Colonels

This article was originally published on BasketballNews on July 20, 2022.
Impact Basketball's facility sits inside an unassuming section of an unassuming plaza on Dean Martin Drive in Las Vegas.
The gym contains two light-colored hardwood basketball courts with a small scoreboard, a weightlifting area, a makeshift stretching room, a kitchenette for meals and snacks and a small office. It's no place for vanities. The only flexes are the dozens of white banners hanging on the right wall, listing names upon names of distinguished players who have come through during the gym's 25 years of existence.
Among those players: Kevin Garnett, Kawhi Leonard, Chauncey Billups, Kyle Lowry, Kelsey Plum, Tayshaun Prince, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Al Harrington, Kristaps Porzingis, Nassir Little, Saddiq Bey and Ziaire Williams.&nbsp;
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Kevin Garnett stopped by <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a> and offered some advice to Blazers guard Keon Johnson, Mavericks wing Josh Green and 16-year-old prospect Dayan Nessah.<a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Abunassar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Joe_Abunassar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinGarnett5KG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KevinGarnett5KG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iamkeonjohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamkeonjohnson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/fwRjAM2WHJ">pic.twitter.com/fwRjAM2WHJ</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1548046089877524482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Impact Basketball, founded by trainer Joe Abunassar in 1997, has a reputation for its star-studded, closed-door pickup games that take place during the NBA offseason. In the spring, it's also where some of the top NBA Draft hopefuls join Abunassar's pre-draft "boot camp" and commit themselves to an intricate world of sports training and nutrition.
The timeline is simple: arrive by April, revamp your training lifestyle and find your professional pathway &mdash; either via the NBA Draft, an undrafted free-agent deal or another contract &mdash; afterwards. The work is not flashy, isn't always fun and, if you want to stick as a pro, never ends.
But the results can change lives.
"It's not about W's or L's, it's about M's &mdash; M's being millions of dollars," said Isaac Mourier, Impact's Director of Performance Nutrition and Sport Science. "Once you say that to a guy like that, that's all they need in terms of motivation."
Mourier is a key cog in Impact's program. He's from the United Kingdom and played professional basketball in England and Germany before starting his own sports nutrition consulting business. Mourier has worked for the University of Georgia and Sacramento Kings as a nutritionist and consultant, and joined Impact in 2020 during the spring.
During his two-and-a-half years and three draft cycles with the company, Mourier has filled his laptop with infographics and progress charts for Impact athletes. They include individualized goals for each player; an example involves raising one prospect's weight by 20 pounds, lowering his body fat by 2%, increasing his bench press weight by 50 pounds and adding two inches to his vertical.
Mourier feels privileged to work with athletes at this stage of their careers. To him, the noise of team ecosystems and outside expectations all fade away. He can clearly define goals, and players know exactly what success will look like.
"This is the first time, maybe ever in their life, where they have a team of people that are only worried about them," he said. "Now, I'm just trying to get you to the NBA and keep you there. I don't care whether you win or lose games right now. This is you. All the focus is on you."
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Boot camp begins as soon as players are done with their respective prior seasons. They arrive at Impact and take part in comprehensive body testing to establish a full physical profile. The technology includes a bioelectrical impedence analysis that uses electrical currents to scan body composition. Sweat patches can read how much sodium athletes need in their system.
Variables such as blood work, stress hormone levels, nutrient deficienies, pre-workout hydration levels and post-workout hydration levels, body composition and body fat percentages all help establish a baseline of strengths and needs.
From there, each prospect receives an individualized growth roadmap. Skill development makes up one component. Players often train together in small groups, but they receive specific plans that prepare them for team pre-draft workouts and the NBA level.
"We're looking and analyzing and making assessments on the court; if guys are getting bumped off their cuts, if guys don't have enough lower-body power in their jump shot and guys seem like they need to get stronger, if guys aren't fast enough, [we'll consider], 'Okay, what do we need to do in the weight room or from a nutrition standpoint to correct that?'" Abunassar told Basketball News. "So, that's why every guy has his own program, because every guy has different goals."
Hydration and dieting are also central pieces. Mourier oversees the implementation of dietary plans through Impact's local chef connections, and says he outlines each meal, snack and supplement. Along the way are regular check-ins on body metrics, sleep schedules, mood and motivation among other factors. Mourier estimated that about 20-to-25 Impact staffers are involved with a player's development.&nbsp;
But Mourier repeatedly emphasized that the technology, food and workouts aren't what takes players to the Association. One of his most important jobs is reframing their habits and instilling discipline toward health.
"When an athlete gets to the elite level with bad habits, it's, 'Well, I'm already one of the best in the world at what I do, so why would I change?' So it's changing that mindset, and then when we've done that, it's about understanding that doing small things consistently is what gets us the results, as opposed to trying to do extreme things," Mourier said.
"The way that the structure of basketball [is] from AAU to college to the pros, a lot of the power is in the athlete's hands, where it's almost like, 'Who are you to tell me what to do?' So I think one of the main things that we have to do is cut through that barrier. And again, when our goals are the same as theirs, it becomes a little bit easier. But again, it's, 'Well, you've gotten to this level despite your bad habits. How good could you be if we instill some good habits?'"
Good habits, however, can be inconvenient and awkward. For NBA players to maintain their places in the league, they have to stick with those routines well past a pre-draft boot camp.
Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green joined Impact's program ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft cycle. He's still entrenched with Impact today, and has been working out in Las Vegas this offseason. Part of his nutrition plan includes avoiding butter, which can be a particular hurdle when eating out at restaurants.
"I have to be the guy who requests light virgin oil, whatever it is," Green told Basketball News. "I think that's the hardest part about it. I'm about to go to Australia for three weeks, and all I'm gonna want to do is eat all the food, but I'm gonna have to stay disciplined. I want to have a big year, so my goal is focusing right now, but just taking it one day at a time."
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👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a> <a href="https://t.co/pX0fkZzCBZ">pic.twitter.com/pX0fkZzCBZ</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547655829431525383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Green said he started prioritizing nutrition after his second shoulder surgery in April 2019. Since joining Impact, Green has been floored by how much nourishment the human body loses during workouts. He has an app that lays out meal calories and hydration plans, and his goal this offseason is to skip carbohydrates, even from snacks like a simple bag of chips.
"When you're young, whatever you see in front of you is what you want," Green said. "I [was] able to start here early and realize, if I want to play ball for a while, it's important to put the right things in my body and stay healthy. It's the same thing as seeing your physical therapist and getting treatment, if not more important for your body."
Abunassar has a plethora of stories about players who embraced the importance of nutrition at the pro level. Garnett has talked about taping his meal-plan menus on the cabinets of his Minnesota home.&nbsp; Lowry, Haliburton and Serge Ibaka are examples of guys who transformed their bodies under Impact's guidance too.
Gym time and workouts are obviously valuable, but to Abunassar, nutrition is what sparks physical development.
"The nutrition is really the basis of body change &mdash; for anybody, not even just for a basketball player," Abunassar said. "You can go to the gym every day, but if you're eating cheeseburgers and fries, you're just not going to lose weight."
Mourier has his own trail of success stories. He's worked with dozens of players, including Haliburton and Green. Zeke Nnaji, another 2020 draftee, was an especially interesting case as the only plant-based-dieting prospect Mourier has guided at Impact.
Mourier does not advise athletes to follow a plant-based diet solely for performance. However, Nnaji had chosen to be a vegan for ethical reasons, which Mourier respected, and the two worked together to create a nutrition plan despite the constraints. One of Nnaji's pre-draft goals was to add muscle, and he succeeded with rigorous attention to detail.
"He gained 20 pounds and everyone was like, 'Who the hell is this?'" Mourier said. "So that was really good, just being tactful with the timing and quantities of that stuff. And [Nnaji] was really diligent with it. He nailed every single aspect of it down to the gram... He was a really easy one. I really can't take credit for all that stuff. I just put the blueprint down and he just rolled with it."
This year, Impact has worked with several 2022 draft prospects, including MarJon Beauchamp, Blake Wesley and Michael Foster Jr. among others.&nbsp;
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San Antonio Spurs rookie Blake Wesley (<a href="https://twitter.com/blakewesley0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blakewesley0</a>) working out at <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a>: <a href="https://t.co/9lfkFikWsP">pic.twitter.com/9lfkFikWsP</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547643918904217604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Wesley has been an Impact athlete since he was 17, meeting Abunassar for the first time as a junior in high school. Wesley would come in occasionally for workouts, staying on the far court and watching as NBA players like Leonard and Paul George would get their reps in. He returned in offseasons and locked in for his own pre-draft boot camp.
Mourier praised the Spurs rookie for his attention to detail regarding nutrition. Wesley frequently FaceTimed Mourier while at restaurants and stores, and asked questions about what he should eat. He's also a staunch advocate of Herbalife's CR7 Drive sports drink mix, and even has an endorsement deal with Herbalife.
As part of his pre-draft plan to put on weight, Welsey would cook three eggs, plus have oatmeal, milk and orange juice for breakfast.
"[Changing my nutrition] helped my body a lot," Wesley told Basketball News over the phone. "I kept doing this, so I kept getting better on the court and did everything good on the court. So yeah, my nutrition helped me a lot."
The result: Wesley turned himself from a relatively unheralded four-star recruit into Notre Dame's first one-and-done player &mdash; then bulked up to 190 pounds in the spring and became a first-round NBA draft pick.
"I met [Wesley] a year ago, before he went to Notre Dame, and his transformation from then to the start of the pre-draft [process] to now &mdash; it's phenomenal," Mourier said.
The next challenge is to maintain discipline once that contract gets signed.&nbsp;
"You gotta stay focused; the NBA is totally different from college," Wesley said. "I mean, you're getting paid, you got a high profile [and] a lot of people are watching you &mdash; &nbsp;watching how you move, who you hang out with, stuff like that. So it's a whole different lifestyle."
Abunassar, Mourier and the Impact staff are hands-on with their players during the offseason and pre-draft process. But what happens when those players head back to their respective NBA franchises?
"For the most part, from a strength-and-conditioning standpoint [and] from a player development standpoint, the NBA teams have stuff really dialed in," Mourier said. "From a nutrition standpoint, for the most part, they do not."
Mourier estimated that there are only six full-time nutritionists and dietitians in the entire NBA. The Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA) lists <a href="https://sportsrd.org/career-development/full-time-sports-rds-working-with-usas-top-institutions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nine full-time registered dietitians.</a> Mourier said that teams often have physicians and trainers covering several responsibilites, including nutrition, due to budget restrictions and front-office priorities. This means some athletes, specifically reserve players, receive less health guidance.
"We're kind of the ones who are the last for the front office to see the value in it, so a lot of times we're really just a check-box," Mourier said. "So especially for those lower-order guys that are maybe No. 7, 8, 9, 10, all the way through to 15 on the roster, they're not really receiving any support at all. They're receiving provision. They're receiving meals and supplements. But in terms of education and behavior change, they're really not receiving it."
Over the last 25 years, Abunassar has seen sports nutrition dramatically change, with data and technology more interwoven into practice than ever. He thinks there are positives and pitfalls to the advancements.
"From a nutrition standpoint and strength-and-conditioning standpoint, it's clearly useful information to help prevent injury, to increase lean body mass, etc.," he said. "All of the technology that has come out has been very helpful for us, but you do have to watch that you don't get too reliant on it. Sometimes, you gotta watch the games and see how guys move and that kind of thing. But a combination of the two is very effective."
Impact Basketball is one progressive frontrunner in the field of sports science, but Mourier emphasized that, at this point, all basketball pros should be setting themselves up for success with some sort of offseason developmental map. Pre-draft prospects especially cannot afford to lose that critical period before team workouts to maximize their appeal.
"It's like doing the SAT without looking at the study guide," Mourier said "...I think it's definitely a standard. There's people doing this all over the country, really. Nobody does it like us, and nobody's been doing it for as long as us, but people are seeing the value."

A behind-the-scenes look at how Impact Basketball helps players realize their full potential by focusing on their training and nutrition.

How sports nutrition and biometrics are evolving NBA training

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Aly Khalifa scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, Montre&rsquo; Gipson made three 3-pointer in the second half, and No. 3 seed Charlotte held off No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky 71-68 on Wednesday night in the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational.
Charlotte (22-14) finished the season with its most wins since the 2000-01 campaign, when it took down Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers were appearing in the postseason for the first time since earning an at-large bid to the 2013 NIT.
Charlotte made eight of its first nine shots and led 18-5 as Eastern Kentucky only made two field goals in the opening eight minutes. Khalifa made all six of his shots in the first half to help the 49ers build a 42-24 lead at halftime after shooting 72% (18 of 25) from the field. EKU had five scoring droughts of at least 90 seconds in the first half.
It was the fourth time in the tournament the Colonels trailed at halftime &mdash; before rattling off three straight overtime wins to reach the title game.
Cooper Robb, who played at Charlotte from 2018-20, made two 3-pointers during EKU&rsquo;s 12-5 run to open the second half. But Charlotte kept its double-digit lead until the 8:44 mark when EKU scored 13 unanswered points.
Robb made a steal and raced the other way for a long 3-pointer to get EKU within 69-68 with 47.4 seconds left. Isaiah Folkes answered with a layup, off a nice pass by Gipson, for a three-point lead with 16 seconds left. After a timeout, Robb had a 3-point attempt blocked by Brice Williams and Tayshawn Comer had another attempt for EKU but it came up short.
Williams, averaging a team-high 14 points per game, finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks for Charlotte. Gipson added 13 points, Lu&rsquo;Cye Patterson had 11 and Folkes scored 10.
Robb made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Eastern Kentucky (23-14), which had the third-most wins in program history. Michael Moreno added 14 points and Devontae Blanton, averaging a team-high 17.4 points, was scoreless in the first half and did not play after halftime.
Isaiah Cozart was held to 10 points and four rebounds after securing a double-double in Eastern Kentucky&rsquo;s opening three tournament games. Cozart set a career-highs for points (20) and rebounds (17) in the opener, and he scored a career-best 31 points in the semifinals.
The CBI trophy remains in the state of North Carolina after UNC Wilmington defeated Middle Tennessee last season.

Charlotte (22-14) finished the season with its most wins since the 2000-01 campaign.

Charlotte wins CBI title, holds off Eastern Kentucky 71-68

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes Chauncey Billups' dual-threat nature and impact on the next generation of point guards.

Blazing the Trail: Chauncey Billups, the basketball cheat code

You never know who's going to walk through the door at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.&nbsp;
Some days, you may see multiple stars training with Joe Abunassar and his staff. One day last summer, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton each came through to work out. Over a 24-hour span last week, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony and Tayshaun Prince showed up to the famed gym.
Impact Basketball is known as a revolving door of notable NBA players, with plenty of people popping in for a workout or pick-up run. However, a select few players spend the entire offseason at Impact, creating a custom development plan, working out with Abunassar daily, following a strict diet, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/josh-green-impact-basketball-dallas-mavericks-playoffs-joe-abunassar-offseason-training-diet-nutrition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking their biometrics</a> and more.
This summer, one player who committed to this intensive offseason regimen is Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green. Less than 24 hours after the Mavs were eliminated from the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Green contacted Abunassar to map out his summer program.
&ldquo;I texted Joe the day after we unfortunately lost, and I told him that I was ready to go whenever,&rdquo; Green told Basketball News. &ldquo;After that, I stayed about three days in Dallas and went on a quick vacation, and then I was at Impact. I&rsquo;ve been here for about a month.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a lot of time to work with him this summer because he got here early,&rdquo; Abunassar said. &ldquo;He took four or five days after the season and then got out here, and he hasn&rsquo;t left town. While guys are in and out and doing all of this other stuff, he&rsquo;s been locked in and working on the same things every day. The fact that he&rsquo;s locked in and so consistent is going to result in a very good season. I think it says a lot about his commitment and what his focus is for next season. It&rsquo;s time for Josh to really, really step up &mdash; as he did last year, but this is that next step.&rdquo;
Prior to Garnett&rsquo;s MVP season in 2003-04, KG locked in and really embraced the nutrition component of Abunassar&rsquo;s program. Before Lowry became a first-time All-Star at 28 years old, he spent the offseason with Impact, making significant changes to his diet for the first time and even leaving his honeymoon early to get in extra training. In both cases, Abunassar predicted their breakout success before the season based on what he&rsquo;d witnessed behind the scenes.
&ldquo;If you talk to most NBA players, they&rsquo;re all over the place. For them to put themselves in one place for two straight months and consistently follow the same schedule, that&rsquo;s pretty rare,&rdquo; Abunassar said. &ldquo;But I will tell you this: I&rsquo;ve done this for 25 years and every guy who does that has a good season &mdash; whether it&rsquo;s with me or wherever.&rdquo;
Green is hoping to become Impact's latest success story. The 21-year-old entered this offseason with some extra motivation after getting benched during the Mavs&rsquo; postseason run.
&ldquo;Being able to get to the Conference Finals during my second year only makes me want to go further and further,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I was able to play in the Utah series and then got benched. So, for me, it&rsquo;s cool that I was able to play in the rotation for the first [series], but shit, I&rsquo;m a basketball player and wanted to continue to [play]. But there was a reason: I need to hit my shots. So going into this offseason, that motivated me a lot more. I want to make sure I&rsquo;m ready to go for next season, so when that opportunity comes again, I&rsquo;m confident going into it and ready to go...
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard being on the bench and watching the team lose and being like, &lsquo;Damn, I want to play.&rsquo; ... I&rsquo;m one of the most competitive people. I hate it, but whatever it is, I&rsquo;m just very competitive.&rdquo;
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While he played sparingly during the Mavs&rsquo; series against Phoenix Suns, he was animated when discussing Dallas&rsquo; Game 6 win to protect its homecourt and the team&rsquo;s blowout win in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
&ldquo;It was crazy!&rdquo; Green said of beating the Suns. &ldquo;Obviously, we had to defend our home court [in Game 6], otherwise they were going to win it. And I felt confident; I had never seen our team so locked in, so I was like, &lsquo;We&rsquo;ve got this game.&rsquo; Then, heading into Phoenix, you know, it&rsquo;s hard &mdash; you don&rsquo;t know what to expect. But we were the same prepared team. Then, we come out and we just start connecting and (snaps fingers).
"It was crazy, man. I&rsquo;m just watching the game like, &lsquo;Is this really happening?!&rsquo;&rsquo; It was really awesome to be a part of that and see the team so happy. Luka [Doncic] was a great leader that game, as he was the whole year. It was good for everybody, it was just a huge stride for our whole team.&rdquo;
Green looks like a different player this summer, knocking down three-pointers with ease, putting the ball on the floor and turning heads throughout the gym.
&ldquo;I think the biggest thing for me is just realizing what I need to do to help the team out; I&rsquo;m not trying to work on stuff that I&rsquo;m not gonna do in a game,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m coming in with full confidence, knowing what I need to do and being ready to go. I&rsquo;m more motivated than ever.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The first month, we really just worked on ball-handling, finishing and getting him more efficient,&rdquo; Abunassar explained. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so strong and powerful and fast that, if he&rsquo;s efficient and attacks the rim at angles and can finish, he&rsquo;s going to be really difficult to stop. Last year, he finished the season shooting over 40% on corner threes, so he&rsquo;s gotten a lot better in that area &mdash; but we&rsquo;ve continued to work on his three-point shooting. Three-point shooting, ball-handling, finishing and getting him into the ultimate physical shape are the main things.&rdquo;
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Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green (<a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a>) is shooting the ball well: <a href="https://t.co/e5uRnyrbFr">pic.twitter.com/e5uRnyrbFr</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547655324781330435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Green admits that his ball-handling and shooting weren&rsquo;t where they needed to be last season.
&ldquo;Last year, I was very hesitant with my dribbling and not knowing [what to do],&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always known how to dribble &mdash; like in high school and everything, I was playing point guard. But as you get on [higher levels of play], you get the ball less and less. So for me, it&rsquo;s just making sure that I&rsquo;m able to dribble. It creates many more [opportunities], and it builds a lot of confidence as well when you&rsquo;re able to dribble, so that&rsquo;s been a huge thing that we&rsquo;ve tried to work on this offseason.
&ldquo;[And shooting] is just something that you can never not work on. For me, my leg would go in a lot last year and I need to make sure that my base isn&rsquo;t too wide, so there were a couple of corrections that I made. I&rsquo;m just trying to stay as consistent as I can, and I&rsquo;ve been able to see a good amount of development in my shot, so I&rsquo;m just trying to keep that up and make sure that I shoot well next year... So, yeah, my shot has been a big thing that I&rsquo;ve been working on this summer.&rdquo;
After working on these aspects of his game over the last month, Green looks more confident than ever.
&ldquo;My confidence is high, man. I&rsquo;m ready to go, and I can&rsquo;t wait for next year,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Coach [Jason] Kidd really helped me out last year, and he has a lot of trust in me, so now it&rsquo;s just about me going forward and continuing to develop and show what I can do. I&rsquo;m on a veteran team &mdash; a very good team &mdash; so for me, it&rsquo;s just about doing what I can do to impress and just play like I usually play.&rdquo;
&ldquo;His confidence has improved a lot,&rdquo; Abunassar added. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re working on something for three or four hours a day, you tend to become more confident as it improves. The confidence comes with the work, and the fact that he&rsquo;s stayed so consistent... I think just recently, the confidence has gotten even higher because it&rsquo;s working. As Josh has seen himself progress, he has become much more confident.&rdquo;
Green is also buying in from a nutrition standpoint. He&rsquo;s following his dietary plan and avoiding certain foods (such as butter), which has made eating out at restaurants a challenge.
"I want to have a big year,&rdquo; Green explained to Basketball News. "When you're young, whatever you see in front of you is what you want. I [was] able to start here early and realize, 'If I want to play ball for a while, it's important to put the right things in my body and stay healthy.' It's the same thing as seeing your physical therapist and getting treatment &mdash; if not more important for your body."&nbsp;
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Abunassar is pleased with Green&rsquo;s development, especially since he&rsquo;s still just 21 years old (which is younger than some incoming rookies).&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s only 21, and I think his long-term potential is to be a starter on a really good team for a long time,&rdquo; Abunassar said. &ldquo;Josh wants to win. He&rsquo;s not a volume type of guy; he&rsquo;s a key piece on a really good team. I think teams are seeing that and Dallas is seeing that and putting a lot of confidence in him.&nbsp;
&ldquo;His rookie season was the COVID year, which started late. For all of those guys, it was kind of a wash; they couldn&rsquo;t do team-building stuff or extra workouts &mdash; there were restrictions on their gym time. So, for all of those guys, you&rsquo;re really looking at last year as being their rookie season. If you look at what he did as somewhat of a rookie last year, it was very impressive. And in the future, he&rsquo;ll continue to build to where he&rsquo;s a mainstay on a really good team.&rdquo;
Green agrees with Abunassar&rsquo;s assessment of his rookie year, and he hopes that the work he&rsquo;s putting in at Impact Basketball can help him take the next step in his career.
&ldquo;I feel like last year was a good year &mdash; it kinda felt like my rookie year, since I didn&rsquo;t really get to play much during my actual rookie year,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s kinda hard to tell [my ceiling] right now, so for me, it&rsquo;s just about focusing on the present and making sure that I&rsquo;m ready to go for next season. But I&rsquo;d like to think that I do have a high upside, and I really do think I can be a major piece for the Mavericks moving forward. I&rsquo;m hoping that next year I&rsquo;m able to show that.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;I love playing with guys like Luka and the rest of the team, and I think it&rsquo;s a perfect situation for me to be in. A lot of other rookies get to go to teams where they get an opportunity right away, but for others like me, it takes some time. I&rsquo;m just happy that I&rsquo;m at the time now where I&rsquo;m finally getting in the rotation.&rdquo;
Over his first two seasons in the NBA, Green didn&rsquo;t get to play a ton, but he did show flashes. Last January, in a win over the Houston Rockets, Green had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes (while shooting 85.7% from the field, nailing his only attempt from three-point range and hitting 4-of-5 free throws). In the very next game, Green helped the Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls, contributing an efficient 18 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes (on 80/100/100 shooting splits).
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very impressed with Josh and his game,&rdquo; Abunassar said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great size, great speed, great athleticism. Defense is what&rsquo;s going to get him on the floor in Dallas; obviously, with their roster, they&rsquo;re not looking for another 25-point-per-game scorer. He&rsquo;ll start with his defense, but I think his offensive role will expand tremendously this season because of the improved ball-handling and finishing, and just him being a more confident Josh on the offensive side.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Last year, over the last 40- or 50-something games, he played 15-to-18 minutes and they were putting him in the game to guard. Now, I think they&rsquo;re going to continue to put him in the game to guard, but he can expand on that. Like any young player, you add stuff to your game every year; this year, I just think his offensive focus and their ability to use him on offense will be much greater.&rdquo;&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Dallas Mavericks wing Josh Green (<a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBGreen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoshBGreen</a>) is putting in work at <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a>: <a href="https://t.co/3LwEyVpSFX">pic.twitter.com/3LwEyVpSFX</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547651195199557633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

In 2020, Green represented Australia in the Olympics and helped the Boomers win the bronze medal (the country's first Olympic medal in men's basketball). It was an incredible experience for Green, who was a teenager at the time.
&ldquo;When we were at the Olympics, it felt like the whole world was behind us,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I feel like it&rsquo;s a good team to cheer on; we have very good personalities and the team is just great to be around. I think [basketball] is getting a lot bigger in Australia. Obviously, there&rsquo;s Aussie rules [football] and rugby and cricket and all of that stuff, but now that there are seven or eight Australian players around the NBA, it&rsquo;s becoming a lot more appealing for these guys.&rdquo;
Next month, Green is visiting Australia for two weeks. Then, he&rsquo;ll be back at Impact Basketball until the start of training camp.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to being able to go back and just being able to go to my old school and everything like that,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I miss Australia. I miss Australia a lot... I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it.&rdquo;
At 14 years old, Green left Australia in order to play high-school basketball in the United States and chase his NBA dream. It was a sacrifice that he was willing to make, but it wasn&rsquo;t easy.
&ldquo;When I came from Australia, I remember landing in Phoenix and being really excited, but then I was like, &lsquo;Oh my God, I&rsquo;m not going back,&rsquo;&rdquo; Green recalled. &ldquo;At that point, I was at a stage where I wasn&rsquo;t being recruited and I didn&rsquo;t even know if I was going to play basketball [at the next level], so I actually started asking my mom about going back to Australia and playing Australian football. But yeah, it was really hard.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;And going back is gonna be hard because I want to go back, but I miss it so much that I know I&rsquo;m gonna be there [and not want to leave]. It&rsquo;s awesome, man, and I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it. It&rsquo;s home. My little sister is talking to me &mdash; she&rsquo;s young and she doesn&rsquo;t remember anything, so I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s definitely time to go back.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Green is glad that today&rsquo;s up-and-coming Australian prospects don&rsquo;t need to leave the country in order to get recruited or show up on the NBA&rsquo;s radar. He points to his childhood friend, Tyrese Proctor, as an example; the Sydney native is a five-star recruit who will play for Duke next year.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s awesome, you&rsquo;ve got guys like Tyrese Procter coming up now,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s crazy because our families are extremely close; my dad was the best man in [his parents&rsquo;] wedding. So it&rsquo;s awesome seeing him from such a young age and then, out of nowhere, he&rsquo;s an NBA prospect now!
"But it&rsquo;s cool seeing Australia finally on the come up. For guys like me, I had to move at a young age in order to get recognition. Now, the fact that you can stay in Australia and go down that path [and get noticed], I think it&rsquo;s great. It&rsquo;s one of those things where I&rsquo;m always down to get involved and help out the next up-and-coming group. Australian culture is like nothing else I&rsquo;ve ever experienced, so I never want to be away from that.&rdquo;
Green would surely love to spend the entire summer in Australia and eat whatever he wants (like many 21-year-olds), but he understands that this is a pivotal summer for his NBA career.
Once again, he&rsquo;s prioritizing his NBA dream and making the necessary sacrifices in order to realize his full potential.

Mavericks wing Josh Green gave Alex Kennedy a behind-the-scenes look at his offseason training at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.

After playoff benching, Mavs' Josh Green is 'more motivated than ever'

After everything the Brooklyn Nets went through this season, they still entered the playoffs with the third-best championship odds (+600), which is a testament to this team's talent on paper. However, though they were considered a favorite to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy and boasted the NBA&rsquo;s second-highest payroll ($174,811,922), the Nets failed to win a single playoff game. &nbsp;
Multiple players blamed Brooklyn&rsquo;s lack of continuity. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played just 17 games together this season after playing only 27 games together last year. Irving couldn&rsquo;t suit up in home games until late March due to New York City&rsquo;s vaccine mandate. A number of key contributors were acquired halfway through the campaign, including Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, making it even tougher for the team to get everyone on the same page.&nbsp;
Injuries also impacted the team&rsquo;s ability to play at full strength and develop chemistry, as Durant missed 27 games with a sprained MCL, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November and Ben Simmons dealt with a herniated disc in his back after being traded to Brooklyn as the centerpiece of the James Harden blockbuster.
Now, after being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday night, what&rsquo;s next for the Nets?
&ldquo;This summer is gonna be a very, very important summer for our organization,&rdquo; Durant said after the Game 4 loss. &ldquo;We'll see where we go next year."
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Durant is correct, as the Nets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason, and it&rsquo;s possible that their roster could look very different entering the 2022-23 season.
The Nets have only six players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Durant, Simmons, Harris, Curry, Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe. Brooklyn already has $144,555,667 in guaranteed money on their books for 2022-23. Next year&rsquo;s salary cap is projected to be $122 million and the luxury tax is expected to be $149 million, so they&rsquo;ll likely have one of the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive payrolls once again.
The Nets are already close to being a tax-paying team before factoring in any of their potential free agents such as Irving, Drummond, Dragic, Bruce Brown, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr.&nbsp;
Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700. On Monday night, Irving was asked about his future and said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really plan on going anywhere... There's no question where I'm going: I'm here with 7 (Durant)."
Either Irving will opt-in and cost quite a bit, or he&rsquo;ll opt-out and potentially cost even more if he signs a new, multi-year deal with the Nets.
Mills also has a player option, which is worth $6,184,500. He could opt-in, but it&rsquo;s also possible that the 33-year-old will prioritize his long-term security and try to ink a multi-year contract elsewhere. He's coming off a productive season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 threes and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.0% from three, so he will likely have other suitors.
Claxton and Duke will hit restricted free agency, assuming the Nets extend qualifying offers to both players ($2,228,276 for Claxton and $1,576,305 for Duke). Also, Edwards has a team option worth $1,563,518.
The rest of Brooklyn's players are unrestricted free agents including Brown, Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge, Griffin and Johnson.&nbsp;
Brown earned $4,736,102 this season, but he's going to get a significant raise after his career-year, averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks on .506/.404/.758 shooting splits. He was one of the Nets' most dependable and versatile players all season long. He stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on .568/.429/.800 shooting splits. This is a relatively weak free-agency class, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if some team makes a big offer to the 25-year-old.
When asked about the possibility of re-signing with the Nets, Brown responded, &ldquo;Yeah, hopefully. The season just ended. I&rsquo;m not thinking about it. If there's a chance to stay, we'll talk about it. But we'll see."&nbsp;
It remains to be seen if Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge and Griffin will return.&nbsp;
Drummond played well as the Nets' starting center, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals (while shooting 61.0% from the field) in 22.3 minutes per game. When Drummond signed a one-year deal last offseason, it seemed like he wanted to showcase his value and then ink a larger contract this summer, so if he gets the kind of offer he&rsquo;s anticipating, he&rsquo;ll likely be too expensive for Brooklyn to retain.
In a shockingly candid moment back in March, Drummond <a href="https://twitter.com/krisplashed/status/1506663720931500046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>: "If we're all being honest, I'm only here &lsquo;til the rest of the season. Who knows what&rsquo;s gonna happen in the offseason? So they need a guy like [Claxton].&rdquo;
Last season, the NBA world was outraged that a super-team like the Nets was able to add Griffin and Aldridge for nothing via the buyout market, putting them alongside their Big Three of Durant, Irving and Harden. At one point, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster had a combined 41 All-Star appearances and 32 All-NBA selections. However, it didn't translate to postseason success. It remains to be seen if Griffin, Aldridge or Dragic will return. It&rsquo;s possible that Brooklyn will be able to attract other ring-chasing veterans to take their places.
After all, despite their first-round flameout, the Nets will once again enter next season as a top contender. If Simmons is able to return his All-NBA, Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-candidate form, it would be a huge addition that makes the Nets much scarier. And the more Durant and Irving play together, the more dangerous they&rsquo;ll become as a duo. Also, with Harris and Curry, the Nets will have two outstanding shooters to put around their Big Three. If this team is able to stay healthy and develop chemistry, Brooklyn has the talent to go on a deep postseason run.
Using the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum deals, Brooklyn shouldn&rsquo;t have trouble surrounding its core with decent veterans.
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When asked specifically about who might be back and what the Nets need to add to their roster in order to contend, Durant shrugged.
"We just got done playing. You know I don't know the answer to that question right now,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don't know the situations with the contracts. I just don't know. Obviously when you lose in the playoffs, you&rsquo;re looking toward next year and who may be on the team, and there's a lot of high expectations around the Nets so people want to have some hope of what may happen in the future. But at this point, an hour after the game, it's hard for me to say.&rdquo;
Another avenue for the Nets to improve is through the 2022 NBA Draft, where they&rsquo;ll have the No. 23 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Brooklyn is projected to take Jaden Hardy of the G League Ignite with its late-first-round selection.
The Nets can try to find a diamond-in-the-rough with that selection, or they can attempt to trade that pick for a win-now piece. Since the Nets will be above the luxury tax and the rookie will be a relatively cheap contributor, it may make sense to keep the pick. Remember, this year&rsquo;s roster featured four rookies: Thomas, Sharpe, Edwards and Duke.
In recent years, players such as OG Anunoby, Darius Bazley and Rodney Hood have been selected at No. 23 overall. Other notable players drafted at that spot include Tayshaun Prince, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wilson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Trevor Booker, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyronn Lue.
While the roster could look very different, don&rsquo;t expect the Nets to make a coaching change. Steve Nash expressed that he hopes to return as the team&rsquo;s head coach, and Durant got annoyed and shot down a question about whether Nash is still the right coach to lead the Nets.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on, man. Yeah,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last three years. He&rsquo;s had to deal with so much stuff as a first-time head coach &mdash; trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with. I&rsquo;m proud of how he just focused and of his passion for us. We'll all continue developing over the summer and see what happens.&rdquo;
Durant did express that he wants to have some input over this offseason&rsquo;s personnel decisions.
&ldquo;Yeah, of course! I want to know who I'm playing with out on the floor. I want to know what we're thinking,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;[Nets general manager] Sean [Marks] and the front office, we all just talk basketball regardless because we all enjoy basketball; sometimes our team may come up and what we need and what I see from a player&rsquo;s perspective. We always have conversations and that&rsquo;s what makes great organizations.&rdquo;
Irving made it clear that he wants to be involved in &ldquo;managing this franchise&rdquo; as well.
&ldquo;When I say I&rsquo;m here with Kev, it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Nets governor] Joe [Tsai], Sean and our group of family members that we have in our locker room and organization,&rdquo; Irving said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about me and Kev. We're cornerstones here, but we have Ben and a few other guys who are under contract [too]. I think we've just gotta make some moves this offseason and really talk about it and really be intentional about what we&rsquo;re building, and have some fun with it and make it enjoyable.&rdquo;
After a disappointing season, all eyes will be on the Nets to see how their decision-makers attempt to right the ship.
If the last year has been any indication, there won&rsquo;t be a dull moment.&nbsp;
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After getting swept by the Celtics, the Nets are poised for a very interesting offseason. What's next for the team?

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Brooklyn Nets?

Danny Ainge, Grizzlies executive Tayshaun Prince, Spurs executive Brent Barry, Knick GM Scott Perry, and Bulls GM Marc Eversley have come up as potential replacements for Neil Olshey.
Source: Chris Haynes, <a href="https://twitter.com/sichrismannix/status/1466819877776228352?s=21">Chris Mannix</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeLFischer/status/1466818915414290438?s=20">Jake Fischer</a>
ANALYSIS:
Ainge had recently stepped down from running the Celtics, but is an Oregon native who played for the Blazers and could have interest in a return.
Tayshaun Prince and Brent Barry are both former NBA players who have already found themselves finding off-court success as NBA executives as well.
GM Scott Perry has been tenured with the Knicks since 2017 and GM Marc Eversley joined the Bulls in 2020.

Danny Ainge, Grizzlies executive Tayshaun Prince, Spurs executive Brent Barry, Knick GM Scott Perry, and Bulls GM Marc Eversley have come up as potential replacements for Neil Olshey.