Hoyas

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

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

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

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs Wednesday, but they had to do so without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the second night of a back-to-back.
No problem &mdash; Bobby Portis exploded for 27 points and 13 rebounds, Jrue Holiday racked up 20 points and 15 assists, and Brook Lopez tossed in 26 points to handle the Chicago Bulls. One neat postgame statistic from ESPN's Kane Pitman caught my eye:
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Brook Lopez now has 26 games with 20+ points this season. He had 26 games with 20+ points across his first four regular seasons in Milwaukee. He will be a DPOY finalist but his scoring has wound back the clock during his age 35 season.
&mdash; Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanePitman/status/1643788843479621635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Lopez is putting up 15.9 points per game, his highest since his All-Star days with the Brooklyn Nets, at the most efficient scoring clip of his career. He's helped the Bucks retake the top of the conference while remaining square in the middle of the Defensive Player of the Year race.
The award's front-runner, Jaren Jackson Jr., has also quietly ascended on the offensive end. Jackson is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game (20.9 since the All-Star break) with a career-best 58.5% two-point shooting clip. He dropped 40 in Wednesday's overtime loss to the Pelicans and has helped the Grizzlies go 12-4 since March 9.&nbsp;
While the two bigs are duking it out for DPOY, their steps forward as scorers have put each team in the championship conversation.
Starting with Lopez, his output this season hasn't come with increased touches. A cursory glance through PBP Stats' tracking data shows the 35-year-old is hovering at similar rates in touches and volume touch time relative to his entire Milwaukee tenure. His low 16.7% usage rate follows the same trend. But Lopez has received a significant green light; his mark of 11.5 field goal attempts per game is the most in the last six years.
Those extra shots have been distributed relatively evenly across different spots on the floor, but Lopez's paint presence is perhaps the most notable change. Here's a look at his impact of scoring inside since joining the Bucks in 2018, using data from PBP Stats (scroll right to view full table on mobile):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 154px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 44px;">Year</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 44px;">Touches/100 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 44px;">Paint touches/100 poss.</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 44px;">Paint touches FG% </td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FGA/game</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 44px;">At-Rim FG%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">59.6</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">2.8</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">65.3%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">1.8</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">75.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">57.5</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">5.2</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">61.7%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">2.5</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">66.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">49.4</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">7.0</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">70.3%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">2.7</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">74.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2021-22*</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">51.3</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">9.7</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">62.8%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">3.4</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">77.3%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 10.2766%; height: 22px;">2022-23</td>
<td style="width: 15.2376%; height: 22px;">54.2</td>
<td style="width: 18.501%; height: 22px;">9.1</td>
<td style="width: 16.4124%; height: 22px;">71.2%</td>
<td style="width: 15.1069%; height: 22px;">3.6</td>
<td style="width: 13.5403%; height: 22px;">74.7%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Note that Lopez played just 13 games in 2021-22 due to injury.
Lopez's current paint diet builds off of his abbreviated 2021-22 campaign, and this time, he's consistently converting on his greatest volume as a Buck. In addition to the strong marks at the rim, Lopez is also hitting a blistering 56% of his short-mid-range shots, per Cleaning the Glass.
The 35-year-old scored his 26 points on Wednesday despite a quiet 0-for-2 night from distance. He made 10 of 17 attempts inside the arc. Some were confident driving layups where he powered through Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. But this play highlights how his roll (heyo!) is changing:
<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/1z89r7" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
With the amount of drop coverage in today's NBA, plus the different downhill playmakers Milwaukee employs, Lopez has windows available as a roller. Here he stays in the passing lane during Joe Ingles' drive, seals off Derrick Jones Jr. and finishes the layup.&nbsp;
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This earlier bucket was the second of two near-identical makes in a row. Chicago sets its drop early in the action, but Vucevic is tighter on Holiday given the guard's threat to pull up. The window is open quicker for a short-roll pass that Holiday easily makes. Lopez then knocks down the soft-touch floater that the smaller DeMar DeRozan can't really contest.
According to play-type data from Synergy, Lopez is spending 21.2% of his possessions this season as a roll man. That's the highest frequency of his Bucks career, and it's steadily increased in each subsequent year from 14.1% in 2018-19. "Roll man" in Synergy terms can also include pick-and-pop plays, where Lopez often thrives, but he's also adding more classic rolls.
Tack on a career-high 37.4% clip from beyond the arc, and Lopez has found the pockets for him to excel within Milwaukee's offense without taking on a significantly larger workload.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Lopez is making teams pay for how they defend guys like Holiday and Antetokounmpo. His buckets still mostly come via assists. Jackson, meanwhile, is stepping up as a self-creator.&nbsp;
The 23-year-old has cleared the 60% True Shooting mark for the first time in his five-year career. Yet, he's not shooting threes particularly well (34.4%) and his volume of attempts is down (4.5 per game). Jackson has instead boosted his two-point percentage to a career-best 58.5%. He can attribute that spike to a consistent assertion of getting to the basket.&nbsp;
According to PBP Stats, more than 40% of Jackson's total shots this year have been self-created twos within 10 feet of the basket. His 53.2% conversion rate on those looks is a whopping nine percentage points better than last season. Jackson's overall 67% clip at the rim is a serious bounce-back from a dreadful 2021-22, and his 47% mark in the short-mid-range area is another career high.
<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/2nevnr" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In his monster 40-point outing, Jackson showed off how he's leveraging his length and strength with confidence. He posted up Larry Nance Jr. twice for scores, and was unfazed even when plowing into Nance on the above drive. Jackson still had the balance to turn the moment into a floater. There are also these Giannis-esque moments with Jackson where he uses his long strides and length to glide past defenders. The overall quick decision-making has elevated his attacks.
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The lanky forward has traded in some perimeter looks for more aggressive attacks. In fact, Jackson ranks third in points per drive (0.94) among 180 high-volume drivers this season. He's scoring at a decent 50.5% clip and drawing fouls on 18% of his drives, which also ranks third.
Jackson didn't shoot particularly well (13-for-28) en route to his 40-burger on Wednesday, but did draw nine fouls and made 11 of 12 free throws.
Perhaps the most surprising stat: Jackson is one of 100 NBA players who have logged 50 or more isolation possessions this season, per Synergy. He's drawn shooting fouls on a whopping 32.1% of those possessions; that is the highest in the eight-year history of Synergy's play-type tracking.
With his foul-drawing and reliable free-throw shooting, Jackson has created a floor-raiser with his length and athleticism against opposing bigs. As his scoring efficiency comes along, he's looking more and more like a matchup nightmare.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Two extremely important concepts in today's NBA: Creating and preventing advantages. From SIS Hoops:</li>
</ul>
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In the stretch run of the MVP race, Joel Embiid has stepped up his advantage creation to separate himself as the favorite for the award. <a href="https://t.co/6lThkqTKVC">pic.twitter.com/6lThkqTKVC</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1644003730205843458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Post-NCAA men's tournament reflection. FAU baby!
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</li>
</ul>
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Take good shots ✅ Force tough shots ✅ Win more games ✅ <a href="https://t.co/xHczgYjpfo">pic.twitter.com/xHczgYjpfo</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1643379899129040897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>A few league-wide notes I saw as this season is wrapping up:</li>
</ul>
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Some NBA leaguewide trends as we approach the end of the season 🧵 - The NBA is shooting a base 47.5% from the field, which is its highest since 1989-90 - eFG% is 54.5%, which is the highest ever - 114.8 offensive rating is a massive all-time high, 2nd place is 112.3 (2020-21)
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1644020710753333249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Jackson and Lopez are leading the Defensive Player of the Year race, but have also made important offensive strides.

NBA Stats Notebook: Lauding Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez's offense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Terry Rozier scored 31 points, P.J. Washington had 27 and the Charlotte Hornets stopped Miami&rsquo;s three-game win streak with a 122-117 victory over the Heat on Sunday.
LaMelo Ball scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Charlotte improved to 7-16 at home. Gordon Hayward was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field for 20 points.
Rozier also had seven assists and six rebounds. He was 11 for 19 from the field, including a 5-for-11 performance from 3-point range. He made two buzzer-beater 3s at the end of quarters.
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Tyler Herro had 24.
The Hornets, who have been hampered by injuries all season, have won four of six for the team&rsquo;s best stretch of the season. Washington believes it&rsquo;s a reflection of the team getting healthier.
Charlotte&rsquo;s projected starting five to begin the season is finally back on the floor and appears to be starting to mesh.
&ldquo;Everybody is back and everybody is healthy &mdash; and that is a major difference,&rdquo; Washington said. &ldquo;At the end of the day we have to keep going the way we are right now.&rdquo;
Hayward has struggled with shoulder and hamstring issues, limiting the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player to just 24 games.
Sunday marked his best game in months.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing confident and getting easy baskets and just bullying guys down low,&rdquo; Washington said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing great basketball and I expect that of him every night.&rdquo;
Whether a now healthy Hornets team can make a playoff push remains to be seen, but coach Steve Clifford remains optimistic.
&ldquo;Getting &rsquo;Melo and Gordon back, obviously you&rsquo;re a different team,&rdquo; Clifford said. &ldquo;If we can get into playing set groups then we&rsquo;ll have a good chance to hopefully put some good stretches together. (It helps) when they know who they&rsquo;re playing with and they know where the shots are coming from.&rdquo;
The Heat led 62-58 after Rozier banked in a 3 from the midcourt logo to close out the first half.
Miami went on a 10-1 run to start the third quarter. Herro knocked down two 3-pointers to help the Heat open a 13-point lead.
But Charlotte came storming back behind Washington and Rozier, who began knocking down shots from deep.
Charlotte pushed the lead to 12 with 5:54 left on a turnaround jumper by Rozier.
Miami rallied with a 10-0 run. Kyle Lowry found Bam Adebayo inside for a layup to cut the lead to 108-106.
But Charlotte had another burst as Mason Plumlee got the ball after Rozier won a jump ball and drove to the basket for a score. Ball canned an open 3-pointer to put Charlotte back up 114-106 with 1:50 left.
Washington&rsquo;s rebound and score off his own miss kept Charlotte up by seven and Plumlee dunked off a pass from Washington to put the game away in the final minute.
Charlotte shot 54.2% from the field and scored 25 points in transition. The Hornets also outrebounded Miami 47-36.
&ldquo;They have had a lot of injuries but when they have been fully healthy, this team can score much different than their numbers may suggest for the season,&rdquo; Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;We did not step up defensively, they got a lot of easy run-ups that quickly changed the momentum of the game.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Heat: Adebayo scored 17 points, but he only had four rebounds.
Hornets: Plumlee entered the game shooting 76.5% from the field over his last 20 games, the highest percentage by any player in any 20-game span since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, per Stathead. ... Charlotte&rsquo;s career leading scorer Kemba Walker attended the game.
UP NEXT
Heat: Continue a four-game road trip Tuesday at Cleveland.
Hornets: Play five of their next six games on the road beginning Tuesday at Milwaukee.

Terry Rozier scored 31 points, P.J. Washington had 27 and the Hornets rallied to beat the Heat 122-117 on Sunday.

Terry Rozier, PJ Washington help Hornets rally past Heat 122-117

Drafted with the sixth overall pick by the New York Liberty last year, Michaela Onyenwere went on to win the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year award and was the first player in franchise history to do so. But for her, it's about more than just basketball.
Giving back to her community, Onyenwere recently partnered with Mobil 1 and its &ldquo;Tune Up&rdquo; program to create a new basketball court at McCaffrey Playground in New York City with the help of Project Backboard.&nbsp;
&ldquo;From a young age, a basketball court is where I felt the most comfortable and most strength,&rdquo; Onyenwere told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;New York has only been my home for one year, but I am proud to partner with Mobil 1 to help give back to the community and provide a space that has given so much to me.&rdquo;
Onyenwere enlisted the help of Andrea Bergart, the artistic director of Downtown Girls Basketball &mdash; an all-female basketball league in New York City &mdash; and drew inspiration for her new court design from her experiences there.
&ldquo;As a New Yorker and basketball enthusiast, being involved in this project with Mobil 1 and Project Backboard is particularly exciting for me,&rdquo; explained Bergart. &ldquo;The artwork I developed for this basketball court explores ideas relating to fluidity and kaleidoscopic reflections; forms flowing into other forms and branching off and returning to the whole. Ultimately, I want to create imagery that offers the viewer a poignant experience that also acknowledges the strict geometry of a court.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ab_1_lg.jpg" alt="" />
"I play basketball in New York for the Liberty. And so when this was brought to me to be able to refurbish old courts, which is really big culture in New York. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to be able to give back to the community &mdash; a community that's given me so much in such a short time," Onyenwere told BasketballNews.com. "It was really important for me to be able to be a partner of this organization, be a part of the Tune Up program, as well. &nbsp;I'm really excited to be able to have this partnership. And I think that, you know, all it does is provide just lasting positive impact in New York."
BasketballNews.com caught up with Michaela to talk about her partnership with Mobil 1, her need to give back to the community, the Liberty and more.
Why is it important for you to give back to the community?&nbsp;
Onyenwere: "It's so important because, like I said, New York has only been my home for about a year and some change. But I've just felt the love and support from every fan I've come into contact, with every person who really, really loves New York basketball. And so I feel like I've just been supported in that way. And so is our team. Everybody here loves New York Liberty, they love New York basketball and I feel that. And so just to be enriched in this culture, I feel like with me winning Rookie of the Year was really big for the city. And I felt the love, I felt the support. So, so important, just in the community to be able to do so and give back in that way."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/michaelaonyenwere_mobil_0504220078_lg.jpg" alt="" />
In your first season, you won Rookie of the Year. Going into Year 2, what are you most excited about?
Onyenwere: "I'm most excited for our team to kind of reach new heights. Obviously, last year, we made the playoffs for the first time in four or five years. That was a big kind of pedestal for us; but that's not where we want to stop. We would like to get past the first round of the playoffs and even more. So just create an exciting brand of basketball for New York again. Personally, I just want to do whatever I can to help my team on or off the court &mdash; just (make) an impact, be felt. And to have a really great year for me and my team."
What specific areas of your game did you focus on during the offseason in order to improve?
Onyenwere: "In the offseason, I had the opportunity to head out to Spain to play overseas, which was a good experience for me. I was able to play against a lot of other European talent, which I wouldn't probably have experience doing here in the States and that was cool. For me, I think it's definitely helped my game to improve; but for me personally, I want to improve on my three-point percentage. I think that's something that I did in Spain. And so hopefully I can bring that over to New York, but also just be more versatile as well. We have a new coaching staff who is asking something different of me. I'm really excited for that challenge to step up and accept that challenge and do what I can to help the team."
Your new coach Sandy Brondello brings that championship pedigree to the Liberty. What have you learned so far from her?
Onyenwere: "She just is so positive. Like every single day, she's always telling us that you can't get too high, you can't get too low. And that's such a great concept to live your life by; but also, obviously you go through basketball as well. And there's going to be highs, there's going to be lows. But as long as we stay neutral, that's when we can stay and be positive in that way. And she's really positive. We come to practice every single day really excited to work for her, because we see how excited she is to work for us. And so I think it's great that she's leading our team and heading our team in that way. I already love the new coaching staff, so I think it'll be a really great year."
What does success look like for you and your team this season?
Onyenwere: "For me, I would say more tangibly, you know, obviously, we got to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2017. But first as a team, I think we want to go past that. I think we have the experience under our belt for last year where a lot of our core group is back. We had that experience. Obviously, there were a bunch of highs and lows with that season. But ultimately, we want to build on that. Obviously, we made the past (postseason) which we're really grateful for. But we want to go further in that we know that we know, we have new pieces, we have a new coach and we all are bought into the idea that we can do so and just create progress and in that way."
What players do you model your game after like what players inspired you growing up &mdash; WNBA and NBA?
Onyenwere: "Growing up, it was definitely having that Nigerian heritage shared with Nneka Ogwumike, but also, I saw similarities in our game as well. People would always tell me you play similar to her as well. When I was growing up, I watched her and I'm like, I can see similarities. So I would definitely say her and she's just been like a great asset for the WNBA &mdash; being &nbsp;the WNBA president, and just what she's done for the league. And my favorite player is Elena Delle Donne. I just love her game. I love what she stands for. I love just how she lives her life. And she obviously is a WNBA champion as well, which is something I aspire to be as well. And so yeah, I'd say those two are pretty much the ones who have really modeled and followed in this game most closely. &nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Michaela Onyenwere knocks down the three just in time 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/yvEH4cgiJU">pic.twitter.com/yvEH4cgiJU</a>
&mdash; espnW (@espnW) <a href="https://twitter.com/espnW/status/1523080695169511425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"That player that has inspired me the most is Kobe &mdash; just having that Mamba Mentality and he was a very big advocate for the WNBA and women's sports in general. I would certainly say him, just having that work ethic being wanting to be the best and everything you do at the highest level to the best of your ability. That's what he preached all the time."
What advice would you give young girls who have hoop dreams?
Onyenwere: "I will tell them three things. Be really confident in yourself &mdash; I think that especially with young girls, sometimes it can be easy to be detracted from a goal you may have or your dreams. But I think be very confident in yourself and what you want to do. Be very self disciplined &mdash; I think every single day you just show up and be your own personal accountability partner, that you're going to show up for every single day. Be really, really consistent.&nbsp;
"I think doing those three things helps in every single way. It allows you to be really successful, it allows you to have a chance at whatever you want to dream [for]. And I would say those three things are things that have helped me, and I continue to do even in my career now."
Women's sports have been getting more visibility lately. Do you think it's enough? Why do you think people should be invested in women's sports?
Onyenwere: "I mean, absolutely as many eyes as can be, I would love to have on the sport. And I think that the WNBA has done a great job of marketing itself and creating that visibility. Whereas like, when I was starting college, maybe like it really wasn't even where it is now. I see that people are excited to watch the WNBA. People are excited to be able to connect with players and connect to the stories of the players as well. Which then turns into more fans coming to the games. And so of course, I think that we've definitely increased from where we were, but there's always improvement to go. And people should watch the WNBA because there's so many different facets of people in the WNBA, there's so much visibility, there's so much representation. It's a league of 70%, almost, Black women in the league, it's not really common in the sports world. And so to see that representation to see people who can connect with fashion and whatever it may be clothing, or whatever it may be like we have that in our league.
"There's so many different avenues that you can focus on as a fan. And then again it&rsquo;s really, really high-level basketball. And, it's the best of both worlds. And I can see the change, I can see the investment, I can see the excitement for the sport, but there's always room for improvement."
Do you think The W needs to expand its rosters like that of the NBA?&nbsp;
Onyenwere: "Yeah, I think it's a continuous problem that comes up for the WNBA. It's very hard to get into the WNBA; it&rsquo;s only 144 of us. It's very hard to compete in this league. It is probably one of the toughest leagues to make a roster. We want to increase the number of players, because there's so many players that do get cut. And I don't know what it is it's going to take to be able to keep those players. But, I think for sure there has to be more roster spots or more teams. There's so much great talent that gets cut every single year. &nbsp;It's people who are good enough to make a roster but there are a bunch of issues with the salary cap and how salaries went up,
"In a perfect world, I would love that the rosters would expand, there'd be more teams and the cap would also increase as well so that people who, work so hard and who are talented enough to be in the league, can be. I hope that we can grow and we can invest in this league enough to where we don't have to worry about that in a few years. I know it'll take some time and the WNBA has made strides but ultimately, there's just so many people getting cut. It's really unfortunate that it is happening right now."
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Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere speaks on her Mobil 1 partnership, the Liberty and more with Sharon Brown.

2021 WNBA ROY Michaela Onyenwere on Liberty, giving back to New York

It&rsquo;s unfortunate NBA fans were robbed of what was bound to be a special moment on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Devin Booker was going supernova, putting up 31 points in the first half and taking the breath out of every spectator as they watched it unfold. The Suns' superstar seized the moment and pounced on the New Orleans Pelicans relentlessly, potentially on his way to dropping a postseason 50-burger.
As such, Phoenix was also well on its way to taking a commanding 2-0 series lead before the series shifted back to New Orleans, but Booker exited midway through the third quarter due to right hamstring tightness. Booker suffered the injury chasing Jaxson Hayes back in transition, which was a bugaboo for the Suns throughout their 125-114 loss in Game 2.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Booker has a mild hamstring strain, which is likely to keep him out of the next two games in New Orleans. The positive note, though, is that the strain is believed to be mild, and Booker hasn&rsquo;t been ruled out for the remainder of Phoenix&rsquo;s opening-round series.
&ldquo;It is what it is. It&rsquo;s part of the game, you know what I mean," Chris Paul said postgame of losing Booker. "We got guys that are more than capable of stepping&nbsp;up. I mean, Book was killing it. He was having a big time game, but it is what it is.&rdquo;
Booker erupted in the first half against the Pelicans, and he continued to stay hot in all portions of the game. Kicking it all off with 16 first-quarter points, Booker followed his opening frame with 15 in the second quarter. Hitting 7 threes along the way, the Suns' 25-year-old star was doing whatever he wanted against New Orleans.
&ldquo;He was hot. He was scoring the ball well and playing well all across the board, so it is what it is," Cameron Johnson said. "We have to&nbsp;continue to fight and continue to play our style of basketball.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
DEVIN BOOKER FROM THE LOGO. HE'S GOT 31 AT HALFTIME 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel on TNT <a href="https://t.co/KvE4PhzA6n">pic.twitter.com/KvE4PhzA6n</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1516615684964425728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Booker returning for Game 5 in six days could very much be in play, especially if it&rsquo;s indeed mild and there&rsquo;s no setbacks. If the Suns are able to split against the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, their job will be done in snatching back home-court advantage without Booker.
As New Orleans showed in Game 2, though, it is a group ready to make this tough on the betting favorites to win this year&rsquo;s NBA Finals.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green, a former Suns assistant, put together an excellent game plan to stymie Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul from having major impacts. Green has implemented Suns-esque DNA into the Pelicans, empowering his players to the highest belief and the same never-give-up mindset.
When Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum catch fire simultaneously, it's tough for any team to handle. However, the Suns&rsquo; lack of defensive discipline on the perimeter was apparent, as the Pelicans shot a blistering 17 of 31 on threes. Ingram put on a scoring clinic with 37 points &mdash; most of which came against Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Mikal Bridges &mdash; reminding everyone just how special of a talent he is.
As our own Nekias Duncan wrote, Phoenix&rsquo;s adjustments without Booker will <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-devin-booker-the-phoenix-suns-will-need-a-lift" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revolve around its patented ball movement</a> in head coach Monty Williams&rsquo; &ldquo;0.5 offense&rdquo; scheme. More of the burden will be on Paul&rsquo;s shoulders, and the Pelicans have forced Phoenix into having Jae Crowder or Johnson bring the ball up the court to avoid Herb Jones' full-court pressure on CP3.
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Earlier this season, Booker missed time due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in the Suns' fun back-and-forth battle with the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 30. In seven games without Booker, Phoenix went 5-2 with three wins by double-digits. When canvassing through the numbers for this two-week stretch, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet saw boosts in their roles. We already saw this play out in the second half of Game 2, which included Shamet playing most of the fourth quarter in Booker&rsquo;s absence.
Zooming out on Booker&rsquo;s hamstring issue, what is worrisome is that this is now becoming a recurring soft tissue issue. Since 2018, Booker has missed time on the injury report with "Hamstring" listed six times, and he also let it be known he played in the Finals last season with a similar problem as well.
Hamstring woes have been a constant for Booker throughout his career, but this popping up now is such unfortunate timing. Luckily it&rsquo;s only the first round against a 36-win Pelicans team, but there&rsquo;s no doubt about it that this series could be a tough road ahead for Phoenix. With the way New Orleans is rallying as an inspired group, a six-game series feels like the most realistic scenario with Booker&rsquo;s presumed return next week.
The 2021-22 Suns are one of the most dominant NBA teams in the last few years. On their way to securing a franchise record 64-win campaign, they fought though multiple injuries where important players missed extended time (Paul, Ayton, Johnson and Booker all included). That same next-man-up mentality was what Williams alluded to postgame after a stunning loss for the Suns, but now, the momentum of this series has temporarily shifted.
As the series heads back to the Bayou, tough sledding is ahead for the Suns without Booker in what should be an electric playoff environment.
Expect to see Phoenix trot out a new starting lineup where Johnson is inserted for Booker, making it: Paul, Bridges, Johnson, Crowder, Ayton. During the regular season, this five-man lineup combination only logged 12 games and 40 total minutes together. In that short sample size, though, it was outscoring opponents by 35.6 points per 100 possessions (123.5 Offensive Rating, 88.0 Defensive Rating).
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Cam Johnson steals &amp; slams to retake the lead 😤 <a href="https://t.co/dfLX5fhA6Y">pic.twitter.com/dfLX5fhA6Y</a>
&mdash; NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1516629536212803587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Phoenix dodged a serious long-term bullet with the initial diagnosis on Booker&rsquo;s aggravated hamstring, but a worst-case scenario occurred for the team in Game 3. The Suns lost their star player, and that has handed over momentum to an underdog on a silver platter, now making what was believed to be a quick series a much more treacherous path.
Although it will only sideline him around a week, this series will take a few turns before his eventual return. If the Pelicans stay hot behind the arc, and continue to abuse Phoenix in the rebounding department, who knows how this looks when Game 5 tips off next Tuesday.
Urgency is in the air in Phoenix, a rare feeling that has to be punctuated by taking back the series on the road without its best player.
&ldquo;We going to be ready, man," Bridges said. "That&rsquo;s our brother, so obviously hoping everything goes right, but I know everybody is ready to step up, so we&rsquo;ll be ready. We went through regular season games without him and (Chris Paul) and (Deandre Ayton), so we&rsquo;ll be ready for sure.&rdquo;
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Devin Booker's dazzling superstar performance for the Suns in Game 2 ended in a screeching halt. With Booker out, what's next?

Devin Booker's hamstring injury shifts momentum of Suns-Pelicans

Every day,&nbsp;BasketballNews.com&nbsp;gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts. This season, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is up thousands of dollars on PrizePicks.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA betting plays for Tuesday's slate.
New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks (-3)
When the Knicks and Hawks always face off, it&rsquo;s appointment-viewing television. Trae Young is a villain in New York, and he always goes berserk in Madison Square Garden. In the end, it&rsquo;s hard to go against Young and the Hawks in this spot for multiple reasons. Not only should Young go off in the scoring department, but the Hawks&rsquo; overall depth should overwhelm the inconsistent Knicks. Hammer the Hawks to pull off an impressive road win.
Pick: Hawks -3
PrizePicks Power Play: Trae Young over 27.5 points, R.J. Barrett over 26.5 points, Clint Capela over 11.5 rebounds, Mitchell Robinson over 9 rebounds
Milwaukee Bucks (-7.5) vs. Chicago Bulls
In a key divisional matchup, both the Bucks and Bulls are looking to secure a victory on Tuesday night. Zach LaVine will not be suiting up for the Bulls, but DeMar DeRozan has proven more than capable of carrying the scoring burden. However, on the other side of the court, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who in the world is going to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>? That&rsquo;s where the key factor in predicting this game comes down to. One team has an MVP, and the other one doesn&rsquo;t. Giannis goes off as the Bucks pick up another win against Chicago.
Pick: Bucks -7.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Giannis Antetokounmpo over 33.5 points, DeMar DeRozan over 27.5 points, Nikola Vucevic over 10 rebounds, Bobby Portis over 8.5 rebounds
Denver Nuggets (-6.5) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
If I had an MVP vote right now, Nikola Jokic would secure mine over Joel Embiid or any other option available. Jokic is carrying this Nuggets team in the Western Conference arms race, even without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. alongside him. For that reason alone, what Jokic is pulling off in back-to-back seasons is even more incredible. We&rsquo;re forecasting another special outing from Jokic when Denver hosts the shorthanded Clippers. Hammer with emphasis the Nuggets as a best bet for Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA slate.
Pick: Nuggets -6.5
PrizePicks Power Play: Nikola Jokic over 26.5 points, Marcus Morris over 16.5 points, Bones Hyland over 11.5 points, Ivica Zubac over 7.5 rebounds
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Who are the best bets for tonight's NBA games? Which players should you target in daily fantasy? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 3/22/22

I remember it like it was 1,561 days ago &mdash; mostly because it was. I was laying on the futon pad in my dorm, procrastinating studying for my Forensic Science exam by looking through NBA highlights on YouTube (I know, some ~ casual ~ behavior on my part).
My mindless scrolling finally ceased when I stumbled upon this gem:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jktBxyI_ldI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
A delicious 40-burger. Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s second one in as many months. I thought to myself: He&rsquo;s finally taking that leap. A star is born.&nbsp;
Alas, the three-point shooting and on-ball creation never really materialized to the level necessary to make my prediction come to fruition. And, among his desire to be elsewhere, the Orlando Magic ultimately threw in the towel on his development in 2021, opting to rebuild their roster by trading him to the Denver Nuggets for the likes of Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and a lightly protected first-round pick.&nbsp;
Just like that, it appeared the book on Gordon had been closed. But then something fascinating happened. He transformed his game entirely.
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His New Partner in Matrimony&nbsp;
In a recent episode of the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r4Ro79PyBlk88QHyXyjXV?si=7a6546a89c7e48cf&amp;nd=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast</a>, co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/MiroslavCuk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miroslav Ćuk </a>likened the new partnership between Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to that of a married couple. And when you spend a handful of hours alone in your home office watching the two interact on the court (as I have), you have a hard time contending with that assessment.&nbsp;
Whether it resonates through hookups on 45-degree cuts to the rim, transition outlets, entry passes into a post seal or simple handoff actions, the two have achieved a level of on-court chemistry typically reserved for lifelong companions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ft1m3r" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
This season, Gordon is <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203932?dir=D&amp;sort=PTS_PAINT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting more assisted looks</a> and <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more shots at the rim</a>, and is scoring at the highest efficiency of his career &mdash; in large part because of his new <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/06/nuggets-journal-aaron-gordon-seeing-the-game-differently/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frontcourt partner.</a> With Jokic, Gordon is no longer bound by the advantage-creating ambitions the Magic had envisioned for him. He&rsquo;s now empowered to roam free as the hyper-athletic play-finisher he was always destined to be.
However, Gordon isn&rsquo;t the only one collecting benefits from this relationship. One could even argue that the symbiotic nature of their dynamic bears some resemblance to that of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire in the mid-2000s. Now, while I will concede that Gordon isn&rsquo;t nearly the offensive talent Stoudemire was during his heyday, the formula is still the same:
Prodigious playmaker + Dynamite play-finisher = Highly-efficient offense.
The pairings&rsquo; similarities don&rsquo;t end there. From 2004-10, <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501903698028425216?s=20&amp;t=zA1W-ku5c4z4Rhlxva7hzA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nash</a> averaged nearly 2 assists fewer per 100 possessions when Stoudemire was on the bench (per PBP Stats). In comparison, Jokic has lost <a href="http://www.pbpstats.com/on-off/nba/player?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612743&amp;PlayerId=203932">almost 2 assists per 100 possessions</a> in the 365 minutes he&rsquo;s played without Gordon this season.&nbsp;
Historical comparisons aside, the tandem also fulfills the marital trope of taking on aspects of your partner's personality. In the same way that dating someone for a long time might increase your appreciation for <a href="https://squishmallows.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squishmallows</a> (wait, is that just me?), Gordon&rsquo;s time spent sharing the court with a passing savant has made him a worthy facilitator in his own right:
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Aaron Gordon plays 50 games with Nikola Jokic. All of a sudden he's one of the best passers at his position. <a href="https://t.co/PRysqnp5FS">pic.twitter.com/PRysqnp5FS</a>
&mdash; Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind/status/1490584645456457729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The numbers appear to back up Wind&rsquo;s observation as well. According to BBall Index&rsquo;s Playmaking Talent database, Gordon is experiencing a career year in passing creation quality, passing versatility and playmaking. He&rsquo;s still by no means the guy you want running the show, but he&rsquo;s more than equipped to connect the dots when the heavyweights start the thread.
A Defensive Swiss-Army Knife
While Gordon's strides on the offensive end have been substantial, it&rsquo;s the defensive evolution he's undergone that has been the most necessary for the Nuggets this season.&nbsp;
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Aaron Gordon Defensive Roles by year: 14-15: Perimeter Big 15-16: Perimeter Big 16-17: Chaser 17-18: Perimeter Big 18-19: Perimeter Big 19-20: Chaser 20-21: Wing Stopper 21-22: Point of Attack Per <a href="https://twitter.com/The_BBall_Index?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_BBall_Index</a>.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1501689092693807104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Initially brought in to provide additional backline support to his more floor-bound companion, Gordon has transitioned to a new seat right at the head of the table, playing the part of the Nuggets&rsquo; go-to, point-of-attack stopper. This year, Gordon has spent a whopping 45.4% of his possessions guarding point guards and shooting guards &mdash; the largest percentage of his career by a wide margin (per BBall Index).
Most of this shift in role has been out of necessity, with frailer guards like Monte Morris, Facundo Campazzo and Bones Hyland occupying backcourt minutes; the burden of mixing it up with the best offensive engines in the league has been placed squarely at Gordon&rsquo;s feet. And man, for someone that is learning this gig on the fly, is he holding down the fort.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/91i0kx" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
I implore you all to take a brief 60 seconds of your day to marvel at the defensive clips above. Take note of all the different variations of player archetypes Gordon has been tasked to go up against. Guile-based miniature guards like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trae-young-made-himself-the-villain-and-hes-leveled-up-accordingly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trae Young</a>, hyper-athletic slashers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-high-can-anthony-edwards-fly-examining-the-20yearolds-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards</a>, Earth-pushing forwards masquerading as ball-handlers like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/will-luka-doncic-be-able-to-sustain-current-workload-for-potentially-deep-postseason-run" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Doncic</a>. Gordon has managed to annoy all of them at different points in the season.
In fact, according to BBall Index&rsquo;s database dating to 2013, Gordon owns the highest <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/defensive-versatility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defensive Versatility</a> score of any point-of-attack defender on record, ranking 2 points higher than the next closest player (2020-21 Ben Simmons).
This versatility was on full display in a crucial possession of a late-game overtime thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week. Here, after stonewalling Brandon Ingram from his attempt at getting to his sweet spot, Gordon picks up CJ McCollum and lands a textbook jump-shot-altering contest:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/044kiv" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Gordon's <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/1323#tab-defense_rebounding">block percentages</a> are down from past seasons, but that&rsquo;s mostly because his new responsibilities on the perimeter make it difficult for him to consistently challenge shots in the interior. He&rsquo;s currently contesting one less shot within 6 feet of the rim per game than he was with Orlando from 2017-20 (per NBA.com).&nbsp;
However, when the moment calls for it, he&rsquo;s shown he&rsquo;s still capable of filling the void that he was originally intended to:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/7zc3of" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Indeed, Gordon never blossomed into the sky-walking, scoring superstar the Magic and I imagined he would be after his 40-point eruption in 2017. But that&rsquo;s okay because he&rsquo;s still developed into a great player in his own right. He&rsquo;s Jokic&rsquo;s new favorite offensive partner in crime, a tissue-connecting passer, and the basketball equivalent of a multipurpose weapon of destruction on defense.
Simply put: Aaron Gordon is not the player the Magic wanted him to be, but he&rsquo;s the player that the Nuggets need him to be.
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Mat Issa details how Aaron Gordon has grown his game and fit in with the Nuggets since being traded from the Magic.

After Orlando exit, Aaron Gordon's been exactly what the Nuggets need

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: New Year's Resolutions for each team

Thanks mainly to the incredible play of MVP-front-runner Stephen Curry, fresh off a 50-burger, the Golden State Warriors have won 9 of their first 10 games this season and propelled themselves to the top of the BasketballNews.com Power Rankings.
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The oldest player in NBA history with 50+ points and 10+ assists in a single game: Stephen Curry.<a href="https://twitter.com/UAbasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UAbasketball</a> || Second Look <a href="https://t.co/QhnO72K6Id">pic.twitter.com/QhnO72K6Id</a>
&mdash; Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1457955416617328640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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1. Golden State Warriors (9-1)
In Monday night's blowout victory over the Hawks, Steph Curry reminded everybody why so many folks consider him the best long-range sniper in NBA history. He poured in an NBA season-high 50 points to go along with nine 3-pointers, ten assists and seven rebounds. It was the 35th time in Steph's career he knocked down at least nine treys in a single game. He's already established himself as the greatest shooter of all time. It's no longer up for debate.&nbsp;
2. Philadelphia 76ers (8-3)
On Monday afternoon, the Sixers announced that Joel Embiid entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, which will force him to miss several games. Coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Embiid was "struggling" due to the illness. "It's not going great. Similar to Tobias (Harris)," Rivers said. "It clearly is a concern." In addition to Harris and Embiid, Sixers' Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe are also sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols.&nbsp;
3. Miami Heat (7-3)
On Monday night, the Heat began a five-game,West Coast road trip in Denver and got off on the wrong foot, as the Nuggets whipped them 113-96. Miami has a back-to-back vs. the Lakers and Clippers on Wednesday and Thursday, before heading to Utah on Saturday night.
4. Chicago Bulls (7-3)
The Bulls notched arguably their best win of the season Monday night in a lopsided victory over the Nets. Chicago was down 78-76 entering the final frame but went on to score 42 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Nets by 25. It was the second-highest fourth-quarter point differential in Bulls franchise history.&nbsp;
5. Utah Jazz (7-3)
The Jazz lost back-to-back games over the weekend, but it should be noted Utah had played six of its past seven games on the road. Looking forward, the Jazz play just five games over the next 11 days, and all five are at home.&nbsp;
6. Brooklyn Nets (7-4)
The Nets had their five-game winning streak snapped Monday night in the Windy City, but Kevin Durant poured in 38 points to raise his league-leading scoring average to 29.5. LaMarcus Aldridge also chipped in 19 points vs. Chicago. He's been terrific for Brooklyn, averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 21.3 minutes off the bench over his last six games, while shooting 61.4% from the floor and 50% from downtown.&nbsp;
7. Washington Wizards (7-3)
The Wizards continue to exceed expectations. In their most recent victories, the Wiz clamped down defensively on both the Grizzlies and the defending champion Bucks. After a disappointing season with the Lakers in 2020-21, Montrezl Harrell has been a beast in Washington, averaging 17.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 63.6% from the floor and 82% from the stripe.
8. Phoenix Suns (6-3)
The Suns stumbled out of the gates this season, losing three of their first four contests. However, they are currently riding a five-game winning streak after beating the Sacramento Kings 109-104 on Monday night.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-4)
The Cavs have won four straight and have Cleveland fans extremely excited. The frontcourt combo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen has been downright dominant of late. During the Cavs four-game win streak, Mobley and Allen are averaging a combined 38.0 points, 25.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 blocks.&nbsp;
10. New York Knicks (7-4)
The Knicks secured a much-needed victory over the short-handed Sixers on Monday night. Julius Randle led the way for New York, tallying 31 points, 12 rebounds, five made 3-pointers and three assists. It was the fourth time in his Knicks career that Randle had tallied at least 30 points, ten boards and five made treys, which ties Carmelo Anthony for the most such games in New York franchise history.
11. Dallas Mavericks (7-3)
You know what Luka is going to bring to the table, but Jalen Brunson has been a critical cog in the Mavs' strong play of late. Dallas has won three of their last four games, and during this four-game stretch, Brunson is averaging 21.5 points (on 59.3% shooting), 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
12. Denver Nuggets (6-4)
Denver blew out the Heat Monday night thanks to an MVP performance from Nikola Jokic, who racked up 25 points, 15 rebounds and ten assists. However, he was ejected late in the game for shoving Markieff Morris to the court in retaliation for an elbow from Morris. Joker said he "felt bad, really bad" after the altercation. We'll see if the league suspends him.&nbsp;
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35 seconds of Scottie Barnes raising hell on Kevin Durant and James Harden <a href="https://t.co/d8mY8i9cxZ">pic.twitter.com/d8mY8i9cxZ</a>
&mdash; Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1457462048611192835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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13. Toronto Raptors (6-5)
The Raps welcomed back Pascal Siakam (left shoulder surgery) to the lineup last week, where he joined impressive rookie Scottie Barnes. After playing Barnes on Sunday, Nets superstar Kevin Durant walked away impressed. "You've got a lot of guys who love to compete and love to win, but what's more rare about Scottie Barnes is his IQ for the game, his length, his enthusiasm for the game. All of that stuff shines bright when you watch him play," Durant told reporters after the game. "He knows how to play the right way and he's only going to get better."
14. Memphis Grizzlies (6-4)
Ja Morant was at it again Monday night, scoring 33 points to go along with eight dimes and six boards in an inspired comeback over the Wolves. Memphis was down by 16 points with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation, but was able to force overtime and pull out the victory.&nbsp;
15. Los Angeles Lakers (6-5)
The good news is the Lakers were able to pull out a victory over the Hornets in overtime on Monday night. The bad news is Lebron James (abdominal strain) is still without a timeline for his return. Bill Oram of The Athletic reported over the weekend that Lebron could miss between 4-to-8 weeks.&nbsp;
16. Milwaukee Bucks (4-6)
The Bucks have been bad. There's no other way to say it. They've lost five of their past six games, and their one victory in that stretch was over the hapless Pistons. Yet, it's important to note that Milwaukee has been forced to pay without starters Khris Middleton (quarantined due to the NBA's Covid-19 health and safety protocols) and Brook Lopez (sidelined since he injured his back on opening night).&nbsp;
17. Los Angeles Clippers (5-4)
After stumbling out to a 1-4 record to start the 2020-21 campaign, the Clippers have righted the ship by winning four straight games. Between now and December 1st, L.A. plays 11 of their next 13 games at home.&nbsp;
18. Charlotte Hornets (5-7)
The Hornets have dropped five straight, but LaMelo Ball, who exceeded expectations as a rookie, is playing at an elite level despite not yet being old enough to buy a drink legally. Over the Hornets' last six games, Ball is averaging a whopping 23.5 points, 8.0 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 3.0 made three-pointers, while shooting over 48% from the floor, 40.9% from downtown and 95% from the free-throw line.
As an aside, I'm not sure what's more shocking: The fact that LaMelo and Lonzo Ball have been just as good, or even better, than LaVar Ball predicted, or the fact that LaVar has been incredibly quiet and tight-lipped over the past year while his two boys have played so well!
19. Atlanta Hawks (4-7)
The Hawks watched Steph Curry explode for 50 in their loss to the Golden State on Monday night. It was Atlanta's fourth straight defeat and sixth in their last seven contests. Atlanta is now just 1-6 on the road this season and is riding a five-game road losing skid. It doesn't get any easier, as they travel to Utah on Tuesday night.&nbsp;
20. Portland Trail Blazers (5-5)
Damian Lillard snapped out a massive shooting slump this weekend in a victory over the Lakers, scoring 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting. In the Blazers' previous seven contests, he shot just 32% from the floor and 24% from behind the arc.&nbsp;
21. Sacramento Kings (5-6)
Shockingly, Harrison Barnes has been playing the best basketball of his career over the first month of the 2021-22 season. He is averaging 22.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.7 made treys while shooting 49.7% from the floor, 43.5% from downtown and 86.4% from the free-throw stripe.&nbsp;
22. Indiana Pacers (4-7)
The Pacers are finally getting back on track, winning three of their past four games. However, they face a week of tough matchups, starting with trips to Denver and Utah.
23. Boston Celtics (4-6)
Following a brutal collapse to Chicago and Marcus Smart's controversial comments about his star teammates, the Celtics bounced back with victories over the Magic and Heat. This squad remains a tough team to figure out.&nbsp;
24. San Antonio Spurs (3-7)
The Spurs' defense has been solid early on, but their offense has been brutal. San Antonio has yet to win consecutive contests this season.&nbsp;
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-6)
This season, the Wolves played seven of their first eight games at home, but won only three of those contests. On Monday, they began a four-game road trip with a loss to the Grizzlies after blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter. Over four days starting Wednesday, the Wolves play the Warriors in the Bay and the Clippers and Lakers in L.A.&nbsp;
26. Orlando Magic (3-8)
Plenty of talented rookies struggle to make their initial transition to the NBA, and that has been the case with No. 5 overall pick Jalen Suggs, who is shooting below 31% from the floor and just 22% from three-point territory. And, on the season, Suggs has as many turnovers (39) as assists.
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-6)
OKC has won two straight games and will look to run their streak to three Wednesday night in New Orleans. Newly-minted max player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points apiece in consecutive contests vs. the Lakers and Clippers last week.&nbsp;
28. Houston Rockets (1-9)
The Rockets were hoping Kevin Porter Jr. would take another step forward after his impressive debut season in Houston, but that hasn't been the case. KPJ has been incredibly inefficient, shooting 36.7% from the floor and below 30% from downtown. He is also averaging a whopping 4.5 turnovers per game.&nbsp;
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Cade Cunningham pull up 3 over Patty Mills <a href="https://t.co/WoLZKq08dJ">pic.twitter.com/WoLZKq08dJ</a>
&mdash; Hisiah Thomas (@RedAlternates) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedAlternates/status/1456790167130234883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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29. Detroit Pistons (1-8)
After a couple of tough games to start his NBA career, No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham scored a combined 35 points in close losses to the Nets and Sixers last week. This week, Cunningham will take on No. 2 pick Jalen Green in Houston on Wednesday, No. 3 pick Evan Mobley in Cleveland on Friday and No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs in Orlando on Saturday. &nbsp;
30. New Orleans Pelicans (1-10)
We first learned in late September that Zion Williamson underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot early in the offseason. At that time, Pelicans team president David Griffin said the team hoped to have Zion back in time to start the regular season. Yet, here we are in the second week of November, the Pels are already nine games under .500, and we still don't have a timeline on when he might return.&nbsp;

NBA Power Rankings: Warriors come in at No. 1 

"Mind, Body, Game."
Those were the words written on a T-shirt that a high-school-aged Daniel Gafford wore all the time, and its message has permeated his mind ever since.&nbsp;
Gafford is a fast-rising, imposing, rim-running, shot-blocking, posterizing, 6-foot-10, 234-pound sophomore in the NBA who&rsquo;s just getting started, and chances are you&rsquo;ve already seen a handful of highlights featuring his high-altitude handiwork.
&ldquo;Dunking for me, it's therapeutic...I'll always want to try to tear down everything,&rdquo; Gafford told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview.
Gafford&rsquo;s momentum-shifting jams have been on display since he was in junior high. When the Arkansas native leveled up at El Dorado High School, he threw down with such force that he broke a rim at the facility. That intensity carried over to his college career with the Razorbacks, and now, we&rsquo;re seeing it in the Association in 4K.
&ldquo;Everybody's like, &lsquo;Oh, if you dunk too hard, you're gonna hurt yourself.&rsquo; I'm used to it because I've been doing it all my life... The harder I dunked, the better I felt, throughout life in general,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;Every time I was on the floor, I just wanted to do that. I always got the crowd into it. So that being said, my athletic ability has been crazy ever since high school, but I think it's at its best right now, and it's only getting better.&rdquo;
You can ask Kyle Kuzma about that. He&rsquo;ll have no choice but to agree.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Daniel Gafford dunks on Kyle Kuzma 😳 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a>)<a href="https://t.co/mMm3TWRwE0">pic.twitter.com/mMm3TWRwE0</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1387558153269567490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
Gafford relays that this dunk was the best highlight of his career thus far. A close second was a cutting alley-oop dunk over a helpless Dorian Finney-Smith. Ironically, he also fed the Mavericks forward a leather sandwich recently, just over a year ago. In addition, as a rookie, he stuffed Serge Ibaka twice in the span of four minutes in a close game.
Miami&rsquo;s Elite Skills Training guru Tony Falce has worked with Gafford since he entered the NBA Draft in 2019. Gafford credits him for his improved work ethic and pushing him to his limits. Falce is close friends with Chris &ldquo;Birdman&rdquo; Andersen, a former 15-year NBA veteran who has shared his insight with Gafford and made himself available to answer any questions. Gafford contends that he wouldn&rsquo;t be where he is today without Falce&rsquo;s mentorship, and adds that he would refer Falce to any athlete.&nbsp;
From the moment they met during pre-draft training, Falce told Gafford that being athletic and in shape could lead to great success at the professional level.
&ldquo;Teams love shot-blockers and rim-runners,&rdquo; Falce told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;One of the best things I told him that we could focus on is conditioning. Being in the best shape of his life, it&rsquo;s only gonna help him. He&rsquo;s going to all these workouts. Afterward, most teams, most programs will have a conditioning test, and if you can dominate the conditioning test, that&rsquo;s really gonna turn a lot of heads."
When asked about a time when Gafford really caught his attention, Falce mentioned a 400-meter run <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1120076782793887744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on sand</a>. Gafford registered a time of 52.9 seconds, the fastest pre-draft mark in all of the years that Falce has used the particular exercise. Because of Gafford&rsquo;s physical dominance and attitude, Falce referred to him -- along with Ibaka -- as one of the best bigs he&rsquo;s ever had the chance of teaming with.
After two electrifying collegiate seasons in his home state, Gafford followed in the footsteps of previous Arkansas alum who made it to the NBA. He enjoys crossing paths with fellow Razorbacks in the league. He's played against his former teammates, Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones. He&rsquo;s still hoping that Patrick Beverley will shake his hand one of these days, though he chuckles at Pat&rsquo;s ultra-competitive nature and says that's likely why he hasn&rsquo;t. Bobby Portis, on the other hand, has dapped him up multiple times, and Gafford reveals that the Milwaukee Bucks forward was an inspiration and model for his game.&nbsp;
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Gafford and Portis both began their careers with the Chicago Bulls, and it didn&rsquo;t go quite as planned for either of them. With three-guard sets and the likes of Thaddeus Young, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. ahead of him in the pecking order his rookie year, Gafford&rsquo;s minutes were spotty at best, as was his sub-15% usage rate.&nbsp;
While he saw a slight increase in usage and had more consistency in his floor time early this season under Billy Donovan, it sputtered into DNP-CDs and fewer than seven minutes per night in just nine games played from Feb. 12 to March 24.&nbsp;
One day after Chicago&rsquo;s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gafford was outside with his dog with his phone on Do Not Disturb. Despite the NBA trade deadline looming, he didn&rsquo;t think he would be moved. The thought entered his mind, but he didn&rsquo;t want to cloud his judgment with a road trip coming up on the Bulls&rsquo; schedule. Gafford finished the walk with his dog and went back home, and that&rsquo;s when his cell rang.
&ldquo;So I get in the house. My agent calls me [and] the Bulls called me saying I was traded to Washington,&rdquo; Gafford recalls. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Okay, wow.&rsquo; I didn't know what to think. I didn't know how to react or anything like that. I have a game room; I sat in my game room for about 45 minutes. I just played the game for the rest of the day and got ready to go to Washington.&rdquo;
Chicago sent Gafford (and teammate Chandler Hutchison) to the Wizards as a part of a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics. Gafford does insist that he fit in with the Bulls; he also says &ldquo;a lot kinda took place in that situation,&rdquo; and that D.C. would be a fresh start.
&ldquo;Once I got on the plane, it just clicked to me: this is a new opportunity, a new way to be able to jumpstart my career," Gafford said. &ldquo;Once I landed in Washington, it was boots to the ground. I had to come in and I had to let guys know, 'I'm ready for whatever you guys give me, whatever time you give me on the floor, whatever position you'd be able to put me [in]. Throw me in the fire and I'm gonna cool it off.' So my mentality was just [to] get ready for work. Come out and do the thing that I've always been doing and just be better at it.&rdquo;
Athletic feats are Gafford&rsquo;s specialty, and his hustle plays provide energy. The Wizards are surging in the second half of this season, and Gafford's contributions are part of that. He&rsquo;s always tried to be a defense-first, offense-second player. In his 20 games with the Wizards, it&rsquo;s been a lot of both, as Gafford is averaging 20.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per 36 minutes. Since his arrival, he has the <a href="https://go.nba.com/2mbu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest net rating on the team as a plus-7.8</a>.
We know about the plays that make the highlight reel, but it&rsquo;s his hunger and fight on the glass that makes him so valuable.
&ldquo;I just try to get in the best position to do my best when it comes to rebounding. There's a lot of guys that are 10 times my size in this league. It's kind of tough trying to push buildings, so I really just try to outsmart them with the energy I come out on the floor with,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;I try to leave it all on the floor and work as hard as I possibly can to be able to help the team win. But I try to play above the rim, I try to finish around the rim, I try to finish most of the things that are thrown my way.
"'Throw it to the moon and I'm gonna bring it back down.' That was just my thing. And it had kind of stuck because I was just getting every lob that was thrown. Other than that, just coming out and just being great in those areas.&rdquo;
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GAFFORD HUSTLE! 😤😤😤<a href="https://twitter.com/Dan_G33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dan_G33</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/russwest44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@russwest44</a> <a href="https://t.co/QnuUTF1UX9">pic.twitter.com/QnuUTF1UX9</a>
&mdash; Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1381075044755980292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Teaming with Russell Westbrook in the midst of arguably his best stretch since his MVP season assuredly helps his cause. According to NBA.com, Gafford has <a href="https://go.nba.com/1qow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received 106 passes from Westbrook and is 39-for-58 with those chances</a> (a tip of the cap to <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1384608771385798657?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's Fred Katz</a>). He&rsquo;s also converted 16 of his attempts combined on passes from Bradley Beal and Ish Smith.
As an example of just how increased his role has been in Washington compared to Chicago, he only had 39 made field goals total on passes from the entire team. Since Gafford&rsquo;s arrival, even with a few missed games due to an ankle injury, the Wizards have a 16-9 record (including three 1-point losses in the last nine days), good for the second-most wins in the league from March 29 and on.
&ldquo;The team had chemistry and stuff before I got here. When I got here, it clicked automatically because you got two point guards who really know the game, and really know how to facilitate and playmake,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;[They] know how to get theirs and get their teammates involved as well. That's the main thing. I like that a lot about Russ and Brad. Russ has that leadership role. Brad has that leadership role. And playing with two guys like that, it's just a blessing in disguise because it's been able to show me the things that I can do when I take the opportunity.
&ldquo;Coming from an All-Star-caliber player with Zach LaVine -- he was a great player. He did everything that he had to do to really show me what it's like in his league to be a facilitator and scorer and everything like that. Being with two guys kind of like Zach LaVine, it's crazy. It changes your mindset for sure... Now you go from having one guy on your ass to having two guys getting on your ass (laughs). [I] really had to step my game up, step up my mentality to where I have to come out and be on the floor and be able to dominate the opposition -- especially as you're traded midseason. Your mentality has to change real quick because if it doesn't, it's gonna be real scary for you.&rdquo;
If you were to tell a teenage Gafford that he&rsquo;d be teammates with Westbrook, he wouldn&rsquo;t believe it. He understands the magnitude of the history the 32-year-old is making right now (and is thrilled to be a part of it), as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/russell-westbrook-sets-nba-record-with-182nd-career-tripledouble" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Westbrook surpassed Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history</a> on Monday night in Atlanta with No. 182 of his career.
&ldquo;It's something that I would have never imagined that I would have been able to experience,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;Someone I'm always seeing on TV -- his high energy, his high level of competitiveness. You would never imagine a basketball player and just seeing that in person. And for me to be able to see that in person is a great experience for me because I'm learning. And I'm getting to experience a lot of things from a great player. That's one thing that I really take close to me for sure -- the fact that I'm able to play besides this guy.
&ldquo;I'm out there just trying to basically pick up the slack. I'm trying to do everything else. He's the leader, he's the playmaker, facilitator and all that. With me, I'm just out there being the cleanup guy.&rdquo;
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Then, there&rsquo;s the other multi-time All-Star in Washington&rsquo;s backcourt in Beal, who at 31.4 points per game is in a seesaw affair with Stephen Curry for the honor of being the top scorer in the league. (Curry is leading by 0.5 points as of Monday night, and Beal&rsquo;s hamstring injury will have caused him to miss at least two games). Gafford brings up a recent example of when the Toronto Raptors schemed a box-and-one -- a type of defense Gafford admits he&rsquo;d never seen until this season -- to slow Beal down. The scoring assassin had 28 points that night, and followed it up with a 50-burger the next game at Indiana. Gafford admires Beal&rsquo;s selfless approach as a human bucket-getter.
&ldquo;Just seeing a guy like that who can really put numbers on the board and be humble at the same time, it's just a big eye-opener because you got guys out here that are humble, or you got guys that are cocky. I like getting on the humble guy's team, because he knows what he can do, but he doesn't have to talk about it,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;He can back it up without talking. That's just my main thing about Brad. And just seeing the things he does night in and night out [with] all the things that they throw at him... being able to score the ball at the rate that he does, he's always prepared.&rdquo;
From an individual standpoint, Gafford is always striving to evolve as a player. For him, that starts as a defender. He&rsquo;s felt on numerous occasions when he&rsquo;s been isolated that he hasn&rsquo;t done a good enough job of staying in front of his man.
&ldquo;I'm good at blocking shots, [but] at the same time, I can be able to contain the ball up at the key if I put my mind [to it],&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;So that's main thing that I really want to get better at -- guarding all positions. That would really just help me excel at my game&hellip; [I] got to be better moving my feet. I got to get better at not using my hands to try to defend somebody. It's a lot of things that I would say go into it. But at the same time, it's all a mental thing.&rdquo;
The Wizards have to win two more games to clinch a spot in the play-in tournament. A meaningful contest every night is something that Gafford is excited about, a battle of the best trying to make a push for an opportunity to play past the regular season. Unlike many who have pushed against it, Gafford genuinely loves the idea of the play-in tournament, and looks forward to having the opportunity should Washington get in.
&ldquo;I can't wait for it,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;I always wanted to experience a playoff building, but experiencing a feeling like this -- it's either win or go home, for sure. Reminds me of playing AAU all over again, like you're in the tournaments in that situation... and if you lose, you go home. That's what it feels like. This is bringing back memories and stuff about, like, all the AAU times that I've had with my AAU teams and things like that. I like it a lot.&rdquo;
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Whenever the team&rsquo;s season comes to an end, Gafford will be onto his third year in the pros. At the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign, his $1.8 million salary will be non-guaranteed until a trigger date of Jan. 17 of next year. If the Wizards decide he&rsquo;s shown enough and guarantee that money, the organization will have to decide on his $1.9 million team option by June 29, 2022.
&ldquo;If this were to happen to where I get a contract or they take on my contract here, I wouldn't hate it at all. Me just being in Washington and all the love that I've gotten here, and how I've been playing here -- I mean, I would for sure love to stay,&rdquo; Gafford said when asked about the potential long-term fit with the Wizards. "But if it never happens because of the business side, I understand it. But if it does, I would love it.&rdquo;
Gafford&rsquo;s fondest memory in the NBA thus far is when he had the chance to embrace future Hall-of-Famer Vince Carter. He was a rookie in Chicago, and Carter was on his farewell tour as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.
&ldquo;Vince, he was one of the best dunkers ever in my opinion, and just seeing him on the court for the first time, my eyes were wide open,&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;My heart was racing; I just wanted to go shake his hand. He gave me the bro hug with a pat on the back and stuff, and the advice he gave me was, &lsquo;Keep working. That's how you get paid.&rsquo; And, that's true. You never can stop working.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Guys get in the league and some guys, I would say, they get in here and they stop working and are like, 'Oh, this is it.&rsquo; And boom, they're out of the league. To stay in this league, you always have to work. It doesn't matter if you're on a 10-day contract; it doesn't matter if you're on a regular contract, rookie contract or anything because you never know when your last day is up. [You] always got to keep working because you can always be put in a position where you have to be ready. In my opinion, having a great work ethic -- that's gonna keep you ready.&rdquo;
Since high school, Gafford has tried to stick to the three words on that T-shirt. He shares that he&rsquo;s strayed off that path before, realizing there were times when he was lazy and inconsistent with his mentality. Along this journey, he&rsquo;s met the right people who have made him understand the importance of mindset and work ethic, especially if he wants to play basketball for a living for many years.
&ldquo;When I finally decided to lock in and stuff, that's when I realized, 'Yeah, I can have a real long career in this league if I can just work out of my comfort zone,'&rdquo; Gafford said. &ldquo;Instead of just being a real athletic guy, jumping and catching lobs or things like that, I can expand my game way more if I put my mind to it. I always work on things that take me out of my comfort zone in the offseason -- stuff like ball-handling, shooting threes and things like that. But it's just up to me to have that level of confidence [and] with my level of competence and being better and better as the days go by.&nbsp;
"Just got to keep working.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies speaks with Daniel Gafford about his fit with the Wizards, being traded from Chicago, his career thus far and more.

Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for January 18, 2021.
That&rsquo;s Mr. Six-Time All Star to You, Sir
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oh hellllll no 😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/Ff99Cf6TZ0">pic.twitter.com/Ff99Cf6TZ0</a>
&mdash; 🌿✨ (@eimielleimi) <a href="https://twitter.com/eimielleimi/status/1350881834444353536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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This may be more disrespectful than the Anthony Davis clip last week.&nbsp;
Go Thibbsy, It&rsquo;s Your Birthday
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Happy birthday Coach Thibs great Win LETS GOO KNICKS!!🗽 🔸🔹<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewYorkForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewYorkForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/dtBKigZ1r7">pic.twitter.com/dtBKigZ1r7</a>
&mdash; PapaKnicks&trade;️🗽 (@KnicksPapa) <a href="https://twitter.com/KnicksPapa/status/1350907343559684098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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What&rsquo;s better than a win on your birthday? A 30-point win over the Boston Celtics, probably.
Real Deal?
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The New York Knicks have defeated the Boston Celtics 105-75, their largest margin of victory since 2016 (31) and the highest vs. the Celtics since 1997 (32). This was the fewest points the Celtics had scored in a game since putting up just 72 points against the Hawks in 2016. <a href="https://t.co/vLR6EBcGVA">pic.twitter.com/vLR6EBcGVA</a>
&mdash; Fifth Quarter Stats (@FQStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/FQStats/status/1350904881683562497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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All season we&rsquo;ve been calling the Knicks' success a fluke due to small sample size, but the stats are starting to prove that they may be the real deal? I don&rsquo;t know what to do with this information, and I&rsquo;m not even a Knicks fan.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
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Fun fact: James Harden has the same amount of triple-doubles with the Nets (1) as Kawhi Leonard has throughout his entire NBA career (1). 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/685qL8nluv">pic.twitter.com/685qL8nluv</a>
&mdash; Slam Studios (@SlamStudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/SlamStudios/status/1350636698154266624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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James Harden had 32 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in his Nets debut Saturday night. Assists. As in, sharing the ball with someone else on the team. As in passing.&nbsp;
A Very Scary GOAT
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Compare, for example, the Diana Taurasi approach:<a href="https://t.co/sSlMduQ1yA">https://t.co/sSlMduQ1yA</a>
&mdash; Rob Centa (@RobCenta) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobCenta/status/1350979076786425858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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This was from the Wubble, but it was brought back up in response to Mike Malone&rsquo;s disagreement with a referee. Diana Taurasi is incredible, but she is also terrifying (in the best way).
Larry Nice Jr.
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We&rsquo;ll take care of him! Good people are always welcome here! <a href="https://t.co/5h7pnn7jnO">https://t.co/5h7pnn7jnO</a>
&mdash; Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) <a href="https://twitter.com/Larrydn22/status/1350609172786798596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Larry Nance Jr., who <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1350550392778551296" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was recently on "The Alex Kennedy Podcast,"</a> has promised to take care of sweet baby Jarrett Allen after he was sent to Cleveland in the James Harden trade. Larry&rsquo;s recent initiative to bring awareness to small businesses in Cleveland put him in contention for nicest player in the league, and he is quickly climbing up the ranks. Why is this not an award? Maybe BasketballNews.com will hand it out at the end of the season.
Smooth Operator
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bill kennedy needs to be an in arena announcer <a href="https://t.co/7rGYrllAdP">pic.twitter.com/7rGYrllAdP</a>
&mdash; blackdragonroll (@blackdragonroll) <a href="https://twitter.com/blackdragonroll/status/1350614308665831425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The benefit of empty arenas is that we were all treated to the fresh-silky-sheets-fresh-out-of-the-wash feeling that comes with hearing Bill Kennedy explain a call. Maybe when his refereeing career is over, he can do audio books? Positive affirmations? Children's books?
It&rsquo;s Called Fashion, Sweety. Look it Up
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James cosplaying as Anne of Green Gables makes me believe the punisher mask was truly done because he thought it looked cool <a href="https://t.co/L7EcwrzvWw">pic.twitter.com/L7EcwrzvWw</a>
&mdash; i. (@_nopename) <a href="https://twitter.com/_nopename/status/1350594104997130243?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2021</a></blockquote>

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This shirt is available in every maternity store across the world, no matter the season. Most expectant mothers don&rsquo;t drop a triple-double, though.
Get My Good Side
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Some of you don&rsquo;t know to work your angles and it shows <a href="https://t.co/CHSyFiOa36">https://t.co/CHSyFiOa36</a>
&mdash; Ashley Docking (@SmrtAsh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmrtAsh/status/1350572036398211074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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James Harden catfished his way into a trade and reminded all of us that powder blue is not flattering on anyone.
It&rsquo;s Never Too Early for Ice Cream, Jim
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It&rsquo;s still on Canadian Netflix just saying babe <a href="https://t.co/rgdB2g455j">https://t.co/rgdB2g455j</a>
&mdash; Kendra (@Kendrawacharge) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kendrawacharge/status/1350494908373749764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Toronto may have missed out on the Giannis sweepstakes, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean they can&rsquo;t put their hat in the ring for Donovan Mitchell... 2026.
Fumble the Bag
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my friends watching me flirt <a href="https://t.co/rZ1ePSeY87">https://t.co/rZ1ePSeY87</a>
&mdash; Seerat Sohi (@seeratsohi) <a href="https://twitter.com/seeratsohi/status/1350311121979228160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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One time years ago, my friend and I were having a night out. A pair of guys approached us and asked if we had any plans for the rest of the night, to which I excitedly told them, &ldquo;No, because we already went to Burger King!&rdquo; They left, but the memory did not.&nbsp;
So Bad It&rsquo;s Good
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Guys, remember when you complain about Denver not having wings. We're the Denver Nuggets, not the Denver Wings.
&mdash; CJ (@CJenkins_Wx) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJenkins_Wx/status/1350260802717061120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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I can&rsquo;t tell if this is a dad joke or one of the jokes my kids tell that I have to pretend to laugh at.&nbsp;
I Don&rsquo;t Know Her
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This like asking Rita Ora to be more like Rihanna. <a href="https://t.co/7sDJL2V3Ol">https://t.co/7sDJL2V3Ol</a>
&mdash; i. (@_nopename) <a href="https://twitter.com/_nopename/status/1350179425762103298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Imman with another banger. It&rsquo;s like when people say Ariana Grande is the next Mariah Carey when there is only one and will only ever be one Mariah Carey. Thank u, next.
Social Adorable-ing
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Rudy Gay and Boogie found a way to greet each other before the game 😅 <a href="https://t.co/vNAsPvOexH">pic.twitter.com/vNAsPvOexH</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1349905111926104065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Watching players find new ways to greet one another may be as exciting as the tunnel &lsquo;fits.&nbsp;

Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day.

T.J.