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We've reached the Conference Finals, which means that only four teams remain in the NBA Playoffs.
The Eastern Conference's top two teams, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, will clash in what's sure to be a physical series, while the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks are set to square off in a highly-anticipated battle that will feature two incredible offensive talents.
With only those aforementioned franchises remaining, we asked our BasketballNews.com staff:
How would you rank the five best players remaining in the NBA Playoffs?
Alex Kennedy
This is tough, but I think I'll go:&nbsp;
1. Luka Doncic
2. Stephen Curry
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Jimmy Butler&nbsp;
5. Bam Adebayo&nbsp;
After what Luka has done through two rounds, I feel very confident putting him at No. 1. Curry and Tatum are a toss-up for me; if someone had Tatum at No. 2 and Curry at No. 3, I wouldn't be mad at it. Butler is a two-way force who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jimmy-butler-is-a-16game-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elevates his game a ton in the postseason</a>, so he's No. 4.
This is where it gets interesting. Adebayo, Jaylen Brown and Draymond Green each have a case, but give me Adebayo because of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bam-adebayo-stands-at-the-core-of-the-heats-secondround-dominance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how well he's played on both ends of the floor</a> so far during the playoffs. I think he's poised for a big series against the Celtics.
Spencer Davies
1. Jayson Tatum: In five seasons and as many consecutive playoff appearances, this man has played the elite of the elite at 19 years ol... okay, that joke will never get old, but in all honesty, we&rsquo;ve got to admit that the total package is consistently there for Tatum. He is in a place where he&rsquo;s just making his teammates better night-in and night-out. He&rsquo;s gone up against greats like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and has not flinched, matching them shot for shot. Because of those experiences and the steady manner in which he&rsquo;s played this postseason on both sides of the ball, I give Tatum the slight edge over the next guy...
2. Luka Doncic: The first time Luka doesn&rsquo;t draw the Los Angeles Clippers in the postseason, he gets to the Western Conference Finals, eh? Without the prisoner-of-the-moment thing, it speaks volumes about how Luka&rsquo;s just had that big-game mentality since he was overseas. He&rsquo;s just a little bigger and stronger now. Same confidence and everything; he has not changed his energy one iota. His offensive impact is so substantial that the defensive woes are cast aside. If he can figure out how to defend a lick, it won&rsquo;t be long before he tops this particular list.
3. Steph Curry: Don&rsquo;t let one off-series and a &ldquo;down&rdquo; shooting season blind you from the fact that Steph is Steph. He&rsquo;s constantly in motion, always making defenders stay attached to him, which in turn makes life easier for his teammates. Then, there&rsquo;s the way he always closes games and goes into that mode where he could shoot from the front row on the opposite side of the floor and it wouldn&rsquo;t touch iron. Until there&rsquo;s any sign of regression, I don&rsquo;t bet against Steph.
4. Jimmy Butler: I hate rankings because four seems so cruel. Butler&rsquo;s been a stone-cold killer in the playoffs except for last postseason. I&rsquo;ll refer you to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jimmy-butler-is-a-16game-player" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Fonseca&rsquo;s article about that specific stretch</a>. Otherwise, Jimmy&rsquo;s one of those guys who will rip your heart out in attack mode. He&rsquo;s damn gritty, plays the right way and leads by example &mdash; late-season war of words be damned.
5. Bam Adebayo: Five is probably the spot most up for debate. It&rsquo;s all love for Draymond Green, Jaylen Brown and Klay Thompson. But with Adebayo, he is a load to handle athletically on either end, presents all kinds of matchup problems and can impact the game in a multitude of ways, as ambigouous as that sounds. (Green&rsquo;s probably my runner-up here because of the way Golden State ticks when he&rsquo;s on the floor).
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Ethan Fuller
This is definitely a challenge.&nbsp;
1. Steph Curry: Even after a second-round slump, I still would take a red-hot Curry game over any other player remaining.
2. Jayson Tatum: Tatum gets the edge over Luka Doncic by gapping him on the defensive end.
3. Luka Doncic
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Draymond Green: I almost went with Bam Adebayo over Draymond Green, and I think you could make the case either way.
Bryan Fonseca
1. Luka Doncic: He's the best player left standing despite the fact that his team is the weakest. Maybe the Dallas Mavericks are a better version of the 2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers and he's *that* LeBron James. Let's remember that Doncic was All-Tournament at EuroBasket at age-18, which Slovenia won for the first time ever. He also is responsible for leading Slovenia into the Olympics for the first time ever this past summer, where they nearly medaled. They jumped from barely top-20 to firmly top-five in the world. That man can lift a team like few others.
2. Steph Curry: He's still the best shooter in the world and still one of the best players in the league. He hasn't been as good as a couple others we're about to get to, but is still *that dude* more often than not. The Warriors are the title favorites now, and it starts with The Chef.
3. Jimmy Butler: He is the most underrated star in the NBA, and historically &mdash; outside of last season &mdash; is better in the playoffs going back to his days as a Chicago Bull. He was primarily responsible for the only non-Kevin Garnett-led Minnesota Timberwolves playoff berth until this season. Every team he left got worse, and every team he joined got better.
4. Jayson Tatum: After Luka, he's the man most knocking on the door of "next" left in the playoffs. The best four talents of these playoffs have been, up to now, Luka, Giannis, Butler and Tatum.
5. Bam Adebayo: This is with massive respect to Jaylen Brown. Bam is not only the best defender left in the playoffs but the most consistent. For all the talk about lack of aggression, he averages nearly 20 and 10 offensively as a third option. Yes, he's capable of more offensively than he's shown in the playoffs, but he typically does well against the Celtics. Expect more in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Matt John
1. Luka Doncic: He just eviscerated a 64-win team coming off a NBA Finals appearance in the most pivotal game of the season against multiple stingy wing defenders, including the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. He played like he knew it too. He is the best player left in these playoffs until proven otherwise.
2. Steph Curry: He's the deadliest man from three in a league that values threes now more than ever. Now that his foot injury is firmly behind him, the Warriors will go as far as his deadly three-point accuracy will take them. Fun fact: This is Steph's first Western Conference Finals berth sans Kevin Durant in six years.
3. Jayson Tatum: He just went toe-to-toe with the most unstoppable player in the league and reigning champion, and came up victorious. Not only that, but he put the Celtics on his back when they were down for the count. The talent was always there. The growth in mental fortitude is what's eye-opening.
4. Jimmy Butler: What he doesn't have in talent compared to the other three he makes up for in grit. If there's one player in the league who's willing to get his hands dirty to get the win, it's Butler. All things considered, he provided a substantial return on investment for Miami, as this is their second Eastern Conference Finals berth in three years with him.
5. Bam Adebayo: The DPOY candidate has kept it going in these playoffs, having stopped the talented (albeit badly injured) Joel Embiid. Adebayo is the quintessential modern big in this league. He may not fill up the stat sheet like most stars do, but he makes up for it by winning games.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_16967711_lg.jpg" alt="" />
Evan Sidery
1. Luka Doncic: After what I just witnessed Luka do in-person against the Phoenix Suns, it felt like a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/luka-doncic-enters-into-next-tier-of-nba-superstars-following-western-conference-semifinals-comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transformative career moment</a>. Doncic is a bona fide superstar now, and the way he's carried Dallas to this point is nothing short of incredible. The Mavericks&rsquo; hopes and dreams hinge upon Doncic continuing to be the best postseason player.
2. Steph Curry: After waffling back-and-forth on No. 2, I settle on Curry because doubting him feels unwise. Curry still provides vintage scoring performances as he continues to be the lifeblood of the Warriors&rsquo; offense. Curry versus Doncic is a matchup I can't wait to watch. Hopefully, it's a long a long series.
3. Jayson Tatum: After going toe-to-toe with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum more than held his own. Delivering a legendary Game 6 performance in Milwaukee, Tatum has propelled himself to superstar status like Doncic. If anything, the NBA conference finals showcase that the next generation of stars are taking the batons and running away for good.
4. Jimmy Butler: Don&rsquo;t doubt Jimmy Buckets, especially on this stage. Butler delivered against the Sixers, and I expect him to put on a show versus Boston. Butler&rsquo;s all-around game continues to shine on the postseason stage.
5. Klay Thompson: Playoff Klay is very, very real. The West Finals feel like the ideal breakout stage for Thompson post-injury. Klay is beginning to heat up each round, too. Vintage Klay showing up on that platform would be so fun to watch.
Justin Lewis&nbsp;
1. Luka Doncic: He's carried one of the lesser total rosters in the playoffs to the Conference Finals. He's generational.
2. Jayson Tatum: He could be considered "1A" because of his two-way play, but Tatum has been a problem for two months now.
3. Jimmy Butler: JB is that dude. He can carry the Heat to the Finals, but Tatum and Luka get the nod as guys who can carry their respective teams through the Finals.
4. Steph Curry: He's not been the same Steph, but the Warriors are still in the West Finals &mdash; and that's terrifying. If he returns to form, the Warriors may win another championship.
5. Jaylen Brown: He's the best No. 2 of any team left in the playoffs. His two-way prowess and ability to pick it up when Tatum is off is crucial for the Celtics.
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Sharon Brown
1. Steph Curry
2. Luka Doncic
3. Jimmy Butler
4. Jayson Tatum
5. Klay Thompson
Steph is the greatest shooter ever, and Luka is that dude. JB is a dawg, and I will always ride with him. Tatum's star power is rising, and Klay is still deadly even after his two-year absence.
Mark Schindler
This is a tough question!
1. Steph Curry
2. Luka Doncic
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Bam Adebayo
The four best players left are for sure Steph, Luka, Tatum and Jimmy. I would have to go with Bam at No. 5, so there's a decent little drop-off from the top four. (Not a slight! There's just levels to this, like Meek said).
Nekias Duncan
1. Luka Doncic
2. Steph Curry
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Bam Adebayo
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How would you rank the five best players remaining in the NBA Playoffs? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Ranking the 5 best players remaining in the NBA Playoffs

During the first three quarters of Wednesday's Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, I had already outlined today's column in my head. The Bucks have boasted some of the worst offensive numbers this postseason, they looked miserable again in Game 5, and, unless something changed, their second-round exit would be a foregone conclusion.&nbsp;
And then, the fourth quarter happened &mdash; or more specifically, the last 10 minutes changed the course of the series and this article.
Milwaukee trailed 93-79 and scored 31 points in 10 minutes &mdash; more than any other full quarter this game &mdash; to stun the TD Garden crowd and break the series tie in a 110-107 thriller. The cumulative 33 points in the fourth quarter is the second-highest total the Bucks have managed in any frame this series.
Jrue Holiday's late-game defensive wizardry became the signature moment of the night, and the Celtics' offensive meltdown drew the ire of its fan base on social media. But the "coming back" part of the comeback, in which Milwaukee altered its offensive narrative, was overshadowed. So let's spolight it.
For some context, the Bucks' offense has been&nbsp;dreadful&nbsp;most of this series. This was the half-court state of affairs entering Game 5:&nbsp;
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The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging just 84.1 points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt this series, per Cleaning the Glass. That&rsquo;s the lowest of any 2nd round team and is far below any rate posted in the regular season.
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1524044083563487235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bucks could only generate momentum in transition, where they sprinted all over the Celtics to the tune of 142.3 points per 100 possessions. Several viewers, including Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-103-second-round-check-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>, lamented the Bucks' tendency to find an offensive advantage and promptly forget to utilize it. And while I don't feel fully confident that they've put such woes behind them, Wednesday night provided a potential blueprint for offensive success.
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The surge begins on this play, where Milwaukee consistently creates advantages with constant movement. You can see that the Celtics have prioritized containing the paint and are shading off of both corners. The Bucks only need one screen to keep the defense in rotation, and no one stops moving after the pass. By the time Holiday attacks Al Horford's closeout, he could pass to any teammate and find an open shooter.
Pat Connaughton has been lights-out in this series, making 48.0% of his 5 three-point attempts per game. He can shoot the ball from a bizarre load point well above his head when he needs to, but he's also explosive enough to attack closeouts and make defenders pay, as he did in the above possession.
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Here's another play where off-ball activity from Wes Matthews results in Connaughton getting a three-pointer from a handoff. Matthews cuts into the paint, and Grant Williams and Horford both prioritize his cut over Connaughton's spacing. They don't communicate on a potential switch, and it leads to a late chase from Williams.&nbsp;
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Exhibit C: Holiday steers toward the painted area and the Celtics collapse off of the corners. This time, it's Matthews reaping the rewards as Holiday hits him for an open three. At this point, you're starting to see the pattern. The Bucks went 6 of 6 from long range in total, but these moments in particular hint at a weakness in the Celtics' defense. When the Bucks found the corners and moved the ball too quickly for Boston to communicate, they found open looks.
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One more clip. This one is a miss, but it's undoubtedly a high-quality shot from Bobby Portis. He gets the open layup because the Bucks have gone completely five-out. Portis ghosts (or slips, depends on your judgement) the screen and cuts right to the basket. It catches Horford off-guard for a split second as he anticipates a switch. Connaughton feeds Portis, and he can then either lay the ball up or make the extra pass to Matthews in the corner.
The Bucks went with two notable lineups to fuel this comeback. First, it was Holiday-Connaughton-Matthews-Allen-Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then, Portis checked in for Allen and that remained the unit for essentially the rest of the game. Brook Lopez did not play in the fourth quarter. George Hill played one minute and 52 seconds. The lineups matched smaller Celtics units and allowed the Bucks to play faster on offense with more driving threats.
Portis particularly proved pivotal. He simply feasted on the glass against the smaller Celtics in that fourth quarter. Milwaukee outnumbered Boston 7 to 1 on the offensive glass in the fourth quarter. Portis grabbed 4 himself &mdash; including the game-swinging missed free throw &mdash; and had more offensive rebounds (7) than the Celtics (5) in all of Game 5.&nbsp;
Collectively, the Bucks seem to have struck some type of gemstone. They'll either continue to have corner opportunities, or they'll force Boston to respect the space, allowing more driving and cutting chances for Antetokounmpo and others. They also capitalized on the toll of communicating in a switch-heavy scheme, and used their size to their advantage. However, Milwaukee isn't running home free.
Holiday remains the ultimate offensive swing player in this series. He came up with some stone-cold shots late in the game that masked another sketchy night where he scored 24 points on 24 attempts. It's been a brutal series on the scoring front.
Holiday has shot just 32.6% from the floor when driving to the basket in the second round, which is extremely poor. He's making 34.5% of his pull-up shot attempts with a 41.4% Effective Field Goal percentage. Holiday is one of 23 players with over 20 total possessions in isolation this postseason, per Synergy; his mark of 0.65 points per possession ranks 20th among those players. He's drawn criticism on some of Milwaukee's gunky plays that end with low-quality pull-up attempts. We'll see what adjustments he makes in Game 6.
The Celtics also missed Robert Williams III for second straight game due to knee soreness, which dramatically changed the equation and allowed the Bucks to play with the small lineup they had. What happens when he returns and adds stability on the glass and as a rim-protector?&nbsp;
Even after last night's victory, Milwaukee still ranks last among second-round teams in passes (232) and potential assists (33) per game. That doesn't have to be a negative, but it does reinforce our eye test that too many possessions have involved rushing into an Antetokounmpo or Holiday drive without utilizing the space on the court.&nbsp;
The battle to force defensive adjustments has been the most captivating aspect of this series to me. Just a week ago, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-theres-a-3point-standoff-between-the-celtics-and-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I wrote</a> about how Boston's shooters are forcing the Bucks into tough decisions. Now, the script has flipped to the other side of the court, and with the series now in elimination mode, the stakes only grow.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Synergy was cooking up some phenomenal information this week. Here's a look at some of the second round's most efficient scorers entering last night's action:</li>
</ul>
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The most efficient offensive players in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a>: <a href="https://t.co/bDTcrD2NSv">pic.twitter.com/bDTcrD2NSv</a>
&mdash; Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) <a href="https://twitter.com/SynergySST/status/1524041599642124289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Here's another one that joins the widespread exploration of shot quality and quantifying playmaking:</li>
</ul>
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We used Synergy&rsquo;s new Shot Quality metric to find out which NBA players make their teammates&rsquo; shots easier and which make their opponents&rsquo; shots more difficult.<a href="https://t.co/u3JvOM6pJ1">https://t.co/u3JvOM6pJ1</a> <a href="https://t.co/A8bXBZExyX">pic.twitter.com/A8bXBZExyX</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1524774322367201281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>These numbers may have changed slightly after Wednesday night, but let's give Wes Matthews more love, courtesy of our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wes-matthews-twoway-play-deserves-your-attention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan and his piece on the veteran's two-way versatility.</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Matthews has defended 195 on-ball picks &mdash; the fifth-highest mark of the postseason. He's one of 21 players to defend at least 100 of them. Of those 21 players, only two &mdash; Marcus Smart (119, 0.72 PPP) and Jae Crowder (115, 0.75 PPP) have allowed fewer points per possession on direct plays than Matthews (0.85 PPP).
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The Bucks have struggled on offense in the second round, but Game 5 may hint at a turnaround.

NBA Stats Notebook: What did the Bucks find on offense in Game 5?

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
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BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
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OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
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Blake Hairston takes us through the upsets and thrillers of Day 2 of the NCAA DI men's basketball tournament, plus a preview of Day 3.

March Madness: Recapping Day 2 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

All-Star Weekend is a godsend, man.&nbsp;
A 55-60 game schedule across four months is monstrous for everyone involved: the players and coaches, the fans living and dying with every result ... and the people covering the sport.
At a basic level, it feels good to wind down for a bit. Turn your brain off for a bit. All-Star Weekend festivities provide us with a nice middle ground; we get low stakes competition where the mission statement is "look at how freaking cool our league is."
I love the way the league handles its opening night. We get former players coaching a bunch of celebrities in the world's wealthiest (and cringeworthy) pickup game. After that, they showcase the up-and-comers in the league in ... yet another pick-up game. At least in this case, we get some real late game juice from the young studs &mdash; especially with the introduction of a new target-score-based format.
I have some takeaways from Friday's festivities, but I'll get the most important one out of the way now: I had a lot of fun.
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And that's what really matters, right? It's so easy to get caught up in the minutiae over the regular season. Wins and losses, scheme stuff, injury maintenance, transaction talk. It was honestly cool to watch (bad, at times) basketball and just bask in the ambience of the world's best sport.
(This is not an invitation to argue. Be wrong in your own space.)
Here are some things that stood out to me.
MYLES GARRETT IS A MASSIVE HUMAN BEING
While it's generally understood that professional athletes are abnormal humans (in a positive sense), you still come across a few that bend the realm of what should be possible. Garrett is one of those dudes, an electrifying defensive end for the Cleveland Browns listed at 6-foot-4, 272 pounds.&nbsp;
Guys his size aren't supposed to move as well as he does. That blend of size, athleticism and fluidity makes him one of the best linemen in the sport &mdash; seriously, line him up inside or outside and he can absolutely blow up your game plan &mdash; but it seems unfair that he can also&nbsp;serve as a terrifying transition threat on the basketball court.
Though his team ultimately lost the Celebrity All-Star Game, Garrett popped on the screen all night. He was a Drummond-esque bully on the glass, a vertical spacer you had to account for in the half-court, and a dunk-happy hooper whenever he got the chance.
What the heck do you do with a refrigerator-with-hops flipping the angle of a screen, then rumbling down the lane like this?
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You get out of the way, like the defense does here. Or you just go full Dearica Hamby:
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Garrett didn't show much in the way of shooting touch or passing chops, but he also didn't need to.&nbsp;
JACK HARLOW &mdash; GAP FILLER?
We all knew Harlow had at least an interest in basketball; within that realm, his relationship with Tyler Herro begins to make more sense. I'll leave that up for your interpretation.
But to watch Harlow shooting in for boards, knocking down four-point shots (yeah, that was a thing) and keeping the ball moving in the half-court was ... honestly satisfying? A pleasant surprise? There were a few audible "...huh." exclamations in the Duncan household on Friday night.
You know what every low-stakes, full-court pick-up game has?
Shoddy transition defense.
You know how you take advantage of shoddy transition defense?
Well, you cherry-pick pass the ball ahead and generate easy buckets. Harlow was doing that in spades.
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I'll give him the hat tip.
STRENGTH MATTERS&nbsp;
You can nestle in more Garrett talk here, but I want to hone in on the Rising Stars event.
First off, well done on the format. Two games to 50, and a final with a 25 target score. I was a bit iffy on 50 as a target score &mdash; the possibility of things going too quickly or&nbsp;dragging on too long was in the back of my mind &mdash; but it turned out to be a solid sweet spot.
Beyond that, let's talk about Team Barry.
Having Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner and Jae'Sean Tate is a gnarly blend of size and IQ. It's cliche, but all of those dudes just know how to play basketball. Quick processors, sound decision-makers, spatial awareness on both ends of the floor, all of that.&nbsp;
But man, can all of these dudes just abuse mismatches.&nbsp;
Even on missed shots, it was wild to watch Mobley put his shoulder into his defender's chest on post-ups. Poor Bones Hyland (Team Payton) was fighting for his life when defending drives. Tate was a bowling ball on drives, or when fighting for rebounds. We got this very early on into the Cade-versus-LaMelo Ball battle:
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I'm just not sure what you're supposed to do with that. All of the positioning in the world only goes so far when you can be moved off your spot. Team Barry didn't have watch-your-ankles shot creators, but they didn't need 'em &mdash; they had enough get-to-my-spot guys to make the offense work when it mattered.
IS EVERYBODY OKAY?
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Scottie Barnes has rightfully flowed between 1-and-4 in the Rookie of the Year race, depending on when you check in. He's a <a href="https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2022/01/13/scottie-barnes-and-star-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">star in the making</a>. Precious Achiuwa, the key prospect in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade from this summer, has shown some <a href="https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2022/02/02/precious-achiuwa-is-a-rising-defensive-star/">darn good stuff defensively</a> this year. Raptor fans should be (and are) excited about what's being built up there.
With that said, they gave us some&nbsp;hilarious&nbsp;moments on Friday night.&nbsp;
We'll start with Barnes (and Tyrese Maxey, to be fair), who completely bombed during the Clutch Moment event.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes go 0/6 on the lay up <a href="https://t.co/MDcoBdHyiZ">pic.twitter.com/MDcoBdHyiZ</a>
&mdash; Alex (@dbs408) <a href="https://twitter.com/dbs408/status/1494880647730528258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But also, how wholesome are these two?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes kept it positive during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CloroxClutch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CloroxClutch</a> Challenge! 😊 <a href="https://t.co/xdpeb4FEmF">pic.twitter.com/xdpeb4FEmF</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1494901408688226304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And then there's Achiuwa, who played with his usual brand of energy on both ends. He also tapped into his I'm-a-big-wing-not-a-big bag at&nbsp;the&nbsp;worst possible time.
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Attack your goals with the confidence of Achiuwa, and you're much more likely to achieve them.
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Boy, did the Jalens &mdash; Green and Suggs &mdash; give us some material in the opener. Green showcased his shot-creation chops early on. Suggs was flying around, and even gave us a 360 for our pleasure. Of course, we also got some ill-advised shots from Green down the stretch, and a missed free throw from Suggs that pried the door open enough for Team Isiah to steal the victory. Ah, well.</li>
<li>Desmond Bane is shooting 42% from three on nearly 7 attempts per game this season. You could not pay that man to make an open shot last night, going 3-of-10 from three across the two exhibition games and&nbsp;mostly wetting the bed in the Clutch Moments event. Thank goodness for Tyrese Haliburton.</li>
<li>HUNT ALPEREN SENGUN IN SPACE AT THE END OF A MEANINGLESS GAME AT YOUR OWN PERIL.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan talks about his favorite moments from Friday night's All-Star Weekend festivities.

Friday Fun: Takeaways from the first day of All-Star Weekend

Knoxville, TN&nbsp; &mdash; The Tennessee Volunteers (14-5, 5-3 SEC) have had a rocky start to conference play, but secured an important victory tonight by defeating Florida 78-71. The Gators (12-8, 3-5 SEC) are entering the &ldquo;must win&rdquo; part of the schedule, and after letting a second half lead slip away in this one, face an uphill battle moving forward. Santiago Vescovi led all players in scoring with an efficient night, posting 23 points on 6 of 10 from the field and 6 of 6 shooting from the free throw line.
Florida held a 42-34 at the break behind strong performances from Tyree Appleby and Brandon McKissic. Zakai Zeigler, Kennedy Chandler and Vescovi carried the early load for the Volunteers. Both teams shot the ball well and combined to hit 15 three-pointers in the half.&nbsp;
Tennessee came out hot to start the second period, scoring quickly and cutting the lead to 48-47 at the 15-minute mark. Anthony Duruji was providing both buckets and turnovers, up until the 11-minute mark when Florida started to get back on track a bit, re-extending their lead to 55-52. After a Josiah-Jordan James triple, followed by a John Fulkerson layup, the Vols held a 57-55 lead &mdash; their first lead since 10-8 early in the first half.
The Vols extended their lead to 67-62 at the 4-minute TV timeout and were able to hold on from there. Fulkerson came up huge late in the game with some key jumpers, and Vescovi knocked down important free-throws. Tyree Appleby hit a triple with 32 seconds on the clock following a James turnover, but then more makes from the charity stripe sealed the deal.&nbsp;
Appleby ended with 16 points on 4 of 8 from deep to go along with 7 assists. Duruji posted 16 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out. Freshman Zeigler had a strong game for the Vols, scoring 11 points to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Coming into tonight, Chandler was averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game as he continues to solidify himself as a likely first rounder in this summer&rsquo;s NBA draft. He posted 17 points and 5 assists.
Tennessee hit 17 of 18 from the free throw line which was crucial down the stretch. The team moves to fourth in the SEC standings.
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UPCOMING
Tennessee will visit the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night.&nbsp;
The Gators will host Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;
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The Tennessee Volunteers (14-5, 5-3 SEC) have had a rocky start to conference play, but defeated Florida 78-71.

No. 18 Tennessee gets big conference win, defeats Florida 78-71

In early December, it was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-moving-to-substantial-rebuild-listening-to-trade-calls-on-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Indiana Pacers were seriously considering a rebuild and listening to offers for Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert among others.
LeVert seems like the most likely to be traded of the bunch, and he has garnered interest from various teams in recent weeks. The Cleveland Cavaliers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cavaliers-showing-trade-interest-in-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expressed interest in the 27-year-old earlier this month, and apparently those talks are picking up steam.
&ldquo;Buzz that Caris LeVert could end up as a Cleveland Cavalier has increased recently,&rdquo; <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2952711-latest-nba-trade-intel-would-a-john-wall-westbrook-trade-really-help-lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a> Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.&nbsp;
If a deal does go down, Pincus says that Cleveland would likely be sending Ricky Rubio&rsquo;s expiring contract to Indiana as part of the deal (for cap-matching purposes). Rubio tore his ACL and is out for the remainder of the season.&nbsp;
Pincus adds that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s unclear whether the Pacers covet Collin Sexton,&rdquo; who is also out for the rest of the season due to a torn meniscus. Perhaps Indiana would be interested in acquiring Sexton before he hits restricted free agency this offseason.
This season, LeVert is averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 threes and 1.0 steal on .447/.325/.800 shooting splits. Last season, he averaged a career-high 20.7 points, but he shot just 44.3% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range.
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LeVert joined the Pacers last January as part of the four-team blockbuster trade that also sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, Jarrett Allen to the Cavaliers and Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets.
The trade may have <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-caris-levert-indiana-pacers-mass-kidney-health-update-saved-life-trade-brooklyn-nets-james-harden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saved LeVert&rsquo;s life</a>, as a small cancerous mass was discovered on his left kidney during his post-trade physical. LeVert needed surgery to treat renal cell carcinoma of his kidney, which limited him to 35 games last season.
Ever since LeVert popped up as a possible trade candidate, people immediately started speculating that the Cavaliers could be a perfect landing spot for him. Hours after the bombshell report about the Pacers dropped, our Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-caris-levert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mentioned Cleveland as his favorite potential destination</a> for LeVert:
&ldquo;Although the Cavs are in the same division as Indiana, they immediately popped up as my best-case scenario in a potential LeVert deal. Not only would LeVert be able to slide in at shooting guard in the short-term replacing Collin Sexton &mdash; who is sidelined with a torn meniscus &mdash; but he also fits Cleveland&rsquo;s long-term puzzle alongside Darius Garland, No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley and potential All-Star center Jarrett Allen. LeVert is an ideal score-first complement to the gigantic frontcourt duo that is wreaking havoc on opposing offenses around the rim. From the Pacers&rsquo; point of view, the Cavaliers have a former top-five pick in Isaac Okoro who seems like an ideal roll of the dice and trade sweetener. Okoro is a strong, defense-first wing, but his offense still isn&rsquo;t developing at the rate Cleveland had hoped. Okoro&rsquo;s fit with the Cavaliers&rsquo; core is clunky, so swapping him out for LeVert is a major win for 2021-22 and beyond.
"Cleveland throwing out an offer to Indiana revolving around Okoro, Cedi Osman and a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick has to at least lead to serious discussions. Osman is salary-filler with a contract only guaranteed through the 2022-23 season, but he&rsquo;s a solid shooter who can provide wing minutes off the bench. It&rsquo;s hard to peg LeVert&rsquo;s overall value, but a former top-five pick and a first-round pick make up a solid baseline and, honestly, this feels like the most realistic scenario as well. Cleveland is surprisingly in win-now mode, and LeVert adds a much-needed jolt offensively.&rdquo;
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 10, which is 17 days away.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to make sense as a realistic landing spot for Caris LeVert.

Report: 'Increased buzz' that Caris LeVert could get traded to Cavs

The New Orleans Pelicans spent the first third of their season languishing at the bottom of the NBA ladder. They opened the schedule 1-13, and hit Thanksgiving at 4-17 with some of the worst leaguewide efficiency ratings on both ends of the floor.
Then, a switch flipped. The Pelicans are 11-9 since Nov. 24 before the mini-break and have grinded out victories against some of the NBA's top teams without their top player in Zion Williamson. It's no coincidence that in those 20 games, they reinserted one Herb Jones into the starting lineup.
Jones has been nothing short of a revelation as a rookie second-round pick. He'd be a lock for All-Rookie First Team honors if this 2021 class wasn't so dang stacked. Let's move beyond rookie talk though. The 23-year-old has already cemented himself as New Orleans' go-to defender, and three months into his pro career, he's been one of the better wing-stoppers in the entire NBA.
In this 20-game stretch, Jones is tied for fourth in the league (min. 10 games played) with 1.8 steals per game and fifth with 3.3 deflections per game. He has a seven-foot wingspan that he uses to its full potential, jumping passing lanes with his head on a swivel.&nbsp;
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It isn't just about his length; plenty of today's NBA players have that. Jones also possesses a relentless motor and quick processing of the opposing offense. Watch this one play in particular, where he sees a Rockets play designed for Garrison Mathews. Jones recognizes it and can switch from his own assignment in time to get the steal:
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Per Cleaning the Glass, Jones is one of six players with steal and block rates of at least 2.0% in at least 500 minutes of action. The others are: Draymond Green, Robert Covington, Matisse Thybulle, Andre Drummond and fellow rookie Alperen Sengun. He's also averaging 3.1 fouls per game, which is a completely reasonable number for such an active and valuable defender.
He gets those blocks partially from being a fantastic help defender. Jones has a quick first step on defense and can jump in front of a driver or shooter, but also has the body control to contest without fouling. If he gets beat or pinned on a screen, Jones can use his length and long strides to make some amazing recoveries. Look at these blocks:
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Perhaps the biggest sign of his importance, though, comes with his on-ball matchups. Jones is asked to guard some of the best scorers on the planet &mdash; on any given night, across all positions. He's recently been the primary defender for Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins, while switching onto both guards and bigs.&nbsp;
It's been mostly great. Jones can mirror the opponent's movements well and force them into a tough look. If we're nitpicking, maybe he could improve his lateral movement; Mitchell was able to shake-and-bake him for a couple of buckets recently. But if we're nitpicking a 23-year-old, No. 35 overall pick for not locking down an All-World scorer? That's a great sign.
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The BBall Index has created <a href="https://www.bball-index.com/glossary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">metrics to track defenders' positional versatility and matchup difficulty</a>. Among players who have logged at least 500 minutes, Jones is one of 27 players in the 90th percentile of both categories. He is third among those players in the site's defensive impact estimator, D-LEBRON.&nbsp;
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We're back on that Herb Jones propaganda train. Here's him getting good positioning and a steal on two of the toughest matchups in the NBA: <a href="https://t.co/nHhSxEN2Gw">pic.twitter.com/nHhSxEN2Gw</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1478751641562226688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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By all accounts, the rookie's defensive impact is undeniable. He's also improving in his small, specialized role on offense as a spot-up shooter, cutter and ball-mover. Since Nov. 24, Jones is making a solid 65% of his at-rim attempts and 35% of his three-pointers, per Cleaning the Glass. He's a complementary option who is still ironing out the long-range shot (though it has come a long way since college at Alabama), but Jones is a tough finisher and a trustworthy offensive piece.
On the season, New Orleans is 11.4 points per 100 possessions better with Jones on the floor, which ranks in the 90th percentile at his position. He's a notable net positive on both offense and defense.&nbsp;
If I had a vote, I'd stick Jones on an All-Defensive team right now. He's been that good and that impactful for the Pelicans. Either way, New Orleans has found a gem in the second round and an ideal long-term fit next to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Get Herb Jones on your radar now before he make your favorite scorer's life a living nightmare.

Herb Jones has not only emerged as a rookie standout this season, but also has taken on some tough defensive matchups.

Herb Jones is already one of the NBA's elite wing defenders

NBA All-Star fan voting officially tipped off on Christmas morning, and social media timelines were soon abuzz with folks posting their early ballots.&nbsp;
The field seems jam-packed this season, particularly in the revitalized Eastern Conference. Rising stars like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/darius-garland-is-making-the-allstar-leap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Darius Garland</a> and LaMelo Ball have earned potential All-Star game debuts, as has Fred VanVleet with his season up north. Then, there are the stalwarts: James Harden, Trae Young, Zach LaVine and Bradley Beal are all duking it out for the guard spots.&nbsp;
Worthy candidates will miss out &mdash; including (most likely) one Jrue Holiday. But regardless of his All-Star status, the 31-year-old remains a bona fide NBA star on both ends of the court, and has helped the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks power through a rollercoaster of a 2021-22 season.&nbsp;
Holiday is averaging 17.8 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Those numbers almost mirror his first season in Milwaukee, and are pretty close to his career averages. But they don't tell the full story. After enduring a pretty brutal November from an efficiency perspective, Holiday has come alive in December.
The veteran is averaging 21.0 points, 7.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. He's shooting 41.4% from long range, and has a blistering 61.5% True Shooting percentage. With an active Holiday, the Bucks are 10-4 in December (10-5 overall) despite missing Giannis Antetokounmpo for seven games, Bobby Portis for four games and Khris Middleton for three games.&nbsp;
Your textbook definition for Holiday is "stable." He's not a human highlight reel, and usually not a takeover scorer, and this perhaps limits his vote-tally ceiling. But do not mistake reliability for mediocrity.&nbsp;
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Jrue Holiday is a defensive masterclass <a href="https://t.co/erLpGVX2m3">pic.twitter.com/erLpGVX2m3</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1474434024265420802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Holiday has always been a defensive standout &mdash; it's beyond a simple mastery of the fundamentals combined with experience. He just has such a gift for understanding what opposing offenses are trying to do, and can see well beyond his individual assignment. It's what has propelled him to three All-Defensive teams. He ranks fifth in The BBall Index's D-LeBron impact estimator among players under 6-foot-5. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Holiday takes the floor, the Bucks give up 4.2 fewer points per 100 possessions.&nbsp;
But the recent statement has come on the offensive end, where Holiday is succeeding as a creator, ball-mover and complementary player. He can fit into whatever Milwaukee needs based on the available personnel. The Bucks are a whopping 12.2 points better on offense per 100 possessions when Holiday is in the lineup.
In the team's most recent win against Orlando, the veteran tallied 18 points and 10 assists as the facilitator for a humming Bucks attack. Holiday frequently pushed the pace against the young Magic, but this half-court assist stood out. It's just a quick dump-off to a cutting Antetokounmpo, but Holiday confirms this bucket by continuing into a screen on Wendell Carter Jr. Any chance at a recovery and a contest is thwarted, and Antetokounmpo gets an easy finish.
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When the Bucks are fully healthy, this is what Holiday does: maximizes the scoring talent around him and picks his spots carefully. But this month, the Bucks haven't been healthy, and Holiday has stepped up big-time.&nbsp;
On Dec. 15, Holiday scored 26 points and dished out 14 assists in a 114-99 victory over the Indiana Pacers without Antetokounmpo or Middleton. He frequently drew in the defense to create kick-out chances for Portis, Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, and took advantage of some timely cuts.
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Holiday's precision as a passer threatens the defense and gives hime some easier scoring chances. He may be the third option on the Bucks, but Holiday certainly has that Ball Dont Stop, "Real Hooper" bag of tricks full of step-backs, hesitations, floaters and finishes. He can use his long arms to extend past bigs for layups. He'll slice through aggressive screen coverage and pull up if defenders are sagging.
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Despite a somewhat down-year at the rim (58% clip, about league-average), Holiday has been one of the best mid-range assassins in the game. His December shooting numbers by zone, per Cleaning the Glass: 62% at the rim, 63% in the short-mid area (best at his position), 58% from mid-range overall (best at his position) and 41% from three.&nbsp;
The Bucks are 16.4 points per 100 possessions better overall with Holiday on the court this season. That's in the 97th percentile for his position. In his 13 years, the steady guard has been in the 75th percentile or higher in per-100 plus/minus 11 times. Yet, the man somehow has one career All-Star appearance.&nbsp;
Holiday might not get a second this year. That doesn't mean we can't appreciate his greatness in nearly every aspect of basketball. Milwaukee may have had a rocky road in its title defense thus far, but the defending champs have maintained the right path thanks to Holiday.
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Jrue Holiday: facilitation wizard <a href="https://t.co/hGTvRBP2R7">pic.twitter.com/hGTvRBP2R7</a>
&mdash; Ethan Fuller (@ethman43) <a href="https://twitter.com/ethman43/status/1474437610202451979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Jrue Holiday has elevated his game in December and led a strong effort from the shorthanded Bucks.

Jrue Holiday is a certified star — even if it won't show on the ballot

The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania officially tossed out a stick of dynamite on Tuesday, and the fuse was lit from Indiana. Trade season has officially begun, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-moving-to-substantial-rebuild-listening-to-trade-calls-on-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pacers are open to a fire sale</a> to begin an &ldquo;extensive rebuild.&rdquo; A long overdue strategy in Indiana, it&rsquo;s the right move for a team that has shown a low ceiling and potential roster regression.
With a 10-16 record, Indiana is open to all of its key pieces being shipped out, per Charania, including Caris LeVert, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. Here on BasketballNews.com, we will be providing the best potential landing spots for all three. Nekias Duncan will be handling the two-time All-Star center in Sabonis, while I&rsquo;ll be scouring through the best situations for LeVert and Turner.
We&rsquo;re going to kick things off with LeVert. As I wrote last month, No. 13 overall pick Chris Duarte&rsquo;s quick emergence as a key long-term piece <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-facing-a-key-decision-point-later-on-with-chris-duarte-early-emergence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changed the calculus on the future of the team's backcourt</a>. With Malcolm Brogdon signing an extension and not being eligible for a trade until this offseason, that leaves LeVert as the odd man out. He also plays the same position as Duarte, making his exit even more likely before February&rsquo;s deadline.
When the Pacers acquired LeVert almost exactly one year ago in the blockbuster four-team James Harden trade (which also sent Victor Oladipo to Houston), Indiana believed it might have struck discount gold once again. However, LeVert&rsquo;s on-court value is nowhere close to what it once was. LeVert has shown to be a solid combo guard, but his overall ineffectiveness in reading the floor and his poor shot selection make paying him a hefty contract a very worrisome proposition.
So, which teams actually make sense for the 27-year-old scorer? Let&rsquo;s dive into the best win-win scenarios for the Pacers and LeVert.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Although the Cavs are in the same division as Indiana, they immediately popped up as my best-case scenario in a potential LeVert deal. Not only would LeVert be able to slide in at shooting guard in the short-term replacing Collin Sexton &mdash; who is sidelined with a torn meniscus &mdash; but he also fits Cleveland&rsquo;s long-term puzzle alongside Darius Garland, No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley and potential All-Star center Jarrett Allen. LeVert is an ideal score-first complement to the gigantic frontcourt duo that is wreaking havoc to opposing offenses around the rim.
From the Pacers&rsquo; point of view, the Cavaliers have a former top-five pick in Isaac Okoro who seems like an ideal roll of the dice and trade sweetener. Okoro is a strong, defense-first wing, but his offense still isn&rsquo;t developing at the rate Cleveland had hoped. Okoro&rsquo;s fit with the Cavaliers core right now is clunky, so swapping him out for LeVert is a major win for 2021-22 and beyond.
Cleveland throwing out an offer to Indiana revolving around Okoro, Cedi Osman and a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick has to at least lead into serious discussions. Osman is salary-filler with a contract only guaranteed through the 2022-23 season, but he&rsquo;s a solid shooter who can provide wing minutes off the bench.
It&rsquo;s hard to peg LeVert&rsquo;s overall value, but a former top-five pick and a first-round pick make up a solid baseline and, honestly, this feels like the most realistic scenario as well. Cleveland is surprisingly in win-now mode, and LeVert adds a much-needed jolt offensively.
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Memphis Grizzlies
On the surface, you may be wondering why the Grizzlies are included here. They have Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, plus some enticing young prospects developing in their system. However, Memphis continues to remain afloat in the Western Conference play-in race early on without Morant, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Adding LeVert into the Grizzlies&rsquo; rotation would soften the blow of not having Morant at the moment, but he also fits very well alongside their young superstar point guard.
LeVert would slide right in as Memphis&rsquo; sixth man who can score for himself or create for others in a pinch. I&rsquo;m very intrigued by the idea of LeVert playing heavy minutes in combination with the likes of Morant, Brooks and Desmond Bane. This would be a move to raise the immediate and long-term ceiling for the Grizzlies, who could also deal Brooks this offseason if LeVert thrives in their system (which is something I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-its-wise-for-the-grizzlies-to-canvass-the-trade-market-on-dillon-brooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested Memphis look into</a> before the season started).
The Grizzlies&rsquo; rotation once Morant returns would look like this:
Starters: Morant, Bane, Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams
Second Unit: De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, LeVert, Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman
That&rsquo;s a strong nine-man rotation that could go up against a lot of teams in the reloaded West.
As you can tell above, two names in the Grizzlies&rsquo; current rotation are missing: Kyle Anderson and No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams. That would be the return for Indiana, potentially with a lottery-protected first-round pick as well.
Again, it's a solid baseline offer for LeVert and the move could help both teams. Memphis acquires a win-now piece who can also help them long-term, plus Indiana receives a young prospect alongside another future draft pick. Win-win.
Dallas Mavericks
This one was tough, but LeVert's fit in Dallas is very intriguing. Could you imagine Luka Doncic playing alongside LeVert in the Mavericks&rsquo; backcourt? That would be so much fun, because LeVert is an ideal complementary piece who can take pressure off Doncic in key situations.
With the Mavericks&rsquo; roster, though, there are not many assets that would intrigue Indiana. So, unless Dallas was open to this idea, a swap of LeVert for Jalen Brunson at least makes a little bit of sense.
Brunson&rsquo;s strong start to the 2021-22 season is bringing his value to an all-time high as we inch closer toward restricted free agency. Would Dallas want to ship Brunson for a potentially cheaper option who could play more minutes alongside Doncic? Brunson would be an excellent fit in Indiana as well, forming a strong one-two punch with Duarte long-term.
Would Dallas even be open to the idea of something like Dwight Powell and Brunson for LeVert? It&rsquo;s a tough sell, but one that could be a potential win-win down the road for both sides.
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Utah Jazz
Talk about a potential shift atop the West if Utah were to snag LeVert between now and February. LeVert, I feel, would be a strong fit within head coach Quin Snyder&rsquo;s system. He'd take pressure off of LeVert and have him focus on the finer details. LeVert&rsquo;s scoring package would be another win-now, all-in push from Utah, who is trying to capitalize on its Finals window being open.
From Indiana&rsquo;s perspective, there&rsquo;s not a lot that Utah could offer that would intrigue them. However, an expiring contract in Joe Ingles (who could be bought out after a trade) alongside second-round pick Jared Butler, Eric Paschall and a lightly-protected 2023 first-round pick could at least make for some interesting discussions.
Ingles has been an integral piece to the Jazz&rsquo;s success for years, but upgrading to LeVert would be a major win for their title hopes. Utah would have copious amounts of scoring off its bench &mdash; LeVert, Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gay. The Jazz could also trot out LeVert as their starting small forward, inserting him between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Either way, it would be a massive opportunity to bring LeVert aboard.
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New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are teetering on desperation mode. The hot seat has been cranked up on executive vice presiident David Griffin, and Zion Williamson&rsquo;s injury issues continue to short-circuit their hopeful rise up the West standings. Whether it be Turner or LeVert, expect the Pelicans to be calling Indiana sometime soon if they haven&rsquo;t already.
Bringing LeVert to the Bayou would lead to an experimental fit alongside Williamson and Brandon Ingram. LeVert would slide right in at shooting guard for the Pelicans, or he could lead their second unit as a dynamic sixth man.
As a potential trade package, what about sending Indiana the following: Josh Hart, Trey Murphy III and a future first-round pick, if necessary? The Pacers would then have two young wings on their roster who could help build out a new vision under head coach Rick Carlisle.
It&rsquo;s another interesting trade destination for LeVert, and one that actually makes sense for both sides when examined under the microscope.
***
Overall, LeVert&rsquo;s market is so hard to project. As a score-first combo guard on an attainable contract for the next two seasons, his market could be robust. However, there&rsquo;s another scenario where his injury history and inefficiency could seriously limit the market for him.
Indiana is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finally blowing it up</a>, and LeVert seems to be an obvious candidate to be moved very soon. Stay tuned to BasketballNews.com as we continue to track the situation, plus reveal more trade destinations for the team's other notable pieces in Sabonis and Turner.

Which teams around the NBA could soon be calling about Pacers shooting guard Caris LeVert? Evan Sidery lists five.

Examining potential trade destinations for Caris LeVert

The Indiana Pacers are running around the obvious problem with their team right now. After another embarrassing loss at home on Friday night, this time to the Miami Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, serious questions need to be asked.
Sure, Nate Bjorkgren was a disaster last season as a first-time head coach, which led to splurging on bringing Rick Carlisle over from Dallas. However, even with Carlisle&rsquo;s principles being put into place in Indy, it&rsquo;s now becoming crystal-clear what the real issue is for the Pacers.
It&rsquo;s time to officially blow up this roster, or at least make a significant change to finally steer the ship in the direction of an extensive rebuild attempt.
For years now, Indiana has been content on the wheel of first round playoff exits. This will likely be the eighth consecutive season where the Pacers finish without a postseason series win. Indiana is known for basketball, but the 2021-22 Pacers are on the verge of becoming irrelevant.
Indiana is perfectly average, smack dab in the middle of overall efficiency on both ends of the court. They do not have a true No. 1 option that can take over games, simply multiple players who slide in as secondary pieces on good teams.
Sitting with a 9-16 record through the first quarter of the regular season, No. 13 overall in the Eastern Conference, Indiana is staring down the barrel of a long overdue organizational move. The question is: will owner Herb Simon, notorious for avoiding luxury tax payments and supplementing the organization with playoff revenue, give the go-ahead on a midseason fire sale before it&rsquo;s too late? The same needs to be said for team president Kevin Pritchard, who neeeds to come to the same realization that this team is nothing more than mediocre.
Is T.J. Warren&rsquo;s return from foot surgery next month really going to flip the Pacers&rsquo; immediate fortunes in the reloaded Eastern Conference hierarchy overnight? No, and it&rsquo;s time to reassess this roster for long-term hopes while sacrificing short-term success.
The problem for Indiana is: who exactly will help kickstart an overdue rebuild where stockpiling young talent and bottoming out is the way to go for a small-market franchise? Malcolm Brogdon would have been the obvious choice, but Indiana decided to lock him in on an extension before the regular season opener, eliminating him in trade discussions until at least next offseason. Caris LeVert isn&rsquo;t coming close to the same production Victor Oladipo provided pre-quad injury, but that was to be expected when canvassing through the former Michigan Wolverine&rsquo;s overall offensive profile. Not shedding his injury-prone label at all before becoming an unrestricted free agent, Warren has little chance of returning serious positive value in a trade.
Indiana is coming to the proverbial fork in the road on an experiment that we all knew would need to end sometime soon. Will it be Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner who is shipped off at their peak value in February? If the Pacers aren&rsquo;t having serious discussions about this scenario, then they may honestly be content on being a roster with its highest ceiling being a 6-8 seed and perennial first-round exits.
Sabonis is a rare big man who a team can run its offense through as a primary or secondary hub. Already a two-time All-Star, Sabonis has flashed 20-point, 10-rebound upside and probably would thrive even further as another team&rsquo;s second or third option, compared to being a No. 1 in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Turner is an elite rim protector who can also stretch the floor from beyond the arc. As far as modern big archetypes, Turner is a piece who can swing the pendulum of fortunes in a positive direction for a playoff or championship-hungry organization.
If we&rsquo;re speaking about which player would return the highest value in a mid-season trade to a hopeful playoff contender, Sabonis is the answer. A frame of reference from a negotiation standpoint is when the Orlando Magic traded Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls centered around an enticing package of Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round picks (Franz Wagner plus a 2023 1st). Vucevic was 30 years old when the Magic finally decided to pull the plug on their mediocre ceiling. At age-25 with three years remaining on his current contract, there&rsquo;s a real argument to be made that Sabonis could return an even heftier package for Indiana to sell high on.
Turner, on the other hand, would still bring back a strong return with his improved motor and intensity. Already known as one of the best shot blockers in the Association, Turner has also cranked it up on offense attacking the boards and being more aggressive overall. In the end, Turner&rsquo;s trade value likely falls within the realm of returning a promising young prospect plus salary filler.
Although the jumbo-sized frontcourt duo is actually doing better than anticipated this season, outscoring opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions in two-man lineup data (105.8 OffRtg, 97.5 DefRtg in 396 total minutes), it&rsquo;s simply not a sustainable formula.
For years, Pacers fans have wanted to see the Sabonis-Turner duo be split up and commit to one as their starting center long-term. Finally, that time seems to be right around the corner, if Indiana&rsquo;s front office truly reflects on where the team currently stands.
If Indiana does indeed the pull the plug on the current iteration of their roster, there will be a feeding frenzy at February&rsquo;s trade deadline. I can think of so many teams off the top of my head who would be blowing up Indiana for either one of their bigs. It&rsquo;s simply the right move to make for the long-term outlook.
Outside of No. 13 overall pick Chris Duarte, who&rsquo;s turned some heads early on with his stellar transition to the NBA, who exactly is a young piece Indiana can build around? Small markets need to focus on hitting in the draft, which has been a rarity for the Pacers over the years, alongside internal player development.
Indiana must come to that conclusion and use one or potentially both of Sabonis and Turner to help this longstanding issue fix itself over time. The problem is, after bringing aboard a win-now veteran coach in Carlisle, he may not give the go-ahead for this route.
Anyway you want to slice it, there&rsquo;s a serious predicament unfolding in Indy. If the losses continue to pile on, the Pacers need to accept their new reality and embrace the tank for the betterment of the organization.
With the league&rsquo;s worst attendance by a wide margin, Pacers fans are already tuning the team out. It&rsquo;s time to wave the white flag and find a better solution to bring the Pacers back to relevance.

As losses continue to pile on for the Pacers, it's time to finally embrace the reality with their current roster's ceiling.

Pacers must accept new reality and become sellers at trade deadline

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

2021-22 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

Believe it or not, NBA training camps are right around the corner, which means a blank slate for everybody. 
Recently, our staff discussed which organizations <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-best-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had the best offseason</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-had-the-worst-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which teams did the worst</a>, plus <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this summer's most underrated moves</a>. Now, we're going to turn our attention to individual improvement. Today, we asked our staff: 
Which player is poised to break out next season?
Nekias Duncan: No Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam missing the first month or so of the season, plus a strong second half of last season leads me to believe that OG Anunoby could be in line for a production bump &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/something-to-prove-og-anunoby-shot-creation-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I wrote over the weekend</a>.
Alex Kennedy: It feels like De'Andre Hunter is on the verge of breaking out... if he can stay healthy. Last year, as a sophomore, he was outstanding in the first half of the season, averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 threes and a steal on 51.4/36.6/87.7 shooting splits prior to the All-Star break. Then, he hurt his lateral meniscus in his right knee and needed surgery. After a brief return, he tore that same meniscus, which also required surgery. Despite losing Hunter early in the second round, the Atlanta Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, Hunter is expected to be healthy in time for training camp, so this could be the year he takes a major leap forward and shows why he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2019. The 23-year-old has all of the tools to be a difference-maker on both ends of the court.
Jackson Frank: OG Anunoby made considerable strides offensively last season with his handle, driving craft and general self-creation. Yet he was beset by various ailments and only played 43 games, despite averaging a tidy 16-5.5-2-1.5 on 60.5% True Shooting. I&rsquo;m betting he&rsquo;ll get some All-Star buzz and continue his development on a fun, funky Raptors squad.
Imman Adan: OG Anunoby is poised to have a breakout year. With Kyle Lowry gone, the Raptors enter their next phase. Siakam is expected to miss some time rehabbing from shoulder surgery, so the Raptors should see a lot of offensive possessions go to Anunoby.
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Spencer Davies: You know, Darius Garland had one hell of a summer. He grew an inch or two, added some muscle and just really seems ready to take that leap following a successful run with Team USA&rsquo;s Select Team. Before he went down with an injury that ended his season prematurely for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Garland was on a post-All-Star-break tear, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 assists per game on over 40% from long distance. He and Collin Sexton began to develop a solid relationship on the floor, and based on what <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/isaac-okoro-sharpening-shot-pivoting-to-playmaking-for-cavs-in-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaac Okoro did at summer league</a>, we can probably expect those cutting abilities to help Garland&rsquo;s case as a passer as well; plus, the third-year point guard is a confident knockdown shooter coming off dribble hand-offs and in transition, and can throw up lobs with the best of them. Defensively, his efforts are there, and now that he has Evan Mobley along with Jarrett Allen behind him, there&rsquo;s enough protection to cover those angles. Year 3 is typically the time when prospects put what they&rsquo;ve learned into action, and Garland just seems to have the right personnel surrounding him for success.
Evan Sidery: I&rsquo;m going to cheat here, listing two names that are poised for breakout campaign: Anthony Edwards and OG Anunoby. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-will-anthony-edwards-surge-lead-to-nba-rookie-of-the-year-award-minnesota-timberwolves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After the All-Star break</a>, Minnesota&rsquo;s No. 1 pick averaged almost 25 points per game. With another year of seasoning, it's very possible that Edwards could be a top contender for Most Improved Player in 2021-22. Another name to keep an eye on is Anunoby. With Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s departure from Toronto, more opportunity opens up for Anunoby to become a primary scoring option. Anunoby&rsquo;s continued shooting development gives me strong indications he&rsquo;s poised for a massive breakout with an increased workload.
Ethan Fuller: OG Anunoby was already on the verge of a breakout last season after posting career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds, (5.5) assists (2.2), steals (1.5), three-point percentage (39.8%) and True Shooting percentage (60.5%). That doesn't account for him being one of the best defenders on the Toronto Raptors. Anunoby is only 24 years old, and as the Raptors look to get back in the playoff hunt, expect him to be a key contributor.
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Jesse Blancarte: If you watched Game 6 between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, then you have a good idea why Terance Mann is poised to have a breakout season. In that crucial game, Mann posted 39 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. Mann shot 15-of-21 from the field, 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and was instrumental in the Clippers&rsquo; come-from-behind victory. Mann is athletic, a good defender and hustles on both ends of the court. He's also improving as a playmaker and shooter. With Kawhi Leonard possibly out for the entire season, Mann will play a large role in filling the void left behind by Leonard.
Drew Maresca: Obi Toppin. At summer league, Toppin averaged 21 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and slashed 44.5 / 34.4 /88.9. Once again, he wowed with his athleticism, had a significantly better-looking jumper and made quicker decisions with and without the ball. Toppin&rsquo;s biggest hurdle in breaking out continues to be his inability to crack an NBA rotation. He plays behind Julius Randle, and Randle will probably be a leader in minutes played again next season. But when he's given an opportunity, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/new-york-knicks-youngsters-exceed-expectations-in-nba-summer-league-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toppin will be ready to prove the doubters wrong</a>.
Chris Sheridan: Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.

What NBA player is likely to take a huge leap next season? Our writers share their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Which player is poised to break out next season?

There have been plenty of fireworks during the 2021 offseason. From blockbuster trades to notable free agents changing teams, the 30 teams around the Association have given us plenty to talk about.
Recently, our staff discussed <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this summer's most underrated moves</a>. Today, we asked our writers:
Which NBA team had the best offseason?
Nekias Duncan: They&rsquo;re another minor move away from rounding out the roster, but I think the Heat were pretty big winners. Being able to snag Kyle Lowry without giving up a pick or their best prospect is a win. Adding frontcourt depth, young (Omer Yurtseven) and old (P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris) was smart. Bringing back Victor Oladipo on the minimum is the kind of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low-risk, moderately-high-reward move</a> that could swing some games in the second half of the season.
Alex Kennedy: After being super aggressive at last year's trade deadline, Nikola Vucevic <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bulls-nikola-vucevic-qa-were-built-to-be-successful-for-years-to-come" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that the Chicago Bulls "sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now." This offseason, they doubled down and were even more active &mdash; adding <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lonzo Ball</a>, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ayo-dosunmu-ready-to-seize-the-moment-as-he-becomes-complete-player-nba-draft-prospects-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayo Dosunmu</a> to their core of Vucevic, Zach LaVine, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Williams</a>, Coby White and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-freeagency-destinations-for-lauri-markkanen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauri Markkanen (RFA)</a>. Prior to the Vucevic trade, there was a month-long stretch where LaVine was averaging nearly 33.0 points. While it was incredible to watch LaVine put the team on his back, it was clear that he needed help. Now, just five months later, the roster looks completely different and the supporting cast is significantly better. This is the most talent that LaVine and Vucevic have ever had around them, and Chicago seems like a lock to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 (and perhaps win a series for the first time since 2014-15). Last year, LaVine <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2020/04/28/nba-zach-lavine-chicago-bulls-michael-jordan-the-last-dance-season-workout-staying-shape-paul-seattle-arturas-karnisovas-marc-eversley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> that he's "extremely hungry" to make his postseason debut and now it's absolutely within reach. (Also, getting Derrick Jones Jr., a lottery protected first-rounder and a future second-rounder back in the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade is a win.)
Jackson Frank: The Heat acquiring Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker, while retaining Victor Oladipo, give them the nod in my eyes. They went from a first-round out to a team that could make a deep playoff run. Lowry is a fringe All-Star and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers significant offensive versatility</a> that should help reignite a stagnant attack. Tucker, although circumstantial defensively and rather limited offensively, remains a useful rotational big who helps maintain Miami&rsquo;s defensive ethos. Oladipo&rsquo;s offense is highly dependent on his jumper these days, but the defense was quite good last season and he clearly seems to want to be in Miami. Health is a looming question mark, but he can help them when out there.
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Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Lakers entered the offseason with Dennis Schroder hoping to leverage the team&rsquo;s limited cap flexibility into a $100 million contract. The Lakers passed on Schroder, opting to trade for Russell Westbrook, re-sign Talen Horton-Tucker and fill out the roster with solid veterans on minimum deals (including Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington). The Lakers even snagged a few talented, younger players with upside in Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn. L.A. loses some points for reportedly not doing much to re-sign Alex Caruso, but the team added significant depth. Age will be an issue for this roster, but the talent and depth are there for another championship run.
Spencer Davies: This may be an unpopular opinion since all of their additions came via trades, but the Washington Wizards intrigue me as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. Spearheaded by the acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie &mdash; who should fit like a glove next to Bradley Beal and take some of the playmaking load off the three-time All-Star &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-retooling-led-to-a-competent-roster-surrounding-bradley-beal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the team has retooled well</a>. Something tells me that Kyle Kuzma will be able to breathe a little easier in D.C., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is easily the best sniper with defensive upside that Washington has thrown out there in years. Montrezl Harrell is going to be highly motivated after being dealt away, and perhaps he can develop a rapport with Aaron Holiday as a part of an energetic second unit. Let&rsquo;s not forget that Deni Avdija and Thomas Bryant will return at some point from their injuries too. Throw in a growing Rui Hachimura and Daniel Gafford &mdash; plus a new head coach in Wes Unseld Jr. &mdash; and the Wizards have some real firepower and could make a solid push.
Imman Adan: It&rsquo;s definitely the Nets; they managed to get better despite already being the favorites. However, I&rsquo;m going with the Miami Heat because they got their guy &mdash; Kyle Lowry &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t have to give up very much to get him. They also managed to pick up P.J. Tucker and, if he has anything left in the tank, he can help fill the void Jae Crowder left.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Evan Sidery: Although it remains to be seen how exactly all the new parts fit together, credit to the Chicago Bulls for finally going for it. Lonzo Ball is a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-chicago-bulls-form-a-perfect-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perfect backcourt complement</a> for Zach LaVine, while DeMar DeRozan provides a legit scoring punch as well. If 2020 No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams takes a leap &mdash; and Summer League is showing that&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a strong possibility</a> &mdash; Chicago looks the part of a top-six team in the Eastern Conference. Ever since Derrick Rose&rsquo;s prime, Chicago has been yearning for a competitive team. In 2021-22, they have an opportunity to make noise.
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Ethan Fuller: The Miami Heat reeled in the biggest available free-agent name in Kyle Lowry without giving up a treasure trove of talent. Sure, Precious Achiuwa is a tough loss for an aging team, but Lowry is a clear upgrade over Goran Dragic in the short-term. The Heat also signed two underrated additions in P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris without losing rotation players of consequence. Miami is older, more expensive and potentially injury-prone, but the squad is also more talented and more potent as a defensive unit.
Drew Maresca: Shockingly, the Washington Wizards. Most importantly, they got out from under Russell Westbrook&rsquo;s contract, swapping Westbrook for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell. They also added Spencer Dinwiddie, who better complements Bradley Beal than Westbrook did &mdash; a hugely important aspect of his addition. If Dinwiddie bounces back to his old self, the Wizards will compete for a playoff spot in a newly competitive Eastern Conference &mdash; and that might enough to convince Beal to extend.
Chris Sheridan: It is a close call between the Nets, Heat and Lakers... so close that I am going to make it a three-way- tie. I absolutely love Brooklyn's acquisition of Patty Mills. He is a fourth star, if you ask any Australian. They needed a second perimeter defender aside from Bruce Brown, whom they were lucky to keep, and they needed someone off the bench to replace Jeff Green. Miami got Kyle Lowry, which is HUGE, along with Markieff Morris on a one-year deal, which should incentivize him to play to his full potential. Also, they got P.J. Tucker, which I feel is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-roundtable-breaking-down-this-offseasons-most-underrated-moves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the offseason's most underrated move</a>. For the Lakers, acquiring Russell Westbrook may go down in history as the biggest and best move they could have ever made to facilitate another championship run with LeBron James. He is a vast upgrade over Dennis Schroder, who ended up being too greedy for his wallet's own good. The other role players the Lakers added seem to fit nicely, especially Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington for perimeter shooting and Dwight Howard for messing with the minds of opposing centers. They will miss Alex Caruso's defense (and it remains to be seen who can provide that), but they had an impressive offseason.
Jannelle Moore: The Lakers had the best offseason because they knew they didn&rsquo;t have much salary-cap space, but they got creative and still managed to land a star in Russell Westbrook. Many people doubted whether the Lakers could make a splashy move, but they managed to pull off a blockbuster trade with the Wizards. Carmelo Anthony and the role players they brought in were great additions as well.

Which team is the big winner of the 2021 NBA offseason? Our writers share their thoughts.

Roundtable: Which NBA team had the best offseason?

The 2021 NBA offseason featured blockbuster trades, draft-day surprises and some big-name players changing teams. Those are typically the transactions that garner the most attention, but what were some of the under-the-radar moves that deserve to be highlighted?
Now that most of the free agents have signed and the dust has settled, we asked our writers:
What was your favorite "underrated move" of this offseason?
Jackson Frank: I really liked the Pistons nabbing Kelly Olynyk. A versatile offensive big man to pair with their young guards in Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes is so important. He&rsquo;s going to help facilitate their development and ease some of their creation burden with his pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs and mismatch-hunting in the post. Good, complementary players for young dudes is critical and Olynyk is exactly the former.
Alex Kennedy: Victor Oladipo went from being regarded as one of the top free agents in this class to a complete afterthought. After signing a one-year, minimum deal with the Heat, he's the ultimate low-risk, high-reward addition. If it doesn't work out, Miami can cut him or let him walk. If he gets healthy and has a strong bounce-back season, he'll be a steal. The 29-year-old will need to make an impact in order to ink a more lucrative deal next offseason. Oladipo's days as an All-NBA player are likely over, but he doesn't even need to play at that level in order to drastically outperform this contract. Despite his struggles last year, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.6 threes and 1.3 steals in 29 games with the Rockets and Pacers. After Oladipo's season-ending quad surgery in May, his surgeon <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31489484/miami-heat-victor-oladipo-cleared-full-contact-basketball-november-doctor-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told ESPN</a>, "I was amazed he was playing with what he had. I'm very optimistic that I could clear him in six months, by November." If he was able to put up those numbers on a badly-injured quad that he had no business playing on, he should be able to help the Heat. Miami had an exciting offseason &mdash; from acquiring Kyle Lowry to signing P.J. Tucker to extending Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson &mdash; but re-signing Oladipo at the minimum was another impressive move that could look really smart come playoff time.
Nekias Duncan: I like Isaac Bonga heading to Toronto. There&rsquo;s been a clear emphasis in adding rangy defenders, and Bonga fits the bill while adding a hint of ball skills. I felt like he was a bit buried in Washington, so I&rsquo;m interested to see if he gets more burn.
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Spencer Davies: Patty Mills to the Brooklyn Nets on a two-year, $12 million deal. With Spencer Dinwiddie leaving and no regularly-dependable backup in the backcourt, Mills will bring an edge and depth to Steve Nash&rsquo;s second unit in this go-round. While he may not be the FIBA Patty that everybody loves, Mills will not hesitate to take shots and bury triples when one of James Harden or Kyrie Irving is getting a rest. That&rsquo;s going to make Brooklyn a tough customer from a pace standpoint, as well.
Imman Adan: It&rsquo;s not that the move itself was underrated, but I'm surprised that people are more focused on what the Wizards-Lakers trade means for Los Angeles and for Bradley Beal rather than focusing on how much of a win it is for Washington. John Wall&rsquo;s massive contract was widely considered one of the worst deals in the league, yet they turned him into Russell Westbrook and then turned Westbrook into multiple talented rotation pieces and no behemoth contract. Just a massive win for the Wizards' books.&nbsp;
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Chris Sheridan: That would be Miami signing P.J. Tucker away from Milwaukee. I am a huge fan of guys who kill it on defense, and we saw P.J. do a great job against the Brooklyn Nets in their second-round series when the Bucks came back from being down 3-2. Milwaukee is going to miss that guy. The reason they got him in the first place was to have someone who could guard opposing forwards in the postseason, and there will come a time when the Bucks realize how much they miss him. Both Tucker and Jimmy Butler really get after it on the defensive end, so kudos to Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra and Andy Elisburg for snatching Tucker away from the Bucks in free agency.
Ethan Fuller: I'm a big fan of the Los Angeles Clippers' draft class as a whole. The Clippers went after their favorite prospects, trading up to get uber-athletic Keon Johnson at No. 21 and cerebral playmaker Jason Preston at No. 33. Then, they took a flier on a former five-star player in Brandon Boston Jr. with the No. 51 pick. All three possess immense upside, and the Clippers are deep enough where they don't need any rookie to step into the rotation right away.
Evan Sidery: In terms of overall value, the Phoenix Suns hit a home run re-signing backup point guard Cameron Payne to a three-year, $19 million deal. Compared to other backup facilitators, Payne&rsquo;s annual value fell well below what others have been paid over the last few offseasons. After Phoenix gave Payne a chance to revive his NBA career, the 27-year-old point guard returned the favor by giving the Suns a discount. Payne, who has become a wonderful fit within their system, will continue to play a vital role for the Suns as a key cog to their improved second unit. Payne, Landry Shamet, Cameron Johnson and JaVale McGee will give Phoenix such a strong bench.
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Jesse Blancarte: The Los Angeles Clippers&rsquo; trade for Eric Bledsoe. There may be some pushback on this selection, but hear me out. Yes, Eric Bledsoe has struggled over the last few seasons. Yes, Patrick Beverley is a high-level defender (when healthy) and was an emotional leader for the Clippers. Yes, Rajon Rondo has championship experience and is capable of elevating his game in the postseason. But with this deal, the Clippers lowered this season's luxury-tax payment significantly, opened a needed roster spot and took a reasonable chance on Bledsoe having a bounce-back season. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined for possibly the entire season, Bledsoe offers another playmaker who can attack the basket and defend multiple positions.
Drew Maresca: This one&rsquo;s easy &mdash; Kemba Walker to New York. It flew under the radar given the timing of the move relative to the other major signings, but adding a legitimate point guard who is just <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/an-indepth-breakdown-on-how-and-why-kemba-walker-will-help-the-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two years removed from an All-Star selection</a> is a big deal for a team that&rsquo;s been looking for a reliable point guard for (literally) decades. Just two years ago, Walker signed a four-year max contract worth $141 million, so the fact that New York was able to sign him to a two-year, $18 million deal makes the move even more impactful.
Jonathan Concool: P.J. Tucker to the Heat. 100%. I think this also wins because absolutely no one saw this move coming. Tucker, who is coming off his first championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, was expected to remain with the team considering how much he contributed during their postseason run. However, Pat Riley had other plans. The Heat nailed their offseason &mdash; re-signing Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler, acquiring Kyle Lowry, and then bringing in more veteran, championship experience in Tucker. Tucker does so many things that don&rsquo;t show up on a box score and he'll be a key contributor for the Heat, who are clearly serious about making another deep playoff run.
Jannelle Moore: My pick for the best underrated move is JaVale McGee joining the Phoenix Suns. The Milwaukee Bucks exposed Phoenix&rsquo;s lack of depth at center. By signing McGee &mdash; a serviceable big with playoff experience and three championships on his resume &mdash; the Suns addressed that need.

Now that most of the free agents have signed and the dust has settled, what were some of the most underrated offseason moves?

NBA Roundtable: Breaking down this offseason's most underrated moves

The 2021 NBA Summer League has concluded, with the Sacramento Kings winning the Summer League championship over the Boston Celtics. While the Kings and New Orleans Pelicans are the only teams who left Las Vegas with an undefeated record, plenty of players made the most of their opportunity during the tournament.
There were rookies who made a strong first impression at the NBA level, second-year players who were determined to showcase more of their game and prove they're ready for a bigger role, and veterans who hoped to earn a roster spot or training-camp invite. We asked our staff the following question:
Which player impressed you the most during Summer League?
Nekias Duncan: Not enough nice things can be said about the three-game stretch that Jalen Green put together. He popped as a shot creator, and showed real life as a passer in pick-and-roll situations. The on-ball defense looked much better than it did during his G-League stretch, though we&rsquo;ll see how that translates.
Alex Kennedy: Tre Jones of the San Antonio Spurs really stood out to me. The sophomore point guard only appeared in 37 contests as a rookie and played just 7.3 minutes per game, but he dominated the competition in Las Vegas. In four games, the 21-year-old averaged 22.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals on 50.7/36.4/90.5 shooting splits. Against the Charlotte Hornets, he hit <a href="https://youtu.be/cP5X8QT4U6k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an impressive game-winning shot</a> and finished with 34 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Jones looked too good for Summer-League action, which has to make the rebuilding Spurs happy. Like Jones, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tyrese-maxey-centered-on-getting-1-better-every-day-for-76ers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)</a>, Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies) and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chicago-bulls-evolved-patrick-williams-offensive-game-at-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls)</a> also deserve credit for shining and showcasing their continued development.
Jackson Frank: My sample is more narrow than usual because I didn&rsquo;t catch my full allotment of games, but I dug what I saw from Aaron Nesmith. He flashed some off-the-dribble verve as a pull-up shooter and driver, and even executed some passing reads I wasn&rsquo;t aware were in his bag. The Celtics need wing shooting and if he&rsquo;s a legit rotation guy with some ability to attack closeouts, that&rsquo;d help buoy them a good bit.
Spencer Davies: Though there were a number of young players who looked ready for the big stage, it&rsquo;s hard not to salivate over what Jonathan Kuminga can become. With the right development and a perfect situation among champions in Golden State, it&rsquo;s looking like he&rsquo;ll be a force to be reckoned with down the line. The jump shot is inconsistent and he comes off as a little overaggressive and reckless right now &mdash; particularly when running the floor &mdash; but the dribble moves he put on in isolation situations were eye-popping, as were his speed and strength when he finished at the rim. The 18-year-old forward has plenty of upside to be excited about. It just may take a little time before he puts it all together, and that&rsquo;s okay.
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Chris Sheridan: The Nets have a very confident rookie in Cam Thomas, who killed it at Summer League and led all players with 27.0 points per game. In fact, this scoring average is second-best in Summer-League history behind only Donovan Mitchell (28.0). Thomas has a confidence and a hunger that the Nets recognized, which is why they selected him at No. 27. Whether he can crack that loaded guard rotation in Brooklyn remains to be seen, but he could be making noise in the BK for the next decade long after Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant have hung up their sneakers.
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<div class="c-message_actions__group" role="group" aria-label="Message shortcuts" data-qa="message-actions">Evan Sidery: Jalen Green was so impressive to me throughout Summer League. We knew how gifted of a three-level scorer he was, but Green made it look so easy. For a rebuilding Rockets squad, there&rsquo;s no reason Green can&rsquo;t average 20-25 points per game during his rookie campaign. Green&rsquo;s potential is immense; eventually, he could potentially become a multi-time scoring champion.</div>
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<div class="c-message_actions__group" role="group" aria-label="Message shortcuts" data-qa="message-actions">Ethan Fuller: I've always thought the "older-equals-more-NBA-ready" philosophy is a myth. But Chris Duarte might be proving me wrong. The 24-year-old first-round rookie shined for Indiana, who used him in so many creative ways. Duarte made plays on and off the ball, got to his shots in rhythm and played heads-up team defense. He could absolutely be a day-one positive in the Pacers' rotation.</div>
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Jalen Green summer league scoring highlights <a href="https://t.co/VioXalqqwn">pic.twitter.com/VioXalqqwn</a>
&mdash; Rob Kimbell (@RobKSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobKSports/status/1426558476373921799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<div class="c-message_actions__group" role="group" aria-label="Message shortcuts" data-qa="message-actions">Jesse Blancarte: Jalen Green only played a few Summer-League games before being sidelined with a hamstring injury, but he displayed his dynamic offensive talent and showed why he was chosen second overall in this year&rsquo;s draft. Step-back jumpers, catch-and-shoot three-pointers, drives to the basket, finishes in traffic, operating out of the pick-and-roll... Green did a little bit of everything and proved he has the talent to become a superstar player in the NBA.</div>
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<div class="c-message_actions__group" role="group" aria-label="Message shortcuts" data-qa="message-actions">Drew Maresca: Dare I say&hellip; LiAngelo Ball? Listen, a lot of guys looked great like Davion Mitchell, Payton Pritchard and Immanuel Quickley. But Ball looked surprisingly serviceable in Summer League, scoring 9.6 points per game while connecting on 34.5% of his three-point attempts, and that includes a poor final outing against the Chicago Bulls (6 points, 0-for-5 on three-point attempts). If Ball <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/did-liangelo-ball-earn-a-roster-spot-with-the-hornets-during-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">makes the Hornets' roster</a>, and I think he will, he&rsquo;ll be in a comfortable spot alongside younger brother LaMelo Ball. Sure, his long-term impact is limited, but Ball was arguably the feel-good story of the Summer League.</div>
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<div class="c-message_actions__group" role="group" aria-label="Message shortcuts" data-qa="message-actions">Jonathan Concool: Jalen Green looked every bit as advertised in his short time playing for the Houston Rockets' Summer League team. Not only did Green average 20.3 points in just 24.1 minutes, he looked extremely comfortable on the court and that might&rsquo;ve been what impressed me the most. Green&rsquo;s decision to play with the G League Ignite last season certainly seemed to give him an advantage, as he showed no jitters or nerves playing in front of NBA personnel. (After his first Summer-League game, he said that it was similar to the G League.) Green outdueled No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham in a showdown between the top-two selections, scoring a game-high 25 points and leading the Rockets to the 111-91 victory over Cunningham (20 points) and the Detroit Pistons. Green&rsquo;s Summer League was cut short due to hamstring soreness, but the Rockets emphasized they were just being overly cautious in their decision to keep him out of the lineup. Things are looking up in H-Town, as this team may be able to turn things around with their young core of Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green and Christian Wood leading the way.</div>
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Which players stood out the most during the NBA-Summer-League action? We asked our BasketballNews writers to weigh in.

Roundtable: Which NBA Summer League player impressed you the most?

There are many "what-if" scenarios throughout NBA history. It's always fun to discuss these hypotheticals that could've had an enormous impact on the NBA landscape. In order to discuss some of the best "what ifs" throughout NBA history, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
What is your favorite "what-if" scenario in NBA history?&nbsp;
Alex Kennedy: The first thing that pops into my head is, &ldquo;What if the Thunder&rsquo;s Big Three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden had stayed together?&rdquo; How many championships would they have won? Would KD have remained in Oklahoma City? Sure, Westbrook and Harden may not have become the MVP-caliber players we know today, but that group definitely would&rsquo;ve been fun to watch in their collective prime. However, since that&rsquo;s one of the most obvious NBA-related what-ifs, I also want to bring up a lesser-known scenario. Entering the 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans (who were the Hornets at the time) had the No. 1 pick and the No. 10 pick. Anthony Davis at No. 1 was a no-brainer, but they had a decision to make at No. 10. According to a source in New Orleans&rsquo; front office, the team&rsquo;s top option throughout the process was a guard from Weber State: Damian Lillard. Initially, due to his age and mid-major school, Lillard was being projected as a late-lottery pick, so he was a realistic target. The Pelicans loved the idea of landing their big man of the future and point guard of the future. They had zeroed in on Lillard, but once he shot lights out at the NBA Combine and started dominating pre-draft workouts, his stock started soaring. He eventually climbed all the way up to No. 6, where the Portland Trail Blazers selected him. New Orleans settled for a different scoring guard instead: Austin Rivers. In 2014, Lillard confirmed to <a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/article_705225d3-c9e0-525e-bde0-92505557c7a7.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NOLA.com</a> that he initially thought he&rsquo;d end up in New Orleans: "I knew they had the 10th pick in that draft. That was within the range I could have gone in. In my head, it was like, 'They're going to draft AD and I could be the point guard.' Me and him talked... That was definitely what I was thinking could happen at that time." If this happened, does AD stay in New Orleans long-term? Are they a perennial contender? We&rsquo;ll never know, but it&rsquo;s fun to imagine that incredible one-two punch.
Nekias Duncan: If the prompt was &ldquo;biggest,&rdquo; I&rsquo;d be inclined to bring up the health of one Tracy McGrady because it&rsquo;s a shame that he could never completely put it together. But that&rsquo;s depressing. I&rsquo;ll stick with McGrady, though: what if Doc Rivers doesn&rsquo;t botch the Tim Duncan meeting in 2000 &mdash; or schedules it at a different time, whatever &mdash; and we get a McGrady-Duncan-Grant Hill trio in Orlando? Having McGrady and Hill dazzle in the open floor while Duncan brings it home in the half-court seems like a formula for success.
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Moke Hamilton: Probably gotta go with Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s game-winning three-pointer over Steph Curry in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Had he missed, the 73-win Warriors&rsquo; legacy would&rsquo;ve been completely different and LeBron James may have never left Cleveland. Could he leave without winning a title after writing the &ldquo;I&rsquo;m Coming Home&rdquo; piece in Sports Illustrated? If Kyrie still ended up leaving &mdash; and it stands to reason he would&rsquo;ve &mdash; could LeBron have been trapped in Cleveland? Hell, had the Warriors won that series, would Kevin Durant still have signed there? What if he stayed in Oklahoma City? I mean&hellip; there was so much fallout from that shot, so it&rsquo;s an easy answer for me, all things considered.
Spencer Davies: This may sound a little biased (and it probably is because this is the last season that I was a diehard fan), but I always think about the end of Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors in 2016. It was exciting as is, with the infamous sequence: The Block by LeBron James on Andre Iguodala, The Shot by Kyrie Irving over Stephen Curry and The Stop by Kevin Love against Curry to secure the Cavs&rsquo; first championship. But what if the basketball gods would&rsquo;ve allowed a fourth part of that chain of events: The Dunk. Or if you really want to describe it honestly, The Poster. As the Cavs were up 92-89 with 18.7 seconds left in the game, Irving received the inbound pass and took it up the right side of the court. He drew a defender and left the lane wide open for a diagonally-cutting LeBron, who rose up with the most purpose we&rsquo;d seen since his first stint with Cleveland. The moment was tailor-made for the history books, as Draymond Green attempted to contest LeBron&rsquo;s slam way too late and came within inches of being on the receiving end of an eternal highlight reel. Instead, LeBron took it inside with so much force that it ricocheted off the iron, and he ended up actually hurting his own wrist as a result. Had that dunk actually happened, it would&rsquo;ve been one of the best punctuations on a championship victory in NBA Finals history in an already unprecedented 3-1 series comeback. Somewhere in an alternate universe or different timeline, LeBron&rsquo;s title-winning exclamation point exists.
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Ethan Fuller: Quiz your friends with this one: Who is believed to be the all-time leading scorer in pro basketball history? It&rsquo;s Oscar Schmidt, who racked up over 49,000 points between his Brazilian national team and club careers &mdash; but never played in the NBA. Schmidt is the all-time leading Olympic scorer with 1,093 points, and once scored 46 to help Brazil beat the United States in the 1987 Pan-American games. He was a 6-foot-8 forward and three-point marksman who averaged a ridiculous 42.0 points per game in the 1988 Olympics. Would he have been able to make the successful transition to the NBA? We&rsquo;ll never know, but it&rsquo;s worth shouting out one of basketball&rsquo;s underrated legends.
Check out some of our other NBA Roundtables including:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-former-player-would-fit-perfectly-in-todays-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which player from a previous era would fit perfectly in today's NBA?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-who-is-the-most-untouchable-player-in-the-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who is currently the most untouchable player in the NBA?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-team-has-the-best-young-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA team has the best young core?</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-nba-contract-is-the-biggest-bargain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA contract is the biggest bargain?</a>

What are the most interesting "what-ifs" in NBA history? BasketballNews.com's writers share their thoughts.

Roundtable: What is your favorite 'what-if' scenario in NBA history?

One of the perks of covering the NBA is that you get to attend a ton of games, so you're bound to witness some wild moments firsthand. Our writers have been covering the league for many years, so we asked:
What's the craziest NBA moment that you've witnessed in-person?
Alex Kennedy: For me, it has to be Ray Allen's clutch three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. During the fourth quarter, my boss and I were sitting in the media area and figuring out our travel plans. If the Spurs won, the series was over and we'd fly home the next day; if the Heat won, we would need to stay in Miami for Game 7. With 28.2 seconds remaining, the Spurs went up by five and my boss, Steve Kyler, booked our flight home for the following day. He assumed the series was over! Shortly after, Chris Bosh grabs the rebound, Allen hits the shot and everyone was stunned. After the game, talking to Bosh, Allen and their teammates was a lot of fun; everyone immediately realized that they had just been part of something really special and historic. And, fortunately, we were able to reschedule our flight!
Spencer Davies: With the exception of seeing Kevin Durant nail a three over LeBron James to win his first championship (and subsequently repeating the shot over JR Smith in the following Finals), I would be lying if I didn&rsquo;t say LeBron&rsquo;s 2018 playoff run as a whole. There were two times -- Game 5 vs. the Indiana Pacers and Game 3 vs. the Toronto Raptors -- where The King nailed game-winners at the final buzzer. The first occasion, LeBron actually came up with the block on Victor Oladipo&rsquo;s layup and then&nbsp;knocked down the three out of the inbound (Indiana likely wins that series without it). With the second, LeBron ripped Toronto&rsquo;s soul right out of its heart with a full-court drive up the left side of the floor, threw up a 16-foot floater and banked it in as his body was going toward the baseline to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a commanding 3-0 lead. Just absolutely ridiculous moments to witness in person, especially having to withhold your thoughts being at the media table.
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Moke Hamilton: I'm so blessed to have covered seven NBA Finals and seen some truly incredible moments at Madison Square Garden, both as a young fan and a pro covering the league. Like in 2003, when Latrell Sprewell set the single-game record for most threes made without a miss (he shot 9-for-9). Years later, I saw the late, great Kobe Bryant score 61 and saw Carmelo Anthony top that by scoring 62. I covered Linsanity. And I saw some crazy things covering the Atlantic Division some years ago. But truth is, I think the craziest thing I ever saw was Ray Allen making &ldquo;the shot&rdquo; in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals; I had the good fortune of witnessing that piece of history live. I think what&rsquo;s more crazy about the shot itself was the amount of blunders the Spurs made in the final minute of that game. From missed free throws to blown coverages to failing to box out, the team that&rsquo;s always credited for its fundamentals couldn&rsquo;t close out a game they needed and they lost both Game 6 (and the ensuing Game 7) as a result. That outcome was crazy and it was only possible with Allen&rsquo;s shot, so I&rsquo;ve gotta go with that.
Imman Adan: Raptor fans booing Vince Carter&hellip; while he was still on the team. I&rsquo;ve been to many games that saw fans in the Scotia Bank Arena (formerly: Air Canada Centre) boo Vince Carter, but none like this. It was a cold autumn night, November 20, 2004, and the Toronto Raptors were in the midst of getting their derri&egrave;res flamb&eacute;ed by the San Antonio Spurs. A dejected Carter looked like he&rsquo;d rather be anywhere else than on the court when boos began to rain down. Eventually, head coach Sam Mitchell put Carter and fans out of their misery by benching him. This miraculously allowed sophomore Chris Bosh to lead a 19-point comeback, with the Raptors outscoring the Spurs 33-9 in the fourth quarter to win, 96-91. Now, this is far from the craziest NBA story, but it was a pivotal game in Raptors history -- a franchise-changing moment that signified a shift in leadership from Carter to Bosh.
Jonathan Concool: This is a tough one, but I&rsquo;m going to go with the November 20, 2010 game between the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. This was Blake Griffin&rsquo;s rookie year and it was still early in the season, so no one really knew how good this Griffin kid was since he had just missed the previous year due to injury. Well, I&rsquo;d like to think this is the game when the whole world got to know Griffin. Griffin had two literal jaw-dropping dunks during this matchup with the Knicks. One of them, Griffin was on a fast break against Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari and he spun into a monster slam on Gallinari in the open court. The other (more famous) one is, of course, the Timofey Mozgov poster, which will live on for eternity. Being in the arena to witness those dunks was truly an unforgettable experience.
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Kelsea O'Brien: Norman Powell&rsquo;s <a href="https://youtu.be/uao0ZZ8r52s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game 5 dun</a>k against the Indiana Pacers in his rookie season. I was behind the basket when it happened. It was my birthday. It was electric -- a total tectonic, cultural shift for the Raptors (who went on to win the game).
Nekias Duncan: I went to a Heat-Bobcats (yes, Bobcats) game during the 2011-12 season. I was still early in my writer phrase, so this was simply a &ldquo;Hey, I want to watch the Heat&rdquo; experience. Anyway, with around three minutes left in that game, Chris Bosh ISO&rsquo;s at the top of the key. He pumps, drives, then <a href="https://youtu.be/l0yIQUUXJ8o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jams over DJ White</a> for an and-one. It was one of the best dunks I&rsquo;d ever seen in a live setting, and also terrifying because Bosh landed so awkwardly that I was sure he&rsquo;d broken a leg or torn his groin or something.
Chris Sheridan: The craziest moment I have ever seen came when Shaquille O'Neal attempted a foul shot. The ball hit the rim so hard that it actually bounced over the basket stanchion. I challenge anyone to try to replicate that happenstance, and I would love to see a video of it happening. I am unable to find the video, but I saw it with my own two eyes.
Ethan Fuller: Tacko Fall's&nbsp;preseason debut against the Charlotte Hornets was unlike any game atmosphere I have ever witnessed in person. The crowd was thundering when Brad Stevens motioned for Fall to jump in with nine minutes left. It's the loudest I have experienced TD Garden -- and it was a&nbsp;preseason&nbsp;game. Two guys were wearing taco suits! Truly a bizarre, awesome, mythical game to be at.

We asked our BasketballNews.com staff to share the craziest NBA moment they witnessed firsthand.

Roundtable: What's the craziest NBA moment you've witnessed in person?

Prior to this year's NBA Trade Deadline, BasketballNews.com rounded up its writers and asked them to share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Thursday's flurry of moves. Over the next few days, we'll be dropping a number of these Roundtable articles. Today, we asked our staffers:&nbsp;
Which team should be a seller?
Nekias Duncan: Aside from Toronto, it would be nice to see the Orlando Magic finally sell off some stuff. Aaron Gordon isn&rsquo;t a long-term fit, nor is Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier, Khem Birch&hellip; you get my drift. It&rsquo;s time to make some moves so that a long-term vision for this roster can become clear. Right now, there&rsquo;s no telling what the Magic are even trying to do.
Alex Kennedy: The Detroit Pistons have the second-worst record in the NBA at 12-31, and the team clearly isn't going to be competing for a playoff spot in the near future. With that in mind, I'd be looking to move veterans like Wayne Ellington (33 years old), Mason Plumlee (31) and Rodney McGruder (29) for young players and draft picks. Moving Derrick Rose for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick was smart; that's exactly what this team should be doing. I loved the addition of Hamidou Diallo too. We'll see if Detroit continues to make these kinds of moves on Thursday.
Spencer Davies: You almost have to preface that question with its own question: &ldquo;Who has assets?&rdquo; It&rsquo;s no secret that the Houston Rockets want to get the most they can for Victor Oladipo. We&rsquo;ve heard the rumblings surrounding the Orlando Magic with Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, as that era is likely coming to an end. Are the Sacramento Kings going to continue on that same path? Because Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes are good pieces that could return some value. It also wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see the Toronto Raptors cash in on Norman Powell&rsquo;s career season, as he&rsquo;s going to look for a big pay day in the summer.
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Chris Sheridan: The Orlando Magic. John Hammond needs to keep Nikola Vucevic and get whatever he can for Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier to engineer a quick rebuild built around Vuc, Jonathan Issac and Markelle Fultz. The Magic were a Murphy's Law victim this season, but even at full strength were never going to be a championship contender. They need one or two good, young coachable wing players and an extra first-round pick. Gordon is in demand, and I expect Hammond to be able to get good value in return -- the type of value that enables a quick turnaround.
Moke Hamilton: If you&rsquo;re a team that&rsquo;s under .500 without at least one young superstar-caliber player who can conceivably lead you to the playoffs, then you should be a seller. The Rockets seem to qualify, as do the Wizards and Magic. If I had to pick one, I&rsquo;d probably go with the Magic, though. You can only try with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon for so long before you decide to go in another direction, and each have enough value to get a decent return back in a potential deal. The Wizards at least have Brad Beal (and Russell Westbrook), while Houston has assembled a nice collection of future draft picks in recent months. It might be time for Orlando to embrace rebuilding (again) around Markelle Fultz and whichever of Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac or Mo Bamba gives them the look and feel of a cornerstone.
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Jannelle Moore: I think the Toronto Raptors should sell. Kyle Lowry will be a unrestricted free agent after the season and their best bet is trading him now to get a player (and picks) to help them rather than letting him walk in the offseason without getting anything in return.&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: This might be an off-beat pick, but the Indiana Pacers should absolutely sell. They are another East contender under .500, but don't have the star power to inspire confidence. What they do have are a number of solid rotation pieces (Myles Turner, Doug McDermott, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, T.J. McConnell and more) who could help teams chasing a title. It's time for Indiana to reload the prospect chest and raise the franchise's ceiling.
Danny Cunningham: The Toronto Raptors should be sellers this year, although it&rsquo;s unlikely that will actually happen. Banners hang forever, and that franchise will always have the magical playoff run of 2019, but it&rsquo;s probably time for Masai Ujiri to examine what the future of the team looks like and put in place building blocks around Pascal Siakam to try and open up another window of contention, because this just isn&rsquo;t their year.
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Jonathan Concool: The Orlando Magic. It&rsquo;s time to move on from Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. These guys are far too talented to be wasting their primes on a team that hasn&rsquo;t won a playoff series since 2010. Orlando could get real assets in return and start rebuilding from scratch, as a fresh start is desperately needed down in Central Florida.
Sharon Brown: I believe the San Antonio Spurs might be sellers and will finally get with the youth movement. LaMarcus Aldridge already isn't with the team. Is it possible that we could see them part ways with DeMar Derozan, Rudy Gay and/or Patty Mills next?
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MORE ROUNDTABLES:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-will-this-be-an-active-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will this be an active trade deadline?</a>&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-who-is-the-biggest-name-that-will-be-moved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Who's the biggest name that will be dealt?</a>
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<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-i023vh"><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-deadline-roundtable-which-team-is-in-desperate-need-of-a-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which team desperately needs a trade?</a></div>
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As the NBA trade deadline approaches, which teams should be sellers? BasketballNews.com's staff shares their thoughts!

NBA Trade Deadline Roundtable: Which team should be a seller?

Prior to this year's NBA Trade Deadline, BasketballNews.com rounded up its writers and asked them to share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Thursday's flurry of moves. Over the next few days, we'll be dropping a number of these Roundtable articles. Today, we asked our staffers:&nbsp;
Who's the biggest name that will be traded?
Alex Kennedy: NBA executives are expecting mostly minor moves prior to the trade deadline since many big names already found new homes earlier this season (including James Harden, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Victor Oladipo and Blake Griffin). However, there are a few notable players who could be dealt. It remains to be seen if the Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers can pull off a trade for Kyle Lowry, which would easily be the biggest deal. If Lowry isn't moved, I believe Oladipo will get dealt for the second time this season and be the biggest name to change teams.
Nekias Duncan: The easy answer is Kyle Lowry, especially since there seems to be a lot more smoke around a Miami push. I just have this sneaking suspicion that this ends with Lowry staying put. So with that, I&rsquo;d say Aaron Gordon goes elsewhere. A lot of teams could use that blend of athleticism, finishing, short-roll passing and defensive versatility.
Chris Sheridan: It seems clear that the Houston Rockets have no choice but to turn Victor Oladipo into a rental. He was the centerpiece player that they got back for James Harden, but he clearly wants out. Rafael Stone has to become an auctioneer, basically, so that the rebuild can continue. Aaron Gordon is not necessarily a "big name," but he could be the biggest impact player for a contending team that needs one more piece. But an Oladipo trade seems more of a certainty than a Gordon trade.
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Spencer Davies: From what we understand, this will not be a trade deadline involving too many eye-popping talents on the move, so don&rsquo;t expect fireworks. Victor Oladipo and Kyle Lowry are the flashiest talents that come to mind, and their respective situations seem to be leading to a change of scenery. Andre Drummond is another player to look out for in this regard, as Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman has a reputation for surprising us before the 3 p.m. ET buzzer. Let&rsquo;s remember that it would likely take a three-team deal in order for these three players to be moved with their salaries, though.&nbsp;
Jannelle Moore: At this point, it seems like the biggest names that will be moved are Aaron Gordon and Lonzo Ball. Gordon officially requested a trade, and the Boston Celtics are reportedly the front-runners to acquire him. Ball is another name to watch since rumors have been gaining significant traction.
Moke Hamilton: Like most others, I&rsquo;d probably bet on Victor Oladipo. The Rockets clearly aren&rsquo;t building around him, and he&rsquo;s probably going to command a hefty salary this summer when he hits free agency. Houston simply can&rsquo;t afford to lose a player of his caliber for nothing, so dealing him to a fringe contender who thinks he can be a part of the solution would make a lot of sense. Seeing Aaron Gordon and Lonzo Ball with new uniforms would make a ton of sense, as well, but Oladipo is probably the biggest name.
Jonathan Concool: Lonzo Ball. This New Orleans Pelicans team has way too much talent to be sitting six games under .500, and I think Ball will be the fall guy as the deadline approaches. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are clearly the franchise's cornerstone pieces, and having a guard like Lonzo on the team is only hurting them. The Pelicans will benefit with Nickeil Alexander-Walker starting at guard, allowing Ingram and Williamson to take up the ball more.
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Sharon Brown: Maybe Andre Drummond? The 27-year-old hasn't been on the floor for the Cavaliers since Feb. 12. However, he's still owed nearly $29 million this season. It remains to be seen which team can absorb that significant contract. However, plenty of teams could use his 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
Danny Cunningham: This question is essentially a different way of asking whether Kyle Lowry will be dealt, and I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s going to be leaving Toronto/Tampa prior the deadline. That means the answer here is going to be Victor Oladipo. It&rsquo;s hard to see the Rockets hanging onto him, and if all the rumors are thought to be true, it doesn&rsquo;t sound like they&rsquo;re very interested in keeping him either.
Ethan Fuller: I think Kyle Lowry is the most probable star on the move, simply given the state Toronto is in and the need for a stable veteran point guard. The Heat and 76ers have been linked to Lowry in reports, and both teams would benefit from bringing him aboard. It ultimately comes down to how much the Raptors feel they can surge back into the playoffs, because parting with Lowry would be difficult for the fans.

In this roundtable discussion, the BBN staff weighs in on the notable players who could be dealt prior to Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

NBA Trade Deadline Roundtable: Who's the biggest name that will be dealt?

Nekias Duncan looks ahead to how the five teams in the Southwest Division will fare in the upcoming NBA season.