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With nearly a full month of NBA playoff action in the books, we've witnessed a handful of players surprisingly exceed expectations and drive their league-wide value to increasingly high levels. On the other end of the spectrum, several stars have seen their market price dip quite a bit.
So whose stock has soared? Whose has plummeted? Let's dive in with an in-depth breakdown.
Stock Up
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks
Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Dallas Mavericks could have signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $56 million extension. However, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33801390/nba-playoffs-2022-jalen-brunson-star-turn-dallas-mavericks-massive-free-agency-implications" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a> reported that the Mavs chose not to make an offer and didn't even engage in negotiations with Brunson's representatives. You have to assume Dallas is now regretting that decision.
After averaging career-highs in scoring (16.3 points), assists (4.8), rebounds (3.9) and steals (0.8) during the regular season, Brunson has taken his game to another level in the playoffs. With Luka Doncic sidelined early on in the Mavs' first-round series vs. Utah, Brunson got off to a scorching hot start, tallying 96 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists over the first two games. He became just the third player in NBA history to tally at least 70 points and 10 assists while committing fewer than 2 turnovers over a two-game span in the postseason. Incredibly, Brunson led all players in total points scored in the first round (167).
After struggling a bit in the first two games of Dallas' first-round series vs. Phoenix, Brunson was again a crucial factor in the Mavs' victories at home in Games 3 and 4 over the weekend.&nbsp;
Through 10 postseason contests, Brunson is averaging 23.5 points, 4.6 boards and 3.9 dimes per game. He's done most of his damage by relentlessly attacking the rim. Among all postseason performers, Brunson ranks third in drives per game (behind only Ja Morant and Doncic) and third in points scored off drives.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
WHAT A NIGHT FOR JALEN BRUNSON! 🔷 Career-high 41 PTS 🔷 6 3PM 🔷 8 REB 🔷 Gets the W in Game 2 <a href="https://t.co/GixvrcCqIM">pic.twitter.com/GixvrcCqIM</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1516250998607540229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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It could be argued that no player has boosted his stock more over the past few weeks than Brunson. And it couldn't come at a better time for the versatile combo guard, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. We know the New York Knicks are interested in making a run at Brunson, and <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/a-slow-spinning-coaching-marketplace-1ce?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MDU5OTIyOCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NTMyMjYzMDQsIl8iOiJscTRCVSIsImlhdCI6MTY1MTUyMjAxMywiZXhwIjoxNjUxNTI1NjEzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMzkyMjA1Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.Tiw_7fovr2Ot5a6LeR_ujN2MyJCkgAuKahkQLnMBOMU&amp;s=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Marc Stein</a>, Detroit and Indiana have shown interest as well. However, Mark Cuban has stated publicly he plans to re-sign Brunson &mdash; even if it has an outsized impact on Dallas' luxury tax bill.&nbsp;
Victor Oladipo, Miami Heat
Due to a slew of serious injuries that limited him to only 88 games over the past three seasons, Victor Oladipo was forced to settle for a one-year deal with Miami on the veteran minimum back in August. The hope was he'd be able to show teams during the 2021-22 campaign that he was finally fully healthy. Unfortunately, Oladipo was sidelined for nearly all of the regular season as he recovered from a debilitating right quadriceps injury. 'Dipo didn't make his season debut until March 7.&nbsp;
After playing sporadically in late March and early April, Oladipo exploded for 40 points in the Heat's regular-season finale. Yet, he was a DNP-CD in each of Miami's first three playoff games. However, with both Jimmy Butler (knee) and Kyle Lowry (hamstring) ruled out for Game 5 of the Heat's first-round series vs. the Atlanta Hawks, Oladipo slid into the starting lineup. He finished that contest with 23 points (8 of 16 from the field, 4 of 4 on free throws), 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 triples in 36 minutes. Needless to say, 'Dipo has been a part of the Miami rotation since. In Game 2 of Miami's second-round matchup vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, he tallied 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 triples. He also chipped in 15 points off the bench in Game 4.&nbsp;
Oladipo will undoubtedly have plenty of interest on the free-agent market this summer.
Al Horford, Boston Celtics
Al Horford's 2022-23 salary is only partially guaranteed. And when the Celtics initially acquired Horford last summer in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, some pundits speculated that Boston might look to get out from under the $26.5 million owed to Big Al next season.&nbsp;
But with as well as he has played this postseason, that will no longer be a consideration. Horford has been a godsend for Boston, averaging 15.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per contest through the Celtics' first eight playoff games. In Game 3 vs. Milwaukee on Saturday, Horford became the first player in Boston's franchise history with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 made three-pointers in a single playoff game. Then, in Monday's Game 4 victory, he exploded for 30 points, 8 rebounds, 5 triples and 3 assists.
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Stock Down
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Rumors of a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rocky relationship between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been swirling for years</a>. Unfortunately for Utah, it appears the team will be forced to trade one of its two best players at a time when their respective values have depreciated.
The two pillars of the Jazz franchise played relatively well during the regular season, but the rumblings of toxicity in Utah grew louder as the year dragged on. Mitchell not sharing the ball with Gobert has become a topic of conversation in early April. Shortly thereafter, Gobert called out his teammates for not wanting to play physically and "<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/03/30/triple-team-jazz-lost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get our hands dirty</a>." When asked about the perceived finger-pointing, Mitchell characterized it as "<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/04/01/utah-jazz-vow-not-fall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">childish</a>."&nbsp;
Utah backed into the playoffs after losing five straight games in late March, but was hoping to take advantage of a Mavericks team playing without its best player, Doncic, who was sidelined by a calf injury for the first two contests. However, the Jazz lost Game 2 and lost the series in six games.
Over the six-game series vs. Dallas, Mitchell averaged over 22 field-goal attempts per contest, but shot just 39.8% from the floor and 20.8% from downtown. He became the first player in league history to attempt more than 20 field goals but shoot below 40% from the field and under 21% from three-point territory over a postseason run. And Mitchell's poor defense was arguably more problematic than his offense. Utah allowed over 115 points per 100 possessions vs. Dallas with Mitchell on the court. That number dropped to 104.5 with Mitchell on the bench.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Here&rsquo;s video of Rudy Gobert talking about the defensive improvements he&rsquo;s seen from Devin Booker on January 14th&hellip; As well as the Donovan Mitchell responses to 2 separate questions a day later: <a href="https://t.co/irKTufQJ1L">pic.twitter.com/irKTufQJ1L</a>
&mdash; Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1520538333482749952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Gobert averaged just 12.0 points per game on 5.5 attempts per game (a career-low in his six postseason appearances) and blocked a total of 6 shots in the six-game series. It was the first time in his career he averaged more turnovers than blocks and steals combined. The Mavs often attempted to take advantage of Gobert's difficulty covering the perimeter by going small and spreading the floor.&nbsp;
Dating back to the 2021 postseason (when they dropped four straight to a shorthanded Clippers team that lost Kawhi Leonard to an ACL tear), the Jazz have lost 8 of their last 10 playoff games. With Gobert, Mitchell, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Royce O'Neale locked into contracts that will pay them north of $133 million in guaranteed money next season, Utah won't be able to make any significant upgrades via free agency.&nbsp;
Last week, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/jazz/news/rudy-gobert-him-or-me-ultimatum-donovan-mitchell">it was reported</a> that Gobert had reached a "him or me" point with Mitchell and would demand one of the two be traded this summer. It's difficult to envision the Jazz entering the 2022-23 season with both <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gobert</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mitchell</a> on the roster.
Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat
As noted above, Oladipo has stepped in and stepped up for the Heat over the past two weeks. On the flip side of the coin, we have Duncan Robinson, who has gone from a crucial contributor to a non-factor.&nbsp;
Robinson started all 72 games for Miami in 2020-21, averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 40.8% from beyond the arc (on 8.5 three-point attempts per game). The Heat rewarded him with a five-year contract worth $90 million. However, Robinson regressed during the 2021-22 regular season, as his production and percentages dipped. After starting 68 of the team's first 72 games, he was bumped to the bench in late March. Following a solid outing in Game 1 vs. Atlanta, coach Erik Spoelstra clearly didn't feel comfortable trusting his sharpshooter. Robinson averaged just 2.3 points in 10.7 minutes per contest in the final four games of the first round.&nbsp;
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Remarkably, Robinson has logged a total of just 55 seconds thus far in Round 2, and has been a DNP-CD in 3 of the 4 contests. This is obviously not what Pat Riley and company had in mind when they ponied up $90 million less than nine months ago.
With $74.5 million still owed to Robinson over the next four years, will Miami look to dump his contract this summer already?&nbsp;
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nets-should-part-ways-with-kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As I detailed in this space last month</a>, the Nets are on the precipice of a difficult decision.&nbsp;
Kyrie Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700 for the 2022-23 campaign. If he declines his option, he would be eligible to sign a new five-year deal with Brooklyn worth up to $248 million. While Kyrie is still capable of playing at an incredibly high level, the Nets have to decide how much he's worth considering his injury history (since signing with Brooklyn in 2019, Irving has appeared in just 103 of 216 regular-season games) and the off-court drama he brings to the table.&nbsp;
In the three years since Brooklyn added Kevin Durant and Kyrie, the Nets have won just one playoff series. This past season, Nets owner Joe Tsai spent $266 million in salary and luxury tax payments, the second-highest amount in league history. The Nets don't have a single playoff victory to show for it.
And over the team's final three games in the first round, Irving averaged just 15.3 points while shooting a putrid 37.2% from the floor and a frigid 18.2% from downtown.
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Whose stock in the NBA Playoffs has soared before this offseason? Whose has plummeted? Tommy Beer dives in.

Stock Up, Stock Down: NBA Playoffs edition

The NBA Playoffs can initially seem like a statistical nightmare littered with small sample sizes, outlier performances and a lack of context. Those challenges also make the postseason one of the most exciting sandboxes for analysis &mdash; a place to marvel at a player's career-defining games and wonder: Is this replicable?
That's what I thought as I watched Jalen Brunson's dynamic 41-point explosion unfold in Monday's 110-104 win over the Jazz in Game 2. Brunson was simply unstoppable, stepping up in the absence of Luka Doncic to turn a series that felt like a lost cause into a very winnable matchup. He's currently tied for the second-highest scoring outing in the 2022 playoffs with DeMar DeRozan.
More interesting to me, though, are Brunson's two games in attack mode. His mark of 24 drives to the basket per game leads all postseason players, and his average of 13.5 field goal attempts per game via drives ranks second behind Donovan Mitchell. Brunson toasted a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/utah-blues-whose-fault-is-it-anyway-jazz-fourth-quarter-game-2-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disjointed Utah defense</a> in Game 2, blowing by opponents 1-on-1 and dissecting them with his shifty ball-handling.
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So to my question: Is this sustainable enough to propel the Mavericks to the next round, with or without Doncic? Though 40-point games might be a tall ask, Brunson has already proven himself to be one of the premier driving threats in the entire NBA.
Let's travel back to the regular season. According to Second Spectrum, Brunson drove toward the basket 13.6 times per game, good for 17th in the NBA but well under his current playoff pace. However, Brunson was not the lead ball-handler or driving catalyst for most of the season. Those responsibilities belonged to Doncic, who was second at a whopping 22.2 drives per game.
That being said, Brunson's 13.6 drives were the second-most in the league among secondary options, behind only Caris LeVert, who split time with the Pacers and Cavaliers. So he did attack with high frequency relative to his role, and when Brunson did, he was extremely effective.
The 25-year-old drilled 56.7% of his driving field goal attempts, eighth among 112 players averaging at least 5 drives per game. His 4.5% turnover rate was the seventh-lowest in that group.&nbsp;
What makes Brunson so successful? Though he doesn't get all the way to the rim very often (40th percentile at his position), he is simply an elite finisher around the basket. This regular season, the 6-foot-3-inch combo guard finished 68% of his attempts within 4 feet of the cup, per Cleaning the Glass &mdash; fourth among all guards.
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Brunson's acceleration and deceleration skills are eye-catching. He can use a quick crossover or between-the-legs dribble to instantly get up to speed and blow past defenders. Then, he gets the ball high early on his layup attempts, and has the strength to deal with contact from contesting opponents. There's nifty footwork in the above clips too, reinforcing that Brunson is not just a straight-line player.
While Brunson is strong at the rim, he is&nbsp;lethal&nbsp;just beyond it. A whopping 36% of his field goal attempts came in the "short mid-range" area between 4 and 14 feet from the basket. He knocked down 51% of those attempts, which is fifth among guards with at least 800 minutes played, per Cleaning the Glass.
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Here, you see the same on/off-speed changes, plus a methodical probing of the defense to find floaters and mid-range pull-ups.&nbsp;
These are some of the plays that stood out to me from the first two playoff games. Not all of the shots go in, but they demonstrate the confidence Brunson has in his ability to generate open looks. Brunson can turn the corner on opponents who switch or show aggressively on ball-screens, and pin defenders on his back and rock into a floater. He also has flashed a liking to attacking Rudy Gobert in deep drop coverage, getting the center on his heels and pulling back out for a mid-range jumper.&nbsp;
Utah can't really counter. Gobert is going to be a drop defender for the rest of the playoffs, and defenders like Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O'Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic just don't seem to have the strength or lateral quickness to keep Brunson in front. That's especially devastating in pick-and-roll actions, where Brunson was frankly dominant in the regular season. Take a look at his numbers among the 99 players who logged at least 150 possessions as a pick-and-roll ball-handler:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">P&amp;R Stats</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">Playtype Freq.</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">Points Per Poss. </td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">eFG%</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">TOV%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">FT Rate</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">Score Freq.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">Number</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">32.4%</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">1.06</td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">54.3%</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">9.2%</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">9.2%</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">51.1%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 12.03%;">NBA Rank</td>
<td style="width: 6.61578%;">39th</td>
<td style="width: 11.1552%;">T-1st</td>
<td style="width: 7.49058%;">7th</td>
<td style="width: 10.8284%;">6th (Best)</td>
<td style="width: 11.4959%;">39th</td>
<td style="width: 14.9672%;">3rd</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Mobile users scroll right to view full table
*Data via Synergy
Brunson is a poster child for reliability and soundly moves the ball, boasting an assist rate of 23.8% (75th percentile at his position) and an overall turnover rate of 9.4% (77th percentile). But that often overshadows his untapped upside as a scoring engine, which we saw in Game 2. Brunson did knock down 6 of his 10 pull-up attempts from long range in the victory. That likely won't sustain; he shot just 31.0% on pull-up threes on low volume in the regular season.
If Doncic returns soon, Brunson's life as a driver should become easier with the defense's focus shifted towards the Mavericks' superstar. Until then, Brunson has shown he's more than capable of holding down the fort as the top scoring option. Hopefully, offseason spenders recognize Brunson's malleability and pay the upcoming free agent accordingly.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>I'm going to throw some more super-small-sample early playoff stats at you that are nonetheless interesting. First: Pascal Siakam is leading the postseason in passes per game (69.3) and is second in touches per game (95.0).</li>
<li>Jayson Tatum (5.0) and Jaylen Brown (4.5) both rank in the top-five in deflections per game so far. Tatum in particular stood out to me as an individual and team defender in Boston's Game 2 victory.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-devin-booker-the-phoenix-suns-will-need-a-lift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As our Nekias Duncan wrote</a>, the Phoenix Suns generated 1.5 points per possession on plays with Chris Paul utilizing a ball screen in Tuesday's loss to the Pelicans. CP3's pick-and-roll mastery will be a focal point for the Suns offense without Devin Booker.</li>
</ul>
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Jalen Brunson's 41-point game Monday highlighted his prowess as a driver and pick-and-roll playmaker.

NBA Stats Notebook: Jalen Brunson is in the driver's seat

The Utah Jazz didn't have a good time on Monday night.&nbsp;
Things turned late in Game 2, with the Dallas Mavericks notching a win behind a 33-23 fourth quarter. The Mavericks posted a 157.1 Offensive Rating in the quarter &mdash; yes, you read that right &mdash; and a slightly-worse-but-still-absurd 144.4 ORTG during clutch time
That's a 12-minute and 5-minute sample size respectively, but the number matched the eye. It was a bit perplexing to watch the Luka-less Mavs carve up the Jazz to this degree. The breakdowns were constant, and the Mavs shot well enough to slam the door shut.&nbsp;
And it's not like this was a back-and-forth affair down the stretch; Utah's offense pretty much died (85.7 ORTG during clutch time) behind a bunch of one-pass, one-shot possessions. It was pretty bad, y'all.
In light of #discourse starting about Utah's problems on both ends, I'm here to state the obvious.
It's everyone's fault right now.
There is not a single player responsible for Utah's woes on either end. It's not just one side of the ball. There's plenty to be cleaned up; the last four-ish minutes of Game 2 is all the proof you need.&nbsp;
Let's take a look at the film in the fourth quarter.
4:30 REMAINING: THE PAIN OF REJECTION
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You have to give Jalen Brunson credit for doing his homework early. Brunson spinning away from Danuel House Jr. as he attempts to face-guard him sets everything in motion. After receiving the pass from Maxi Kleber, Brunson rejects the screen and drives left.
Rudy Gobert drops down to pick up the drive, though House is still trying to get reattached to Brunson. A late switch would've been a better in-the-moment read from House, but the scheme is the scheme. If they're in ICE coverage, Gobert is tasked with containing until House can get back.
(It is worth noting, though, that Gobert lets House&nbsp;have it after the basket. I'd assume he was upset with him getting burned on the reject and not executing a switch after getting burned.)
Beyond those two, the rotation from Bojan Bogdanovic stands out. Brunson has drawn two defenders &mdash; why the heck is he so late rotating over to Kleber?
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Bogdanovic stares the sucker down, but doesn't start moving towards Brunson until the pass is halfway there. It would be one thing if he was hugged up with Reggie Bullock; he had the Dorian Finney-Smith matchup.&nbsp;
4:10 REMAINING: FORCING THE ISSUE&nbsp;
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One screen, one shot. Donovan Mitchell receives a screen from Royce O'Neale to draw the Spencer Dinwiddie matchup. He gains a little leverage on the spin, but Dinwiddie recovers and challenges the shot well. There was a little bit of contact, but it's telling that Mitchell got right up and retreated on defense instead of arguing about a missed call.
4:00 REMAINING: POOR CONTAINMENT
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Whew, Donovan.
Mitchell sought Dinwiddie on one end, and Dinwiddie returned the favor (with no screen) on the other. Mitchell gets dusted, prompting Gobert to help down from the weak-side corner. That's objectively a fine decision &mdash; one that wouldn't be needed if Mitchell held up, but a fine decision nonetheless.
The issue, again, is Bogdanovic losing the plot as a helper.
He has Bullock this time, but is tasked with splitting the difference (zoning up between two players) after Gobert drops down. I won't call it gospel, but I'd say it's pretty common for the zoning defender to take away the corner pass first.
Dinwiddie deserves credit for both knowing that and using that knowledge to his advantage. He freezes Bogdanovic with his eyes, staring down Bullock before making the kick to Kleber.&nbsp;
3:18 REMAINING: MITCHELL BEAT AGAIN
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Following a tough turnaround jumper from Bogdanovic to pull things within two (a one-pass possession), Dinwiddie calls for a screen to draw the Mitchell matchup again. Dinwiddie wins the battle with a spin and finish, fading to his right.&nbsp;
2:35 REMAINING: STRONG-SIDE HELP
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After Bogdanovic gets another&nbsp;tough turnaround jumper to go, the Jazz find themselves pressing. House picks up Brunson full-court, but he's quickly erased by a screen from Bullock.
Mitchell has to pick up Brunson and... well, he gets beat off the bounce again. Gobert then helps down from the strong-side corner &mdash; generally a no-no on defense &mdash; and leaves Finney-Smith open in the process.
If help was going to come, it would've needed to come from O'Neale (what kind of dig was that???) or Bogdanovic. Neither did anything of substance in the possession.
2:15 REMAINING: HUNTING DINWIDDIE
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Mitchell once again calls for a screen to bring Dinwiddie into the action. The Mavs give up the switch, but then spring a double on Mitchell to force the ball out of his hands&nbsp;and&nbsp;scram Dinwiddie out of the matchup.&nbsp;
Mitchell promptly swings it to Bogdanovic, who calls for a screen in an attempt to attack Dinwiddie. The attack fails, so Bogdanovic flips it back to Mitchell. He tries attacking Finney-Smith off the bounce, and it goes about how you would expect.
Towards the end of the drive, you'll notice Gobert exchanging sides. He ends up sealing off Brunson, but there's no real angle for a pass with Kleber sitting in the paint. There was also a potential outlet pass to a drifting Bogdanovic if Mitchell didn't like what he saw &mdash; though that would've put Bogdanovic in a tough spot to create late in the clock.
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You'd think Gobert would either try to gain inside positioning on Kleber, or set a pin-in screen on Brunson to potentially set up a kick to the corner. But that effectively seals the game, because we got another one-pass possession&nbsp;after the dead ball.&nbsp;
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It's a pretty decent action to spring Bogdanovic free, but Finney-Smith helps off of Mitchell on the catch. There was 6 seconds on the shot clock when the jumper was fired, so there was technically room to kick the ball out for Mitchell for a better shot. That's probably too much Monday morning quarterbacking to tap into though.&nbsp;
The larger point is that the Jazz shouldn't have been that late in the clock to begin with.&nbsp;
Zooming out, the Jazz did a poor job of forcing the Mavericks into tough positions. On the other end, the Jazz once again failed to contain the ball, which not only forced help, but also exposed how shoddy their rotations behind the help can be.
We got Bad Mitchell, Bad Gobert, Bad Bogdanovic. Bad House. Mike Conley is probably the only guy who didn't make a mistake, but his presence wasn't felt near the end of the game either.
The series is shifting to Utah now, but the return of Luka Doncic looms pretty large. The Jazz better get it together, or the blame game is quickly going to shift into (even more) trade talk.
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There is not a single player responsible for Utah's woes on either end. Instead, everyone is to blame, writes Nekias Duncan

It's everybody's fault: Dissecting the Jazz's woeful end to Game 2

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 of his 32 points after halftime, Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 26 and the Utah Jazz opened the playoffs with a 99-93 victory Saturday over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without injured All-Star guard Luka Doncic.
Bogdanovic had Utah's only two 3-pointers before halftime, in a 13-2 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes that put the Jazz ahead to stay. Mitchell, who always seems to step up in the postseason, came alive after the break.
The fourth-seeded Mavericks, starting the playoffs at home for the first time since their NBA title season 11 years ago, sorely missed their 23-year-old superstar. Doncic strained his left calf six days earlier in the regular-season finale. Coach Jason Kidd has said only that he is day to day.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Dallas.
Jalen Brunson, the starting point guard with Doncic out, had 24 points on 9-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 22 points, Reggie Bullock added 15 and Dorian Finney-Smith 14.
With Doncic in a black hoodie on the bench, the Mavericks cut an 11-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to 92-91 on a 3-pointer by Maxi Kleber with 2:12 left. After Mitchell missed, the Mavs had the chance to take their first lead in the second half, but Kleber missed badly on another long-range shot.
Royce O'Neale then scored his only basket for the Jazz, a 3-pointer from the corner after he had first missed inside and then got a pass from Mitchell. Utah finished with a 20-7 edge in second-chance points.
Rudy Gobert had 17 rebounds for the Jazz.
The Jazz, who were second in the NBA with 14.5 made 3-pointers a game, missed their first nine shots from beyond the arc until Bogdanovic hit from the right corner in front of the Dallas bench to get them within 41-35 with 3:10 left in the second quarter.
Utah&rsquo;s only other 3 before halftime by Bogdanovic with 2.2 seconds left for a 45-43 lead after taking a pass back from Mitchell.
Doncic spent the game at the end of the Mavericks bench, at one point munching popcorn from a cup in his hand late in the first quarter. He was on the other side of owner Mark Cuban as both &mdash; along with much of the Mavs bench &mdash; acted in dismay with 31 seconds left in the first half after Kleber was called for a foul when Bogdanovic went hard into him to draw the call.
Bogdanovic made both of those free throws, and Bruson hit a tough shot at the other end, but the Utah forward made his half-ending 3 that put the Jazz ahead to stay.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Utah was called for a technical foul early in the fourth quarter for having six men on the court. Brunson missed the free throw for Dallas. It appeared that Mitchell was coming back in the game for Jordan Clarkson, who was running toward the sideline but was apparently still on the court when the ball was inbounded.
Mavericks: Guard Frank Ntilikina rejoined the team after undergoing a tonsillectomy, and will make a gradual return to basketball activities.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 of his 32 points after halftime and Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 26 and the Jazz opened the playoffs.

Mitchell, Jazz win opener 99-93 as Mavs play without Doncic

NBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Saturday, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each first-round series. Let's dig in, shall we?
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-in-weigh-in-part-two/id1547857052?i=1000557698545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II</a> of our series previews at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.)
(1) HEAT VS (8) HAWKS: STAR SWITCH BATTLE
Any hope of an Atlanta Hawks upset begins with the virtuosic creation ability of Trae Young. He's one of the NBA's best pick-and-roll creators, blessed with the ability to bend defenses to his will with a blend of pull-ups, floaters, stop-on-a-dime foul-drawing and every pass in the book.
Enter the Miami Heat, who do a tremendous job of flattening out offenses with switches. And that&nbsp;discussion begins with the versatility of Bam Adebayo.
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The Hawks score on this possession, but look at how much work it takes. Double drag? Nope. Running to a handoff to create an advantage? Nope. Forcing a favorable switch (Tyler Herro will have his work cut out for him) and hoping to attack? Nope, here comes a double.
Only two teams &mdash; the New Orleans Pelicans (0.847 PPP) and the Sacramento Kings (0.722 PPP) allowed fewer points per possession against Young-led ball screens than the Heat (0.851 PPP), and Miami faced more picks (182) than those two teams combined (119).&nbsp;
There's a reason for that. The Heat have the personnel and scheme versatility to make Young's life difficult.
(2) CELTICS VS (7) NETS: BRUCE BROWN'S PLAYMAKING
"We got to be physical with them. Now they don&rsquo;t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint. We can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] Theis. Them not having Rob Williams is huge.&rdquo;
That was Bruce Brown following the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1 of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant had to put out the fire shortly after, but the message rang loud: We think we have another avenue to attack your defense.
I think a lot about this possession from their most recent outing.
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The Nets opened the quarter with Spain pick-and-roll (!!!) and Boston switched every bit of it. That led to an Al Horford-Kyrie Irving matchup, but Williams felt comfortable trapping Kyrie to get the ball out of his hands. Brown has been making hay as a short-roll threat in 2022, and does so here by nailing a floater.
How often will those advantages be there for Brown? With no Williams, the Celtics will have to decide which of their frontcourt guys &mdash; Horford or Theis &mdash; will take the Brown assignment. And from there, what coverage will they go with? Will they switch, possibly throwing Horford or Theis on Kyrie or Kevin Durant in space? WIll they trap from there?
If so, the Nets may have a way to create some advantage situations aside from their stars.
(3) BUCKS VS (6) BULLS: KHRIS MIDDLETON LEADING THE DANCE
This doesn't seem like a great series for the Chicago Bulls. Quick hat tip to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore</a> for detailing just <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1515199182641926145?s=20&amp;t=9hbXMskZXIW6rvu06kVdpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how much of a mismatch</a> &mdash; on paper, at least! &mdash; this matchup projects to be.&nbsp;
If there's a Milwaukee Bucks thing to keep an eye on, it's the Khris Middleton-led stuff. The Bucks swept the season series, but Middleton wasn't his best self. He shot a shade under 28% from three and, for the purposes of this section, averaged nearly 4 turnovers per contest.
For the brilliance that Middleton can provide with his shot-making, his handle has long been a weak point against the peskiest of defenders. He's likely to see a steady dose of Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, guards who don't mind getting in his jersey.&nbsp;
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If Middleton isn't able to get to his spots comfortably &mdash; or worse, turns the ball over &mdash; the Bulls may have an avenue to junk up the Bucks' half-court attack.
(4) SIXERS VS (5) RAPTORS: JAMES HARDEN'S STEPBACK
I think James Harden's hamstring has been talked about enough. I'm not a doctor; I simply hope he's good to go because he's freaking awesome when he's healthy. It unlocks the full breadth of his game.
Regardless of which version of "Harden, The Driver" we get, he's going to need this shot.
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Harden made one of his eight stepback-three attempts against Toronto this season, and has converted just 31.6% of his stepback threes this season (roughly 4.0 attempts per game) via InStat tracking. That's a wild dip from last season (36.7% overall on 4.3 attempts) and the year before that (34.7% on 6.5 attempts).
I don't have to explain why shooting under 32% on an already-tough shot isn't ideal. The layer beyond that shot is the real issue; the nature of the shot, and location of the shot, makes Harden one of the last lines of defense in transition. The Sixers have been bad at getting back &mdash; they rank 20th or worse in every transition defense stat, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; while the Raptors have been incredibly fruitful when they're able to run.
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(1) SUNS VS (8) PELICANS: WHO DEFENDS CHRIS PAUL?
Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the sport. My pals and I landed on him as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's best screen navigator</a> already. His nimbleness and persistence will bother someone in this series.
That's the thing though: He's only one dude.
If Jones gets the Devin Booker matchup (a reasonable guess), who's defending the other All-NBA caliber guard for Phoenix? That might land on nominal point guard CJ McCollum, who hasn't had the best luck at defending Paul.
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Paul-led pick-and-rolls with McCollum as the primary defender have generated well over 1.5 points per possession over the last three seasons, per Second Spectrum. That number drops to the 1.3 PPP range when filtered for drop coverage, but, like, that's still pretty absurd.
The Pelicans will have some options. Chief among them: Switching screens between Paul and Deandre Ayton, then tasking Jaxson Hayes (likely to defend Jae Crowder) with saving McCollum by executing a scram switch.
Of course, the Suns have counters to that counter; don't be surprised if Crowder is used as an off-ball screener to occupy Hayes' attention.
(2) GRIZZLIES VS (7) TIMBERWOLVES: WHERE IS JAREN JACKSON JR.?
Let's take a look at two possessions. Ja Morant-led pick-and-rolls, the Minnesota Timberwolves in their base "two to the ball" pick-and-roll coverage. Two missed shots. Keep an eye on Jaren Jackson Jr. for both.
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That's JJJ chilling at the left wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt stunting at the roll from Steven Adams before retreating. D'Angelo Russell is now tasked with making the rotation as the low-man.
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On this one, Jackson is chilling in the dunker spot after clearing the left side of the floor. The Memphis Grizzlies are setting up a screening action for Desmond Bane &mdash; a smart counter to the Wolves sending two players to Morant &mdash; but look at Vanderbilt. He's able to peel over early while Karl-Anthony Towns works his way back to Adams. Russell tasked with dropping down to Jackson if a full rotation from Vanderbilt is needed.
When I say "Where is JJJ.?", you can take that in a "Will he show up?" context. He will need to knock down threes, and his mobility will be needed against Towns in space when he's asked to play the 5.
But it's important to note Jackson's literal location on the court. Where he's stationed can lead to some tough rotations for the Wolves if they continue to defend aggressively.&nbsp;
(3) WARRIORS VS (6) NUGGETS: FINDING THE BLEND WITH NIKOLA JOKIC
Nikola Jokic has improved quite a bit as a defender over the past three seasons. He's firmly good as an at-the-level defender, and he made real strides as a drop defender this season. Arguing for an All-Defensive team selection is a bridge (or two) too far, but the liability talk should've died a while ago.
With that being said, the Golden State Warriors pose some real trouble for him. The Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole-Klay Thompson triumvirate has the pull-up chops to abuse drop coverage. Kevon Looney screens and hand-backs could also create open threes.
With Draymond Green (or Gary Payton II when he's out there), the Warriors have the short-roll playmaking chops to beat a two-to-the-ball scheme.
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We get both coverages from Jokic on this possession. He starts in drop, with Monte Morris doing a fine-enough job staying attached to Poole. The ball swings to Thompson, and Jokic plays higher up. Two screens, two coverages, two solid results for Denver.
Then the&nbsp;third&nbsp;action happens, which also coincides with Poole jetting to the right corner and Aaron Gordon being occupied with Andrew Wiggins. Jokic is in another drop but he can't beat Thompson to his spot, nor does he have help on the backline.
What do you do with that?
Probably not drop.&nbsp;
The Warriors generated north of 1.3 points per possession (!!!) when facing Jokic in drop coverage during their regular season meetings, per Second Spectrum. Playing Jokic to the level will be a tough task, especially considering the offensive workload he'll have to carry, but that may be the easier poison to deal with.&nbsp;
(4) MAVERICKS VS (5) JAZZ: SPENCER DINWIDDIE'S DRIVES
With no Luka Doncic for at least Game 1, more offensive responsibility will fall into the hands of Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
He's been a godsend for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16-3-4 while shooting over 40% from three since joining the team. He's been a great complement to Doncic; naturally, some of Dinwiddie's success is due to Doncic drawing the best perimeter defender on the opposing team.
That may shift to Dinwiddie now &mdash; I doubt we're going to see, like, Royce O'Neale on Jalen Brunson for extended stretches. It'll be up to Dinwiddie to puncture defenses and start the chain of rotations. He hasn't had much success against Utah this season; he's shooting just 44.4% off of drives against the Jazz, and he's paired that with a paltry 8.5% assist rate.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down a key factor for each first round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Critical first-round battles in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points and the Utah Jazz finished strong to start their road trip, beating the New York Knicks 108-93 on Sunday night.
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to score 18 of his 23 points in the first half for the Jazz, who opened a six-game road trip with the first of two games in two nights in New York. Rudy Gobert and Royce O'Neale each had 14 points.
Mitchell, a New Yorker who got a nice ovation before the game, made seven 3-pointers and threw down a powerful dunk midway through the fourth quarter when the Knicks were getting back in the game.
RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Evan Fournier had 17 for the Knicks, who had won two straight and five of seven. Julius Randle was 6 for 21 for 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks shot 37% from the field.
Missing some key offensive players, Utah controlled much of the game with its defense before New York trimmed it to 93-89 on Obi Toppin's dunk with 5:19 left. But the Jazz answered with a 12-0 run, holding the Knicks scoreless for nearly four minutes to pull away to a 105-89 lead with just under two minutes remaining.
Utah only had two baskets during that stretch, punishing the Knicks by getting inside and drawing fouls before Rudy Gay capped the stretch with a 3-pointer and Mitchell later added another.
Mike Conley rested his right knee ahead of the game Monday night in Brooklyn and Bojan Bogdanovic missed his fourth straight with a left calf strain. So the Jazz turned up their defense, allowing just 44 points combined in the middle two quarters of their third straight victory.
The Knicks led 31-26 after one, but Clarkson played the entire second and scored 10 points. He and Mitchell both had 18 at halftime as Utah led 60-53.
The Jazz held the Knicks to 24% shooting in the third quarter, blocking almost as many shots (5) as the Knicks had baskets (6).
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TIP-INS
Jazz: Mitchell missed the last game with bruised right calf. ... Hassan Whiteside returned after a one-game absence with an illness not related to COVID-19 but Trent Forrest missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right wrist.
Knicks: Immanuel Quickley scored 16 points. ... Coach Tom Thibodeau said he'd been using a nine-man rotation at the moment to allow plenty of minutes for players such as Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes, though might extend at times for rookie Miles McBride. McBride did get in as the 10th late in the third quarter.
LONG ROAD AHEAD
Coach Quin Snyder was asked if there were any positives in having such a long road trip so late in the season. The Jazz don't play at home again until March 31.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. We&rsquo;re going to some cities that have great restaurants,&rdquo; Snyder said. &ldquo;We anticipated this stretch for a while obviously and we&rsquo;re not healthy right now. But sometimes when we&rsquo;ve gone on the road and we&rsquo;ve found adversity, whether it be internal or your opponent, I think there&rsquo;s opportunity there.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Jazz: Visit Brooklyn on Monday night.
Knicks: Host Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points and the Utah Jazz finished strong to start their road trip, beating the Knicks 108-93 on Sunday night.

Mitchell scores 36 points, Jazz beat Knicks to open trip

The New Orleans Pelicans are on a roll, having won four straight games and 5 of their last 7 overall. All five of those wins have come by double-digits, highlighted by Friday night's 124-90 blitzing of the Utah Jazz.
During the four-game winning streak, the Pelicans have posted a ridiculous 121.9 Offensive Rating. That's thanks in large part to the growing chemistry of their three best players: Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas.
All three have been productive individually during this win streak. Ingram (27.3 points on 67.3% True Shooting, 6.8 assists) and McCollum (23.8 points on 63.8% True Shooting, 6.3 assists) have been slicing up defenses from the perimeter, while Valanciunas (14.5 points, 70.6% <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=4&amp;TeamID=1610612740&amp;DistanceRange=By%20Zone&amp;sort=Restricted%20Area%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting at the rim</a>) has brought much-needed "oomph" on the interior.
The Pelicans have posted a <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=4&amp;TeamID=1610612740&amp;GroupQuantity=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">126.5 ORTG</a> with all three guys on the court, an absurd number that matches the eye. What's been encouraging is how New Orleans head coach Willie Green has used the three together, in action, to put strain on defenses.
That strain is being conjured up in subtle ways, like spacing McCollum or Ingram one pass away while the other makes music with Valanciunas. The help defender then has to decide if he wants to provide assistance on the main action or stay at home so McCollum (42.4% on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203468/shots-dash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catch-and-shoot threes</a>) or Ingram (36.3%, north of 42% in the two seasons prior) can't burn his team from deep.
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The Pelicans have also been using them together in the same play. We've talked about Chicago action &mdash; a pindown that flows into a handoff &mdash; a ton in this space. It's a common action in the league, but it's common for a reason; it's an effective way to get defenses to bend.
Using Ingram or McCollum as a screener poses problems. Both guys require high-level matchups, but the difference in stature &mdash; Ingram's a lanky 6-foot-9, McCollum is a slithery 6-foot-3 &mdash; makes switching less than ideal. Smaller players don't have a prayer in contesting shots from Ingram, while bigger wings typically struggle with McCollum's ability to change direction.
That's before getting into the Valanciunas problem. You absolutely can't switch a small onto him; over the past three seasons, Valanciunas has generated nearly 1.2 points per possession on post-ups against guards, a top-three mark among 72 players with at least 75 reps, per Second Spectrum.
So you have multiple things at play. Ingram and McCollum screening for each other, putting the primary defender into a trail position or leading them into an unfavorable switch. Then, it's a 2-man game with Valanciunas, a scenario where you flat-out can't&nbsp;switch. And if you decide to fight over versus switching, both McCollum and Ingram are:
1) High-level pull-up shooters
2) Good enough passers to feed Valanciunas if the defense cracks
That's how you end up with possessions like this.
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The Jazz opt not to switch Mike Conley (McCollum's defender) onto Ingram, making it imperative for Royce O'Neale to stay attached to Ingram on the handoff. Ingram is able to establish inside leverage on the drive, then really puts the Jazz in a pickle by engaging Rudy Gobert on his gather. He freezes him just enough to open up the wrap-around pass to Valanciunas.
And here's the inverse, with McCollum as the handler instead of Ingram.
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Ingram is able to bump Conley just enough to throw him off his path. McCollum is one of the craftiest mid-range artists we have in the league. He doesn't jet into open space; he hesitates, then darts to his right to put Conley on his hip before rising up for the floater.
It's been tough sledding for defenses as of late trying to contain this trio. In light of Saturday's news that Zion Williamson is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/zion-williamson-will-return-to-pelicans-after-spending-time-rehabbing-in-portland-according-to-shams-charania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejoining the team as part of his rehab</a>, there's a chance the Pelicans will be able to incorporate&nbsp;another&nbsp;pick-your-poison element into their offense.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down a set the Pelicans are using to make their three best players more dangerous.

Explain one play: How the Pelicans are blending their Big 3 together

The Utah Jazz have struggled with injury, teammate malcontent in the media and a porous defense (19th since the new year, per Cleaning the Glass) since the turn of the calendar. Donovan Mitchell has returned, helping to spark Utah's thus-far-undefeated February, but the problems that have persisted for multiple seasons loom large as the playoffs inch closer.&nbsp;
Prior to the NBA trade deadline last Thursday, the Jazz made their only in-season trade of the year, acquiring Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a part of a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-team deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs</a>.
The Jazz really only had the flexibility to make one or two moves, as they're fairly locked into their roster with contention in mind. While Joe Ingles' season-ending injury likely impacted his trade value, the point stands that Utah's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grading-every-move-from-the-2022-nba-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">singular trade</a> was relatively confusing.
Alexander-Walker is an intriguing prospect &mdash; one that I hold in high regard &mdash; but he is not currently a player who routinely contributes positive on-court impact. In a vacuum, I love the Jazz adding a young player with upside to an aged roster (<a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/lakers-oldest-nba-teams-entering-season/1gvfecopluvy71rmj43y8ezgtf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third-highest</a> average-aged team prior to the trade). But, this is a squad that needs to make a deep run this season. They can't afford another second-round out organizationally, and recent reporting and rumblings further that notion &mdash; specifically this from <a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/265668/Donovan-Mitchell-Rudy-Gobert-Relationship-Passively-Aggressively-Awkward" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective</a>.
<blockquote>
"Donovan and Gobert, even though they're both under long-term contract, are under each other's skin. There's all kind of subtweeting and passive aggressive stuff going on."
</blockquote>
(Editor's Note: Mitchell has since denied that report. "No, no, no, no, no. We&rsquo;re good,&rdquo; Mitchell <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/02/04/donovan-mitchell-shoots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said via The Salt Lake Tribune's Eric Walden</a>. &ldquo;I saw that [report] coming in this morning. Nah, we&rsquo;re good. That&rsquo;s just not true. Blatantly not true at all. We&rsquo;ve never had this stretch of losses in a row, so now&rsquo;s the time for all these things to come out, I guess. But it&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;C&rsquo;mon, bro.&rsquo; Nah, we&rsquo;re good.&rdquo;)
The Jazz ideally needed a wing or combo forward who could defend at the point of attack and not muck up the offense. Alexander-Walker is a combo guard who can spend time on the wing for sure, but is much more of a big guard than a wing due to some of his physical attributes and style of play.&nbsp;
Can he adapt his game to fill the gaps for Utah this season?
Alexander-Walker had a 24.9% usage rate in New Orleans this season (24% for his career), which would rank third in Utah's regular rotation; I'd be shocked if that carries over even remotely with the Jazz. Given how reliant Utah is on bending the defense initially and then continuous ball movement, there isn't a ton of wiggle room for another shot-creator.
This is where the fit gets wonky.
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Does Utah view him as a player who can become a connective, toolsy wing? Because I have questions if so! NAW hasn't been close to that role since his freshman year at Virginia Tech, the lowest-usage season in his last half-decade of basketball.&nbsp;
Offensively, he's much closer to Jordan Clarkson than Royce O'Neale.
He had a stretch last season that was easily the brightest of his career, showcasing the blueprint of his future offensive success. From March 21 to April 2 (7 games), he started for the New Orleans Pelicans and averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 55.8% True Shooting. While the numbers were impressive, the on-court calculus to get there was telling.
<ul>
<li>54% at the rim (35th percentile per Cleaning the Glass)</li>
<li>56% from 4-to-14 feet (89th percentile)</li>
<li>41% from three (8.9 attempts per game)</li>
</ul>
Alexander-Walker really lacks much burst, so even with a hard closeout, creating separation can be an adventure.
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During that aforementioned stretch, he was GUNNING from deep, which opened up cleaner driving lanes. That goes without mentioning that Zion Williamson played the majority of that stretch, and Alexander-Walker &mdash; as well as every other player in New Orleans &mdash; really missed Zion Williamson's gravity offensively.&nbsp;
At his best, he's using his length and handle to his advantage, crafting his way to floaters, touch shots and extension finishes.&nbsp;
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His below-the-rim nature can really cause problems for him at the rim as well. Even with a good break or separation on the ball, any contact or obstacle around the rim can throw him off.
The path forward for him is ideally through quality shooting (he'll have much better looks in Utah), but finding ways to lean into his limitations rather than fight against them is easier said than done.
In all honesty, getting to the rim less may be better for him. His herky-jerky style and lack of balance at the moment lead to really difficult restricted area attempts; using his handle and honing in on playing at his pace and focusing on creating paint touches with guile seem like the most ideal ways for him to find efficiency.&nbsp;
It sounds counter-intuitive to lean into a harder shot profile, but it's the profile that's most available and benficial to NAW's game at the moment. The off-kilter rim drives can lead to some really rough turnovers and bailout grenade passes. He feels so sped up even though he's often the slowest player on the court.
I really want to see Utah's development staff drive him towards playing weird, because by all accounts, that's what Alexander-Walker is built for!&nbsp;
Defensively, the fit is better, but it's kind of like if you asked your school nurse for a band-aid and they gave you an Advil instead. It helps, but dude, you still need a band-aid to stop the bleeding.
The Jazz are in desperate need of better defense at the point of attack and on bigger wings, which is far from NAW's calling card.&nbsp;
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Bigger wings and forwards are not only unbothered by NAW, but easily shed him with any sort of power move. His high center of gravity is his nemesis on both ends of the hardwood.
I really enjoy Alexander-Walker's off-ball instincts and activity, but he has a tendency to overplay his hand and overhelp, leading to some off-kilter (a theme) close-outs. However, when he's able to use his length and crowd guards or smaller wings, he's adept at shading them to the rim. Giving ground isn't great, but if you have to, send the ball to help.
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Rudy Gobert is, uh, easily the best rim-protector and defensive player that NAW has ever played with. Merely staying solid on defense, making clean rotations, and slowing the ball even if not fully stopping it will help Utah's defense.
In a vacuum, I really like this trade for Utah. Taking a swing on a young player with intriguing flashes in need of a new environment is a fantastic idea. However, for a team that needed to refurbish its defensive identity and further cement itself as a true contender, the trade is confusing.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker should factor into the Jazz's main rotation, but barring significant change, it seems unlikely he makes a massive difference for them in the season when they arguably will need it most.&nbsp;
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The Utah Jazz added guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker prior to the trade deadline. Can he fill the gaps the Jazz have on either end?

Why the Jazz should lean into Nickeil Alexander-Walker's limitations

<div>
Three of the four California NBA franchises have now resided in the Sour Rankings for multiple consecutive weeks.&nbsp;
This might be the worst check-in to date. The Los Angeles Lakers, with a coach on the brink of getting fired, an avalanche of roster criticism and a storm of rumors, have taken the No. 1 spot in these rankings. Not far behind are the Sacramento Kings, who continue to let an attainable Play-In bid slip away while trade gossip engulfs their own headlines. And the L.A. Clippers, while battling admirably, approach a criticial franchise inflection point with this week's trade deadline.
It is wild on the West Coast, and don't expect things to calm down anytime soon.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
</div>
<div>
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
</div>
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;The Houston Rockets managed to sneak out this week after going 1-1 with a nice win over the Utah Jazz and a "good effort" loss to the Golden State Warriors. KJ Martin tallied 14 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in that Friday defeat off the bench. Also, a shoutout to Rio Grande Valley prospect Daishen Nix, who is putting up over 27 points per game for Houston's G League affiliate this month.&nbsp;
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10. Utah Jazz (30-17)
Expectations are high in Utah. This is a reigning No. 1 seed that needs to take the leap to legitimate title contender, and as of this recent stretch, the Jazz simply aren't there. Utah is 3-7 in its last 10 games with an 18th-ranked defense over the past two weeks. The Rudy Gobert slander is back, but as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gobert-has-a-point" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan wrote recently</a>, he's far from the main problem with this defense.
The Jazz are reportedly looking for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jazz-looking-for-wing-defenders-on-trade-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wing defenders on the trade market</a>, which could sorely help while teams run rampant against Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and even Royce O'Neale.
(Last week: unranked)
9. Los Angeles Clippers (23-25)
The Clippers and their injury-plagued roster keep battling, and went a solid 2-2 with close losses to the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets this week. They've been a bottom-10 team on both ends recently, but are still solidly ninth in the West, so LAC remains in a limbo state ahead of the trade deadline.&nbsp;
If the Clippers are truly<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/clippers-reportedly-willing-to-discuss-majority-of-veterans-in-trades" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> willing to discuss most of their veterans in trade talks</a>, teams should be lining up to make offers for Nic Batum. The 33-year-old continues to be one of the league's most underrated complementary players. He's up to a career-high 64.9% True Shooting percentage and has been lights-out from beyond the arc while consistently taking tough defensive matchups.
(Last week: 9)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (20-26)
Anfernee Simons has almost singlehandedly given Portland joy. He's averaging 25.0 points and 7.2 assists per game in the month of January, while the Blazers have quietly gone a respectable 7-4 this month. Portland is now three games up on the Kings for the final Play-In bid in the West, and that should be comfortable breathing room given Sacramento's state right now.
The Blazers have 5 games in 7 days coming up, including matchups against Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago. If they can break .500 in that stretch, they might leave the Sour Rankings entirely.
(Last week: 2)
7. Atlanta Hawks (21-25)
Of course, the Hawks' best stretch of winning comes when trade rumors are swirling. Atlanta has taken its last four games, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets this week. Trae Young is averaging 31.3 points and 9.0 assists per game during the streak while canning 47.6% of his three-pointers, so he's on fire.
Onyeka Okongwu has also blended in seamlessly with the starters while Clint Capela has been out. De'Andre Hunter is on track to the tune of 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Is it too early to be back on the Hawks train?
(Last week: 1)
6. Boston Celtics (24-24)
Jayson Tatum's 51-point bombshell on Sunday essentially saved the Celtics from a potential No. 1 ranking this week. He now has the most 50-point games (5) in franchise history, and he is 22 years old (!!!). It's been a brutal year for Tatum, so Celtics fans certainly hope Sunday's performance was a spark.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jayson Tatum delivered for us tonight with a 51-point performance that fueled a 116-87 win over the Wizards. <a href="https://t.co/HcrvPH0UMP">pic.twitter.com/HcrvPH0UMP</a>
&mdash; Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1485460341513498624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Meanwhile, the same team also went scoreless for seven crucial fourth-quarter minutes and blew a winnable game against Portland. In a 2-2 week, the Celtics move up by default against a struggling middle pack in the East. Perhaps a fully-healthy starting five is what the team has always needed.
(Last week: 3)
5. New York Knicks (23-24)
So the Knicks have a sneaky 10th-ranked offense and fifth-ranked defense over the past two weeks. I know it doesn't reflect much in the record (1-2 this week) or today's rankings, but I do think good things are slowly happening.
From what I've seen and read, the biggest gripe appears to be that Tom Thibodeau still won't fully unleash his young talent. Immanuel Quickley has started just 2 of his 43 games played. Quentin Grimes has maximized his bench role with quality two-way play. Miles "Deuce" McBride has graduated from the G League. There's a lot of excitement around these backcourt players in particular and the fans are hungry for more.
(Last week: 4)
4. Indiana Pacers (17-30)
The Pacers' state of affairs hasn't meaningfully changed for over a calendar month. So this time, I'm giving the floor to Justin Holiday, who has been a bright spot in dim places for Indiana. The eldest Holiday brother is shooting a scorching 42.0% from beyond the arc and averaging 13.4 points per game in January, while being one of the few plus perimeter defenders on the roster. He's another Batum-level role-player who, if I were GM of a contender, I'd heavily pursue before the trade deadline.
(Last week: 6)
3. Washington Wizards (23-24)
Fortunately, the Wizards don't seem all too concerned with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bradley-beal-likely-to-decline-player-option-team-has-not-talked-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bradley Beal's likely free agency</a> this offseason. Unfortunately, their on-court slide continues after an 0-3 week with losses to the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Celtics. Washington started 10-3 and has since gone 13-21 with the league's 22nd-ranked offensive rating and 26th-ranked defensive rating. The Wizards have two more games this month and some extended time off before the schedule ramps back up in February.&nbsp;
(Last week: 8)
2. Sacramento Kings (18-30)
So the Kings are <a href="https://theathletic.com/3078346/2022/01/19/insiders-think-a-ben-simmons-deal-gets-done-plus-a-pulse-on-teams-desperation-factor-nba-trade-deadline-roundtable/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> thinking about acquiring Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris from Philly and... I just don't know if that's how you get out of 15 years' worth of directionless mediocrity. They're both great players, but do they significantly raise the ceiling when the Sixers would get a haul in return?&nbsp;
Sacramento is 2-8 in its last 10, and this quote from the aformentioned report by Sam Amick sums things up nicely:
"The widely held belief is that this front office, with general manager Monte McNair in his second season after working for all those years with Morey in Houston, simply must do a deal of significance now. To no one&rsquo;s surprise, there has been a collective loss of faith in the prospect of this core evolving into a contender in the West."
(Last week: 5)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (23-24)
The Lakers' woes have been the talk of the NBA for the past week. I don't need to add anything because an article and a video clip will cover everything you need to know. Frank Vogel appears to be coaching for his job every game, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-lakers-have-put-frank-vogel-in-a-very-difficult-position" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as Alex Kennedy wrote, that's pretty brutal.</a> As for this roster, let JJ Redick explain:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;[The Lakers] are a bad team! &hellip; These are guys that are past their prime, that&rsquo;s the reality.&rdquo; &mdash;<a href="https://twitter.com/jj_redick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jj_redick</a> <a href="https://t.co/VMzY26su1B">pic.twitter.com/VMzY26su1B</a>
&mdash; First Take (@FirstTake) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake/status/1483497600623910913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I'll ask: What is the best return we can reasonably expect from a package of Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker and a 2027 first-round pick?
(Last week: 7)
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The Lakers and Kings occupy the top two spots in this week's rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: Collapses in California

Go ahead, pick out the meme if you want.
Matter of fact, I'll do it for you. Please hold.&nbsp;
[elevator music]
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-01-15-at-10-47-40-am_lg.png" alt="" width="325" height="386" />
We've got our funnies out of the way, I hope. Let's dig into the heart of this.
After a Jazz practice, Utah center Rudy Gobert was asked about some things. His health and pending return was at the top of the list.&nbsp;
Gobert was also asked about the state of the Jazz as title contenders. He <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1482075141374758915?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was pretty honest</a>, though still hopeful that the Jazz could turn things around. The major hold-up in his eyes: a lack of "winning habits" being established, particularly on the defensive end.
His stance, per Eric Walden of <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2022/01/14/rudys-return-utah-jazz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Salt Lake Tribune</a>:
<blockquote>
"When I watch some of these other teams, like the Suns or the Warriors, those guys are a step ahead of us in terms of winning habits. They take every game personally,&rdquo; Gobert said. &ldquo;Devin Booker is playing his a-- off defensively. I&rsquo;ve been watching him compared to two years ago. Guys like that, they buy in, and you can tell they take pride in playing defense and stopping their man, doing whatever they can defensively to stop the other team and be part of a winning culture. I just think we&rsquo;re not there yet, but I think we&rsquo;re gonna get there."
</blockquote>
First part of that seems pretty nondescript, right? The Suns and Warriors &mdash; two teams ahead in the standings, and two teams that have represented the Western Conference in six of the last seven Finals &mdash; seem to have a handle of the little things than the Jazz do.
Then it gets fun.
&nbsp;
That Devin Booker mention? The subsequent "you can tell they take pride in playing defense" line? I find it hard to believe that wasn't intentional phrasing from Gobert. At bare minimum, it reads as a shot at Donovan Mitchell, Gobert's teammate and Booker's peer among the premier shooting guard group. And if it is, it's well deserved.
Mitchell, as dynamic as he is offensively (psst,<a href="https://www.one37pm.com/strength/sports/donovan-mitchell-jazz-ceiling"> read this</a>), leaves quite a bit to be desired defensively. He remains poor as a screen navigator, either taking I-simply-cannot-recover wide angles or being wiped out by picks entirely. Dialed-in Mitchell is fine &mdash; he's finding comfort with a spin move when ducking under picks, for example &mdash; but we don't consistently see that on a per-possession basis. Combine that with struggles to stay attached to ball-handlers, and you get film that looks like this.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/s0liak" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
But this gripe of Gobert's goes beyond Mitchell. 
At this point, Mike Conley and Royce O'Neale (bless his heart) might be the only defenders on the roster that Gobert can trust to stay solid on-ball, give multiple efforts, and communicate a switch in a timely manner. That simply isn't good enough if the Jazz want to reach their ceiling.&nbsp;
The last five games without Gobert have highlighted his value. The Jazz have the second worst defense (120.3 defensive rating) in the league during this stretch. Opponents are generating nearly 1.14 points per possession on trips featuring a ball screen, the worst mark in the NBA by a decent margin per Second Spectrum.
All drop-defenders aren't created equal &mdash; Hassan Whiteside is no Gobert. But Gobert's absence further exposed just how much he was cleaning up, and how poorly the Jazz are doing the little things. It's been especially clear when they've had to go small, with Whiteside on the bench or with him simply not being available (take a look at the Cleveland game).
Without Gobert (and Whiteside), the Jazz have leaned further into switching. The gambit makes sense &mdash; flatten out the offense, keep the action in front, stay solid &mdash; but good lord have they done a poor job of it. To put a number on it: opponents are scoring over 1.19 points per possession on trips featuring a Jazz switch, per Second Spectrum.
There's only so much the Jazz can do from a personnel perspective. But they aren't even giving themselves a chance on most possessions.
If you're going to switch, there has to be some semblance of physicality. Against deadly pull-up shooters, you have to push up when switching so they don't have a gap to waltz into. Against dynamic rollers or post threats, it helps to get under them and cut off their roll &mdash; or you can go the other way entirely, getting on top early and fronting to take away an easy entry pass.
Lo and behold, the Jazz are doing [checks notes] neither of those things. Let's look at one glaring example from that Cavs game, shall we?
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wouxkw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Brandon Goodwin isn't a high level pull-up shooter, but this is a pretty clear demonstration of the lack of detail the Jazz are switching with. Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic switch this screen between Goodwin and Kevin Love. Mitchell isn't a good match-up against Love, of course, but look at the angle Love is able to take as he sets the screen.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-01-15-at-12-42-22-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="575" height="325" />
Mitchell doesn't get under him at all; Love has the inside track the entire way through. This is why, despite switching out to Goodwin, Bogdanovic sinks back to Love. He wants to cut off the flashing-red-sign passing window that Love has. But because of that, Goodwin is essentially given a practice jumper. You simply can't give an NBA guard that kind of space.
So, talk about Gobert The Personality all you want. Criticize the lack of offensive impact he's had against smaller units if that tickles your fancy. But he's 100% on the money about the Jazz defensively.
Their recent outings in the postseason have had more to do with their defense than their offense. And as convenient as it's been to put those shortcomings on Gobert, he's far from the primary cause.

Nekias Duncan digs into Rudy Gobert's recent comments about Utah's "winning habits."

Rudy Gobert has a point about Utah's defense

Earlier this week, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-expected-to-listen-to-trade-talks-surrounding-dennis-schrder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania reported</a> that the Boston Celtics are expected to listen to trade discussions surrounding Dennis Schr&ouml;der.
It makes sense. Schr&ouml;der is entering the prime of his career and producing with the Celtics to the tune of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also signed a one-year contract in the offseason for just $5.89 million, and logic signals that he's intending to turn that into a much larger payday next summer.&nbsp;
Dealing Schr&ouml;der while his value is high before he could leave next offseason seems like proper asset management for Boston. And though I think Schr&ouml;der provides a unique flavor with his rim pressure and pure speed, I get the reality that, with the Celtics likely not on the path to title contention this season, there's a good chance Schr&ouml;der gets thrown into the trade carousel.&nbsp;
The questions to ask: What teams could use a potential one-season rental, and what would the Celtics want back? To answer these, let's quickly log Schr&ouml;der's primary skills shown this season.
The 28-year-old has shifted between a high-usage bench role and a starter for Boston as the team deals with injuries. Schr&ouml;der can get downhill with impressive burst when he wants to. Per Cleaning the Glass, he's making 64% of his at-rim attempts, in the 78th percentile at his position.
Schr&ouml;der has also canned an impressive 56% of his corner threes and been a better off-ball option than I initially anticipated. He still seems more comfortable on the ball, where he can dictate the pace and facilitate. Schr&ouml;der is hitting 33.6% of his overall threes this season, which is right at his career average. He's a streaky but capable long-range shooter who can also pull up in the mid-range with some success. Ultimately, the speed and finishing ability are his signature skills.
In this situation, Schr&ouml;der is one of the perfect acquisitions for a team needing that last piece to push for a title or get over the hump into the playoffs. But the Celtics are in this weird middle ground; they have plenty of intriguing young players and a first-year head coach, but also plenty of veterans who can support a win-now run... Except they aren't doing enough of the "winning now" part.&nbsp;
What does Boston want back in a trade in general? They could opt to add to their pool of prospects or find more experienced players to fill needs. I truly don't know the best route, so I've chosen a few of each. Below are five trades that make sense for the Celtics, the hypothetic partner and Schr&ouml;der himself.
<a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All are NBA Trade Machine-approved</a>.
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UTAH JAZZ
Celtics receive: Royce O'Neale, Jared Butler
Jazz receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
In this scenario, the Celtics return a low-usage 3-and-D player, which fills a shooting need and takes pressure off of Ime Udoka to put too much responsibility on Aaron Nesmith. O'Neale would be an excellent fit in Udoka's switch-heavy defense as a 6-foot-6 wing, and he's currently knocking down over 40% of his three-pointers. Perhaps the Celtics can get an intriguing guard prospect like Butler out of this too since Utah won't be slotting him in the rotation this season.
For the Jazz, it's all about pushing for a title. They're on the cusp, and Schr&ouml;der could benefit from playing next to or behind Donovan Mitchell. He wouldn't need to be a defensive fulcrum, and could slot in as the primary facilitator off the bench. That would make life much easier for a currently struggling Jordan Clarkson.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Celtics receive: Cam Reddish, Gorgui Dieng, 2022 second-round pick
Hawks receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der, 2022 first-round pick (lottery-protected)
It's pretty ironic that the Hawks' search for a backup point guard could take things back to where they all began with Schr&ouml;der. Under a new regime, maybe it makes sense for Schr&ouml;der to try again. He'd instantly be second on the depth chart behind Trae Young. The Hawks are 24th in rim frequency and 18th in accuracy, so Schr&ouml;der can absolutely help collapse the defense.
It's been reported that the Hawks want to move Reddish in exchange for a first-round pick, and they can do so here. The Celtics can take a swing on a high-upside prospect who is only 22 in Reddish while maintaining a team option for the following season. They also get back Gorgui Dieng, who I've always been a personal fan of, to slot in as a sensible third big man.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
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Celtics receive: Pat Connaughton
Bucks receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
The second George Hill era has not been as kind in Milwaukee. Hill, at age-35, is shooting just 32.4% from long range and has missed time due to injuries. With Donte DiVincenzo on his way back, Grayson Allen shooting the lights out and Jordan Nwora waiting for more minutes, Milwaukee has a plethora of sharpshooting guard/wing hybrids to work with. They can give one up in exchange for some added rim pressure off the bench.
Boston takes on Connaughton, who can operate as a mircowave scorer and cutter while fitting better with Marcus Smart should the two share the backcourt. Connaughton also graduated from St. John's Prep in Massachusetts, so you have some nice local ties there. He's making $5.3 million over the next two seasons.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Celtics receive: Garrett Temple, Naji Marshall, 2023 first-round pick (via Lakers)
Pelicans receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der
The Pelicans are reportedly going to be buyers this trade season, which is... something. But if that's true, Schr&ouml;der is a good bet for them as a team whose guard signings have largely underwhelmed (and who just lost Kira Lewis Jr. for the season due to a torn ACL). Schr&ouml;der could start for this team and be the downhill threat missing from the current rotation.
Naji Marshall still doesn't get nearly enough love from the Pelicans, so he hopefully would in Boston. The Celtics also add a likely late first-rounder in a draft that could be loaded, and acquire a rock-solid veteran in Temple. None of this severely impacts the all-powerful cap flexibility Brad Stevens is likely hoping to preserve.
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INDIANA PACERS
Celtics receive: Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday
Pacers receive: Dennis Schr&ouml;der, Romeo Langford, Robert Williams III, Josh Richardson, 2022 first-round pick (top-10-protected)
Our Nekias Duncan labeled the Celtics as an intriguing fit in his piece on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exploring-trade-destinations-for-domantas-sabonis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential destinations for Domantas Sabonis</a>. This is my best attempt at formulating a Sabonis trade without including Jaylen Brown. Boston would certainly love this; it gets a third star-caliber player and ball-moving center, plus a low-usage complementary wing I love in Holiday.
It's trickier to sell this for the Pacers. Part of the appeal is flipping Schr&ouml;der or Richardson for more prospect pieces. But neither of them comes with significant long-term cap hits, which is a plus. Should Indiana opt for the competitive pseudo-rebuild, both veterans are at least capable rotation pieces.
Romeo Langford is an awesome young player and an Indiana native, and Robert Williams (note: he cannot be traded until after Jan. 30) is another awesome young player on a steal of a contract. Maybe some additional draft capital gets this done.

With the Celtics reportedly expected to field offers for Dennis Schröder, where could the speedy point guard end up?

Examining potential trade destinations for Dennis Schröder

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jaren Jackson scored a season-high 26 points, winning a jump ball and hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds, to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 119-118 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Ja Morant had 32 points and Desmond Bane added a career-high 28 as the Grizzlies scored the final seven points for their third win in their last four games.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and made a season-best seven 3-pointers. He made back-to-back jumpers from beyond the arc in the final two minutes to put the Jazz in prime position.
Tied at 112, Rudy Gobert blocked Morant’s floater and Royce O’Neale found Bogdanovic for a transition 3. The next time down, the Croatian sharpshooter drained a step-back 3 for a 118-112 lead with 1:28 remaining.
Memphis hit four of six free throws while stopping the Jazz on consecutive possessions. Then, on Morant’s miss with 14.1 seconds left, an official review remaining showed Gobert did not interfere with the ball in the cylinder. 
It resulted in a jump ball at midcourt, which Jackson won over Gobert. He then he hit a 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds to play for a 119-118 edge.
Donovan Mitchell, who had 18 points on 5-of-20 shooting, missed an off-balance jumper at the buzzer.
Gobert had 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Mike Conley had 19 points and assists for the Jazz.
The Grizzlies (9-8) took the lead in the fourth quarter by taking it right to the Jazz. Jackson blocked Gobert’s layup and Morant ran over Conley on the other end and scored a layup to make it 112-110 with 3:46 to play.
The Jazz (11-6) led 80-73 on Hassan Whiteside’s tip-in before the Grizzlies scored nine straight points to take their first lead of the second half. Bane made two 3s in the run, while Brandon Clarke had a monster block on Bogdanovic.
The Jazz and Grizzlies then traded several highlight-reels plays as the pace quickened significantly. Conley finished a third quarter that saw the teams combined for 74 points with an alley-oop pass to Gobert for a layup and a floater to make it 96-92 entering the final quarter.
This was the first meeting since the Jazz ousted the Grizzlies 4-1 in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Gobert had five blocks to pass Greg Ostertag for third place on the franchise career blocked shots list with 1,254.
Morant averages a league-leading 15 points in the paint a game but went 6-for-17 going over and around Gobert and Whiteside.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Bane scored or assisted on seven of Memphis’s first 10 baskets. … Dillon Brooks missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring after playing his first three games of the season since offseason hand surgery. … Memphis had a 24-2 advantage in points off turnovers and an 18-13 edge on fast-break points.
Jazz: The Jazz started the game 1 of 12 from beyond the arc. … Utah is now 6-1 against Western Conference foes and had a six-game winning streak against Memphis snapped. … Mitchell had a season-high eight assists.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Jazz: Host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 26 points to help the Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Utah Jazz, 119-118.

Jackson's big finish helps Grizzlies edge Jazz, 119-118

Nekias Duncan previews the Southwest Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

Nekias Duncan previews the Northwest Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division

Nekias Duncan breaks down all five teams in the Atlantic Division for his 2021-22 NBA season preview.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Atlantic Division

Report: League personnel most often mention Joe Ingles as the Jazz wing to watch, and Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O'Neale are also considered available for trade as Utah narrows its focus towards building a contender around Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are also open to discuss trading their No. 30 pick, sources said.
The Utah Jazz are known to be one of the few teams actually searching to move playoff-tested talent. Retaining Mike Conley is an offseason priority, sources said, and the Jazz have held numerous discussions with teams around the league about offloading salary to create room for Conley in free agency.
Source: <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2946349-nba-draft-week-brings-urgency-to-trade-talks-latest-ben-simmons-buzz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;After finishing atop of the NBA standings this past season, the Jazz suffered a huge upset defeat in round two of the playoffs to a Los Angeles Clippers team that was without Kawhi Leonard for the second half of the series.
Now, the front office may be looking to make some tweaks to the roster before Utah's core tries to run it back next year. It seems that re-signing Mike Conley Jr. could potentially cost the Jazz one of their sharpshooters in Joe Ingles or Bojan Bogdanovic.

According to Bleacher Report, the Jazz have made Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic available in trade talks.

Report: Jazz make Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic available in trade talks

Terance Mann scored a career-high 39 points and the Los Angeles Clippers advanced to a conference final for the first time in the franchise's 51-year history, beating the Utah Jazz 131-119 on Friday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
GAME. OF. HIS. LIFE. 👏 Terance Mann ERUPTS for a career-high 39 PTS (48.9 FPTS) and the <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a> are off to their first Western Conference Finals! <a href="https://t.co/xrYUa5peG7">pic.twitter.com/xrYUa5peG7</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1406110299611074562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Paul George had 28 points and Reggie Jackson added 27 to help the fourth-seeded advance to face second-seeded Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 is Sunday in Phoenix.
Los Angeles won the final two games against the Jazz with All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a sprained right knee.
The Clippers trailed by 25 points early in the third quarter before rallying. It is the third time in franchise history the Clippers have trailed by at least 22 points in a postseason game and come back to win.
Mann helped fuel the rally with 20 points in the third quarter. Utah had a 94-91 lead going into the final 12 minutes, but Jackson gave the Clippers their first lead since early in the second quarter when his layup made it 96-95 advantage with 10:36 remaining.
Mann also was just the third player in franchise history to make at least seven 3s in a postseason game.
The Clippers had a 107-106 lead with eight minutes remaining before they seized control with nine straight points, including five by Mann. The closest the Jazz would get after that was six.
Donovan Mitchell led top-seeded Utah with 39 points. It is the second time in franchise history the Jazz have blown a 25-point lead in a postseason game.
Royce O&rsquo;Neale added 21 for the Jazz. They had the NBA's top regular-season record but lost four straight for the first time all year.
Mitchell opened the second half with a 33-foot, step back 3-pointer to give the Jazz a 75-50 lead 24 seconds into the third quarter. It was 88-67 with 6:37 remaining when LA fought its way back by going on a 21-2 run to get within a basket with 1:42 remaining with 10 points from Mann and Jackson scoring nine.
A dunk by Royce O&rsquo;Neale and Mitchell's pair of free throws pushed Utah's lead back up to six, but Jackson's 3-pointer's with 11.1 seconds remaining cut the advantage in half heading into the fourth quarter.
The first half saw 12 lead changes. Rajon Rondo&rsquo;s layup with 9:17 remaining in the second quarter gave LA a 41-40 lead before Utah outscored the Clippers 33-10 the remainder of the half to take a 72-50 advantage at the break.
The Jazz went on a 21-2 run that included 17 straight points by Clarkson, including a pair of 3-pointers.
TIP INS
Jazz: Jordan Clarkson had all 21 of his points in the second quarter. ... Mike Conley was back in the lineup after missing five games due to a right hamstring strain and scored five points in 26 minutes. .... Mitchell scored 16 in the first quarter. It is the fourth time this postseason he has 12 or more in the first 12 minutes.
Clippers: Since 1997, Mann is the only player in franchise history to score 20 or more points in a single quarter in a postseason game. ... Jackson had a season-high 10 assists
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Terance Mann scored a career-high 39 points and the Clippers advanced to a conference final for the first time in the franchise's 51-year history.

Terance Mann scores career-high 39, Clippers eliminate Jazz 131-119

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 45 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 112-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday night.
Mitchell did most of his work in the second half, scoring 32 points to rally the Jazz from a double-digit deficit. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points apiece. Mitchell and Clarkson combined for 12 3-pointers. 
Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points to lead Los Angeles. Paul George chipped in 20 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Kennard added 18 points while making a team-high four 3-pointers.
Utah and Los Angeles will play Game 2 on Thursday in Salt Lake City. 
The Jazz trailed by as many as 14 points before rallying and overtaking the Clippers in the fourth quarter. Utah took the lead for good on a 21-9 run bookended by 3-pointers from Bogdanovic. His second one gave the Jazz a 103-93 lead with 5:22 remaining.
George hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 112-109 in the final minute. But Rudy Gobert <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1402490536452370432">blocked a potential game-tying shot</a> from Marcus Morris with a second left to preserve the victory. 
The Jazz were ice cold on offense during the first quarter. Utah jumped out to a 10-2 lead after Mitchell made a pair of 3-pointers. Over the next 8 1/2 minutes, the Jazz missed 20 consecutive shots. 15 of the 20 shots were contested by the Clippers. Utah started 3-of-25 from the field before Clarkson buried a corner three to break the ice. 
Los Angeles capitalized on the lengthy drought with a 22-2 run. Kennard buried three 3-pointers to put the Clippers in front 24-12 late in the quarter. 
Hot outside shooting buoyed Los Angeles in the second quarter and kept Utah at arm’s length. The Clippers went 7-of-12 from 3-point range during the quarter. Four of those baskets came during a stretch where they scored on six straight possessions, culminating in Rajon Rondo’s outside basket, to extend their lead to 51-37. 
Mitchell took over early in the third quarter. He scored four straight baskets to open the quarter and totaled 16 points in nine minutes. His effort helped the Jazz regain a 72-71 lead at the end of a 13-4 run. Mitchell scored back-to-back baskets to fuel the run and assisted the go-ahead layup from Royce O’Neale. 
TIP-INS
Clippers: Serge Ibaka (back spasms) did not play. … DeMarcus Cousins made his postseason debut and finished with six points and three rebounds in four minutes. Cousins did not appear in any of the first-round games against Dallas. … George went 4-of-17 from the field. 
Jazz: Mike Conley (right hamstring strain) did not play. … Mitchell shot 11-of-17 from the field in the second half. … Gobert and O’Neale combined for 23 rebounds. … Utah did not score a two-point basket during the first quarter, going 0-of-8 inside the 3-point line. 
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, 112-109.

Donovan Mitchell scores 45, rallies Jazz past the Clippers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and the top-seeded Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
Mike Conley, in Memphis where he started his career, matched his regular-season and playoff career highs with seven 3-pointers and finished with 27 points.
Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson added 15 apiece, and Royce O'Neale had 12.
Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 28 points, and Dillon Brooks had 27 before fouling out. Grayson Allen added 17 off the bench, hitting five 3s. Kyle Anderson had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Brooks scored the first six points of the fourth, starting Memphis on a 13-2 run. Morant gave the eighth-seeded Grizzlies their first lead at 107-105 with two free throws with 5:00 left, and his jumper with 4:28 made it 109-107.
That's when Mitchell scored on a three-point play to put the Jazz ahead to stay at 110-109. He added a 3-pointer and Utah finished on a 14-2 run.
Memphis increased capacity to 55% inside FedExForum, and the approximately 10,000 fans were very loud for the franchise&rsquo;s first home playoff game since April 27, 2017, when Conley was the Grizzlies&rsquo; point guard for a seventh straight postseason berth.
After three people were banned by the Jazz for <a href="https://apnews.com/ce253d5b005159eb26df8c7d14750347">racist and sexist comments to Morant&rsquo;s family</a> during Game 2, the Memphis fans booed every member of the Utah starting lineup except for Conley &mdash; playing his first postseason game against the team that drafted him at No. 4 overall in 2007.
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Utah scored the first four points and led 34-22 after the first quarter. Every time Memphis tried to eat away at the lead, the Jazz answered with another 3. The Jazz made 11 3s in leading 62-51 at halftime.
Valanciunas, who averaged 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds during the regular season, didn&rsquo;t score his first backet until early in the third quarter. He scored the first 10 of the quarter pulling Memphis to 68-61, and the Grizzlies got within four on a pair of free throws by Morant with 4:05 left.
The Jazz answered with eight straight and led 96-85 after the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Jazz: The NBA's best 3-point shooters in the regular season, making 16.7 a game, had 17 through three quarters and finished with 19. ... O&rsquo;Neal hit 4 of 6 3s by halftime to match his playoff career best set in Game 2 when he went 4 of 7 for the game. He&rsquo;s 9 of 16 beyond the arc in the series.
Grizzlies: Memphis came in having won eight of its last 10. The Grizzlies are 6-2 over their last eight Game 3s, with this loss joining 2016 when they were swept by San Antonio.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The top-seeded Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-111 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.

Donovan Mitchell scores 29 points, Jazz beat Grizzlies for 2-1 lead

I have a number for you: 128.6.
That is the offensive rating the Memphis Grizzlies produced in the second half of Game 1 against the top-seeded Utah Jazz. It marked the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/boxscores-advanced/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;OpponentTeamID=1610612762&amp;GameSegment=Second%20Half&amp;sort=OFF_RATING&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ninth time all season</a> that the Jazz had given up an offensive rating of 128 or higher in a second half; one of those instances came against the Grizzlies during a March 30 meeting (Utah won, 117-114).
There's room for Jazz optimism, of course. While the Grizzlies flirted with a 130 ORTG in the second half of Game 1, the Jazz *eclipsed* that mark (134.7). That isn't a massive suprise; the threes started falling a little more (19.4% in the first half, 30.8% in the second), and they were able to get much better production at the rim (11-of-14).
But the Grizzlies' offense humming like that was intriguing. They got off to a cold start in their own right, posting a 100.0 ORTG in the first half. The second-half bounce back was impressive because of the way they got it done: half-court, pick-and-roll play.
I had questions about the Grizzlies scoring against the Jazz when their defense was set. I was especially concerned about how Ja Morant, in particular, would hold up against postseason planning. To that point, it was encouraging that the Grizzlies had a plan and stuck with it.
Their preferred method of attack: pick-and-rolls involving a pair of screeners. Dragging more bodies into the action gave Jazz defenders, particularly the ones at the point of attack, more to think about. More space to navigate. That indecision, paired with the natural openings of the drop coverage the Jazz play, gave the Grizzlies options to exploit.
Let's start with this third-quarter possession.
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The Grizzlies go with a double-high look with Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson Jr. as screeners. Jordan Clarkson is in a bit of a pickle. The mental math quickly begins.
Which screen is Kyle Anderson going to use?
Would it be better to fight over or under the screen?
Is the screener, whichever one Anderson uses, going to roll or pop?
How does that affect the recovery path?
Anderson chooses to use the Valanciuas screen to his left. Clarkson guessed incorrectly, his initial movement going to his&nbsp;left toward Jackson Jr. There's obvious trouble there; Clarkson is now behind the play, leaving Derrick Favors in a 2-on-1 situation.
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Yet, there's more here. Look at Bojan Bogdanovic. As Valanciunas rolls to the basket, Jackson Jr. pops above the break. Bogdanovic has to make a choice: provide some semblance of a tag on Valanciunas' roll, or stay attached to Jackson Jr. and give Valanciunas an unimpeded path. He opts for the latter.
The result is a fruitful one. Favors steps up to contain the Anderson drive. With no tag from Bogdanovic or weakside help behind that, there's nothing Utah can do to take away the lob.
A fun part of playoff ball is that it's all about exploits, baby. The Grizzlies got the result they wanted and went back to the well on the very next possession.
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Anderson chooses to go right this time, triggering a screen from Jackson Jr. The Jazz are able to snuff things out, but it flows into a Jackson Jr. flare, which then&nbsp;flows into a Jackson Jr.-Valanciunas pick-and-roll. Bogdanovic late-switches onto Valanciunas on his roll, leaving Favors on an island against the drive. The whistle is blown after the rim attempt, leading to a pair of free throws.
Cool. That's Anderson as the ball-handler. How do you think it went with Morant as the ball-handler?
Pretty darn well.
We got a nifty example of Dillion Brooks and Valanciunas operating as screeners.&nbsp;
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Brooks' positioning is key here. Joe Ingles can't provide any sort of tag on the Valanciunas roll in good conscious, so Valanciunas is able to freely rumble into the lane.
Bogdanovic pulls over from the corner to provide late relief, an understandable-yet-risky decision considering Morant's passing ability and Anderson's newfound shooting stroke. Here's your kind reminder that Anderson shot 36% from three on moderate volume this season.
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Morant ends up making his own magic out of the play. He slithers inside of the trailing Royce O'Neale. It isn't a full "snake" of the screen, but it's enough to get O'Neale on his hip. Morant peeps Bogdanovic and Favors converging on the roll, so he bounces it outside and opts for the floater instead.
Of course, sometimes it doesn't even take all that.
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Same alignment, but this time Anderson replaces Brooks as the screener. O'Neale gets caught in traffic. Morant turns on the jets, blowing by the recovering O'Neale before launching off one foot for a skyscraping floater over the outstretched limbs of Favors.
We did get to see a counter from the Jazz later in the half.
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Instead of ducking under or looking to stay attached to Jackson Jr., Bogdanovic shows high against Morant in an effort to keep him from turning the corner. Jackson Jr. short-rolls, but does so with Valanciunas also occupying the area.&nbsp;
Of course, Morant is so good that the gambit doesn't work. He simply resets and works 2-on-2 with Valanciunas and gets a bucket out of it.
The Grizzlies still should consider leaning into this setup more in Game 2. They generated a point per possession (1.00 PPP) on 10 "double-pick" looks in the second half, per a source with access to Second Spectrum tracking data. It's a solid bump from their general pick-and-roll efficiency (0.93 PPP, 24th in the NBA, per Synergy).
Being able to give the Jazz more things to sift through while attacking the cracks of their base coverage is ... probably a good idea.

Nekias Duncan breaks down one of the creative ways the Memphis Grizzlies went about dissecting the Utah Jazz's defense in Game 1.