Bulldogs

With just days left until the 2024-25 NBA season tips off, the Eastern Conference teams are settled, prepped, and ready for action. The offseason moves are done, rosters are set, and almost everyone&rsquo;s locked in for what&rsquo;s shaping up to be an intense race. From title contenders to dark horses, the East is packed with teams ready to make noise. So, let&rsquo;s dive into the top 15 teams in the East as we gear up for this brand-new season&mdash;no fluff, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Knicks The Knicks made significant moves this offseason, adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges while retaining key pieces like Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. With depth, defense, and firepower, they look primed for a deep playoff run. After a 50-win season in 2023-24, they now have realistic championship aspirations and could be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Boston Celtics The defending champions kept their core intact, extending Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. With Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday leading a formidable lineup, the Celtics are aiming to repeat as NBA champions. Despite concerns about Al Horford&rsquo;s age and frontcourt health, Boston remains the favorite heading into the 2024-25 season.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Milwaukee Bucks The Bucks didn&rsquo;t make major changes but added depth with Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright. After an injury-plagued season from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee looks to bounce back under returning head coach Doc Rivers. With questions surrounding Lillard&rsquo;s form and Middleton&rsquo;s durability, the Bucks remain playoff contenders, but how far they go will depend on health and chemistry.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Philadelphia 76ers The 76ers had a big offseason, adding Paul George, Andre Drummond, and Caleb Martin to support Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Maxey&rsquo;s rise as a star solidifies Philly&rsquo;s title hopes, and Embiid&rsquo;s MVP-level play is crucial for their success. With an improved supporting cast, the Sixers could be serious challengers in the East, but Embiid&rsquo;s health remains the key.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cleveland Cavaliers After a solid 48-win season, the Cavs focused on continuity by keeping their core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. New coach Kenny Atkinson brings fresh leadership, and Cleveland hopes to build on last season&rsquo;s playoff run. With a healthier roster and improved coaching, the Cavs could reach 50 wins and challenge the top teams in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Pacers The Pacers had a quiet offseason but retained Pascal Siakam and made a key addition in James Wiseman. Tyrese Haliburton&rsquo;s breakout season makes Indiana a team to watch, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on their deep playoff run. With improved chemistry and young talent, Indiana could surprise as a top-five team in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Orlando Magic The Magic are banking on internal growth, led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. After winning 47 games and making the playoffs last season, they added veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for shooting and leadership. With a young core developing, Orlando could win 50 games if they continue their upward trend and improve their perimeter shooting.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Miami Heat The Heat had a quiet offseason, adding Alec Burks while re-signing key players like Bam Adebayo. With Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s future uncertain and health concerns for both Butler and Tyler Herro, Miami could face challenges in a competitive Eastern Conference. However, Adebayo&rsquo;s All-NBA-level play will keep them in the playoff hunt.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Hawks The Hawks overhauled their roster after a disappointing 36-46 season, headlined by trading Dejounte Murray and acquiring the No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher. With Trae Young remaining the focal point, the Hawks are banking on Risacher&rsquo;s development and contributions from new additions like Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels. This team looks poised to contend for a Play-In spot but lacks the co-star power needed for a deep playoff run.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Charlotte Hornets The Hornets enter the season with fresh energy, thanks to the hiring of new coach Charles Lee and the re-signing of Miles Bridges. With LaMelo Ball back healthy and Brandon Miller continuing to impress after an All-Rookie season, Charlotte&rsquo;s young core could surprise many. If Ball stays on the floor and their youth develops quickly, the Hornets might find themselves contending for a Play-In spot and shaking off years of underachievement.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Detroit Pistons The Pistons are looking to turn the page on a tough 2023-24 season and have made moves to fast-track their rebuild. With Cade Cunningham healthy, new leadership under J.B. Bickerstaff, and rookie Ron Holland adding spark, Detroit could outperform expectations. If Cunningham returns to form and the team gels quickly, don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Pistons emerge as a dark horse in the East.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Toronto Raptors The Raptors are in transition, keeping their young core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley intact. After a poor finish to last season, Toronto is betting on Barnes&rsquo; continued growth and the addition of Davion Mitchell to improve their fortunes. While their ceiling might be a Play-In appearance, the Raptors are hoping their trio can take a big step forward.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Bulls The Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, adding Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith to the mix. Zach LaVine&rsquo;s injury history remains a concern, but the Bulls are counting on Coby White&rsquo;s emergence and the potential of lottery pick Matas Buzelis. Chicago is likely to be a competitive team some nights, but they may struggle to rise above the Play-In threshold.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Brooklyn Nets The Nets are entering a rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges and Lonnie Walker. With a young roster led by Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas, Brooklyn&rsquo;s focus is on player development. Ben Simmons remains a question mark, but the team&rsquo;s recent moves set them up for future success with significant draft assets. A playoff berth seems unlikely as they look to position themselves for a high draft pick.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Wizards The Wizards continue their rebuild with the addition of Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick. With Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey joining the squad, Washington hopes to see growth from young talents like Bilal Coulibaly. However, they&rsquo;re still far from playoff contention and will likely be looking at another lottery-bound season.</li>
</ol>

Let's dive into the top 15 teams in the East as we gear up for this brand-new season.

2024-2025 NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings: A new number one arises at the top

DETROIT (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro scored 10 of his 19 points in the final 3:20 and the Miami Heat rallied for a 112-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
Miami improved to 39-34, one game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat host the Nets on Saturday.
&ldquo;This is going to be our March Madness and April Madness,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;The opportunity is right in front of us, and that&rsquo;s all you can ask for at this part of the season. We are going to have to fight for it - that&rsquo;s what this is all about.&rdquo;
Herro&rsquo;s 3-pointer gave the Heat a 101-98 lead with 3:20 left. After he and Jimmy Butler hit jumpers, Herro made another 3-pointer to put Miami up 108-98.
&ldquo;Tyler lives for those moments,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He has the clutch gene - he really does - and we know he will knock down some really tough shots when we need them.&rdquo;
Butler had 26 points and 10 assists and Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who won for the third time in four games. Miami lost 113-99 in Chicago on Saturday.
&ldquo;We definitely let one slip away yesterday, so we knew we had to get one back today,&rdquo; Adebayo said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been saying this all season, but we have to build on this - we have to buy into playing this way every night.&rdquo;
James Wiseman led the Pistons with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Killian Hayes put up 13 points and 11 assists. Detroit has lost 14 of its last 15 games.
&ldquo;Our execution wasn&rsquo;t there down the stretch,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;James played a hell of a game, but our transition defense is still tough. We&rsquo;re getting there, but we&rsquo;re not there yet.&rdquo;
Detroit&rsquo;s Jalen Duren and Miami&rsquo;s Kevin Love left the game in the third quarter after banging heads under the basket. Love received four stitches and could have returned, but Duren was being evaluated for a brain injury after feeling &ldquo;woozy.&rdquo;
Detroit put up a 34-point third quarter, led by 12 points and five rebounds from Wiseman, and took an 81-74 lead on Eugene Omoruyi&rsquo;s buzzer-beating 3-point play.
&ldquo;When I&rsquo;m not getting touches, I know I have to find other ways to help us win,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;That means rebounding and defense.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Heat: After losing to the Pistons by 20 points at home on Dec. 6, Miami made its first appearance of the season in Detroit. They return on April 4.
Pistons: The Little Caesars Arena scoreboard displayed the score backward for the first quarter. When the period ended, the fans cheered after being informed the Pistons were leading 29-26, not Miami.
PISTONS STILL TRYING TO GO BIG
Marvin Bagley III returned after missing three games with ankle soreness and scored 14 points in 30 minutes. However, he and Duren combined for only four rebounds in 39 minutes as the Pistons continue to work on getting them into two-big lineups with Wiseman.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for our bigs to get into the habit of matching up on the perimeter,&rdquo; said Casey, who has said the team needs to dominate the boards when the big lineup is on the floor.
HEAT GET BENCH SPARKS
Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin combined for 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Miami&rsquo;s second unit. Lowry was a plus-28 in 25 minutes while Martin was a plus-25 in 31 minutes.
&ldquo;Caleb was really inspiring tonight - he made some shots and he anchored our defense at some key moments,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Kyle just has a huge impact on winning games, because he&rsquo;s so active on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Heat: Host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Pistons: Visit the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

Tyler Herro scored 10 of his 19 points in the final 3:20 and the Miami Heat rallied for a 112-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Tyler Herro’s late run helps Heat come back to beat Pistons

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; James Wiseman returned and Jonathan Kuminga had a big night, but the San Antonio Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors 85-84 on Sunday night at the Las Vegas Summer League behind 23 points from Blake Wesley.
Recovering from April 2021 surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee, Wiseman didn&rsquo;t play in the NBA this season and appeared in just three G League games in March before being shut down. The 21-year-old Wiseman, a 7-foot center taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting with two blocks in 19 minutes.
Darius Day had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Josh Carlton had 10 points and 11 rebounds &mdash; seven offensive &mdash; and Josh Primo had 10 points or San Antonio. Primo, taken 12th by the Spurs in the 2021 draft, shot just 2 of 15 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
Kuminga had 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists but made just 1 of 7 from 3-point range and shot 7 of 18 at the free throw line. Mac McClung added 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Moses Moody, who scored 34 points in a loss to the New York Knicks on Friday, did not play for Golden State (0-2).
KINGS 103, PACERS 96
Keegan Murray, picked No. 4 overall by Sacramento in June&rsquo;s draft, scored 23 points and hit four of the Kings&rsquo; 18 3-pointers in their win over Indiana.
Sacramento (1-1) took Murray over Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey and the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward out of Iowa is averaging 21.5 points and hitting 40% of his 10 attempts per game from 3-point range in Las Vegas. The 21-year-old Murray averaged 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range in three games at the California Summer League earlier this month.
Terry Taylor had 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in last month&rsquo;s draft, had 15 points but made just 6 of 16 from the field for Indiana (1-1).
Sean McDermott hit three 3s and finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Frankie Ferrari scored 16 and made 4 of 6 from behind the arc for the Kings.
NETS 91, 76ERS 84
Cam Thomas made 15-of-15 free throws and finished with 26 points and seven assists, David Duke Jr. scored 21 points and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe had a double-double to help Brooklyn beat Philadelphia.
Sharpe had 13 points &mdash; including&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1546239575709732864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dunk</a>&nbsp;while being fouled to open the fourth quarter &mdash; with 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Kessler Edwards added 10 points for the Nets (1-1).
There were 15 ties and 17 lead changes, the last of which came when Sharpe made a reverse layup with 6:23 to play.
Brooklyn made 28 of 32 (87.5%) from the free-throw line, including 6 of 6 in closing seconds. Duke finished 9 of 10 from the foul line.
Cassius Winston led the 76ers (0-2) with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Charlie Brown Jr. scored 15 points and Charles Bassey had 11 points and nine rebounds.
KNICKS 101, BULLS 69
Quentin Grimes hit four 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Jericho Sims scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds and New York never trailed against Chicago.
Sims, who played 41 games for the Knicks (2-0) on a two-way contract as a rookie last season, had his second consecutive double-double. The 6-foot-9 center out of Texas signed a three-year contract worth about $6 million.
New York opened the game with a 13-0 run, led by 16 points at the end of the first quarter and scored 32 in the second to make it 59-24 at halftime. The Knicks finished with 42 points in the paint, scored 35 points off 21 Chicago turnovers, and led by as many as 39 points.
Miles McBride added 14 points, six assists and three steals, and DaQuan Jeffries scored 13 points for New York.
Dalen Terry &mdash; picked No. 18 overall in June&rsquo;s draft &mdash; and Carlik Jones scored 13 points apiece for Chicago (1-1). Terry made 3 of 7 from the field, 1 of 6 from 3-point range and committed seven turnovers. Henri Dell added 11 points and three steals.
WIZARDS 97, SUNS 72
Vernon Carey Jr. had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Jaime Echenique scored 12 points and Washington led by double figures for nearly 30 minutes in its win over Phoenix.
Isaiah Todd hit a 3-pointer that gave the Wizards (1-1) a 23-13 lead with 9:31 left in the second quarter and the Suns trailed by at least 10 the rest of the way. Davion Mintz made a step-back 3 to give Washington its biggest lead at 89-56 with 3:55 to play.
Johnny Davis, the No. 10 pick in last month&rsquo;s draft, and Tyler Hall scored 11 points apiece. Davis, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Wisconsin, went 1 for 9 from the field and finished with six points, five rebounds and two assists in Washington&rsquo;s 105-99 loss to Detroit on Friday.
Tyson Carter led the Suns (1-1) with 12 points. Ish Wainright added 11 points and Louis King scored 10.
NUGGETS 84, CAVALIERS 76
Peyton Watson scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, and Collin Gillespie added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Denver beat Cleveland.
Christian Braun had 10 points, five assists and three steals, Ismael Kamagate also scored 10 points to go with nine rebounds and Jack White had eight points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Denver (1-1).
RJ Nembhard Jr. led the Cavaliers (1-1) with 19 points, Cam Young scored 16 and Amar Sylla 11. Ochai Agbaji, who Cleveland picked No. 14 overall in June&rsquo;s draft, had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting with six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett warmed up with the Cavaliers before the game,&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546273107631128579?s=20&amp;t=f2i3RbuemsDwOW2Pjb155Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dunking in the layup line while wearing a No. 95 jersey</a>.

James Wiseman returned and Jonathan Kuminga had a big night, but the Spurs beat the Warriors 85-84 on Sunday night.

James Wiseman returns, but Warriors fall to Spurs in NBA Summer League

The Miami Heat were supposed to be peaking now.
After nearly one calendar year, Victor Oladipo returned earlier this month. Shortly thereafter, four months removed from <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1479485862962413574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a neck injury via that Nikola Jokić incident</a>, Markieff Morris finally came back. Beginning on March 5, the Heat were engaged in a stretch that included seven-straight home games &mdash; of which they won five &mdash; before their current back-to-back losing streak, their worst of the season.
Still, despite holding first place in the Eastern Conference, it&rsquo;s felt like the Heat have needed a jolt &mdash; nothing more amplifying of that fact than their last two games. In Philadelphia, against the 76ers without James Harden and Joel Embiid &mdash; <a href="https://twitter.com/5ReasonsSports/status/1507045025296928776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whose broadcast apparently didn&rsquo;t want them to win</a> &mdash; defeated a mostly healthy Heat team. Miami was missing Oladipo and Gabe Vincent, but still had Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry, all of whom were nearly 30-balled by Tyrese Maxey.
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Okay, road game, regular season, 1-of-82 &mdash; sh*t happens.
But Wednesday, with no Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, James Wiseman, Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II (or Baron Davis, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway or Monta Ellis), the Golden State Warriors &mdash; led by a 30-ball from Jordan Poole &mdash; punked the Heat on their home floor, 118-104.
Look, these are still NBA players, sometimes that happens too.
What typically doesn&rsquo;t &mdash; in public &mdash; was the, &ldquo;<a href="https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1507040697219797000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kerfuffle, a hurly-burly, tomfoolery, a skirmish, a quarrel, a brouhaha, a dust-up, a hubbub or agree to disagree</a>.&rdquo;
You&rsquo;ve probably seen it by now, but here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jimmy Butler was HEATED in the Miami huddle after the Warriors went on a big run to start the second half <a href="https://t.co/6waBmHlL1r">pic.twitter.com/6waBmHlL1r</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1506804574320955392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra picks up a clipboard just so he could throw it.</li>
<li>Butler and Udonis Haslem need to be separated.
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll beat yo ass,&rdquo; which we&rsquo;ll get to in a bit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Markieff Morris and PJ Tucker act like this is a regular Wednesday, and it might be.</li>
<li>Warriors rookie Moses Moody looks amazed and/or confused.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Haslem telling Jimmy Butler &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll beat your ass&rdquo; 😂 <a href="https://t.co/9AcQiNw6WY">pic.twitter.com/9AcQiNw6WY</a>
&mdash; Ted Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) <a href="https://twitter.com/TedBuddy8/status/1506806343402893315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After the game, and after joking that the team was heated about making dinner plans, Spoelstra offered his thoughts on the tense moment.
&ldquo;It was pretty clear. We have a very competitive, gnarly group; we were getting our asses kicked, for two straight games, we were not playing to the level that we wanted to play," Spoelstra said. "Every single person in that huddle was pretty animated about our disappointment in how we were playing...
&ldquo;... Everything has to be better across the board. It starts with our leadership &mdash; our veteran players have to lead. And then, we just have to play better. Play better to our identity, play more consistently, and that&rsquo;s really all the discussions were. I know how it can look to the outside, but as I mentioned before, that is more our language than playing without passion or without toughness or without multiple efforts and lifelessness.&rdquo;
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Tucker, along with Lowry and Adebayo, was one of the three Heat players to address the media after the game. He also downplayed the confrontation.
&ldquo;Something happened?&rdquo; Tucker <a href="https://youtu.be/A4T3AbNbufs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked with a smirk</a>. &ldquo;You put cameras on any NBA team, football team, any team, man. (We&rsquo;re) No. 1 in the East, finally got our whole team back, got our butts handed to us two games in a row by teams who don&rsquo;t even have their star players... emotions run high ... I laughed, man. I walked off the court laughing... This is part of the game.&rdquo;
Lowry acknowledged that "it&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; but quickly added that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s passion.&rdquo;
"We&rsquo;re in a situation where we have a lot of competitive guys. Our biggest competitor is our head coach. Jimmy and UD are tough competitive guys. It&rsquo;s good sometimes to get some anger and frustration out and just talk about it," Lowry <a href="https://youtu.be/ssv0jGhR50Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. "We&rsquo;re gonna have situations that make people uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, as long as we&rsquo;re comfortable and we figure it out, it&rsquo;s all that really matters. And as long as we&rsquo;re still together, and we are.&rdquo;
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NBA players, veterans, reporters, veteran reporters, coaches, staff, referees, families and secret families would all tell you that this happens, and particularly with contenders. With the Heat specifically, it&rsquo;s an organization still run by the famously confrontational Pat Riley, who probably looks at this as a regular Wednesday despite the magnitude of social media amplification in 2022. Because this happened publicly, though, chances are this isn&rsquo;t the first time, just the most public. &nbsp;
Hardened personalities clash every now and then because they want the same goal and might have occasional philosophical differences on how to get there with their teammates. They can argue off of raw emotion because that&rsquo;s who they are, and the emotion itself mainly expresses that they care &mdash; care enough to argue over it, and are prideful enough to defend themselves publicly because of it. That&rsquo;s probably closer to what this actual is &mdash; the Heat, more than most teams and organizations &mdash; have probably earned that.
We&rsquo;ve heard his story, but it bares reiterating: Butler was homeless as a teenager and worked his ass off to become a first-round pick four years after being a JUCO-signee out of high school. Four years after being drafted, he won Most Improved Player, and has been a perennial NBA All-Star and All-Defensive player ever since while earning nine figures.
Just think. No, really, think about the self-belief that dude must have to pull that off? He never would&rsquo;ve went toe-to-toe with LeBron James in an NBA Finals without it.
Haslem is 41 years old, still in the league and has the respect of damn near everyone you could think of. He&rsquo;s a been through it all, seen it all and is an old-school dude who really values respect. Haslem went undrafted out of the Florida Gators program in 2002, played in France, came to the Heat in 2003 and has been there ever since.
Spoelstra was initially hired as the Heat&rsquo;s video coordinator in 1995 &mdash; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/sports/basketball/spoelstra-has-heat-right-where-it-wanted-to-be.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even predating Riley&rsquo;s tenure in Miami</a> &mdash; and worked his way up onto eventually becoming the head coach in 2008.
Remember last season when Haslem went at Dwight Howard? Notably, before even discussing this with teammate Duncan Robinson and podcast co-host David Reid on the Long Shot, Haslem notes how close he&rsquo;s been with Coach Spoelstra. We don&rsquo;t know what Butler said, but it might be fair to suggest Haslem felt someone was being disrespectful; sometimes, in the heat of battle, that happens too.
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&ldquo;Me and Spo been through a lot, man,&rdquo; Haslem said on the Long Shot in August. &ldquo;We done been through the bottom, we done been mad at each other, we&rsquo;ve been on the same team, we done evolved to now, we&rsquo;ve just got a great relationship. It&rsquo;s symbiotic, we don&rsquo;t have to say it, we can just feel it. I can look at him, and he can look at me.&rdquo;
Sometimes, these blowups are necessary &mdash; in a team environment, with your siblings, significant other, your bodega guy, your barber and/or your side piece. (Sometimes, you gotta get people to know their role, yanno?) Often, you just can&rsquo;t let failures fester, and there&rsquo;s a need to outwardly address them. Miami did that in a very "Heat" way, according to them.
For the Heat, it's very simple from here. This either invigorates you in time for the playoffs, or it derails your season at the worst possible time. It either really works or it really doesn&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;You can use moments during a season to catapult you,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;You can galvanize together over frustration and disappointment. Teams can also go the other way; I don&rsquo;t see that with our group, I don&rsquo;t see that with our locker room. But we have needed a kick in the butt from these two games.&rdquo;
They did, and now, they&rsquo;ll also have one of the most essential things an organization could obtain this last in the year &mdash; clarity.
If this works, the Heat will be a legit contender, mixing it up in a loaded Eastern Conference dogfight with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and 76ers.
If it doesn&rsquo;t, and they flame out of a second-straight post-season, they&rsquo;ll have clarity on what to do next this summer.
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Bryan Fonseca reviews Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra's tense moment and why it might've been beneficial for the Heat.

The Heat’s blow-up was necessary, but now the rest is up to them

All is well in Warrior Land.&nbsp;
Klay Thompson&rsquo;s back from his 941-day hiatus, and he&rsquo;s rekindled his usual splashiness with an added wrinkle of <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1496510661760802825?s=20&amp;t=Qta8WZ8OI-9IaVhpLWaXgg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dribble creation</a>. Draymond Green has resurrected his podcast career and should be back on the floor shortly. Andrew Wiggins may not be an All-Star starter in impact, but he's still playing like a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/99-2022-sub-all-stars/id1428290303?i=1000550498698" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-50 player</a>. Youngsters Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/longawaited-return-of-james-wiseman-will-fill-warriors-only-void" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Wiseman</a> (via Twitter workout videos) show just enough flashes to keep Warriors to Twitter at Bay (ha, get it).
I repeat: All is well in Warrior Land, set up to compete now and well into the future.
So what then, is this all about?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Warriors will reportedly look to lock up one of their young stars this offseason <a href="https://t.co/zOW0f8yfkX">https://t.co/zOW0f8yfkX</a>
&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1496309488965632006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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To figure it out, I caught up with Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle &mdash; the man credited with <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Andrew-Wiggins-is-an-All-Star-but-how-much-16936511.php#photo-22091414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breaking this story</a>:
&ldquo;My understanding is that the Warriors will try to sign Poole to a contract extension this summer, which would keep him from hitting restricted free agency in summer 2023," Letourneau told BasketballNews.com. "To get a deal done, Golden State will probably have to ink him to a contract in the four-year, $80 million range."
On the surface, that seems like a gross overpay, particularly when you factor in Golden State's current salary-cap situation. Letourneau followed up on that.
&ldquo;The Warriors think he's worth it. And I don't blame them," Letourneau said. "Poole has improved more in the past two years than perhaps anyone else in the NBA, and he's only 22. I could see him becoming a CJ McCollum type. But then again, I should know better than to put a ceiling on him. He has far exceeded every projection I've had for him to this point.&rdquo;
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Great point. And I like the McCollum comparison, but I&rsquo;d take it a step further. When I see the wirey, chaotic guard blazing across the court and soaring into the air, I get flashes of Zach Lavine &mdash; a player who cashed in a similar deal not too long ago.
In the summer of 2018, Lavine inked a four-year, $76 million dollar deal with Chicago (as a restricted free agent). Here is how he compared to Poole at the time:
Lavine 2017-18 v. Poole 2021-22 (mobile users scroll right for full table)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
Age
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
% of Cap*
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
PTS per 75**
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
Relative TS%**
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
FTA per 75**
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
AST%**
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Lavine
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
22
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
&asymp; 19.1%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
22.4
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
-5.7
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
6.0
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
18.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 11.9184%;">
Poole
</td>
<td style="width: 9.07877%;">
22
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8825%;">
&asymp; 16.5%
</td>
<td style="width: 16.8224%;">
20.7
</td>
<td style="width: 20.6943%;">
+2.1
</td>
<td style="width: 17.6235%;">
4.0
</td>
<td style="width: 11.8799%;">
18.7%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Data provided by Spotrac
** Data provided by Basketball-Reference
Of course, Lavine has since progressed to All-Star status and earned himself a reputation as one of the <a href="https://megaphone.link/BNI9684843880" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 best offensive players</a> in basketball. He&rsquo;s worth every penny the Bulls paid him way back when.&nbsp;
If I was a betting man, I&rsquo;d put a reasonable amount of Prize Picks money on Poole doing the same.
Now, this is the part where someone pulls this up:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Not every young player that shows promise ends up being a future All-Star.
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1492202101803470855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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True, but Poole isn&rsquo;t like other young players.
For starters, at age-22, he&rsquo;s already adept at scoring at all three levels of the basketball court. Stepback three-pointers, balletic mid-range floaters, herky-jerky dribble moves into gallant attacks at the rim. All those things are firmly in his wheelhouse. How do I know that? He literally flashed it all in less than *checks clock* five minutes of game time.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wcbjkc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Outside of the All-Star trio (Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Darius Garland), the player who gets the most air time from the 2019 NBA Draft class is Tyler Herro, which is fair. He&rsquo;s made some <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/miami-heat-tyler-herro-is-pulling-up-to-the-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive strides</a> this year. But why aren&rsquo;t people making outlandish claims about Poole like this?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anonymous NBA scout on Tyler Herro &ldquo;He got screwed out of the All-Star Game. He should have been there. ... I would not give up Herro [in a package] for [Bradley] Beal this summer.&ldquo;<a href="https://t.co/bREQEd7jsC">https://t.co/bREQEd7jsC</a>
&mdash; NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1496255919851769856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Poole's shooting splits are just as promising:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 172px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Player
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
Rim %*
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
Midrange %*
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
Three Point %*
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Herro
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
59%
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
41%
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
38%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 16.8407%;">
Poole
</td>
<td style="width: 25.5007%;">
66%
</td>
<td style="width: 30.3071%;">
46%
</td>
<td style="width: 27.3195%;">
34%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
 * Data provided by Cleaning the Glass
Poole is converting shots at the rim and from the mid-range at a significantly higher rate than Herro. And while his three-pointer may be lagging behind, his league-leading free throw percentage (92.2%) is a strong indicator that he&rsquo;ll figure it out from beyond the arc.
Also, for my volume stans out there, Poole has maintained his True Shooting percentage from last year (58.1%), despite taking nearly four more shots per game.&nbsp;
As it stands, his passing is how you say ~ <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-most-volatile-scorers-in-basketball-right-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volatile</a> ~ seesawing between sublime and errant depending on the possession (hence his career-highs in assist and turnover rate). When it&rsquo;s working, though, things get freaky:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
I loved Poole coming out of Michigan because of his flexibility on his dribbles, taking some crazy angles with his body before hitting Kevon with the bounce pass out of the empty side pick and roll for an open dunk <a href="https://t.co/jXRSvj7UvY">pic.twitter.com/jXRSvj7UvY</a>
&mdash; Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) <a href="https://twitter.com/klaytheist11/status/1478477992108204038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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One thing that should stand out to you about that clip (gifted to us by the venerable Charlie Cummings) is Poole&rsquo;s ability to draw two to the ball. That occurrence should trigger memories of this:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Just for you <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matissa15</a> <a href="https://t.co/ADyfyywN9C">pic.twitter.com/ADyfyywN9C</a>
&mdash; Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) <a href="https://twitter.com/klaytheist11/status/1496897560748826673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I&rsquo;m not the first person to make that connection &mdash; <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/jordan-pool-golden-state-warriors-analysis-videos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackson Frank</a> and <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2022/1/4/22866338/warriors-heat-jordan-poole-film-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Viray</a> have written about this &mdash; but Poole&rsquo;s gravity (second-best on the team) enables him to temporarily masquerade as the resident, baby-faced assassin within the Warriors' offensive system. This ability to temporarily operate as the team&rsquo;s lead guard and short-roll ignitor takes a massive burden off the chiseled shoulders of Curry, who has had a history of gradually breaking down during the second half of the season (see the 2016 playoffs).
Also, it&rsquo;s worth noting that very few players can be the understudy of one of 10 best offensive players ever.
One last note I want to make about Poole is regarding his character, which is normally something I try to avoid (it&rsquo;s mainly speculation unless you know the person). But when so many people sing your praises, that has to mean something. Listen to this great clip of two of the best basketball minds ever talking about his maturation as a decision-maker:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Both Steve Kerr and Steph Curry mentioned this specific Jordan Poole transition pass last night as a sign of growth. The play and the soundbites <a href="https://t.co/Gt2eFlqOJt">pic.twitter.com/Gt2eFlqOJt</a>
&mdash; Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1463937921489129484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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That&rsquo;s how everyone from the championship crew talks about him. Curry, Green, Thompson, Andre Iguodala &mdash; they all love Poole's guts. Game recognizes game. They see the fierceness, the swagger, the hunger and the relentless quest for knowledge and skill.
When you combine that package of intangibles with the product you see on the court, $20 million dollars annually looks like a bargain.
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Mat Issa dives into Jordan Poole's value to the Warriors and why extending him should be a no-brainer.

Why the Warriors don't need to worry about paying Jordan Poole

The Bradley Beal Sweepstakes may finally be heating up.
There's been smoke around Beal's name for well over a year now. As teams hunt for the next disgruntled star to trade for, Beal has popped out as an ideal target.
First and foremost, he's really freakin' good at basketball. Beal is averaging a 29-5-5 stat line over the past three seasons on a robust 58.4% True Shooting percentage (TS%). Known as an elite shooting prospect coming out of Florida many years ago, Beal has transformed himself into one of the most complete offensive players in the sport.
His 35.1% clip on threes over the past three seasons undersells his shooting ability. His volume (7.3 attempts per game) and degree of difficulty -- he takes a ton of threes off the bounce -- factor into that lower-than-you-think number. At this point, the three-point shooting complements the rest of this game, not the other way around.
There aren't many better slashers than Beal. While not a LaVine-like leaper, Beal uses his lower body strength, varying stride length and keen understanding of body angles to generate good looks -- and does so often. He's converted at least 60% of his shots inside of three feet in all but one season of his career, and is now a regular at the free-throw line.&nbsp;
Beyond that, Beal may finally be <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bradley-beal-mulling-future-in-washington-decision-could-be-made-next-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ready to look for greener pastures</a>. He's been steadfast in his desire to build something in Washington, provided that they build a winner around him. And to the team's credit, genuine efforts have been made. Most notably, the Wizards traded former franchise cornerstone John Wall in a deal for Russell Westbrook to add much-needed star power to the roster.
Ultimately, it hasn't worked thus far. Combine that with Beal's contract status, and it's easy to see why things are starting to come to a head. According to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2946317-sources-bradley-beal-considering-trade-request-before-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer</a>, Beal may make a decision on his future as early as this week.
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If a trade request does come, here are a few teams that should throw their hats in the ring for the All-Star guard.
BOSTON CELTICS
The connection between Beal and Jayson Tatum is an obvious one. Depending on what some of the teams on the fringes decide to do, a strong argument could be made for Jaylen Brown being the best player that could be offered to Washington.&nbsp;
The Wizards would likely ask for more -- picks, prospects like Robert Williams and/or Payton Pritchard, and maybe Marcus Smart, as well. The Celtics wouldn't have to bend on literally all of it, but this is more so to show that they have the assets necessary to swing.
PHILADEPHIA 76ERS
The Sixers desperately need a boost in three-level shot creation. In addition, they need a boost in half-court playmaking. Beal would provide both of those things, the former in abundance.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_16135227_lg.jpg" alt="" width="554" height="370" />
The bag of opinions on Ben Simmons is mixed right now, but he's still a young All-Star that's locked in long-term. The Sixers have more to offer on the asset front -- specifically Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle -- if it comes down to it.&nbsp;
TORONTO RAPTORS
The Raptors may not be openly shopping any of their core guys or the No. 4 pick, but they also don&rsquo;t seem overly attached to anyone outside of OG Anunoby. The Raptors can get in the dance if they want; how many teams are beating two of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or Anunoby, plus (future) pick capital? Not many, from my view.&nbsp;
Of course, the question of Beal re-signing would make the Raptors antsy. You also don't want to remove too much of the defensive infrastructure if you're bringing Beal in. This remains one of my favorite landing spots for Beal if the Raptors are serious about him, though.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Warriors fit seems a bit wonky to me -- Steph Curry, Beal and post-post-injury Klay Thompson doesn't scream "elite defense," for whatever that's worth to you -- but it's hard to fault <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/warriors-interested-in-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Warriors for being interested</a>. That is a ton of offensive firepower, and Steph deserves to have someone to spell him of some of his on-ball creation burden.&nbsp;
Andrew Wiggins gives you the salary. James Wiseman is (Golden State's version of) the blue-chipper. Two lottery picks (No. 7, No. 14) this season, plus virtually all of their first-rounders moving forward, give the Warriors enough ammo to put together an intriguing package.
ATLANTA HAWKS
The Hawks are fresh off a surprise Eastern Conference Finals appearance. They have their clear alpha in Trae Young, and are primed for a consolidation deal as payday nears for some of their younger guys.&nbsp;
They're not going to be able to -- well, they're just not&nbsp;going to -- pay all of John Collins, De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Onyeka Okongwu and Kevin Huerter over the next three offseasons. A combination of two, maybe three of those guys plus picks could get a conversation started.&nbsp;
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OTHER SUITORS
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
They're in the Atlanta class for me, but I'd love to see the Grizzlies take a shot at Beal. They have a good enough mix of young pieces, veterans and pick capital to get on the phone at least. The real make-or-break component of this is if they'd be willing to part with Jaren Jackson Jr. -- because the Wizards would rightfully ask for him. From Memphis' side, the point of a Beal trade would be to form a Big Three with him, Jackson Jr., and Ja Morant. Beyond that, they'd have to be certain that Beal would want to re-sign. Improbable, but not impossible is how I'd view it.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Even after their <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mem-trades-jonas-valanciunas-no-17-pick-to-pelicans-for-eric-bledsoe-no-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal with the Grizzlies</a>, the Pelicans still have picks to dangle from the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades, plus young prospects (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes, Kira Lewis Jr.) to toss in. They, uh, also have Brandon Ingram to headline a deal if it comes down to it, though the Pelicans would obviously prefer not to do so.
MIAMI HEAT
The Heat have been linked to Beal for the entirety of this process. I would imagine that two things are true: Wizards brass doesn't view Tyler Herro as lowly as NBA Twitter does at this point, but it's also unlikely that they view him as a blue-chipper. Without a bunch of firsts and swaps to throw in (thanks, OKC), the Heat would need Beal to push for them specifically. That's not impossible, but it's hard to justify them as a top-tier destination with that many hoops to jump through.&nbsp;
DENVER NUGGETS
The Nuggets can get into this if they want to with a package built around Michael Porter Jr. Healthy Jamal Murray, Beal and Nikola Jokic is enough to guarantee an elite offense year round. The funky question I don't have a real grasp for yet: Do you trust Beal or Porter Jr. more on the defensive end at this point?

Nekias Duncan examines potential trade partners for Wizards star Bradley Beal if he decides to ask for a trade.

Examining potential trade destinations for Bradley Beal

What do you do with Kristaps Porzingis?
It's a simple, if not reoccuring question that was asked as the Dallas Mavericks controlled, then faltered, then ultimately lost their seven-game first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Porzingis was a mixed bag at best, a massive disappointment at worst during the battle. His per-game averages -- 13.1 points (57.8% from two, 29.6% from three, 84.2% from the line), 5.4 rebounds -- were well below what the Mavericks needed from him. In a broader sense, they were well below what you'd expect from someone in his tax bracket.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that Porzingis <a href="https://zoom.us/j/96393273001?pwd=a2FhZDJCaWFxNEtkcVlRQkFZRms3QT09" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was frustrated</a> with his role. And as MacMahon noted in his piece, this isn't the first time that there have been rumblings about Porzingis' usage, or his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/luka-doncic-and-kristaps-porzingis-dont-need-to-be-friends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on-court relationship</a> with superstar Luka Doncic.
There seems to be a chasm in regards to the way Porzingis performed this postsesaon. He did not produce at a high level. He also was not very involved in the offense; as noted by many, especially my podcast co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr</a>., Porzingis spent quite a bit of his time <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1401944044658466817?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chilling in the corner</a> while the action flowed elsewhere.
The immediate counter to that, though, is that Porzingis' skill set -- and the things the Clippers did defensively -- only left so much on the table. The counter to&nbsp;that&nbsp;counter is that there didn't seem to be much effort put forth into figuring out alternatives.
I'm already exhausted.
The Mavericks are now entering a pivotal offseason. They'll have well north of $30 million to play with in free agency, though that comes with caveats. Tim Hardaway Jr. is up for a new deal, and his play from this season warrants a bump in pay. Between Hardaway's impending raise and Doncic being extension-eligible, this <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/for-dallas-building-around-luka-doncic-is-only-going-to-get-harder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may be the last offseason</a> in the foreseeable future that the Mavericks can make major splash in this way.
That, of course, begs the question again: what do you do with Kristaps Porzingis?
To understand where the Mavericks could go from here, we must first examine the context of Porzingis -- what he is, what he isn't, and how that shapes his usage.
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WHAT HE IS
At his core, Porzingis is the largest stretch-5 the NBA has ever seen.&nbsp;
It's one thing to be able to shoot at that size. It's predictably difficult to bother Porzingis' release. Not only is the launching point absurdly high, his trigger is a quick one. Asking a defender to stunt off of Porzingis to muck up a drive, then recover back to contest is a tall task.
Yes, the pun was intended. No, I'm not sorry.&nbsp;
But seriously, what the heck are you supposed to do with this?
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/pntdwx" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Helping off the strong-side corner is typically #not #a #good #idea. Even with that caveat, this is a pretty clear example of the issue of helping off Porzingis. Nicolas Batum did a solid job of recovering, and did virtually nothing to affect the shot. Too high, too quick.&nbsp;
Porzingis doesn't just spot up. What makes him unique is his ability to fire shots off movement. He's able to pick-and-pop, pick-and-slip, operate as a ghost-screener, or fly off screens himself. If you lose touch of him, he'll fling before you can blink.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/3j5azu" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
All Porzingis needs is a pocket of space. He'll find it. He'll flow into it. Those pockets of space come naturally in drop coverage, which is why most of his best work this season -- and in this series -- came with him at the 5. Not many teams want to switch their bigs onto ball handlers; they surely don't want to do that against Doncic.
WHAT HE ISN'T
Where things get murky for Porzingis is when there aren't large pockets of space to flow into. They're apparent in drop or ICE coverage. It's easy to slip into space against aggressive hedges or all-out traps. Switching doesn't present the same opportunities.
The Clippers were intentional about limiting the amount of possessions that Porzingis could get the Ivica Zubac matchup, which meant no drop coverage looks. It mirrored the regular-season series in which one of the forwards -- mostly Kawhi Leonard, but Paul George, Marcus Morris, and Batum also got reps -- would get the Porzingis assignment so that they could switch any Doncic-Porzingis actions.
Not only did the Clippers switch, they were physical with their switches. They made the tight windows even tighter by bodying Porzingis as he tried to slip.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/2jy3lw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The last clip in that compilation is key. There's obviously no shame in not being able to beat Kawhi off the bounce, but there are inherent issues with Porzingis as a self-creator.
He doesn't have much wiggle, a reasonable limitation for a 7-foot-3 man. On the season, Porzingis shot 35.7% from the field when taking <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/204001/shots-dash/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-or-more dribbles</a>. Attacking a hard close-out with a one- or two-dribble pull-up was well within the Porzingis wheelhouse. Clearing a side for him and letting him get his And-1 on... not so much.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-06-08-at-10-44-04-am.png" alt="courtesy of NBA.com" width="1294" height="257" />
Porinzigis&nbsp;also doesn't have much core strength, a massive issue that permeates the rest of his game. We'll stick to offense, though.
Porzingis struggles to knock players off-balance. It's why, despite his size, he's been an underwhelming post player for the majority of his career. Porzingis also knows he isn't that strong, which shapes his shot selection.
Here's a fun stat for you, courtesy of Second Spectrum tracking data: The average start distance of a Porzingis post-up this season was 12.5 feet. The average ending distance was... 10.8 feet. Less than two feet of difference.
Among 78 players to log at least 50 post possessions this season, only five players had a lower differential than Porzingis (+1.7): Kevin Durant (+1.5), Draymond Green (+0.8), James Wiseman (+1.4), Deandre Ayton (0, which is hilarious), and Isaiah Stewart (0).
Think about that group of players. Green is primarily used as passing hub on the block. Stewart roams around the basket area as is, and doesn't get things ran for him (35 post-up shot attempts, per Synergy). Wiseman, Ayton, and Durant are the closest stylistic analogs, but, like, one is Kevin freakin' Durant. Ayton and Wiseman are both face-up heavy, though Ayton can&nbsp;move dudes when he wants to. The jury is out on Wiseman, who, to this point, has played about two weeks worth of basketball in the past two years.
(Also, if we're comparing rookie-year, wet-behind-the-ears, growing-into-his-body Wiseman to an on-his-second-contract version of Porzingis...)
The post-up film on Porzingis is littered with turnarounds. They make sense within the context of his strength limitations and his frame -- hello, high-release point! -- but those aren't the kind of shots that force defenses to rotate.
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There are makes and misses in the video above. What should stand out, however, is the lack of help given on thost post-ups. 6-foot-7 Kawhi, 6-foot-8 George, 6-foot-8 Morris, and 6-foot-5 Terance Mann are the defenders in those clips. And the Clippers were more than okay living with single coverage.
This is why Rick Carlisle was ultimately okay with stashing Porzingis in the corner. The Clippers were not going to drop coverage, nor were they going to send two to the ball with Porzingis in action.&nbsp;
That, uh, was not the case with Boban Marjanovic as the screener. His vertical presence and, most importantly, his scoring gravity on the block forced the Clippers to scramble a bit. That led to things like this.
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There are multiple things working here.
1) Porzingis is at his best against a particular scheme (drop, ICE).
2) Because of his physical and some skill limitations, he can be schemed out a bit with switches.&nbsp;
3) There are still exploits within switching, particularly with ghost/brush screens or slips.
4) From a personnel standpoint, the Clippers are uniquely equipped to&nbsp;switch effectively&nbsp;against Porzingis and take away those opportunities.
Squint hard enough, and there's an "82-game player vs. 16-game player" discussion to be had. It's fair to argue that Porzingis is more of the former than the latter. The question then becomes: how large is the gap between the two, and how much faith do you have in it closing?
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WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
What's clear, taking a 10,000-foot view of this thing, is that the Mavericks need a third guy. That third doesn't necessarily have to be better&nbsp;than Porzingis overall (though that'd be great for obvious reasons), but there is a pressure-the-rim, make-the-defense-bend gap that needs to be bridged.&nbsp;
It can't all be on Doncic to do the defense-bending. The Mavericks may not also face a Clippers-level of switchable defenders to neutralize Porzingis the way that he was in this series, but the blueprint is out there. And if the Mavericks plan to get into -- and ultimately beat -- the upper echelon in the West, they'll need to solve that issue.
That help could come this summer. For as much smoke as there was about Kyle Lowry being moved to Miami or Philadelphia (or I guess Los Angeles), Dallas would be a tremendous fit for him if he wanted to go that route. That level of pull-up shooting, driving equity, playmaking, and off-ball randomness could be enough to bring out the best in Doncic and&nbsp;Porzingis.&nbsp;
It could just be internal improvement. Jalen Brunson was a borderline Sixth Man of the Year candidate for a reason. He's pretty freaking good, in my opinion. For what it's worth, the Mavericks had a 118.2 offensive rating with the Brunson-Doncic-Porzingis trio on the floor this season, per PBP Stats.
If you're of the mindset that Porzingis in Dallas just can't work, it's worth exploring some landing spots for him.&nbsp;
Miami is intriguing. The spacing that Porzingis provides would be a natural complement to Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. Having Adebayo's versatility and Jimmy Butler's off-ball prowess could help shield some of Porzingis' defensive shortcomings in a way that isn't possible with the Mavericks' personnel.&nbsp;
The Heat can get there pretty easily from a financial standpoint by exercising the team options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala. The question becomes what assets are they willing to give up on top of that.
They're pretty short on pick capital, and could be outbid by others if a market develops. I find it hard to believe that Precious Achiuwa would intrigue the Mavericks enough, and Tyler Herro seems to be in "move-him-for-a-(super)star-only" territory.
(Debate amongst yourselves if that status is warranted, but that seems to be the status at least.)
My guy <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keith Smith</a> (jokingly?) floated out a Porzingis-for-Kemba Walker swap. It's one that would probably take a little more from... somebody's side, probably Boston's considering the age gap and "small-guard-with-a-knee-history" concern that comes with Walker. But as Keith noted, this is a deal both fanbases <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1401663952967319555?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would probably hate</a>. I'm contractually obligated to root for it just for the laughs.
Some other fits that could intrigue: the Warriors (the money is tough, though), the Pelicans (please give Zion Williamson some space to work with), and maybe the Thunder as a wildcard.
From my view, it'll be easier to add a piece to complement Porzingis than it would be to trade him for the type of talent you need. That's probably okay. Even with the flaws, Porzingis is coming off a season in which he averaged north of 20 points with a True Shooting percentage eclipsing 58.
And even that came following an offseason of injury recovery from the bubble. A full offseason could do wonders for the 25-year-old. There's something to work with here. Adding a piece or two in free agency could alleviate a good deal of his shortcomings.&nbsp;
Let's revisit this in a year.

Nekias Duncan examines the strengths and weaknesses of Kristaps Porzingis, and how the Mavericks should proceed with him moving forward.

The balancing act of Kristaps Porzingis

The NBA trade deadline is now nine days away, and while we can safely assume that all 30 teams want to get better, we must proceed expecting two teams --the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks -- to play big roles in dictating what the market will look like.
There are lots of big men available, and anybody who tells you that Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside or JaVale McGee would not make a difference in an Eastern Conference playoff series has not been paying attention. Or as Gregg Popovich would say: &ldquo;Living in a phone booth.&rdquo;
Also, those who assume the Knicks (with $15.7 million in cap space) are not in win-now mode do not understand Tom Thibodeau. The guy is married to a basketball, and he is anxious to do in New York what he was unable to do in Minnesota and, to a lesser degree, in Chicago.
And then we have the Celtics, who are sitting on the largest trade exception ($28.5 million) in NBA history and are worse off that they were a year ago when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. Danny Ainge cannot stand pat and expect to get past the Nets, Sixers, Bucks or Heat.
The rumor mill will be churning between now and March 25, and every contending team in the East will be scheming to make an addition that attacks the weaknesses of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, while every Western team will try to find a way to compete with the three-point shooting of the Utah Jazz and the depth and experience of the Los Angeles Lakers.
So let&rsquo;s go through the league alphabetically and assess each team&rsquo;s needs, expectations and expendables.
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ATLANTA HAWKS: Nate McMillan is 5-0 as head coach, and the most active team in the weeks leading up to training camp remains built (if fully healthy) to advance if all of the pieces can fit together with almost zero practice time. John Collins is entering restricted free agency and is not as productive as he was a year ago, but he makes just $4.1 million. Put him in a deal with Tony Snell, though, and those combined salaries equal $16.3 million, which can get you a nice player.
BOSTON CELTICS: What made them special a year ago was the ability to get offensive production from three All-Star caliber starters: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward. But Hayward is gone, Enes Kanter is doing big things in Portland (remember how he was a game-changer for Boston in the postseason a year ago?) and Kemba Walker is shooting 38% in his 10th season. Standing pat is not an option.
BROOKLYN NETS: At some point they will need a third center to join DeAndre Jordan and Nicolas Claxton, but the buyout market or the China market (the CBA season ends before the NBA playoffs) may be the easiest way for Sean Marks to add an extra big body if they cannot get a big man whose contract fits into their $5.7 million disabled player exception. Spencer Dinwiddie is the only superfluous player on the roster, but he is out for the remainder of the season, and the Nets have no future draft picks to throw into a deal. They used them all in the Harden trade.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS: Michael Jordan&rsquo;s team is 100-1 to win the East despite having the lock for Rookie of the Year, a four-game winning streak and a roster chock full of young and hungry players who, for the most part, lack postseason experience. At a certain point, they have to realize they could have done better than Cody Zeller ($15.4 million) with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft. It might be time to sacrifice a future first-round pick or two to upgrade at center. Malik Monk has been playing well lately, otherwise, we would predict his imminent departure. The Hornets have an open roster spot and $4 million in cap room.
CHICAGO BULLS: It would be delusional of them to think they can advance beyond the first-round of the playoffs, which is why they have to consider getting a good young player from a contender in exchange for Thaddeus Young ($13.5 million), who is the leading candidate to finish a distant second to Jordan Clarkson in Sixth Man of the Year voting. &nbsp;Tomas Satoransky ($10 million this year and next year) is 29 years old and could be combined with Young to bring in a good young player. Here is an idea:
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Who says no? <a href="https://t.co/Pc61DX8jQV">pic.twitter.com/Pc61DX8jQV</a>
&mdash; Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/sheridanhoops/status/1371826941804883973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Aside from the inevitable Drummond and McGee moves (best offers arrive at 2:59 p.m. on deadline day), Koby Altman will probably keep quiet after acquiring Jarrett Allen from the Nets and sending Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rockets. Kevin Love is going to be dead money for two more seasons and Cedi Osman is looking like he will be in the same category, though not quite as expensive. It&rsquo;ll be a long road back.
DALLAS MAVERICKS: They should be better than their record (20-18), but the West is tough. Dwight Powell ($11 million this season and the next two) is not worth what he is being paid and could be packaged with more future No. 1 picks (the Mavs can&rsquo;t trade their own first-round draft pick until 2025 because they owe the Knicks their 2021 and 2023 picks), if mortgaging the future is something Mark Cuban is cool with. Powell and James Johnson for Drummond works cap-wise.
DENVER NUGGETS: A rumor is out there that the Nuggets have spoken to the Magic about acquiring Aaron Gordon, and the price would include Bol Bol. They currently do not look like they have enough to come out of the West, and JaMychal Green has not been an adequate replacement for Jerami Grant. To a lesser degree than Boston, standing pat does not seem like the most prudent option. They have a $9.6 million trade exception, so expect them to make some sort of acquisition that improves the roster. They are one player away from being one player away.
DETROIT PISTONS: Troy Weaver might have already made his &ldquo;deadline deal&rdquo; in getting Hamidou Diallo from the Thunder. Wayne Ellington is superfluous, and one would think teams might like a 14-year veteran who shot 42% from three-point range with a manageable $1.6 million salary&hellip; But the Knicks couldn&rsquo;t find a taker for him a year ago.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Limbo sucks, but Klay Thompson will be back next season. In the meantime, the best they can do is hope that the Wolves&rsquo; pick is not top three and they can get another high lottery pick to put next to James Wiseman for the years ahead. Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker and Marquese Chriss are all on expiring contracts. Their combined salaries total $20.6 million. The Warriors can acquire a player into Thompson&rsquo;s $9.25 million disabled player exception.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: We are seeing a flurry of Victor Oladipo trade rumors, which is strange because he was the biggest piece they got in the Harden trade. If they are disappointed in him (and his expiring $21 million contract) they must not have been watching Pacers playoffs games the past few seasons. Kevin Porter Jr. was a nice pickup, and Rafael Stone is probably on the hunt for another player who has worn out his welcome for non-basketball reasons. P.J. Tucker is headed somewhere. Dante Exum (expiring $9.6 million contract) didn&rsquo;t quite work out for a fifth overall pick, eh?
INDIANA PACERS: Acquiring Caris LaVert for Oladipo as part of the Harden trade will go in Kevin Pritchard&rsquo;s trophy case, so the question now becomes &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; aside from waiting for T.J. Warren&rsquo;s broken foot to heal. They are in 10th place, which wasn&rsquo;t exactly what they had in mind for this season. Still, Indiana has a nice mix of players in their mid-to-late 20s. Doug McDermott (expiring $7.3 million) and T.J. McConnell (expiring $3.5 million) could be a useful shooter and pest duo for a playoff team willing to give up a draft pick and a matching expiring salary. Indiana is probably better off keeping both and rolling the dice in the play-in postseason.
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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: They have everything they need except the Lou Williams they had gotten used to over the past three seasons. His scoring average is down almost six points. Serge Ibaka (scoring average down 4.5 points) is showing his age at 31 and has a 15% trade kicker. Both still have plenty of playoff experience, but Jerry West likes to make trades when he can find the right ones. The Clippers are an interesting team to watch at the deadline because they have an open roster spot, but they are also within a $500,000 of the hard cap, which limits their options.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: They need nothing except for Anthony Davis to be healthy, so the Lakers are the winner of the &ldquo;Most Unlikely To Make A Trade&rdquo; award. They are option No. 1 for pretty much everybody getting a buyout after the deadline.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: More than a year later, we are still trying to figure out the Justise Winslow acquisition. Taylor Jenkins&rsquo; rotation goes 10 deep, not including the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player in Gorgui Dieng -- $17.2 million. They are young and they are not a good team, yet they are still in contention for a play-in spot, so that incentivizes them to get creative.
MIAMI HEAT: The rule of thumb used to be &ldquo;Pat Riley hates making midseason trades,&rdquo; but he went out and got Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder last season and built an NBA Finals team. So you would think they would be predisposed to tinker despite their recent run of 11 victories in 12 games. Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million) and Moe Harkless ($3.6 million) are on expiring deals, and Avery Bradley is gathering dust. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is worthy of it, but that would likely involve trading a starter (Olynyk). They also have a $7.5 million trade exception but owe Oklahoma City two first-round picks.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Veteran Bucks writer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-sheridan-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-16-gery-woelfel-on-milwaukee-bucks-chances,-possible-trade,-other-east-contender">Gery Woelful said on my most recent podcast</a> that he fully expects the Bucks to try to find an upgrade from Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard. The salaries of DiVincenzo and D.J. Wilson add up to $7.5 million, and it is hard to see Jon Horst moving anyone else on this roster. They are not last year&rsquo;s Bucks, but they theoretically have enough to get to the NBA Finals. They are very close to the hard cap and cannot trade any more picks after using so many in the Jrue Holiday acquisition.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The team is for sale, so do not expect Gersson Rosas to take on any long-term money. They have already changed coaches, and they have nothing anybody would want except for Karl Anthony-Towns, who isn&rsquo;t going anywhere. Okay, they have Ed Davis, who may be somebody&rsquo;s consolation prize as contending teams search for bigs. Nominations for the Dumpster Fire Award are now closed.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are not available. You can safely assume that everyone else is, and David Griffin does not need to hold anybody else up because he already did that to Horst. This was not supposed to be a throwaway season, but it is. The Pelicans would like to get J.J. Redick closer to his family, who live in Brooklyn. Exactly how close? Well, when Redick played for the Sixers, he commuted to Philadelphia. So &ldquo;close&rdquo; is a relative term. Boston is drivable from Brooklyn.
NEW YORK KNICKS: As mentioned above, they are the team to watch most closely. They can take on long-term money if the incoming player is someone who can tolerate Thibodeau&rsquo;s coaching style, and they would bring in a player on an expiring contract if they believed that player&rsquo;s Bird rights would be of value over the summer. Leon Rose is one year away from having a top-three team in the East if he plays his cards right a week from Thursday.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: Sam Presti likely has George Hill, Trevor Ariza and Mike Muscala available to the highest bidders. Hill was an important piece of the Bucks last season and could help a playoff team needing a bench shooter and veteran voice in the locker room. At a certain point, Presti is going to have to package together some of the 20 extra first and second-round picks he has accumulated through trades, but that point is probably a couple of years away as the rebuild runs its course. Important: If Houston&rsquo;s pick is in the top four, the Thunder get it. Also, Presti has three trade exceptions; the largest is $27.6 million.
ORLANDO MAGIC:&nbsp; Aaron Gordon trade rumors are everywhere, which makes sense because the time to cash in on their seven-year investment is now. They need to get younger and acquire assets to build around Markelle Fultz, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac. Their ceiling should not be the kind of first-round exits they have been producing the past two seasons, and they have not won a single playoff series since 2009-10. So, it would be shocking to see them keep Gordon, who is only 25 years old and can bring a lot in return. Gordon is a good guy who needs a change of scenery and deserves one. Same goes for Evan Fournier.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: They wanted James Harden and did not get him, and Doc Rivers still somehow kept Ben Simmons committed to the team. That is pretty huge, because players who know they have been shopped usually resent it. They are in first place in the East and have a roster with the proper pieces to match up with Brooklyn. Mike Scott&rsquo;s expiring $5 million deal and the Knicks&rsquo; 2021 second-round pick are Elton Brand&rsquo;s most movable trade assets, but Scott has been playing well lately. Terrence Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and Tony Bradley are on expiring contracts but would bring little in return.
PHOENIX SUNS: Acquiring Chris Paul checked the &ldquo;monster trade&rdquo; box, and the NBA&rsquo;s most overachieving team will likely abide by the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke, Don&rsquo;t Fix It&rdquo; rule. That being said, if an on-the-ball defender capable of defending LeBron James is out there somewhere, you kick the tires on just about anything that does not include Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul. Ariza would seem to be a fit.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: Like Dallas, they should be better than their record&hellip; and would be if C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic had not gotten injured. At full strength, they are going to be a tough out in the postseason. Gary Trent Jr. is on an expiring contract and they may fear losing him, so keep that in mind with these guys. They are sleepers.
SACRAMENTO KINGS: What they can get for Whiteside will be interesting to see, because he was killing it for the Blazers last season. Then, Nurkic returned in the bubble. Whiteside does not exactly have the best reputation around the league, which is why he played in Lebanon and China before resurrecting his career. There are also a lot of Harrison Barnes rumors out there, and like the Magic and Gordon, it may be time for the Kings to cash in on the three-year investment they made in Barnes after acquiring him from Dallas. He makes $22.2 million. Does Nemanja Bjelica have any value? Same question has to be asked of Jabari Parker.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The LaMarcus Aldridge era is in its final days, and you have to wonder if the Patty Mills era is, too. Derrick White is signed long-term and Dejounte Murray is damn good. The expiring contracts of Aldridge and Mills add up to $37.2 million, and if you include Rudy Gay&rsquo;s expiring deal that number becomes $51.2 million. They are 20-16, yet, as currently constituted, not good enough to do much in the postseason. R.C. Buford wins the award for the league executive most overdue to make a trade.
TORONTO RAPTORS: The name that is out there now is Kyle Lowry, who has spent nine seasons of his 16-year career playing for the team that now calls Tampa its home. Having lost five in a row and sitting in 11th place in the Leastern Conference, Masai Ujiri must determine whether it is time to turn Lowry&rsquo;s expiring $30.5 million contract into something of value. At 35 years old, Lowry can still play and, percentage wise, is hitting threes, twos and free throws better than he has over the past four seasons. But this would not be a giveaway, and a sign-and-trade in the offseason is still possible.
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UTAH JAZZ: Like Phoenix, the &ldquo;If It Ain&rsquo;t Broke , Don&rsquo;t Dix It&rdquo; rule applies. They are in first place in the West, are making threes better than anybody and have Rudy Gobert finding new and incredible ways to never, ever be mentioned in the MVP debate. None of their nine rotation players is going anywhere, and no one else on the roster has either a big contract or much trade value. Still, someone on the team could be a giveaway because the Jazz are $1.9 million over the luxury tax line. They have already traded five of their next seven second-round picks (they don&rsquo;t have one until 2025).
WASHINGTON WIZARDS: You&rsquo;ve got to feel bad for Tommy Sheppard, one of the best guys and better GMs in the league -- he was able to turn John Wall into Russell Westbrook but then lost Thomas Bryant and had his team put on ice because of COVID issues. They are now playing the busiest second-half schedule of any Eastern Conference team, and they theoretically have a puncher&rsquo;s chance against practically anyone in the conference if Westbrook keeps triple-doubling (he leads the league with 11). But they have lost four in a row and rank 12th. Robin Lopez and his expiring $7.3 million contract is their best trade asset. If they combined Lopez with Ish Smith&rsquo;s expiring contract, that totals $13.3 million.

With one week before the NBA's trade deadline, Chris Sheridan previews what could be in store for all 30 of the league's teams.

What to expect from all 30 NBA teams ahead of the Trade Deadline

While All-Star Weekend will look much different this year in Atlanta, Ga., the NBA still announced rosters for the Rising Stars on Wednesday despite the fact that there will be no game.
The game normally features players in their first and second seasons, and over the past few years the rosters have been split between players born in the United States and players born elsewhere throughout the world. Prior to that, the game was NBA rookies against sophomores.&nbsp;
The U.S. team is comprised of Charlotte's LaMelo Ball, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, New Orleans' Zion Williamson, Memphis' Ja Morant, Miami's Tyler Herro, Atlanta's De'Andre Hunter, Sacramento's Tyrese Haliburton, Denver's Michael Porter Jr., Golden State's James Wiseman, and San Antonio's Keldon Johnson.
As for the World team, that features New York's RJ Barrett, Miami's Precious Achiuwa, Washington's Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura, Memphis' Brandon Clarke, New Orleans' Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Oklahoma City's Lu Dort and Theo Maledon, Denver's Facundo Campazzo, and Golden State's Mychal Mulder.&nbsp;
The rosters were revealed via NBA Top Shot, and the video showcasing each player can be found below.
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Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and LaMelo Ball highlight the U.S. team this year.

Zion Williamson, LaMelo Ball headline NBA's Rising Stars

Ethan Fuller breaks down the NBA landscape with over half the league hovering close to a .500 record.

NBA Sour Rankings: How to understand the spectrum of mediocrity

Ethan Fuller breaks down the general direction of all 30 NBA teams in his weekly Sour Rankings.

NBA Sour Rankings: New Year, New Problems

Ethan Fuller breaks down the state of each NBA franchise and ranks the most frustrating teams ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA 'Sour' Rankings: Preseason Prelude

A Memphis staffer chats with BasketballNews.com's Spencer Davies to provide an in-depth analysis on top prospect James Wiseman.