&rsquo;ll lead Denver into the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. &ldquo;You look around the coaching landscape, if you want a secure profession, coaching is not the one to get into. I should have been a TV reporter.&rdquo;
Of the last nine coaches to take a team to the NBA Finals, only two &mdash; Kerr and Spoelstra &mdash; are still with the franchise that they went to the title round with.
Three of the last four championship-winning coaches &mdash; Budenholzer in 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; Frank Vogel in 2020 and Nurse in 2019 &ndash; have since been fired by those clubs. Also no longer with their teams for various reasons after recent runs to the finals: Ime Udoka in Boston, Cleveland&rsquo;s David Blatt and then Tyronn Lue as well, and now Williams by the Suns.
&ldquo;This is the nature of this league and I think sometimes it&rsquo;s the chemistry,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN in a televised interview before the draft lottery on Tuesday night. &rdquo;They don&rsquo;t go from being great coaches to bad coaches from one year to the next. It has to do with the chemistry of the team, the style, maybe somebody believes the players need to hear a new voice. But I&rsquo;m incredibly sympathetic. It&rsquo;s a rough side of this business and I think they understand it. They choose this profession. They&rsquo;re my friends and I hate to see it.&rdquo;
Budenholzer&rsquo;s dismissal left Kerr upset, as he revealed earlier this month &mdash; but noted that all coaches understand how vulnerable they are.
&ldquo;My first response is not necessarily shock, it&rsquo;s more disappointment because Bud is a fantastic coach,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He just won a championship and has been wildly successful in his coaching career. But this is the business we&rsquo;re in. &hellip; Expectations every year for every team are so high, and only one team can win. It&rsquo;s sad news for the coaching profession.&rdquo;
At least six teams will have new coaches next season &mdash; Phoenix, Milwaukee, Toronto, Detroit and now Philadelphia are looking, and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/rockets-udoka-celtics-b65d91fdfa3174b0c9fa36634cd20e42">Houston has hired Udoka</a>&nbsp;as the replacement for Stephen Silas. There were two in-season moves as well: Brooklyn&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-new-york-e72b511a6d8cdb4e4875dbc1b157557e">Jacque Vaughn was hired by the Nets</a>&nbsp;in November, and Atlanta&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-bce807f9f9f26951421f9ea2c2e5d52f">Quin Snyder was hired by the Hawks</a>&nbsp;in February. And two coaches in the conference finals are in Year 1 of their careers: the Lakers&rsquo; Darvin Ham, and the Celtics&rsquo; Joe Mazzulla, who had to take over unexpectedly in Boston last fall following&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-0f04a614b82c497346a423d9da036521">Udoka&rsquo;s suspension</a>&nbsp;for an inappropriate relationship with a Celtics employee.
Mazzulla will meet Spoelstra and Miami in the Eastern Conference finals starting Wednesday. Spoelstra has faced Boston three times for the East title in four years, going up against three different coaches &mdash; Brad Stevens in the NBA bubble restart in 2020, Udoka last year and now Mazzulla &mdash; and says while the coaches change, organizational stability exists and is crucial.
&ldquo;Joe was in the bubble. ... He&rsquo;s been part of some really good teams,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;That does have an impact. Probably more than anything in this league right now, you&rsquo;re looking for some kind of organizational stability between the front office and coaching staff.&rdquo;
There aren&rsquo;t many examples of that in the league right now. At minimum, 13 of the NBA&rsquo;s 30 teams will open next season with a coach who has been in place for no more than one season.
Rivers said Sunday that he expected to stay with the 76ers. &ldquo;No one&rsquo;s safe in our business. I get that,&rdquo; Rivers said.
Further proof of that came two days later, when he was dismissed.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the business of basketball,&rdquo; Miami guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;And one thing about our business is sometimes it gets a little cut-throat.&rdquo;
Spoelstra has long said part of Miami&rsquo;s strength is consistency. Managing general partner Micky Arison, CEO Nick Arison, team president Pat Riley, general manager Andy Elisburg and others have been with the Heat for decades &mdash; and from the very beginning, in Elisburg&rsquo;s case, since he&rsquo;s been with the franchise for all 35 of its seasons.
Spoelstra has been with the organization for more than half his life as well; he was 24 when he started in the video room, and now he&rsquo;s 52.
&ldquo;It takes so much time and energy to restart something,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;And I think that&rsquo;s part of the reason why we&rsquo;ve been able to reboot so many times, over and over and over. We&rsquo;re not reinventing a new culture and then trying to teach everybody and then all of a sudden, two years later, it&rsquo;s going to be somebody else doing the exact same thing. But particularly to have proven veteran guys (fired), it&rsquo;s just been stunning. It really has been disturbing.&rdquo;

Erik Spoelstra, Mike Malone and Adam Silver discussed the firings of Monty Williams, Doc Rivers, Mike Budenholzer and Nick Nurse.

As NBA coaching changes mount, some lament the lack of job security

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; After an opener that went from rout to flirting with catastrophe, the Boston Celtics got both a win and an early reminder of how lulls could spell doom in the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1647336935290175488?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">had 29 points and 12 rebounds,</a>&nbsp;and the Celtics capitalized on a woeful shooting performance by the Atlanta Hawks to hold on for 112-99 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup on Saturday.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, 21 in the first half. Derrick White finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which hosts Game 2 on Tuesday.
&ldquo;We expect to get their best shot,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;We let them get a little more comfortable in the second half, so I expect the next game for them to be a little more prepared. So we&rsquo;ve got to be a little more prepared as well.&rdquo;
It was Brown&rsquo;s first game since missing the final two of the regular season with a cut on a finger on his shooting hand. He played with tape and wrap.
He played through pain, hitting on 12 of 23 field goal attempts, but had six turnovers. He said it as hard to grip the ball and his hand &ldquo;split open&rdquo; at one point. It will be examined Sunday.
The No. 2-seeded Celtics led by as many as 32 points, pouncing on an Atlanta team that missed its first 10 3-point attempts and shot 5 of 29 from beyond the arc for the game.
Atlanta used a 32-12 run to cut the deficit to 96-84 on a three-point play by Bogdan Bogdanovic early in the fourth.
The Celtics got the lead back up to 107-87. It was 110-97 with less than two minutes to play when Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter got free on fast break. But his layup attempt was blocked by Marcus Smart.
&ldquo;Human nature plays a part. But we don&rsquo;t want things like that to haunt us,&rdquo; Tatum said.
Smart, last season&rsquo;s NBA Defensive Player of Year, finished with three steals and two blocks.
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Trae Young added 16 points.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be down that much and expect to come back and win,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;But we still fought. We were being aggressive in that second half.&rdquo;
Despite Atlanta&rsquo;s late push, the Celtics sizzled from all points on the floor, connecting on 13 3 pointers.
After dropping in his third 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half, Tatum&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1647343294702137344?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spread his arms out wide</a>&nbsp;as he backed down the court to an ovation from the TD Garden crowd.
A big part of Boston&rsquo;s game plan coming in was neutralizing Young and Murray, Atlanta&rsquo;s top two scorers. The Celtics did that and a lot more in the first three quarters.
Young missed his first six shots beyond the arc and was 5 of 18 from the field. Murray was 10 of 25 from the floor.
In a move to match Atlanta&rsquo;s speed, Boston went small, starting White instead of big man Robert Williams in a lineup alongside Al Horford, Tatum, Brown and Smart.
It seemed to neutralize the Hawks&rsquo; attack.
Young had an especially rough start. He had a pass the first possession of the game stolen by Brown and had his first field goal attempt blocked by White on the way to missing his first six shots.
Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said before the game a point of emphasis would be not to turn down open 3s or be deterred by misses.
That wish was tested as Hawks shot 9 of 25 from the field in the opening period and 0 for 9 from beyond the arc as the Celtics took to a 29-19 lead.
Despite the late drop-off, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he&rsquo;s not worried about the late-game malaise carrying over.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not concerned at all,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This team has played great for the entire season. That&rsquo;s going to happen. It&rsquo;s actually good that we went through it. We had to feel that and it&rsquo;s important that we learn from it.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Hawks: Outscored the Celtics 31-20 in the third quarter. &hellip; Young&rsquo;s 28-footer early in the second quarter was Atlanta&rsquo;s first made 3 of the game. Atlanta shot 1 of 16 from 3 in the first half.
Celtics: Outscored Hawks 45-25 in second quarter. &hellip;Tatum had 13 first-quarter points. &hellip; The seats inside TD Garden were draped with T-shirts that read &ldquo;Unfinished Business,&rdquo; a reference to Boston&rsquo;s run last season that came up short in its NBA Finals&rsquo; loss to Golden State. The &ldquo;I&rdquo; and &ldquo;S&rdquo; in unfinished were both highlighted, with the &ldquo;S&rdquo; fashioned to look like an &ldquo;8,&rdquo; a nod to the 18th championship being sought by the franchise.

The Boston Celtics capitalized on a woeful shooting performance by the Atlanta Hawks to hold on for 112-99 victory in Game 1.

Brown scores 29, Celtics hold off late rally by Hawks 112-99

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:
Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-stephen-curry-e246e86804a28295efea3e00d33dc510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Warriors received their championship rings</a> from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.
Oct. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-8e45a1092f25e28f0672a83d317a9a68" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer.</a> He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.
Nov. 4: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-kyrie-irving-racial-injustice-972e41eed3debbd9a548433c78227f05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving</a> and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets&rsquo; guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.
Nov. 5: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1589042762686795777?s=20&amp;t=nk9Tw0T3tQEq6Mw4vOqrsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Aaron Fox</a> hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.
Nov. 8: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-nba-sports-breonna-taylor-fc0f38a2c59da07f90833ae479e66cc0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To commemorate Election Day,</a> the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.
Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ftx-miami-heat-arena-name-change-b3f47e4fb5bb0f102560fa6956997bdb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses.</a> FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.
Nov. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-utah-jazz-nba-sports-joel-embiid-bef34587365fd8e8668f6024ab73d05a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59</a> points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.
Nov. 28: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-indiana-pacers-nba-sports-b6e1415dd4d8fa0fac2a10c8477da348" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer</a> and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.
Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name &mdash; <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-david-stern-de67e49f0255ef10f140365636110ae4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Michael Jordan Trophy.</a>
Dec. 17: In Mexico City, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/san-antonio-spurs-miami-heat-nba-sports-duncan-robinson-074cecb1060491994c22a42efa8670a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101.</a> It was the NBA&rsquo;s first game in Mexico City since 2019.
Dec. 20: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-cavaliers-phoenix-suns-college-football-nba-sports-f455a8e3b437a07aa4684c7dd3adb16b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia</a> strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver&rsquo;s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.
Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader.
Dec. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-luka-doncic-ed7d9ce55160d04e2c206f6a8b742cdd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double</a> in the Mavericks&rsquo; 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.
Jan. 2: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kobe-bryant-chicago-bulls-los-angeles-lakers-cleveland-cavaliers-utah-jazz-ef2ccddb44dd42fa14ebed5f8344c5a2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points</a> in the Cavaliers&rsquo; 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.
Jan. 10: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-sports-basketball-18113c7918466a8d6a41714b963403cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line</a> in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.
Jan. 13: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-atlanta-hawks-san-antonio-spurs-nba-sports-e05988d6e1537c605aad5ea8a14d4887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At the Alamodome in San Antonio,</a> the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.
Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-jaden-ivey-hamidou-diallo-3770db44edb9a08e1ad116ecad45109f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108</a> in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.
Feb. 6: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas,</a> ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.
Feb. 7: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lebron-james-nba-scoring-record-cd0df2a355eaf80c6d534cbb16d44ca9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s career NBA scoring record.</a> Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James&rsquo; record-breaker.
Feb. 9: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix,</a> a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.
Feb. 16: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-151efe3c319c986b770437cd25794339" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla,</a> the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Feb. 18: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-sports-nba-all-star-game-walker-kessler-collin-sexton-6a2ea26147bafb0f80ea77620cacf2e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show</a> to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.
Feb. 19: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-lebron-james-kyrie-irving-giannis-antetokounmpo-2cf83e2e57350687e68ba89a6deb2707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points</a> and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 24: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-sacramento-kings-nba-sports-malik-monk-4047cea9a226d5fd135de97c65d0d054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175.</a> The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit&rsquo;s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.
Feb. 26: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-portland-trail-blazers-nba-sports-damian-lillard-1e1a83642e942d51d91ee014b5b7947c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland&rsquo;s Damian Lillard scores 71 points</a> in the Trail Blazers&rsquo; 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.
Feb. 27: <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-playoffs-264bcc009ce664a640b5c903e35f1656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder</a> as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.
March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking &ldquo;some time away to get help&rdquo; and ultimately was <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-suspended-nba-gun-video-8cc82061f6465f96d6c5d0806d92d7d0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended for eight games by the NBA</a> for his personal conduct.
March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.
March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1641271779380559872?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It&rsquo;s the first time in NBA history two teammates</a> have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.
April 1: In the early morning hours, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-labor-players-0cf524b13e459eeb5853dad9a455e0e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal</a> on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.
April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team&rsquo;s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mavericks-playoffs-nba-investigation-tanking-7ac5f76590adafd9df1c7c590a78d346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which opens an investigation the next day.</a>
April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/magic-heat-haslem-finale-f8e560c77aa5c36a20dbb12ebb58fca5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At 42, he&rsquo;s nearly two years older</a> than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revisits the notable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season.

Season of NBA moments: LeBron, Lillard, Mitchell and more

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Quin Snyder was more than just the first coaching candidate contacted when Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields began looking to replace Nate McMillan.
Snyder was the only candidate interviewed by Fields.
&ldquo;Everything we were looking for, it was check, check, check,&rdquo; Fields said of his conversation with Snyder, the former Utah Jazz coach, who was introduced on Monday as the Hawks&rsquo; new coach. Fields said finding the right fit immediately with Snyder &ldquo;was a big moment.&rdquo;
Snyder will make his Atlanta debut on Tuesday night, when the Hawks play at home against Washington. Joe Prunty, who was 2-0 as the interim coach, will remain on the bench beside Snyder.
The Hawks announced Snyder&rsquo;s hiring on a five-year deal on Sunday night, only five days after McMillan was fired with the team mired in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
The announcement was not a surprise. Fields confirmed on Wednesday that Snyder was a candidate.
Fields hopes the Hawks, currently in position for a spot in the play-in tournament, can finish the regular season strong under Snyder and earn a playoff spot as one of the top six teams in the East.
The Hawks (31-30) have struggled to reclaim the success they enjoyed under McMillan in reaching the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. The expectation to find that winning formula is now transferred to Snyder in a potentially difficult transition so late in the season.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity,&rdquo; Snyder said.
He acknowledged that the decision to take over the job now, instead of waiting until after the season, wasn&rsquo;t easy.
&ldquo;As I thought about it, I think the opportunity to come in now, although maybe challenging, is also an opportunity to hopefully go on a run,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;Also, and I think these things are not mutually exclusive, to begin to build a foundation, a culture.&rdquo;
Snyder, 56, was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s Hawks staff in the 2013-14 season.
He was 372-264 as Utah&rsquo;s coach from the 2014-15 to 2021-22 seasons, finishing with six consecutive playoff seasons. Even though the Jazz never advanced past the Western Conference semifinals, the winning record would have made Snyder an attractive candidate to other teams who may make coaching changes after the season.
The timing of the Hawks&rsquo; change created an opening for Fields to have exclusive conversations with Snyder.
Fields said that opportunity to be first in line with Snyder had no bearing on his decision to fire McMillan during the All-Star break. Fields said he was motivated to make a move because he believed the Hawks were not fulfilling their potential under McMillan.
&ldquo;We had two separate things going on &mdash; what is the state of our team right now and how we can best serve them and set us up for end of the season success following the All-Star break and then how are we going to position ourselves as an organization,&rdquo; Fields said, adding &ldquo;that doesn&rsquo;t necessitate that Quin was going to take over at midseason. It wasn&rsquo;t a huge factor for us. I knew that first and foremost we had to address our ballclub and that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;
Snyder said the opportunity in Atlanta &ldquo;lined up just right&rdquo; with what he was looking for in his next coaching job after leaving Utah following last season.
New Hawks assistant general manager Kyle Korver played for Snyder in Atlanta and Utah. Korver gave Snyder positive reviews about Fields. Snyder said he believes the Hawks provide &ldquo;the character in the front office&rdquo; he sought.
&ldquo;I wanted to find that type of partnership and I know that&rsquo;s why this situation, I think, is such a good fit for me personally,&rdquo; Snyder said, adding that he and Korver &ldquo;have been friends for a long time. &hellip; His feelings about Landry, everything was affirmed that I had heard about Landry.&rdquo;
Snyder met with Atlanta players on Monday morning. Some players, including Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic, attended the afternoon news conference. The team&rsquo;s biggest star, point guard Trae Young, was not in attendance.

“It’s always a challenge, but those challenges are often most rewarding and the best opportunity,” Snyder said.

New Hawks coach Quin Snyder facing difficult midseason transition

The most important word in NBA All-Star break might actually be "break."
For one week, the entire league recalibrates itself for the home stretch of the regular season and catches up on the aches, pains and more significant injuries that stem from competing hard every single day. Rookies can also breathe after being thrown into the fires of their first year as a pro.
Young talent can thrive coming out of the break. Bottom-feeding teams are ready to turn minutes over to those with less experience and more upside after the trade deadline. Contenders have a better understanding of how rookies could slot into a playoff-seeking rotation. And regardless of the ethics, a stellar final impression can heavily impact All-Rookie narratives.
So who might surprise us with a strong close to the season?
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Here are five under-the-radar rookies worth monitoring for a leap forward &mdash; "under-the-radar" excluding lottery draft picks and players already firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation (i.e. Walker Kessler):
Malaki Branham, San Antonio Spurs
Malaki Branham is barely under the radar at this point; he's leading all rookies with 18.1 points per game in February. But he is one of my favorite players in this rookie class, and since he fits my criteria, I'm seizing the chance to spotlight him.
According to PBP Stats, 136 players have attempted at least 50 "self-created" mid-range shots this season (attempts after possessing the ball for at least two seconds). Branham is converting on a ridiculous 56% of those shots, ranking third behind only Kevin Durant and Seth Curry.
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Malaki Branham logged his sixth consecutive start Monday at Cleveland and played well, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 in the loss. Branham is a natural shot-creator who is also excellent moving off-ball. He&rsquo;s going to be a very good NBA player and an important piece for the Spurs. <a href="https://t.co/kbfm5KivkL">pic.twitter.com/kbfm5KivkL</a>
&mdash; Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UsherNBA/status/1625337236152799232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
The No. 20 overall pick hardly wastes time and effort when he attacks off the dribble. While Branham has showcased his chops as an on-ball scorer, he's also 26-for-29 on assisted shots within 10 feet of the rim this season, per PBP Stats, and Synergy says Branham is shooting 76.5% on cutting field goal attempts.&nbsp;
Branham's relatively low output from the perimeter at Ohio State drew question marks around the NBA Draft. Could he stretch his mid-range prowess beyond the arc? This season, Branham has made just 33.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes, but since February, he's at a scorching 18-for-41 (43.9%) on 4.6 &nbsp;attempts per game.&nbsp;
Right now, he's purely been a bucket. We're still waiting to see a bit more of the off-dribble playmaking, which I believe was underrated in college. Branham also is, well, a contributor to the Spurs' league-worst defense. But the 6-foot-5-inch wing is playing in a low-stakes environment by NBA standards and is clearly growing more comfortable with each passing game. If you told me he would lead rookies in post-All-Star scoring, I'd believe you.

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Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
The No. 21 overall selection in this past year's draft hung around the back end of the Nuggets' rotation for most of the season, but has received 23.3 minutes per game this month. Christian Braun is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals across nine February contests on a scintillating 64.5% True Shooting clip.&nbsp;
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Holy crap Christian Braun! The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuggets</a> rookie summoning his inner Nikola Jokic, on the baseline cut takes the entry pass from Joker and instantly dishes it back out to Michael Porter Jr. for the corner 3-pointer. Such a damn impressive heads up play.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/p01V1g6PIi">pic.twitter.com/p01V1g6PIi</a>
&mdash; Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1625539664571699201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Braun is a quintessential connector for the Nuggets right now. Over 53% of his shots have come at the rim, mostly off of secondary drives or cuts, and he'll also spot up from the corners frequently. He's not a lead playmaker, but he'll keep the ball moving; plus, he's had just six bad-pass turnovers all season, per PBP Stats.&nbsp;
The Nuggets also like to use Braun's size at 6-foot-7, 218 pounds to guard up the lineup. According to BBall Index, the Kansas product has spent over 62% of his playing time defending point guards and shooting guards. And, while he's not the point-of-attack defender, he's useful in taking away complementary options and being an additional pest.
Denver's lack of trade-deadline additions on the wing (and top billing in the West) means Braun is expected to contribute to a deep playoff run. A stable three-point shot would go a long way (46.7% in February, 37.1% on the season), along with continued growth on defense. But Braun is the rare rookie on a pressure-packed team, and thriving would say a lot about his impact.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
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Per Cleaning the Glass: only 5️⃣ NBA players have block and steal rates both above 1.5% 🏀 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) - Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM) - Larry Nance Jr. (NOP) - Kyle Anderson (MIN) - Tari Eason (HOU) <a href="https://t.co/Fi0pGOHnbL">pic.twitter.com/Fi0pGOHnbL</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1628828512206348291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tari Eason's 1.5% block rate and 2.2% steal rate place him in an elite group of defensive havoc-wreakers this season. He's averaging 4.52 bad-pass steals or deflections per 75 possessions, per BBall Index, which puts him in the 95th percentile at his position.
Eason is already a unique event-creator on defense with his length and mobility. He also inhales rebounds on both ends of the glass. The former LSU forward secures offensive boards on 10.6% of Houston's misses, a rate that ranks second among all non-bigs in the league.&nbsp;
Those two impact areas carry the weight for Eason's All-Rookie case; he's still finding his niche on offense. He has to create more for himself than expected, and he's making a paltry 40.7% of his unassisted shots at the rim. The Rockets' offense has been a mess all season long. Ideally, Eason could start his career capitalizing on more cuts, lobs and spot-ups, but it's unclear if he'll find that balance this season.
Still, his defensive impact and rebounding activity warrant a prime spot in the rotation of a young, losing team, and Eason is talented enough to make it work.
Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
The pesky Thunder continue to stick around in the playoff race, and Jaylin Williams &mdash; not to be confused with Jalen &mdash; has been the most recent young head-turner with his charge-taking. Check out this graphic from Dom Samangy:
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Former Razorback, Jaylin Williams, is currently LEADING THE NBA in charges drawn per minute played and has the highest charge rate in 7 years since the NBA started tracking &ldquo;hustle stats&rdquo; in 2016. He currently draws a charge every 22 minutes of play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProHogs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProHogs</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_MWilliams_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jay_MWilliams_</a> <a href="https://t.co/bOM9XcqynU">pic.twitter.com/bOM9XcqynU</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1628448922770329601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Williams is such a fun, unique player. He's not racking up blocks or steals as a rim-protector, but he rebounds, takes charges and positions himself well on defense for a rookie.
Then, on offense, he's warped his impact from the pre-draft projections coming out of Arkansas. Williams' perimeter shot-making was more of an intriguing developmental pathway than a bread-and-butter skill entering the 2022 NBA Draft. The second-rounder is shooting a red-hot 47.7% from long range this season, including (checks notes) 55.6% since Jan. 1. In contrast, he's barely scoring around the rim; just 29% of his shots are coming within 4 feet of the basket.
Add in an 11.1% assist rate (66th percentile among bigs) and 3.1 screen assists per 75 possessions (80th percentile), and Williams is upending a lot of the traditional images for low-usage young centers.&nbsp;
OKC moved on from Mike Muscala and forward Darius Bazley at the trade deadline. Williams' playing time has fluctuated this season, but he's averaging 21.8 minutes per game in February and has started 11 of 17 games in the new year. He'll be a big part of this stretch run for a Thunder team capable of contending.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
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mark williams size blk + lob radius, good stuff <a href="https://t.co/8lVqlyksUH">pic.twitter.com/8lVqlyksUH</a>
&mdash; ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) <a href="https://twitter.com/bjpf_/status/1627041357041897472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The Hornets traded away Mason Plumlee and are well out of the playoff picture. It's time to give the young guys some runtime, and that begins with Mark Williams, who has started the last four contests. The No. 15 overall pick is averaging 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game this season.
Williams has thrived in more of the traditional finishing-center archetype. He's tallying 4.4 screen assists per 75 possessions (88th percentile) and posting a monster 3.7% block rate and 2.0% steal rate. (He missed the minute qualifier for Eason's previously mentioned stat). The 7-foot-1-inch center takes 78% of his shots around the rim, the majority via assists, and he makes 70% of those attempts.&nbsp;
Let's expand on the interior defense a bit because Williams' small-sample impact numbers are insane. Pulling from BBall Index's data, here's a look at how he's affecting shots around the basket.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Category</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;">Value</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;">Percentile rank (among C's)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of teams' at-rim shots contested by Williams</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.4714}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">47.14%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.96}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[134]:C[134],R[0]C[-1])">96th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">At-rim contests per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10.82}">10.82</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[135]:C[135],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Blocks per 75 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2.63}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.0&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">2.6</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.97}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[136]:C[136],R[0]C[-1])">97th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">% of Williams' contests that become blocks</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.2429}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">24.29%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.857}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=percentrank('Data Pull'!C[137]:C[137],R[0]C[-1])">86th</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.6251%; height: 22px;">Opponent FG% at rim vs. expected FG%</td>
<td style="width: 16.3185%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:-0.116}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;+#,##0.00%;-#,##0.00%&quot;}">-11.60%</td>
<td style="width: 35.0481%; height: 22px;" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.987}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0%&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}" data-sheets-formula="=1-percentrank('Data Pull'!C[138]:C[138],R[0]C[-1])">99th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
These are massive data points for any player, much less a rookie.
When Williams is on the court, Charlotte allows 6.6 fewer points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. He's already changing the tone for a squad that has historically had issues fortifying the floor. Hopefully we get to see more of that in this stretch run.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Not a stat, but I do want to give honorable mention shoutouts to AJ Griffin of the Atlanta Hawks and AJ Green of the Milwaukee Bucks. Both are talented rookies ready to join their team's rotations; I just wonder what minutes are available. Griffin now has to compete with Saddiq Bey in Atlanta's wing room in addition to the other established talents on the roster. Green seems to take a back seat when the Bucks are fully healthy.</li>
<li>Synergy's Todd Whitehead made these neat visualizations of pick-and-roll defense that I highlighted at the beginning of the year, and he's got some interesting takeaways now:</li>
</ul>
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When I made this chart back in November, I was interested to see that the teams with the best process (ones taking away opponents rolls/cuts to the rim, corner 3s, and shooting fouls) weren't necessarily the ones with the lowest PPP allowed (👀Boston, for example). <a href="https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW">https://t.co/5VVpnVCyYW</a> <a href="https://t.co/aWBfcmOA9T">pic.twitter.com/aWBfcmOA9T</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1626670052769669120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Another post-All-Star stats check-in courtesy of Tom Bassine:</li>
</ul>
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Updated starter and bench majority lineup team strengths. Denver still builds their leads through starter lineups with Jokic. Chicago bench stands out. <a href="https://t.co/1Uh8HSWSfs">pic.twitter.com/1Uh8HSWSfs</a>
&mdash; Tom Bassine (@tvbassine) <a href="https://twitter.com/tvbassine/status/1629102353210126336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller highlights five under-the-radar rookies who could make an impact in the NBA season's final months.

NBA Stats Notebook: 5 players who could break into the All-Rookie race

The Atlanta Hawks have dismissed head coach Nate McMillan per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1628157644107309056" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>.
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The Atlanta Hawks dismissed coach Nate McMillan, sources tell ESPN. <a href="https://t.co/Jjh3qlCnCX">pic.twitter.com/Jjh3qlCnCX</a>
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1628157644107309056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1628158820055945217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woj adds</a> that assistant coach Joe Prunty will be the interim coach.
The Hawks have had an up and down season and are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-30 record. McMillan had a 99-80 record across three seasons as the Hawks' head coach.
The team will immediately begin a search for a new head coach <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1628159518436904960" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Wojnarowski</a> with a focus on player development, accountability and getting their offense and defense into league's Top 10.
<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1628160099599650817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder</a> will be on the top of their wish list with Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as others that are expected to be considered for the position.
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The Atlanta Hawks have fired head coach Nate McMillan with assistant Joe Prunty taking over as the interim head coach.

Hawks fire head coach Nate McMillan

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Zia Cooke scored five of her 24 points in overtime to help No. 1 South Carolina remain unbeaten with a 64-57 victory over Mississippi on Sunday.
The defending national champion Gamecocks (27-0, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) got one of their biggest scares of the season before winning their 33rd straight game. The Rebels (20-7, 9-5) never trailed by more than six points in regulation and flirted with their first win over a No. 1 team in 46 years.
Cooke had six rebounds and four assists to help off-set a 7-of-18 shooting performance. Aliyah Boston added 13 points and 11 rebounds on 4-of-14 shooting and didn&rsquo;t score in the first quarter.
The deep Gamecocks didn&rsquo;t get their usual supply of scoring help for the two stars, though Kamilla Cardoso had eight points and 11 boards.
Angel Baker led Ole Miss with 17 points.
No. 2 INDIANA 83, PURDUE 60
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 20 points, Grace Berger added 14 points and 10 assists and Indiana beat Purdue to clinch a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title in 40 years.
The Hoosiers (26-1, 16-1 Big Ten) won their 14th straight, matching the second-longest winning streak in school history, before cutting down the nets in front of the program&rsquo;s first home sellout. Indiana has broken the single-game attendance mark four times this season, this time celebrating its 18th straight home win in front of 17,222.
Lasha Petree led Purdue with 23 points and Abbey Elliss added 12. The Boilermakers (17-8, 8-7). have lost nine straight in this rivalry.
No. 4 UTAH 74, ARIZONA STATE 69
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Gianna Kneepkens scored 22 points and Jenna Johnson added 15 to push Utah to a Pac-12 victory over stubborn Arizona State.
The Utes (23-3, 13-3), who had a seven-game winning streak stopped at No. 18 Arizona on Friday, struggled to put away Arizona State without post player Alissa Pili.
Pili, the Pac-12&rsquo;s leading scorer at 20.7 points per game, did not play after suffering an apparent right ankle sprain the final minutes of the loss at Arizona. Her ankle was re-taped on the bench after the first quarter but she never entered the game.
Sydney Erikstrup had 15 points, Treasure Hunt had 13 and Kayla Mokwuah had 11 for the Sun Devils (7-18, 0-16), who lost their 16th straight game despite leading most of the way.
No. 5 LSU 90, FLORIDA 79
GAINSVILLE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had her ninth first-half double-double, Jasmine Carson had a career-high five 3-pointers before the break, and LSU raced past Florida.
Reese finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season, two shy of Sylvia Fowles&rsquo; LSU single-season record. She also had five assists, three blocks and two steals.
Carson also scored 25 points, a career-high, as the graduate transfer from West Virginia went 7 of 14 behind the arc, helping the Tigers (25-1, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) to a season-best 11 3s on 20 attempts. The last time LSU had a player hit seven 3-pointers was in 1997.
KK Deans, a West Virginia transfer, matched her career high with 30 points, for the Gators (14-13, 3-11), who have lost five straight.
No. 9 DUKE 56, VIRGINIA 52
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Elizabeth Balogun scored 12 points, Taya Corosdale had 10 and Duke survived a stern test from Virginia.
The Blue Devils (22-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led only 47-45 with just over eight minutes left, but Celeste Taylor hit a 3-pointer from right in front of the Duke bench to make it a five-point game, starting a 7-2 run that gave them some breathing room and they held on.
Taylor Valladay led Virginia (15-12, 4-12) with 19 points and McKenna Dale had 10. The Cavaliers had split their last six meetings with the Blue Devils after ending a 26-game losing streak in the series, but still lost for the 30th time in the last 33 meetings.
No. 10 NOTRE DAME 83, PITTSBURGH 43
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron scored 13 points each and Notre Dame used a huge first-quarter push to race by Pittsburgh.
The Fighting Irish (22-4, 13-3 ACC) went on an 18-3 burst over the final 6:47 of the opening frame to build a 16-point lead that the Panthers (10-17, 3-13) never really threatened.
Ten days after avoiding an upset at home against Pitt and three days after Olivia Miles hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to top Louisville, the Fighting Irish made sure no such heroics were necessary this time around.
No. 11 VIRGINIA TECH 75, N.C. STATE 62
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Roommates Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore both had double-doubles and Virginia Tech won its fifth straight, defeating North Carolina State.
Kitley had 24 points and 10 rebounds for her 50th career double-double and had six blocks. Amoore had 15 points and 11 assists, which tied her career high.
Virginia Tech (22-4, 12-4 ACC) has won six straight, the previous three against ranked teams, starting with a 73-61 win over the Wolfpack. That marked the Hokies&rsquo; first-ever win in Raleigh and now they have their first-ever sweep of NC State.
Aziaha James scored 20 points in her first start for the Wolfpack (18-9, 8-8), who are out of the poll for the first time in 96 weeks dating to February of 2018.
No. 15 OKLAHOMA 86, KANSAS 80
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Madi Williams scored 23 points, Liz Scott had a double-double, and Oklahoma held off Kansas.
A free throw by Zakiyah Franklin drew Kansas within 82-80 with 3:12 remaining. Neither team would score another field goal as Kansas missed its last nine shots and Oklahoma&rsquo;s last field goal came with 5:12 remaining.
Williams made two free throws with 37 seconds left and Ana Llanusa added two more with nine seconds left to wrap up Oklahoma&rsquo;s sixth consecutive victory.
Scott had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (22-4, 12-3 Big 12).
The Jayhawks got 73 of their 80 points from the trio of Franklin, Holly Kersgieter and Taiyanna Jackson. Franklin led with a career-high 30 points, Kersgieter added 24 and Jackson 19 for Kansas (16-9, 6-8). Jackson added 13 rebounds.
No. 17 TEXAS 74, WEST VIRGINIA 48
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Shaylee Gonzales had 18 points, Rori Harmon scored 16 and Khadija Faye added a double-double to power Texas to a romp over West Virginia.
Gonzales made half of her six 3-pointers and all seven of her free throws for the Longhorns (21-7, 12-3 Big 12 Conference). Harmon sank 10 of 12 fouls shots and added six rebounds and six assists. Faye finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Ja&rsquo;Haiya Quinerly had 16 points before fouling out to pace the Mountaineers (16-9, 7-7). Madisen Smith hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. Jayla Hemingway pitched in with nine points and seven rebounds.
No. 18 ARIZONA 61, No. 21 COLORADO 42
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Shaina Pellington scored 19 points with five assists and Arizona smothered Colorado, ending the Buffaloes&rsquo; five-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (21-6, 11-5 Pac 12 Conference) held the Buffaloes to their lowest total of the season and their worst shooting game, 28.3% overall (15 of 53), 1 of 12 from 3-point range (8.3%).
Esmery Martinez had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who were coming off a 10-point win over No. 4 Utah and have won five of six.
Tameiya Sadler led the Buffaloes with 12 points and Quay Miller added 10 with 10 rebounds.
No. 19 NORTH CAROLINA 71, WAKE FOREST 58
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Deja Kelly had 24 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead North Carolina to a victory over Wake Forest.
Destiny Adams added 11 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams scored 10 for the Tar Heels (19-8, 10-6 ACC).
North Carolina went up by 20 midway through the fourth quarter and cruised from there, making just two field goals and three free throws over the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Wake Forest (14-13, 5-11) shot 3 for 14 in the third quarter and was outscored 16-6. The shooting slump came after the Demon Deacons shot 50% in the first half and trailed just 40-36 at halftime.
No. 24 FLORIDA STATE 80, GEORGIA TECH 66
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Ta&rsquo;Niya Latson scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 9-of-10 free throws, leading Florida State to a victory over Georgia Tech.
Latson scored 24 points through three quarters and the Seminoles took a 63-57 lead into the fourth. Latson, a freshman averaging 21.8 points per game, had gone nine games without reaching 20 points.
Georgia Tech got within four points early in the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles responded with an 8-0 run that gave them a 73-61 lead with 4:11 remaining. Florida State added 3-pointers from Latson and Erin Howard to close out the victory. The Yellow Jackets made one of their last 12 shots from the field.
Sara Bejedi scored 14 points and O&rsquo;Mariah Gordon added 10 off the bench for Florida State (22-7, 11-5 ACC).
Cameron Swartz scored 17 points, Kara Dunn 16, and Kayla Blackshear 10 for Georgia Tech (13-13, 4-11).
CALIFORNIA 81, No. 25 USC 78, OT
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Jayda Curry scored 27 points and Michelle Onyiah had six points in overtime as California upended USC.
The Trojans (19-8, 9-7 Pac-12), back in the rankings for the first time since 2016, had their chances to win this one after falling to No. 3 Stanford 50-47 on Friday.
From the final four minutes of regulation until Destiny Littleton hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 to go in overtime, USC missed eight straight shots. After Littleton tied the game at 78 and Leilani McIntosh put the Golden Bears (13-14, 4-12) on top with two free throws with 44 seconds to go, the Trojans came up empty on their next possession despite two offensive rebounds.
Onyiah made 1 of 2 from the line with eight seconds to go and Littleton&rsquo;s late 3 was off the mark.

A recap of a busy Sunday in top-25 women's action includes a thriller between the Gamecocks and Rebels that had to go to overtime.

Top-ranked South Carolina edges Ole Miss in OT

A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

Unless they&rsquo;ve played in the NBA, there aren&rsquo;t too many people on this planet who can say they&rsquo;ve had the opportunity to competitively share the floor with the one and only LeBron James in the prime of his career. Overseas professional Quincy Diggs is one of the few who has.
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Made him travel that's how good the defense was <a href="http://t.co/BI5cM24vFY">pic.twitter.com/BI5cM24vFY</a>
&mdash; Qdiggs (@Qdiggs13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Qdiggs13/status/637042674906869760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2015</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;That shot he made on me was a travel. I'mma live with that until I'm dead,&rdquo; Diggs told Basketball News over the phone of his pinned Twitter post. &ldquo;That was a travel. I played great defense. I played great defense on the GOAT. I&rsquo;ll never forget that video."
Diggs remembers how this moment came about. Going into his second season at the University of Akron in 2011, then-head coach Keith Dambrot invited his former Saint Vincent-Saint Mary star to practice with the team and stay conditioned, as the NBA was trying to come up with a solution with the NBPA to end the league&rsquo;s lockout. LeBron practiced with the Zips for two weeks that summer, and on that particular day, bought Subway for the whole squad and hung out with the guys on campus.
&ldquo;That was a pretty dope experience. We got to see how he'd take care of his body &mdash; and to me, it makes sense why he's still playing these days because we've seen how he takes care of his body; after he practices, he's in the ice baths and then he stretches for an hour, so it definitely makes sense for me why he's still playing,&rdquo; Diggs said of LeBron, who is in his 20th NBA season and recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
&ldquo;For him to be giving it back to us as well, teaching us the game and giving his little tips and pointers on how to stay aggressive, read the offense and take your time, that was really a truly amazing experience.&rdquo;
Twelve years later, living in Austria, Diggs proudly represents the United States as <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/1616424615898669058?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIBA&rsquo;s top American men&rsquo;s 3x3 player</a> on Team Vienna, the runner-up of the 2022 World Tour Finals. Impressively enough, it was his first season playing in this format professionally, and it all came about randomly. What started as a way to stay in shape over the summer worked out more positively in his favor than he could&rsquo;ve imagined.
&ldquo;I didn't know anything about it, 3x3. I was new to it. I said, 'Might as well try it out,' because I couldn't get a job at the time. A friend (Nico Kaltenbrunner) invited me, I tried it out and then, that led to becoming into a season. I didn't know 3x3 has a season. So I did good in the (Eubone Challenger) tournament. I ended up going to Paris. And then, the team actually wanted me to stay on their team permanently. So I said, 'I got nothing else to do, I'm down to play,'" Diggs said.
&ldquo;And so, we started racking in tournaments from all across the world. We started getting points 'cause we were winning and sometimes coming in second. Eventually, I didn't know anything about points being ranked, and then, I got a message randomly from a guy. It said, 'Hey man, you're the No. 1 player in the USA.' And there's a lot of people that play from the USA in these tournaments. Because we were winning and placing so high in tournaments, I racked up so many points so quickly that I became the No. 1. So that was pretty cool to see and notice. I didn't know anything about it, so it's pretty dope to be No. 1 in the United States (laughs)."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2023-02-02-at-15-56-04-0f846cd1-a6ca-4bfe-aebf-ddccbded93f2-jpg-avif-image-1280-853-pixels-scaled-98_.png" alt="" width="685" height="343" />
According to <a href="https://worldtour.fiba3x3.com/2022/teams/891a3dd0-bcdf-4d82-bbee-0e7fcbf2eb22/players/af211ded-8450-4d0e-97b6-e2c5c99fa973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIBA&rsquo;s website</a>, Diggs registered 539,036 ranking points in 41 games played and is the 23rd-best player in the world overall. On the World Tour, he led Team Vienna with 61 defensive rebounds and shot 67% on one-pointers.
None of this would&rsquo;ve happened if it weren&rsquo;t for Kaltenbrunner&rsquo;s offer, and now, he&rsquo;s reunited with former foes from his days playing in Oberwart with the Redwell Gunners in his first professional season &mdash; Filip Kramer, Matthias Lenortner and Martin &ldquo;Marmak&rdquo; Trmal. Former No. 1 player in the 3x3 world Stefan Stojacic, known as &ldquo;Mr. Robot,&rdquo; came back from a serious knee injury and was in peak condition as well. Altogether, the five made up a well-oiled machine.
With his guys flanking him, Diggs was able to pick up a half-court, three-on-three environment. However, it didn&rsquo;t happen overnight.
&ldquo;The 3-v-3 is far different from 5-v-5. The first thing I learned is you've gotta be in great shape because the ball is nonstop. You're nonstop defense. You're nonstop offense. The only time you get a break is when somebody calls a timeout,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;Me being a 5-v-5 player... You definitely get your rest basically, but it's nonstop. [With] 5-v-5, I'm more of a transition player. I love to get out and run. So it was hard for me to adjust at first, but then I started to get the hang of it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;My teammates were helping me out &mdash; knowing the tricks, the stuff to do. Communication's important. It's three guys out there trying to compete and you've gotta have a lot of communication out there. So it's definitely an adjustment.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Whatever changes Diggs made most definitely worked. Not only can he boast his status at the top of the mountain representing America, he also has <a href="https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/status/1602092917941846016?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">garnered the attention</a> of Team USA&rsquo;s 3x3 decision-makers. With his success during the season and those tournaments, he received an email from the program.
&ldquo;That drew interest for the (Paris) Olympics, and my jaw just dropped when I heard that because it's always been a dream to try to play in the Olympics for like 5-v-5. But obviously, you have to be in the NBA, so they're not gonna take somebody off the streets,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;But just to hear that I can represent the country with a jersey with Team USA on the front is something I really want to accomplish and is a goal, and they're very interested in me right now.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So I talked to the director (Jay Demings), and it's been pretty dope. Now, it's the second chance in 2024 for 3x3 and everyone's trying to get points to qualify. I think since I had so many points is why they drew interest in me.&rdquo;
Latvia won gold in the inaugural 3x3 men&rsquo;s basketball tournament in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Team USA didn&rsquo;t qualify. That said, the popularity of FIBA&rsquo;s 3x3 league has skyrocketed.
It started in 2010 with the Youth Olympic Games, turned into a full-blown tour in 2012 and officially became an Olympic sport in 2017. Its social engagement increase is astounding, with nearly 2 million followers on Facebook, 452,000 YouTube subscribers and a whopping 362,000 followers on Instagram to name a few. Diggs is thankful he gets to play on such a stage.
&ldquo;It's becoming worldwide and it's growing tremendously each and every year. So it's pretty crazy,&rdquo; Diggs said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Quincy Diggs is TOO strong! 💪 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3ChSacheon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3x3ChSacheon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3Challenger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3x3Challenger</a> <a href="https://t.co/5QF12lR385">pic.twitter.com/5QF12lR385</a>
&mdash; FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/1581610906521174017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Diggs doesn&rsquo;t take how he got to this point for granted. During his senior season with the Zips in 2013-14, Dambrot was positive he would get some looks from NBA teams and be invited to a few team workouts, and Diggs was eager to fulfill a lifelong dream when he heard that. However, it didn&rsquo;t work out that way. Once that realization kicked in, stress followed. Diggs didn&rsquo;t have an agent, and the summer approached quickly. While he was working his tail off, his phone remained silent.&nbsp;
Staying ready and working out, jobless, Diggs sat out for a whole year before the tide turned.
&ldquo;In 2015, I got my first call from a pro team from Austria (the Redwell Gunners),&rdquo; Diggs recalled. &ldquo;So they asked me, they said, 'Hey, we're interested in you. We saw your highlights from your college career and we'd like to give you a shot.' And then, that's when my career started for me and it's been a hell of a journey for sure."
It didn&rsquo;t take long for Diggs to put himself on the map with the Gunners. In his first year as a pro, he was instrumental in leading Redwell to an Austrian Bundesliga championship. Averaging 19.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per contest on 47.7% from the field, Diggs took home both the ABL Rookie of the Year and ABL Most Valuable Player awards in 2015-16.
&ldquo;I was hungry. I was dedicated. I wanted to come compete,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;And then, I won the MVP, I won the championship and I won the Cup in that season. And then, I got a big offer from Germany and then, that's when my career started to elevate a little bit more and more each year. And now, I'm playing 3x3 and it's starting to elevate as well.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gepa_full_1837_gepa-26051688020-scaled.png" alt="" width="684" height="342" />
Diggs has been all over the globe. He was born in Wichita, KS, played high school ball in Plano, TX, began his college career in New Orleans, LA and ended it in Akron, OH. As a competitor, he's played in all sorts of environments, including The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a popular midsummer hoops event with $1 million on the line for the winning team.
As a pro, he&rsquo;s played for teams in Austria, Germany, France, Greece and the Czech Republic, and now he&rsquo;s back to where it all started with Redwell.&nbsp;
Currently, he&rsquo;s awaiting the 3x3 season to begin in May with Team Vienna (and the Gunners' season follows in August). To pass the time, Diggs is an avid gamer and loves to host Fortnite tournaments for money on his <a href="twitch.tv/qdiggs/hom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitch channel</a>. He plays a lot of NBA 2K as well, and was recently asked by the game&rsquo;s developers to come back to the states to help with their motion-sensor process regarding signature moves. He&rsquo;ll be back this month to do that.
&ldquo;They said they see my videos and all that from my seasons and said, 'Hey we're interested. You can come to try to perform some stuff for us.' So I was like, 'Ay, of course I would.&rsquo; I never did anything like this, so this is why I'm saying it's pretty crazy. Probably because they heard of me after I put that stuff out with No. 1 player in America then. That's when they got interested. So I said, 'Hey, why not?&rsquo;&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;First thing, the restaurant I'm going to is Chipotle (laughs).&rdquo;
If it&rsquo;s not obvious, Diggs is also quite the joker, oftentimes posting <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYByWl2g-b_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedic skits on his social channels</a>. He even admitted that he took acting classes at Akron and regrets not majoring in drama because post-career he&rsquo;d &ldquo;like to be in front of a camera after it&rsquo;s all said and done.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I like making people laugh. I'm seeing TikTok now and I'm just like, 'Man, I was doing this stuff way before TikTok,'&rdquo; Diggs quipped. &ldquo;I'm still trying to build it up and still send out some funny videos from time-to-time. But I enjoy doing stuff like that."
Soon turning 33, Diggs is proud of what he&rsquo;s been able to accomplish, and he&rsquo;s still processing being the No. 1 American player in 3x3. It&rsquo;s been a long, bumpy, oftentimes uncertain road for Diggs, but the fruits of his labor have paid off.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just living that Europe life, playing basketball and doing something I love,&rdquo; Diggs said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Can't complain."
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I enjoy giving back 💯 <a href="https://t.co/CdrsPA2acc">pic.twitter.com/CdrsPA2acc</a>
&mdash; Qdiggs (@Qdiggs13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Qdiggs13/status/1615837317847187456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Spencer Davies chats with FIBA's No. 1 American player in 3x3 competition Quincy Diggs about his basketball journey.

Meet Quincy Diggs: FIBA's top-ranked American 3x3 player

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Shahada Wells scored 17 points as No. 14 TCU beat No. 2 Kansas 83-60 on Saturday in one of the worst losses in Bill Self&rsquo;s 20-year coaching career with the Jayhawks.
The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak at home for Kansas and was the second-largest home loss under Self. The Jayhawks (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), who lost 83-82 in overtime at Kansas State on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games in the state since 1989 &mdash; against K-State and Missouri.
Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime and never closed the gap within single digits. TCU extended the lead to as many as 24 points. The Jayhawks shot only 32.1% in the second half.
TCU (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), which shot 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field, got 15 points from Mike Miles Jr. and 11 from Damion Baugh.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 85, MISSOURI 64
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Noah Clowney and Mark Sears each scored 17 points, and Alabama remained undefeated against unranked teams this season.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), and reserve Jahvon Quinterly scored 13 points. Clowney also had 14 rebounds, and Sears finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
Isiaih Mosley led Missouri (14-5, 3-4) with 19 points. Mohamed Diarra had eight points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 ARIZONA 58, NO. 5 UCLA 52
TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and Arizona withstood a late rally to end UCLA&rsquo;s 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (17-3, 5-3 Pac-12) took a 56-44 lead on Ballo&rsquo;s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left. But the Bruins (17-3, 8-1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56-52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots but couldn&rsquo;t convert on two shots of its own. Arizona&rsquo;s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out.
Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 99, PACIFIC 90
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes.
Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC). Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.
NO. 7 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 61
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Marcus Carr scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Texas.
Dylan Disu added 13 points before fouling out, and Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter scored 11 apiece for the Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a double-digit loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6) had several players in early foul trouble. Kedrian Johnson had a career-high 22 points, but his teammates fell flat in the second half against the Longhorns.
NO. 8 XAVIER 95, GEORGETOWN 82
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Zach Freemantle tied a career-high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday.
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight. Spears&rsquo; previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
NO. 9 TENNESSEE 77, LSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James scored a season-high 22 points and Tennessee defeated LSU, which has lost six straight.
James, who missed eight games in November and December due to injury, made his second straight start for the Volunteers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). Playing 31 minutes, James was 9-of-16 from the field and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 10 assists, which tied his career high. Julian Phillips and Tyreke Key each had 10 points.
KJ Williams led LSU (12-7, 1-6) with 16 points. Trae Hannibal added 10 points. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 33 Volunteers points.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 76, WAKE FOREST 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin scored 18 of his 25 points during the first half and Virginia survived blowing nearly all of a 19-point lead to beat Wake Forest.
Kihei Clark added 12 points despite getting into foul trouble for the Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But it was a day of wild swings for Virginia, who went from missing its first eight shots to suddenly being unable to miss to go up 34-15 &mdash; only to see the Demon Deacons push back to within a single point with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Damari Monsanto had a career-high 25 points for the Demon Deacons (14-6, 6-3), highlighted by making 7 of 15 3-pointers.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 59
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State for its first win over a ranked team this season.
Kalib Boone added 13 points for the Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12), who won their second straight game.
Osun Osunniyi scored 15 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 14 for Iowa State (14-4, 5-2), which had won seven of its last eight games. Cyclones sharpshooter Caleb Grill spent most of the second half on the bench wearing a back brace and wasn&rsquo;t in the game in the closing minutes.
NO. 13 KANSAS STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Kansas State&rsquo;s win over Texas Tech.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.
Pop Isaacs and De&rsquo;Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field.
NO. 16 AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Johni Broome had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn took control late in the opening half to run past struggling South Carolina.
Broome&rsquo;s performance helped the Tigers to their fifth straight win and offset a career-best 30 points from Gamecocks&rsquo; freshman Gregory &ldquo;GG&rdquo; Jackson II.
The 6-foot-10 Broome took full advantage of South Carolina&rsquo;s undersized interior for the Tigers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). He hit 12 of his 17 shots in 30 minutes for his sixth double-double this season and fifth against an SEC opponent.
Meechie Johnson was the only other player for South Carolina (8-11, 1-5) in double figures with 11 points.
DUKE 68, NO. 17 MIAMI
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in his first game in more than two weeks to lift Duke over Miami.
Tyrese Proctor had 11 points and Dariq Whitehead added 10 points for the Blue Devils (15-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who played their first game of the season without a national ranking.
Jordan Miller&rsquo;s 19 points and Nijel Pack&rsquo;s 18 were tops for Miami (15-4, 6-3), which has lost three of its last five games.
NO. 18 CHARLESTON 87, NORTHEASTERN 61
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Ben Burnham scored 15 points, Pat Robinson III added 14 and Ryan Larson had 12 to lead Charleston to its 20th win in a row.
The Cougars (21-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored 13 straight points in the first half to pull away and extend the longest active winning streak in the nation. They have not lost since the second game of the season, to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11, climbing to their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1999.
Chris Doherty had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jared Turner also scored 11 for Northeastern (8-11, 4-4). The Huskies haven&rsquo;t beat a Top 25 team since 2015.
NO. 19 CLEMSON 51, VIRGINIA TECH 50
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Tyson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left lifted Clemson to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech.
Tyson caught a pass just left of the key, took a look at at the basket and let it fly. The crowd exploded as the ball went through and the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued their unexpected run atop the ACC.
PJ Hall led Clemson with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Grant Basile led the Hokies (11-8, 1-7) with 13 points.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 74, SETON HALL 53
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and Marquette beat Seton Hall.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2 Big East) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall (12-9, 5-5) with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
NO. 21 BAYLOR 62, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points as Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Jalen Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5).
NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75, DEPAUL 64
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Providence fend off DePaul.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 11-0 at home. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are now 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da&rsquo;Sean Nelson added 13 points.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 67, UTEP 59
EL PASO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Johnell Davis scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Florida Atlantic extended its program record for consecutive wins to 18.
Davis hit 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point distance and was perfect on six shots from the line for FAU (19-1, 9-0 Conference USA). Vladislav Goldin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Owls.
Calvin Solomon finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tae Hardy also scored 16 points for UTEP (11-9, 4-5). Mario McKinney Jr. added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
NO. 25 ARKANSAS 69, OLE MISS 57
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Anthony Black scored 17 points, reserve Joseph Pinion had 13 and Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Mississippi.
Only nine teams in Division I had made fewer 3-pointers than Arkansas (13-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) this season, but the Razorbacks tied a season high by making eight from beyond the arc. They led by as many as 21 points.
Pinion and Devo Davis each made three 3s. Davis had 16 points and Jordan Walsh finished with 13.
Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6) committed 17 turnovers. The Rebels had six giveaways in the first six minutes of the second half, helping Arkansas extend its three-point halftime lead to 11 at the first media timeout after the break.

A roundup of Saturday's top-25 action in men's college basketball includes a TCU rout of the second-ranked Jayhawks on the road.

No. 14 TCU blows out No. 2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

Christmas comes with traditions. Like the New York Knicks playing at Madison Square Garden. Or LeBron James lacing up his sneakers and going to work. And the defending NBA champions getting into the holiday game action.
All those things are happening this year.
And this holiday features a new twist: Memphis, welcome to the Christmas stage.
The NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader is Sunday, with the Grizzlies and Ja Morant set to play on Dec. 25 for the first time in that franchise&rsquo;s history. They get the distinction of going to Golden State and facing the reigning &mdash; albeit shorthanded and reeling of late &mdash; champions in a rematch from last season&rsquo;s Western Conference semifinals, won by the Warriors in six games.
It&rsquo;s the 15th consecutive year of five games being played on Christmas. Some things to know about the five matchups (all times Eastern):
PHILADELPHIA AT NEW YORK, Noon
The Knicks are extending their record for Christmas appearances, getting picked to play on the holiday for the 55th time. Of those, 47 have been at home.
It&rsquo;s the 13th Knicks-76ers game on Christmas; no two teams have faced each other more on the holiday. And it features two of the NBA&rsquo;s hottest teams right now &mdash; the Knicks are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and the 76ers are on a seven-game winning streak. Joel Embiid is leading the NBA in scoring at 33 points per game.
Fact: 76ers coach Doc Rivers played four times on Christmas, including once when he was with the Knicks, and all four of those games were on the road. Add in his coaching years, and this is the 17th time that Rivers has been part of a Christmas game &mdash; the 15th that will be a road game.
L.A. LAKERS AT DALLAS, 2:30 p.m.
LeBron James seemingly appears on Christmas as often as Santa Claus does. If James plays, it&rsquo;ll be his 17th Christmas appearance, which will break a tie with Kobe Bryant for the most in NBA history. If he plays and the Lakers win, it&rsquo;ll be James&rsquo; 11th time walking off as a Christmas winner &mdash; another record for NBA players.
And the Lakers are appearing on Christmas for the 24th consecutive year. They enter with an all-time Dec. 25 record of 24-24, the most wins on the holiday in NBA history, one ahead of the Knicks.
It&rsquo;ll be Mavericks star Luka Doncic&rsquo;s second Christmas game, after he and Dallas lost a road game to the Lakers in 2020. Mavs coach Jason Kidd played on the holiday four times, including a loss to James and the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals rematch to open the 2011-12 season.
Fact: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-dallas-mavericks-nba-sports-dirk-nowitzki-b34f47eafd6cb75ea48e166966a4499d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mavericks will unveil Basketball Hall of Fame nominee Dirk Nowitzki&rsquo;s statue</a> at their arena a couple hours before the game.
BUCKS AT CELTICS, 5 p.m.
It&rsquo;s a double rematch, after Milwaukee beat Boston on Christmas last year and the Celtics topped the Bucks in seven games in last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference semifinals.
Before Giannis Antetokounmpo came along, the Bucks had played on Christmas only four times in their history. They&rsquo;re now playing on the holiday for a fifth consecutive season &mdash; though Antetokounmpo appeared to hurt his right hand in a loss Friday night to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics aren&rsquo;t exactly rolling into the matchup. They&rsquo;ve dropped five of their last seven games, after a blistering 21-5 start to the season &mdash; but are coming off an impressive 121-109 win Friday over Minnesota.
Fact: This is Boston&rsquo;s 36th Christmas game, but only the fourth at home. The Celtics, for decades, insisted that they didn&rsquo;t want to make arena workers and others be away from their families on the holiday.
GRIZZLIES AT WARRIORS, 8 p.m.
Stephen Curry is injured and won&rsquo;t play for Golden State, which is 2-7 in its last nine games. This matchup is the opening of an eight-game homestand for the defending champions, who are 15-18 and right now on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture.
&ldquo;Obviously, we&rsquo;ve got to turn things around,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;The good news is the standings are pretty bunched up in the West. Despite our record, we are not in dire straits. We need to get solid. We need to get some guys healthy. And we need to start playing better, obviously, and get some momentum.&rdquo;
For Morant and the Grizzlies, this was a stage and a matchup they wanted. Morant tweeted his excitement to Warriors forward Draymond Green when the NBA announced the Christmas schedule back in the summer; Green responded by inviting Morant and his family over for Christmas dinner.
Fact: Now that Memphis is in a Christmas game, Charlotte is the only active franchise yet to play on the holiday.
SUNS AT NUGGETS, 10:30 p.m.
Denver is seeking its first Christmas win since 1994, and two-time defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is playing like someone certainly worthy of much consideration to win the award yet again.
The Suns didn&rsquo;t play on Christmas from 2010 through 2020, but are back on the holiday schedule for a second consecutive season. They lost to Golden State last year on Christmas.
Fact: Phoenix is 12-7 on Christmas, the league&rsquo;s fifth-best record. Denver is 1-6, the league&rsquo;s second-worst record entering this year ahead of only Toronto (0-2).

It’s the 15th consecutive year of five NBA games being played on Christmas. Here are things to know about the five matchups.

The NBA on Christmas: Things to know about the 5 matchups

The tributes officially started in 2019 with Dirk Nowitzki Way, a street that was renamed in Dallas to honor the greatest Mavericks player of all time. Then in January, the Mavs retired his No. 41 jersey. Then in September, Germany retired the No. 14 jersey he wore for his country.
Even after scoring 30,000 points, he still is not enjoying all the fuss.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been super surreal,&rdquo; Nowitzki said, &ldquo;and a little embarrassing for me.&rdquo;
Merry Christmas, Dirk. Here comes another celebration. Two of them, actually.
On Wednesday, he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-candidates-for-class-of-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced as a nominee for the 2023 enshrinement class</a> by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And on Sunday, when the Mavs host the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the NBA&rsquo;s Christmas quintupleheader, the Dirk Nowitzki Statue will be unveiled at American Airlines Arena.
It will be the ultimate Christmas present and incredibly fitting that it comes on a day where a slew of international stars that Nowitzki helped pave the way for &mdash; Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic and fellow Maverick Luka Doncic &mdash; will get showcased on the NBA&rsquo;s big day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been super fun to watch,&rdquo; Nowitzki said when asked about the ongoing imprint international players are making on the game. &ldquo;And along the way, if I inspired somebody to pick up a basketball or if I motivated a guy to work harder or dream of the NBA, of course, that&rsquo;s humbling to me ... super humbling. That makes me proud, for sure.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not a new development. The last four MVP&rsquo;s &mdash; in reverse order, Jokic, Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Antetokounmpo &mdash; are from Serbia and Greece. It seems reasonable to think that this season&rsquo;s MVP will be an international player as well, with Jokic, Doncic and Embiid likely among the early frontrunners.
Entering Tuesday, the NBA&rsquo;s top five scorers were from five different countries &mdash; Embiid (Cameroon), Doncic (Slovenia), Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Kevin Durant (U.S.).
Such was unthinkable just a few years ago. Over a 13-season span, from 2004-05 through 2016-17, only one international player cracked the top five &mdash; Nowitzki, who was fourth on two occasions during that stretch. Every other slot was taken by an American.
This is what former Commissioner David Stern wanted &mdash; and why he prioritized making the NBA go international.
&ldquo;It was his vision to truly make the NBA and basketball a global sport," Commissioner Adam Silver said last weekend before a Miami-San Antonio game in Mexico City. &ldquo;I began at the league in 1992, shortly before the Barcelona Olympics and the Dream Team. We saw the impact that had. Now looking back 30 years, 30 years of playing games in M&eacute;xico City, it&rsquo;s really happening."
It&rsquo;s not an accident that Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid are getting the Christmas game treatment. They are brands, huge draws globally, and the NBA has embraced international viewers more and more over the years.
Nowitzki preceded them all, a mop-topped German kid who initially wasn&rsquo;t sure if he wanted to come to the NBA when he got drafted and wound up making the best possible decision for him and the Mavericks. He played three times on Christmas; Dallas went 2-1 in those games and Nowitzki averaged 27.3 points.
The Christmas lineup this year goes like this &mdash; Philadelphia at New York first, then the Lakers at Dallas, Milwaukee at Boston, Memphis at defending champion Golden State, then Phoenix at Denver in the nightcap. Some star power will be missing, with the Lakers without Anthony Davis and the Warriors without Stephen Curry. It&rsquo;ll be LeBron James&rsquo; 17th Christmas appearance, and the first for the Grizzlies.
&ldquo;These are the games that everybody grew up watching,&rdquo; James said last year when asked about Christmas.
The NBA does its part to make sure &ldquo;everybody&rdquo; can watch &mdash; like the NBA Finals, the Christmas games are being sent to more than 200 countries and territories, with commentating happening in more than 50 languages.
German, of course, will be one of them. The Nowitzki statue depicts his famous one-legged jumper, a shot that changed the game. He was a unicorn when he got to the U.S.; a 7-footer who could shoot, pass and dribble and wasn&rsquo;t just a back-to-the-basket guy. Now, those skills aren&rsquo;t rare to see in big men. They&rsquo;re basically required.
Again, it&rsquo;s so fitting that the statue is coming on Christmas. His game was a gift. And with the way it&rsquo;s been emulated by so many in the last 20 years, it&rsquo;s a gift that keeps on giving.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be there forever,&rdquo; Nowitzki said. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s so unbelievable, that this statue will stand there, and my kids will grow up with it. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s really mindboggling and so amazing about it&mdash; that this piece is for really for eternity and will be there long, long after I&rsquo;m gone.&rdquo;
___
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds(at)ap.org

On Sunday, when the Mavs host the Lakers as part of the NBA’s Christmas quintupleheader, the Dirk Nowitzki Statue will be unveiled.

Fitting that Dirk Nowitzki will be celebrated on Christmas

The Thanksgiving week of holiday tournaments is almost always a feast of high-level college hoops.
While several top teams are playing home games against smaller-conference opponents, the programs in Maui, the Bahamas and Oregon are facing one stiff test after another.
Here&rsquo;s a look at the tournaments taking place this week:
MAUI INVITATIONAL
One of the deepest brackets in the tournament&rsquo;s history descended upon tiny Lahaina Civic Center. The tournament includes five teams ranked in the AP Top 25 and other big-name programs.
No. 10 Creighton (5-0) tipped off the paradise festivities with a 76-65 win over No. 21 Texas Tech, dominating the Red Raiders in the second half.
No. 9 Arkansas (4-0) was even better in the second Maui game, routing Louisville 80-54 behind high-flying freshman Anthony Black&rsquo;s 26 points.
That sets up Tuesday&rsquo;s semifinal between the Bluejays and Razorbacks. Both teams like to get up and down the floor, so the packed-in Lahaina Center crowd could set off some seismographs on the islands.
No. 17 San Diego State entered the season with high expectations and lived up to those pre-Maui, knocking off BYU and Stanford. The Aztecs kept it going in Maui, overcoming a slow start to beat Ohio State 88-77.
No. 14 Arizona dominated its first three games, averaging a nation-leading 105.3 points and 26.3 assists. The Wildcats kept their roll going with a 101-93 victory over Cincinnati at the Maui Invitational to set up a semifinal game against San Diego State.
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
The bracket for the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas isn&rsquo;t bad, either.
No. 3 Kansas and No. 22 Tennessee are the only ranked teams, but the tournament also includes North Carolina State, Southern California and Wisconsin.
The Jayhawks (4-0) moved up three spots to No. 3 in this week&rsquo;s poll and have a tough opener against NC State on Wednesday.
Kansas already picked up a win over No. 8 Duke in its bid to repeat as national champion, but had a hard time shaking Southern Utah before winning 82-76 on Friday.
Like Kansas, the Wolfpack are 4-0, but have yet to face a true test this season.
NC State has added several veteran transfers, including big man DJ Burns, who could give the Jayhawks some trouble inside at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds. Kansas also will have to keep track of sharp-shooting sophomore Terquavion Smith, who can get hot from the 3-point line in a hurry.
Get past NC State, and Kansas will face the winner between Dayton and Wisconsin.
The Volunteers (2-1) turned some heads by beating No. 6 Gonzaga in an exhibition, but weren&rsquo;t so impressive in a 78-66 loss to Colorado on Nov. 13. Tennessee was much better at both ends of the floor in an 81-50 win over Florida Gulf Coast last week.
The Vols open the Battle 4 Atlantis against a Butler team still trying to find the mid-major magic from several years ago, with a potentially tough next game against the USC-BYU winner.
PHIL KNIGHT INVITATIONAL
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo likes to test his teams early and this season has one of the nation&rsquo;s toughest nonconference schedules.
Another big test comes against No. 18 Alabama in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday.
The Spartans have stood up to the demanding schedule so far, losing by one point to No. 6 Gonzaga on an aircraft carrier, beating No. 15 Kentucky in double overtime and outlasting a late push by Villanova to win by two Friday night.
Michigan State moved into the AP Top 25 at No. 12 this week after starting the season unranked.
The Crimson Tide (4-0) are without Jahvon Quinerly, who&rsquo;s recovering from knee surgery, but have been better defensively so far this season after being among the nation&rsquo;s worst on that end of the floor a year ago.
The winner of that game faces either Oregon or No. 20 UConn.
North Carolina has been the nation&rsquo;s No. 1 team all season and doesn&rsquo;t figure to face much of a threat against Portland in the first round Thursday.
It figures to get much tougher after that, with the Tar Heels playing Iowa State or Villanova in the second round.
North Carolina (4-0) hasn&rsquo;t exactly faced the toughest competition through its first four games, but had a hard time putting away Gardner-Webb in a 72-66 win last Tuesday. The Tar Heels will need to play better no matter which team they face in the second round.

The Thanksgiving week of holiday tournaments is almost always a feast of high-level college hoops.

Ranked teams face tough tests in holiday tournaments

One month into the 2022-23 NBA season, the Utah Jazz have exceeded all expectations. After trading Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O&rsquo;Neale and replacing head coach Quin Snyder with 34-year-old Will Hardy, Utah was expected to plummet down the standings and enter the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Instead, the Jazz are 10-6, with wins over the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers among others. Utah currently has the NBA&rsquo;s seventh-best offense (scoring 111.4 points per 100 possessions) and 12th-best defense (allowing 108.7 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
They have a balanced attack, with six players averaging double-digit points: Lauri Markkanen (21.3), Jordan Clarkson (17.9), Collin Sexton (13.3), Kelly Olynyk (13.2), Malik Beasley (12.3) and Mike Conley (10.7). This team plays extremely hard and makes a ton of hustle plays.&nbsp;
And unlike the other franchises that were projected to tank entering this season, the Jazz aren&rsquo;t a super young team. Utah&rsquo;s roster has an average age of 25.86 years old, which is significantly older than the youngest teams in the league &ndash; the Oklahoma City Thunder (23.14), Houston Rockets (23.58), San Antonio Spurs (23.84) and Orlando Magic (23.94). While the Jazz are assembling an impressive young core, they&rsquo;ve gotten huge contributions from experienced players like Markkanen, Olynyk, Clarkson, Beasley, Sexton, Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Entering this week, Utah sat atop the Western Conference standings. However, after losing three-straight games, the Jazz have slid to fourth-place in the West.&nbsp;
Was Utah&rsquo;s early-season success a fluke or can they sustain this level of play going forward? Will they keep this core together or eventually trade away some of their veterans for additional draft picks and prospects? BasketballNews.com reached out to an anonymous NBA scout and picked their brain about Utah&rsquo;s impressive start to this season.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re off to such a hot start, and they&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who are really confident,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a big Jordan Clarkson guy and he has really emerged. He&rsquo;s always been a scorer, but I think he knows that he has to be good night in and night out and he has to lead the charge for this team. Lauri Markkanen is killing it, and I&rsquo;m really happy for him. This is what we thought Lauri Markkanen would be when the Bulls took him [No. 7 overall]. It took some time, but this is the guy we thought he might become. I think Kelly Olynyk is a great veteran, and so is Mike Conley. They have a solid bench with Collin Sexton. I&rsquo;m a Walker Kessler guy; I think he&rsquo;s actually going to be a really good big. And then they&rsquo;ve got Talen Horton-Tucker... When they acquired Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro, I thought those guys would get an opportunity to play, but they really haven't gotten opportunities because there&rsquo;s so much depth! They have a lot of veterans who have been very productive.
&ldquo;I just feel they made a lot of nice moves, even though they weren&rsquo;t considered &lsquo;sexy.&rsquo; They weren&rsquo;t [additions] that many people thought would make this huge difference, but they&rsquo;re all playing really well together. I like their team, and I think they are coached really well. I think [their early success] is a testament to their coaching staff and the great job that they&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
Is this sustainable? That&rsquo;s the question that everyone is asking about this year&rsquo;s Jazz. The NBA scout thinks that Utah is for real.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s sustainable,&rdquo; said the NBA scout. &ldquo;They hear all of the noise [about tanking], and they heard it going into the year, but they&rsquo;ve got a bunch of guys on that roster who know how to compete and play hard, they&rsquo;ve got good leadership from their vets, they&rsquo;ve got a lot of talent and guys who can play, and they have a lot of guys who have faced adversity at some point in their career. They&rsquo;re just kind of built in a unique way.&nbsp;
&ldquo;As for what I&rsquo;ve seen from them, obviously they can score on you in bunches. They have multiple guys who can initiate offense. They have bigs who can stretch the floor. They have shooting. One area that really matters once you get to the playoffs is legit rim protection, so hopefully Walker Kessler can be that for them. I think there are a few areas to circle and keep tabs on, but they&rsquo;re playing really well. They play hard and bring so much energy.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_19273543.jpg" alt="" width="699" height="466" />
The scout had a ton of praise for Will Hardy, who is a first-time head coach.
&ldquo;I think the coaching staff deserves a ton of credit. I think there&rsquo;s a bunch of buy-in and trust,&rdquo; the anonymous NBA scout said. &ldquo;And when they have a deficit or they struggle in different phases, it seems like they always break through. They have a really good way of fighting through those struggles, and I think that&rsquo;s always a sign of a good team. It&rsquo;s a reason why they&rsquo;re one of the best teams in the league. They&rsquo;ve won close games, and they&rsquo;ve finished games where they didn&rsquo;t play well and found ways to win. I think that&rsquo;s a testament to the coaches and everyone over there.
&ldquo;You look at everything that went on over this offseason, losing Quin Snyder was a big deal; I think Quin Snyder is a great coach. But it can&rsquo;t be overlooked the job that Will is doing. Will is a great example of a young coach who got his opportunity and made the most of it. You look at how these guys respond to him and what he&rsquo;s done so far, it&rsquo;s really impressive. I think there&rsquo;s a lot of great young coaches and assistants out there who are emerging, and that should be a bigger story. I think it&rsquo;s a great thing. As much as we talk about the young talent in the league and how the NBA is in great hands, it can&rsquo;t be overstated how good these young coaches have been and Will is a great testament of that. There are so many young coaches who are showing that they really know what they are doing, and I think that&rsquo;s great for the league.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Before this hot start, many people around the NBA expected the Jazz to continue moving their veterans for draft picks or young talent. The general consensus was that rival executives from playoff teams would be circling Conley, Clarkson and Olynyk like vultures, and that Utah would look to continue stockpiling draft capital. Now, is it possible that Danny Ainge and Co. decide to keep this core together and see if they can make a run? Or, given that these veterans have increased their trade value, is Ainge more likely to wheel-and-deal?
&ldquo;I think you ride it out with these guys because they&rsquo;re playing so well,&rdquo; the NBA scout said. &ldquo;Entering the year, I think there was a lot of thought around them having some movable players and movable assets. Knowing what they were doing and [how they were positioned] going into the year, it felt like this is just what Danny does. Now, the fact that they are winning games and this new coaching staff [is succeeding], you&rsquo;re building a culture. You build a culture by winning games. You can&rsquo;t overlook that in this process.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I know team-building is the bigger picture here, but they&rsquo;ve put themselves in a great position; I think what they got back in their trades &ndash; particularly in the Rudy trade &ndash; was just next level, and I was not expecting that. I think they&rsquo;re in a great spot and they&rsquo;re winning games &ndash; and that&rsquo;s still a good thing! I think too often, we shy away from teams winning games to &lsquo;rebuild,&rsquo; but it&rsquo;s not a bad thing to continue winning games and build your culture.&rdquo;
Only time will tell whether the Jazz can keep this up, but there&rsquo;s no question that they have been a fun story and pleasant surprise in recent weeks.

The Jazz are the NBA's biggest surprise. Alex Kennedy talks to an NBA scout about Utah's hot start and whether it's sustainable.

Can the Jazz keep this up? NBA scout weighs in on Utah's hot start

The stage is set with 6:24 left in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.
The Las Vegas Aces hold a 60-59 lead coming out of a timeout, and have just put their knockout lineup on the floor. Their small unit &mdash; Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Riquna Williams, Jackie Young and A'ja Wilson &mdash; will be tasked with bringing things home.
On the other side, the Connecticut Sun are rolling with their big unit. Courtney Williams, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones and Jonquel Jones &mdash; a group that shrinks the floor for the opposition and bludgeons them in the paint &mdash; pose a significant challenge. It's the starkest example of the stylistic clash this series represents.
The Aces have to work on their first possession. Gray brings the ball up the floor while being hounded by Thomas. Plum comes to set a screen for Gray in an effort to pry Thomas away &mdash; and put Courtney Williams in the action &mdash; but Thomas stays attached. Plum eventually gets the ball and drills a tough pull-up triple over Williams, but the shot comes nearly 20 seconds into the possession.
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But that possession is instructive for the Aces. They recognize that the Sun aren't going to allow Gray to beat them. And while they'd love to get Wilson involved as a screener, doing so consistently would invite even more size and length for Gray to have to navigate.
Roughly a minute later, the Aces push after a miss. Gray is once again hounded by Thomas, so the Aces counter with a pair of early drag screens. Wilson sets the first, while Riquna Williams sets the second. Gray is able to get downhill and drag Williams' defender, Jonquel Jones, with her.
A switch is forced as Gray loops around the paint, kicks the ball to Young and receives it back on the left wing. The Sun don't want Jones defending Gray, so Thomas peels over to trap her. Mayhem occurs from there: Gray's pass to the now-open Williams is deflected, but recovered. Young ends up with the ball and pump fakes, then, cans a crucial pull-up jumper.
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It's at that moment the Aces know that Riquna Williams is the pressure point that will bring them home. Or, more coldly: They know Jonquel Jones is the player they want to attack in space.
You know the rest of the story by now. The Aces find gold with Williams setting screens and flaring out above the three-point line. She would finish the game with 17 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter and 8 of those coming in the final two minutes.
For all the discussion about the Aces' bench throughout the season, it's at least a little funny that a bench player slammed the door of a closeout Finals game.&nbsp;
The buckets from Williams were loud, but the calculated nature of the Aces' attack is what spoke loudest to me. Sun head coach Curt Miller described the Aces' offensive attack as "NBA-like'' when asked about it<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-finals-2022-catching-up-coach-curt-miller-connecticut-sun-las-vegas-aces-jonquel-jones-alyssa-thomas-dewanna-bonner" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ahead of Game 2</a>. He made a similar comparison when asked about the guard-guard screens the Aces ran to close out Game 4.
"The guard-to-guard screens, as they ghosted out of a lot of them, tried to put us in rotation," Miller told Basketball News after the game."
&ldquo;They were searching. They were trying to get some switches to the matchup advantage they were looking for. That was the chess match. Then, as we went big, they started to put different bigs in that action also. Ultimately, a lot of that pro mentality that leaps into the league from the NBA. We become a copycat league, and that was the action they chose to run late."&nbsp;
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Considering the recent background of Aces head coach Becky Hammon &mdash; she was hired as a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in 2014, and held the position until taking the Aces job this year &mdash; it makes sense that there were NBA elements to her game plan. When asked about coaches that influenced her style, Hammon referenced some of the top coaches in the NBA.
"I really liked watching Brad Stevens, when he was coaching, obviously. Quin Snyder, [Erik] Spoelstra, Mike Malone. There have been a lot of people that I've watched over the years," Hammon told Basketball News.
"I was in San Antonio for eight years. That's close to 700 games; and that's just our games, not me watching other teams' games for scouting purposes. It's a lot of basketball, so you just see certain things along the way. Some of them are stolen right off the page; other ones, I tweak and put different things in different places."
Look at the coaches referenced from Hammon, and you'll see some fingerprints.
Guard screening, on and off the ball, has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the rise in the NBA</a> for quite some time. The type of mismatch hunting the Aces utilized down the stretch of Game 4 is commonplace in the NBA, particularly in the playoffs.&nbsp;
During Hammon's last season as an NBA assistant (2020-21), Synder's Utah Jazz (17.3 per 100 possessions), Stevens' Boston Celtics (13.4), and Spoelstra's Miami Heat (10.6) all ranked in the top 10 in on-ball screens set by guards per Second Spectrum. That trend holds with off-ball screens, with the Heat (23.0), Malone's Nuggets (20.8) and the Celtics (19.2) populating the top 10.&nbsp;
You'll have to hone in on the ATOs to see some of the "stolen off the page" examples, like Hammon using the "Winner" set that <a href="https://youtu.be/c7i0Fs7QfgY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stevens' Celtics popularized</a> during the semifinals against the Seattle Storm.
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This doozy was also pulled out against the Storm, a nice call-back to a set ran by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr &mdash; another Popovich disciple.
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A brilliant ATO drawn up by Becky Hammon gave the Las Vegas Aces a crucial basket against the Seattle Storm last night. It looked like a familiar play... because Steve Kerr also drew it up for the Golden State Warriors a couple of months ago vs. the Memphis Grizzlies. <a href="https://t.co/ibjMZL2pOk">pic.twitter.com/ibjMZL2pOk</a>
&mdash; Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1566818735465172992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But the broader concepts &mdash; the way Hammon uses her stars together to put strain on defenses &mdash; really shine through with the examples she used.
The Aces loved to use "Get" action &mdash; a pitch to a guard that flows into a handoff and next flows into a ball-screen &mdash; as part of their early offensive strategy. That was a Snyder staple in Utah, one used to get Donovan Mitchell (or Mike Conley) downhill against a titled defense.
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There were the Plum screens set for Wilson to pry her free. Between traditional cross screens, pindowns inside the arc and random pin-in screens on the perimeter, you can easily draw parallels between those two and the two-man actions we'd see from Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic under Malone.
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I'd wager the Spoelstra influence is felt more on the defensive side of the ball. He's one of the brightest defensive minds in NBA history, with his hallmark being his team's versatility.
The Aces certainly embodied that, eschewing their conservative style from last season to more of a hybrid system. They were aggressive against ball-screens &mdash; until they weren't. They deployed drop coverage, until they wanted to switch.
There was zone. So much zone &mdash; another Spoelstra hallmark.
(It's also worth noting it's a Ty Lue staple. Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase brought her experience as a Clippers assistant coach &mdash; among other stops &mdash; with her this season.)
While Riquna Williams was bombing away on one end, the Aces went to a zone to close things out on the other end. That often left Gray, Williams and Young battling on the boards against the Sun's massive frontcourt. This possession still rings in my head.
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When asked about the process about implementing such a varied style, Hammon said she wanted to keep everyone &mdash; her opponents and her team &mdash; on their toes.&nbsp;
"When I went back and watched, obviously, a lot of games from the last year, and just me watching the WNBA over the last eight seasons since I've left, really, [it was] just something to mix things up," Hammon told Basketball News.
"You know, we've tried different defenses on Steph Curry, Dame Lillard. If we can junk it on them, we can junk it on anybody. It was just an idea to try to give people a different look to try to mix it up."
While the schematic shifts and tactical excellence was easy to see this year, it would all be moot without getting commitment from her players. If there's a through line between Hammon and the coaches she referenced, it's the ability to engage players and get them to buy in.
"I think the bigger thing is the players really bought into it," Hammon told Basketball News about the defense.
"It doesn't matter what scheme you're doing; the players have to believe in it. I think, at the end of the day, they saw enough good results. There were times when Chelsea was calling the defense, junk defense. I'm not even putting us in junk; she's putting us in junk. It's a fun way to play and it keeps the players locked in and alert because we do switch it up quite a bit."
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Nakase recently <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2022/09/20/swanson-becky-hammon-proved-she-can-lead-a-winning-team-next-up-someday-the-nba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoed those sentiments</a>, saying Hammon's "ability to get buy-in is probably the fastest I&rsquo;ve ever seen." That's strong praise for a coach who's spent time working with Lue and Doc Rivers.
It's hard to overstate how good of a job Hammon has done in Year 1. While it would be easy to highlight how foolish some NBA decision-makers should feel for not offering Hammon a head coaching job &mdash; they absolutely should feel foolish &mdash; it's worth celebrating how she flipped the slight on its head.&nbsp;
"I mean, my journey is not by mistake," Hammon said after Game 4. "Every hard thing that I've gone through has built something in me that I've needed down the road, and even though it sucks in the moment to not to be picked or to get hurt or whatever it might be, the hard stuff builds stuff in you that's necessary for life and you'll use it down the road. It may not feel like it in that moment.
"For me, it's not really about proving other people wrong, it's about proving myself right. If you guys haven't figured out yet, I don't really care."
A wonderful bar from a wonderful coach to cap a wonderful debut season.

Nekias Duncan talks to Aces head coach Becky Hammon about some of her NBA influences, then showcases examples.

Becky Hammon's NBA coaching influences showed in Aces' WNBA title run

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills.
In this third installment, Mat goes in-depth on two-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection Shane Battier and his role as a next-generation defender on the "Moreyball" Houston Rockets. It features insights from his former coach in Miami, David Fizdale, his high school coach, Kurt Keener, and Battier himself.&nbsp;
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"One of these pieces doesn&rsquo;t fit."
A statement commonly elicited from viewing the <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1546891748433084420?s=20&amp;t=Adu5q3cY1tX3H88KopKNig" target="_blank" rel="noopener">list of players</a> featured in our "Blazing the Trail" series.&nbsp;
"Shane Battier was a fine defender. But revolutionary? I&rsquo;m not sure someone who only made two All-Defensive Teams can be considered revolutionary."
Even after New York Times writer Michael Lewis famously dubbed him the "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No-Stats All-Star</a>" in Feb. 2009, outside observers have failed to accurately appraise Battier's unique value.
But what if Lewis' moniker for Battier wasn&rsquo;t just a clever name? What if the captain of data impacted the game in a way we couldn&rsquo;t measure at the time? And what if, through his courtship with Daryl Morey, Battier became the most groundbreaking trailblazer of them all?
Let's find out.
What Made Battier Special&nbsp;
On offense, Battier was the quintessential role player. He could shoot, maintain spacing and make quick decisions, and he hardly ever committed turnovers &mdash; the perfect piece to pair with elite scorers and creators. But that&rsquo;s not why we&rsquo;re discussing him.
Battier made his bones on the defensive end.&nbsp;
There, he possessed an unorthodox toolkit for a player of his archetype. He was a &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; wing without picking players' pockets too often. From 2006 to 2011, his steal rate never eclipsed the 50th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
However, Battier did create positive events through his weak-side shot-blocking and timely charge-drawing. And he also refrained from causing negative sequences by avoiding fouls (remember, preventing free throws &mdash; the most efficient shot in the game &mdash; is an immensely valuable skill).
&ldquo;He was always on time when the <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/low-man-f3db4d20f4ea">low-man</a> was required,&rdquo; said David Fizdale, Battier&rsquo;s former coach in Miami and now-associate general manager for the Utah Jazz.
&ldquo;Whether it was to take a charge, steal/deflect a pass, discourage [a driver], trap the box &mdash; he was going to be there every single time. He was the king of the charge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Battier's game was basketball minutiae, predicated on the intricate subtleties that make or break a possession. He fronted goliaths in the post, swiped at the ball when it was still low to bypass challenging shots vertically and utilized the hand-in-the-face contest to hinder his adversaries' efficiency even further.
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With that said, he didn&rsquo;t reach his full innovator form until he crossed paths with a data wizard in July 2006 &mdash; then-Houston Rockets assistant general manager Daryl Morey, who assumed full-GM duties the following season in May 2007.
&ldquo;The Rockets were the first team in basketball to adopt a data-centric philosophy,&rdquo; Battier explained to Basketball News. &ldquo;Daryl had a thesis that [he] wanted to run his entire organization based on what the data says.
&ldquo;I was their first major acquisition when Daryl became the general manager because the algorithms they used identified me as a player that provided outsourced value at a very reasonable price,&rdquo; recalled Battier, who was acquired by the Rockets just months after Morey's hiring.
(In exchange for Battier, the Memphis Grizzlies received Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay)
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Like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Nash</a>, Battier&rsquo;s approach made him the perfect test subject for his mentor&rsquo;s dissertation.
&ldquo;He was just curious about how everything worked,&rdquo; said Kurt Keener, Battier's high-school coach at Detroit Country Day in Oakland County, Michigan. &ldquo;In basketball, he was curious about, 'If I do X, Y, and Z, can I improve in ways that make a big difference?'"
&ldquo;When I got there, I was very curious about how they thought about data,&rdquo; Battier said of the Rockets. &ldquo;And I really became enamored with it. This is like having the answers to the test before taking the test.&rdquo;
In Houston, Battier &mdash; a player accustomed to surface-level scouting reports that were commonplace at the time &mdash; was exposed to more nuanced, data-driven preparatory materials.
&ldquo;Before analytics, [the scouting report] would read, &lsquo;Kobe Bryant: Great first step, capable three-point shooter, will attack the rim, fadeaway shot in the post and a great competitor.' It&rsquo;s like, yeah, thanks. I don&rsquo;t need a scouting report to know that Kobe is a great competitor,&rdquo; Battier laughed. &ldquo;It was completely qualitative. With the quantitative report that the Rockets produced for me, I knew who exactly a player was down to the percentile.
&ldquo;Instead of saying, 'Kobe Bryant has a great right hand,' I knew that Bryant drives right 65% of the time, and when he does, it&rsquo;s basically a 62% shot. When he goes left, he only goes there 35% of the time, and it&rsquo;s a 42% shot.&rdquo;
Here are a couple of illustrations of that data in practice:
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On-Court Production
These insightful scouting-report nuggets became dangerous weapons in the capable hands of Battier. Similar to "Revis Island" &mdash; a desolate wasteland that star wide receivers were banished to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/379511-where-is-revis-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when they faced the New York Jets in the late-2000s</a> &mdash; Battier&rsquo;s stomping grounds became a torturous venue for the superstars who occupied his position.
From 2006 to 2009, every All-Star small forward/shooting guard who played primarily on-ball saw a sizable dip in efficiency when matched up against Battier (with the lone exception being Josh Howard):
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/battier-chart.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="520" />
Visual Created by Daniel Bratulić
&ldquo;The secret for all these volume scorers: the places those guys absolutely crushed you were at the rim and the free throw line,&rdquo; Battier revealed.
&ldquo;As long as I did two things &mdash; kept them out of transition and didn&rsquo;t foul them &mdash; I could live with any other shot those guys would take. Where a lot of people go wrong is they get caught up in the results. I don&rsquo;t care about results. I just care about the process.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
With Volume 3 of Blazing the Trail coming out tomorrow over <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a>, I figured I'd do a thread of some of my favorite Battier plays from some of the games I watched. These clips are mostly from his 07-08 matchups against DEN, ATL, CLE, and NJN. <a href="https://t.co/HTDCmeEVEH">pic.twitter.com/HTDCmeEVEH</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554950928184365057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Battier&rsquo;s process consisted of seducing his opponents into a high volume of mid-range shots. From 2006 to 2008, the Rockets surrendered the highest frequency of mid-range jumpers in the league (per Cleaning the Glass).
&ldquo;The mid-range jump shot is actually a really hard shot to hit,&rdquo; Battier said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a sub-50% shot; a good mid-range jump shooter, like 45%. That&rsquo;s not great. You&rsquo;re not going to win a ball game by making that shot a ton.&rdquo;
And although he didn&rsquo;t emphasize the results, the ones his methods yielded were fruitful. Going back to the &ldquo;No-Stats All-Star&rdquo; designation we alluded to earlier, it felt like an All-Star-caliber performer was occupying the court whenever Battier graced the hardwood.
From 2004 to 2009, Battier's teams finished top-five in Defensive Rating (both in Memphis and Houston). And there&rsquo;s reason to believe he was the driving force behind those machines, despite being a non-big man (centers typically have the largest footprint on defense because of their ability to protect the paint).
In 2005-06, the Grizzlies finished second in the league in DRTG. When Battier was traded to Houston the following season, they plummeted to dead-last, despite returning all their coaches and best defenders (except Lorenzen Wright).
Meanwhile, after finishing nearly three points below the league average on defense in 2005-06, the Rockets improved to almost six points below the league average in 2006-07 when Battier arrived.
(Note: The more points below average the better when it comes to defense. For context, the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors were only five points below the league average this season, per Basketball-Reference.)
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What&rsquo;s more, in 2007-08 &mdash; when the Rockets&rsquo; primary rim protector Yao Ming missed the final 26 games of the season with a foot injury &mdash; Houston's DRTG remained the same, so you can&rsquo;t chalk up Battier's success to great backline help.
Fizdale agreed with the sentiment that Battier&rsquo;s data-driven style made him his team&rsquo;s most important defender, and enabled him to contribute at an All-Star level.
&ldquo;Back then, when you&rsquo;re looking at All-Stars, [people] just looked at Shane as a pest. But for the guys that were on his team, he was an All-Star," Fizdale said. "For us, we saw him as an All-Star."
Weaving the Thread
Keener speculates that Battier's selflessness may have developed from hearing tales of the great egalitarian himself, Magic Johnson.
During practice, Battier's high-school coach would tell fables of Magic from his days in East Lansing at Michigan State University. They were stories about how, during scrimmages, Johnson would intentionally select his least talented teammates to prove that great teamwork could usurp deficiencies in other areas. These narratives had a substantial effect on Battier.
&ldquo;With Shane, he didn&rsquo;t have the flair of Magic, but he understood the importance of getting your teammates involved,&rdquo; Keener reminisced. &ldquo;[Like Magic,] Shane was tremendous at making sure the other guys on his team were successful.&rdquo;
A Michigan native, Battier also credits his precious Detroit Pistons for playing a role in his formative years.
&ldquo;For me, the Pistons were the ultimate team. My dad grew up in a blue-collar job. If you live in Michigan, you understand the importance of the assembly line and teamwork,&rdquo; Battier reminisced.&nbsp;&ldquo;For me, it wasn&rsquo;t about what I did. It was about what did we do. Being from Detroit impacted how I thought about sports and basketball, and was the hallmark of my entire career.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Coincidentally, the Pistons team he&rsquo;s referencing once famously concocted their own <a href="https://youtu.be/NLv2F33snCE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carefully curated</a> strategy for <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554554706483101696?s=20&amp;t=ghbmH8N4W0CTQAwSSSfovg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreasing the potency</a> of a prolific superstar. That set of instructions is known as "The Jordan Rules.&rdquo;
Due to in-depth game plans he leaned on with regularity, Battier had a leg up on his idols. But while teams like the Pistons only resorted to these tactics in dire situations, Battier prepared for every game like it was the postseason.
&ldquo;The cool part about Shane is he gets into those layers in the regular season,&rdquo; Fizdale explained. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to play teams on a one-day prep&hellip; but when you have a guy like Shane Battier, he prepares every game like it's a playoff game.&rdquo;
Impact on Today&rsquo;s Game
&ldquo;Draymond [Green] is probably the ultimate example of modern-day Shane Battier,&rdquo; Fizdale said.&nbsp;"They both could guard everyone, could switch on everyone, could guard post-ups, could guard guards. They were [both] most likely the smartest person on the court most nights.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I love watching Draymond. Draymond is great," Battier agreed. "He sees the defense and plays two or three passes ahead, which I always thought I could do.&rdquo;
Battier will be the first to point to Green&rsquo;s superior passing and paint protection as major distinctions between their games. However, the two bear a resemblance to one another in that they are both <a href="https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/shane_battier_vs_draymond_green.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career 8-point-per-game scorers</a> whose impact often can't be quantified by traditional box scores.
PJ Tucker is another obvious descendant. Tucker is an elite man defender who shares Battier&rsquo;s process-over-results philosophy (see: Tucker's defense on Kevin Durant in the 2021 playoffs). Also, both players suited up for the Rockets and Heat.
Battier even sees a bit of himself in the human defensive vortex that is Matisse Thybulle: &ldquo;Defensively, his instincts are amazing, and when he figures out his shot, he&rsquo;s going to be a handful.&rdquo;
Putting one-to-one comparisons aside, Battier&rsquo;s true legacy is that there&rsquo;s a little bit of him buried inside of most modern NBA players.
&ldquo;Today, every team has an analytics department. Every team is looking for a player who jumps off the charts analytically,&rdquo; Fizdale said.
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The "Moreyball" movement that Battier helped pioneer in Houston has become common practice in today&rsquo;s ever-changing NBA landscape. Hell, even the 2022 NBA Finals were determined by a quantitatively-informed decision on the part of the Warriors.&nbsp;
After the Celtics scored <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/06/nba-finals-golden-state-warriors-boston-celtics-points-in-the-paint/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52 points in the paint</a> in Game 3, Golden State regained control of the series in part by borrowing one of Battier&rsquo;s old tricks for defending Bryant.
As Battier did with Bryant, the Warriors realized that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were less effective when driving to their left, so they <a href="https://streamable.com/qpu89i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced the tandem to do just that</a>.&nbsp;
For reference, here are Tatum&rsquo;s numbers for the regular season and postseason driving from his left and his right (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Ig3U3hGeeXcdJSrYSs4_pIzIjMQPSN95p8R0M9yYs0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here are Brown&rsquo;s</a>):
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-right.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-left.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
Data Provided by InStat
Even this level of tendency awareness was mincemeat for Battier. He knew not only which direction to push you, but how many dribbles to make you take in the process.&nbsp;
Regardless, the point remains the same: Battier influenced not only the way the game is played, but also its preparation &mdash; a feat that few players in NBA history have ever attained.
It looks like the piece fits, after all.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/battiertree_720.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="550" />
Tune in for Part IV of Blazing the Trail on Aug. 17, which focuses on Reggie Miller &mdash; the moving target.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-rashard-lewis-all-star-stretch-four-orlando-magic-stan-van-gundy-dwight-howard-hedo-turkoglu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part II: "Rashard Lewis, the All-Star stretch 4."</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part I: "Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint."</a>

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa focuses on two-time All-NBA defender Shane Battier and his role as a next-gen defender.

Quinn