Cavaliers

What seemed to be a lost season for the Utah Jazz has suddenly turned around due to the team's recent success, winning 15 of their last 21 games.&nbsp;
After starting just 7-16, the Jazz have since gone 11-4 and are now in contention for one of the Western Conference's play-in spots. They&rsquo;ve had an incredible week thus far, with wins over the contending Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
The win over the defending-champion Nuggets proved that the Jazz can hang with any team on any given night. Denver was 18-0 against sub-.500 teams entering the game, but Utah stained their erstwhile unblemished slate.
How did the Jazz do it? Let's take a look at some of the things they did to upend the Nuggets.
The Jazz stretched the floor&nbsp;
With John Collins starting at center instead of Walker Kessler, Utah's game plan was to pull Nikola Jokic from the paint. Jokic, who&rsquo;s usually a drop-big on defense, almost always stays near the shaded area in pick-and-roll actions. Utah tried to take advantage of this early by hunting out threes and exploiting the point-of-attack defenses of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Four of their first five attempts were three-pointers and they connected on two to jump out to an early lead.
Denver tried to counter by running zone, leaving Collins open a couple of times in the first quarter. However, Collins made them pay by hitting two threes, as Jokic was more than content to leave him open for threes. This allowed the Jazz to get rolling even more and gave them the freedom to attack the basket and get downhill.
Another possession in the zone found Reggie Jackson and Jokic in a miscommunication, leading to Jordan Clarkson drilling an easy 10-foot jumper. When the Nuggets tried to switch up their defense back to a man-to-man, the Jazz found the answer with some off-ball movement and timely cuts to the rim. Overall, it was an offensive clinic that caught the defending champs off guard.
The Jazz mixed their coverages on Jokic and gave him different looks on defense
You can't entirely stop an all-world talent like Nikola Jokic, you could only hope to contain him, which is still really tough considering how talented he is and his ability to get his teammates involved.
Although he still put up a monstrous stat line of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on an absurd 8-of-9 shooting from the field, what the Jazz and Will Hardy did was mix-up coverages on him. They showed multiple defensive looks each time down, which partly confused Jokic as he committed 6 turnovers in the game.
Sometimes, it was single coverage; other times, they sent doubles at him. Three different players &mdash; Lauri Markannen, Collins and Kessler &mdash; each took turns guarding him and all three provided different looks on the Joker. Markannen used his strength, Collins had his quickness and quick hands, while Kessler provided verticality with his 7-foot-1 frame.
The Jazz also sent different doubles at Jokic, sometimes crowding him in the paint with early double-teams, breaking up his low-post attacks with guards doubling him, and sending late doubles with another big or using a help weakside defender to try to affect him as he attempted a shot.
All of these defensive coverages were designed to make Jokic feel uncomfortable with different styles thrown at him, and the Jazz were successful at that with this blowout win.&nbsp;
Will Hardy figured out the rotations and had the Jazz playing with confidence
Although their defense is still suspect, the Jazz&rsquo;s offense has been nothing but spectacular. This can be attributed to head coach Will Hardy figuring out his rotation and which players synergize well together. This impressive run over their last 20 games started when Hardy made Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Simone Fontecchio, Lauri Markannen and John Collins the starting five. Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk provide stability as veterans while second-year guys Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji help out on defense with their length and tenacity.
Utah&rsquo;s offense was on full display against Denver, picking them apart with set plays and off of read-and-react actions. Although the Nuggets were coming off two days of rest and just an hour flight, the Jazz capitalized on their momentum and pounced right from the start.
Markannen has picked up right where he left off in last season&rsquo;s All-Star campaign, maintaining his shooting and scoring while improving his ball-handling this season. He&rsquo;s much better off the dribble now, which makes him one of the most coveted (if not most coveted) trade targets as the Feb. 8 deadline approaches.
Clarkson has also learned to move the ball more since being back to his regular sixth man role while continuing to score the ball effectively, and it has produced good results.
Dunn and Sexton allow the Jazz to play with pace and energy on both sides of the floor and their efforts are infectious.
Despite all of the trade rumors swirling around this team and rival teams trying to pry their players away, GM Danny Ainge and coach Will Hardy deserve credit for helping the Jazz build good habits and play the right way, which has resulted in beautiful basketball all around.&nbsp;

What seemed to be a lost season for the Utah Jazz has suddenly turned around, as they have won 15 of their last 21 games.

How the Utah Jazz earned their statement win over the Denver Nuggets

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

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; The Sacramento Kings might just be riding the beam all the way to the NBA playoffs.
The resurgent Kings are on the verge of ending the longest postseason drought in league history, with first-year coach Mike Brown employing a fast-paced offense led by the dynamic duo of De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to put Sacramento in first place in the Pacific Division.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great feeling. It&rsquo;s great because it&rsquo;s my first time,&rdquo; Fox said of being in the playoff hunt. &ldquo;This is something we want to make annual. We want to be contending for a title. ... It&rsquo;s great for the city and organization. We still want bigger things for ourselves.&rdquo;
The Kings (43-29) are in third place in the Western Conference and might be able to clinch the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff berth since 2006 during the final three games of a four-game homestand that ends Monday night against Minnesota.
The 16 seasons without a playoff berth are the longest in NBA history and the longest active postseason drought among any team in the NBA, NFL, NHL or Major League Baseball.
&ldquo;I do feel that that group believes in themselves, not just because I&rsquo;m telling them they&rsquo;re good, but because they&rsquo;ve actually gone out and proven it time after time after time, whether it&rsquo;s individually in certain situations or collectively as a team,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;When you have a team that believes, they can be dangerous. You&rsquo;ve got a connected team that believes, they can be a very dangerous team and that&rsquo;s what our group is right now.&rdquo;
The Kings are also one of the best feel-good stories of the NBA this season with an entertaining style of basketball that leads the league in scoring at 120.9 points per game for the highest mark in the league since 1983-84.
Each win at home is punctuated with the lighting of the beam &mdash; a beam of light from purple lasers atop the Golden 1 Center &mdash; and fans have even chanted for the beam at road games around the country.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s like a playoff atmosphere every night,&rdquo; swingman Kevin Huerter, one of the key offseason acquisitions, said after a recent home win. &ldquo;The only thing that&rsquo;s missing is handing out the T-shirts and maybe some towels, whatever they&rsquo;re doing for the playoffs. But it really is this every night.&rdquo;
The Kings have been one of the most success-starved franchises since moving to Sacramento in 1985. They had a losing record in each of their first 14 seasons in California, winning just one playoff game.
That all changed in 1999 when general manager Geoff Petrie and coach Rick Adelman built a winner around players like Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic that played an entertaining style in a grind-it-out era that nearly delivered a championship.
The Kings posted eight straight winning records and playoff berths under Adelman, but lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and then saw their title hopes derailed the following year when Webber went down with a serious knee injury in the second round of the playoffs.
Adelman kept the team competitive through 2006 but was let go following a second straight first-round playoff exit.
Then the dark era began with 16 straight losing seasons under 11 coaches, an ownership change and fears that the city would lose its only major pro team to Seattle.
Vivek Ranadive bought the team from the Maloof family in 2013 and kept the team in Sacramento by building a downtown arena, but there was no on-court success until this year.
The Kings traded away star DeMarcus Cousins and botched several high draft picks. But they have been revived following last year&rsquo;s trade with Indiana that sent promising guard Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana for a playmaking big man in Sabonis and the decision to hire Brown as coach.
Sabonis proved to be the perfect piece to team with the speedy Fox, giving Sacramento a dynamic duo.
Fox is averaging 25.4 points per game and has been the best clutch scorer in the league this season, scoring double figures in the fourth quarter a league-high 25 times.
Sabonis, acquired in a controversial trade from Indiana midway through last season for promising guard Tyrese Haliburton, has been the perfect piece to team with Fox with his playmaking ability as a big man. Sabonis is averaging 19 points, 12.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists with 12 triple-doubles.
Add in outside shooting from Huerter and rookie Keegan Murray, the veteran presence of Harrison Barnes and scoring off the bench from Malik Monk and the Kings have gained the attention of other contenders.
&ldquo;Give a lot of credit to Mike Brown,&rdquo; Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. &ldquo;He has the guys playing a lot better. Fox is playing at an All-NBA level. Sabonis has been great for them. They play with so much pace. All those guys have a lot more confidence.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re playing with confidence, it naturally opens things up for the individual and the group.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report&nbsp;

The resurgent Kings are on the verge of ending the longest postseason drought in league history.

Success-starved Kings close in on long-awaited playoff berth

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2022-23 NBA award front-runners Vol. 2: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; No Nikola Jokic, no problem for the Denver Nuggets. Especially when it comes to the Clippers.
Jamal Murray scored 24 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 22 in a 115-103 victory over Los Angeles on Friday night that Jokic missed because of right wrist management.
&ldquo;We got a lot of guys that can play,&rdquo; said Murray, who rolled his ankle.
The Nuggets gained sole possession of first in the Western Conference over the idle Memphis Grizzlies with their fifth straight win.
&ldquo;I didn't want to make a big deal of Nikola not being here,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;That's disrespectful to those other players.&rdquo;
The Nuggets defeated the Clippers for the second time in a week, although this one was much closer than the 31-point beatdown they handed out at Ball Arena.
At least until the fourth quarter. That's when the Nuggets pulled away, stretching a three-point lead into double digits. They scored nine in a row to go up 104-92, their largest lead of the game. Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer and Bruce Brown added four points. Gordon finished with 17 points.
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for the Clippers. He didn't have running mate Paul George, who sat out with a hamstring injury. Norman Powell added 18 points off the bench and John Wall had 16. They've dropped seven of eight.
&ldquo;The effort is there,&rdquo; Leonard said. &ldquo;The execution part wasn't in that second half.&rdquo;
Murray crashed into a woman sitting courtside while chasing the ball in the fourth. She emerged laughing and he grabbed her hand to make sure she wasn't hurt. He finished with eight rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes.
&ldquo;Jamal Murray is more than a scorer. Jamal Murray is a complete basketball player," Malone said. &ldquo;He's a guy who should be given All-Star recognition because of the way he impacts the game.&rdquo;
Denver's Zeke Nnaji got posterized twice &mdash; first by Leonard on a one-handed jam in the third and then by Wall on a dunk in the fourth. Both drew raucous cheers.
Trailing by five, the Nuggets outscored the Clippers 20-8, including nine in a row, to lead 81-74 in the third. Former Clipper DeAndre Jordan and Porter dunked and Gordon hit a 3-pointer.
&ldquo;It was a great opportunity for a lot of people to play,&rdquo; Jordan said. &ldquo;It was really good for us.&rdquo;
Robert Covington hit a 3-pointer and Wall made a pair of free throws to leave the Clippers trailing 86-81 going into the fourth.
The Clippers controlled the first half, when they led by seven.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Malone said he's hoping Jokic's wrist calms down so he can play Sunday. ... Improved to 3-0 over LA this season.
Clippers: Their bench outscored Denver's reserves, 46-30. ... Luke Kennard (right calf soreness) sat out his third straight game. ... Fell to .500 at 22-22. ... Have dropped five straight to the Nuggets.
&nbsp;

Jamal Murray scored 24 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 22 in the Denver Nuggets' 115-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Nuggets beat Clippers 115-103 for 5th straight win

This holiday season should be especially interesting at the Griffin residence.
Just five nights ago, Atlanta Hawks rookie AJ Griffin lept and laid in a game-winning overtime alley-oop from Trae Young to defeat the Toronto Raptors as his father Adrian looked on from the bench.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's a blessing to be able to play against each other. I think that's definitely gonna be a night to remember forever, especially 'cause that was the first one against him,&rdquo; a snickering Griffin told Basketball News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday in Cleveland. &ldquo;You start talking about that on Thanksgiving (laughs).&rdquo;
After the walk-off victory, Griffin shared an embrace with his father, who told him how proud he was.
&ldquo;Not even just on the court, but off the court too just being able to share my faith and be able to just continue to be a light. Those moments are priceless and I love him. Gotta get that second one though (laughs),&rdquo; Griffin said.
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AJ Griffin not only hit the game-winner for the <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ATLHawks</a>&hellip; he did it with his dad, Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin, on the opposite sideline. <a href="https://t.co/K9fC7pzhEQ">pic.twitter.com/K9fC7pzhEQ</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1594180780472811522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Adrian should be a delighted dad, especially from an athletics perspective.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s AJ, who&rsquo;s starting his NBA career on a high note, but he&rsquo;s not the only one doing big things. His sister Aubrey is a standout junior for UConn women&rsquo;s hoops, and just made a huge impact for the No. 10 Huskies in their recent win over NC State.&nbsp;
Their brother Alan finished up a solid basketball career between Illinois and Syracuse, playing professionally for the Newfoundland Growlers in the CEBL last season, and their oldest sister Vanessa was a multi-sport athlete in high school. To top it off, AJ&rsquo;s mother, Audrey Sterling, was an All-American track star at Seton Hall.
&ldquo;Really just growing up, I'm always around sports. I think that competitive spirit we have in our family, it just comes so natural,&rdquo; AJ said of the unique connection.
This year, Griffin&rsquo;s found a second family in the Hawks.&nbsp;
Speaking to the locker room welcoming him with open arms, the 19-year-old admits he feels like a younger brother to many of his teammates.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Just the love from the veterans here, I appreciate it. I just really enjoy being here and being able to play with everyone and being able to play on the court with each other. It's special so far,&rdquo; said Griffin, who then praised Young and Dejounte Murray. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to watch, just to be able to play with those guys. It's still early in the season, and I feel like something special is brewing.&rdquo;
Only 18 games into the season, Griffin has already gained the trust of Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. Not even in the rotation just one month ago, the Duke product has looked the part of a legitimate pro almost in an instant.
&ldquo;You know, he's earning minutes,&rdquo; McMillan said pregame in Cleveland on Monday. &ldquo;What we've told all of our young guys and really our guys coming off our bench, &lsquo;You're gonna get short minutes, and you have to take whatever minutes you get &mdash; whether it's 5, 10 minutes &mdash; then [turn it into] 15, 20 minutes. That's what AJ has done.&rdquo;
With De'Andre Hunter feeling under the weather, Monday in Cleveland marked Griffin&rsquo;s first career NBA start. Other than his team falling short on the road, he did not disappoint.
Playing a career-high 35 minutes, second most on the squad, he poured in 17 points on 7-for-11 from the floor and nabbed 3 steals.
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14, meet starting 5 🤝<a href="https://twitter.com/whoisAG21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@whoisAG21</a> put up 17 in his first career start! <a href="https://t.co/hoVmB35SH2">pic.twitter.com/hoVmB35SH2</a>
&mdash; Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1595112824648663040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;He did a good job. He made some shots out there and was able to make some threes and be productive,&rdquo; McMillan said after the game. &ldquo;The challenge was gonna be, for him, on the defensive end of the floor matching up with [Donovan] Mitchell, which is a big challenge. But I thought he played the way he&rsquo;s been playing &mdash; with confidence. He&rsquo;s gonna make some mistakes, but I thought they were aggressive mistakes. I thought he played okay."
While he had his lumps against the Cavs superstar, according to the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1631100/head-to-head" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA&rsquo;s matchup tracking data</a>, Griffin spent over seven minutes guarding Mitchell and held him to 9 points on 3-for-8 from the field, forcing two turnovers.
Coming into the NBA Draft, Griffin&rsquo;s reputation with the Blue Devils might&rsquo;ve seemed that of a catch-shoot prospect. And there is truth to that when you see his 40.0% clip from deep in those scenarios.
However, studying the tape, he&rsquo;s been finding his way into the middle of the floor a lot too. Exhibiting patience beyond his years, Griffin will put the ball on the deck, oftentimes stopping on a dime, pump-faking and sneaking under his defender with an 8-to-10 foot push shot. He&rsquo;s gone to that move on the baseline, and he&rsquo;s also wiggled his way to those kind of looks at the top of the key.
There aren&rsquo;t many wings with the kind of footwork Griffin already has, and he credits his high school coaches at Archbishop Stepinac, Rodney Swain and Pat Massaroni, for helping him work on that in New York before he left for Durham, North Carolina.
&ldquo;Just having that time off before going off to college, I've been working on it,&rdquo; Griffin said. &ldquo;But just being able to utilize it now and being able to have that space to create and just play my game freely. I feel like it's just coming natural. And I guess you could say it's like deep in my bag where I haven't used it in a while. But like, it felt natural to me. We've been working since high school, really since seventh grade, just footwork, every part of my game really we've been working on.&rdquo;
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Every time I catch AJ Griffin, he seems to be doing good things. Some really nice moments in the first half tonight. <a href="https://t.co/7NVtkvxtHi">pic.twitter.com/7NVtkvxtHi</a>
&mdash; Steph Noh (@StephNoh) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephNoh/status/1594129251241951232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As his rookie year moves along, Griffin is taking everything in stride.
He&rsquo;s starting to get the NBA life down pat.
&ldquo;Really I think just the schedule,&rdquo; Griffin said of his biggest adjustment. &ldquo;I think I'm starting to get a feel of it though almost a quarter through the season. You know when you'll have time to rest, you know when you should be in the gym. Just being able to pick up on those tendencies and knowing how to take care of your body. I think at first it was kind of a struggle, but now it's kinda coming along.&rdquo;
Young has relished watching Griffin&rsquo;s joyful demeanor, even with his fluctuating playing time.
&ldquo;I told him at the beginning never get too high, too low,&rdquo; Young said Monday morning. &ldquo;He's been doing that. He's just had the same smile every game whether he plays a little bit or he plays a lot. So he's just been a great rook for sure.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Just continue getting the work in,&rdquo; Griffin said when asked how he stays ready. &ldquo;No matter if I'm playing 10 or 20 minutes, the coaching staff and the training staff, they do well with just maintaining my load for the week and making sure I'm ready for the game and for workouts if I don't play as much.&rdquo;
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The good news for Griffin is that his stock is rising, and when he&rsquo;s seen more action, he&rsquo;s delivered.
Despite a shallow sample size, AJ has dropped 58 points with a scorching 69.2% True Shooting percentage in the combined three games he&rsquo;s played 30 minutes or more. He&rsquo;s corralled rebounds, ripped away steals, guarded on the perimeter and, maybe most impressively, has taken care of the basketball in the process.
&ldquo;He's been able to come out and provide some scoring, some shooting for us. Now that he is getting more time, now he's been challenged on the defensive end of the floor guarding that 2, that 3 position, and he's been pretty good,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;So he's playing with a lot of confidence. He has given us a lift in this short season, and he's earned the right to be put out there and given an opportunity.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's been playing great,&rdquo; Young added. &ldquo;I mean, every time he gets in the game, it feels like does something. Whether he makes a three or gets in the lane and makes a play for himself or somebody else. He's just been playing great all year.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies highlights Hawks rookie AJ Griffin's recent success with Atlanta as he's earned more playing time.

Deep in his bag: Hawks' AJ Griffin took an inch, turned it into a mile

We&rsquo;re officially two months away from 2022 NBA Free Agency officially kicking off. Although the class is rather shallow &mdash; especially on superstar movement &mdash; the headliners provide some intrigue and there are endless possibilities in terms of the potential domino effects.
Will Zach LaVine and Deandre Ayton be viewed as max-level talents by their respective organizations? What will happen with James Harden and Kyrie Irving? Will Bradley Beal once again commit long-term to the Washington Wizards?
Let&rsquo;s dive into my predictions on what the top-five projected free agents will likely do this offseason, and how those moves could alter the calculus of the entire NBA.
James Harden
Player Option ($44.7 million)
Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey accomplished his long-awaited dream when he helped James Harden and Joel Embiid join forces in Philadelphia earlier this season. When Harden wanted to get out of Brooklyn (an era we'll look back on as a huge "what if" in NBA history), the Sixers pushed their chips all-in on the dominant inside-out duo&rsquo;s potential.
However, having sent out Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and future draft capital to the Nets, it hasn&rsquo;t gone as smoothly as many expected for Harden. After a fast start with his new team, Harden's production has tailed off. Now, with Embiid's postseason status in jeopardy due to an orbital fracture, can Harden recapture his form before another important career decision?
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 regular-season games with the Sixers, and through six playoff games, has produced to the tune of 19.0 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Since these numbers aren't anywhere close to vintage-Harden levels of offensive production, does Morey feel comfortable shelling out a gigantic long-term extension to the 32-year-old, high-usage guard? It feels like we&rsquo;re entering into the next phase of Harden&rsquo;s career, and if that&rsquo;s the case, he&rsquo;s probably not a $40-plus-million player.
It seems like Philadelphia is backed into a corner in this situation though. After shipping off Simmons and future assets to Brooklyn, the Sixers have committed to Embiid and Harden hopefully delivering a championship within their short-term window.
Prediction: Harden opts out and re-signs on three-year max contract
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Kyrie Irving
Player Option ($36.5 million)
Who knows what the future holds as it relates to Kyrie Irving? Unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Irving cost the Nets a realistic chance at competing for an NBA championship this season; this should've never been an issue, but he had to try to catch up and learn on the fly with his teammates.
Brooklyn still holds those championship expectations moving forward, especially with Kevin Durant and Simmons alongside Irving.
Irving is the true wildcard to watch this summer. If he decides to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-nets-should-part-ways-with-kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move on from the Nets</a>, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise at all. Honestly, even retirement wouldn&rsquo;t be a complete surprise with Irving. In the end, though, the Nets are also married to this idea of competing for rings over the extended window with Durant.
The reason why Durant joined the Nets was to play with his best friend in Irving. It&rsquo;s hard to envision Irving leaving Brooklyn, and he echoed similar sentiments after the Nets&rsquo; disappointing first-round exit against the Boston Celtics.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I&rsquo;m leaving my man 7 anywhere,&rdquo; Irving said after the series.
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"I don't really plan on going anywhere.... when I say I'm here with Kev [Durant] I think that it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe [Tsai] and Sean [Marks]... we're cornerstones here but we have Ben, we have a few other guys..." -Kyrie Irving on FA <a href="https://t.co/ulk86MzHTK">pic.twitter.com/ulk86MzHTK</a>
&mdash; DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidEarly/status/1518782963579867138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Nets should definitely reconsider their stance on handing out a potential five-year max extension to Irving though. Understanding his unpredictability, who knows what could happen in the future with him? With Durant still dominating, Irving will likely align his next contract on a similar path.
Prediction: Irving opts out and re-signs on four-year max contract
Bradley Beal
Player Option ($36.4 million)
Will Bradley Beal really decide to stick around in D.C. for the long-term? I have serious doubts on that idea, and Beal should as well for his legacy. Even in a down year for the Washington Wizards &mdash; one in which he was shut down due to a torn ligament in his left wrist on Feb. 8 &mdash; he&rsquo;s still a star-level player in the NBA. Capable of dropping 30-plus points with ease at anytime, Beal has consistently shown the team around him has been the main issue. Carrying subpar teams on his back since John Wall left, Beal needs to consider doing the greater good for his own individual outlook.
From Beal&rsquo;s perspective, looking around at other options to win right now would be the best-case scenario. While he's been very loyal to the Wizards since being drafted by the organization, this could become very awkward rather quickly once the offseason window opens.
Washington has done a fantastic job retooling its team on the fly since trading away Russell Westbrook. Rolling the dice on Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline is a massive risk, but he&rsquo;s the closest thing to a star-level player who would be willing to stay long-term. With Porzingis and a plethora of young talent led by Kyle Kuzma, will Beal lock himself into this situation for another four or five years?
The trade market will be the most realistic route to see star movement in the summer. Beal is one of those names to watch via sign-and-trade. If Beal opts out, don&rsquo;t be surprised to see him sign elsewhere while not leaving the Wizards high and dry with nothing back in return. Beal seems destined to spread his wings elsewhere and serve as the cherry on top of a true title contender's roster.
Prediction: Beal opts out and the Wizards pull off sign-and-trade to recoup some assets
Zach LaVine
Unrestricted Free Agent
Zach LaVine is one of the more underrated players in the league. He&rsquo;s a highlight reel on the offensive end, but his defense leaves so much to be desired. We&rsquo;ve seen incremental improvements with LaVine on that end with better talent around him, but will the Bulls view him as a max-level player? Committing that type of money to LaVine could be risky &mdash; especially with an upcoming offseason knee surgery &mdash; but it&rsquo;s the Bulls&rsquo; best bet to keeping their core together long-term.
If the Bulls balk at paying LaVine, many teams with cap space will come knocking on his door. San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray has already started <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1519870631180791808?s=20&amp;t=vGdMwWWoEEc20-pQbx0udg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruiting LaVine on social media</a> with photoshops of him in their jersey, for example.
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LaVine and DeMar DeRozan showed throughout this season that they are a lethal scoring combination that is very difficult to contain. Before injuries ravaged Chicago&rsquo;s roster, they were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Bulls try to move Nikola Vucevic, who has a $22 million expiring contract; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert could be a name to watch</a> if the Bulls try to take their team to another level.
But LaVine is a different story.
A core in Chicago of LaVine, DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso is a fun one. Chicago runs it back and doesn&rsquo;t hesitate coughing up huge money to its star shooting guard.
Prediction: LaVine signs a five-year max extension with Bulls
Deandre Ayton
Restricted Free Agent
This is one of the more interesting situations to follow heading into the offseason. After the Phoenix Suns shockingly decided not to pay 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton before the season began, questions are still bubbling under the surface on his long-term future with the organization. Ayton hasn&rsquo;t let this impact his on-court performance though, as he's continued to be a two-way anchor to the Suns&rsquo; immense success. The Bahamian big man keeps proving his game is tailor-made for the postseason as well.
Will the Suns actually allow Ayton and his representation to test the open market as one of the top free agents available? It would be stunning, but it feels like we could be heading in that direction.
ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned that, in negotiations, the Suns didn&rsquo;t view Ayton as a max-level player at the time, which stunned many executives around the NBA. Has Phoenix&rsquo;s stance changed after Ayton&rsquo;s consistent performances throughout this season and the playoffs?
Here&rsquo;s a little nugget: According to a league source, Phoenix is more than comfortable paying up and going deep into the luxury tax as long as its roster is competing for championships. Ayton is part of that puzzle, and 2019 lottery pick Cameron Johnson is eligible for an extension this offseason. Do with that information what you will, but it would truly be stunning to see Ayton playing elsewhere in 2022-23.
Prediction: Ayton tests the market and signs four-year max offer sheet elsewhere, which includes a player option; Phoenix eventually matches the offer sheet and keeps him long-term 
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What will happen with the best projected 2022 free agents this offseason? Evan Sidery shares his predictions for the top five.

2022 NBA Free Agency: Predicting where 5 stars will land this summer

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points and the Golden State Warriors muscled past the Denver Nuggets 118-113 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the playoff series.
Draymond Green added a key steal from Nikola Jokic, who finished with 37 points and 18 rebounds, in the final minute and the Warriors closed on a 9-2 run to put the Nuggets on the cusp of elimination.
Golden State can wrap up the series Sunday in Denver. Teams facing a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series are 0-143.
The Nuggets were in control for much of the second half but after Jokic's finger roll layup put Denver ahead 111-109 with 3:20 left, the Warriors tightened up on defense.
The Nuggets went six straight possessions without scoring and Golden State had the game in hand by the time Will Barton's tip-in with 23 seconds left pulled Denver to 117-113.
Aaron Gordon added 18 points for the Nuggets, who took an 89-87 lead into the fourth quarter but lost for the seventh straight time in the postseason.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone complained before the game that his team hadn't been aggressive, physical or vocal in the series, so he inserted Facundo Campazzo into his rotation after losing the first two games by an average of 18 points.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a little bit undermanned like we are, we have to be ultra physical, ultra aggressive and take the fight to them," Malone said.
Campazzo wasn't the answer, but the Nuggets came out of halftime with renewed energy and used a 30-18 third quarter to take an two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets missed their last four shots of the first half and Curry had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to push Golden State's lead to 69-59 at the break.
Without max players Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back), the Nuggets knew they had to slow the pace because they cannot keep up with the healthy Warriors.
&ldquo;We're in a Pinto, and they're in a Maserati,&rdquo; Malone quipped.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr chuckled at the analogy, noting he's never owned either model.
&ldquo;I'm somewhere in between," he said.
There's no denying his team is turbo-charged, however, after missing the playoffs the last two seasons.
&ldquo;I think in some ways, we are reinvigorated after the last couple of years," Kerr said. "We had a long run that started before I got here. Seven straight years in the playoffs and five trips to the Finals and there was a lot of fatigue at that point, emotional, physical fatigue. It was very easy to tell and to feel that so, last couple of years we haven&rsquo;t been in the playoffs.
"The sense that I get from ... the guys who have been here a long time, it&rsquo;s they are happy as hell to be back. So they&rsquo;re playing with a lot of a lot of energy, a lot of excitement.&rdquo;
INJURIES
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1517349845455065089">Green</a> rolled his left ankle midway through the third quarter but stayed in the game. Jordan Poole went to the bench a short time later, grabbing his left elbow. Trainers put a heating pad on his left elbow and forearm but he returned to action.
HOME SOUR HOME
The Nuggets don't exactly have a homecourt advantage after winning more games on the road (25) than at Ball Arena (23) this season.
&ldquo;I imagine this place is going to be half full of Warriors fans,&rdquo; Malone said Wednesday before president of basketball operations Tim Connelly went on the airwaves to implore Nuggets fans not to sell their tickets to Warriors fans.
Yet, a protracted broadcasting dispute has kept Nuggets games off local cable TV for three years, and that's presumably led to a decline in die-hard Denver fans.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry has at least one 3-pointer in an NBA-best 115 consecutive playoff games. ... The Warriors shot 68% from the floor in the first half and six different players combined for a dozen 3-pointers. ... Thompson (388) now in sole possession of third on NBA Playoffs all-time 3-pointers list, passing Ray Allen (385).
Nuggets: Denver has been outscored in the second quarter of the series by a combined 99-72. They've allowed Golden State to go on second-quarter runs of 16-0 in Game 1, 15-2 in Game 2 and 15-4 in Game 3. ... The first sign of the Nuggets&rsquo; more aggressive play came in the first quarter when Jokic hip-checked Curry to the floor but didn&rsquo;t draw a whistle just before Austin Rivers&rsquo; 3-pointer from the corner.

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, and Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points.

Curry, Poole, Thompson lead Warriors past Nuggets, 118-113

Jackson Frank breaks down the film and collaborates with Nekias Duncan and Mark Schindler to pick the 2021-22 All-NBA teams.

2021-22 All-NBA Teams: Praising this season's 15 best players

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic made history on the night his Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jokic became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
He had 35 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and five steals Thursday night.
&ldquo;Dude is really great at basketball,&rdquo; teammate Bones Hyland said.
Jokic's big night came after taking an inadvertent elbow from Jaren Jackson Jr. to the right forehead and temple that <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1512238860008263680?s=20&amp;t=Kft2-KJVkVHiG4YQh_Bs_w">drew blood</a> in the opening minute.
After having to retreat to the bench twice to stop the bleeding, Jokic donned a red headband for the remainder of the game as he helped the Nuggets (48-33) overcome a shaky start to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Grizzlies.
&ldquo;The MVP isn't even a competition,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone declared afterward. &ldquo;There's other great players. I'm not saying they're not great players. But what Nikola Jokic has done this year &mdash; with this team &mdash; everything we've had to go through, is just incredible.
&ldquo;He was good last year and he's even better this year.&rdquo;
Despite missing stars Jamal Murray and Kevin Porter Jr., the Nuggets clinched a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoffs and avoided the four-team play-in thanks to another outstanding performance from the reigning MVP.
They can still win the Northwest Division with a victory Sunday night against the Lakers and two losses by the Utah Jazz (48-32), who finish up against Phoenix and Portland.
Aaron Gordon added 22 points for Denver and Desmond Bane had 14 points for the Grizzlies, who were coming off an overtime loss at Utah on Wednesday night, have already captured the first division title in their history along with securing the second seed in the West.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve been playing good basketball, even the other night against Utah. Tonight, we just didn&rsquo;t have it,&rdquo; Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Jokic was the biggest reason.
&ldquo;We threw a lot at him,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the MVP for a reason. He&rsquo;s nearly impossible to guard. He&rsquo;s going to beat you from inside, outside, playmaking. He played at a really high level tonight.&rdquo;
The Grizzlies are hopeful of getting All-Star guard Ja Morant back this weekend from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since March 18.
Jokic was hit in the head on the Grizzlies' first bucket, a drive by Jaren Jackson Jr., and retreated to the bench for treatment. He wasn't back on the court for long before returning to the sideline for more treatment and a <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1512251453842227202?s=20&amp;t=Kft2-KJVkVHiG4YQh_Bs_w">red headband</a>.
&ldquo;My first thought was Steve Nash in that playoff series and they couldn't stop the bleeding,&rdquo; Malone said. "And I'm saying, &lsquo;Of all games, Nikola gets a very non-malicious elbow, an inadvertent elbow to the head and he's bleeding.'
&ldquo;I'm saying, &lsquo;Not tonight."
Malone said he implored his trainers to do whatever they could to staunch the flow of blood.
&ldquo;Like, get a staple gun out here," Malone said. "And it finally stopped and Nikola put on another MVP performance."
While making NBA history.
Jokic said he's not going to keep wearing the headband, however. He'll leave that look to LeBron James.
&ldquo;No, I look great,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;I cannot let you guys see me twice like that."
Jokic agreed he's had a better season than last year but he said there's 20 superstars in this league and he's not himself lobbying for another MVP award.
&ldquo;If that's enough, it's enough," he said. "It not, you cannot control that.&rdquo;
Jokic got a game ball from the Nuggets as a keepsake of his historic night but he joked the trainers would probably sell his blood-soaked headband on eBay.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis remains one win shy of tying the franchise record for wins in a single season (56-26 in 2012-13). ... Despite back-to-back losses to Utah and Denver, the Grizzlies finished 26-15 away from home, the NBA's second-best road record.
Nuggets: Murray missed his 81st game, but the Nuggets still haven't ruled out a return either Sunday in the regular season finale or in the playoffs. Murray tore his left ACL last April 12.
MORE MORANT
Morant is averaging 27.6 points. His return could make Memphis the darlings of the NBA playoffs.
Jenkins said they would like to have at least one game with their full contingent before the postseason. But health matters more.
&ldquo;If that&rsquo;s not what&rsquo;s the recommendation of the medical team, we don&rsquo;t feel like that&rsquo;s the smartest move, then we won&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Jenkins said.
COURTSIDE VIPS
Among the VIPs at courtside was Broncos new QB Russell Wilson and his wife, R&amp;B singer-songwriter Ciara.
&ldquo;So, that was an added bonus,&rdquo; Malone said of seeing Ciara, who's also a model and dancer.
He didn't introduce himself to Ciara, &ldquo;but I talked to the guy she was with, but I didn't get his name,&rdquo; cracked Malone.
Wilson, who tossed an autographed football about 40 yards into the stands in the first half, also is set to throw out the first pitch at the Colorado Rockies' home opener Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Return home to face New Orleans on Saturday.
Nuggets: Wrap up the regular season at home Sunday night against the Lakers, who are sitting out these playoffs.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nuggets clinch playoff berth with 122-109 rout of Grizzlies

Brad Stevens woke up on Thursday morning and took care of business.&nbsp;
How often does that happen with the Celtics? Up until the past three weeks, Boston had been trademarked as the team who played wildly up and down to its competition, blowing leads left and right all while failing to establish an identity. And in recent years, the franchise was spearheaded by a Danny Ainge-led front office known for either adrenaline-inducing blockbusters or crickets from the transaction log.
Something is different. The Celtics have shredded an easy February schedule like they're supposed to. And new president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made exactly the moves he needed to make at this trade deadline &mdash; no more, no less. From an outsider's perspective, Boston had to check off three boxes on Thursday:
<ul>
<li>Find value for Dennis Schr&ouml;der before his contract expires (and replace him if he is traded)</li>
<li>Get under the luxury tax</li>
<li>Acquire a viable third center</li>
</ul>
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Stevens accomplished all three and even created more flexibility. When our staff went through gut-reaction winners and losers of the deadline on our live show, all of us counted the Celtics as winners. They still have five available roster spots, so the moves aren't finished. On Friday morning at his media availability, Stevens clearly outlined his personal goals with the deals:
"I thought all year that what we really needed to continue to focus on were adding guys that really know how to play, that make the right basketball decisions, and really have a great self-awareness to do what they do best and accentuate our best players."
It starts with Derrick White. The 27-year-old combo guard replaces Schr&ouml;der on the depth chart but could not be a more different player. Brad Stevens gave a glowing review of White, who has apparently been on his radar going back to his time with the USA Select Team:
"We've thought for years that Derrick was a really good fit with our best players," Stevens said. He is an excellent defender. He just makes the right play on offense, over and over and over. He's a guy that only cares about winning [and] that will do all of the little things, as you can see in some of his stats defensively with regard to willingness to put his body on the line, activity, shot challenges, all of those things. And on offense, just by making simple plays&nbsp;and doesn't need to do anything [or] be on the highlights to really impact winning... We felt really fortunate to be able to get a guy like that on a long contract that we think is, again, a perfect fit for our best players."
That covers the bases. White is averaging 5.6 assists per game this season with a 25.2% assist rate; the latter ranks in the 82nd percentile at his position, per Cleaning the Glass. His assist-to-usage rate of 1.12 is in the 76th percentile. For comparison, Schr&ouml;der had an&nbsp;assist-to-usage rate of 0.93 (12th percentile). And these numbers come as White frequently shared the floor with lead guard Dejounte Murray.
White's assist-to-pass ratio of 14.5% ranks eighth in the entire NBA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If Derrick White is doing this for the Celtics... 😮&zwj;💨 <a href="https://t.co/fZsrffM9ig">pic.twitter.com/fZsrffM9ig</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1492162183039533059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

In theory, the ball should stick less with White and Marcus Smart in the backcourt, and White is more than capable of running an offense when Smart and/or Jayson Tatum isn't on the floor. In the below clips, he's making reads in split seconds. It's easy to picture Robert Williams or Al Horford as Jakob Poeltl, or Grant Williams/Jaylen Brown shooting these corner attempts.
<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/cdlrna" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
White isn't going to wow you with a highlight reel pass. But whether it's turning a good shot to a great shot, applying pressure with his cuts or pushing the transition pace, he brings several skills that Boston hasn't nailed down consistently.
Many Celtics fans were immediately concerned by White's 31.4% three-point clip. It's reasonable, and he likely won't ever be an elite marksman or pull-up dagger machine. But there's a bit more to unpack on the efficiency front.&nbsp;
White is making 22% of his corner threes this season. That is... extremely bad, and also 26 percentage points lower from 2020-21. He's making 34% of his threes above the break, which is slightly above league-average. White is making 32.3% of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers, per NBA Stats, when he's typically been in the 38-39% range in recent seasons. Brad Stevens said on Friday he thinks White is a better shooter than the base numbers suggest. I'm inclined to agree.&nbsp;
These aren't even White's key selling points. Flip to the defensive side of the ball and he'll show you why many now think the Celtics could boast the stingiest unit in the NBA. Nekias Duncan lauded White as one of the best point-of-attack players in the league on our show yesterday, and I'd take him at his word. White has a fantastic blend of speed and strength at 6-foot-4 and can mirror drives from the NBA's toughest guards. Here's one clip of him smothering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
<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/cd0piy" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
White's block rate is in the 97th percentile at his position. It has been there, or higher, in each of the last four seasons. I truly fear for opposing backcourts if he and Marcus Smart share the floor.
The Celtics gave up Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 lightly-protected first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2028 in exchange for White. That's quite a package for a player who is either a solid complementary starter or a really great bench piece. Stevens himself acknowledged that giving up first-round picks is an inherent risk. But it's the type of move that signals to Tatum and Brown that they're worth building around.&nbsp;
With minutes left on the clock, Boston snuck in another deal with the Rockets. Stevens sent Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando and Schr&ouml;der to Houston for Daniel Theis. With White in the fold, there was no need to keep Schr&ouml;der even in the short term, and the Celtics also moved two centers who should not play in the rotation to bring back a very capable depth big.
Theis returns after less than a calendar year away from Boston. The 29-year-old started 21 of 26 games with the Rockets and averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He's a stalwart interior finisher; per Basketball Reference, Theis has made at least 71% of his shots within three feet of the basket in every year of his NBA career. He's not the stretch big man his three-point volume suggests, but Theis can at least make around one per game in theory.
Theis also isn't an event-creator on defense. He's a bruiser who can come off the bench and be a more viable switcher than Freedom or Fernando ever were. Ime Udoka should at least feel more comfortable deploying Theis in the rotation so Robert Williams III and Al Horford are not overextended.
"Rob and Al are our guys and they're playing great, but if you miss any time with those two guys, you can plug Theis in and it'll be a seamless transition," Stevens said.
So in two trades, the Celtics have upgraded their secondary guard spot and their bench center spot at the risk of missing out in the draft. With the help of a third trade from earlier in the morning, they also gave themselves extra time for moves via the buyout market.
Boston dealt PJ Dozier, Bol Bol, a second-round pick and cash considerations to Orlando for a conditional second-round pick. The goal was clearly to get under the luxury tax, and per <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/boston-celtics/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotrac</a>, Boston did that.
Between the three moves, the Celtics have a whopping five open roster spots to fill. The needs are glaring: shooting and wing depth. That's especially compounded after trading Richardson.
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<a href="https://theathletic.com/3124166/2022/02/10/celtics-trade-deadline-roundtable-brad-stevens-bets-big-on-derrick-white/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic's&nbsp;Jared Weiss</a> wrote that he's "gotten the impression" the Celtics will at least take a look at Gary Harris on the buyout market. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-gary-harris-likely-on-the-move" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan</a> listed Boston as a potential landing spot for Harris. If the three-point clip stays up, Harris would make a lot of sense as a plug-and-play shooting guard.
With so many lopsided deals around the league in terms of roster size, Boston should have options. Maybe Orlando also buys out Terrence Ross. Perhaps the Lakers waive Kent Bazemore or the Clippers let go of recently-acquired Rodney Hood?
The G League is also loaded with potential fits. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston is already signing Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet to rest-of-season contracts from the Maine Celtics. Hauser's signature skill is shooting and Kornet can stretch the floor as well.
Stevens was vague at his press conference, saying he wanted players with "skill." The Celtics have five opportunities (including Hauser and Kornet) to find such players. Udoka has another tough choice to make, too &mdash; should he break up the current buzzsaw starting lineup and insert White, or bring a starting-caliber guard beginning a four-year, $73 million contract extension off the bench?
For all the angst about Schr&ouml;der's tendency to stop the ball, he was also a much-needed driving threat. White gets to the rim at a level around league-average, but he's not the blazing downhill driver Schr&ouml;der is. Will that affect how the ball is able to move, especially if the Celtics don't have enough shooters on the perimeter?
Clearly these deals don't end the questions. For now, though, fans should feel confident that Brad Stevens was clear and deliberate with his trade deadline moves. Derrick White and Daniel Theis appear to be the complementary talents Boston should be seeking to bolster a lineup hunting postseason contention.
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Ethan Fuller shows how the additions of Derrick White and Daniel Theis fit into the current rotation for the Boston Celtics.

Evaluating the Celtics' trade deadline additions and next steps

Baton Rouge, LA&nbsp; &mdash;Ending the game on a 13-2 scoring run, the No. 19 LSU Tigers sealed a 70-64 victory over the visiting Texas A&amp;M Aggies.
Shareef O&rsquo;Neal and Eric Gaines recorded huge blocks in the final minute, both resulting in rebounds that put LSU (16-4, 4-4 SEC) on the foul line. The pair of free throws in the final 32 seconds was the final touch the Tigers needed for the win.
The Aggies (15-5, 4-3 SEC) have now lost three straight in conference play and slipped to fifth in the Southeastern Conference standings. Senior guard Quenton Jackson leads them in scoring this year at 13.0 points per game, and he had a strong performance in this one, posting 20 points off the bench. Andre Gordon also played well in the defeat. The Ohio native scored 18 points on 7 of 11 from the floor and added 4 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist.&nbsp;
Gordon got started early in this one, scoring multiple times in the first few minutes as Texas A&amp;M jumped out to a 10-4 lead. The teams went back and forth trading leads until LSU took a 34-31 advantage into the break.
The Aggies held the lead from 11:01 in the second half down to the 1:20 mark, when Mwani Wilkinson connected on his only bucket of the game, a triple to tie it up at 64-64. The Tigers&rsquo; team defense and free-throw shooting would seal the deal from there.&nbsp;
LSU&rsquo;s Brandon Murray led all players in scoring. The 6-foot-5 freshman hit 6 of 14 from the floor and connected on all six of his attempts from the line. He finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. A potential first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Tari Eason played 27 minutes before exiting with cramps. Before he left, the Tigers sophomore posted 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
LSU currently holds the No. 8 spot in conference play, but is projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UPCOMING
Texas A&amp;M will host South Carolina on Saturday night.
LSU will travel to TCU on Saturday.
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Ending the game on a 13-2 scoring run, the No. 19 LSU Tigers sealed a 70-64 victory over the visiting Texas A&M Aggies.

LSU pulls off the comeback, wins 70-64 over Texas A&M at home

Nearly one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, fantasy managers are already looking back at their drafts &mdash; celebrating certain steals and kicking themselves over their biggest busts.
It&rsquo;s always fun to track which players are overachieving from a fantasy standpoint. This list features a wide variety of surprise breakouts &mdash; from rising stars who have made a significant leap forward, to prospects who are making the most of an increased role, to veterans who find themselves in the right place at the right time following a change of scenery.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s break down the NBA players who have exceeded expectations out of the gate and helped fantasy managers get off to a strong start. (This article uses fantasy scoring from Yahoo's points leagues and all stats are up-to-date to reflect games played through Nov. 11).&nbsp;
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs | 46.18 FPPG, 9th in NBA
Entering this season, Dejounte Murray was a popular breakout candidate among fantasy analysts and managers, which is why he was being drafted in the third or fourth round of most fantasy drafts. However, nobody saw this kind of leap coming, as he&rsquo;s been a top-10 fantasy option through 11 games. The 25-year-old has become the focal point of the Spurs&rsquo; attack, averaging 18.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.4 threes, 0.5 blocks and just 2.1 turnovers in 34.3 minutes. Murray is filling the stat sheet on a nightly basis, like when he posted a monster 21-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound, 2-steal, 2-block performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 26. San Antonio has shifted its focus to rebuilding and developing their young talent, so Murray's role isn't changing anytime soon.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies | 46.29 FPPG, 8th in NBA
Like Murray, Ja Morant was being selected as a third- or fourth-rounder in fantasy drafts, but he has dominated out of the gate, and his 46.29 fantasy points per game rank eighth-best among all NBA players. Morant is averaging a career-high 26.5 points (up from 19.1 PPG last year) to go along with 7.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 threes and 1.7 steals. Also, this has been his most efficient campaign, as he&rsquo;s shooting 48.5% from the field, 34.5% from three-point range and 77.9% from the free-throw line (all of which are career-highs). He needs to limit his turnovers, as he's averaging 4.4 per game (which is eighth-most in the league). But otherwise, he's been an absolute steal for managers who bet on the high-upside guard.
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans | 43.65 FPPG, 13th in NBA
Jonas Valanciunas has been a solid fantasy option in recent years, totaling the 30th-most fantasy points in the league last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. However, after changing teams over the offseason, the fantasy community wasn&rsquo;t sure what to expect from the 29-year-old. Fantasy Pros&rsquo; preseason Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) had Valanciunas projected as the <a href="https://www.fantasypros.com/nba/rankings/overall-points-yahoo.php?filters=34c251ed83" target="_blank" rel="noopener">69th-best player</a>, and his Average Draft Position (ADP) was <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/average-draft-position/basketball?league=h2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">74.09</a>. Well, through 12 games, he's been a top-15 fantasy weapon, averaging a career-high in points (20.0), rebounds (14.0), assists (2.7), threes (1.0) and steals (0.8). With Zion Williamson recovering from offseason foot surgery and Brandon Ingram sidelined due to a hip contusion, Valanciunas has taken on a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pelicans-made-right-decision-by-extending-jonas-valanciunas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much bigger role than initially anticipated</a>, and he&rsquo;s made the most of the opportunity in New Orleans. He&rsquo;ll likely come back down to earth at some point, but he absolutely deserves praise for his impressive start.
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Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets | 41.35 FPPG, 23rd in NBA
One week before the season tipped off, Miles Bridges had an ADP of <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/average-draft-position/basketball?league=h2h" target="_blank" rel="noopener">103.70</a>. That means he was typically being picked in the same range as Klay Thompson (who remains sidelined) and Delon Wright (who&rsquo;s averaging 9.18 FPPG). Now, the 23-year-old is suddenly a top-25 option, averaging 21.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 threes, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and just 2.5 turnovers in 36.2 minutes per game. Bridges is one of the biggest surprises of this fantasy season because nobody outside of Miles&rsquo; family could've seen this kind of breakout campaign coming. With Morant and Murray, there was plenty of talk about how this could be their year, but Bridges wasn&rsquo;t receiving that kind of hype. The high-flyer has always been a ton of fun to watch, and it&rsquo;s been a pleasure seeing him round out his game and realize his full potential. Bridges has been incredibly consistent so far this season, finishing with 36.0 or more fantasy points in 10 of 12 games.
Al Horford, Boston Celtics | 37.23 FPPG, 42nd in NBA
It&rsquo;s easy to see why fantasy analysts and managers didn&rsquo;t feel like they could trust Al Horford entering this season. While a reunion with the Celtics was nice, he turned 35 years old in June and played in just 28 games last season for the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder (who were trying to showcase him and increase his trade value). Horford understandably slipped to the 11th or 12th round in drafts (and even went undrafted in some leagues), but he&rsquo;s been outstanding for Boston. Through nine games, he&rsquo;s averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.4 blocks, 0.9 steals, 1.1 threes and just 1.1 turnovers in 28.9 minutes per game. Prior to this season, Horford had never averaged over 1.5 blocks per game, so his 2.4 rejections have been a surprise. And the last time he averaged this many rebounds was back in 2012-13, when he was on the Atlanta Hawks. Horford has turned back the clock, and it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see just how much of this production is sustainable going forward.
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Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic | 37.29 FPPG, 41st in NBA
As of Oct. 17, Cole Anthony&rsquo;s ADP was <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Cole_Anthony/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">146.68</a>, which means he went undrafted in some leagues and some lucky managers landed a stud off of waivers. This season, Anthony has emerged as Orlando&rsquo;s leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.0 threes, 1.3 steals and 2.8 turnovers in 33.9 minutes per game, while shooting 44.0% from the field, 39.1% from three and 85.0% from the free-throw line. The 21-year-old has become a fan favorite thanks to his aggressiveness, swagger and <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1457528011700547588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amazing interviews</a>. The Magic have assembled an impressive young core that is a lot of fun to watch.
Mo Bamba, Orlando Magic | 32.56 FPPG, 59th in NBA
Speaking of Orlando's young core, Mo Bamba also deserves a mention on this list. His ADP was even lower than Anthony&rsquo;s at <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Mo_Bamba/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">151.47</a>, but he&rsquo;s been playing at a high level on both ends. Shortly after he became the sixth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, his trainer Drew Hanlen <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/07/29/nba-offseason-training-joel-embiid-gordon-hayward-jayson-tatum-markelle-fultz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that he was a very raw project; it would likely take three-to-five years before he could become a real low-post threat on offense since he needed to bulk up, improve his lower-body strength and learn to make the right reads. Bamba put in work behind the scenes, following the same developmental plan that Joel Embiid used under Hanlen earlier in his career. Well, here we are four years later, and Bamba looks like the real deal. The 23-year-old is averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.8 assists, 1.6 threes and 0.9 steals on 49.5/40.4/70.8 shooting splits, and it's clear his best basketball is still ahead of him.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings | 37.52 FPPG, 40th in NBA&nbsp;
Barnes has been a serviceable role player for fantasy teams throughout his 10 years in the NBA, but he's been much more impactful this season now that he's playing the best basketball of his career. Barnes, who had an ADP of <a href="https://www.fantasysp.com/nba_player_news/Harrison_Barnes/adp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">99.1</a>, is averaging the 40th-most fantasy points in the league (37.52) thanks to his 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 threes, 1.2 steals and 2.0 turnovers (plus his efficient 49.0/42.5/86.7 shooting splits). While he has certainly helped many managers in point leagues, he has been even better in category leagues (where he's a top-15 option).
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers | 30.41 FPPG, 73rd in NBA
Following a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ricky-rubio-will-demand-the-best-out-of-young-cleveland-cavaliers-himself" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrific Olympic showing with the Spanish national team</a> &mdash; during which he averaged 25.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 threes on 47.8% shooting from deep &mdash; Ricky Rubio has picked up right where he left off. The 31-year-old is putting up a career-high 14.3 points as well as 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 threes, 1.3 steals and 3.0 turnovers while shooting a personal-best 41.0% from three-point range. Now, with Collin Sexton <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-collin-sexton-sidelined-whos-next-man-up-for-cavs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sidelined indefinitely due to a torn meniscus</a>, Rubio will take on a larger role and workload, and become an even bigger steal. Though Isaac Okoro appears to be the team's new starting guard, in the four games that Rubio's played over 30 minutes for Cleveland this season, he&rsquo;s averaged 19.5 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 threes and 1.5 steals on insane 50.0/50.0/100.0 shooting splits.
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Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers | 30.21 FPPG, 74th in NBA
Once it became clear that Ben Simmons wouldn't be suiting up for the start of the season, Tyrese Maxey became an interesting sleeper to keep an eye on at the end of drafts. But instead of emerging as a quality role player, the sophomore guard has looked like a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-centered-on-getting-1-better-every-day-for-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rising star for the 76ers</a>. Two nights ago, Maxey had 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 0 turnovers against the Milwaukee Bucks, and then he followed that up with a 33-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound, 2-block, 1-steal, 2-turnover performance against the Toronto Raptors. The 21-year-old doesn't lack confidence. On the season, he's now averaging 17.1 points, 4.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 threes, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.5 turnovers in 35.8 minutes, while shooting 50.6% from the field, 38.1% from three and 87.2% from the free-throw line.
Honorable Mention: The 2021 Rookie Class&nbsp;
Fantasy managers who put their faith in the 2021 NBA Draft class have largely been rewarded, especially if they bet on Scottie Barnes (33.70 FPPG, 56th-ranked), Evan Mobley (33.33, 57th) or Josh Giddey (30.44, 72nd) &mdash; all of whom are averaging at least 30.0 FPPG and currently top-75 options.
Franz Wagner (25.86, 106th) and Chris Duarte (25.01, 114th) have been the biggest surprises among rookies, as they each got off to a hot start after stepping up amidst injuries. (The Orlando Magic started the season without Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Chuma Okeke, while the Indiana Pacers have dealt with injuries to Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb).
Other rookies such as Cade Cunningham (23.48, 134th), Jalen Green (23.31, 135th), Alperen Sengun (21.98, 153rd), Jalen Suggs (21.06, 160th) and Davion Mitchell (20.74, 164th) have shown flashes early on as well.

One month into the NBA season, which players have been fantasy-basketball steals? Alex Kennedy breaks down 10 overachievers.

Fantasy basketball steals: 10 players exceeding expectations

We are red-hot on Prize Picks props right now on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; our daily NBA betting podcast on <a href="http://BasketballNews.com">BasketballNews.com</a>. Over the last four days, we have hit five power plays. For example, if you tailed these bets for $100 on each wager, you would have made $5,000. Whether it be our picks against the spread or over/under props, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; is with you every single day to give you an edge over the competition by previewing daily action in the Association.
All odds are provided by TwinSpires Sportsbook. Player over/under prop picks are from our sponsor, Prize Picks. Without further ado, it&rsquo;s hammering time!
Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets (-3.5)
Pascal Siakam is making his season debut tonight for the Raptors, who continue to surprise early on this season. OG Anunoby is taking the leap into the Most Improved Player conversation, while No. 4 overall pick Scottie Barnes is near the top of the Rookie of the Year race as well. Surprisingly, this Raptors team seems feisty enough to fight for a play-in spot all season long. In this matchup against the star-studded Nets at home, though, we favor the road team in Brooklyn. Kevin Durant and James Harden should put together outstanding outings, which leads the Nets to covering the 3.5-point spread in the end. On Prize Picks, here&rsquo;s a power play to tail me on: Durant over 27.5 points, Harden over 20.5 points, Anunoby under 18.5 points, Harden over 9.5 assists.
New York Knicks (-7.5) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Knicks are for real. After falling into a 20-point hole on Friday in Milwaukee, they stormed back in the second half to beat the Bucks by double-digits. New York is well on its way to another locked-in playoff spot, if their early-season momentum continues on. Against the Cavaliers, I actually favor the young core of Cleveland to cover the 7.5-point spread. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are such a fun core to build around, and I think they keep this one close throughout. I&rsquo;m not confident enough to pick the underdog outright in Madison Square Garden, but this should be a closely-contested matchup. Give me the Cavaliers +7.5 and the following over/under props: Julius Randle over 22.5 points, Garland over 17.5 points, Allen over 12.5 points, Allen over 11.5 rebounds, Randle under 2 threes.
Sacramento Kings (-1) vs. Indiana Pacers
Sacramento is so fun to watch. If you&rsquo;re not on the West Coast to watch them, stay up one night and do so because you won&rsquo;t regret it. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Davion Mitchell and Buddy Hield are all jelling together well. Meanwhile, Richaun Holmes continues to be an incredible find for the Kings after signing a multi-year extension this past offseason. With the all-around fireworks Sacramento is capable of on offense, I&rsquo;m hammering the Kings here on the 1-point spread. Indiana is so up-and-down, especially on the road. It&rsquo;s hard to trust the Pacers right now, but this should be a very tight game, which TwinSpires predicts with such a small spread. Hammer the Kings and these over/under props on Prize Picks: Fox over 21.5 points, Domantas Sabonis over 18.5 points, Harrison Barnes over 17.5 points, Chris Duarte over 13.5 points, Sabonis over 10.5 rebounds.
Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks (-1)
The Bucks have to bounce back from an embarrassing collapse on Friday against New York, right? That&rsquo;s where I&rsquo;m leaning here thanks in large part to Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Who on the Wizards will be able to contain Giannis? The answer is nobody. With that being said, I love the Bucks on the road against the new-and-improved Wizards. Washington has achieved a solid balance around Beal, but they&rsquo;re still not on the level of Milwaukee. Especially with Jrue Holiday being worked back into the lineup, hammer Milwaukee here. On Prize Picks, here&rsquo;s a Giannis-centric power play: Giannis over 29.5 points, Bradley Beal over 24.5 points, Giannis over 11.5 rebounds, Giannis over 5.5 assists.
Orlando Magic vs. Utah Jazz (-12)
Utah is going to come into this game against the lowly Magic very angry. They had the chance to win last night against the Miami Heat but were unable to pull it off late. This time around, expect the Jazz to dominate from the opening tip, as this one won&rsquo;t be close at all. Even with a massive 12-point spread, we&rsquo;re hammering Utah here to cover. Expect the Jazz to win by at least 12 points, and potentially 20-plus as well. On Prize Picks, we&rsquo;re rolling with the Jazz&rsquo; inside-out duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to dominate: Mitchell over 25.5 points, Gobert over 13.5 rebounds, Mitchell over 5 assists, Mitchell over 3.5 threes.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs (-4)
There&rsquo;s a first time for everything in the NBA gambling world. Today, the time is now for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be wagered on. Yes, surprise, I&rsquo;m rolling with the Thunder to cover the 4-point spread as underdogs at home against the Spurs. This one is going to be close throughout, in my opinion, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the trump card for Oklahoma City. The way SGA has been playing recently has been fantastic, and I expect his hot streak to maintain versus San Antonio. I&rsquo;m not picking the Thunder outright here, but OKC being able to make this a one-possession game is a plausible scenario. On Prize Picks, let&rsquo;s lock in an SGA-heavy over/under power play: Gilgeous-Alexander over 22.5 points, Dejounte Murray over 17.5 points, Gilgeous-Alexander over 5.5 rebounds, Gilgeous-Alexander over 4 assists.
Golden State Warriors (-12.5) vs. Houston Rockets
This Warriors team is dominant right now. Just imagine the possibilities once Klay Thompson is back at 100 percent and in the starting lineup around the holidays. Golden State is well on their way to being a top-three seed in the Western Conference this season, so welcome back to elite status. The Warriors&rsquo; veteran role players have been outstanding fits, plus the emergence of Jordan Poole has been so fun to watch. Stephen Curry is playing like an MVP contender, so expect him to flex his muscles early and often against the Rockets&rsquo; inexperienced backcourt. Let&rsquo;s go over to Prize Picks and lock in some Warriors props to tail our prediction of them to cover the 12.5-point spread: Curry over 29.5 points, Poole over 17.5 points, Curry over 5.5 threes, Andrew Wiggins over 1.5 threes.
Los Angeles Clippers (-6) vs. Charlotte Hornets
I&rsquo;m still in the camp of Charlotte eventually finishing as a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, but their defense is a complete disaster right now. Most nights, they have to win thrilling shootouts. As we saw against Golden State, they can get sliced apart against elite teams. The Clippers are not on that level yet, but they&rsquo;re getting close thanks to Paul George showing why he&rsquo;s still a superstar without Kawhi Leonard alongside him. George has been one of the best players in the Association, and I expect him to bludgeon the Hornets&rsquo; porous defense throughout tonight&rsquo;s tilt at the Staples Center. Hammer the Clippers at -6, plus the following over/under props on Prize Picks: George over 26.5 points, LaMelo Ball over 6.5 assists, George over 5.5 assists, George over 3.5 threes, Ball over 2 threes.
Recapping our picks here on &ldquo;Nothing But Bets,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s who I&rsquo;m rolling with for Sunday&rsquo;s awesome slate of NBA action: Nets -3.5, Cavaliers +7.5, Kings -1, Bucks -1, Jazz -12, Thunder +4, Warriors -12.5, Clippers -6.
All users that deposit and use the promo code NEWS on Prize Picks will receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100! <a href="https://app.prizepicks.com/sign-up?invite_code=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up here</a>.

For Sunday's fun slate of NBA action, "Nothing But Bets" drops off the daily picks against the spread plus over/under power play props from Prize Picks.

Nothing But Bets: NBA Projections for 11/7/21

In the G League Ignite&rsquo;s inaugural season last year, the program produced several notable NBA Draft picks: Jalen Green (No. 3 overall, Houston Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7 overall, Golden State Warriors) and Isaiah Todd (No. 31 overall, Washington Wizards). Former five-star recruit and UCLA commit Daishen Nix didn&rsquo;t hear his name called, but was signed to a two-way contract shortly after the draft. Despite the complications and challenges the Ignite faced with the pandemic last season, I&rsquo;d say it was a success overall.
This past weekend, I traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to see the new-look Ignite take on the Iowa Wolves (the Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate) in their 2021-22 season opener.
The young Ignite struggled mightily early on versus a talented Wolves team, having trailed 65-34 at halftime. However, with things looking bleak, newly-appointed head coach Jason Hart impressively kept the energy level high. His team subsequently chipped away at the deficit, closing the gap to make it a competitive game in the second half despite ultimately falling, 98-87.&nbsp;
Although the young prospects started off their pro careers with that common &ldquo;deer in the headlights&rdquo; look, I found the game to be very fruitful from a scouting perspective, nonetheless. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Rod Strickland have done a terrific job of carrying over the momentum they created last season, and it&rsquo;s great to see that they have put together another very talented group of young NBA prospects.&nbsp;
Prior to attending the game in Iowa, I had previously crossed paths with the American prospects &mdash; Jaden Hardy, Michael Foster and MarJon Beauchamp &mdash; multiple times. I have also watched an extended amount of film on Australian prospect Dyson Daniels, who our very own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spencer Davies interviewed this summer</a> too. So I didn&rsquo;t go into that game starting my evaluations from scratch, and had a decent level of familiarity with these young men. That said, this was the first time I was able to see them in their new professional setting &mdash; naturally, the next step in my evaluation process.
Here are my thoughts on each of the Ignite&rsquo;s top prospects:
Jaden Hardy
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 85%; height: 66px; border-style: none;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Height: 6-4</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Position: Guard</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Weight: 198</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Draft Day Age: 20.1</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Wingspan: 6-9</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Nationality: USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
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Jaden Hardy is already well-known as a dynamic scorer. I might even go as far as to call him a potentially-elite scorer. However, in this specific game, he was not. Hardy&rsquo;s game generally starts from the outside. He is a terrific outside shooter with limitless range, which subsequently opens things up for him and allows him to use his explosiveness and finishing abilities at the rim. He clearly wasn&rsquo;t feeling it in Iowa, as his outside shots weren&rsquo;t falling, which seemed to put some additional pressure on him to create more off the dribble and get to the hole. Despite only shooting 1-of-8 from three-point range, Hardy still ended up with 12 points and 6 assists. To be clear, I&rsquo;m not concerned with one off shooting night at all. I have no doubt that the kid can fill it up.
I&rsquo;m intrigued to watch Hardy more and get a better feel as to whether he can play some point guard, or if he will be limited to strictly playing as a shooting guard primarily as a scorer. If he is limited to only playing off the ball, I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s necessarily a huge knock on his evaluation; it just changes the outlook as to what his long-term role will be.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m also going to be keeping an eye on his defensive fundamentals and discipline. I can&rsquo;t say that I was overly alarmed, but he has a lot of room for growth on that end of the floor. At the same time, similar things were said about Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Jalen Green at the same stage in their development &mdash; and they&rsquo;re all just fine.
We currently have Jaden Hardy at No. 3 on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>, and I am comfortable with him in that spot for now. At this point, I believe that, in some type of order, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Hardy are the &ldquo;Big Three&rdquo; of the 2022 draft class.
Dyson Daniels
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.6695%; height: 75px; border-style: none;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Height: 6-6</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Position: Guard/Forward</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Weight: 198</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Draft Day Age: 19.3</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Wingspan: 6-7</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 25px;">Nationality: Australia</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
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As opposed to most NBA prospects who I track for years and see in live action before they step into their pre-draft season, this was the first time I had seen Dyson Daniels in person. As mentioned before, I had spent time watching film on him, but I find it hard to get a great grip without seeing a prospect with my own two eyes.&nbsp;
At first glance, Daniels more than passes the eye test. At 6-foot-6 and 199 pounds, he looks like an NBA player. Interestingly, Daniels started at point guard as Scoot Henderson &mdash; who will be eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft &mdash; was out with a minor injury. Although Daniels looks like he&rsquo;d be an athletic and slashing wing, his greatest strength is his ability to get to his spots off the bounce. My early impression is that, regardless of what position he plays, his ability to create is what appeals the most.
Daniels showed flashes of major upside as a versatile guard with terrific positional size, but was unassertive, which seemingly led to a lack of production. It was only his first game with the Ignite, so I&rsquo;m not going to overreact here, but I would like to see him break out of his shell a bit moving forward.&nbsp;
We will be tracking Daniels very closely moving forward, as he has a lot of talent. He is currently ranked 21st on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Board</a>.
Michael Foster
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 85%; border-style: none; height: 66px;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Height: 6-8</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Position: Forward</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Weight: 250</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Draft Day Age: 19.4</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Wingspan: 6-11</td>
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Nationality: USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/20210913_ng0934_ignite_lg.JPG" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
I have seen Michael Foster play in-person many times. There&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/michael-foster-wont-be-stopped-from-turning-nba-dream-into-reality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot to like about him</a> &mdash; his physical profile, tools and raw skill set are undeniable. He played hard and was terrific on the boards in the game vs. the Wolves, but offensively he left me wanting more, as he has done before. Actually, his lack of self-awareness on the offensive end has made me increasingly frustrated.&nbsp;
When evaluating Foster, I can&rsquo;t help but think about a scene from an old Vince Vaughn movie named, &ldquo;Swingers.&rdquo; In the scene, Vaughn&rsquo;s character said something along the lines of:
You&rsquo;re a big bear with big claws and fangs, and there&rsquo;s like this little bunny just cowering in the corner. You&rsquo;re looking at these claws, and you&rsquo;re thinking to yourself, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to kill the bunny.&rsquo;
Although I&rsquo;ll admit the analogy is a bit off the wall, I think it fits. Foster has the physical tools and skills to be such a physical force, but regularly chooses to be a finesse player.
If I were coaching Foster, I would set him on a two-dribble limit and only give him the green light to shoot jumpers off the catch; my hope would be that it would force him to simplify his game. I&rsquo;d like to see Foster turn himself into a rebounding machine who is constantly looking to tear the rim down, while also being able to hit an open shot from the perimeter. He&rsquo;s certainly capable of doing these things, but he needs to choose to play that way.
I&rsquo;m not giving up on Foster as a prospect, but I think he needs to make the next steps in his development in order to even come close to maximizing his talent.
MarJon Beauchamp
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.6695%; height: 100px; border-style: none;" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Height: 6-6</td>
<td style="width: 53.6301%; height: 22px;">Position: Guard/Forward</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Weight: 199</td>
<td style="width: 53.6301%; height: 22px;">Draft Day Age: 20.8</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 48.1356%; height: 22px;">Wingspan: 7-0</td>
<td style="width: 53.6301%; height: 22px;">Nationality: USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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MarJon Beauchamp (<a href="https://twitter.com/Marjon32?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Marjon32</a>) putting his explosion &amp; athleticism on full display with a couple monster dunks, including this one that fired up the Ignite bench. <a href="https://t.co/SiZf3d0IBn">pic.twitter.com/SiZf3d0IBn</a>
&mdash; Derek Murray (@DMurrayHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/DMurrayHoops/status/1454247282271039490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with MarJon Beauchamp and watch him work out after he joined trainer Frank &ldquo;Hell&rsquo;s Trainer&rdquo; Matrisciano&rsquo;s Chameleon BX (now Stealth X Athletics). It seems as if the pandemic really threw a wrench in the program&rsquo;s plans, as MarJon has not gotten much exposure since I first saw him. However, as soon as he took the court in Des Moines, it was instantly noticeable that he had transformed his body. Once a skinny kid, Beauchamp now looks like a grown man physically. And you know what? He played like one too.
Tallying 18 points and 8 rebounds, Beauchamp utilized his athleticism to execute various slashing moves, throw down some impressive dunks and contribute on the boards. If he&rsquo;s able to prove to be reliable enough as an outside shooter, I think he&rsquo;ll find a place for himself in the NBA.
Following my trip to Des Moines, I&rsquo;m not sure any player helped himself more than Beauchamp did. As a result, we have moved him up our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Board</a>. He is currently ranked No. 48.
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Today is November 1, and the NBA Draft is set to take place on June 23, 2022. The NBA Draft process is exactly that &mdash; a process. As an NBA Draft Analyst, I spend years evaluating prospects, starting when most are at the high school level. My personal approach is to not be overly concerned with being the first to be right about a prospect, but rather to organize my schedule and my efforts to make sure that I&rsquo;m able to gather the proper amount of relevant information to be able to come to a conclusive evaluation by draft night.
I&rsquo;ve now shared my candid thoughts with you as to where I stand with each of the G League Ignite&rsquo;s prospects at this particular point in the process. One thing I really like about evaluating prospects early in the season is that there is still plenty of time for the prospects to change the narrative &mdash; for better or worse.&nbsp;
And for that reason, I&rsquo;ll continue to watch closely.

Matt Babcock provides his thoughts on each of the G League Ignite’s top NBA Draft prospects after seeing their pro debuts in Iowa.

Babcock: Takeaways from the G League Ignite’s season-opener

In 2006, I worked as a summer intern for a sports agency called Wasserman Media Group. With that job, I had a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. One of my duties was being the travel companion and, essentially, manager for Joel Freeland, a British NBA prospect who ultimately became the No. 30 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
Among the many stops that Joel and I made together prior to that draft was Memphis, Tennessee. He auditioned in front of then-Grizzlies general manager Jerry West ("The Logo" himself) and his staff. That was the first time I ever made a trip to Memphis, and little did I know at the time that I would come back to visit many more times throughout my career.
Well, this past week, I traveled to Memphis yet again. This season, in addition to my typical draft coverage, I will also be providing some NBA rookie coverage for BasketballNews.com.
So the first thing on my agenda, other than stopping by Gus&rsquo;s to get their world-famous fried chicken, was to take in a preseason game that had the Milwaukee Bucks facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies. In that contest, Ziaire Williams &mdash; who was selected No. 10 overall by the Grizzlies &mdash; was the highest pick from the 2021 NBA Draft who was playing.
I must say, I really enjoyed watching him lace 'em up and play in NBA threads for the first time. I have been following Williams since he was in high school, and it is a joy to watch players as they gradually tip-toe toward accomplishing their goals. Williams didn&rsquo;t start, but he was put into the game pretty quickly and got a steal right away. He ended up with 4 points on 2-for-4 from the field, playing 18 minutes in total. He had some rookie mistakes, but overall, I&rsquo;d say this was a productive first NBA game for the rookie.
Also worth mentioning is Sandro Mamukelashvili, the No. 54 pick by the Bucks. Last year, &ldquo;Mamu&rdquo; was among the favorites among our BasketballNews.com scouting staff. At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Mamu is a fun player to watch, as he is extremely versatile for a big man; he can handle, pass and shoot the ball. He also plays with a high motor and a great pace. In that game vs. the Grizzlies, Mamu scored 9 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in 29 minutes of floor time. I&rsquo;ll admit I&rsquo;m a bit biased here (my dad is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/growing-up-a-buck-millewahque-milwaukee-bucks-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">director of player personnel of the Bucks</a>), but Mamu looks like a great pick considering he was taken at the tail end of the second round.
I'd be remiss if I didn&rsquo;t mention how incredible Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was in this game, and in general. He scored a smooth 27 points in 24 minutes. I remember watching Morant score 27 points and dish out 12 assists at a Murray State home game against Southeast Missouri State a few years ago. In hindsight, even considering the lower level he was playing on, it was one of the most memorable performances that I&rsquo;ve ever seen by a draft prospect. It has been great to see Morant develop into the star that many of us thought and hoped he&rsquo;d become. It&rsquo;s crazy to think that he&rsquo;s still developing.
Perhaps the key storyline of the night was the game's abrupt end. Following the third quarter, the fire alarm went off, and the fans and teams subsequently evacuated the building, prematurely concluding the game. Although I attend games on a regular basis, that was quite different. Also, this was my first game of the 2021-22 campaign&mdash; certainly a strange way to kick the season off.
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I&rsquo;m set to watch many games throughout the 2021-22 season. The Bucks vs. Grizzlies game tonight was my first. It ended in an evacuation and cancellation after the 3rd quarter due to a fire alarm. And I thought things were getting back to normal&hellip; 😬 <a href="https://t.co/Fyh68OYWOs">pic.twitter.com/Fyh68OYWOs</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1445586285368729612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Although I enjoyed attending the Bucks and Grizzlies game, let&rsquo;s not forget that I&rsquo;m an NBA Draft Analyst first and foremost, so my main focus when putting together my travel schedule is to see NBA prospects. Well, with that strategy in place, Memphis was naturally a top-priority destination for me, as the Memphis Tigers are loaded with NBA talent.
I attended the Tigers&rsquo; pro day on Wednesday afternoon and walked away impressed. Here are my thoughts on a few of their top NBA prospects:
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jalen-duren" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Duren</a> | Center | 6-foot-11, 250 pounds | Freshman
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I have watched Jalen Duren for years. I first saw him at a USA Basketball camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the time, Duren&rsquo;s physical tools instantly popped, and they still do. However, he has grown physically since then, as he is now 6-foot-11 and a chiseled 250 pounds while sporting an impressive 7-foot-5 wingspan. He has also grown as a player and seemingly as a young man. In high school, I first questioned his motor and approach, but he has improved in those areas significantly.
From a skill-set standpoint, Duren's key attributes are certainly his physical tools; he is an absolute brute. He will be most effective utilizing his physicality and explosivenss. Expect a lot of powerful dunks, blocks and rebounds. However, he continues to show flashes of skill as well; he has a good feel as a passer and a soft touch as a mid-range shooter. In fact, on one possession during live-play at pro day, he made an incredible move in the mid-post where he jab-stepped into a stepback turnaround jumper. I looked over and gave a staff member a look and simply said, &ldquo;Wow." Duren is currently slotted as the No. 4 prospect on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>, and after attending that pro day, I can confidently say he&rsquo;s in a good spot.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/fivestar-recruit-emoni-bates-commits-to-university-of-memphis-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emoni Bates</a> | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-9, 190 pounds | Freshman
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At this point I think anyone that follows basketball knows of Emoni Bates. I mean, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 15 years old, with the headline being &ldquo;Born for This.&rdquo; In <a href="https://www.si.com/high-school/2019/10/29/emoni-bates-nba-draft-prospect-kevin-durant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the article</a>, it suggested that he was a prodigy next in line to follow in the footsteps of LeBron James. The hype surrounding Emoni has taken on a life of it&rsquo;s own. In the last year or so, Bates has seemingly become a target of constant criticism due to the unreasonable expectations of him. Following the Memphis pro day, social media platforms went crazy over Bates&rsquo; physical measurements and testing. Although he was measured at an impressive 6-foot-9, his wingspan was measured only 6-foot-7 1/4, and his standing vertical was only 24.5 inches. I&rsquo;ll admit those numbers are very underwhelming but let&rsquo;s not lose sight of Bates&rsquo; talent, versatility, and upside. He&rsquo;s 6-9 and is just a natural scorer and playmaker.
I believe that long-term Bates would be best used as a shooting and scoring wing, but it seems as if head coach Penny Hardaway is going to use him at point guard &mdash; at least some of the time. Although I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s his long-term position, it&rsquo;s impressive that at 6-9 they have the confidence to even try to use him that way. My biggest concern with Bates is not his short wingspan or his underwhelming vertical jump, it&rsquo;s his lack of physical strength. However, let&rsquo;s not forget Bates is only 17 years old; in fact, he is not even old enough to be eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft. Despite the criticism, I still think Bates is a big-time prospect. The good thing for Bates is that he has plenty of time to prove the naysayers wrong. Either way, I&rsquo;m looking forward to continuing to watch his development.
Earl Timberlake | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-6, 220 pounds | Sophomore
Although I had watched plenty of film of Earl Timberlake, I had not seen him in person prior to the Memphis pro day, so I was eager to see him. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Timberlake has a strong and physical profile for a wing. Aside from his physical tools, he has what seems to be a knack for passing and playmaking; I expect for those parts of his game to be utilized greatly this year, as the Tigers&rsquo; overall guard play is questionable. We do not currently have Timberlake on our Big Board, as I&rsquo;m still working toward a more conclusive evaluation of him. But I am indeed intrigued, and will be tracking Timberlake closely.
Landers Nolley II | Forward | 6-foot-7, 220 pounds | Junior
I spent a lot of time watching Landers Nolley II while he was at Virginia Tech. I first saw him at the Maui Invitational, and then saw him in Blacksburg as the Hokies played Florida State, which included current NBA players Patrick Williams and Devin Vassell. At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Nolley's key attribute is a good one &mdash; he really shoots the ball well from outside. He&rsquo;s capable of putting the ball on the floor for mid-range pull-ups or straight-line drives; however, I view him as a shooter. Possessing a quick release, the issue has not been his ability, but more so his decision-making and shot selection. After watching him at the Memphis pro day, it seems as if he has improved his shot selection. He is not currenty on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board, but like his teammate, Earl Timberlake, we will be tracking him closely.&nbsp;
DeAndre Williams | Forward | 6-foot-9, 205 pounds | Senior
If DeAndre Williams is able to put together another quality season for the Tigers, I would not be surprised at all to see him claw his way into the NBA somehow. As a senior, Williams will certainly be a high priority for the <a href="https://www.tampabayprocombine.com/">Tampa Bay Pro Combine</a> Player Selection Committee, which I am co-chair of alongside former coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla.
Lester Quinones | Guard/Forward | 6-foot-5, 208 pounds | Junior
A do-it-all glue guy, Lester Quinones is a great piece for the Tigers&rsquo; team. Since I first saw him at the Memphis pro day a couple of years ago, he has transformed his body; he looks great! I&rsquo;m looking forward to watching his progress this season.
Josh Minott | Forward | 6-foot-8, 205 pounds | Freshman
Josh Minott is a long and athletic hybrid forward worth keeping a pulse on. I&rsquo;m not certain of the role he&rsquo;ll fill for the Tigers this season, but I do like his upside long-term.
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During my time as a sports agent, I represented two former Tigers in D.J. Stephens and Chris Crawford. I came to Memphis multiple times to recruit each one of them, and I also had each of them train locally with my friend Frank &ldquo;Hell&rsquo;s Trainer&rdquo; Matrisciano following their senior seasons. I remember having dinner with D.J. at Itta Bena, a great restaurant above B.B. King&rsquo;s that is a speakeasy and can only be entered through a fire escape. I also remember signing contracts with Chris at the historic Peabody Hotel, which is known for their ducks that march throughout the hotel on a red carpet. I became fond of the city during that time.
Since leaving the agent business in recent years, I have continued to come back to Memphis as an NBA Draft Analyst somewhat frequently to scout NBA prospects. I attended the Tigers&rsquo; pro day a couple of years ago to see James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa. In addition, I watched R.J. Hampton&rsquo;s team, the New Zealand Breakers, play an exhibition game versus the Grizzlies and Anthony Edwards&rsquo; Georgia Bulldogs play the Tigers. I also spent time with and watched local product Kennedy Chandler, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tennessee-volunteers-point-guard-kennedy-chandler-intent-on-showing-size-isnt-everything">who is now a freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers</a> and is currently slotted as the 13th-best prospect on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
Once again, attending the Tigers' pro day was certainly fruitful from a scouting standpoint. Memphis will certainly be a high priority for our scouting staff to keep an eye on moving forward.&nbsp;
I thoroughly enjoyed my latest trip to Bluff City: great food, great people, warm southern hospitality and even better basketball.
Until next time, Memphis.

Matt Babcock details his trip to Memphis for the Tigers' pro day and NBA preseason action, and what he took away from both events.

Babcock: Takeaways from a trip to Memphis for Tigers pro day

Matt Babcock concludes his series by detailing the post-2001 years in Milwaukee and his father's role in finding talent deep in drafts.

Growing up a Buck: From Ray Allen to Giannis, my dad remains in Milwaukee

NBA discourse has shifted with the growth of social media. Sports shows are all about debates, and the louder you are, the more persuasive your argument seems. The only way to win is by going viral on Twitter and the only losers are those of us in search of nuance.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With virality being the goal, sports takes have become akin to hit TikTok songs. Substance is lost in favor of something attention-grabbing, memorable and not too complicated (otherwise it&rsquo;s no longer memeable on Instagram).
This form of media taints the discourse as we&rsquo;re left with polarizing, hyperbolic takes devoid of any nuance. Intricate analysis is hard to come by in favor of snappy nicknames like Pandemic P or obviously outrageous takes like Max Kellerman of ESPN saying that with the fate of the universe on the line, he&rsquo;d pick Andre Iguodala (a career-33% three-point shooter!) to take the shot over the likes of Stephen Curry, the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Hot takes like these are especially prevalent in the NBA Playoffs.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re an audience that&rsquo;s been fed a narrative (meant to draw in views) that the NBA Playoffs are where amazing happens, where we weed out the greats from the very-goods and not-good-enoughs. And we don&rsquo;t take kindly to losing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Though entertaining, this is a flawed way to analyze the playoffs. The playoffs are about matchups, with a dash of luck for shooting variance. Teams that fare well are versatile, making them difficult to scheme for and affording them the ability to go toe-to-toe with just about any squad.
When a team lacks versatility, what should be a criticism on the roster becomes a critique of the superstar, especially ones who have just won regular-season awards (like Nikola Jokic).
Jokic, the NBA&rsquo;s 2021 Most Valuable Player, was more than deserving of his regular-season award after averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. His team losing was not an indictment on his performance, but a result of the injuries the Nuggets sustained, losing playmaking and shot creation, leaving them with little offensive firepower to combat the Phoenix Suns.&nbsp;
The attacks on Jokic are about how he was destroyed defensively. And I&rsquo;m not going to try and defend Jokic&rsquo;s defense; instead, I&rsquo;ll drop back, and let you fire away. Lord knows, that&rsquo;s what he did.&nbsp;
My argument is that we knew that Jokic in drop coverage against the best pick-and-roll guard in the league was going to be a struggle for the Nuggets defensively, so why fault him for it now?&nbsp;
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There are arguments to be made that Nuggets head coach Michael Malone should have adjusted, or that Jokic should not have continuously fallen so deep in the drop, affording Chris Paul the luxury of taking every mid-range shot available or kicking it out for three. And though those arguments are valid, and rich debate can be had, the internet so often widdles it down to catchy and easily repeatable slogans like, &ldquo;Is This Your MVP?&rdquo; or, &ldquo;#NotMyMVP&rdquo;, discrediting how spectacular Jokic was offensively throughout the series and all year long.&nbsp;
In our (very online) modern era, everyone has space to voice their opinions and only the hottest takes survive. Our attention spans have gotten shorter and our memories rival that of goldfish. We only hold space for the most polarizing and outrageous takes&hellip; or slander. Slander lives forever.&nbsp;
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Nba fans don&rsquo;t like anything about the nba and it&rsquo;s weird
&mdash; Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1376187247461023746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The internet can be a vicious place, with many NBA players saying they have to log off throughout the playoffs.&nbsp;
Log on to Twitter and you&rsquo;d think most people tuned in to berate and defame the league&rsquo;s biggest stars, and not because they actually wanted to enjoy the show.&nbsp;
Jokic seems unperturbed by it. However, Rudy Gobert has been going back and forth with trolls online as people question the validity of his 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award.&nbsp;
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3 of em and they all real, more to come also. <a href="https://t.co/HEDrRR6sQn">https://t.co/HEDrRR6sQn</a>
&mdash; Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) <a href="https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1406774669479333888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Gobert struggled against the Los Angeles Clippers, not because he&rsquo;s a fraud undeserving of his award, but because the Clippers posed a unique matchup problem for him when they go small with Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum at the 5.&nbsp;
The playoffs are about matchups and beating the team in front of you. It&rsquo;s about solving your opponent before they can solve you. The Clippers&rsquo; small-ball, five-out lineup proved to be unsolvable for a team that&rsquo;s built their entire defense on the back of the best rim protector in the league, a defense that routinely forces teams into the shots the Clippers will gladly take.
Kristaps Porzingis, nicknamed the Unicorn for his unique skill set as a big man, was tasked with facing a team whose own unique skill set perfectly exploits said big man. Once again, we&rsquo;re talking about the small-ball Clippers.&nbsp;
Completely unfazed by his size, they attacked Porzingis on defense and often ignored him on offense, as he struggled to effectively post-up smaller guys. They rendered Porzingis invisible on defense and he was relegated to the corners on offense (for spacing purposes), which is a far cry from the role your second option and highest-paid player should have.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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And while it&rsquo;s fair to criticize players like Porzingis for underperforming, it&rsquo;s important to not lose the context with which these series happen. The playoffs do not exist in a vacuum; 82 games are played beforehand in which we learn each team&rsquo;s (and each player&rsquo;s) strengths and weaknesses. It&rsquo;s unfair to everyone involved to pretend as though the regular season does not matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whether it&rsquo;s praise like ESPN&rsquo;s Stephen A. Smith calling Devin Booker &ldquo;Kobe Bryant&rdquo; on First Take because of 11 playoff games against teams missing Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard or criticism levied at Gobert for his failure to contain Terance Mann, reactionary takes will always take precedence over long-form analysis.&nbsp;
I didn&rsquo;t write this to be the &ldquo;old-man-yells-at-cloud&rdquo; meme. I take part in slandering players as much as anyone, but there needs to be a clear demarcation where we understand what&rsquo;s a joke and what&rsquo;s a measured take. And when talking heads blur the lines, it muddies the waters for everyone.
Takes then become facts, soundbites become referendums and suddenly, like a watered-down TikTok dance, you&rsquo;re left with a take devoid of the substance the originator intended. 
Welcome to the modern NBA.
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NIKOLA JOKIC DID TIKTOK <a href="https://t.co/4i3UwOl0vj">pic.twitter.com/4i3UwOl0vj</a>
&mdash; Ali (@hanafire_) <a href="https://twitter.com/hanafire_/status/1229307363733016576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2020</a></blockquote>

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The criticism of Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis is being driven by hyperbolic takes devoid of nuance, writes Imman Adan.

The NBA Playoffs: Where hot takes and overreactions happen

PJ Dozier loves a good nap.
Who could blame him? Dozier has played for six teams in the NBA and G League across his first three seasons, all while on two-way contracts. During those years, he bounced between the two leagues at a moment's notice. For Dozier, rest is not only a way to take care of his body, but also an important part of his developing routine with the Denver Nuggets.
"Routines are great," Dozier told BasketballNews.com in May. "I feel like the best players have really good routines, whether that's on off days [or] game days. Being a two-way player, it's hard to have a routine because you don't know where you're going to be the next day, or the day before or the day after. It's hard to stick to that same routine night in and night out."
Dozier is the only player in NBA history to have entered three different seasons on a two-way contract with three different franchises. But now the 24-year-old guard is signed to a multi-year deal with the Nuggets, and before an untimely adductor strain ended his season in May, Dozier had emerged as one of the team's most versatile defenders. He wouldn't change a thing about his journey.&nbsp;
"God put me there for a reason," he said. "It was much-needed -- to take those steps, to be ready for the opportunity I have now."
"Every time he's given an opportunity to play and extend his role, he's taken it and run with it," Nuggets coach Mike Malone said before Denver faced the Los Angeles Lakers on May 3. "Nothing's been handed to him. He's earned everything he's done."
Dozier inked his first two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017 after going undrafted as a rookie from South Carolina. A season later, he signed another with the Boston Celtics. Then came a third two-way opportunity with the Nuggets for 2019-20. Each game, Dozier battled for his squad, no matter the league or opponent.&nbsp;
"That was the biggest thing for me: to try to stay ready, so I won't have to get ready," Dozier said. "And also, just to be where my feet are. If I was in the G League, that's where my focus was at. I wasn't worried about anything else other than taking care of business there. And then when I get the call, now my focus shifts to whatever they need me to do on the other ball club."
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Getting the call meant wildly different commutes depending on the team. In OKC, Chesapeake Energy Arena is right down the street from the G League arena where the Blue play. Boston's TD Garden is nearly a two-hour drive from the Red Claws (now Maine Celtics) in Portland, ME. The Nuggets didn't have a G League affiliate last season, so Dozier moved between Denver and the Windy City Bulls in Illinois.&nbsp;
Dozier says the coaches and management did their best to give him notice of a call-up or assignment a day in advance. But sometimes, a game-time decision meant getting the call last-minute and immediately driving (or flying) to the arena to suit up for the team that night.
"My bag was never really unpacked," Dozier said. "I was living out of my suitcase."
G League squads often try to have a similar on-court style as their parent program. But every team is nuanced, and Dozier said it was still an adjustment learning six different systems in three seasons.
The uncertainty didn't faze him. Dozier averaged 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game across those three seasons while earning All-G-League-Third-Team honors with the Red Claws. However, it did test his confidence.&nbsp;
"The first year was kind of tough, just not really being with the team but kind of being with the team -- it's like, am I really on the team?" Dozier said, since he played just two games with the Thunder that season. "[But] just staying the course, staying focused. Following the first year, [I signed] the next two-way and seeing the progress that I made... that was big. I was able to see my growth as a player and understand that."
0n June 30, 2020, before the Nuggets left for the NBA Bubble, they converted his two-way deal into a full multi-year NBA contract.
"For me it was like, 'About time I get a full contract!' But it's a blessing, especially to land in a great organization like the Denver Nuggets," Dozier said. "Landing here in this organization, and having the coaching staff, teammates [and] front office have confidence in me that I was going to be ready when my number was called, that was big."
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This is, frankly, incredible positional defense by PJ Dozier. <a href="https://t.co/ADRkfV8Arz">pic.twitter.com/ADRkfV8Arz</a>
&mdash; Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBABlackburn/status/1380996080985202691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Dozier is part of a trend in Denver of talented players with unheralded draft status who have developed into impactful players on a contending team. That's led by former second-round-selection-turned-MVP-winner Nikola Jokic, but it includes most of the roster. Aside from Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Zeke Nnaji are the only first-round picks who have been drafted by the team.&nbsp;
"I don't look at guys based on your status [or] what round you're drafted in," Malone said. "[Dozier] was playing for us while he was a two-way player and helping us win games... You love the fact that he's as big and strong as he is, [and] the versatility he has offensively."
"We have a lot of guys that went under the radar that this organization took a chance on, ultimately, and had confidence that these players were good enough to compete against other players that were lottery picks and were drafted very high," Dozier said. "It speaks highly on the organization [and] the way that they sculpt their talent, and go after guys that may not be the prettiest on the board or have all the accolades and things like that, but they know that they're getting guys that want to win."
The 6-foot-6 guard made a serious impression on Malone back in the Bubble, when he defended the likes of Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson in Denver's series win against the Utah Jazz. Dozier has seen increased minutes per game in every calendar month through April (aside from a one-game February due to injuries), and was on pace for a career-high 27.8 minutes per game in May before his season was cut short.
Part of the uptick was by necessity -- Murray, Monte Morris and Will Barton had been battling injuries. But Dozier also earned the trust of the coaching staff. Malone even gave him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF_8LMv4CuQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an unprompted shout out</a> after a Dozier-led defensive effort held Paul George to 5-of-21 shooting in Denver's 110-104 win over the L.A. Clippers.
"Paul George is an All-League-type player," Malone said after the game. "Not one player guards a guy like that by himself. But to hold Paul George tonight to 5-of-21 from the field -- I thought PJ's defense, being locked in, being disciplined, was a big part of that."
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A week earlier, Dozier made his first career start in front of his mom, Theresa, and the home crowd. It was the culmination of a lifetime of work and three years of patience on the fringes of NBA rosters. Dozier scored 23 points in his debut as a starter, and averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists across the six games in the starting lineup before going down with the injury.
"Definitely a dream come true," he said. "I always want to stay focused on the little milestones and achievements, and continue to grow and make higher goals to reach. But that was definitely one that I've always dreamed about: being able to start at this level."
It's easy to look at Denver's second-round exit and see where Dozier could have helped against the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker and Chris Paul each averaged over 25 points per game for the Suns in their four-game sweep.
In 10 total playoff games, the Nuggets gave up the fifth-most points per game (120.3) while allowing opponents to shoot 49.1% from the field (third-highest) and 41.7% from long range (second-highest). The young guard may not have dramatically turned the tables, but he could have made a difference on defense.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
During the 10 games between Jamal Murray's season-ending ACL injury and PJ Dozier's groin injury on Monday, the Nuggets were +16.9 points per 100 possessions with Dozier on the floor and -6.4 with him off.
&mdash; Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDBailey/status/1389606756834103297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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In Denver, and in Dozier, there's a current of respect for the quiet hustlers in the Association. Dozier still has active group chats with players from every NBA and G League team he was on. He considers it a gift to have met so many unique people in his young career.
"Everyone has their own journey; everyone kind of had their own story, and no one's was really the same," he said. "You had guys that were in the NBA that were trying to get back there. You had guys that had never touched the NBA ever, and so that was still always their goal."
Dozier's story of game-day flights, hastily-packed suitcases and power naps is among them. But he plans on writing quite a few more chapters.&nbsp;
"I got a long way to go and I'm still trucking at it," Dozier said. "I love this -- count my blessings -- but I know that I have a lot in store [and] a long way to go."

Dozier is the only NBA player who has entered three different seasons on a two-way contract with three different franchises.

Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets

Twice, like a thief in the night, Lady Luck picked his pocket cleaner than even Allen Iverson could&rsquo;ve.
That fistful of rings that Magic Johnson possesses could&rsquo;ve easily been seven, but she &mdash; perhaps put up to it by the Basketball Gods &mdash; had other plans.
A five-time champion, the legendary Magic Johnson won the league's MVP award in 1989. His Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a three-peat, which seemed inevitable. They'd be squaring off against Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the prior year's Finals, one in which the Lakers prevailed in seven games.
Au contraire.
After losing Game 1 in Detroit, Johnson suffered a season-ending strained hamstring in the third quarter of Game 2. The Lakers would go on to lose that one, as well as both Game 3 and Game 4 &mdash; neither of which saw Johnson take the court.
Two years later, after Michael Jordan knocked off the Pistons and ascended to the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s throne, he would see Johnson in what was the Laker legend's ninth and final trip to the championship series. Those 1991 NBA Finals should have been a clash of the titans... But Jordan&rsquo;s Bulls rolled over the Lakers in just five games.
James Worthy, the Lakers&rsquo; leading scorer that season, suffered a sprained ankle during the Western Conference Finals. It hampered him before a reaggravation caused him to check out of the series for good with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter of Game 4. The Bulls, in all fairness, led the series 2-1 at that point. But the Lakers would lose Game 4 and Game 5, the second of which was played without both Worthy and key reserve Byron Scott.
As a result of those absences, in that fateful game, the Lakers played only seven players.
Magic wouldn't see the Finals again. His 5-4 record there is pretty good, but not nearly as spectacular as a 7-2 record would have been. But that&rsquo;s okay&hellip; Injuries always have and always will be a part of the game.
Somewhere, Kevin Durant is nodding in agreement. And Kyle Lowry is raising his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders.
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As safe a bet as there is, your last nickel can confidently be wagered on injuries playing a part when it comes to the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy. One of LeBron James&rsquo; Finals losses came without Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love by his side. Doc Rivers would quickly remind you about Kendrick Perkins&rsquo; torn ACL.
So yes. It happens&hellip;
But damn, bro&hellip; Not like this.
The 2021 NBA Playoffs &mdash; where asterisks abound.
Unlike Magic&rsquo;s first NBA Finals in 1980, and still quite dissimilar to his last one in 1991, today, the NBA is a billion-dollar business. We love the game. We watch players like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Durant make Herculean feats looks routine. Larger than life in every sense of the word, having an in-person conversation with an NBA superstar &mdash; no matter how long you&rsquo;ve been around the business &mdash; is pretty damn cool.
For most of us, making eye contact with LeBron or giving a fist bump to Zion Williamson is the closest we&rsquo;ll ever get to meeting a superhero. We can&rsquo;t help but wonder what it feels like to fly.
So we watch games and we buy tickets. Now, we place bets. StubHub wants in on the action, so does BetQL. And the likes of ESPN and TNT pay the NBA billions of dollars to televise everything from preseason games to the newest phenomenon: the All-Star Game Draft.
The trickle-down effect of that &mdash; thanks to a player-friendly collective bargaining agreement that usually distributes the majority of revenue to the players &mdash; is merely &ldquo;decent&rdquo; pro players becoming centimillionaires.
They employ agents, business managers, public relations professionals, bodyguards, nutritionists, strength trainers, chauffeurs and nannies. And in each their own right, NBA players have become their own economic solar systems with their own individual sets of celestial objects.
So when there&rsquo;s a work stoppage and Player X doesn&rsquo;t have the means to earn his millions, the aggregate economic impact for those within his ecosystem is catastrophic.
For that reason, as we learned in the Orlando Bubble last season, the game must go on, even if the NBA&rsquo;s players don&rsquo;t necessarily want it to.
It&rsquo;s just sad now that everyone seems to be paying the price.
The powers that be in the NBA and its players union jointly agreed to ask its workforce to play 80 regular season games and two postseasons in less than one year. For the Lakers and the Miami Heat, specifically, their 2019-20 season ended on Oct. 11, while their 2020-21 season began on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, respectively.
Neither would get out of the first round this time around. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it&rsquo;s hard to make that argument based on what we&rsquo;ve seen transpire before our very eyes.
Between then and now, scores of impact players have had their seasons derailed by injury. Without knowing better, you could believe the names to be a recital of some All-NBA teams.
Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown and Victor Oladipo never played a minute in the 2021 playoffs. Neither did Myles Turner or Gordon Hayward (whose teams didn't qualify for the playoffs but did make it to the play-in tournament, where perhaps they could've secured a spot if they were at full strength).&nbsp;
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Among the difference-makers who sustained significant injuries, but played through them, are LeBron, Luka Doncic, Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Michael Porter Jr.
Many others weren&rsquo;t as lucky.
Anthony Davis, who officially missed only one playoff game, was essentially absent from the Lakers&rsquo; final three. Chris Paul will likely begin the Western Conference Finals on the shelf after testing positive for COVID-19, but let&rsquo;s not forget about the shoulder injury that threatened to derail the Suns&rsquo; title run before it even began. He was favoring the shoulder as recently as Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets.
Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s season is potentially over, while many other participants in the NBA&rsquo;s Elite Eight are attempting to shake off their ailments and return to form. Entering play on June 18, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving and even Mike Conley, in their truest forms, are still M.I.A.
Ja Morant and Devin Booker have arrived. Porter grew up. Durant returned. But we&rsquo;ve been distracted from it by the fact that many of our favorites are dropping like flies.
Thus far, eight of the 26 players selected as 2021 NBA All-Stars have missed playoff games which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is an all-time record.
That sobering statistic led to LeBron &mdash; still the face of the NBA &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236532215095301?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">going on a mini-rant on Twitter</a>, essentially wagging his finger and saying, &ldquo;I told you so!&rdquo;
James reportedly advocated for the start of the 2020-21 season to be pushed back until at least some point in January due to, according to him, fears of increased injury probabilities due to fatigue.
James obviously lost. And now, unfortunately, so has everyone else.
Superheroes they may be, but the exploitation of their talents &mdash; and our collective willingness to watch it, talk about it, and yes, write about it &mdash; is the NBA&rsquo;s business. The decision to begin the 2020-21 season days before Christmas was made with careful thought, and after balancing many factors. But for the NBA, as is usually the case, business won out.
From the beginning, it was always a zero-sum game: playing as close to 82 games as possible was the priority and completing the season with enough time to get the 2021-22 season back on its traditional schedule was necessary.
The beauty of an NBA Finals played in June has always been not having to compete with Major League Baseball&rsquo;s pennant races or with the NFL. This year in particular, the league had to consider the Tokyo Olympics, which is set to commence on July 23.
So business won out. It&rsquo;s just a shame that, in the form of their health, the league&rsquo;s players had to pay the bill.
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When the smoke clears, the 2021 NBA Champion, without question, won&rsquo;t be able to flatly lay claim to being the best team &mdash; not with so many impact players hobbling into the postseason.
What we&rsquo;ve seen this postseason in terms of injuries, is unprecedented, and even though injuries have always been a part of the game, Magic Johnson himself probably can&rsquo;t help but to be blown away.
Jamal Murray should&rsquo;ve had a chance. Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s season shouldn&rsquo;t end with him in a suit. Kyrie Irving isn&rsquo;t supposed to be sidelined for a Game 7. Nobody ever wanted to see Anthony Davis limp off the floor, just like nobody wants to see Joel Embiid reduced to being a wounded warrior.
We now know that LeBron was right. We&rsquo;ve seen enough to say that, with confidence, the NBA returned to action much too soon. We all understand why, but in deciding to do so, Adam Silver, Michele Roberts and the powers that be decided to sigh, inhale, look up into the sky and shoot the dice.
With one flick of the wrist, they decided to take a monumental risk and bet that their players would hold up over the long haul.
Defiantly, they shook up the dice and shot. And with it all on the line, they rolled snake eyes.
In the end, they've made losers of us all.

Injuries have always been a part of the game, but this postseason has been different. It's obvious why, writes Moke Hamilton.

Taine