Cardinals

James Harden has averaged at least 15 field goal attempts per game in each of his last 10 regular seasons, encompassing his entire tenure with the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. He's put up at least 12 shots per game in 10 ten postseason appearances since 2013.&nbsp;
So when Harden took just two attempts in the Sixers' Game 6 exit against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was jarring to those who watch Harden and those who have followed the drama of the franchise over the past year. After all, it was just one season ago where Ben Simmons' shot selection created a firestorm that ultimately led to February's blockbuster deal.
But this felt different. Harden is one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen. And the performance distracted from the fact that, even in his battle against Father Time, Harden is still one of the most talented floor generals in the world.&nbsp;
His "down" year included 22.0 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game spanning a tenuous winter with the Nets and a midseason trade to Philadelphia. He still has the step-back, the strength and the court vision, even as his quick first step appears to be sputtering with age and injuries.
Harden is a game-changer for the 76ers, and it's why he is by far the chief offseason storyline. The 32-year-old holds a player option for next season. He could either opt-in and potentially sign an extension that could pay over $60 million in 2026-27, or decline and test the waters in unrestricted free agency. One more interesting wrinkle: According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, few around the league expect Philly to pony up with that max contract extension:
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WindhorstESPN</a> says to pump the brakes on Harden returning to Philadelphia next season with a max deal. "Nobody in the NBA believes that the Sixers are going to give James Harden a max contract.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/vASDx6p0ek">pic.twitter.com/vASDx6p0ek</a>
&mdash; Get Up (@GetUpESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1525118767511924736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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It's a pivotal summer for Harden and the franchise. Should Philadelphia <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/signing-james-harden-to-a-max-contract-could-cripple-the-sixers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commit upwards of $200 million to a guard showing signs of physical decline who turns 33 next season</a>? Or should the team lower the offer and risk seeing an extremely talented, experienced playmaker (and a great fit with Joel Embiid) walk?
So Harden's contract is item No. 1 on president of basketball operations Daryl Morey's agenda. The next is evaluating which current rotation players are fit for long-term success.&nbsp;
Ten different Sixers averaged 10 or more minutes per game in the playoffs. It often felt like Sixers head coach Doc Rivers didn't know where to look for help outside of Embiid, Harden, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey. DeAndre Jordan, Matisse Thybulle and Georges Niang, among others, frequently drew the ire of fans on social media.&nbsp;
Jordan will hit the open market this summer along with fellow veteran big man Paul Millsap. But Philly doesn't have many other free agency decisions to make; Shake Milton (team option), Myles Powell (restricted) and Harden are the only others to monitor.
The luxury tax hampers the 76ers, who will only have the taxpayer mid-level exception to add free agents unless Harden leaves and opens up some cap space. That MLE is valued at approximately $6.3 million. Maybe Philly locks in a permanent backup center like Thomas Bryant or Chris Boucher? Or perhaps they look for wings, whether it be a shooter like Bryn Forbes or a playmaker such as Kyle Anderson. Either way, it's at least a chance to reel in a rotation-caliber addition.
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The Sixers are also absent from the current NBA Draft picture. They traded their first-rounder to Brooklyn in the James Harden trade (though the Nets can defer that pick to 2023) and their second-rounder is headed to Miami.&nbsp;
If Philly wants to make a serious splash, it'll have to turn to the trade machine. Morey has reasonable pieces at his disposal. Thybulle, for all of his offensive warts, is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA and will make just $4.38 million next season before entering restricted free agency. Niang is set to enter the final year of his current contract and will collect $3.47 million. Harris still has two years left on his massive deal, but the 29-year-old deserves credit for a resurgent playoff effort.
Ultimately, Morey's maneuvering will only do so much for a Sixers roster in need of tweaks and growth. The biggest development might come in the offseason gym with young players who have yet to realize their potential.
Paul Reed emerged as a high-energy bench big in the playoffs, but still has leaps to make away from the boards. Charles Bassey, picked 53rd overall last season, is another athletic center preparing for his opportunity. We're still waiting on 22-year-old Isaiah Joe (non-guaranteed for next season) to round out his flashes of microwave perimeter scoring.
I was a fan of Jaden Springer, last year's No. 28 overall pick, at draft time. Springer averaged 15.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, flying around on defense. But he still has a long way to go as an NBA guard on offense.
If any of these players break through into the full-time rotation next year, that's a major win for the 76ers development system. Trades can only accomplish so much when teams are sending pieces out to make additions. For Philly to take that next step as a championship contender, they'll need to see in-house improvement from Harden, the supporting cast and the young guns.
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James Harden's pending player option highlights a pivotal summer for the 76ers. Ethan Fuller dives in.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Philadelphia 76ers?

If this has felt like a weird season for the Milwaukee Bucks, it's because it has been.&nbsp;
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton have all missed at least 10 games this season. Brook Lopez has missed all but eight games.&nbsp;
The defense has been flipped on its head, in large part due to Lopez's extended absence after the season opener. They went from a drop-heavy system to one of aggression; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-bucks-are-reinventing-themselves-on-defense-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it looked good</a> ... <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/milwaukee-bucks-defense-brook-lopez-breakdown-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">until it didn't</a>.&nbsp;
Injuries, COVID absences, rotation and personnel changes (hi Serge Ibaka), general malaise. That isn't unique to the Bucks, but you'd like to have a firmer handle on a team that just won a title.
Tuesday night's showing against the Philadelphia 76ers served as a nice reminder to the masses: They are monsters when healthy, and can ramp things up on both ends of the floor.
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Good things happen when the Giannis-Jrue-Middleton triumvirate is on the floor together. The Bucks have a 33-9 record in games they play together. Per Cleaning The Glass, Milwaukee is outscoring opponents by nearly 12 points per 100 possessions with them on the floor.
Further, the Bucks are at their most dangerous when all three players are used&nbsp;together. That Net Rating is high because their offense (121.0 Offensive Rating) is absolutely absurd. Their skill sets also contrast enough to force defenses into uncomfortable positions when teaming up in set plays.
Take this doozy that the Bucks ran late in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's affair.
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Whew.
The Bucks set up in HORNS, one of the most common offensive alignments in the league. If you see a player at each elbow and a player slotted in each corner, that's what it is.
What I love about this is the Bucks take a routine look and flip it on its head. The Bucks love running Middleton off a Giannis screen to set up a high ball-screen with a spread floor. It'd look something like this.
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But instead, Middleton sets a screen&nbsp;for Holiday,&nbsp;which throws the Sixers off.&nbsp;
The Sixers are planning to switch anything involving these three players, but the positioning of Middleton and Giannis make things tough. Tobias Harris isn't in position to cleaning switch onto Holiday after the impromptu screen; Georges Niang can't really leap out to take him because he has the Giannis assignment, and you don't want him rolling into open space.&nbsp;
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And that's what makes this play genius from the Bucks. They know the Sixers plan to switch, so they set up their spacing in a way to make that exchange difficult.&nbsp;
The Giannis portion is especially fascinating. As the saying goes, the best way to beat a switch is with a slip; sure enough, Giannis slips that sucker as Harris and Niang try to figure out the Holiday assignment on the fly.&nbsp;
Giannis doesn't&nbsp;just&nbsp;slip; he slips to the side with a single shooter. Wes Matthews is stashed in the corner, defended by Tyrese Maxey. Because they're on the weak side, Maxey is the "low man" on this play. His responsibility is to tag Giannis on the role.
That poses two problems, though:
1) Maxey&nbsp;also&nbsp;has to account for Matthews, a career 41.6% shooter from the corners.
2) Maxey is at a significant size disadvantage even if he does fully commit to Giannis.
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Unfortunately for the Sixers, Maxey doesn't choose Door No. 1 or Door No. 2; instead, he gets caught in no man's land. Giannis gets an uncontested lob as a result.
In a shocking turn of events, the Bucks went to the same action roughly a minute later. If you're nice, you'll do it twice.&nbsp;
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Niang and Harris switch this time, but the same issue pops up. Nobody can get to Holiday in time while also trying to account for Giannis slipping to the rim. Joel Embiid tries to cheat down from the strong side (generally a no-no) this time, but it doesn't matter.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan shows how dangerous the Bucks are when they use Giannis Antetokoumpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton together.

Explain one play: The Bucks and the power of three

CLEVELAND (AP) — Joel Embiid had 35 points and 17 rebounds, James Harden scored 21 points and added 11 assists and the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-114 on Wednesday night.
Embiid was a game-time decision with a sore back, but showed no signs of the injury on his 28th birthday. The All-Star center and MVP candidate shot 13 of 19 from the field, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range, and was 8 of 10 from the foul line while adding five assists in 35 minutes.
Darius Garland had 22 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who lead Toronto by a half-game in the race for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. All-Star center Jarrett Allen missed his fifth consecutive game with a broken left finger.
Cleveland, which trailed by 17 in the second quarter, took a 104-103 lead on a 3-pointer by Lauri Markkanen with 3:47 remaining. Harden answered with a pair of free throws 27 seconds later to put the 76ers in front for good.
Tyrese Maxey’s 3-pointer extended Philadelphia’s lead to 110-106 with 1:19 left, and Harden and Maxey combined to make 6 of 6 free throws in the final 20 seconds to lock up the win. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the fourth quarter.
Maxey scored eight of his 25 points in the fourth. Isaac Okoro had 17 points and Evan Mobley added 13 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers went ahead for the first time at 87-85 on a 3-pointer by Brandon Goodwin late in the third. Kevin Love’s 3 extended the advantage to 90-85 at the end of the period, completing a 12-0 run over 4:42.
The 76ers built a 52-35 lead midway through the second, then carried a 72-59 advantage into the break behind 20 points, 11 boards and four assists from Embiid. Harris scored 16 points and Harden had 10 points and five assists.
Philadelphia took command from the start, jumping ahead 19-4 and 26-10 as Embiid racked up 13 points and eight rebounds in the first. Cleveland missed its first 10 3-pointers.
POTENTIAL PREVIEW
The 76ers and Cavaliers are lined up to meet in the first round of the playoffs, but Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said it's “way too early to look at that with (13 regular-season games) left.” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers praised the job Bickerstaff has done in cultivating chemistry. ”The Cavs play together and they like each other, which is rare for a young team," Rivers said. “That jumps right out when you watch them.”
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden dished out 84 assists in his first eight games after being acquired from Brooklyn on Feb. 10. “James knows when to be aggressive and when to pass,” Rivers said, chuckling. “You ingratiate yourself really quickly to new teammates when you pass to them.” ... Two-way G Myles Powell, C Charles Bassey and G Jaden Springer are on G League assignments with the Delaware Blue Coats.
Cavaliers: F Dean Wade (right knee soreness), who has started 28 games, missed his second straight contest. Bickerstaff said Wade was able to manage the injury until it became too painful to play. ... G Rajon Rondo (right ankle sprain) was inactive and has sat out 13 games with various right leg issues since being traded by the Lakers on Jan. 3. ... Cleveland plays eight of its final 13 games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
UP NEXT
76ers: Host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Cavaliers: Host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Joel Embiid had 35 points and 17 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-114.

Embiid has 35 points, 17 rebounds as 76ers beat Cavs 118-114

From a mid-season blockbuster swap involving two disgruntled stars, to rumors that a former No. 1 overall pick wants a change of scenery in only his third season, the topic of player empowerment is front and center in the NBA. &nbsp;
Superstars wanting off their team isn't a new concept. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar forced a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. In recent years, superstars demanding to be dealt is so common that the term &ldquo;player empowerment&rdquo; established itself in our NBA lexicon.&nbsp;
But this season feels different, in that it is rife with unique trade demands. Like Ben Simmons' refusal to play a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers while requesting a trade, with a whopping four years left on his contract. Or James Harden asking off of his second team in as many years. Even the Zion Williamson situation &mdash; rumored to be disgruntled in New Orleans after playing a total of 85 games &mdash; is unprecedented. With every new trade demand, it feels like stars are pushing the limits and boundaries of player empowerment.
Either the NBA's Mercury is in retrograde or we&rsquo;re witnessing the dawn of a new era.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Player empowerment&rdquo; was popularized in 2010 after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh conspired to play with each other in Miami. Suddenly, players realized they could control their own destiny and team up to form super-teams.
Since then, player empowerment has largely come to mean trade demands from superstars. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Many executives have decried it as ruining the league's parity and even the sanctity of the game. &nbsp;
"Player empowerment is a catchall for the fact that the league has done a terrible job of empowering teams, the players have all of the leverage in every situation. I think it's the worst thing that ever happened to professional sports on all levels," an anonymous NBA general manager <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/07/lebron-james-agent-is-transforming-the-business-of-basketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Isaac Chotiner of The New Yorker</a>.&nbsp;
Many fans view it as a win for laborers.&nbsp;
The NBA is, after all, the most progressive sports league. However, without even touching the racial undertones that weave throughout the narrative about the league, it is easy to see why the masses support the players. Fans have watched players lose the battle over the means of production &mdash; from owning 57% of league revenue in 2005 down to only 50% today &mdash; so witnessing players gain autonomy over their playing career by stripping control from owners is celebrated as a nice consolation prize.&nbsp;
As we become inundated with debate over the merits of player empowerment, we&rsquo;ve seemed to skip over what the term actually means and how it actualizes itself in the league.&nbsp;
There is no denying that some players have power and some of those players have controlled the make-up of the league for over a decade. The issue is that player empowerment is a term that poses as the league's players uniting, but instead, it is merely a select few exercising their power over everyone else.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s break this down.&nbsp;
Were the Los Angeles Lakers' young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart empowered when Anthony Davis forced his way to Los Angeles? Not likely.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also impossible to imagine all six of Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Taurean Prince (Brooklyn to Cleveland), Caris LeVert (Brooklyn to Indiana), Rodions Kurucs (Brooklyn to Houston), Dante Exum (Cleveland to Houston) and Victor Oladipo (Indiana to Houston) felt empowered after being forced to uproot themselves midseason during a pandemic because Harden wanted to join the Nets.&nbsp;
Framing the whims of a small few that can disrupt the lives of many as player empowerment feels disingenuous. A better term would be &ldquo;superstar entitlement.&rdquo;&nbsp;
With the knowledge that player empowerment really means superstar entitlement, it&rsquo;s easy to understand how empowerment stories are often framed as prima donnas throwing tantrums until they get their way.
But maybe it should be framed as superstars earning power through loss of salary.&nbsp;
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With the advent of max salaries, stars are never fairly compensated. The bigger and brighter the star shines, the more they lose out &mdash; with their play forever eclipsing the money they make. Ergo, player empowerment is less about empowering all or even most players and more about compensating superstars in a salary-cap league.&nbsp;
Heliocentric is another popular term in our NBA vernacular; we&rsquo;ve heard the term &ldquo;heliocentric offense,&rdquo; and we&rsquo;ve heard stars described as heliocentric. But it&rsquo;s also a term that can refer to the league itself.&nbsp;
To briefly go back to the 1500s and Copernicus &mdash; heliocentrism is a cosmological theory that the Earth and planets revolve around the sun. And in the NBA, everything revolves around certain stars. The bigger and brighter the star, the stronger their gravitational pull &mdash; the LeBronicus Theory, if you will.&nbsp;
Superstars wield more power than ever. They influence nearly every aspect of an organization &mdash; from coaching hirings and firings, to player personnel and roster construction.
The Harden-for-Simmons swap is an interesting case to dissect, because it centers around two stars whom everything doesn&rsquo;t revolve around.&nbsp;
On one side, there&rsquo;s Harden, whose status as a heliocentric star diminished as soon as he left Houston for Brooklyn. And on the other side is Simmons, a player who could never cement himself into anything more than a secondary star in Philadelphia.
Though both players had leverage, Harden had more because of the status of his contract. Neither were in a place to force their teams to bend to their will &mdash; at least not in the same way Harden was able to back when he told Houston they had a problem.&nbsp;
In Brooklyn, Harden <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33259122/james-harden-wants-trade-philadelphia-76ers-formally-request-deal-due-concern-public-backlash-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly never voiced his desire to leave</a>, and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey threatened to hold out on trading Simmons for the duration of his contract.
&nbsp;"You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could [go on for] four years... We're in the prime of Joel's career... Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference-maker," Morey said.
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Morey on his timeline: "You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could (go on for) 4 years. ... We're in the prime of Joel's career...Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker."
&mdash; Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1451288448875343872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It wasn't Simmons' refusal to play games or Harden&rsquo;s pouting that forced their teams&rsquo; hands.&nbsp; It was that Embiid&rsquo;s play pressured Morey to make a deal, and Kevin Durant <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly wanted one too</a>.&nbsp;
Ultimately, the deal came down to what was best for the biggest stars. While James and Ben were the players who used their leverage to request out, Durant and Embiid &mdash; being the heliocentric star of their respective teams &mdash; made the final call.&nbsp;
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What Harden lost in star power in moving to Brooklyn, KD gained by doing the same. Though Durant&rsquo;s play has always been stellar, it&rsquo;s clear he has more power within the Nets' organization than he did with the Warriors. It was Durant, after all, who <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953512-inside-kevin-durants-role-in-brooklyn-nets-james-harden-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly requested Kyrie Irving be allowed to play road games</a> despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nets-say-kyrie-irving-cant-play-or-practice-with-team-while-unvaccinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the stance Sean Marks and the Nets took</a> earlier in the season.&nbsp;
Who has power and how much they have is determined by a number of variables, like their standing in the league, their standing on their team, their health, the length of their contract and market size, etc. And this list of powerful players is still arguably fewer than 10 names long in any given season (with some variance).
The variables at play that make Durant&rsquo;s star shine brighter with the Nets than with the Warriors are as simple as the fact that there's another superstar in Golden State &mdash; and he was there first and couldn&rsquo;t be eclipsed.
Of course there are titans like LeBron James, who can completely shift the paradigm of the league with a flippant comment &mdash; like over All-Star Weekend when he hinted at a possible return to Cleveland.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that&hellip; &nbsp;I&rsquo;m not saying I&rsquo;m coming back and playing, I don&rsquo;t know. I don&rsquo;t know what my future holds. I don&rsquo;t even know when I&rsquo;m free.&rdquo; James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-on-cleveland-return-the-doors-not-closed-on-that" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Athletic</a>.
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LeBron is back in Cleveland this weekend. His picture is on the building again. At first he said he hasn&rsquo;t thought about returning to play for the Cavs, but then we kept talking. &ldquo;The door&rsquo;s not closed on that,&rdquo; he said. LeBron had a lot to say today. <a href="https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb">https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb</a>
&mdash; Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJasonLloyd/status/1495148179410591745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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LeBron&rsquo;s comments dominated the news cycle over the league&rsquo;s busiest weekend, and that's in large part because he will be a free agent in 2023. James signs short-term deals to maximize his leverage even though it means leaving long-term NBA money on the table.
Player empowerment isn&rsquo;t limited to team decisions &mdash; the NBPA also caters to the stars. With recent negotiations featuring superstars at the helm, contract negotiations often prioritize their needs.&nbsp;
Take for example the 2017 CBA. Superstar and NBPA president Chris Paul managed to help push forward the NBA supermax deal, given to players who have either won an MVP award, a Defensive Player of the Year award or earned an All-NBA selection in the previous season &mdash; or two of the previous three. The NBA supermax allows these stars to earn massive five-year deals with a starting salary of up to 35% of the cap.
Paul also helped change the "over-36" rule that prevented players from signing multi-year deals if they are to turn 36 or older over the course of the contract to "over-38." Not lost on anyone, Paul was set to be a free agent the summer of 2017, and pushing the rule back two years would have positively affected how much and how long he could have signed for.&nbsp;
In any collective bargaining, there&rsquo;s a give and a take &mdash; so both parties can walk away feeling like winners. So as collective bargaining agreements continue to reward those at the top, that leaves little for the rest.&nbsp;
Now, let's take a look at punishments. More often than not, disciplinary action comes in the form of fines. Technical fouls, for example, come with a fine of $2,000 for a player&rsquo;s first five offenses.&nbsp;
On Jan. 25 this season, the Sixers faced the New Orleans Pelicans. Embiid and rookie Jose Alvarado got into it and were each assessed technical fouls. That means Alvarado, who earns $462,629 this season, and Embiid, who's making $31.58 million, are meant to pay the same amount. Though Embiid generously offered to cover the fine for Alvarado, the benevolence of stars shouldn&rsquo;t make up for this obvious imbalance.&nbsp;
Fines are meant to disincentivize players from committing offenses, but when by setting these as a specific dollar amount as opposed to a percentage of their salary, they disproportionately&nbsp;hurt the lowest earners. And consequently, they allow the elite to do as they please.&nbsp;
Calling out NBA officials comes with a hefty $25,000 fine &mdash; this would be astronomical to rookies like Alvarado, but not to a superstar like Embiid who has been fined for doing just that. In Feb. 2019, Embiid told reporters the "referees f**king sucked" after a missed call in a close loss to the Boston Celtics. Though the fine undoubtedly hurt his pocketbook, it was a calculated risk he and other high earners like him have the freedom of taking.&nbsp;
From afar, superstar entitlement looks like stars picking their teams; a closer look unveils real inequities like financial penalties and disproportionate representation at the top of the players' union. A more granular look reveals that every scenario and every superstar is unique.&nbsp;
There is, however, one constant amidst the chaos in understanding power dynamics in the league, and that&rsquo;s team control. The NBA draft, rookie contracts, restricted free agency and good old-fashioned trades are just some of the ways in which teams have maintained ultimate control. The difference is when teams wield their power, it&rsquo;s not much of a news story.
We clutch our pearls at Kawhi Leonard demanding a trade but not at the Raptors for sending out DeMar DeRozan. We expect teams to make moves to better their situation, yet players who have become brands in their own right aren&rsquo;t given the freedom to do the same.&nbsp;
Any team would be over the moon to have a superstar play for them &mdash; we recognize this and they recognize this. So, they aren&rsquo;t going to sit back and wish upon a star for a trade. They ask, and if they're good enough, teams will acquiesce. It is a star-driven league, after all. So, we can&rsquo;t be surprised at who's steering the ship. And I&rsquo;d argue it&rsquo;s high time for the rest of the league to just grab on to their seats and hold on, because the era of player empowerment has only started taking off.&nbsp;
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Imman Adan details what "player empowerment" in the NBA truly entails and how it's been framed incorrectly.

The truth about 'player empowerment' in the NBA

Ray Allen fondly remembers when a young Stephen Curry and his little brother, Seth, used to tag along with father Dell and take part in Bucks shootarounds.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;d come and we&rsquo;d go through drills and they&rsquo;d be right there with us, and they&rsquo;d hold their own,&rdquo; said Allen, a teammate of Dell Curry in Milwaukee at the time who considered Dell the best shooter he had been around so far as a third-year guard. That was years before Allen would make his own enduring mark as a shooter.
Now, Stephen Curry is that guy for Golden State &mdash; and the two-time MVP is on the brink of breaking Allen's career three-point record. His next chance comes Saturday night at Philadelphia, where the Warriors (21-4) are embarking on a five-game road trip.
Seth Curry will be on the other side with the Sixers, determined to hold his brother in check.
The Warriors star needs nine three-pointers to match Allen's record of 2,973 regular-season 3s and 10 to top him. Allen accomplished the feat over 18 seasons from 1996-2014.
&ldquo;His journey was interesting because he was such an athlete," Curry said. "He&rsquo;d dunk on you, he&rsquo;d drive, he could shoot the 3 but from what I remember it wasn&rsquo;t a huge part of his game, because he could do so many other things. As it evolved, he adapted and made it more of a feature.&rdquo;
Curry called Allen&rsquo;s work ethic &ldquo;a common theme&rdquo; for the two shooting stars, recalling how Allen arrived at the arena three hours before games to shoot when nobody was inside to watch. That&rsquo;s a stark difference from <a href="the pregame show Curry puts on for the masses">the pregame show Curry puts on for the masses night after night</a>, thousands holding up their phones to shoot video and capture a glimpse of one of the greatest NBA performers ever.
&ldquo;He had a very specific routine that he stuck to,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;I learned a lot from that.&rdquo;
At 33, reigning NBA scoring champion Curry continues to let it fly from every spot on the court, recently knocking down half-court shots in consecutive games.
&ldquo;I work hard to try to put myself in position to have success, and confidence in my game and how I play, and all that goes into it,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;With that confidence does come creativity and ability to go out and stretch your imagination for what&rsquo;s possible out there and honestly, I just love what I do. So, there&rsquo;s always joy that comes with it.&rdquo;
Curry went a quiet 6 of 17 from beyond the arc in Wednesday's 104-94 win against Portland. Some thought <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-portland-trail-blazers-damian-lillard-norman-powell-d50f15d33c1487441c1584f6074bda61">he might somehow break the record against the Trail Blazers</a>.
While he would have preferred to become the three-point leader in front of the raucous home crowd, Curry acknowledged: "It is the weirdest thing to be picky about breaking a record like that. ... I feel like it will be special no matter what because I&rsquo;ll make it special and it will be an amazing experience for me and my teammates.&rdquo;
Portland coach Chauncey Billups realizes what this record means to the way basketball is played today and going forward.
&ldquo;The game has changed a ton. Quite frankly, he&rsquo;s the reason why,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most influential players to ever play the game, the way he&rsquo;s changed the way everybody kind of plays the game.&rdquo;
Curry's teammates can't wait to share in his moment, with Andrew Wiggins saying: "He&rsquo;s one of the most influential basketball players of all time, helped change the game. So no one deserves it more than him.&rdquo;
Allen will also appreciate Curry&rsquo;s latest accomplishment on an already long list of them.
&ldquo;It's been fascinating to watch. It only seems fitting that this is the path that Steph is on," said Allen, now 46. "People have compared him to myself and Reggie (Miller) and other past shooters. He really operates in a lane of his own.&rdquo;
These days, Allen and Curry enjoy meeting up a couple of times a year to play golf, and they will surely have plenty to chat about next time.
&ldquo;I just like the fact that he complimented my golf game more than basketball,&rdquo; Curry said with a grin. &ldquo;Basketball&rsquo;s cool, everybody talks about that. The fact that I can beat him at golf, that&rsquo;s even better.&rdquo;

The Warriors star needs nine three-pointers to match Allen's record of 2,973 regular-season threes and 10 to top him.

Stephen Curry closes in on NBA three-point record

The Indiana Pacers might press the big red button.
Fresh off a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plea from our own Evan Sidery</a>, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz reported that the Pacers may be ready to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-moving-to-substantial-rebuild-listening-to-trade-calls-on-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shift into a rebuild</a>. 
"In need of a new direction amid a 10-16 start to the season, the Indiana Pacers are moving toward a substantial rebuild and are expected to open up trade conversations around some of their veteran stalwarts, sources tell The Athletic."
The report lists Caris LeVert as a name that's garnered interest from teams around the league. BasketballNews.com wrote about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five teams that could make sense for the 27-year-old swingman</a> on Tuesday.
Myles Turner also intrigues the masses; with his blend of shooting and elite rim protection, why wouldn't he?
And then there's Domantas Sabonis, the two-time All-Star bruiser who the Pacers are willing to take calls on.
There's been plenty of smoke over the past few seasons about the Sabonis-Turner pairing, and how tenable it is long-term. If there was a split, Turner seemed to be the odd man out. But if Sabonis is actually available, the calculus on that changes.&nbsp;
WHAT SABONIS BRINGS TO THE TABLE
Don't tell Rick Carlisle, but Sabonis is a high-level post hub.
Dump it to him at the elbow, and he'll give you options. He can flow into handoffs with guards, prying his partner open for shots or rolling into open space. He can take matters into his own hands, facing up or bumping and grinding his way into paint touches. Or, he can set up shop and pick out cutters in stationary sets.
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Sabonis is most effective at the elbow, but because of his mix of ball skills and brute strength, he can be moved around the chessboard a bit.
He's a willing participant in Delay sets &mdash; the cue would be a big handling the ball above the break &mdash; which allows him to pry guards open higher on the floor. Pull-up twos turn into three-point opportunities; and for Sabonis, he has even more space to roll into when operating that high.
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And then, there's the traditional low-post usage for him. He's a bully in every sense of the word. Having tremendous footwork is a bonus (I avoided the pun, you're welcome), but the physicality really stands out with him.
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The scoring is the impressive (and important) part, but I've always marveled at how Sabonis nails the little things. He makes himself available, as simple as that sounds. High hands. Constant movement. He always jockeys for position, creating post looks out of nowhere. He's not just a hub; he's a security blanket of sorts.
LIMITATIONS
What Sabonis is not, however, is a shooter. The "stretch big" experiment in OKC lasted one (1) season &mdash; his rookie campaign &mdash; and even that was a 32.1% clip on 2.0 attempts. He's gotten back to slinging them on occasion over the past two seasons, but his numbers (30.9% on 2.6 attempts) underwhelm.
Sabonis is also a limited defender. A lack of length (6-foot-10.5 wingspan) and vertical pop prevent him from being a real rim deterrent. His lateral mobility isn't at a level where you'd be comfortable switching him.
But this is where we have to be careful with Sabonis. He has clear limitations, but he isn't&nbsp;useless.&nbsp;The Pacers have experimented with showing at the level of the screen, or outright blitzing them.&nbsp;
He's not equipped to do that full-time, but he&nbsp;does&nbsp;have active hands and a solid enough understanding of positioning to pull the coverage off.&nbsp;
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Funny enough, the Pacers' ball-screen defense featuring Sabonis has fared better in more aggressive coverages. Per Second Spectrum, opponents are generating 1.07 points per possession when Sabonis is in drop (or "soft") coverage; that number drops to 1.0 when Sabonis shows and recovers, or outright blitzes the screen.
Neither mark is great &mdash; again, Sabonis has his limitations &mdash; but he can work as a cog if you have the personnel around him. Elite point-of-attack defenders are needed if you want him to work in drop; active backline helpers are needed if you want him to play aggressively.
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POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS
Not knowing precisely what the Pacers are going after makes this a tough exercise. High level prospects and/or picks likely top the list, assuming they aren't able to snag a young All-Star for an outright swap.
Beyond that, a suitor for Sabonis has to need what he provides &mdash; frontcourt passing and rim pressure via post-ups &mdash; while covering for what he doesn't.&nbsp;
That narrows the list down to a few teams for me.
The Golden State Warriors top the list. They've been the league's best team this season, though there's room to shore up some things. Specifically on the offensive end, they currently lack a high-level secondary creator beyond Stephen Curry.
Jordan Poole can do it. Andrew Wiggins can do it. Saying either of them fill that role consistently is a bridge too far for me at the moment. The jury is out on Klay Thompson right now for rather obvious reasons.
Sabonis would certainly aid in the rim pressure department with his post-up and roll-man chops. The Warriors run enough post split action as-is; running it through Sabonis with the added element of post-up scoring if the cuts don't work? Whew, buddy.&nbsp;
Defensively is where the questions come in, but Sabonis should be rather insulated. Assuming he's flanked by Draymond Green, the Warriors could afford to have Sabonis hedge or blitz ball-screens while Green works his usual magic on the backline.&nbsp;
And if you're looking for a trade package, the Warriors conveniently have three recent lottery-pick talents (James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody) that nearly match Sabonis' salary on the nose.&nbsp;
I'd guess the Pacers would want all three youngins; I'd also guess the Warriors would be fine with parting with Wiseman and one of Kuminga or Moody, and finding the salary to make it work elsewhere on the depth chart, and likely throw in some pick consideration to even the scales.&nbsp;
There's a malleable framework if both teams are down to deal.
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The Boston Celtics also intrigue me as a fit. Sabonis' skillset would be a nice complement to the perimeter exploits of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics already run similar high-post actions through Al Horford and Robert Williams (when healthy). The scheme fit wouldn't be troublesome.
Threading the needle on a package is where it gets tricky. The Pacers would rightfully ask for Brown first, aiming for the fabled "young All-Star for young All-Star" swap that was mentioned earlier. The Celtics would scoff at that.
They have enough mid-tier salaries to make a deal &mdash; I'd guess Marcus Smart and Williams (extension kicks in next season) &mdash; but the pick capital and rookie-scale prospects (do we feel good about Romeo Langford as the blue-chipper in an All-Star trade?) leave a bit to be desired.
The Dallas Mavericks are on the "good on-court fit, 'meh' assets to get it done" list, as are the Portland Trail Blazers (who may need to reset soon anyway) and Phoenix Suns (they aren't giving up Ayton... at least they better not).
The Memphis Grizzlies intrigue me &mdash; imagine Ja Morant as a pick-and-roll partner, and Jaren Jackson Jr. sniping around the perimeter &mdash; though I'm not sure they'd be willing to give up what it may take to satisfy Indiana.
Who knows whether Sabonis is dealt or not, but at the very least, Indiana is listening intently to offers around the trio of Sabonis, Turner and LeVert.

Nekias Duncan takes a look at possible landing spots for Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis if they decide to move him.

Examining potential trade destinations for Domantas Sabonis

Michael Porter Jr. is the latest player to come out against vaccinations, saying he does not feel comfortable doing so.
Source:<a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1443276565052215300?s=20"> Mike Singer/Denver Post</a>
ANALYSIS: This is not the first time Porter Jr. has spoken out controvresially against COVID-19, even saying it was used to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/29/michael-porter-jr-covid-19-conspiracy-theory-vaccination-nba-nuggets">"control the masses"</a> in the past.
Porter Jr. was signed to a 5 year, 207 million dollar max contract extension Monday.&nbsp;
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nuggets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nuggets</a> Michael Porter Jr. to <a href="https://twitter.com/denverpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@denverpost</a>: "I don't feel comfortable" taking the vaccine.<a href="https://t.co/qEg8oHSQ3Q">https://t.co/qEg8oHSQ3Q</a>
&mdash; Mike Singer (@msinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1443276565052215300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Michael Porter not comfortable taking COVID-19 Vaccine.

Michael Porter not comfortable taking COVID-19 Vaccine

It&rsquo;s funny.
When you meet someone new or make a new friend, you simply never know where or how your paths may cross in the future.
&ldquo;Can I rebound for you?&rdquo;
That was the first thing I ever remember saying to Tina Thompson. Never did I imagine that I&rsquo;d one day have the privilege of serving as an assistant coach on her staff. This past summer, I was blessed to be offered the opportunity to take my talents to the University of Virginia, where I&rsquo;ll be working with Tina and the Cavaliers.
The seeds were planted almost 20 years ago.
Way back in 1999, I was drafted by the Denver Nuggets. I spent three years there, and during my time with them, I grew close to John Lucas, who was an assistant coach on the team's staff. Over the summers, Antonio McDyess and Nick Van Exel &mdash; two of my veteran teammates &mdash; would join Luc in Houston to work out, and I wanted to stay near those guys. Luc and I grew really close, and before I knew it, I made Houston my second home, even while I was playing in Denver.
So it was a crazy coincidence that, of all teams, Denver traded me to the Rockets in 2002. I obviously wasn&rsquo;t complaining.
By the time the trade happened, I was already pretty comfortable in the city, and for anyone who&rsquo;s followed women&rsquo;s basketball or the WNBA in particular, you know about the league&rsquo;s original Big Three &mdash; Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson.
The WNBA began play in 1997, when I was a sophomore at Xavier. With Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Rebecca Lobo and Swoopes, the league had quite a bit of star power; and I, like most of the other players I knew, watched the league regularly. Since I was spending my summers in Houston, believe it or not, I actually became a season ticket holder for the Houston Comets. With Cooper, Swoopes and Tina, the Comets won the WNBA's first four championships from 1997-2000.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2021-09-10-133529_lg.png" alt="" width="505" height="446" />
By the time I got there in 2002, they were already legendary, so I couldn&rsquo;t help but to be a little starstruck.
Back in those days, the Comets and the Rockets used the same practice facility &mdash; the Westside Tennis Club. Sometimes, I&rsquo;d go to get shots up or arrive early or stay late and run into Comets players. Tina was one of them.&nbsp;
One day in particular, I just happened to make my way into the gym when she was getting some shots up. She was alone, and instead of sitting and watching, I figured that I should offer to rebound for her, so I did.&nbsp;
She thought I was joking at first, but when she realized I was serious, she gladly accepted. That moment began a friendship that is now going on 20 years. And now, after all that time, it&rsquo;s led to a professional relationship that I&rsquo;m so excited about.&nbsp;
Every single day I go to work, I get to sit next to a G.O.A.T., and as I've interviewed for different jobs since my time in Cleveland came to an end, that&rsquo;s not really an opportunity I&rsquo;d imagined having.
I joke with Tina all the time about how she was a bona fide bucket. She retired from the WNBA after 17 years as a nine-time All-Star, eight-time All-WNBA team member and the league&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer. She was named one of the WNBA&rsquo;s Top 15 players of all-time in 2011 and got inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. She was the truth.
Now, as a coach, Tina is doing exactly what it is I wanted to do, and I&rsquo;m thankful that I will get to take this next step in my career alongside her. I&rsquo;ve already learned so much about the differences between coaching collegiate players and pros, and I welcome the new challenges that await.
When I went to Virginia to interview for the job back in June, I had to quarantine for a week before I was able to do in-person interviews with Tina and her staff. That was a long week, but I knew that a good opportunity awaited on the other side and that I wanted it. Fortunately, it all worked out.
Since the news of my hiring was made public, a few people that I know asked me a similar question that came up during the interview &mdash; whether I was self-conscious about becoming a college coach, and especially a women&rsquo;s coach at that. I can honestly say that the answer is no.
At the end of the day, being a coach is a calling. It&rsquo;s something that&rsquo;s in you. Your desire is to teach the game and compete at the highest levels. It&rsquo;s taken a long time for the masses to realize something that I&rsquo;ve always known &mdash; women are just as talented and just as skilled at the game as men. It&rsquo;s an honor and a privilege to be on the sidelines next to Tina Thompson at the University of Virginia and to have the opportunity to help our players develop into champions.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_12276866_lg.jpg" alt="" width="505" height="336" />
Thanks to some of the other trailblazers &nbsp;&mdash; Becky Hammon, Teresa Weatherspoon and Candace Parker, to name a few &mdash; we&rsquo;re starting to simply see everyone as basketball players and basketball coaches, not as &ldquo;men&rdquo; or &ldquo;women&rdquo; or &ldquo;male&rdquo; or &ldquo;female&rdquo; players and coaches. When you respect and appreciate the game in its purest essence, you quickly realize that gender identities don&rsquo;t really play any role in what happens on a basketball court.
For whatever reason, I guess everyone hasn&rsquo;t adopted that same mindset. I&rsquo;m obviously on the other side of that fence.
Over the years, I&rsquo;ve coached everywhere from invitational tournaments to the NBA Finals. I&rsquo;ve approached every situation as an opportunity to teach the game while learning and improving as a coach. This, for me, is no different at all.
When Tina and I had our first informal conversation about the opening on her staff, she didn&rsquo;t seem to think that I was serious about joining her. She probably thought I had too much pride, or may have wondered if I felt like the opportunity was beneath me or something like that. I can&rsquo;t blame her for thinking that way, but a part of the reason why Tina and I have remained such good friends over the years is because we have some similarities in personality.
Tina retired from the WNBA as one of a few players with a legit argument as being the G.O.A.T. She herself could have felt like anything less than a head coaching job somewhere was beneath her, especially with her pedigree and legacy. But no&hellip; She took an assistant coaching job at the University of Texas before landing her current job at UVA. She saw an opportunity and embraced it.
In Charlottesville, I hope we&rsquo;re able to build something special. I&rsquo;m proud to say that I&rsquo;ve been a winner my entire career, and I plan on helping Tina apply the lessons I&rsquo;ve learned along the way to the rest of her staff and her players. It&rsquo;s a new journey for me, and I hit the ground running.&nbsp;
It all started in Houston nearly 20 years ago. Two pros rubbing shoulders in the practice facility. A few chance encounters led to a friendly gesture that was accepted.
Tina and I have both come a long way since I was grabbing her rebounds at the Westside Tennis Club.
Now together, under her leadership, I hope we can go much further.

James Posey describes his close relationship with Tina Thompson and why he took a job on her coaching staff at Virginia.

Posey: Joining Tina Thompson at UVA was 20 years in the making

Sixers rookie&nbsp;Charles Bassey&nbsp;&mdash; the No. 53 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Western Kentucky &mdash; plans to sign the one-year, non-guaranteed tender, sources said. Bassey and the 76ers have so far been unable to land a rookie deal.
Source: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2789891/2021/08/30/ben-simmons-update-one-on-one-with-liangelo-ball-plus-more-nba-news-and-notes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Bassey did not play in Summer League as contract negotiations were ongoing. It is unclear if the two sides will continue to work on a larger deal, or if signing the one-year tender will ultimately be the decision. Bassey averaged 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in 2020-21 at Western Kentucky.

Bassey averaged 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in 2020-21 at Western Kentucky.

Sixers' Charles Bassey plans to sign 1-year tender, yet to agree on contract

After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the NBA&rsquo;s Las Vegas Summer League returns. And with that comes the most electric small sample of inconsequential games on the league calendar.&nbsp;
The 2021 draft class will don NBA jerseys for the first time, and most of the 2020 class will finally receive a real training ground after missing out last season. With so much young talent descending on Las Vegas, every single team has multiple storylines to follow.
But fans also have the final few weeks of their summer to savor. So while I'll surely be watching as many games as possible, what teams should be considered appointment television? What rosters are chock full of prospects and intrigue?
Below are the eight "must-watch" teams of 2021 MGM Resorts Summer League, with a complete schedule included&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/vegas/schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Detroit Pistons
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Here&rsquo;s the Pistons&rsquo; Summer League roster <a href="https://t.co/oDl06KKiEF">pic.twitter.com/oDl06KKiEF</a>
&mdash; James Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLEdwardsIII/status/1423370122199248902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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As with every year of summer league, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft immediately grabs headlines as a player to watch. And&nbsp;everyone&nbsp;expects big things from Cade Cunningham, who is largely considered to be one of the more polished prospects in recent memory.&nbsp;
However, it's not just Cunningham who makes this an exciting roster. Second-year forward Saddiq Bey joins the squad after landing on the All-Rookie First Team last season. Saben Lee turned heads as a second-round rookie. Killian Hayes is out to prove himself after injuries hampered the seventh overall pick of the 2020 draft. Sekou Doumbouya has some asserting to do as well, having yet to make a major leap since being drafted 15th overall in 2019.
You won't see Isaiah Stewart, Isaiah Livers or Chris Smith in action; they're&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/detnewsRodBeard/status/1423371634967257090" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly not playing due to injuries.</a>&nbsp;But there's simply so much talent and intrigue, even without those three. This could be a rare summer league team that could both win games and introduce the masses to some notable young players.
Houston Rockets
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🚀 Summer League roster is here! More info: <a href="https://t.co/nDED5Tfu0M">https://t.co/nDED5Tfu0M</a> <a href="https://t.co/q2wnObZApV">pic.twitter.com/q2wnObZApV</a>
&mdash; Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1423752361252728835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Until July 29, the Rockets had not made a first-round pick in the NBA Draft since selecting Sam Dekker all the way back in 2015. This year they picked not once, not twice, but four times in the first 24 selections.&nbsp;
All four choices &mdash; Jalen Green (the No. 2 overall pick), Alperen Sengun (No. 16), Usman Garuba (No. 23) and Josh Christopher (No. 24) will suit up in Vegas. They represent the future of the franchise and the first first-round picks by general manager Rafael Stone.&nbsp;
Don't forget about uber-athletic K.J. Martin, son of NBA veteran Kenyon Martin, and his quietly-successful rookie season, either. He could make some of the highlight-reel plays of the tournament.&nbsp;
Memphis Grizzlies
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The <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> today announced their 17-player roster for MGM Resorts <a href="https://twitter.com/NBASummerLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBASummerLeague</a> 2021 in Las Vegas. <a href="https://t.co/rJ0HBn26Lf">pic.twitter.com/rJ0HBn26Lf</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1424099014979555328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Grizzlies might be my early pick as Las Vegas Summer League champs. Desmond Bane is frankly too good to be here. After making the All-Rookie Second Team last season and emerging as one of the better shooters in the entire league, Bane could eviscerate the younger opponents he'll face.
He'll be joined by three other 2020 draft picks in Xavier Tillman, Killian Tillie and Sam Merrill, who was recently acquired in the trade that sent Grayson Allen to Milwaukee. As far as summer league goes, this should be one of the more experienced squads in Las Vegas.
Toss in two first round picks in Ziaire Williams (No. 10) and Santi Aldama (No. 30) as well. Both were picked at least six spots higher than BasketballNews.com draft analyst Matt Babcock&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predicted</a>&nbsp;before draft night. Time will tell if they were the right choices, but both can make a strong first impression at summer league. If undrafted rookie Yves Pons is doing&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1423792346123145218?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stuff like this</a>, he's another one to watch.
Orlando Magic
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As expected, the Magic&rsquo;s NBA Summer League roster will include second-year guards Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton in addition to rookies Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. <a href="https://t.co/lyACl7whtD">https://t.co/lyACl7whtD</a> <a href="https://t.co/q6aPtdx7vG">pic.twitter.com/q6aPtdx7vG</a>
&mdash; Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaBRobbins/status/1422196207372361740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Orlando was one of two teams with multiple lottery picks in this summer's NBA Draft. Both Jalen Suggs (the No. 5 pick) and Franz Wagner (No. 8) will make appearances as two potential cornerstones for the franchise.
Suggs in particular should garner interest because he joins a crowded lineup of young, exciting guards in Orlando. Viewers will see two of the others in Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton. How will the Magic balance minutes in the early going? Will any of the three separate themselves from the pack? How often will Orlando try a three-guard lineup?
Those are just some of the questions that first-year head coach Jamahl Mosley will eventually have to answer.
Golden State Warriors
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Warriors announce updated Summer League Roster ahead of the team's five-game slate at the MGM Resorts Summer League 2021 in Las Vegas: <a href="https://t.co/E1CKLAyd1I">pic.twitter.com/E1CKLAyd1I</a>
&mdash; Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/WarriorsPR/status/1424098129180123138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Are Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga ready to join a rotation with win-now expectations? That's the central question for Golden State ahead of summer league. Both prospects had rocky-yet-promising debuts in the California Classic. Moody dropped 19 points (7-for-18 shooting) to go with seven rebounds, while Kuminga logged 18 points (7-for-14 shooting) and three rebounds against six turnovers.
As the No. 7 pick, Kuminga is theoretically a long-term upside play. Moody (No. 14 pick) is typically viewed as a safer, more NBA-ready prospect, but he too is a one-and-done wing. Even as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green push for a championship, these two shouldn't be forced into action. They'll grow at their own paces; summer league serves as a starting point.
Gary Payton II is the third player to focus on. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/what-andre-iguodalas-warriors-return-could-mean-rest-roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Shiller of NBC Sports</a>, the Warriors have until Aug. 11 to waive the guard before guaranteeing $659,000 on his contract. We'll see how that plays out as Payton goes through the next 10 days.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets
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The Charlotte Hornets&rsquo; summer league roster featuring James Bouknight, Kai Jones and LiAngelo Ball, brother of Hornets star LaMelo Ball. More NBA from me: <a href="https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP">https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP</a> <a href="https://t.co/keKAzpdc9O">pic.twitter.com/keKAzpdc9O</a>
&mdash; Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1422248415778455557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The Hornets garnered widespread praise for their 2021 NBA Draft. Charlotte came away with a dynamic scoring guard in James Bouknight at No. 11, and then grabbed two high-upside talents in Kai Jones (at No. 19) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jt-thor-could-be-2021-nba-draft-diamond-in-the-rough-auburn-tigers-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JT Thor</a>&nbsp;(who is not in the above graphic but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article253197298.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will play</a>) at No. 37.
I'll be especially intrigued in seeing just how NBA ready Jones and Thor appear to be. The Hornets don't have to rush either prospect and could opt to send them down to their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. If they do flash skill at summer league, though, they could eventually become exciting targets for LaMelo Ball.
And speaking of Ball, his brother LiAngelo will probably have his best shot at making the NBA this week. His name alone creates another storyline to follow, as LiAngelo hopes to follow his two brothers into stardom in the Association.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> have announced their Summer League roster. <a href="https://t.co/4rAzBB6KmZ">pic.twitter.com/4rAzBB6KmZ</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1422347397154344965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Cleveland is the only team in the NBA carrying two top-5 draft picks into summer league. Evan Mobley &mdash; a unique blend of size, speed and skill and this year's No. 3 pick &mdash; is certainly the headliner. Mobley has a ceiling as high as any in this draft class, and this week will give the first glimpses at how Cleveland looks to optimize him.
The other is Isaac Okoro, who started all 67 of the games he played last season. His usage rate was low, though, and the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft struggled with shooting efficiency as a rookie. He made just 29% of his three-pointers and had a true shooting percentage of just 51.4, which is relatively poor. He can demonstrate improvement in this setting while getting more touches and the chance to showcase his defensive prowess.
One other player I'd keep an eye on is Mfiondu Kabengele. The Cavs signed him outright in May after playing through two 10-day contracts. Kabengele is a 2019 first-round pick who never clicked with the Clippers, so this could be a good place to start fresh.
Toronto Raptors
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Raptors Summer League roster below! Moses Wright will no longer be with the Raptors in Vegas. Became uncertainty as other moves were made and he'll opt for a different situation. (Not uncommon.) <a href="https://t.co/lRcbGUWYrL">pic.twitter.com/lRcbGUWYrL</a>
&mdash; Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeMurphyODC/status/1423298986606223365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Kyle Lowry's departure signals a new era in Toronto -- one currently centered around Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. Though they've graduated from summer league reps, fans will get to see three more key pieces that could define the franchise's future.
Toronto caught most draft analysts off guard by selecting Scottie Barnes with the fourth overall pick, but make no mistake, Barnes is a versatile forward whose combination of athleticism and processing speed will be on full display in Las Vegas.
Though Precious Achiuwa is not listed above, the second-year center will <a href="https://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/vegas/team/1610612761/raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also be with Toronto</a>&nbsp;after coming over from Miami in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade. Although the league has reportedly opened a tampering probe against the Miami Heat, at this time, there&rsquo;s no reason to believe that Achiuwa won&rsquo;t be in uniform for Toronto.
Fellow 2020 first-rounder Malachi Flynn will likely run the summer league offense in hopes of staking his claim as the Raptors' third guard in the rotation.&nbsp;
Newly-extended Masai Ujiri will surely keep a close eye on the three prospects as he ponders the identity of Toronto's next iteration.
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After a one-year hiatus, it&rsquo;ll be nice to have summer basketball back. And without question, these are the teams that I&rsquo;ll be keeping a close eye on.

The 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas begins on August 8, and some teams qualify as 'Must See' TV.

Who are the must-watch Summer League teams in Las Vegas?

With the 2021 NBA Draft just days away, BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has put together a list of the top available prospects by position. He recently listed the draft's top&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-point-guards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">point guards</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-shooting-guards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting guards</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-small-forwards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small forwards</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-draft-top-power-forwards-in-this-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power forwards</a>.
Here are the top centers in this class:
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/evan-mobley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Mobley, USC</a>
Standing 7-feet tall with a 7-foot-4 wingspan while also being a fluid athlete, Evan Mobley utilizes his unique combination of length and mobility to be an elite rim protector. He has also shown flashes of being an effective passer and outside shooter. Overall, it&rsquo;s rare to find players with his size, skill, and athleticism, making him a special prospect.&nbsp;
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/alperen-sengun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alperen Sengun, Beşiktaş</a>
At 18 years old, Alperen Sengun has continued to record phenomenal numbers and dominate the Turkish Super League - a credible professional league in Turkey. With adequate footwork and skills, he is an elite interior scorer. He has great vision and awareness for a big man, allowing him to facilitate for his teammates. He is certainly powerful, but lacks athleticism, so his defensive impact is a question at the moment. All in all, Sengun&rsquo;s production is impressive for a player his age.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/day-ron-sharpe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina</a>
A big, physical presence on the interior, Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe also has great vision as a passer too. He excels at facilitating out of the post and has an array of low-post moves as a scorer as well. Sharpe will need to clean up his footwork and techniques on the defensive end, but overall, he shows great promise. At the very least, he should be solid player at the next level.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/charles-bassey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky</a>
After overcoming injuries, Charles Bassey dominated his competition last season. He is physically imposing with solid strength and athleticism, which helped him average a double-double. Bassey is a menace on the glass and provides energy as a rim-runner, showing that he may be able to provide value as a backup NBA center.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/sandro-mamukelashvili" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall</a>
Sandro Mamukelashvili is a unique prospect; he's a 6-foot-9 big man who is comfortable with the ball in his hands, running the pick-and-roll and stretching the floor. The Tbilisi, Georgia native averaged 17.5 points per game and improved as a playmaker as a senior. His lack of athleticism may be a concern on the defensive end, but his versatility makes him an intriguing option.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/neemias-queta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neemias Queta, Utah State</a>
Neemias Queta took a huge step forward during the 2020-21 season, averaging a double-double for the Aggies. Also, the 7-footer from Portugal improved as both a passer and shot-blocker, averaging 3.3 blocks per game (third-most in the NCAA). He isn't a threat to stretch the floor, but he could provide valuable backup minutes in the NBA with his size, rim-running, and shot-blocking prowess.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/filip-petrusev" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Filip Petrusev, Mega Basket</a>
The former Gonzaga Bulldog has been playing very well for Mega Basket this season, averaging 23.6 points in 21 Adriatic League games. He is a strong interior scorer and is rapidly improving as a shooter, giving promise to NBA potential. He will need to improve both his on-ball and team defense, but his skillset makes him an interesting prospect.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/jericho-sim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jericho Sims, Texas </a>
Sims had a strong year for the Longhorns, but has really gotten traction late in the NBA pre-draft process. He is an incredible athlete, weighing 250 pounds with 5.5% body fat, and he posted a 44.5-inch max vertical at the Combine. He is a menace on the glass on both ends of the floor, plays with a great motor, and excels down low in the dunker spot and as a rim protector.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Garza, Iowa</a>
Luka Garza swept all six of the National Player of the Year awards by averaging 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Despite being dominant as a scorer both inside and out at the college level, questions remain about his limitations on the defensive end, as there are concerns about his mobility and quickness.

BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock put together a list of the top centers in the 2021 NBA Draft.

2021 NBA Draft: Top centers in this class

The NBA released some key numbers to remember ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft:
The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, July 29 at 8 p.m. ET at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.&nbsp;&nbsp;ABC&nbsp;will televise the&nbsp;first round of the NBA Draft&nbsp;for the first time, and ESPN will air both rounds.&nbsp;
Twenty draft prospects are scheduled to attend and have their once-in-a-lifetime experience on the biggest stage.&nbsp;&nbsp;NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum will announce the selections for the first and second rounds, respectively.&nbsp;
Here is a by-the-numbers look at this year&rsquo;s NBA Draft:&nbsp;
History &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985,&nbsp;four&nbsp;first overall picks have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them: David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs; first pick in 1987), Tim Duncan (Spurs; first pick in 1997), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers; first pick in 2003) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers; first pick in 2011).&nbsp;James won an NBA championship in his second stint with Cleveland. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6 &ndash;&nbsp;Since the two-round format was adopted in 1989, Kentucky holds the record for the university with the most picks in an NBA Draft &ndash;&nbsp;six&nbsp;each in 2012 and 2015. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Barclays Center will host the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;eighth&nbsp;time.&nbsp;It last hosted the event in 2019 prior to the pandemic. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;11 &ndash;&nbsp;A college freshman has been the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in each of the last&nbsp;11&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;15 &ndash;&nbsp;This marks the&nbsp;15th&nbsp;consecutive year that Adam Silver will announce draft selections as either deputy commissioner (seven years) or commissioner (eight years including 2021). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1947 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will be held in July for the first time since&nbsp;1947, the year of the inaugural draft.
Prospects &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;In 2020-21, USC forward-center Evan Mobley became the&nbsp;first&nbsp;player to win the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, NBA G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs have won&nbsp;three&nbsp;gold medals together with USA Basketball in international play: 2019 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup, 2018 FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup and 2017 FIBA U-16 Americas Championship. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;2021 NBA Draft prospects were teammates on the Montverde (Fla.) Academy team that went 25-0 during the 2019-20 high school season: Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, Arkansas guard Moses Moody and North Carolina center Day'Ron Sharpe.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7.6 &ndash;&nbsp;Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia) led Australia&rsquo;s National Basketball League in assists with&nbsp;7.6&nbsp;per game in the 2020-21 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;Besiktas forward Alperen Sengun (Turkey), the 2020-21 Turkish League MVP, turned&nbsp;19&nbsp;on July 25. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;48 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard&nbsp;Keon Johnson set the NBA Combine record with a max vertical jump of&nbsp;48&nbsp;inches.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75 &ndash;&nbsp;Last season, Cade&nbsp;Cunningham became Oklahoma State&rsquo;s first consensus All-America First Team selection in&nbsp;75&nbsp;years.
Teams &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 &ndash;&nbsp;The Houston Rockets franchise is set to select&nbsp;second&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in 51 years.&nbsp;In 1970, the then San Diego Rockets selected five-time NBA All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich with the No. 2 pick. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has&nbsp;three&nbsp;picks in both the first round (Nos. 6, 16 and 18 overall) and the second round (Nos. 34, 36 and 55 overall). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Toronto Raptors are poised to pick&nbsp;fourth&nbsp;overall in the NBA Draft for the first time since selecting newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at that spot in 2003. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7 &ndash;&nbsp;The Golden State Warriors&rsquo; first pick in the NBA Draft is at No.&nbsp;7&nbsp;overall, a spot where they have selected five-time NBA All-Star Chris Mullin (1985), two-time Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry (2009) and NBA champion Harrison Barnes (2012) during the NBA Draft Lottery era. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pick third overall in the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;49&nbsp;years. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;51 &ndash;&nbsp;The Detroit Pistons are poised&nbsp;to make the first pick in&nbsp;the NBA Draft for the first time in&nbsp;51&nbsp;years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1970, the Pistons used the top pick to select eight-time NBA All-Star Bob Lanier, a longtime ambassador for the NBA Cares program.&nbsp;
Family Ties &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9.2 &ndash;&nbsp;Auburn guard&nbsp;Sharife Cooper&rsquo;s&nbsp;sister, Te&rsquo;a Cooper, is currently averaging&nbsp;9.2&nbsp;points per game with the Los Angeles Sparks in her second WNBA season.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;10 &ndash;&nbsp;Michigan forward Franz Wagner (Germany) and his brother, Orlando Magic forward-center Moritz Wagner, were both All-Big&nbsp;Ten&nbsp;Team selections with the Wolverines.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12 &ndash;&nbsp;Houston guard&nbsp;Quentin Grimes&rsquo;&nbsp;brother, NHL veteran Tyler Myers, was selected&nbsp;12th&nbsp;overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33 &ndash;&nbsp;Boise State&nbsp;forward&nbsp;Derrick Alston Jr.&rsquo;s father, Derrick Sr., was the&nbsp;33rd&nbsp;overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and played three seasons in the league.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1984 &ndash;&nbsp;Tennessee guard Jaden Springer is the son of Gary Springer, who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the&nbsp;1984&nbsp;NBA Draft. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1992 &ndash;&nbsp;Loyola Maryland forward&nbsp;Santi&nbsp;Aldama (Spain)&nbsp;is the son of Santiago&nbsp;Aldama&nbsp;Ales&oacute;n, who was a&nbsp;member of the Spanish National Team that competed against the Dream Team at the&nbsp;1992&nbsp;Barcelona Olympics.&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2015 &ndash;&nbsp;Gonzaga guard&nbsp;Joel&nbsp;Ayayi (France)&nbsp;is the brother of&nbsp;Valeriane&nbsp;Ayayi&nbsp;Vukosavljevic, who played in the WNBA in&nbsp;2015.&nbsp;
Global Game &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;Australia&rsquo;s Josh Giddey is poised to become the&nbsp;first&nbsp;NBA Academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;Giddey attended NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;If NBA G League Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga is drafted in the top&nbsp;six, he would be the highest-drafted player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Dikembe Mutombo was drafted fourth overall in 1991. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9 &ndash;&nbsp;Last year, a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;players from or with ties to Nigeria were drafted: Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Nesmith, Precious Achiuwa, Zeke Nnaji, Udoka Azubuike, Desmond Bane, Daniel Oturu and Jordan Nwora. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;13 &ndash;&nbsp;Thirteen&nbsp;international players have been selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, most recently Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) in 2018. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;27 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;27&nbsp;international players were selected in the 2016 NBA Draft, including a record 15 in the first round and a record-tying 12 in the second round. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;68 &ndash; Sixty-eight&nbsp;former Basketball Without Borders campers have been drafted into the NBA.&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s class features a number of potential draftees with BWB experience, including Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi (France; BWB Europe 2017), Western Kentucky forward-center Charles Bassey (Nigeria; BWB Global 2017 &amp; 2018), Paris Basket guard Juhann Begarin (France; BWB Europe 2019; BWB Global 2020), Zalgiris Kaunas guard Rokas Jokubaitis (Lithuania; BWB Europe 2017), Adelaide 36ers guard Josh Giddey (Australia; BWB Asia 2018; BWB Global 2020), Texas forward-center Kai Jones (Bahamas; BWB Americas 2017), Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (Georgia; BWB Global 2017), KK Mega Basket forward-center Filip Petrusev (Serbia; BWB Europe 2017; BWB Global 2018), Alabama guard Josh Primo (Canada; BWB Global 2020) and Oostende forward Amar Sylla (Senegal; BWB Africa 2018; BWB Global 2019). &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;215/25 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will reach fans live in&nbsp;215&nbsp;countries and territories in&nbsp;25&nbsp;languages on their televisions, computers, mobile devices and tablets. &nbsp; NBA G League &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;Four&nbsp;former five-star high school prospects who helped lead NBA G League Ignite to the 2021 NBA G League Playoffs are entered in the&nbsp;NBA Draft:&nbsp;Jalen&nbsp;Green, Jonathan&nbsp;Kuminga, guard&nbsp;Daishen Nix and forward Isaiah Todd.&nbsp;&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 &ndash;&nbsp;Twenty-four&nbsp;of the 60 players who were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft played in the NBA G League during the 2020-21 season, including five first-round selections. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;49 &ndash;&nbsp;Daishen&nbsp;Nix&nbsp;has a chance to join Carlos Boozer, Mario Chalmers and Trajan Langdon as NBA players who grew up in the&nbsp;49th&nbsp;state &ndash; Alaska.&nbsp; &nbsp; ESPN &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 &ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft will air on both ABC and ESPN for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Five&nbsp;virtual technology cameras will be used for the telecast. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;ABC and ESPN&rsquo;s on-air talent will feature&nbsp;12&nbsp;reporters. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN will present the NBA Draft for the&nbsp;19th&nbsp;consecutive year. &nbsp; NBA TV &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA TV&rsquo;s NBA Draft night coverage will include&nbsp;four&nbsp;former first-round picks: Rex Chapman, No. 8 in 1988; Brian Shaw, No. 24 in 1988; Jim Jackson, No. 4 in 1992; and Brendan Haywood, No. 20 in 2001. &nbsp; Partners &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;38&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Wilson was last used as the official basketball of the NBA&nbsp;38&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Last seen on the court in the 1983 NBA Finals, Wilson basketballs will adorn the green room at the NBA Draft and will join the latest draft class on the court for the 2021-22 season. &middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;75&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The NBA Draft Cap from New Era features the commemorative NBA&nbsp;75th&nbsp;Anniversary Season logo and marks the first league-licensed product to carry the logo.

The 2021 NBA Draft: By the Numbers

&ldquo;The media&rsquo;s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that&rsquo;s power. Because they control the minds of the masses. The press is so powerful in its image-making role." - Malcolm X
I didn&rsquo;t want to touch on any of this. I even tweeted that I was going to <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1395020436392529927?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mind my business</a> on this.
However, since Kwame Brown posted that first video on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kwan_low" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IG account</a> (plus additional videos on IG Live and his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCzh-DGFFkhDsMDvQgpvCg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube page "Bust Life")</a>, there have been multiple media outlets that have reached out to me to inquire if I would come on their show. They wanted me to get in the middle of what was going on with Kwame and Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, and my answer has consistently been an adamant, "No." I told them that they were not going to use me to fan the flames of this beef. When I first caught wind of it, I immediately tweeted that I hated seeing good Brothas beef to this level over something that could&rsquo;ve (and should&rsquo;ve) been fixed with a phone call, and I still stand by that.
I also have a lot of respect for all of them. I am still amazed at all of the work that Stephen Jackson has done around the world after George Floyd was murdered. I&rsquo;ve interviewed both Stak and Matt for my show, "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Rematch</a>," and for my new book on white supremacy and police brutality that I&rsquo;m currently putting the finishing touches on (shout out to Haymarket Books). Kwame and I have been friends since we were teammates with the Washington Wizards for four seasons, so I have always been in his corner. I immediately ordered some shirts from <a href="https://bustlife.creator-spring.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his clothing line</a> for me and my son. (We got "Momma&rsquo;s Cooking" and "My Momma&rsquo;s Son" shirts).
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I support all of these Brothas. I do believe they will eventually reach peace in their own time and show all of the world how Brothas can resolve differences peacefully, and then, maybe even work together and achieve something that Pac and Biggie never got the chance to do. Again, I fully believe that will happen in time. And when they do squash the beef and make peace, I want to hear all of the media who have been fanning these flames to be just as loud as they are now... but I doubt we will hear a peep out of the media about that. They love to promote drama and infighting, especially with Black people. It gets ratings and that&rsquo;s why I emphatically told them all, "No." I&rsquo;m not coming on any of your shows to join you in fanning these flames.&nbsp;
In addition to the media, a lot of NBA executives and former Wizards executives started reaching out to me, saying, "Hey, we know you and Kwame were always friends. You should talk to him." My answer to all of them was, "And say what, exactly? Kwame is a grown man, and y&rsquo;all are just worried that he&rsquo;s coming for y&rsquo;all next. So, no, I am not interested in speaking to Kwame on your behalf."
Kwame has a long list of people in the media who have consistently degraded his image, his family and his reputation. They have attacked him as a man for two decades and he has finally had enough.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s like the movie "Kill Bill" when Uma Thurman had the list of all the people who tried to kill her and was crossing them off one-by-one. Well, that&rsquo;s what Kwame is doing right now. So Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless and all those other media people who have assassinated his character for literally 20 years are now feeling the wrath of Kwame Brown.&nbsp;
Many people have asked why I keep bringing up the media and why I'm so anti-media. They say it&rsquo;s the media&rsquo;s job to report, and Kwame, Stak and Matt are doing all of this themselves on their own platforms. People say to me, "What about sticks and stones?" and, "Kwame is being too sensitive," and, "The media criticizes all athletes," etc.
Yes, the media&rsquo;s job is to critique athletes' play. So for instance, if they report that a player isn&rsquo;t rebounding the ball the way they should or that their defense is lacking or their shot is off or they aren&rsquo;t playing up to their potential, that&rsquo;s all fair game.
But when the media attacks someone personally and creates a false narrative about a person&rsquo;s character and manhood, that&rsquo;s an entirely different subject. It is done far too often now that media personalities are treated like celebrities and paid salaries comparable to professional athletes. It seems the louder they are and the more negative they are, the more they are rewarded.
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With Kwame, it was so much deeper than the media simply &ldquo;talking bad" about him. The public degradation and the false narratives perpetuated by the media actually hurt Kwame financially, as NBA teams listened to those narratives regardless of whether they were factual or unsubstantiated.
In fact, false narratives kept Carmelo Anthony out of the league for more than a year. NBA teams were scared to touch him. So, yes, Kwame has a valid reason to be upset with the media because they took money out of his pocket with the way those false narratives destroyed his character.&nbsp;
The media could&rsquo;ve told the story of how he persevered through an impossible situation in DC with Michael Jordan and Doug Collins, and how he fought through unbelievable adversity at 18 years old. They could&rsquo;ve covered how he never broke despite Collins and Jordan's attempts to break him. Instead, they began broadcasting a false narrative that was detrimental to Kwame when it came time for teams to sign him. It lowered his market value. They remembered what was said. It didn't matter that there were no facts or proof; the rumors that were created by the media impacted these decision-makers.&nbsp;
In one of Kwame&rsquo;s videos, he briefly mentioned how he was treated in DC and how the situation was set up for him to fail. He also said, "Ask Etan Thomas, he&rsquo;ll verify everything I&rsquo;m saying." This led to my phone being flooded with even more calls, so I decided to reach out to a few other former Wizards so we could all verify Kwame's remarks. I brought Jahidi White, Tyrone Nesby and Chris Whitney on my show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rematch-with-etan-thomas/id1536352949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Rematch,"</a> to discuss what we collectively saw. And just for the record: Kwame didn&rsquo;t exaggerate one bit about how he was treated in DC. In fact, we also recalled a few horror stories that Kwame left out.&nbsp;
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But the media didn't tell those factual stories. All they had to do was ask someone who was actually there. I was there and I still asked others for their account. Do some actual investigative work!
But that&rsquo;s not what they did. And one of the biggest culprits was Stephen A. Smith. There are countless videos -- and I will include a compilation so nobody thinks I&rsquo;m exaggerating -- of Stephen A. Smith bashing Kwame. He said, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a scrub, he can&rsquo;t play the game of basketball, he has small hands, he can&rsquo;t catch the ball, he's got bad feet, he can't really move... he doesn&rsquo;t really know what he&rsquo;s doing, he doesn&rsquo;t have a post move that he can commit to memory, he has no game whatsoever, he plays no defense, he doesn&rsquo;t have the heart, the passion, or anything that comes with it." He called him a "bust" and constantly called out Kwame's work ethic; for example, he said, "He didn&rsquo;t work hard in 10 years," and, "[He] never worked and put forth his due diligence." Stephen A. refused to pronounce Kwame's name correctly. He called Kwame &ldquo;nothing&rdquo; and actively campaigned for the Knicks not to sign him.
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At the end of this compilation, you'll see that there's actual footage of Stephen A. Smith going on a speaking tour to colleges, high schools, and middle schools to continue his public degradation of Kwame. He exploited every opportunity to further these false narratives. He shouted fabrications that were simply baseless. The footage shows him telling college students that Kwame was immature and not ready mentally, emotionally or psychologically.&nbsp;
Now, I&rsquo;m no lawyer, but I would think that Kwame Brown has a slander case that he could bring against Stephen A. Smith (and a lot of media members) considering how he was defamed, as long as there's no statute of limitations. He would likely win because&nbsp;the proof is readily available.&nbsp;
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I remember seeing articles about Kwame not knowing how to order food in a restaurant, which I knew was a lie because me and Kwame went out to eat on the road and he ordered food just fine. There were stories about how he didn&rsquo;t know how to use dry cleaners. People wrote that he was depressed. Not to mention the pieces about how he was garbage and a bust and shouldn&rsquo;t be in the NBA. They used words like "worthless" and a "waste." None of that was true or accurate, but that&rsquo;s the narrative that was constantly repeated over and over and over again until everyone just believed it.&nbsp;
When you repeat something a million times, there will be people who believe it and act accordingly. It shifts their opinion. It&rsquo;s like brainwashing. And that&rsquo;s exactly what the media did with Kwame. Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, in particular, did this and there are many others who joined in (and I&rsquo;m sure Kwame has them on his list). That&rsquo;s why I told any media member who reached out to me that I had zero interest in talking to Kwame on their behalf.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Media, Former Wizards &amp; NBA Executives: I know you two were friends, you should talk to Kwame Me: And say what ? This is y&rsquo;all problem. Looks like he has a long memory &amp; y&rsquo;all just worried he&rsquo;s comin for y&rsquo;all next. Kwame Brown is a grown man. I&rsquo;mma mind my business on this one
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1395501100841807880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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That narrative the media created was used in more ways than a lot of people know. For a large part of my NBA career, I was on the executive board for the Players' Union. I was also part of the negotiating team. I was one of the people whom Billy Hunter consistently included when we sat across from David Stern and the NBA Board of Governors to negotiate the collective bargaining agreement. I remember Stern using Kwame Brown and that same narrative that was broadcasted by Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless and others as a justification as to why we needed to create an age-limit rule. They said that teenagers aren&rsquo;t mature enough and that Kwame didn&rsquo;t even know how to order from a restaurant and how much of a &ldquo;disaster&rdquo; it was to have young high-school players thrown into the throes of the NBA. He actually quoted the same narrative Stephen A. and others were constantly repeating, and I heard that with my own ears.&nbsp;
Of course, Stern didn&rsquo;t use the examples of Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Kevin Garnett or LeBron James to show that high-school athletes can successfully make the jump to the NBA. And yes, this position was loaded with hypocrisy. To have no issue with sending an 18-year-old overseas to war but adamantly objecting to them playing in the NBA because they don't have the mental, physical and emotional capacity to handle it is almost laughable. Also, there was no objection for European players turning pro at 13 years old over in Europe (and I never once heard David Stern or anyone else use Darko Milicic&rsquo;s failures to justify why there should be an age limit for Europeans). They welcomed them with open arms. Stern wanted to expand the NBA worldwide so he wouldn&rsquo;t say anything against that expansion, but he had no problem using Kwame Brown as the poster child for the age limit.&nbsp;
People always ask me: If you have such an issue with the media, why did you become a member of the media? The reason is because I want to do things differently. One of the main reasons I created <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rematch-with-etan-thomas/id1536352949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Rematch"</a> was to give athletes a platform to retell their story. I wanted to give each individual an opportunity to reclaim their image from these false narratives created and spread by the media. My hope is that this makes the media as a whole rethink they way they cover athletes in general moving forward.&nbsp;
To all the media who joined in with Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless and others to assassinate the character of Kwame Brown over the last 20 years: Before you say something about him now, you really should think it through -- or the next video he makes might just be about you.

For 20 years, the media spread false narratives about Kwame Brown. His former teammate, Etan Thomas, witnessed this firsthand.

After 20 years of public degradation, Kwame Brown is fed up

BasketballNews.com had the opportunity to speak with Western Kentucky big man and NBA prospect Charles Bassey ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Matt Babcock: Can you tell me about your family, where you are from and what your childhood was like?
Charles Bassey: I&rsquo;m proudly from Lagos, Nigeria&rsquo;s largest city. I grew up in a small, two-bedroom home with my mother and father in one room and my two sisters and I sharing the other room. It was a tough environment and a struggle growing up, as we really had to fend for ourselves, but I wouldn&rsquo;t change anything about it because it made me the strong-minded man I am today. It taught me what hard work was all about and to always keep pushing!
Did you play any other sports as a child and how did basketball come into your life? Bassey: As a kid, I grew up playing soccer because that was the most popular sport in Lagos everyone played, and had fun doing so. I really started playing basketball when I was 13, and I fell in love with the game right away. Long story short, I was helping my family sell stuff on the side of the road when I was approached by [a youth basketball coach] Coach Oladale who mentioned that I should start playing basketball because of my height. He introduced me to the game and started training me. I've been obsessed with basketball ever since.
Do you think any of your soccer skills have helped you in basketball?
Bassey: 100% yes, the footwork I learned while playing soccer translated over to the basketball court. Because of soccer, my footwork on the basketball court helped me stand out from the rest of the players. I was quicker on my feet, so that helped with my defensive positioning, rebounding, and post moves early on. When playing soccer, you also develop quick instincts, which made learning the game of basketball much easier for me.
You attended the Giants of Africa camp when you were young, how did that camp help you?
Bassey: The Giants of Africa camp helped me a lot, especially since I was the youngest player at the camp that first year. I gained so much confidence, and it taught me that my young age didn&rsquo;t matter because I was still able to show my skills, work hard and play great against older competition. That camp really put me on the map; they rewarded my hard work and play by inviting me back the next year, and I ended up being the MVP of the camp that year. It was a great experience. I showed that I was hard-working, talented and ready for the next step.
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When did you come to the United States?
Bassey: I came to the United States when I was 14.
What were your feelings about leaving home?
Bassey: Leaving home was very tough for me because I was essentially leaving my parents and the rest of my family behind at the time, but it was something I knew I had to do in order to grow and achieve my dreams. My family was very supportive and pushed me to go so that I could have a better life, meet new people and create new experiences.
What were the hardest parts for you living in the United States, initially?
Bassey: Initially, the hardest part was simply learning the English language and being able to communicate with people in the states. At first, I would struggle at restaurants ordering food and communicating what I wanted or needed. But over time, I would learn a lot from my friends by listening to their conversations and watching their mouths move. I&rsquo;m a great listener, so I&rsquo;d watch TV shows, listen to music and hear my friends&rsquo; conversations. That helped me learn English a lot quicker.
While in high school, you reclassified and enrolled at Western Kentucky. What made you want to reclassify and start your college career early?
Bassey: I&rsquo;m very competitive and always looking for my next challenge. At that time, I felt that I was ready for the next step in my career. At that point, I was dominating my opponents in high school, and I really wanted to improve and play against bigger and stronger guys. When I arrived on campus, I quickly realized the practices were more challenging, the game speed was faster-paced and you really had to think on your feet. It was the exact challenge I needed and wanted. I stepped up right away.
You were heavily recruited out of high school, what led you to decide to attend Western Kentucky?
Bassey: I attended Western Kentucky because of Coach [Rick] Stansbury and the rest of the staff. They recruited me early on in my career and attended almost all of my high school and AAU games. They were always in the gym, just like me. They were honest, made me feel comfortable and promised to push me hard in order to get me where I needed to be. Coach was also well-known for player development.
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Were there any other schools you considered?
Bassey: The University of Louisville.
Describe your game to me.
Bassey: My game is very unique mainly because of how versatile I am on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. I have a high motor, which allows me to be a defensive anchor [to] guard 1-5,&nbsp; an elite shot-blocker while keeping the ball inbounds and a great rebounder on both ends. Offensively, I&rsquo;m good in the pick-and-roll setting, can create deep post position [as a rim-runner], consistently shoot a 15-foot, face-up jumper, and have improved on my shooting ability in terms of stretching the floor from three. I feel that I&rsquo;m just scratching the surface in terms of my true potential.
What is your greatest strength and weakness as a basketball player?
Bassey: My greatest strength is my ability to rebound at a high level and create second-chance opportunities for my team. Given our style of play on the defensive end at Western Kentucky -- although I can do it -- we didn&rsquo;t switch a lot on screens, so that is something I need to continue to improve on and become more consistent at.
What else do you need to do to improve?
Bassey: I don&rsquo;t think there is any substitute for continuing to be in the gym 24/7, getting reps in and working as hard as possible, like I&rsquo;ve always done. I&rsquo;m working a lot on my offensive game in terms of being able to consistently step out and knock down a three.
How tall are you and how much do you currently weigh?
Bassey: 6-foot-11, 235 pounds.
You&rsquo;ve dealt with some unfortunate injuries. Walk me through your injury history and how are you doing physically currently.
Bassey: The injury was tough, but ultimately it was a true blessing in disguise, as it allowed me to watch a ton of film and, most importantly, change my diet and get my body right. It changed my perspective on hard work and allowed me to push myself beyond what I thought my limits were. I came back better than ever both physically and mentally, and my numbers showed that. I&rsquo;m 100% healthy and have been since I initially returned to the court.
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Do you have any goals set for yourself in regards to your body? For example, do you want to add muscle, slim down, etc.?
Bassey: Last summer, I completely changed my body which allowed me to bounce back better than ever. I now eat, train and recover like a pro so I just want to continue to do that.
Do you have any current or former players that you model your game after?
Bassey: Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo and Montrezl Harrell.
Are there any specific teams that you&rsquo;d like to play for?
Bassey: I&rsquo;d be happy with any NBA team that selects me in the draft, but what excites me the most about the NBA is that players are continuing to get better, day-in and day-out. Teams like the Spurs, Thunder and Hornets, to name a few, have had tremendous success with developing players into superstars.
Can you name one short-term goal and long-term goal that you have set for yourself?
Bassey: My short-term goal is just to get into the right situation and fit with an NBA team where I can make an immediate impact; the rest will take care of itself. In terms of my long-term goals, I&rsquo;d want to be a Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star and [NBA] champion.
What drives you? 
Bassey: My family and proving people wrong. Ever since I can remember, I&rsquo;ve been doubted, and I&rsquo;ve proven people wrong every step of the way and I&rsquo;ll continue to do that.
Let&rsquo;s pretend you&rsquo;ve walked into an elevator with a general manager that is considering selecting you, what&rsquo;s your elevator pitch as to why you are his guy?
Bassey: I&rsquo;m a team-first guy that will do anything I&rsquo;m asked of in order to help my team win. Additionally, I&rsquo;m a high motor/max effort type of player with a versatile skill set both offensively and defensively, which brings added value to any team and aligns well with how today&rsquo;s NBA game is played. Aside from all the great things I can do on the court, I&rsquo;m also a solid teammate and an even better person off the court.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com currently has Bassey listed No. 41 on its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 NBA Mock Draft</a>.

Matt Babcock speaks with Charles Bassey about his upbringing in Nigeria, finding basketball, overcoming his injury at WKU and more.

Charles Bassey persevered after injury: 'It was a true blessing in disguise'

If you search &ldquo;Marcus Zegarowski&rdquo; on Google, you will see &ldquo;Michael Carter-Williams&rsquo; brother&rdquo; in the top results.
Perhaps a fact known among basketball circles, but not likely quite as well-known by the greater public, is that Zegarowksi -- Creighton&rsquo;s leading scorer this season and a 2020-21 All-Big East First Team member -- is much more than an NBA Draft prospect in the shadow of the 2014 Rookie of the Year. Zegarowski was a steady force and a key leadership piece for a very successful Bluejays team this year, in one of the most competitive and deep conferences in America.
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A 6-foot-2 guard, Zegarowski hails from Hamilton, Massachusetts, which is about 40 minutes north of Boston. He comes from a family of basketball players; beyond the aforementioned Carter-Williams, his older sister Masey plays Division I at Bryant University, and his mother Amanda (Mandy) is a former collegiate player, as well as high school head coach.
Maybe the most important person in his career arc is his twin brother Max (a player at Division II Franklin Pierce and formerly Lynn University). The twin brothers played at Hamilton-Wenham High School, and led the Generals to a perfect 25-0 season and a Division IV state title during their freshman year. They then transferred together to Tilton School (NH), a New England powerhouse that was once the home of current NBA players Nerlens Noel, Terance Mann and Georges Niang. In their junior year at Tilton, the brothers led the team to the NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) Class-AA Finals, but came up short; Marcus was named to the NEPSAC First Team. Heading into their senior year, they took the Rams back to the Class-AA Finals, this time winning 99-92 against St. Andrew&rsquo;s School (RI), a game in which Marcus dropped 24 points and took home NEPSAC Player of the Year for his efforts.
Upon his graduation, Zegarowski committed to Creighton University. It would be the first time in his life that he didn't play on the same team as his brother. In his freshman season, Marcus earned Big East All-Freshman honors, posting 10.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.9% from three-point range. In the 2019-2020 season, Zegarowksi paired with Ty-Shon Alexander (currently on a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns) for a potent 33 points per game combined, leading the Bluejays to a 13-5 record in the Big East (24-7 overall) and a first place finish. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic dashed the team's postseason hopes, as they seemed poised to make a run in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.&nbsp;
With Ty-Shon Alexander moving on to the NBA, Zegarowski stepped into a larger leadership role for Creighton this season. Although his overall statistical profile was nearly identical to his sophomore year, he did cut down his turnovers and produced a two-point improvement on his individual defensive rating. Creighton went into March with a 22-9 record and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Fresh off of averaging 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game during the Big East Tournament, Zegarowksi and Creighton faced No. 12 UC Santa Barbara out of the Big West. He rose to the occasion by posting 17 points and 8 assists, and was pivotal down the stretch, scoring or assisting on 7 of Creighton&rsquo;s 9 points with the Gauchos taking them to the brink.
Zegarowski only got better as the stakes became higher. In the Round of 32 matchup against Ohio University and fellow draft prospect Jason Preston, Zegarowksi scored 20 points while holding Preston to only 4 points on 1-for-10 shooting from the field. Against an undefeated Gonzaga, which was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament field, Zegarowski went for an impressive 19 points.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been intrigued by Marcus Zegarowksi since last season," added Matt Babcock, BasketballNews.com's Lead NBA Draft Analyst. "Although he does not have physical tools that blow you away, he&rsquo;s a player that&rsquo;s hard not to like as he shoots the ball with range, provides toughness, and is just a good point guard overall."
Since the season ended, rumors have swirled about Zegarowksi&rsquo;s next move, but on Tuesday, Zegarowski put an end to the speculation over his future by declaring for the NBA Draft and indicating that he won&rsquo;t be returning to Creighton next season.
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Bluejay forever 💙🙏🏽 <a href="https://t.co/fUJLcI1TxH">pic.twitter.com/fUJLcI1TxH</a>
&mdash; marcus zegarowski (@MZegarowski1) <a href="https://twitter.com/MZegarowski1/status/1382039277803016196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"We will take him very seriously as a prospect. He is currently No. 39 on our 2021 NBA Draft Big Board,&rdquo; Babcock added.
I&rsquo;m really not sure which jersey Marcus Zegarowksi will don next season, but I&rsquo;m looking forward to watching him regardless of where he ends up.

Grant Aqui shares how Marcus Zegarowski's family has influenced his basketball career and details his impressive years at Creighton.

Basketball runs in Marcus Zegarowski's blood

James Harden is a Brooklyn Net.
After dropping the mic on the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, months after demanding a trade from the organization he&rsquo;s called home for the past nine seasons, Harden was shipped to Brooklyn. The package was massive: Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round picks and four first-round pick swaps were sent out -- and in some cases, redirected elsewhere -- to bring in the future Hall-of-Famer.
There are plenty of questions to ask about the Nets at this point. As our own Alex Kennedy <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1349506788622741511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lobbed to the masses</a>, where do they rank among contenders? How will Steve Nash navigate the different personalities of his stars? How does one of the stars, Kyrie Irving, feel about this, and when will he be back? Will they regret giving up so much draft capital?&nbsp;
All of those are valid questions, and will be answered with time. I have a simpler question: what exactly will this look like? I&rsquo;m not even talking about the effectiveness, per se; how will Nash and his staff scheme around Harden on both ends of the floor?&nbsp;
EARLY OFFENSE -- DRAG SCREENS
Pushing the ball after misses will be when the Nets are at their most dangerous.&nbsp;
They&rsquo;re a team that likes to set early ball screens in transition. According to a source with access to Second Spectrum, only the Portland Trail Blazers have set more drag screens (345) than the Nets (321) this season. On that front, only five players have received more drag screens than Harden over the past three seasons. It&rsquo;s a telling revelation as Harden&rsquo;s Rockets have progressively played slower and used those screens as a method of mismatch-hunting rather than a downhill vehicle.
Harden built early chemistry with Christian Wood, a twitchy big who provides value as a roll or pop threat. The Rockets generated 1.25 points per possession on trips featuring a Harden-Wood drag screen, per the Second Spectrum source. It&rsquo;s easy to see why: Harden is one of the best scorers and passers the league has ever seen, while Wood forces rotations with aggressive dives to the rim.
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Here&rsquo;s Harden and Wood operating against ICE coverage from the Orlando Magic. Harden rejects the screen and draws two defenders. Cole Anthony and Dwayne Bacon drop down to collapse on Wood&rsquo;s roll, which helps produce the wide open look for PJ Tucker in the corner.
Now imagine DeAndre Jordan, an older but still widely effective rim-runner, in the place of Wood. Teams still honor Jordan&rsquo;s vertical spacing. The real kicker: Harden and Jordan hooking up on one side means Irving (when available), Kevin Durant and Joe Harris will be spotting up along the weak side. If you send any sort of help toward Harden and/or Jordan, you risk giving up an open look to one of the three best shooters in the league.
HANDOFFS
As <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20">Steve Jones Jr</a>. mentioned on the latest episode of our podcast (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-podcast-james-harden-trade-rockets-nets-pacers-cavs-caris-lavert-victor-oladipo-dunker-spot">The Dunker Spot</a>), the Nets will likely involve their Big 3 in Pistol action. Guard-to-guard exchanges flowing into handoffs or ball screens have been <a href="https://youtu.be/GezaMdVkJLs?t=26">made famous by Mike D&rsquo;Antoni</a>. It&rsquo;s how he helped turn Steve Nash into an MVP in Phoenix, and those principles led to similar success with Harden while they were together in Houston.
Every team in the league runs some variation of Pistol action; the Nets are no exception. Here&rsquo;s a variation that ends in a miss, but is instructive to the kind of problems the Nets can generate for defenses.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kyrie-pistol.gif" alt="" width="610" height="AUTO" />
It starts with Irving and Durant hooking up, which poses a do-we-switch-or-not issue for most opponents. While that&rsquo;s happening, Jordan is setting a screen for Harris above the break. Any slip up there leads to an open look for Harris, or a slip to the rim for Jordan. While that&rsquo;s happening, Durant is relocating to the opposite corner, and Spencer Dinwiddie is lifting to the wing.&nbsp;
The players defending Irving and Durant are strained. The players defending the Harris-Jordan action are strained, and can&rsquo;t provide help on the Irving-Durant action. And then there&rsquo;s Dinwiddie, who doesn&rsquo;t get the ball but is open for 80 percent of the possession.
Now, insert Harden into Dinwiddie&rsquo;s place. Insert Harden into Irving&rsquo;s place, with Irving replacing Dinwiddie in that example. Do you see where I&rsquo;m going with this?
Of course, there are more simplistic handoff attacks. Just about every team in the league runs &ldquo;Chicago&rdquo; action, a pindown that flows into a handoff. That can be ran as an initial half-court action, or as a sideline play after a dead ball.
Here&rsquo;s LeVert running it:
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And here&rsquo;s Harden running it in Houston:
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These are league-wide staples that Harden will slot into without any sort of learning curve.
K.I.S.S -- KEEP ISOLATING, SCORE SEAMLESSLY
One thing the Nets deserve credit for is their early -- and successful -- emphasis on spacing and stressing help defenders. I did a video on it earlier this year:
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If you're buying stock in the Nets as a serious contender, you're doing so off the strength of their offense. Not only do they have immense offensive talent, they already have a strong handle on how to maximize that talent with their spacing and off-ball movement. 🗣️ SOUND ON <a href="https://t.co/dyyGTTTDtd">pic.twitter.com/dyyGTTTDtd</a>
&mdash; Karens In Paris (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1341803713401372681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
If all else fails, Harden will be able to isolate on the most open of floors. Just take the action above, an early-ball screen that eventually flows into an isolation after a flare screen. (Whew, that&rsquo;s a mouthful.) The Golden State Warriors mostly did everything right, and it ended with Irving generating an advantage with a baseline drive, drawing two defenders and opening up a corner three for Harris if he wanted to take it. Harden can and will make that pass.
We may see mismatch hunting to the highest levels. No player has received more guard-set screens than Harden (1748) over the past three seasons, per the Second Spectrum source. Irving is right outside the top 10 in terms of volume. Durant is a walking mismatch onto himself, though he could dabble in some inverted pick-and-rolls if he&rsquo;d like to.
In short, the Nets are going to be pretty freaking terrifying on the offensive end. Best of luck to your favorite team.
FLIP THE SWITCH
As for the other end, this will be a pretty cut-and-dry conversation. The Nets are going to switch, and they&rsquo;re going to switch often. It&rsquo;s just what you do when you have Harden.
Not only have the Rockets switched more screens (8210) than anyone since the 2017-18 season, playoffs included, they&rsquo;ve switched 1900 more screens than the Warriors (6310), per the Second Spectrum source. That style hid Harden&rsquo;s limitations as a screen navigator, while also accentuating his talent as a post defender. Remember, he&rsquo;s a burly dude with really quick hands.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/harden-post-defense.gif" alt="" width="610" height="AUTO" />
Luckily for the Nets, they won&rsquo;t have to deal with some sort of dramatic defensive shift.
They&rsquo;ve switched ball screens at a top-10 rate, and rank in the top five in points per possession allowed this season.&nbsp;
There are larger conversations to be had about the Nets&rsquo; personnel, how they&rsquo;ll dole out minutes, and how this team will come together off the floor. Those questions will need to be answered quickly if the Nets want to stake their claim as the best team in the East, and especially if they want to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers for league-wide supremacy.&nbsp;
The jury is out on how well the Nets will perform on both ends, but we should have a pretty decent idea of how they&rsquo;ll want to win on both ends of the floor.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan breaks down the new-look Nets and how their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving will fit together.

What will the Brooklyn Nets look like with James Harden?

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).&nbsp;
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for January 4, 2021:&nbsp;
Slippity, Dippity Wagner
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Westbrook too strong for this😭😭 <a href="https://t.co/15ITPMlxKe">pic.twitter.com/15ITPMlxKe</a>
&mdash; hoopsdontstop 🗯 (@hoopsdontstop) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopsdontstop/status/1345863988198993921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Why this wasn&rsquo;t the top story of the Washington Wizards' game is beyond me. Sure, they lost to the Chicago Bulls in a three-point game, but look at the momentum Moe Wagner builds in anticipation for a body bump with his new teammate, Russell Westbrook. And then he... just... keeps... going. Part of me was waiting for him to continue rolling straight out of the arena and onto the same highway that our very own Etan Thomas was driving on when he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-etan-thomas-wpfw-dc-roundtable-drew-gooden-tony-massenburg-dave-zirin-john-wall-russell-westbrook-trade-washington-wizards-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">got the call that the Wizards had traded him</a>.
TL-C You Later, Alligator
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1. TLC tells Beal to go to the bench 2. Brad looks at buddy like "really" 3. DeAndre Jordan tries to see what's going on. 4. Brad utters some variation of 'Ima cook buddy, on my momma' (censored version lol) <a href="https://t.co/NeSuQXRe2J">pic.twitter.com/NeSuQXRe2J</a>
&mdash; Quinton Mayo (@RealQuintonMayo) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealQuintonMayo/status/1345884785483374597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
There is an alternate universe in which Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is an even match in a tete-a-tete with Bradley Beal. That universe is not the one we currently reside in, but the confidence, nay, the audacity here is unmatched. The only person you should feel bad for in this situation is DeAndre Jordan.
Girl, Get My Good Side
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Draymond trying to direct traffic and move everyone into position so Steph can get shots is the type of support I need in my life.
&mdash; Carlos Murillo (@LosMurillo126) <a href="https://twitter.com/LosMurillo126/status/1345910608051326976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
Draymond Green is a lot of things, but a selfish teammate isn&rsquo;t one of them. Him telling every person on the team where to be in order for Steph Curry to flourish is exactly how the other hosts of Dishes and Dimes act when we are trying to take a photo. It truly takes a village.
BBQ Grill-Off NBA Dad Style

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Lavar Ball watching Marvin Bagley&rsquo;s dad <a href="https://t.co/NO7W3i19nJ">pic.twitter.com/NO7W3i19nJ</a>
&mdash; Rich (@UptownDCRich) <a href="https://twitter.com/UptownDCRich/status/1345592182800056320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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LaVar Ball is the Kris Jenner of basketball dads, but moving up quickly into the number-two spot is none other than Marvin Bagley Jr. (who is Marvin Bagley III's father). Frustrated with the Sacramento Kings' 3-3 start, the elder Bagley demanded (in a now-deleted tweet) that the organization trade his son. His issues with the team were unclear, but they did not lie with the 22-year-old power forward&rsquo;s low True Shooting Percentage or his 12-point performance in Saturday's loss to the Houston Rockets. It&rsquo;s a parent thing.&nbsp;
See a tweet that should be featured in tomorrow's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Jan. 4, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: January 4, 2021

Charles Barkley has criticized Kevin Durant a lot, so it's no surprise that KD was short with him on Tuesday night, writes Etan Thomas.

Barkley has given Durant many reasons to be short with him

Etan Thomas, Dave Zirin, Drew Gooden and Tony Massenburg discuss what John Wall meant to D.C. and Russell Westbrook's fit on the Wizards.

Etan Thomas, Drew Gooden, Tony Massenburg, Dave Zirin on Wall-Westbrook deal

The Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics have discussed a trade that centers on swapping Myles Turner for Gordon Hayward.
Source: Evan Massey/Indiana Sports Coverage via Twitter
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Much has been speculated about Gordon Hayward and his future in Boston. Hayward holds a player option for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Myles Turner could add valuable depth at center for the C's, and Indiana would return a proven scorer in Hayward. No official moves have been confirmed yet.

Though no moves have been confirmed, Indiana and Boston may be engaged in a Hayward-Turner swap.

Tre