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Rockets

With March Madness behind us and the NBA Draft lottery odds set, we're now into the next phase of the scouting season.
BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock transitioned our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board into <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our first NBA Mock Draft of the year</a>. As teams, scouts and analysts gather intel, this mock serves as an early peek into what draft night could look like in June.
Babcock discussed his latest projections, some early storylines to monitor in the spring, prospects who shined in the NCAA Tournament, and more in the following Q&amp;A.
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What makes Jabari Smith the pick for the Rockets at No. 1?
The Houston Rockets only won 20 games this season, but it's not all doom and gloom. They're in rebuild mode, and they've already gotten a good group of young players together. In last year's NBA Draft, they selected Jalen Green with the second pick, and it looks as if he could emerge into a primetime scorer who they can build around. 
They also drafted Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher,&nbsp; selected KJ Martin with a late second-round pick the year before, and added Kevin Porter Jr. via trade. All of the players mentioned above are younger than 21 years old. They've struggled to win games up to this point, but they have a young nucleus to work with as they look to build for the future.
Regarding this year's draft, it's pretty close among the top prospects, and it seems as if everyone has their unique argument as to who are the top prospects and why &mdash; which I appreciate, as I think there usually tends to be too much groupthink in the draft space. Anyway, Jabari Smith Jr. is my No. 1 guy, and he has been for a while now. At 6-foot-10, Smith is an absolute sniper from the perimeter as a stretch four, and with time I think he will also prove that he has much more in his bag as a scorer. 
On the defensive end, Smith has a chance to be special. He's about as switchable as it gets, and he's tough. His versatility on both ends of the ball will provide a lot of lineup flexibility to whatever team selects him. In addition to possessing perhaps the most upside of any player projected to be in the 2022 NBA Draft, he can essentially co-exist with just about any group of players. Therefore, I believe that Jabari Smith Jr. would be the right pick for the Rockets if they indeed win the NBA Draft Lottery.&nbsp;
Which teams could shake up the draft selections if lottery luck lands them in the top-3?
My first tier includes Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden Ivey, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero this year. Of that group, Jaden Ivey is the only guard. Due to his style of play, I'm not sure he's a great fit with several teams potentially selecting towards the top, including Houston, Orlando, Indiana and San Antonio -- they're all pretty guard-heavy at the moment. If any combination of these teams lands in the top-3, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ivey sliding back a touch. 
Another thing worth noting is that I'm also not sure Paolo Banchero would fit well with teams like New York or New Orleans. On the flip side, Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren fit in pretty seamlessly with most teams. I think these are a few elements that could potentially dictate how the first few picks unfold.
What inspired Mark Williams' rapid rise to the No. 12 overall pick?
I'll admit the 12th pick is on the high side for Mark Williams, but I like the fit, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch. Williams had a terrific season at Duke this year, and he's continued to grow on me. His performance versus Gonzaga in Las Vegas in November was one of the best showings I saw in-person all season. I think he has a chance to develop into becoming a solid starting center as a rim running and rim-protecting 5-man. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a long and productive NBA career. 
In our most recent simulated mock draft, Oklahoma City selected Paolo Banchero with the fourth pick and Mark Williams with the 12th pick, coincidentally Duke's frontcourt this past season. The Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander locked up on a long-term deal and Sam Presti's lottery selection last year, Josh Giddey, looks like a star in the making. So it seems their backcourt of the future is solid. Adding Bancero and Williams would bolster their frontcourt, giving OKC's roster shape moving forward.
Which other prospects benefited most from their March Madness performances?
He was already rated super high, but I think Paolo Banchero finished strong. Ochai Agbaji was terrific versus Villanova in Kansas' Final Four game. Benedict Mathurin had a couple of outstanding games in the tournament, and Kennedy Chandler was good for Tennessee. I think all of those players helped themselves in March.
What is one of your favorite later-round team-player fits?
A few picks in the second round that stand out are David Roddy from Colorado State to the Pacers, Jake LaRavia from Wake Forest to the Hawks, and Colin Gillespie from Villanova to the Pelicans. None of those players necessarily blow me away with their talent or tools, but I think all three could become excellent complementary players.
What makes G League Ignite prospects Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp and Jaden Hardy worthy of first-round status?
They're all very different players from one another, but they're all talented in their own right. Daniels and Beauchamp showed well this season and have moved up the ranks. Hardy came into the season projected to be a high pick and the highest of this group, but he didn't do quite as well as most people had hoped, myself included.&nbsp;
Daniels has terrific size and versatility on both ends of the ball, Beauchamp is very athletic, plays with a great pace, and makes a lot happen. Hardy might have struggled a bit this season, however, he still has a lot of raw talent as a scorer and shot-maker with deep range. I expect all three to be selected in the first round.
While many of us were focused on March Madness, have any draft-eligible international players made waves recently?
Ousmane Dieng, a player from France currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian League, is the player that comes to mind in regards to someone who has been making waves recently on the international scene. Dieng has terrific size for an on-ball playmaker, and I think he possesses a lot of upside as a versatile point forward. He has a good chance of becoming a first-round pick.
After the success of last year's first Tampa Bay Pro Combine, what should we expect from the event this spring?
It's been great to see some of our guys who participated in the Tampa Bay Pro Combine last year find success quickly in their careers. I mean, Terry Taylor and Brandon Williams signed NBA contracts, but they also played significant minutes for their teams. Jordan Goodwin and Micah Potter had opportunities with NBA teams too. It was incredible to see!&nbsp;
We've changed the format this year. First, we cut the number of invited players from nearly 50 to 24 this year. Instead of just playing five-on-five games all week, we decided to host simulated NBA pre-draft workouts the first two days, where we'll have six players on the court at a time and 12 per day. The main reason for this change was to comply with NBA guidelines so that NBA scouts could attend. Anyway, we have another great group of guys set to fly out and compete. It should be a great week!
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Ethan Fuller checks in with Matt Babcock after the unveiling of his first 2022 NBA Mock Draft.

2022 NBA Draft: Q&A with Matt Babcock on first mock, notable risers

Looking at the Houston Rockets' 15-43 record, one might think that this season hasn&rsquo;t gone quite as planned.
Houston has by far the worst record in the Western Conference, and the Rockets have the NBA's 30th-ranked defense (allowing 114.3 points per 100 possessions) and 27th-ranked offense (scoring 104.3 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
However, the Rockets entered this season with the sixth-youngest roster in the NBA. Eleven of their players are age-24 or younger. Houston knew that this would be a rebuilding year, with a focus on developing their young talent and getting as many reps as possible for Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Christian Wood, Josh Christopher, KJ Martin, Armoni Brooks, etc. This is a talented core, as our Mark Schindler and Mat Issa recently pointed out in a terrific <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rocket-revival-evaluating-houston-rockets-young-core-part-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-part</a> <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rocket-revival-evaluating-houston-rockets-young-core-part-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series</a>.
The Rockets' decision to prioritize their youth is also why John Wall hasn't played this season. The 31-year-old guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-no-trade-or-buyout-on-the-horizon-john-wall-remains-in-limbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> wanted to play a featured role on offense, but the Rockets&rsquo; decision-makers wanted him in a complementary role behind the youngsters, so the offense could run through Green, Porter Jr. and Co. The two sides couldn&rsquo;t figure out a solution, so Wall has been working out in Miami with fellow veterans Michael Beasley and Tyreke Evans among others.
Interestingly, despite their struggles, these young Rockets have pulled off some shocking wins this season, beating the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
Ryan Hollins, a 10-year NBA veteran who is now the lead television analyst for the Rockets' broadcasts, has been really impressed with this young core and loves what Houston is building.
&ldquo;I think this season has been an absolute success thus far because the whole goal has been for the young guys to get minutes and grow and take their lumps and get better,&rdquo; Hollins told BasketballNews.com. &ldquo;And when I think of every young guy that has been in the lineup, they have improved. The sky's the limit. I&rsquo;m watching Jalen Green, who is only 19 years old, develop and grow; he&rsquo;s getting better at attacking the rim and learning NBA defenses and understanding where strength is a factor in games. Josh Christopher, who just set another career-high [with 23 points against the Spurs], is just playing lights out right now off the bench and I think he&rsquo;s been one of the bigger surprises of the season.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And the steal of the draft, by far &mdash; it&rsquo;s not even close &mdash; is Alperen Sengun; there&rsquo;s no other name that we should be saying. He&rsquo;s made so many plays that it&rsquo;s just crazy and when I talk to NBA executives, coaches and staff, they always ask about Sengun and talk about how good he is when they sit back and watch his film. He&rsquo;s a rookie and he&rsquo;s getting double-teamed on the block. They are double-teaming him to get the ball out of his hands! For a player, that&rsquo;s the ultimate sign of respect. Unfortunately, Usman Garuba broke his wrist and he had to spend some time down [in the G League] with the Vipers, but we saw him improve and get better too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I give Houston an A++ as far as their development, and that&rsquo;s really what this year is about. And what&rsquo;s really cool is that you also have veterans like Eric Gordon, who&rsquo;s shooting a career-high percentage from the field, and that&rsquo;s something that a lot of people didn&rsquo;t really expect. In the midst of a rebuild, Gordon is having a career-year and really flourishing and, even bigger than that, just staying healthy, which has been the only real question when you think about Eric.&rdquo;
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Speaking of Eric Gordon, the Rockets had the option of moving the 33-year-old prior to last week&rsquo;s trade deadline, but they ultimately decided to hang onto him. While Houston could&rsquo;ve added a draft pick in exchange for the veteran guard, they apparently felt that he&rsquo;s more valuable as a mentor and locker-room presence than as a trade chip. Hollins raved about what he&rsquo;s seen from Gordon &mdash; on and off the court.
&ldquo;His professionalism has really helped teach these young guys how to be successful,&rdquo; Hollins said. &ldquo;And they see Eric Gordon night in and night out scoring a not-so-sexy 20-to-30 points off the bench without having plays drawn up for him. You have to appreciate what Eric brings to the table. He has that type of demeanor and impact here, and he just means so much to this team and this community.&rdquo;
The Rockets will have another top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">features some very intriguing talent</a> such as Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey and Chet Holmgren among others. If they can add another stud to this young core, don't be surprised if Houston is just a few years away from making some serious noise in the Western Conference.

Houston has the West's worst record, but Ryan Hollins says this season has been "an absolute success" as they develop their core.

Why the Houston Rockets' season has been 'an absolute success'

Alperen Sengun has always been an intriguing prospect to follow since he entered the NBA. Acquired by the Houston Rockets during the 2021 NBA Draft for two future first-round picks likely to convey in 2023 (via the Wizards) and 2025 (via the Pistons), Sengun instantly became an integral piece to the next chapter post-James Harden.
Exiting the Harden era, Houston is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, building around young players such as No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and Sengun. With Green sidelined due to injury, Sengun is beginning to take the spotlight and shine under the bright lights.
As a unique, throwback player, Sengun brings a crafty style to the basketball court based around footwork in the post, savvy playmaking and strong rebounding ability. Recently against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sengun's interior footwork was dazzling to watchm as he continously punished his matchup around the basket on countless possessions. Eventually, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer had to adjust and put Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sengun. A small moment, but one that provides a glimpse into a potential future outcome for the Rockets' rookie.
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Expected to have an adjustment period to the NBA after winning the Turkish League MVP at age-18, not many expectations were laid upon Sengun in Year 1 &mdash; especially as a reserve big man. Recently though, he&rsquo;s flashing an extremely high ceiling that has many within the Rockets organization giddy for his next developmental steps.
Sengun&rsquo;s season averages don&rsquo;t scream "breakout campaign," but, when placed into a per-36 minute workload, it changes the equation: 17.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.5 blocks while carrying a 57.9% True Shooting percentage.
Ready for a crazy statistic revolving around Sengun? Here are the only players joining the Turkish rookie amassing at least 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block per 36 minutes: Giannis and Draymond Green.
If Sengun is allowed to further spread his wings later this season, there&rsquo;s a real trajectory path to him becoming a member of the First-Team All-Rookie lineup. Sure, there will be some ups-and-downs in terms of inconsistency along the way, but the bright spots make up for all of it.
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Sengun in 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆 😤 <a href="https://t.co/jnFP7MpEPa">pic.twitter.com/jnFP7MpEPa</a>
&mdash; Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1471279315463639048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There is something in the way of Sengun receiving heavy minutes however &mdash; the two bigs currently ahead of him on the Rockets&rsquo; depth chart: Christian Wood and Daniel Theis, a pair of veterans who are heavily mentioned in trade talks around the Association. Our own Nekias Duncan recently wrote a piece regarding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-christian-wood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential destinations for Wood</a>, who would be an instant-impact piece on a legitimate playoff contender. Theis is another piece who could help boost the depth of a contender as well, providing floor-spacing and defensive versatility.
Sengun&rsquo;s ceiling already looks similar to ones we&rsquo;ve seen enter the NBA before. Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic all play a similar game as the young Sengun. If the Rockets properly construct a versatile roster around Sengun, he could help the organization reap significant benefits soon enough.
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Houston&rsquo;s goal is to construct a sustainable winner with multiple hits on draft picks. Green looks the part of a future 25-point-per-game scorer. Sengun could be the hub of an entire offensive system, a la Sabonis. Kevin Porter Jr. is an offensive spark plug himself. Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba all look like valuable depth pieces of the next great Rockets era as well. Houston still has considerable distance to being a real threat in the Western Conference playoff picture, but the foundation is coming along together at a quicker pace than expected.
If the Rockets are lucky again in the lottery, could you imagine Auburn&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Smith</a> alongside Sengun providing defense and transition scoring? What about Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero as a frontcourt partner for Sengun? This was initially expected to be a rebuild that lasts awhile, but one or two moves could truly change the whole equation. Having a big man like Sengun as an anchor is a very promising start to it all, and one who can seemingly provide a little bit of everything on the basketball court for the Rockets.
The buzz around Sengun is palpable, and he&rsquo;s slowly but surely making his way up the top rookie ladder. By season&rsquo;s end, Sengun could be alongside Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham for Rookie of the Year honors &mdash; particularly if he's given more of a runway, with Wood and Theis moved elsewhere.

Alperen Sengun is turning heads with his recent play for the Houston Rockets. Are we seeing the beginning of another star big man?

Alperen Sengun's surge providing hope for Rockets' rebuild

If you haven&rsquo;t heard by now, you will soon: the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming for you.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the wine-and-golders have gone from lovable underdogs to unforgiving bullies. Through 30 games, over one-third of the way into the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs boast an 18-12 record &mdash; probably the most misleading in the NBA, an absolute undersell &mdash; with one of the top average margins of victory in the league.
Using cliches and &ldquo;broken-record coach speak&rdquo; as J.B. Bickerstaff lightheartedly says before answering our repetitive comments of praise, you can&rsquo;t single out anyone as the sole reason for such a dramatic turnaround. Everyone has collectively bought in &mdash; from the returning players who &ldquo;took a lot of ass whoopings&rdquo; to the new ones who came in looking to advance a process.
Pun definitely intended, these Cavs will let you know, and fast. Jumping out to double-digit leads quickly. Punching you square in the mouth to close first halves. Putting you on the wrong end of the highlight reel. Not only do they feel like they belong, they expect to win.&nbsp;
No matter who they&rsquo;re up against. No matter who&rsquo;s on the floor for them. No matter the situation.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s giving us confidence just knowing we can beat some of the best teams in this league. I think we&rsquo;re one of &lsquo;em, to be honest with you,&rdquo; Darius Garland said after a win over the Chicago Bulls last week. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to bring that confidence, bring that intensity every game. Just stay with it, just keep being us. Bring the scrap every night, listen to the coaching staff and keep playing Cavaliers basketball.&rdquo;
There were times in the past few years when Cleveland looked like it began to put things together... in stretches. But an injury here, a setback there, an interruption, a roster change &mdash; it never sustained. At this point, we&rsquo;ve gotten a two-month sample size of this version of the team. It fights with the same vigor, the same self-belief and the same grit on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about those guys in the locker room,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;From day one &mdash; go back to September, they showed up the day after Labor Day &mdash; they were in the gym and working, and were committed to one another. And then their personalities, they genuinely all get along, they genuinely all like each other. They fight for each other. They support each other.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I go home and I watch the games over, and I spend so much time just watching our bench. There&rsquo;s body after body after body that&rsquo;s up celebrating, cheering, [and] guys that don&rsquo;t even sit down during the game. That&rsquo;s what does it, and it&rsquo;s that chemistry the guys have formed. They love to compete. These games, even games we&rsquo;ve lost, they&rsquo;ve laid it out there. We&rsquo;ve had leads versus really good teams because of the spirit that those guys have played with... Guys being committed to what you're trying to do, and committed to one another is the most important thing that you can have. And I think that's where we've seen the biggest leap.&rdquo;
Combine that consistent effort with otherworldly versatility, skill and attitude, and you&rsquo;ve got the recipe for a unique, killer concoction.&nbsp;
As muttered recently on a radio hit in Cleveland, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible to cover everything top to bottom in regards to what&rsquo;s going right for this team. But we&rsquo;ll give it a try.
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Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley (and Lauri Markkanen)
Coming into the season, everybody wondered how the duo of Allen and Mobley would coexist on the floor. The thought of Markkanen sharing the floor with both never crossed anybody&rsquo;s mind. And yet, here we are, talking about Tall Ball as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's newest craze</a> that&rsquo;s thrown nearly every opponent for a loop.
Bickerstaff decided at the beginning of the season that he had to find a way to put his best players on the floor all at once, and for his team, that was through size and skill. We&rsquo;re seeing Cleveland reap the benefits of that on a nightly basis. It all starts on the defensive end.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re seeing Allen and Mobley deny those bold enough to enter their territory. Allen is the anchor in the middle, timing his head-on challenges to near perfection, while Mobley is the weak-side insurance policy waiting to reject all comers who&rsquo;d initially believed there was a path to an easy bucket. The rookie covers some insane ground, by the way, with his long strides allowing for quick recovery if he ever overcommits or has to be the last line of defense at a certain spot. He&rsquo;s also insanely intelligent, keeping the ball in play whenever he blocks shots (or just blatantly ripping it out of somebody&rsquo;s hands).
The funny part is that the teams strategizing to get Allen and Mobley on perimeter switches don&rsquo;t fully comprehend that those two are hoping for such a plan. They are not going to be left in the dust in space, and no matter which one is tasked with defending a quicker guard, the other will have his back down low. The rotations are just incredibly crisp. Of the duos in the NBA that have played at least 500 minutes, the Allen-Mobley pairing is allowing just 95.9 points per 100 possessions. That is the top Defensive Rating in the entire league, if you&rsquo;re keeping count.
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Also, their defensive prowess allows the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defenders to put more pressure on the ball and gamble more due to the protection behind them. Which brings us to the third leg of the triumvirate&hellip;
Let&rsquo;s give credit to the unheralded contributions from Markkanen on this end of the floor too. Stride for stride, the Finnish 7-footer has been able to shuffle his feet laterally to contain his assignments rather successfully. He&rsquo;s not fouling, he&rsquo;s contesting the third-most shots on the team on average (8.3) and he&rsquo;s utilizing his length to make his man either give up the ball or force a shot attempt over a trio of towers. By no means is he the primary guy to highlight individually; however, considering past questions of how Markkanen would handle playing the 3 on the defensive side of the ball, the returns have been more than acceptable, particularly with how he&rsquo;s positioned himself. He&rsquo;s an integral part of this Cavs' frontcourt.
DG the PG
Where do you even start with Darius Garland?&nbsp;
Is it the way he picks his spots? How quickly he&rsquo;s processing his reads? His trickery with lobs? The fact that he's firing up shots without hesitation?
No matter which area of his game pops out to you, it&rsquo;s plain and obvious that Garland is making that all-too-familiar third-year jump from good to great. He&rsquo;s in complete control of the game with the ball in his hands, becoming the conductor of the (not-so) soothing Cavs symphony.&nbsp;
The 21-year-old is so agile and shifty that he has his defenders constantly asking for help, and what happens after that is up to him. He has shown a tendency to disguise the floater he used so often last year, which allows the aforementioned Allen and Mobley to capitalize with thunderous throwdowns. They are Garland&rsquo;s top two targets on the offensive end by and large, and Allen has a 62.8% field-goal percentage off those connections.
With his dribble penetration drawing more and more attention, opportunities are opening up for others. Garland puts a lot of heat on his pocket passes and quick shovel feeds, but his teammates are beginning to understand when and where to expect the ball, which has allowed for this Cleveland offense to thrive.&nbsp;
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Asked Steph Curry about Darius Garland, and he gave his props to the third-year <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> guard: "He's taking another step in that right direction." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/071djCaBWJ">pic.twitter.com/071djCaBWJ</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1461716450301947906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He&rsquo;ll also get his own shot going when he sees an opportunity, and those attempts are coming at all three levels of the floor. Not many point guards around the league can match his production. According to Basketball-Reference, Garland&rsquo;s shooting percentages across the board are as follows: 63.2% from 0-to-3 feet, 46.3% from 3-to-10 feet, 49.2% from 10-to-16 feet, 52.6% from 16 feet to the three-point line and 38.9% from beyond the arc.
Garland has been able to play off the ball as well, with Ricky Rubio as a ball-handler. He&rsquo;s been able to catch the opposition sleeping on a number of cuts, and is making them pay as a catch-shooter on the outside to boot. He&rsquo;s got synergy with the bigs coming off dribble handoffs. It&rsquo;s just all clicking for him right now. (Spoiler Alert: Our own Nekias Duncan will have more on Garland in the future.)
Veterans Matter
Without Rubio, who knows if Garland reaches this level of success? The Spanish guard has been a mentor and a maestro in his own right for this young team. As adamantly stated by several Cavs, he is a starting point guard in the NBA, yet he is propelling a uniquely productive bench alongside Kevin Love.&nbsp;
Both are buying what Cleveland is selling, and have become a crucial part of not only the development of this inexperienced bunch, but also the contributions toward its winning ways. The inherent unselfishness has permeated throughout, which is allowing for the production we&rsquo;ve seen.
Rubio has been the Cavs&rsquo; iron man, having played all 30 games and making an impact in whatever way is working that night &mdash; turning the corner, shooting the basketball at a 34% perimeter clip, pushing the offense in transition. In addition to all of this, he recently surpassed the 5,000-assist mark, backing up the importance of moving the ball. It was the team's No. 1 goal coming into the campaign, and thanks to Rubio&rsquo;s IQ, there&rsquo;s been a domino effect.
Love has rediscovered the fun of &ldquo;the chase&rdquo; with Cleveland, and it&rsquo;s shown with his performances. As a super-sub this season playing a tad under 20 minutes per night, the former All-Star is averaging 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, while nailing 41.2% of his triple tries. Albeit on a low amount of attempts, Love is leading the NBA at 96.4% from the free-throw line.
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"You don't get this often." No lip service when Kevin Love talks about *these* <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He's saying this team has something "bigger than ourselves" and "truly celebrate each other." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/MJIf43fdLW">pic.twitter.com/MJIf43fdLW</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470597707341479941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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These two deserve a boatload of credit for the sacrifices they&rsquo;ve made knowing where they&rsquo;re at in their respective careers, and the fact that they&rsquo;ve embraced the roles fully demonstrates their professionalism.
Those are the vets who see consistent playing time. There&rsquo;s another who doesn&rsquo;t receive quite as much love because his impact is not as obvious, and that&rsquo;s Ed Davis. Bickerstaff went to bat for the seasoned big man to occupy Cleveland&rsquo;s final roster spot for locker-room and mentorship purposes, and thus far, it&rsquo;s been a home run. Davis knows why he&rsquo;s here, and he&rsquo;s more than willing to hold up his end of the bargain. And in cases where Allen and/or Mobley aren&rsquo;t available, he&rsquo;s able to slot in and do his job.&nbsp;
The &ldquo;others&rdquo; that really aren&rsquo;t the others
It&rsquo;s unfortunate that Isaac Okoro just got placed into the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols, because he is the backbone of the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defense. He&rsquo;s constantly taking on the opponents&rsquo; toughest offensive players, chasing guys all around the half-court to deny them the ball, defeating screens to stick on them when the ball is in their hands and forcing them into awkward positions.
Offensively, Okoro is beginning to find his footing from the corner. It&rsquo;s not just the three-point shot &mdash; where 61.6% of his perimeter tries have come from &mdash; it&rsquo;s the way he&rsquo;s making defenses pay when they close-out too hard. He&rsquo;s putting the ball on the floor, going into contact and, in some cases (as seen against Houston), bruising the rim. Okoro&rsquo;s got a hell of a layup package too, and in transition, he&rsquo;s a load to handle.
Cedi Osman&rsquo;s hot start to the season has tailed off a bit; however, with a defined role as a part of the second unit, you can see how relaxed he&rsquo;s playing. Defensively, he&rsquo;s been swiping away steal after steal, and in the open floor, he&rsquo;s been in attack mode. He&rsquo;s also hoisting threes on the move and standstill like we&rsquo;ve never witnessed before. There is no lack of confidence there.
Maybe the most underappreciated player the Cavs have is Dean Wade, who, whether in the starting lineup playing 30 minutes or with the reserves in garbage time, constantly brings the same effort on both ends no matter the circumstance. He&rsquo;s able to stretch the floor as a long-range sniper, and he is Bickerstaff&rsquo;s sneakiest contingency plan on the defensive end.&nbsp;
Speaking of which, Lamar Stevens is the man Cleveland goes to when it needs a shot in the arm. He&rsquo;s got a bulky frame and matches up well 1-through-4. There have been numerous occasions when the team has gone to him and found the energy it needed from only his presence on the floor. He won&rsquo;t take many shots, but he&rsquo;ll prevent quite a few.
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The core of what makes the Cavs such a dangerous team is their box-score balance. Every night, you&rsquo;ll see six or seven players in double figures, assist figures in the mid-to-high 20s and 30s and modest (or poor) opponent field-goal percentages.
In every sense of the word, Cleveland is playing team ball. The NBA challenged the organization with eight out of 11 on the road to begin the season &mdash; including a grueling West Coast trip &mdash; and the wine-and-gold passed that test with flying colors. (They&rsquo;re one of the best away teams in the league at 9-5.) Now, whenever the Cavs are playing a team that isn&rsquo;t a playoff contender, they&rsquo;re demoralizing them and steamrolling them. The tough love has paid off in a major way.
No, they&rsquo;re not a finished product. They're even missing their leading scorer from a season ago (here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for Collin Sexton). They&rsquo;re not close. There haven't been nearly enough 48-minute games, and the hunt for a &ldquo;signature win&rdquo; is still on.
With that said, the Cavs have consistently brought it every single night, and teams that haven&rsquo;t taken notice are in for a hard, painful lesson once that ball tips off.
The warning sign is right in front of them: Beware of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiC_7ut0-v0AhWHkIkEHe4rAFUQFnoECAMQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleveland.com%2Fcavs%2F2021%2F11%2Fcleveland-cavaliers-have-adopted-underdog-mentality-complete-with-new-barking-celebration.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw1bAEDy2vYzH4odGmLpFcU0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Junkyard Dogs</a>.

Spencer Davies breaks down the Cavaliers' unexpected start to the season and why they're having so much success.

From lovable underdog to unforgiving bully: How the Cavs got here

The Houston Rockets are trending upward.
We're three weeks removed from <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2950751-sources-houston-rockets-weighing-future-of-head-coach-stephen-silas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on-the-hot-seat reporting</a> from Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer concerning head coach Stephen Silas. The offense was bland and ineffective; the defense was spotty, to be kind. It wasn't all on Silas, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/whats-wrong-with-the-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained in this space</a>, but things certainly didn't look good.
Since that report, the Rockets have won eight of their last 11 games behind an elite offense (116.4 Offensive Rating, 3rd in the NBA). The defense still ain't great &mdash; it's actually gotten worse (115.7 Defensive Rating, 26th) during this stretch &mdash; but it hasn't bitten them yet.
Despite the recent success, the Rockets are aware of where they are: Stage 1 of the rebuild. As such, the phone lines are open for some of their veterans. Chief among them is Christian Wood, an All-Star caliber frontcourt talent.
On the surface, that's a surprise. When you think of Rocket vets that could swap teams, you'd likely land on 32-year-old Eric Gordon (absolutely balling as of late) or 29-year-old Daniel Theis. Not only is Wood better than both players, he's also much younger (26 years old).&nbsp;
But over the last week, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/rockets-willing-listen-offers-christian-094911591.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Tim MacMahon</a> and Bleacher Report's Fischer have hinted at a willingness to at least hear offers for the big man. The price would likely be steep &mdash; Fischer ballparks it at "a first round pick plus further capital" <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2951461-latest-nba-trade-buzz-sourced-intel-on-simmons-kyrie-lakers-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in his latest report</a> &mdash; but that could be worth it for a team looking for help up front.
WHAT WOOD BRINGS&nbsp;
As our Jackson Frank wrote <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/christian-woods-offensive-versatility-will-benefit-houstons-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before the season</a>, there aren't many centers more gifted than Wood on the offensive end of the floor.
He's a dynamic partner in ball-screens, able to beat defenses as a roller or popper. He transitions smoothly from screener to roller or popper, allowing him to get a jump on the defense depending on what coverage they're in.
Wood has had to pop more this season due to the spacing around him, but he remains a paint threat due to his ability to pump-and-go. Leave him completely open and he'll fire above the break; close-out too hard, and he'll get downhill.
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Wood's ability to handle could be an added dimension for a team. He's not a Giannis-type threat to grab-and-go after misses, but he can push a break and allow offenses to attack earlier. His handle also allows him to initiate &mdash; or fake &mdash; handoffs against unbalanced defenses.
This is a down year for Wood as a finisher &mdash; spacing and playmaking issues have put a more difficult self-creation load on him &mdash; and he's still converting 73% of his shots inside of 3 feet, per Basketball-Reference. There's room to believe he could be even more effective with more room to operate, and/or more dynamic ball-handlers to work with.
LIMITATIONS
While Wood is able initiate some early offense in Delay sets, he doesn't have the passing chops to act as a true offensive hub. That's not inherently a bad thing; a team hoping to acquire him just has to understand he's a play-finisher that can sometimes get you into your offense, not Western Conference Domantas Sabonis.
Wood isn't the quickest processor when forced to make playmaking reads, and his actual pass accuracy leaves a bit to be desired. Combine those traits, and you get some rough turnovers when he's in creator mode.
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Defensively, Wood doesn't have the spatial feel to hold up as a primary rim-protector. His drop coverage film is littered with possessions of him conceding too much space to the ball-handler, or playing too high up (in a hunched over stance, no less) on the floor, allowing his assignment to get behind him for lobs.
Wood has shown some comfort switching out on the perimeter. He also possesses the mobility and hands necessary to play in more aggressive schemes. The swing skill for him would be his recovery; cutting off a ball-handler is one thing, but finding your assignment after the hedge is a separate task that he's had uneven results with.&nbsp;
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Even with some of his limitations, he's shown to be an active communicator. He's been a competent weak-side rim-protector. So long as you have good personnel around him, Wood can be a positive cog in a system.
LANDING SPOTS
If you're looking for a team with 1) a dynamic ball-handler, 2) plenty of spacers and 3) a strong defensive infrastructure, look no further than the Golden State Warriors.&nbsp;
Among the many weapons the Warriors have at their disposal, a vertical spacer is one they currently lack. It's safe to say Wood could slot right into that role. This may shock you, but Stephen Curry has had success with those type of partners.&nbsp;
Since the 2017-18 season, ball-screens spearheaded by Curry have generated roughly 1.08 points per possession &mdash; the best high volume mark in the NBA over that stretch, per Second Spectrum. When working with an athletic vertical threat &mdash; let's say JaVale McGee, Damian Jones, and Marquese Chriss &mdash; that number jumps to 1.12.
Last season's blockbuster trade cut the sample short, but it's worth noting just how successful the James Harden-Wood connection was last season (north of 1.13 PPP). It's fair to believe the Curry-Wood pairing would be a darn good one.
And if you need defensive covering for Wood, is there a better guy to pair him with than Draymond Green? Curry would be step up from what Wood has had to cover for at the point of attack this season; doubly so when Curry is replaced by Gary Payton II in the lineup.&nbsp;
The complicated matter would be the price. I would imagine the Rockets would want two of the Warriors' three young prospects &mdash; James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody &mdash; if possible.
The Athletic's Tim Kawakami recently laid out <a href="https://theathletic.com/3006586/2021/12/09/kawakami-why-the-warriors-absolutely-positively-are-not-trading-james-wiseman/?redirected=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a strong argument</a> regarding why the Warriors don't want to part with Wiseman right now. Beyond that, it would be shocking if the Rockets prioritized Wiseman considering they just drafted Alperen Sengun (please play him more!) and Usman Garuba over the summer.&nbsp;
Kuminga and Moody might be considered steep for the Warriors; only flipping one of those would make salary matching a bit of a chore. The Warriors do have all of their future firsts, sans a 2024 pick that will likely transfer to the Grizzlies.&nbsp;
For an off-the-radar team, how about the Minnesota Timberwolves?&nbsp;
Their defense has been surprisingly sturdy (6th in half-court defense, 12th in overall DRTG) thanks to an aggressive scheme. The offense has lagged behind (26th in half-court offense, 24th overall ORTG) behind spotty shooting and a quietly-subpar conversion rate at the rim.
The (admittedly reductive) question I have: What do the Wolves look like with Wood instead of Jarred Vanderbilt in the lineup?
Wood is not the overall defender that Vanderbilt is, but how much of the backline workload could he replicate?&nbsp;More importantly, is the gap between the two as defenders greater than the gap in scoring chops?
I would answer "maybe 75-80% of it" and "absolutely not" to those questions.
To the defense point, the Wolves often play at, or above, the level of the screen when defending pick-and-rolls. That puts strain on the backline to clean up messes behind it. Like this, basically:
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One blocked shot doesn't mean he can be peak Paul Millsap in this role, but again, Wood does possess legit weak-side rim-protection chops. If he can nail those rotations, the Wolves shouldn't see a major slide defensively. It also helps that Wood is one of the best defensive rebounders in the sport. The Wolves have, uh, struggled (30th in defensive-rebound rate) in that regard.
The offensive upgrade is an easier case to make. Wood has shot 36.9% from three dating back to his Detroit season (2019-20), and has converted 40% of his corner threes in that time frame. He's both a better shooter, and more of a threat to beat a (soft) closeout than Vanderbilt is.
With Karl-Anthony Towns often setting up shop above the break or from the mid-post, Wood seems more equipped to convert catch-and-shoot looks, or to take advantage of the space Towns provides with drives, and cuts, or to work as the screener in pick-and-rolls.
About those pick-and-rolls: I'm be interested in seeing what he could do when screening for D'Angelo Russell or Anthony Edwards.
Like the Warriors example, the price is worth the pause. The Wolves have all of their firsts moving forward. They also have Jaden McDaniels, an intriguing, rangy forward worth investing in.
The salary filler is where things could sputter. Taurean Prince probably isn't enough short-term help; Malik Beasley would further crowd the guard room, and I'm not sure how willing the Wolves would be to part with him. There's an intriguing package to be made, though.&nbsp;
I'd like to live in a world where Luka Doncic has a legitimate roll man (and thus, a complement to Kristaps Porzingis up front), but I'm not sure the Mavericks have the horses to get a deal done. What exactly is Tim Hardaway Jr. doing for this version of the Rockets?
The Hornets haven't just been linked to Wood in the past; they literally had him on their roster a few years ago, though this was obviously before he broke out. They could use some frontcourt juice, and have enough wing talent (hello, Kelly Oubre Jr.) to potentially intrigue the Rockets.
We'll keep an eye on the talented Houston big man moving forward, because there are bound to be plenty of suitors.

Nekias Duncan breaks down potential trade destinations for Rockets big man Christian Wood.

Examining potential trade destinations for Christian Wood

We&rsquo;re still two months away from the NBA trade deadline in February, but expect rumors to pick up once the moratorium on recently signed players lifts on Dec. 15. Once that occur, it&rsquo;s open season on anything and everything, wherever the trade winds blow in the league.
In the meantime, which teams seem poised to buy or sell? Are there any players who could be better off elsewhere? Here are five trade ideas that have already piqued my interest. Think of it as a hypothetical early Christmas gift for these teams mentioned. Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into the scenarios below.
Christian Wood &mdash; Golden State Warriors
According to The Ringer&rsquo;s Kevin O&rsquo;Connor, the Houston Rockets will be <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/11/29/22807223/seven-observations-stephen-curry-kristap-porzingis-julius-randle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">willing to listen to trade offers on Christian Wood</a> leading up to February&rsquo;s deadline. O&rsquo;Connor also notes that the market is expected to be robust for the versatile 26-year-old big man.
So far this season in Houston, Wood is averaging 16.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. With Houston in a full-fledged rebuild centered around No. 2 overall pick, Wood simply doesn&rsquo;t fit the team's timeline. Whatever the Rockets would be able to gather for Wood would be a win at this point, and he could swing the fortunes of a championship contender.
Although the Warriors likely won&rsquo;t mess with their team chemistry, why not kick the tires on Wood? Not only would he fit the short-term goal of chasing another Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy, but he&rsquo;s young enough where you can continue building around him. Wood in Kevon Looney&rsquo;s starting spot alongside Stephen Curry would be completely unfair. Wood would feast with the gobs of spacing available to him, plus he could take pressure off others in the Warriors&rsquo; system.
The question is: What&rsquo;s a win-win hypothetical trade that makes sense for both Houston and Golden State revolving around Wood? Although Houston just selected two bigs in the 2021 NBA Draft &mdash; Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba &mdash; why not have as many bites of the apple for elite talent as possible? 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman plus Looney&rsquo;s salary to match contract value actually makes a lot of sense here. Wiseman would be able to play an extensive role alongside Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., plus the rotation at center would sort itself out eventually.
Maybe Golden State tosses in a protected future first-round pick to sweeten the offer further, but I love this for both sides. Wood raises the already immense ceiling for Golden State, while Wiseman could be another lottery ticket to develop for Houston&rsquo;s new era.
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Myles Turner &mdash; Charlotte Hornets
Indiana needs to come to the realization of where its roster stands. It&rsquo;s time to sell to the highest bidder with some of their core players. One of those who could attract a serious slew of offers is Turner, who has proven himself to be a valuable defensive anchor and floor-spacer.
Charlotte is exceeding expectations this season thanks to LaMelo Ball&rsquo;s superstar rise, plus Miles Bridges becoming the No. 2 option. Imagine how much better the Hornets would be if they acquired Turner to stabilize their inconsistent defense. Mason Plumlee isn&rsquo;t going to cut it. Throwing Turner into the mix in Charlotte would be a perfect scenario for both the team and the player. Turner would thrive alongside LaMelo in an up-tempo offense and take away a lot of easy looks that have caused serious problems this season for Charlotte.
Would Indiana be enticed by Kelly Oubre Jr. and PJ Washington as a trade package? Maybe swap out Washington for James Bouknight, who hasn&rsquo;t been able to crack the rotation due to Terry Rozier?
Either way, this type of return feels reasonable for Turner. If Indiana decides to finally pull the trigger and embrace a roster overhaul, Charlotte should be blowing them up to acquire an elite rim protector.
Domantas Sabonis &mdash; Portland Trail Blazers
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If the Pacers decide to go in the aforementioned direction with their team and ship off Sabonis to the highest bidder in February, we already have a realistic baseline in place for a package thanks to Nikola Vucevic last season. Orlando traded Vucevic, a similar player archetype as Sabonis, to Chicago for Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round picks. With Sabonis being five years younger and a better overall player, that&rsquo;s the floor for what should come back in any deal for Indiana's two-time All-Star center.
Portland is already dealing with roster imbalance on top of organizational issues, which now has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trail-blazers-fire-neil-olshey-following-independent-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">general manager Neil Olshey&rsquo;s firing</a>. As a last-ditch effort to appease Damian Lillard, how about pushing the chips in for Sabonis? It would be awesome to see another Sabonis suit up for the Blazers, and him being a secondary hub to the offense alongside Lillard and CJ McCollum would create an explosive offense. Lillard finally seeing the Blazers making an aggressive move could delay/off his eventual trade request at some point as well.
With Sabonis only being 25 years old and having three years remaining on his bargain of a contract, the price would be steep. Would Portland be willing to trade Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little for Sabonis?
Pascal Siakam &mdash; Sacramento Kings
The quick emergence of No. 4 overall pick Scottie Barnes is leading to the inevitable conversations revolving around Siakam&rsquo;s long-term future in Toronto. With OG Anunoby and Barnes, is Siakam (and his hefty contract) a necessity to stay around? Personally, I don&rsquo;t think so. If the Raptors are able to find a big-time offer to offload Siakam, it makes a ton of sense to explore that possibility.
Who around the league would be interested in Siakam, though? There would be a bidding war ensuing for a near-star who can lift the ceiling of a team on both ends of the court. One team that actually makes a lot of sense for Siakam, potentially out of sheer desperation, would be Sacramento.
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After firing head coach Luke Walton, there are really no more excuses for the Kings to not figure it out sometime soon. It might simply just be time to reshuffle the roster a little bit to see what happens. Adding Siakam would be a brilliant move to help out De&rsquo;Aaron Fox. Imagine how much fun this would be in Sacramento: Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Siakam, Richaun Holmes. That right there is starting lineup that can push the pace and score efficiently while also holding up on the defensive end.
With Toronto on the outside looking in for the playoff picture, acquiring Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III and two future first-round picks may not be enough to say goodbye to Siakam. Maybe I&rsquo;m underselling Siakam&rsquo;s value here, but I absolutely love the on-court fit for him with the Kings, so let&rsquo;s roll with it.
Ben Simmons for CJ McCollum blockbuster
Nothing has changed when it comes to Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; standoff. If anything, Simmons&rsquo; trade value is plummeting. At some point, will Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey lower his asking price and circle back around to discussions with Portland around a Simmons for McCollum swap? Ever since Simmons passed up a wide-open dunk in a pivotal moment in the Eastern Conference Finals, this trade has felt inevitable.
Simmons would be Lillard&rsquo;s own version of Draymond Green, helping stabilize the Blazers&rsquo; defense while also being a potent forward driving to the rim. Meanwhile, McCollum would help the Sixers&rsquo; short-term hopes of forming a title contender. Philadelphia certainly loses juice on defense swapping out Simmons for McCollum, but he&rsquo;s an experienced All-Star-level player who can score 20 points per game with ease. Imagining McCollum and Tyrese Maxey is a fun exercise for a potential Sixers backcourt combination post-Simmons.
What even is the value for Simmons right now around the Association? It&rsquo;s tough to gauge, but this trade construction still feels like the easiest to navigate. As I wrote once news broke a few months ago about Simmons wanting out of Philadelphia, it could lead to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ben-simmons-sixers-destined-for-a-rare-winwin-breakup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a true win-win for both parties in the end</a>.

With certain free-agent trade restrictions lifting on Dec. 15, it's time to start hypothesizing which teams could be buyers or sellers.

5 potential moves that make sense leading up to NBA trade deadline

I'm going to give you a moment to prepare your eye roll.
Go on. Take a few seconds. Get it together.&nbsp;
You ready?
[Clears throat]
Houston, you have a problem.
The losers of 15 straight games, the Rockets currently hold the worst record in the NBA at 1-16. Their 0-11 record on the road seems like a typo.
While it's understood that this was supposed to be ground zero of the post-Harden era, I'm not sure anybody expected things to look like this. Chief of among the "anybody" group: Rockets management.&nbsp;
Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, head coach Stephen Silas is <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2950751-sources-houston-rockets-weighing-future-of-head-coach-stephen-silas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">firmly on the hot seat</a>. From Fischer:
Now, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have indicated to B/R that Rockets brass are weighing the future of Stephen Silas, who may become the league's next coach to be terminated, following Luke Walton's exit in Sacramento last weekend.
It would be a tough break for Silas, whose first head coaching gig has been the literal opposite of what he expected.
He beat out candidates like Jeff Van Gundy for the job heading into last season, with the reward being James Harden and Russell Westbrook as a star backcourt duo. Instead, Westbrook was traded before the year began; Harden was later flipped to the Brooklyn Nets for a bounty of picks.
Shifting from "dark-horse contender" to "let's kick off the rebuild" isn't an easy transition. With the roster trending much younger &mdash; the primary goal being to foster the development of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. &mdash; it would make sense that the losses would pile up this season. Silas is not the&nbsp;reason the Rockets are awful right now.
It is fair, however, to acknowledge that he has a role to play in the rough start.
If you looked at the Rockets' roster heading into the season, you'd likely assume they'd be a poor defense and a below-average offense. A bad team, of course, but one in which you'd see a little more cohesion on the offensive side of the ball.
That just hasn't happened.
The Rockets rank dead last in offensive rating (97.3) despite having the most efficient shot profile in the NBA. Per PBP Stats, the Rockets (and Blazers) have an expected Effective Field Goal percentage of 55%; put another way, based on where they get their shots from, they should be blowing teams out of the water offensively.
Put&nbsp;another&nbsp;way: roughly 80% of the Rockets' shots come at the rim or behind the arc, easily tops in the league.
But this reminds me of last year's Timberwolves before the Chris Finch hire. They had a similar share of shots from fruitful areas of the floor, but&nbsp;how&nbsp;they got those shots &mdash; and who took those shots &mdash; made their profile fool's gold.
The Rockets have a double-whammy in this regard. Their starting backcourt of Porter and Green, when healthy, is a combined&nbsp;40 years old. On top of the two needing experience to effectively lead an offense, neither of them are natural playmakers.
On top of&nbsp;that,&nbsp;and this is where Silas deserves some blame, their offense is pretty static from a scheme standpoint. They're a drag-screen-or-bust group in early offense, with middle ball-screens (that devolve into isolations if they don't work) making up the largest chunk of their half-court attack.
They often empty a side to stress the defenders of the ball screen &mdash; and simplify reads for their young backcourt. With no real weak-side movement, or at the very least some decoy action to set up that empty corner action, you get a lot of possessions that look like this.
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There are hints of goodness in there. Go back to the Warriors game earlier in the month and you'll find some flavor. A Spain pick-and-roll here:
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A middle pick-and-roll, but with David Nwaba (love that guy) attempting to set up a flare behind him (don't mind the miss).
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More often than not, though, it's a bunch of bland. The young guys are often left to make a dollar out of 15 cents.
And about that youthful exuberance: they make mistakes. They try things. They turn the ball over, and boy, does this Rockets team turn it over. Their 18.2% turnover rate not only ranks last in the league by a wide margin, it's the worst mark since the Process Sixers back in the 2014-15 season (18.3%).
(That might be the biggest reason Silas doesn't trust Alperen Sengun with more minutes yet, though I &mdash; and probably 80% of Rocket fans &mdash; would argue his injection of randomness is worth it from a development&nbsp;and&nbsp;give-me-something-fun-to-watch standpoint.)
When the personnel isn't great, there's a limit to how effective you can be. Another benefit of empty corner pick-and-rolls, for example, is to generate an extra pocket of space; the Rockets kinda have&nbsp;to spam that to a degree because of the lack of shooters available. That isn't completely on Silas.
He certainly isn't helping himself right now, though. Playing Tate, Theis and Christian Wood together just hasn't worked out. Whatever benefit they're getting from the defensive insulation Tate and Theis provide is throughly erased by the lack of spacing the trio brings.&nbsp;
Houston's two most-played five-man linups <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612745" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feature those three</a>; those groupings have an 80.9 and 67.0 offensive rating respectively.
The third unit &mdash; Porter, Green, Eric Gordon, Tate and Wood &mdash; has a 106.0 Offensive Rating, and plus-13.3 Net Rating overall. It might&nbsp;be worth exploring that one a little more when everyone's available.&nbsp;
Defensively, it's easier to explain. They're an absolute mess at the point of attack with Porter, Green and D.J. Augustin logging most of the guard minutes. Porter and Green are even messier off the ball &mdash; typical young guy stuff &mdash; which further forces Silas into a tough spot.
There are defenders on this team that can help &mdash; Tate, Theis, Nwaba, KJ Martin (weak-side rim-protecting GAWD), and rooksters Josh Christopher (fiesty at the point of attack) and Usman Garuba &mdash; though none of them help the spacing issue in a real way.
In short (shut up), the Rockets don't have a Stephen Silas Problem. They have an Everything Problem. The organizational goal shifted underneath Silas' feet. The roster is young and flawed. Silas has failed to implement a system with any real juice, and his handling of the ill-fitting roster has been poor.
It's hard to imagine a Silas firing fixing everything, as a good chunk of this is out of his control. But there are certainly improvements that could be made. Drawing back to the Timberwolves example from earlier, if the Rockets feel their version of Finch is available on the market, it makes some sense to get that guy in place.
It would be an unfair shake for Silas, but such is life as an NBA coach.

Nekias Duncan breaks down what's going on in Houston, and why head coach Stephen Silas is on the hot seat in year two.

The Rockets' problems extend beyond Stephen Silas

Nekias Duncan previews the Southwest Division for the 2021-22 NBA season.

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

If this Houston Rockets season was a movie, it would likely be called: Young and Younger.
With James Harden and P.J. Tucker both long gone, the Rockets are rebuilding from the ground up with an extraordinarily young roster.
After sinking to a franchise-worst 17-55 last season in the wake of the Harden trade with Brooklyn, they will look to four 19-year-old first-round picks to get the franchise moving in the right direction this year.
The leader of that group is Jalen Green, the second overall pick in the draft who spent last season in the NBA G-League. Green is Houston&rsquo;s first first-round pick since the Rockets selected Sam Dekker with the 18th pick in 2015 and their highest pick since they took Yao Ming first overall in 2002.
A bevy of trades in recent years left the Rockets with a stockpile of first-round picks in this year&rsquo;s draft and they also snagged forward Usman Garuba with 23rd pick and shooting guard Josh Christopher at No. 24. They got a fourth teenage first-rounder came when they traded for center Alperen Sengun, who was chosen at No. 16 by the Thunder.
&ldquo;The thing that stands out to me about this group is that is that they&rsquo;re all looking at this year as an opportunity, as a fun opportunity to let the rookies live out their dreams,&rdquo; general manager Rafael Stone said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s also a chance to really take a step forward in our venture.&rdquo;
They also don&rsquo;t lack confidence, with Green vowing that the team will be much-improved after finishing with the NBA&rsquo;s worst record last season.
&ldquo;I think we can compete with any team in the NBA,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re young, fast and talented.&rdquo;
WALL ON THE SHELF
John Wall and the Rockets have decided that he won&rsquo;t play for them this season as they attempt to find a trade destination for the veteran point guard. While Wall won&rsquo;t be on the court, he stressed that he will remain part of the team and wants to help this young team any way he can.
&ldquo;My job here is to be a mentor,&rdquo; Wall said.
Stone said they aren&rsquo;t looking to buy out Wall&rsquo;s contract but want to find a suitable trade.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking at what can we find that works for everybody&hellip; for the long term,&rdquo; Stone said.
Wall said it will be &ldquo;very tough&rdquo; not to play while the Rockets find him a new team but the plan is what&rsquo;s best for him.
YEAR TWO
Stephen Silas is excited about his second year in Houston after dealing with so much last season, his first as a head coach. While the results were certainly not what he wanted, he believes the experience was valuable.
&ldquo;Last year was challenging,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It started off one way and then we had a bunch of changes and COVID and injuries and everything. I learned a lot last year. So, there&rsquo;s not a feeling that last year was lost at all because I learned a lot about a bunch of our guys as far as them sticking with it and playing hard at the end and who we can depend on.&rdquo;
GRANDPA GORDON
At 32, Eric Gordon certainly isn&rsquo;t old, but on this team he&rsquo;s seen as the grandpa of the group. He laughed when asked about that but said as far as he knows the younger guys haven&rsquo;t give him a nickname yet.
Gordon, who is entering his 14th NBA season, is looking to bounce back after being limited to just 27 games last season because of a groin injury. He&rsquo;s not a naturally outspoken leader but knows he will be looked at to set an example.
&ldquo;I always tell people my role doesn&rsquo;t change, but I do have to speak up more now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In this league it&rsquo;s all about having a good routine and with a younger team, you&rsquo;ve got to focus in a lot more every day.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE STUFF
The Rockets open the season Oct. 20 at Minnesota before returning to Houston for consecutive home games against Oklahoma City and Boston Oct. 22 and Oct. 24.

With James Harden and P.J. Tucker both long gone, the Rockets are rebuilding from the ground up with an extraordinarily young roster.

Youth is served: Rockets to rely on 4 teen first-round picks

Opening night of the NBA season is just 16 days away, which means this year's top rookies will soon see their dreams come true when they step onto a professional court.&nbsp;
Between the close-to-normal offseason, Las Vegas Summer League and upcoming preseason, we now have a decent grasp on who each player is and what skills they could bring to the court. And while it takes years (decades, arguably) to ultimately assess a career, some young talents can outshine their draft position in a single season.
I'm writing this week's Stats Notebook on the All-Rookie teams, and I'll end by making my predictions for the squads. But the train of thought left the station a few days ago with this stat:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
At least one non-top-20 draft pick has made an All-Rookie First Team in 7 of the last 8 seasons. Who could it be this year 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/5PkFWcaVov">pic.twitter.com/5PkFWcaVov</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1443983998343159842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Patterns exist in recent All-Rookie history; some are obvious, while others are more subtle. I'm going to put them to work to create my teams. First off, let's start with the top picks: Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. I would consider them both locks to be on the All-Rookie First Team in spring.
Since 2008-09, No. 1 overall draft picks have appeared on all but three All-Rookie First Teams. The exceptions: 2009-10 (when Blake Griffin missed the season due to injury), 2013-14 (Anthony Bennett... didn't work out) and 2016-17 (Ben Simmons did not play due to injury). Griffin and Simmons both were awarded the following season; only Bennett and Markelle Fultz never made an All-Rookie first team. So unless you have an extremely negative view on Cunningham, I'd pencil him in.
Green is perhaps the best scorer in this rookie class. Since 2008-09, 30 qualifying rookies have averaged at least 15 points per game, according to Sportradar. Only three &mdash; Eric Gordon (2008-09), Dennis Smith Jr. (2017-18) and Collin Sexton (2018-19) &mdash; did not make the All-Rookie First Team, and they all landed on the Second Team. If you buy Green as a day-one bucket, which I do, he'll make it.
Jalen Suggs may be another score-first addition to the list. He's not nearly as polished as Jalen counterpart, but the Orlando Magic are a rebuilding team that should prioritize his development. Suggs might be the leading scorer on the team as a rookie, even with a crowded backcourt.&nbsp;
Here's another noteworthy factor: age. At least one player over 21 years old (as of Feb. 1 of that season) has made all but two First Teams since 2008, with the outliers being 2018-19 and 2015-16. I'm a firm nonbeliever of the "age equals NBA-readiness" agenda. But a statistic is a statistic.
The top-five picks who will clear age-21 by February are: Davion Mitchell, James Bouknight, Chris Duarte, Corey Kispert and Trey Murphy III. Depending on your thoughts regarding each player's available minutes, I'd consider them as the primary options to check this box.&nbsp;
Finally, we'll return to the Twitter stat, and spell out those surprise players who made the All-Rookie First Team:
<ul>
<li>2020-21: Jae'Sean Tate (undrafted)</li>
<li>2019-20: Brandon Clarke (No. 21), Eric Paschall (No. 41) and Kendrick Nunn (undrafted)</li>
<li>2018-19: None (The All-Rookie First Team was literally the top five draft picks)</li>
<li>2017-18: Kyle Kuzma (No. 27)</li>
<li>2016-17: Malcolm Brogdon (No. 36), Willy Hernangomez (No. 35)</li>
<li>2015-16: Nikola Jokic (No. 41 in 2014)</li>
<li>2014-15: Jordan Clarkson (No. 46)</li>
<li>2013-14: Mason Plumlee (No. 22), Tim Hardaway Jr. (No. 24)</li>
<li>2012-13: None (lowest was No. 7 pick Harrison Barnes)</li>
<li>2011-12: Kenneth Faried (No. 24)</li>
</ul>
So in eight of the last 10 seasons, a player selected after pick No. 20 cracked the All-Rookie First Team. That's a pretty large pool, but we can try to narrow it.&nbsp;
Four of these honorees made the list on playoff teams: Kenneth Faried with the Denver Nuggets, Mason Plumlee with the Brooklyn Nets, and Kendrick Nunn with the Miami Heat. Also, only Plumlee and Willy Hernangomez averaged less than 20 minutes per game. So following the trend, this selection would have to have a clear path to playing time, and that probably happens with a franchise unlikely to make the postseason.
It's still a bit of a wild-card selection, but Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher immediately stand out as potential options on the Houston Rockets. Second-round picks Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins could receive opportunities with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Logical fallacies exist with this layout &mdash; some "qualifiers" could overlap with each other. But given all of this, here's how my All-Rookie First Team looks:
Preseason All-Rookie First Team: Cade Cunningham (G), Jalen Suggs (G), Jalen Green (G), Trey Murphy III (F), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (F)
For the Second Team, I'll only add one additional note. Four of the last five eligible (2018-19 doesn't work for obvious reasons) lists included at least one top-five pick on an All-Rookie Second Team. Given that Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley should both have rotation roles with their respective squads, I feel good about marking them down. Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland makes the cut because he could be an electric microwave scorer in Denver with the absence of Jamal Murray.
Preseason All-Rookie Second Team: Davion Mitchell (G), Bones Hyland (G), Scottie Barnes (F), Evan Mobley (F), Alperen Sengun (C)
As always, remember that these are just All-Rookie teams and not career projections. Based on some of the earlier names I mentioned, it's pretty clear that making an All-Rookie team isn't exactly a ticket to Springfield. But with such a deep rookie class, I think the races this year could be extremely fun to track.

Ethan Fuller looks at past All-Rookie honorees to predict this year's teams.

Stats Notebook: Predicting the NBA All-Rookie teams from past trends

The first practices of the season in the NBA are here, with teams set to hit the floor on Tuesday to formally begin getting ready for the 2021-22 campaign.
A six-pack of things to watch as things get started:
THE CHAMPS
Milwaukee is running it back.
The Bucks used eight players in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the title-clincher against Phoenix, and seven of them are still on the roster; the exception is P.J. Tucker, now part of the Miami Heat. The Bucks also have seven of their top eight scorers, in terms of total points, back from a year ago; the exception in that case is Bryn Forbes, who returned to San Antonio.
Plus, Giannis Antetokounmpo played the game of his life to finish off that title run, a 50-point, 14-rebound masterpiece &mdash; and he isn&rsquo;t even 27 yet. His best easily may be yet to come.
CAMP CENTRAL
San Diego hasn&rsquo;t technically had an NBA team since 1984.
This week, the city has three.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets are all calling San Diego home this week for training camp. They&rsquo;re all practicing separately, using three different facilities. The Nets will play in Los Angeles against the Lakers on Sunday before returning home, while the Nuggets and Clippers will play in Los Angeles on Monday.
YOUTH IS SERVED
If so inclined, the Houston Rockets might be able to do something very rare in the preseason.
Start with a three-guard lineup: Josh Christopher, Jalen Green and Daishen Nix. Put Usman Garuba at forward, put Alperen Sengun at center.
It adds up to five teens on the floor.
There are no fewer than 21 teens on NBA rosters as training camps begin Tuesday, including five Rockets and a trio of 18-year-olds &mdash; Golden State&rsquo;s Jonathan Kuminga, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Josh Giddey and San Antonio&rsquo;s Joshua Primo.
Of those, Kuminga and Giddey will turn 19 before the regular season begins. Primo doesn&rsquo;t turn 19 until Dec. 24. He&rsquo;ll be 18 years, 300 days old when the Spurs open their season Oct. 20 against Orlando.
That means he&rsquo;s in line to become the youngest player in an NBA game in more than 15 years &mdash; Andrew Bynum was 18 years, 191 days old when he appeared in a playoff contest for the Los Angeles Lakers against Phoenix on May 6, 2006.
There have been four 18-year-olds to debut in the NBA since Bynum: Dragan Bender, Sekou Doumbouya, Devin Booker and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But technically, if Primo debuts before Nov. 17, he&rsquo;ll be younger than any of them were for their NBA regular-season games by a matter of days.
HOW THINGS CHANGE
It hasn&rsquo;t even been a year since the 2020 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat &mdash; they were played in October.
&ldquo;Feels like three years ago,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Lakers used 12 players in that series; of those, only LeBron James and Anthony Davis have remained with the team on an uninterrupted basis. Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard are back now, after playing elsewhere last season.
The Heat also used 12 players in that series; of those, only Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson remain in Miami.
It should be noted that in both cases, the Lakers (Talen Horton-Tucker) and the Heat (Udonis Haslem, Gabe Vincent) have had other players remain on the roster since those finals. They just didn&rsquo;t play in that title series inside the restart bubble at Walt Disney World.
PRESEASON PERSPECTIVE
The games that start Sunday when Brooklyn visits the Los Angeles Lakers mean, and this can&rsquo;t be stressed enough, absolutely nothing in terms of wins and losses.
Milwaukee went 0-3 in the preseason last year and won the NBA title. Phoenix went 0-4 in the preseason last year and went to the NBA Finals.
The only team in the last 25 years that had the best record in the preseason and went on to win the NBA crown was Golden State in 2016-17.
FINALLY, HOME
For Raptors fans in Toronto, the wait is nearly over.
The team plays at home next week. Really at home, that is.
For the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, the Raptors will play a game in Toronto when they open their preseason schedule against Philadelphia. Only a handful of players and staff remain from that team, so the Raptors are having camp in Toronto instead of going elsewhere in Canada &mdash; as they&rsquo;ve done often in recent years.
Toronto called Tampa, Florida, home last season because of the pandemic.
&ldquo;We thought it was really important to re-establish our base here and get everyone familiar with the city,&rdquo; Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said. &ldquo;A lot of our players, a lot of our staff, haven&rsquo;t been here, so we thought that was really important for us to do that.&rdquo;

The first practices in the NBA are here, with teams hitting the floor on Tuesday to formally begin getting ready for the 2021-22 campaign.

6 things to watch for as NBA training camps are set to open

The career arc of John Wall has made yet another turn. After being traded to the Houston Rockets last offseason for Russell Westbrook, Wall is now set to join his third team in as many seasons. According to The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, Wall and the Rockets&rsquo; front office have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/john-wall-houston-rockets-mutually-agree-to-work-out-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed upon him being active in training camp, but sitting out games as they try to move him</a>. It's the logical next step in a massive tear-down rebuild, which was put into motion with the James Harden blockbuster eight months ago to this day.
Wall was the salary-filler needed to move Westbrook &mdash; who was a part of another star backcourt combination that didn&rsquo;t work out alongside Harden &mdash; but the former has also has served a pivotal role to the current version of Houston&rsquo;s roster. As the veteran on a tanking team, Wall embraced his leadership role to its full extent, being a guiding voice for young prospects. Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season in Houston.
However, following unfortunate injury luck related to a torn Achilles tendon, Wall simply doesn&rsquo;t look the same as he did in his prime years being the face of the Washington Wizards franchise. For years, Wall was the most electric point guard in the Association thanks to his quickness and explosiveness towards the basket. At 31 years old, Wall's performances have taken a dip from an average efficiency mark to an abysmal one. Wall shot a career-low 40.4%, including a 50.3% True Shooting percentage clip &mdash; the worst since his rookie campaign in 2010-11.
Wall just doesn&rsquo;t fit the timeline for the Rockets, who are ready to embrace their youth movement head-on. No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green headlines an enticing core of prospects in Houston. Alongside Green, Kevin Porter Jr. will help <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-kevin-porter-jr-at-point-guard-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">form an entertaining backcourt</a> filled to the brim with hot creation ability. Rookies Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba will join Jae'Sean Tate to make up a promising trio of bigs. First-year swingman Josh Christopher and Kenyon Martin Jr. also add their fun mix to the wing rotation.&nbsp;
Wall will still be around the team until a deal happens (if that ever comes to pass with the negative value associated with his remaining $91.7 million through 2022-23). Being a valuable mentor for Green and Porter will only be a positive for Houston&rsquo;s long-term outcome, and learning from a dynamic point guard like Wall certainly helps the future outlook for not only Green, but also Porter.
This could become a new trend for players on good terms with their organizations, only when it&rsquo;s apparently obvious a deal is best for both sides. Kevin Love&rsquo;s situation in Cleveland could be the next Wall-like story to surface in the NBA rumor mill soon enough.
But who would be interested in taking on Wall&rsquo;s contract? Houston would have to surrender some draft capital, being the immediate &ldquo;losers&rdquo; of the trade. When canvassing the landscape, very few fits bubble to the surface. However, there&rsquo;s a small possibility for the following three organizations.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Any time a player with a bad contract becomes available, Oklahoma City is No. 1 on any potential destination. The Thunder are not being shy about their intentions over the next few years &mdash; stockpile as many draft picks as possible to take swings on high upside prospects to build around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Acquiring Wall would be an interesting move for a Thunder team who just invested heavy draft capital in the backcourt (Josh Giddey, Tre Mann), but we can never rule them out in a scenario like this. If Houston offers any future draft compensation to general manager Sam Presti, he would bite.
Wall would form a fun backcourt alongside SGA while also serving in the mentor role he just exited in Houston. If Wall were to rebuild his value for a year with the Thunder, Presti would be able to potentially receive some positive value in return next offseason.
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: John Wall, future draft compensation
Houston Rockets receive: Derrick Favors, Isaiah Roby or Gabriel Deck
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Dallas has been in the market for a point guard. Whether it be Kemba Walker, Kyle Lowry or Spencer Dinwiddie, the Mavs have sniffed around adding another ball-handler who could take pressure off Luka Doncic. Wall isn&rsquo;t the perfect fit next to Dallas&rsquo; young phenom &mdash; who&rsquo;s an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-odds-analyzing-the-top-5-candidates-in-2021-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MVP favorite entering his fourth season</a> &mdash; but they could make it work. Wall allows Doncic to play more off-ball, and the veteran can cut to the basket and attack off signature Luka dimes.
In order to make the salaries work, Kristaps Porzingis would be heading to Houston or another team who gets involved. Porzingis hasn&rsquo;t been the No. 2 option Dallas had hoped for when they went all-in on him a few years ago. This would certainly be one way to shake things up entirely for the Mavs. A potential starting lineup of Doncic, Wall, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell with Reggie Bullock as the sixth man is a fun thought.
Dallas Mavericks receive: John Wall, Usman Garuba or Alperen Sengun, future draft compensation
Houston Rockets receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Brown, Willie Cauley-Stein
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
This is where it gets super wacky in terms of hypothetical Wall trades. Currently, Wall&rsquo;s fit with the Spurs makes no sense. However, what about a convoluted four-team trade featuring the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns as well?
Here&rsquo;s the entire framework of a crazy four-teamer I spitballed in my head:
Houston Rockets receive: Ben Simmons, Isaiah Joe, Daquan Jeffries
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, Jakob Poetl, Al-Farouq Aminu, multiple future first-round picks
Phoenix Suns receive: Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks
San Antonio Spurs receive: John Wall, Dario Saric, Jalen Smith, Paul Reed
That&rsquo;s the only way I could ever fathom Wall entering San Antonio&rsquo;s odd attempt of trying to thread the needle with competing and tanking simultaneously. With a young combination of guards spearheading their core, the Spurs are on pace to be a top-five team in lottery odds at the end of next season. Also, Simmons landing in Houston to lead its young core is a somewhat unrealistic, insane thought to have as well.
As you can see, there will likely not be many takers on Wall. It will be very interesting to see how this all unfolds for Wall and the Rockets.
Are we looking at an imminent deal for Wall, or one that lasts all the way until the NBA trade deadline in February?

When canvassing the NBA landscape, does any team make sense for John Wall? Evan Sidery looks at possible landing spots.

Examining potential trade destinations for John Wall

Ricky Rubio has been here before.&nbsp;
Maybe not physically in the city of Cleveland, but in the same predicament.
For the fourth time in as many seasons, the 30-year-old will enter training camp playing for a different organization that&rsquo;s trying to show significant growth with its youthful roster, this time around with the Cavaliers. The feeling isn&rsquo;t so unfamiliar for the veteran point guard.
&ldquo;It doesn't help when you don't have stability because your role or your teammates change a lot, so it's a little different,&rdquo; Rubio told reporters in his Cavs introductory press conference. &ldquo;But my experience says that it doesn't matter where you play &mdash; if you play your best, you're gonna have the role you're looking for. So I feel like I can have a good impact right away. I feel like I grew up a lot from the mistakes I did in the past, the things I've learned too as well. So I feel ready for the challenge.&rdquo;
In the middle of playing for his home country of Spain in this past summer&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wolves-dealing-ricky-rubio-2022-pick-to-cleveland-for-taurean-prince" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota Timberwolves traded Rubio to the Cavs for Taurean Prince and a 2022 second-round draft pick</a>.
Between the second and third game of group play, he found out on the morning of Usman Garuba&rsquo;s draft party. Ready to celebrate his teammate getting selected after a good night&rsquo;s rest, Rubio turned his phone on and was immediately bombarded by a plethora of messages, heartfelt goodbyes from Minnesota and welcomes from Cleveland. At the time, a surprised Rubio had to block it out. Spain had to gameplan for Luka Doncic and Slovenia, and competing with the national team was his priority. That doesn&rsquo;t mean it wasn&rsquo;t on his mind, though.
&ldquo;When you get traded, there&rsquo;s a lot going on,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;Especially with a guy with a family, it&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;Where are we going to go, how are we going to do this&rsquo; and all this stuff. At the end of the day, is this going to be the end stop or not?&rdquo;
Being dealt was another thing that added to Rubio&rsquo;s plate. Following what he called a &ldquo;bad year&rdquo; with the Wolves, he was set on standing out on the international stage and carrying that momentum into this NBA season. He referred to his MVP run at the FIBA World Cup in 2019 when Spain won the championship in convincing fashion. Rubio went on to have his &ldquo;best year in the league&rdquo; with the Phoenix Suns after he built his confidence there.&nbsp;
Having just averaged 25.5 points and 6.0 assists on 52.2% from the field (47.8% on threes) over four Olympic games, including a record 38-point outburst against many of his old NBA teammates on Team USA, Rubio is hoping to repeat history with the Cavs in the 2021-22 campaign.
&ldquo;It felt good to play that way, especially after getting traded and all that stuff. You want to show that you're worth it,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;I think I'm on the best momentum I ever had in my career with the national team, and I feel great shape-wise.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was feeling great in Phoenix, and then the pandemic happened, and then kind of hit my routine, kind of hit all the timing&rsquo;s off... But I think I'm back on track, and I feel like I'm in my prime with my career. So I can bring a lot to the table.&rdquo;
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While he hasn&rsquo;t spoken in-depth with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff quite yet about what the team will ask him to do, in scanning over the Cavs roster, it&rsquo;s become clear to Rubio that he&rsquo;ll be assuming the mentorship role in his next pro stint. (Although he doesn&rsquo;t feel like the old guy yet, he joked: &ldquo;'&rsquo;Damn, I'm gonna play with people who were born in the 2000s.' That's gonna be crazy.&rdquo;)&nbsp;
Rubio enjoys being a wise, seasoned player with a wealth of knowledge to bestow upon the next generation. It&rsquo;s not like he always knew the tricks of the trade; he too had to soak up advice and compete against veterans. Rubio credits longtime international guard and Badalona teammate Elmer Bennett for always challenging him when he first started his pro career. The same goes for Gianluca Basile when he and Rubio were together in Barcelona in 2009.
&ldquo;He's Italian, and the first year I got to Barcelona, we won the Euroleague,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;He came to me like, &lsquo;I'm chasing the Euroleague [title] for 20 years, and you come here at the age of 20 and you win in the first year. That's not easy.&rsquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Then the international team, of course, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, [Juan Carlos Navarro] &mdash; all these guys who won the World Cup in 2006. And I got there in 2008 when I was 17 years old, and in practice, it was amazing just being able to be there.&rdquo;
Just as his vets did with him, Rubio will demand the best out of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and the like in Cleveland&rsquo;s locker room.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I love it because I'm good at talking to [young players] and letting them know that they are good, but they can be even better. When I was growing up &mdash; I was 16 years old playing professionally here in Spain &mdash; I had some mentors like that, who would challenge me every day saying like, &lsquo;You're good, but you're too young to know what I know.&rsquo; And you have to go through a lot of stuff before you know all the stuff. So I'm trying to give them my experience.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But until they go through that experience, they're not gonna, like, really listen to me. So what I can do is give it to them. And if they take it, it's there for them... A good example this year [is] with Anthony Edwards; I was pulling examples of the league, like Damian Lilliard or other guys who had really good rookie seasons, but they took everything that it takes to be better the year after that. So I'm looking forward to being in the role, and let's see how the young guys really accept the challenge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
"He's the best leader I've been around all my life," Edwards <a href="https://twitter.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1370417504829472771?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in March</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Lot of people wondered who&rsquo;s gonna be Anthony Edwards vet to teach him the ropes Great to see Rubio coaching Antman up after he made a mistake. <a href="https://t.co/ndA42GNh6c">pic.twitter.com/ndA42GNh6c</a>
&mdash; Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 (@The_Barftender) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Barftender/status/1348115283207065600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Rubio contends that putting together a better year after having a great season prior is one of the hardest things to accomplish. There&rsquo;s a certain amount of attention and pressure for players in those scenarios due to the expectations stemming from their own doing. Asked how he&rsquo;ll approach this with Garland, a savvy Rubio replied that it will be a test of mentality.
&ldquo;&lsquo;Do I have what it takes to be even better?&rsquo; It takes a lot of energy to have the year that Garland] had last year. He had great numbers, great year. But that can translate to a winning team? [Can that] be translated to help the team to win?&rdquo; Rubio sternly stated. &ldquo;That's what I'm going to have to challenge him [with] in that area. I'm going to bring my experience the same way I did with [Devin] Booker, the same way I did with Donovan Mitchell, the same way I did with the young stars that I had on my team...&rdquo;
These cold-hard truths don&rsquo;t just exist on the individual level either. Entering his 11th season in the NBA, his first as a part of the Eastern Conference, Rubio&rsquo;s seen his fair share of players. It&rsquo;s those that buy into the concept of something bigger than themselves that tend to stick.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a lot of talent, but that doesn't make a good team. What makes a good team is putting the pieces together and [making] it work. So we will see how everything works out,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;And as a veteran, it's part of my job to really make that work. Seeing where and how the young talent has to sacrifice something for the team. Because a lot of people, a lot of players come to the league knowing I can do that, I can do this, I can do a lot of stuff. But at the end of the day, what the team needs from you is what makes sense for the team.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If you are a rebounder and you want to score, but your job is to rebound the ball and pass it to another guy, I know you can score &mdash; but at the end of the day, you have to do what's best for the team. And at the same time, the team has to help the other players grow and make the best opportunity for everybody. But at the same time, not everybody can score, not everybody can shine at that level. And I think there's a lot of winning teams that show that the 15th guy has to be the best guy, the best 15th guy in the league to win. That being said, everybody has to have a role and accept the role and be the best they can be in that role. So I'm pretty excited [about] helping this team make that happen.&rdquo;
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It always helps to have a familiar face around to ease the transition. Granted Kevin Love stays with Cleveland and isn&rsquo;t moved or bought out, Rubio will reunite with his former Wolves friend for the first time in eight years. (Rubio has a great deal of respect for him championing mental health and admits that Love&rsquo;s courage to speak up has helped him when he&rsquo;s struggled.)&nbsp;
He crossed paths with Bickerstaff as a rookie in that same Minnesota environment with Love; however, due to Rick Adelman&rsquo;s hiring and the departure of his predecessor Kurt Rambis, it was short-lived. Rubio did receive a vote of confidence from Marc Gasol regarding Bickerstaff, who coached the former All-Star big man during their time together with the Memphis Grizzlies three seasons ago.
Aware that his career clock is ticking, and that his timeline doesn&rsquo;t exactly match Cleveland&rsquo;s, Rubio is honest about his desire to compete for an NBA championship. He understands that there are phases to a professional basketball career. It usually starts with personal stats and evolves into a hunger to win. A player in his position usually doesn&rsquo;t backtrack, particularly reverting to another rebuild. And <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisFedor/status/1435731716874784770?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who's to say he'll even end the season where he starts it</a>?
Rubio knows how much energy and focus it&rsquo;ll take to combat that realization. That&rsquo;s why, as he issues challenges to the others, he&rsquo;s treating this opportunity as one of his own.
"I think one of my main things is I lead by example,&rdquo; Rubio said. So I'm not going to be just talking, talking, talking and sitting on the side saying you have to do that or this. I'm going to be the first one over there in practice, diving on the floor, whatever it takes to really get it going. So I think they expect all that from me, from the conversations I had, and having like a good impact on the team right away...
&ldquo;...[Can] this young team take the next step? I've been on teams that did that, and I've been on teams that haven't done that. So I know things that work and [don't] work, but at the end of the day, every team is different. We have to know each other. We have to go to training camp with that mentality that we want to win every game. But we want to win every day, get better every day.&rdquo;

Ricky Rubio is looking forward to challenging the Cavaliers' youth and himself this upcoming season, writes Spencer Davies.

Ricky Rubio will demand the best out of young Cavs, himself

Over the span of roughly six months, the Houston Rockets acquired a bevy of youthful talent. They traded for Kevin Porter Jr. in late January and during July&rsquo;s draft, spent four first-round picks on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher. Once a team led by perennial MVP candidate James Harden and flanked by veterans, Houston has now oriented itself toward a rebuild.
Such as last season, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-kevin-porter-jr-at-point-guard-houston-rockets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Porter will be granted reps as a lead creator</a>. Green, the second overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, surely will too. Maybe even Christopher will work on the ball in spurts. The sustainable utility of Sengun&rsquo;s post game will be explored. Garuba is heralded as a defensive stalwart whose offensive functionality needs crystalizing.&nbsp;
The Rockets&rsquo; hope is that all, or at least some combination, help shape the franchise&rsquo;s future in coming years. All of them, in varying manners, will benefit from the services of Christian Wood, Houston&rsquo;s best player and one who seems underappreciated, despite consecutive breakout seasons.&nbsp;
After inking a three-year, $41 million deal prior to 2020-21, he averaged 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 59.1% True Shooting (.514/.374/.631 split). Had he not sprained his right ankle in early February, there&rsquo;s a chance he would&rsquo;ve garnered deserved All-Star buzz. Prior to that injury, he averaged 22.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 63.4% True Shooting (.558/.421/.688 split). Sprained ankles are quite challenging to fully rehabilitate on the fly midseason, so there&rsquo;s a chance his production skews closer to pre-injury numbers, although that three-point clip seems like an outlier.
The basis of Wood&rsquo;s allure, both generally and in the context of accentuating Houston&rsquo;s young core, is his offensive versatility. He&rsquo;s a preeminent roller and popper in ball-screens, providing rare duality among big men across the league. According to Cleaning The Glass, he ranked in the 86th percentile at the rim (76%) and 60th percentile on above-the-break triples (37%) last season. A year earlier, he finished in the 89th and 80th percentiles, respectively.
He&rsquo;s a bouncy, coordinated finisher and keenly spots when to slip screens with the proper angles or cut as an off-ball cog. As one of just five centers (Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Vucevic and Nikola Jokic are the others) to launch at least three long balls and convert them at 37% or better in 2020-21, the threat of Wood&rsquo;s jumper spurs consistent closeouts from defenses. That provides avenues to leverage his fluidity and slithery, distinguished ball-handling while operating inside the arc.&nbsp;
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There might not be a center who covers all three bases in ball-screens &ndash; rolling, popping and driving &ndash; better than Wood these days (well, perhaps Jokic). He is that valuable offensively, and pick-and-roll acumen is not the extent of his equity. Only Jokic, Towns and Embiid are definitively superior offensive centers. Vucevic has a case, but it is not inarguable by any means. That sort of presence for three 21-and-under creators in Porter, Green and Christopher is such a luxury for their growth. It&rsquo;s an uncommon windfall in many rebuilding circumstances, especially in what will be Houston&rsquo;s first full year of its youth movement.&nbsp;
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The dude touts legit self-creation chops, parlaying his dexterity and mobility on closeouts into face-up scoring. He&rsquo;s even netted 20-of-54 (37%) pull-up threes the last two seasons as a periodically mystifying wrinkle for a 6-foot-11 center. Despite a slender 215-pound frame, he&rsquo;s moderately comfortable playing through contact and converting funky, off-balance shots as a driver with delicate body control and feathery touch. Give him a mismatch and he&rsquo;ll cook, gliding past plodding bigs or overwhelming smaller, ill-equipped wings.&nbsp;
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The ability to generate mismatches, and their frequency, in the pick-and-roll could be central to Houston&rsquo;s relative offensive success, both for Wood&rsquo;s individual profits and the signifier it represents for wide-eyed ball-handlers. If Porter and Green (and Christopher) establish the proper cadence and discernment as initiators, they&rsquo;ll drastically benefit from Wood&rsquo;s gravity and talents. His rolling and popping will carve openings if applied correctly and a release valve will consistently be available if the set transpires smoothly.
Together, those sorts of actions could induce preferable matchups for the initiator and finisher. Their success, or lack thereof, might help illuminate the developmental progress of Porter and Green&rsquo;s creation decision-making as it pertains to the manipulation of screens, delivery of passes and balance of shooting vs. facilitating.
Wood serving as a connector doesn&rsquo;t just have to occur directly with the young guards. He can merely drift into the background to space the floor, firing and slashing when the ball rotates his way or darting in for cuts. The Rockets&rsquo; offense will certainly depend on him considerably. Yet empowering the young dudes to gauge their advantage-creation threshold at this juncture and how they&rsquo;re equipped to set up the big fella as a result seems prudent if the franchise GPS is prioritizing a long-term destination.
Another means of forging their maturation as lead creators is utilizing Wood&rsquo;s comfort flowing through off-ball screens. Houston drew up a number of flare screens for him last season, which seems likely to continue this year. Rather than largely having Porter, Green or Christopher stand atop the key and await its unfolding, it makes sense to incorporate a counter or weak-side action to let them sift through various options.
This doesn&rsquo;t have to occur every time, but mixing them in to avoid autopilot decision-making and actually emulate the responsibilities of an offensive engine could prove beneficial. Regardless, though, Wood offers another path to complement Houston&rsquo;s cornerstones via his versatility, and it further emphasizes his multifaceted scoring package.
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An overreliance on Wood will be detrimental to all involved. He is not ready to be some domineering offensive nucleus, nor would that fashion a favorable ecosystem for Porter, Green or Christopher (or Sengun). At the very least, the former two should be thrust into roles that test the depths of their offensive value in differing outlets, both as fire-starters and play-finishers.&nbsp;
Asking Wood to constantly toggle across all those roles would limit their reps and extend him too far. He is not a particularly impactful passer, struggling with processing speed and vision, which leaves him behind the defense and chasing reads no longer available. While he does play through physicality and contact, it&rsquo;s sometimes too much for his wiry build and stymies his individual scoring. That&rsquo;d be less of a concern if he was a better passer, but <a href="https://streamable.com/qi0dv4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those flashes of intrigue</a> are blanketed by turnovers resulting from delayed court mapping and inhibit the ceiling of his usage load.&nbsp;
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One of the more vital dynamics to effectively scale during a rebuild is how much to lean into the youth vs. surrounding them with auxiliary, well-established talent. The Rockets had to navigate that in real-time last season and the same phenomenon confronts them this year. They&rsquo;re welcoming an assortment of promising players to the Lone Star State, while already rostering the likes of Wood, Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, Danuel House, David Nwaba and others (remember: auxiliary).&nbsp;
Some of them will likely have new homes by midseason. Wood, though, should remain around. He is very good, existing on the fringes of All-Star conversations, and offers an assortment of skills to aid those who figure prominently into Houston&rsquo;s plans. His 2020-21 campaign was overshadowed by the Harden trade and the team&rsquo;s subsequent struggles. Maybe the latter will bury him in the news cycle again. But there he&rsquo;ll be, hammering dunks, splashing threes and exemplifying the equity of very good players alongside enticing prospects.

Christian Wood had consecutive breakout seasons. Now, his strong play and versatility will make life much easier for the Rockets' young core.

Christian Wood's offensive versatility will benefit Houston's core

Many diehard NBA fans have a League-Pass darling &ndash; a team that you end up watching a ton, even if you don't have a rooting interest.
Each year, ESPN's Zach Lowe <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30587463/2020-21-nba-league-pass-rankings-most-fun-teams-watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranks</a> all 30 teams based on who will be the most fun to watch on NBA League Pass, creating a watchability score that factors in the team's style of play, highlight potential, star power, announcers, unintentional-comedy moments and more.
With the 2021-22 season rapidly approaching, we asked our Basketball News writers:
Who will be your must-watch League Pass team in 2021-22?
Alex Kennedy: Last season, I watched the Charlotte Hornets more than any other team, and I'll definitely be checking them out again in 2021-22. LaMelo Ball is so much fun to watch, and it'll be interesting to track his development. Also, the Hornets had a strong offseason, adding Kelly Oubre, James Bouknight, Kai Jones, Mason Plumlee, etc. The Detroit Pistons stand out too. They only have one game on national television. and I want to watch No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham as he adjusts to the NBA. Also, I'm intrigued by the rest of their young core, including Isaiah Stewart (20), Saddiq Bey (22), Killian Hayes (20), Hamidou Diallo (23), Saben Lee (22) and Luka Garza (22). Even if they finish near the bottom of the East again, they'll be fascinating from a developmental standpoint.
Spencer Davies: Young teams are always tantalizing to me. They&rsquo;re usually not going to register many wins, but watching the development of individual players is always a treat in flashes. Yeah, the Houston Rockets finished with the worst record in the NBA last year. They also have a backcourt worth paying attention to with Jalen Green joining a locked-in Kevin Porter Jr. It seems that after his injury, nobody remembers how dominant Christian Wood was looking. Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate&rsquo;s second season could be fun; the same might go for KJ Martin. Add in some more intriguing rookies like Josh Christopher, Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba, and H-Town&rsquo;s got my eyes.
Ethan Fuller: Even with the LaMelo Ball factor, Charlotte only got eight nationally-televised games for the upcoming season. That pens the Hornets in as my must-watch League Pass team. They combine all the elements I want in a squad I'm paying hundreds of dollars to watch: an entertaining, prospect-laden and (if things break the right way) sleeper-playoff team. People should leap from their couches every time Ball hooks up with Kai Jones for an alley-oop. Charlotte brings together a chaotic mix of offensive firepower and youthful energy.
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Sharon &ldquo;Shy&rdquo; Brown: That's a hard one, I can't decide between Charlotte or Chicago. I think both teams made improvements that will make them enjoyable to watch. I'm not going to lie: LaMelo Ball intrigues me and I don't want to miss anything with him. On the other hand, I believe the Bulls have the better roster, and they only have five nationally televised games on their schedule. It's a toss-up.
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Drew Maresca: The Golden State Warriors. Seeing whether Steph Curry can maintain his play from last season is reason enough. Add in Draymond Green, James Wiseman&rsquo;s sophomore season, two lottery picks (Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody) and the return of Klay Thompson, and we&rsquo;re talking about must-see TV. It&rsquo;ll be a weird fit, but it&rsquo;ll be fast and fun.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going with the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball and all of the athletes who excel in transition are going to be must-watch television. And with the Hornets having one of the best offseasons, they&rsquo;re <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-ready-to-fly-up-standings-following-strong-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poised for a playoff push</a> in 2021-22.
Chris Sheridan: This falls under the trainwreck category, but what Sam Presti is doing in Oklahoma City is mesmerizing because it is so Hinkie 2.0, and tuning in to see a G-League-level NBA team get bounced night after night has a certain rubbernecking appeal.

Which NBA team will you end up watching a ton on League Pass, even if you don't have a rooting interest? We asked our writers.

NBA Roundtable: Who is your must-watch League Pass team in 2021-22?

Nowadays, betting on the NBA is more popular than ever. With more states legalizing sports gambling and some NBA franchises even gearing up to offer sportsbooks inside their arenas, it's about to become even easier to bet on The Association.
This season, BasketballNews.com will be pumping out plenty of betting content since the industry is booming and there's a ton of interest among NBA fans.
Looking ahead to future bets, especially for end-of-season awards, now is the best time to find the juiciest odds on buy-low candidates. Who could quadruple your money as an eventual Most Valuable Player or Coach of the Year winner? Let&rsquo;s explore the most eye-opening odds that could put a ton of cash back into your pocket down the road.
MVP = JAYSON TATUM (+2500)
A lot more shot attempts are about to filter over to Tatum following the departures of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Boston&rsquo;s big offseason acquisition was Al Horford via the Walker trade, while betting on further internal development from their young core including Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard and Romeo Langford.
Over the last three months of the Celtics&rsquo; season, Tatum averaged 29.0 points while shooting 39.7% on three-pointers. He also sprinkled in some absurd box scores along the way, including multiple 50-point outings. Boston's young wing is on the verge of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-jayson-tatum-growing-around-margins-passing-floaters-scoring-boston-celtics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a leap to superstardom</a>, and these odds were too good to pass up.
If the Celtics overachieve next season, it will be due to Tatum becoming a 30-plus point-per-game scorer while willing them to a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. Tatum is one of the best <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/5-under-the-radar-mvp-candidates-for-the-202122-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">under-the-radar MVP candidates</a> and at +2500, it&rsquo;s worth a flier bet in hopes that he can maintain his post-All-Star-Break scoring leap.
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DPOY = BAM ADEBAYO (+1400)
Miami is about to have one of the best defenses in the NBA next season. After the huge free-agent acquisition of Kyle Lowry, the Heat are forming an amazing foundation on that end of the court. Jimmy Butler will take on the primary scoring wings, Lowry will handle the guards and Bam Adebayo will protect the rim with his tantalizing athletic profile.
Adebayo continues to develop at a rapid rate as a multi-dimensional offensive chess piece in Miami, but his calling card continues to be his terrific defense. However, after averaging 1.2 steals and 1.0 block last season, he still has some untapped defensive potential too.
Wth Miami well on their way to leading the second tier in the East behind the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, there&rsquo;s a realistic scenario where Adebayo sees an uptick in his defensive stats while the Heat maintain an elite defensive rating. If that&rsquo;s the case, Adebayo at +1400 odds is an absolute steal.
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MIP = OG ANUNOBY (+4500)
The BasketballNews.com staff <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-which-player-is-poised-to-break-out-next-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loves the idea of OG Anunoby taking a huge leap forward</a> in his fifth season and snagging Most Improved Player honors. However, Vegas is still lagging behind, placing Anunoby at insanely good odds (+4500) giving those in the know a chance to capitalize.
With Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s departure and Pascal Siakam expected to miss roughly one month (plus rumors that he may be available), Anunoby is poised to step into a primary scoring role. Already known as one of the league&rsquo;s most versatile defenders, Anunoby has continuously improved as scorer in each of his first four years with the Raptors.
It wouldn&rsquo;t be a shock to see Anunoby average close to 20 points per game while hovering around 40% shooting on three-point attempts. Couple that with an already strong defensive profile and the former Indiana Hoosier is poised for a big-time leap in 2021-22. When you can bet $20 to win $920 on Anunoby winning MIP, take the money and run before it&rsquo;s too late.
ROY = JALEN GREEN (+275)
While Green ranks No. 2 for best odds to win Rookie of the Year, it&rsquo;s surely a surprise that he&rsquo;s not the top-ranked option after what he did during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The silky-smooth scoring that Green showcased with the G League Ignite immediately translated over to Summer League action. Green has all the makings of a 20-plus point-per-game scorer immediately as a rookie, which is a rarity.
The Rockets have hit the full reset button, and who knows what the future looks like for John Wall. Green will lead an enticing young core that also includes Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate. Green&rsquo;s high-usage scoring style should allow him to put up some impressive numbers throughout his rookie campaign.
Even at +275 odds, I would wager on Green winning ROY before he likely overtakes No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham early in the regular season.
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COY = IME UDOKA (+1500)
I love the potential of Ime Udoka winning Coach of the Year with Boston in 2021-22. Based off a leap forward from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston could seriously push their way among the other powerhouses in the Eastern Conference. If the Celtics overachieve and win 50-plus games, Udoka is going to receive a ton of credit.
After working his way up and serving as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs, Udoka has waited for this opportunity. He&rsquo;s known as one of the best player development coaches in the entire NBA, which is certainly going to help Boston&rsquo;s young core.
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau were able to help their organizations bounce back to legitimate relevancy as top Coach of the Year candidates last season. Udoka stands out from the rest of the bunch as the most realistic option to win you a ton of cash by season&rsquo;s end.

Looking at the 2021-22 NBA end-of-season awards, who stands out as the best bet to win you some significant cash?

5 best future bets on 2021-22 NBA award races

Welcome to a special NBA-Summer-League-Edition of Roaming The Baseline. This will serve more like a notebook, with observations around the league from this year's summer-league experience. Players that stood out, players that disappointed, randomness from the stands -- you'll get it all here.
With that, let's roam the baseline.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE PROBLEMS
I mean this in a positive sense. You don't want to make sweeping conclusions before, during or after summer league ball. I mean, it's summer league ball, duh. But I do feel a little bit better about the Houston Rockets' draft after watching them in Vegas.
The morning after the draft, I <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1421129799716769794?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared my concerns</a> on Twitter. To sum it up: I liked the picks individually, but wasn't quite sure how or if the developmental reps would be spread around in an effective manner.&nbsp;
Some of those questions still persist, but I'm more comfortable because of how everyone looked.
Jalen Green (20-4-2 with a 51/53/93 slash line) flourished, blessing a masked audience with shot/space creation flashes and pick-and-roll poise beyond his years. I'm still losing my mind over this pass.
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Alperen Sengun (15-11-3-1-3, 43/38/61) was Houston's most productive rookie, showcasing real scoring and passing chops out of the post, as well as holding his own as a positional defender. I'm curious to see how his skill set translates against actual NBAers, but his feel was apparent even on this stage.
Watching Josh Christopher (17-4-4, 39/18/78) was an experience and a half, man. You were just as likely to see him clamp up a primary initiator (he had some reps&nbsp;against Cade Cunningham) as you were to see him take an ill-advised, early clock pull-up triple for... no real reason, to be frank with you.&nbsp;
But the energy was infectious. He got to the rim almost whenever he wanted and generated free throws at a solid clip. And speaking of infectious energy &mdash; watching Rockets-Pistons live was even more fun because I was seated near either friends or family of Christopher. And they were loud and proud,&nbsp;let me tell ya.
Usman Garuba (4-8-3-2-1, 33/0/40) came to Vegas late due to Olympic obligations, but immediately gave his fans and critics plenty of ammo.
On the high end, he absolutely wrecked the Portland Trail Blazers on defense. He did the "boring" stuff, rotating and boxing out and ending possessions with defensive rebounds. But the event creation was there: five steals and a block is nothing to sneeze at.
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Offensively, well, there wasn't much offensively. There was the occasional instance of quick processing as a passer, but you'd be hard-pressed to find really high-level reads. The finishing wasn't there; Garuba converted well-under 50% of his looks at the rim, per InStat tracking. He missed both of his three-point attempts, and the free-throw percentage wasn't great with a limited sample.
THE KINGS MAY HAVE SOMETHING IN DAVION MITCHELL
It's not too often that the Sacramento Kings win things, so it's only fair to highlight them when they do.
On a serious note: What a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/kings-offense-mitchells-defense-leads-sacramento-to-title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summer league run for them</a>. 5-0 with a title to boot, all behind a devastating defense. The points allowed: 70 (Charlotte), 75 (Washington), 75 (Memphis), 70 (Dallas), 67 (Boston).
It started with No. 9 overall pick Davion Mitchell (11-1-6-1, 42/47/29), whose on-ball defense was on full display across multiple positions. This isn't the time to have "point of attack defense vs. rim protection" discourse, but Mitchell showcased the value of strong point of attack defense. The stretches he had against fellow lottery pick James Bouknight were downright filthy.
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He provided value offensively as well, shooting the leather off the ball, puncturing the paint consistently and making timely reads in pick-and-roll. To nearly rack up a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in summer league is not an easy thing to do, considering the, uh...[waves arms wildly]... nature of summer league basketball.
Mitchell seems ready &mdash; well, as comfortably as you can make that proclamation after Vegas games. Finding playing time for him should be interesting. I would imagine we'll see plenty of three-guard looks from the Kings this year. If Mitchell is genuinely able to defend up a position, that alignment should be fine.
CADE CUNNINGHAM'S ROLE
After watching him operate in a phone booth in college, with teammates that didn't consistently generate open looks for him, I was excited to watch Cade Cunningham (19-6-2, 43/50/50) in a summer league setting.
He wouldn't be surrounded with Team USA or anything, but just about anything would be better than the context he had worked with in college. So it was a bit surprising to see Cade work off the ball as much as he did.
It makes sense, zooming out. You don't want to overwhelm your number one, even one as poised and as talented as Cade. Though he's mature beyond his years, you don't want to give complete control and run the risk of bad habits being established.
Also: Cade isn't the only guy the Pistons wanted to give reps to. Killian Hayes entered the summer coming off an underwhelming, and later injury-shortened, rookie campaign. It was worth exploring what Saddiq Bey could do with the rock. Heck, Saben Lee intrigued during the second half of the season with his adventurous forays to the basket.
So the Pistons did spread the wealth, often sliding Cade off the ball. Luckily for Detroit, Cade is 1) very smart, and 2) a darn good shooter, a development that should scare folks.&nbsp;
He got busy off movement, relocated well and cashed home spot-up shots to the tune of a 50% clip on nearly nine attempts per game. Oh, and he was able to do it like this, too.
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There were some warts to Cade's stint in Vegas. The passing was good, not great. There were some wayward skips and forced dimes, though nothing to be super concerned about long-term.
Something to watch: Cade took two free throws in three games. Him not having elite burst has been on the scouting report for a while, but someone with his size and skill level should be able to get to the line more than that on accident.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>With the obvious caveat of not being, like, <a href="https://twitter.com/abovethebreak3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PD Web</a>-level draft person, I did not understand the Spurs taking Josh Primo in the lottery. He did raise my brow some with his ball-screen savvy and the ease in which he flowed into pull-ups in Vegas. His 31.3% clip on threes (8.0 attempts) doesn't tell the full story, but there were some ugly misses in there too. I gotta see more.</li>
<li>Know who I don't need to see more of? Payton Pritchard (17-6-9), Tyrese Maxey (26-6-5), Immanuel Quickley (20-4-8) and Obi Toppin (21 &amp; 8), for starters. Desmond Bane (24-4-4) also fits the bill. It's always a good sign when Year 2 guys look like they have no business being there, and they all looked thoroughly out of place.</li>
<li>Y'all really let Jalen Johnson (19-10-2) fall out of the lottery, and Sharife Cooper (14 &amp; 7) fall to the middle of the second round, huh?</li>
<li>Following the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade, the Heat have to hit on the margins to fill out the roster. Omer Yurtseven (20-10-2-1-3) seems to have real potential as a rotational big, and I have my eye on ball-hawking guard Marcus Garrett to potentially land a two-way deal.</li>
<li>The Portland Trail Blazers. That's the thing that makes me go "hmmmm." Because what was the direction &mdash; what was the point, really &mdash; of their roster? It was a who's-who of former lottery flameouts (Michael Beasley, Emmanuel Mudiay), Kenneth Faried for some reason and then... Greg Brown III, who gave us this when we truly didn't deserve it.</li>
</ul>
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STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>It felt weird being in Vegas, to be completely honest with you. It wasn't as hot as it was when I went in 2019, and it was nice to see some of my (media) pals that I either hadn't seen in a while or hadn't met yet. But man, it would've been nice to have more access, more freedom, a little more fun. Not sure if things will be "normal" for quite some time, but summer league didn't truly feel like summer league this year.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Back to actual basketball &mdash; I came away impressed with Scottie Barnes (16-7-3-1-2). It's simple, it's cliche, but the dude knows how to play basketball. He's always moving, flowing from the dunker spot to the corner, then lifting to the wing if necessary. He's unselfish, sometimes to a fault. Though shooting concerns persist, it's encouraging that he wasn't gun-shy. The defense is pretty much there already, and he was tasked with multiple positional assignments, as well as different schemes. Fun dude to track.</li>
<li>Won't go deep into Evan Mobley since I wrote about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/early-returns-thoughts-on-evan-mobleys-summer-league-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his debut</a>, but I'll just say that young man is gonna be&nbsp;good.</li>
<li>I wasn't a fan of how the Charlotte Hornets put their team together at all. Bouknight and Grant Riller can't be your only trusted ball-handlers, especially with neither of them being natural playmakers. Expecting your offense to flow, or for your more raw talents (Kai Jones, JT Thor) to flourish within this context was a fool's errand.</li>
<li>Shout out LiAngelo Ball!</li>
<li>The Pacers have something in Chris Duarte, who both shot and defended well. That man was&nbsp;everywhere&nbsp;the few times I watched him.</li>
<li>The shooting splits may not show it, but Jonathan Kuminga looks further along than I expected him to be. There were plenty of on-ball flashes to be excited about. Also... don't call him that.</li>
<li>Nets rookie Cam Thomas was regarded as arguably the best shot creator in this year's class. Leading summer leaguers in scoring (27.0 points, 42/36/85) is an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/did-the-nets-get-a-steal-in-no-27-overall-pick-cam-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">easy way to back up that claim</a>. I'm even more impressed with Brooklyn's offseason now.</li>
</ul>

Nekias Duncan gives his closing thoughts and observations on this year's Summer League.

Roaming the Baseline: NBA Summer League Edition

Alperen Sengun is a curveball big-man prospect thrown into today&rsquo;s modern, pace-and-space version of the NBA. The 6-foot-10, 19-year-old Turkish product doesn&rsquo;t wow you with high-flying athleticism or sharpshooting ability, but the little things within his repertoire are excellent.
Footwork on par with a dancing bear allows Sengun to deploy surprising pump fakes and spins to open up space around the basket. Above-average vision for a big helps Sengun to find the window to toss a picture-perfect pass with precision. Although he lacks explosive pop, Sengun&rsquo;s uncanny timing on rebounds allows him to gobble up boards more often than not.
It will be interesting to watch Sengun's development, and whether he's able to reach his full potential. Not many star-caliber players nowadays are non-athletes with a lack of three-level shooting equity. However, with the proper players and staff surrounding him, there&rsquo;s no reason to believe Sengun couldn&rsquo;t be the next international big prospect to become a franchise&rsquo;s offensive hub (cut from a similar cloth as 2020-21 MVP Nikola Jokic, Nikola Vucevic and Domantas Sabonis).
Although Sengun is nowhere close to those players at the moment in terms of NBA readiness, I&rsquo;m so intrigued to see how the teenage Turkish League MVP can flourish within a wide-open system as a member of the Houston Rockets. By trading two future-first round picks likely to convey in 2023 (via the Wizards) and 2025 (via the Pistons) to acquire Sengun&rsquo;s draft rights from the Oklahoma City Thunder, it's clear that Houston is high on the big man and sees what he can offer to their rebuild in it&rsquo;s infancy stage alongside their primary building block in No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green.
&ldquo;As an 18-year-old, he was the MVP of the Turkish League, which is probably the second-strongest league, or third-[strongest], in the world. You guys can do the research on people who have had that level of success at a high level of pro basketball [at that age]. It&rsquo;s a short list, and a good one,&rdquo; Rockets GM Rafael Stone said after the 2021 NBA Draft. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just already accomplished and he&rsquo;s unique. He doesn&rsquo;t really play like anybody. He&rsquo;s a good basketball player, skilled basketball player. He&rsquo;s not just somebody who does one thing, he does a lot of really interesting things.
"So, yeah, we think he potentially has a chance to be special. We had him as one of the guys in this draft who has the potential to be really, really &mdash; how do I say it &mdash; he has a higher ceiling than most guys, I think. So, that&rsquo;s exciting. We were very focused on him. We did not believe that he had a chance of making it to us at 23, so we were really aggressive trying to trade up all through the first round. And then we were able to find a deal at 16 to get him. We&rsquo;re excited and hopeful for him, just like the other guys.&rdquo;
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Sengun&rsquo;s production on the international level was very impressive, and it doesn&rsquo;t hurt that he&rsquo;s an analytics darling, blowing multiple metrics out of the water in the pre-draft process thanks to his efficient two-way profile. On his way to snagging the Turkish League MVP at age-18, Sengun averaged 24.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 blocks per 36 minutes for Besiktas Icrypex.
Although the jump from international to NBA competition can be a rough adjustment, Sengun has flashed continuously during NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas. In three games, Sengun&rsquo;s averages are 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.3 steals while carrying a 55.0 True Shooting percentage. As he did in Turkey, Sengun has shown off his beautiful finishing ability around the basket, as well as an above-average feel for the game on both ends of the court.
Once the regular season rolls around, Sengun figures to play a 20-25-minute role off the bench for Houston as their third or fourth big behind entrenched frontcourt starters Christian Wood and Daniel Theis. This allows Sengun to have training wheels on at the beginning of his NBA career, which is a smart call and one that should pay huge dividends within a few years.
Down the road, once bloated contracts for John Wall and Eric Gordon are off the Rockets' books after the 2022-23 season, Houston&rsquo;s young core will be primed to run the team. Green will step into an immediate role as their primary scorer, placing him atop 2021-22 Rookie of the Year odds. However, other pieces to their long-term puzzle like Sengun shouldn&rsquo;t be too far behind.
Imagining a core spearheaded by Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Sengun, Usman Garuba, Josh Christopher and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate is a fun exercise. Although this core might not be the snuggest fit immediately, many of them are moldable balls of clay at this stage of their careers. Sengun is a perfect example of that philosophy.
If Sengun is able to develop a three-point shot, his offensive game will evolve into an even more enticing weapon. In the meantime, his instinctual play led by post scoring, rebounding and rim protection give the Turkish big a high floor.
Green will receive all of the limelight in Houston, but don&rsquo;t forget about Sengun. There&rsquo;s a real chance that he'll be an integral piece entering this new era of Rockets basketball.

Jalen Green will receive all of the limelight for the new-look Rockets. However, don't forget about Turkish League MVP Alperen Sengun.

Alperen Sengun's unique skillset makes for an interesting case study

The basketball universe is assembling in Las Vegas this week, and it is not just NBA personnel. Officials from EuroLeague teams and EuroCup teams will be in Sin City, too, because teams around the world are looking for players who will not make the NBA. An exception is China, where foreign players will be barred because of COVID factors.
So let&rsquo;s have a look at who is there and has the potential to be &ldquo;eating pasta&rdquo; next season (basketball vernacular for playing overseas) or playing their way onto an NBA roster.
There are some very talented younger players who do not have the height or athleticism that NBA scouts and general managers gravitate towards. Can they break through anyway?
But there also are some accomplished vets who would ordinarily play in China because they can make more money there than they can in the United States. Many of them may end up in Europe, but some may end up making NBA rosters if injuries open up jobs.
Here are 10 names worth keeping an eye on:
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Kenneth Faried, Portland Trail Blazers: He was a very productive NBA player for nine years before becoming one of many veterans who got squeezed out because NBA teams turned to developing younger prospects and players on two-way contracts. He was a member of the U.S. National team that won the 2014 Basketball World Cup and was one of 30 finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. He last played for the Houston Rockets in the 2018-19 season where he averaged an impressive 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in 25 appearances. He will be joined on the Blazers&rsquo; roster by two players who also spent last season in China, Emmanuel Mudiay and Michael Beasley.
Eugene Omoruyi, Dallas Mavericks. Regarded as one of the top undrafted players in 2021, the Oregon product tied for the Ducks&rsquo; team lead in scoring at 17.1 points per game and is considered a strong two-way player. Omoruyi averaged 1.5 steals per game and grabbed 41% of his rebounds on the offensive end. He did so playing alongside the more highly regarded Chris Duarte, the 13th overall pick of the Indiana Pacers.
Jimmer Fredette, Denver Nuggets: He was supposed to play for the Nuggets after spending most of the past five seasons in China, but was a late scratch. Still, his return stateside could land him an NBA job. The 10th overall pick in 2011 played two-and-a-half seasons for Sacramento, averaging seven points per game for the Kings in 15 minutes. He then played briefly in Chicago, New Orleans, Phoenix and New York. He eventually went over to China to play with the Shanghai Sharks, where he averaged 37 points per game in his first three seasons with the team from 2016-2019. He scored 75 points in a 2018 game. Because of COVID restrictions, China is not likely to allow foreign players to compete in its 2021-22 season, so Fredette may end up landing an NBA job without even suiting up in summer league. His pedigree still makes him a name to watch, though.
Mac McClung, L.A. Lakers: He&rsquo;s a longshot to make the roster for a Lakers team that has loaded up on veterans to flank LeBron James and Anthony Davis. When your prospective team adds the likes of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn (among others), there&rsquo;s bound to be a roster squeeze. But somebody has to buy the donuts for the vets. McClung&rsquo;s college stats at Texas Tech were pedestrian, but he would not be with the Lakers unless someone in the organization saw something in him. The team also desperately needs some youth.
Yves Pons, Memphis Grizzlies: The 22-year-old Haitian guard led the Tennessee Volunteers in blocks in each of the past two seasons, and that is pretty much his major skill set. He was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and with a dearth of perimeter defenders in the NBA who also can block shots, the Grizzlies are giving him a look-see because they watched him play in their backyard for four seasons. Try to name another shot-blocking guard. There are not many of them.
Asbjorn Midtgaard, Orlando Magic: The Danish 7-footer rode the bench for three years at Wichita State and then transferred to Grand Canyon, where he averaged 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. His team made the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Iowa. Still, he led NCAA Division I in field goal percentage (70.6), which is no small accomplishment. He also shot 8-for-11 against Luka Garza in his team&rsquo;s first-round loss in the NCAA tournament.
Keon Johnson, L.A. Clippers: An exception here, because Keon is not exactly "under the radar" after being selected with the 21st overall pick in the draft. He is an exception because his athleticism is exceptional; he recorded a 48-inch vertical leap at the NBA draft combine, shattering a 20-year-old record of 45.5 inches recorded by Kenny Gregory in 2001. One of his teammates will be Jason Preston, who was drafted 33rd by Orlando and was dealt to the Clippers for a future second-round pick and cash.
David DeLeo, Philadelphia 76ers: His father, Frank, was a scout for the Sixers, and he clearly taught his son a bit about how to shoot the ball. DeLeo was the all-time leader in the MAC in three-pointers made with 337, and has spent the past two seasons playing in Spain and Greece. He may end up in an NBA camp before ultimately finding another European job, but then again, Philly needs a three-point marksman to develop behind Danny Green. So you never know.
Derrick Alston Jr., Golden State Warriors: A former ball boy for the Houston Rockets, Alston made the team at Boise State as a walk-on his freshman year. He progressed to the point where he was First-Team All-Mountain West after averaging a team-leading 17.0 points. He is one of 12 undrafted rookies on Golden State&rsquo;s summer league team.
Rokas Jokubaitis, New York Knicks: He finished second behind Rockets draft pick Usman Garuba (the 23rd overall pick) in EuroLeague Rising Star voting after a solid season for FC Barcelona, where he is under a four-year contract. This will be a chance for Knicks fans to get their first look at the pick they acquired from Oklahoma City at No. 34. If he impresses and can negotiate a buyout of his current contract, he could end up battling Luca Vildoza for the final point guard spot on the Knicks.
Every year, whether it be undrafted players or second-round picks, players who end up making an impact manage to fly under the radar. These 10 (nine if you exclude Fredette) hope to do exactly that.

Every year, there are players who outperform the competition in summer league and land an NBA job. Here are some names to watch.

10 under-the-radar players worth watching in the NBA Summer League

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.