Zips

James A. Rhodes Arena

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Rookie Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Indiana Pacers rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a stunning 116-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points and hit a tying layup with 39 seconds left for the Pacers, who trailed 101-84 early in the fourth. LeBron James hit a one-handed floater with 20.9 seconds left, and Myles Turner missed an ensuing 3-point attempt for Indiana &mdash; but Haliburton got the rebound and found Nembhard alone on the perimeter, where the Canadian second-round pick from Gonzaga drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the night.
Haliburton had 13 assists while rookie Bennedict Mathurin added 23 points for the Pacers, who avoided their first back-to-back losses since October in dramatic fashion.
Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who were well on their way to their sixth victory in seven games before their defense faltered down the stretch. Davis missed one of two free throws right after the Pacers missed three consecutive layups and tip-in attempts in the final minute, leaving the door open for Nembhard's eventual heroics.
James had 21 points and seven rebounds, while Russell Westbrook scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half.
Los Angeles opened its biggest lead two minutes into the fourth quarter, but Indiana responded with a 10-0 run and eventually trimmed the deficit to one point with 2:11 to play. The Pacers missed three consecutive layups and tips that would have put them ahead early in the final minute, and Davis hit one free throw before Haliburton's tying layup with 39 seconds left.
Davis returned to the lineup after a one-game absence to rest his bruised left calf, while James played his third straight game after a five-game absence with a groin injury.
James scored 10 points in an early-game outburst, but he went to the locker room midway through the first quarter after he rolled his left ankle when he stepped backward onto Haliburton&rsquo;s foot. James returned to start the second quarter.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Buddy Hield had 15 points, missing five of his six 3-pointers. ... Injured C Daniel Theis played alongside Schr&ouml;der on Germany's third-place EuroBasket team this summer. Theis has yet to make his Pacers debut after knee surgery.
Lakers: Patrick Beverley served the third game of his three-game suspension for shoving Phoenix's Deandre Ayton last week. Schr&ouml;der made his third straight start in Beverley's place and got eight points and four assists. ... Lakers fan Jaime Murry hit a shot from well behind midcourt to win $75,000 between the third and fourth quarters. He celebrated by hitting the Griddy and getting hugs from much of the Lakers' roster.
SAME TEAMS
Westbrook, Hield and Turner were the main characters in months of trade rumors between these clubs, but no deal was ever reached. Turner&rsquo;s positional versatility and Hield&rsquo;s outside shooting seem to make them ideal fits for the current Lakers, but the 17-time champions have been unwilling or unable to meet Indiana&rsquo;s price.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Sacramento on Wednesday.
Lakers: Host Portland on Wednesday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Andrew Nembhard hit a three at the buzzer, and the Pacers rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth for a stunning 116-115 victory.

Rookie Nembhard hits three at buzzer, Pacers stun Lakers 116-115

I'll open with a bit of transparency: I don't know if I'll have more fun writing a piece than I will with this one.
It's easy to get lost in Xs and Os talk, rotation suggestions, or transaction rumors. It can be easy to be bogged down by off-court nonsense &mdash; looking at you, Josh Primo, and the Brooklyn Nets, as a concept. But there are certain teams, certain players and certain stories that bring me back to the ground floor.&nbsp;
At its core, basketball is a beautiful game. It is art; it is music. It's poetry. It's freakin'&nbsp;fun,&nbsp;man. Watching players make the impossible look mundane is what drew me to the sport. I wouldn't care about the intricacies of Spain pick-and-rolls without having "whew, what a fun/easy bucket" as my foundation.&nbsp;
There isn't a player in the league that breaks my "whew" scale &mdash; or makes me laugh uncontrollably &mdash;&nbsp; quite like the Orlando Magic's Bol Bol does.&nbsp;
He's broken my brain virtually; you're not having fun in an online 2K league without having him on your roster. The flashes he showed at Oregon broke my brain in real life. A guy that tall isn't supposed to have the shooting touch and handle capabilities that he does.&nbsp;
There were always valid concerns. The frame was an issue, as were the injuries he's had to work through because of it. There were questions about the motor, among other things. He slid to the second round of the 2019 draft due to a combination of those questions.
But my word, the Bol Experiment may be working in Year 4.
Through eight games, Bol is averaging career highs in points (11.1), rebounds (7.4), and blocks (2.6, 4th in the NBA) in a shade under 22 minutes a night. This has been more than the occasional flash that I freak out about on Twitter; he legitimately looks like a productive rotation player.
Injury and opportunity have thrusted Bol into the Magic's starting lineup over the last three games. He's responded strongly, averaging 13.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in 29.1 minutes per contest.
HOW IT'S WORKING
Honestly, "opportunistic" may be the best way to describe Bol's play to kick off the year. He's averaging nearly 2 offensive rebounds a game. Overall, 48.5% of his two-point attempts &mdash; that he's converting at an absurd 71.7% clip by the way &mdash; have been unassisted. You can think a combination of putbacks and grab-and-go sequences for that.
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The grab-and-go possessions really stand out. One, it's just wild to see someone like him bringing the ball up. Beyond that, the drives have actually been fruitful. The sample isn't large; the good folks at Second Spectrum have him pegged for 17 drives on the season. But the Magic have generated over 1.3 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Bol drive.&nbsp;
The real fun is that the drives have featured some kick-outs. If he shifts from one-track minded to 1.3-track minded, you consider that a win if you're the Magic. These aren't Luka-like reads, but this is growth worth keeping an eye on.
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Defensively, I find myself in awe of Bol's length and range.&nbsp;
You will often see Bol in an off-ball role, either defending a weaker opponent or defending an area as part of Orlando's zone. If he isn't directly involved in the action, he's able to sink down to disrupt drives and spray back out to bother (or dissuade) catch-and-shoot opportunities. Even when he isn't in great position (more on that shortly), his massive wingspan allows him to alter or block shots anyway.
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Among 77 players that have defended at least 75 shot attempts, Bol's contest rate (92.59) ranks 12th on the list, per Second Spectrum. That puts him right behind players like Anthony Davis (93.59) and slightly ahead of guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo (92.51).
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Aside from the grab-and-go potential, the shooting was the primary calling card for Bol offensively entering his draft year. He hasn't knocked down triples at a high clip (33.3%) or with much volume (1.1 attempts).
To the volume portion, a lot of that is because of Bol's limitations. Because of his struggles to deal with physicality, opponents are comfortable stashing perimeter players on him. What would be pick-and-pop situations are typically switches, negating much of the benefits for Bol.
There's a ton of room to grow as a screener. Again, the frame limits him from being a Steven Adams-esque bully, but it still doesn't feel like he has a firm handle on timing or angles to pry guys loose. I've been on a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-screen-time-vol-1-steven-adams-best-worst-screeners-anthony-davis-fred-vanvleet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">screening kick lately</a>, and it should come as no surprise that Bol grades poorly in terms of contact rate &mdash; meaning how often he generates contact on his screens.
It's not a situation like Brandon Clarke, where he's good at screening but ranks low in generating contact because he's so good&nbsp;at slipping; Bol just has to get better at screening as a concept.
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If he's able to do that, more scoring opportunities should rise. Pick-and-pops will open up. The Magic could further explore his usage as a handoff hub if he generates contact better; he already has enough of a handle to fool opponents with fake handoffs. But before that can be a present threat, he has to be able to pry his handoff partner open and force rotations.&nbsp;
On the other end, Bol's spatial awareness still needs work. While his length can help cover his mistakes, it's still worth noting some of the mistakes he makes, particularly when he's tasked with tracking multiple actions at once.
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Bol is often stashed on weaker perimeter players, and that weakness speaks to that player's scoring prowess&nbsp;and&nbsp;literal strength. Bol simply doesn't have the strength to deal with 5s. Even some guards have been successful in getting into his chest on drives and pushing him backwards.
He still struggles sliding laterally, and has bigger issues flipping his hips and changing direction. That's led to some pretty ugly "contain" sequences from him. It's telling that he's among the league leaders in blocks, but opponents have converted nearly 67% of their shots at the rim against Bol to this point of the season.
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But for now, the positives are outweighing the problem areas for the first time in his career. The Magic have a plus-4.6 net rating in Bol's 173 minutes, and have been dusted (minus-13.8) in their 211 minutes without him. The split looks even better if <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612753&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1629626&amp;Leverage=VeryHigh,High,Medium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">you remove garbage time</a>.
Cheers to Bol for producing, and an even bigger hat tip to him for being fun while doing it.

Nekias Duncan breaks down, and celebrates, the fun and productivity of Bol Bol with the Orlando Magic.

Magical start: Celebrating Bol Bol's early productivity in Orlando

The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Here's a look at some underrated players who could be on the move.
Check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews' 2022 NBA Free Agency page</a>&nbsp;for our complete rankings, the latest rumors, a glossary of relevant terms and more.
BRUCE BROWN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
If you want to find a truly "positionless" NBA player, look no further than Bruce Brown. The 25-year-old shifted fluidly between roles for the Brooklyn Nets &mdash; the textbook glue guy that any playoff contender would love to have. In 22 games after the All-Star break, Brown averaged 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 threes on 53.0/47.2/77.5 shooting splits. During the Nets' first-round series against the Boston Celtics, he continued to produce at this level, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 threes, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on 56.8/42.9/80.0 shooting splits. Brown proved he can be an initiator, a connective passer, a multi-faceted off-ball player and a primary defender, so he is due for a payday.
LU DORT, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Lu Dort established himself as one of the league's elite young defenders early in his career. Last season, he proved that he is also capable of putting up points on the offensive end. Before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Dort was averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 made threes. Over his final eight games, he averaged more than 23.0 points per game. Dort has one of the biggest bargains in the NBA, as he earned $1,782,621 last season. The Thunder decided to decline his team option, making him a restricted free agent.
MALIK MONK, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Mailk Monk, the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, failed to live up to expectations over the first four years of his career in Charlotte. He made just one career start as a member of the Hornets, and averaged 9.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 233 appearances while shooting below 34% from three. As a result, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to ink him to a one-year contract at the veteran minimum ($1.7 million) last offseason. Surprisingly, Monk established himself as one of the Lakers' most consistent and effective players. In the 37 games he started this year, Monk averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.9 threes while shooting 47.8% from the field, 42.2% from three and 79.2% from the free-throw line. He will look to cash in and receive a significant pay raise in July.
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MARVIN BAGLEY III, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Getting traded from Sacramento to Detroit gave Marvin Bagley III an opportunity to revive his career. He scored in double-digits in 15 of his 18 games with the Pistons, and he finished the season averaging 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 55.5% from the field. If Detroit is sold on Bagley as a long-term fit (and vice versa), the two sides may be able to reach a multi-year deal. Perhaps a team will give Bagley a significant offer sheet after what he showed following the trade. Another option for Bagley is signing the one-year qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023. However, since he failed to start 41 games or play 2,000 minutes this season, his qualifying offer decreased from $14.8 million to $7.3 million, making that option a bit less appealing.
JAE'SEAN TATE, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After going undrafted in 2020, Jae'Sean Tate earned his way onto the NBA's All-Rookie Team by averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals with the Houston Rockets. Despite logging fewer minutes last season, Tate increased his scoring (11.8 PPG), rebounding (5.4 RPG) and assist (2.8 APG) averages. The Rockets declined Tate's $1.8 million team option for the 2022-23 campaign, making him a restricted free agent. However, all signs point to the 26-year-old remaining in Houston.
VICTOR OLADIPO, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After missing most of the 2021-22 season while recovering from surgery on his ruptured quad, Victor Oladipo returned to Miami's lineup for the final eight games of the regular season and averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 threes on 47.9/41.7/73.7 shooting splits. Oladipo had several impressive outings, including a 40-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist, 5-three, 2-steal performance in the regular-season finale against Orlando and an efficient 23-point, 3-assist, 3-steal outing in Miami's Game 5 win over Atlanta. Oladipo's days as an All-Star-caliber player are over, but the 30-year-old can still be a significant contributor and his flashes are bound to intrigue teams.
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NIC CLAXTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Nic Claxton has consistently impressed in limited playing time off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets. His per-36 minute averages last season were outstanding: 15.2 points (on 67.4% shooting), 9.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals. The Nets have limited depth due to the high salaries of their top players and billionaire owner Joe Tsai is unafraid of paying the luxury tax, so Brooklyn is expected to match any reasonable offer Claxton receives.
GARY PAYTON II, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
It's no surprise that Gary Payton's son is a terrific on-ball defender. After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, Gary Payton II bounced around from team to team (including multiple G League stints) before finally sticking in the NBA. This season, he broke out with the Warriors, averaging a career-high 17.6 minutes and even starting 18 games (including the playoffs). He averaged 2.5 deflections and 1.4 steals per game, bothering plenty of opposing scorers. He earned just $1,669,178 this season, but he outplayed his contract and helped the Warriors win a championship. Now, a nice payday is imminent.&nbsp;
LONNIE WALKER, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Lonnie Walker averaged career-highs in points (12.1), assists (2.2), rebounds (2.6) and steals (.6) per game for the San Antonio Spurs, despite playing fewer minutes (23.0) each night. Teams will be <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonnie-walker-is-surging-compelling-offseason-gamble-san-antonio-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interested in the 23-year-old's potential</a>. Walker is a restricted free agent, so San Antonio can match any offer sheet he receives.
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CHRIS BOUCHER, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Chris Boucher just completed a two-year, $13.5 million deal that he signed in 2020. After averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 2020-21, his production and efficiency dipped in 2021-22. He shot 38.3% from downtown in 2020-21, but that number fell to 29.7% this season, and his scoring average dropped to 9.4 points per contest. However, it's worth noting that the Raptors allowed just 105.7 points per 100 possessions with Boucher on the floor, and that his net rating of plus-5.4 was second on the team (behind only Pascal Siakam&rsquo;s plus-7.4).
OTTO PORTER JR., UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last offseason, Otto Porter Jr. shocked everyone when he decided to join the Golden State Warriors on a veteran-minimum deal despite receiving larger offers elsewhere. His gamble paid off, as he won a championship and now he's due for a nice raise. This season, Porter averaged 8.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 threes and 1.1 steals in 22.2 minutes per game, while shooting 46.4% from the field, 37.0% from three and 80.3% from the free-throw line. There's no question that producing as a key reserve for Golden State helped his stock, and it'll be interesting to see what kind of offers he receives this offseason.
T.J. WARREN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
T.J. Warren was a beast in the NBA Bubble at the end of the 2019-20 season, when he averaged 31.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 threes. With that said, he played just four games during the 2020-21 season and he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign. He'll have to provide medicals to any team that&rsquo;s interested, but he's still just 28 years old. Some team will likely roll the dice on a one-year, make-good contract in hopes of Warren resurrecting his career. A return to Indiana remains a possibility too.
ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
This season, Isaiah Hartenstein emerged as a multifaceted contributor for the Los Angeles Clippers and one of the best backup centers in the NBA. Hartenstein's bag of tricks as a passer and interior scorer make him an offensive weapon even without a viable jumper. On defense, he blocks shots and contests the rim with proficiency. This year, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 block in 17.9 minutes per game.
CALEB MARTIN, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
In his first season with the Miami Heat, Caleb Martin averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 threes, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steal, while shooting 50.7% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. The 26-year-old has proven to be a reliable role player. Martin is a restricted free agent, so the Heat can match any offer he receives.
JALEN SMITH, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Jalen Smith was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but the Phoenix Suns decided to trade him after he appeared in just 56 games. The Suns dealt Smith and a future second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Torrey Craig. The 22-year-old got a fresh start in Indiana, where he averaged 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 threes, 1.0 block and 0.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game. Smith scored in double figures in 18 of his 22 games with the Pacers. Now, after the best stretch of his young NBA career, Smith is an unrestricted free agent and it'll be interesting to see how teams value him.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for BasketballNews' complete free-agency rankings</a>. And check out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-rumors-live-notebook-all-the-latest-news-trades-and-intel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our NBA rumor tracker</a>, which we'll continue to update throughout free agency.
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The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Here's a look at 15 underrated players who could be on the move.

2022 NBA Free Agency: 15 sleepers who are available

The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Who are the top players available? Here's a look at 15 notable players who could be on the move.
Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews' 2022 NBA Free Agency page</a> for our complete rankings, the latest rumors, a glossary of relevant terms and more.
ZACH LAVINE, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Zach LaVine bet on himself instead of signing a four-year, $105 million extension last offseason, and the gamble has certainly paid off. He averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 made three-pointers while shooting 38.9% from downtown and a career-high 85.3% from the free-throw line. Steph Curry is the only player in the NBA to match or exceed LaVine in those statistical categories last season. With LaVine playing at such a high level, he'll want a max deal that pays approximately $200 million over five years. The most any other team can offer LaVine is around $160 million over four years. LaVine is expected to return to the Chicago Bulls when all is said and done.
JAMES HARDEN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
James Harden declined his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season and he's now an unrestricted free agent. However, all signs point to Harden remaining with the Philadelphia 76ers on a new deal. The 32-year-old struggled during the playoffs, especially in the second round when he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 turnovers and 2.5 threes, while shooting 40.4% from the field, 33.2% from three and 76.1% from the free-throw line. Harden turns 33 years old in August and he seems significantly less explosive. Harden is&nbsp;
BRADLEY BEAL, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
In February, Bradley Beal underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. Prior to the injury, Beal's scoring average had dipped dramatically (from 31.3 points per game in 2020-21 to 23.2 this season), and he was shooting just 30.0% from downtown. However, the three-time All-Star averaged a career-high 6.6 assists. Beal declined his $36.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season, but he's expected to re-sign with the Washington Wizards barring a sudden change of heart.
DEANDRE AYTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Deandre Ayton is the crown jewel of this year's free-agent center crop. Although the Phoenix Suns surprisingly chose not to offer him a max extension last offseason (worth approximately $173 million over five years), Phoenix can match any offer the former No. 1 overall pick receives this summer. However, an up-and-down postseason has raised questions about the 23-year-old&rsquo;s future with the team. In Phoenix&rsquo;s embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Ayton had just 5 points and 4 rebounds, leading Monty Williams to bench him after only 17 minutes. Ayton is a young, improving player and he's widely regarded as one of NBA's best young centers. If the Suns don&rsquo;t want to give Ayton the max, they may weigh their sign-and-trade options.
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MILES BRIDGES, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Charlotte reportedly offered Miles Bridges an extension worth $60 million over four years this past summer, but he rejected it. With Bridges exploding this season &mdash; averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 threes and 0.9 steals &mdash; the Hornets' front office likely regrets not upping that offer, as the stud forward is now in line for a massive pay raise. He is one of only five players in the NBA this season who knocked down at least 125 three-pointers while also averaging at least 20-7-3. The other five players? LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns. It's worth noting that Bridges was arrested for domestic violence on the eve of free agency, which could impact his negotiations.
JALEN BRUNSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Jalen Brunson took a significant step forward during the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 threes in 25.7 minutes, while shooting 52.3% from the floor and 40.5% from downtown. The Villanova product continued to improve in 2021-22, averaging career-highs in points (16.3), assists (4.8) and rebounds (3.9). Brunson also showed he could shoulder increased responsibility by stepping up when Luka Doncic missed time during the regular season and playoffs. In the first round, Brunson helped Dallas Mavericks eliminate the Utah Jazz despite being without Doncic for the first three games of the series. In six games against Utah, Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 threes and just 0.7 turnovers on 48.1/32.9/84.8 shooting. The New York Knicks are currently the front-runners to add Brunson.
ANFERNEE SIMONS, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Anfernee Simons increased his value a ton with his play during the 2021-22 season. After averaging a modest 7.8 points per game during the 2020-21 season, Simons averaged 17.3 points last year, which was the largest year-over-year leap in the NBA last season. He also chipped in 3.9 assists, 3.1 threes and 2.6 assists, while shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc. In the 30 games he started, he was even more productive &ndash; putting up 22.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 threes and 2.8 rebounds on 45.2/41.5/87.1 shooting splits. The 22-year-old has a bright future in the NBA. One of the primary reasons the Blazers traded away CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington prior to the deadline was to clear up cap space to give Simons a big payday, so it would be very surprising to see him change teams.
JUSUF NURKIC, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, Jusuf Nurkic bounced back impressively last season, averaging 15.0 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 53.5% from the floor. Nurkic&rsquo;s season ended early due to plantar fasciitis. However, he'll likely be ready to return by the start of training camp in September. Due to Nurk's tight bond with Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, many pundits expect Portland to re-sign the big man to a multi-year deal.
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COLLIN SEXTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Collin Sexton injured his left knee in early November, and an MRI revealed a torn meniscus. He had surgery a week later, sidelining him for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. It will be <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-offseason-free-agency-examining-potential-destinations-collin-sexton-cleveland-cavaliers-washington-wizards-san-antonio-spurs-dallas-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fascinating to see what offers he receives on the open market</a>. During the 2020-21 season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor, 37.5% from downtown and 81.5% from the free-throw line. However, he struggled defensively, and the Cavs registered a league-worst 60-159 record over the first three years of his career. With Sexton out of action this season, Cleveland went 44-38 and made the Play-In Tournament. Darius Garland emerged as an All-Star in Sexton&rsquo;s absence. Because he is a restricted free agent, the Cavs can match any offer he receives this summer.
BOBBY PORTIS, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
With Brook Lopez sidelined for most of the 2021-22 season, Bobby Portis stepped up for the Milwaukee Bucks, starting 59 games. He averaged career-highs in scoring (14.6 points), rebounds (9.1), blocks (0.7) and made three-pointers (1.8). Portis declined his $4.6 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and he is expected to search for a significant raise.
BRUCE BROWN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
If you want to find a truly "positionless" NBA player, look no further than Bruce Brown. The 25-year-old shifted fluidly between roles for the Brooklyn Nets &mdash; the textbook glue guy that any playoff contender would love to have. In 22 games after the All-Star break, Brown averaged 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 threes on 53.0/47.2/77.5 shooting splits. During the Nets' first-round series against the Boston Celtics, he continued to produce at this level, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 threes, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on 56.8/42.9/80.0 shooting splits. Brown proved he can be an initiator, a connective passer, a multi-faceted off-ball player and a primary defender, so he is due for a payday.
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MITCHELL ROBINSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
The New York Knicks technically have until June 30 to ink Mitchell Robinson to an extension worth up to $48 million over four years. However, the two sides have not yet reached an agreement, so it appears Robinson will be able to test the market. While he has flashed All-Defensive upside in short spurts throughout his four-year career, Robinson has battled numerous injuries and baffling inconsistency. His regression at the free-throw line (shooting below 50% in each of the past two seasons) is worrisome as well. Nevertheless, few big men can supply the type of high-flying athleticism and rim-protection he brings to the table. Robinson is expected to re-sign with the Knicks, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-free-agency-rumors-examining-potential-destinations-for-mitchell-robinson-new-york-knicks-chicago-bulls-pistons-trail-blazers-magic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we'll see if any other team can make things interesting</a>.
LU DORT, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Lu Dort established himself as one of the league's elite young defenders early in his career. Last season, he proved that he is also capable of putting up points on the offensive end. Before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Dort was averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 made threes. Over his final eight games, he averaged more than 23.0 points per game. Dort has one of the biggest bargains in the NBA, as he earned $1,782,621 last season. The Thunder decided to decline his team option, making him a restricted free agent.&nbsp;
TYUS JONES, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Tyus Jones has proven to be a reliable, efficient backup point guard. Last season, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 threes, 0.9 steals and 0.6 turnovers on 45.1/39.0/81.8 shooting splits. However, he has also shown that he can step into the starting lineup and take on more responsibilities. In 23 games as a starter, Jones averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 threes and 1.1 steals on 45.0/39.6/83.8 shooting splits. He turned heads at times during the playoffs too. In Memphis' Game 6 win over the Warriors, he posted 21 points, 9 assists, 4 threes, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers (on 66.7/57.1/100.0 shooting) in just 24 minutes.
MO BAMBA, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Mo Bamba just enjoyed the best year of his pro career. He became the first player in Magic franchise history to average more than 1.5 blocks and 1.0 made three-pointers per game over an entire season. However, it remains to be seen if Bamba has a long-term future in Orlando. The Magic just selected Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Also, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October (and lineups with both Carter and Bamba have not performed well). Orlando didn't extend a qualifying offer to Bamba, making him an unrestricted free agent.
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<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for BasketballNews' complete free-agency rankings</a>. And check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-rumors-live-notebook-all-the-latest-news-trades-and-intel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our NBA rumor tracker</a>, which we'll continue to update throughout free agency.
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The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Who are the top players available?

2022 NBA Free Agency: The top 15 players who are available

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-sixers-and-nuggets-on-come-up-nets-sliding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics (thanks to their dominant defense) are three of the big climbers this week, while the Nets continue to head in the wrong direction.
1. Phoenix Suns (44-10) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
Despite posting the NBA's best record, the Suns are reportedly looking to upgrade their roster. <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumors-james-harden-ben-simmons-caris-levert-collin-sexton-malik-beasley-thaddeus-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype</a>, Phoenix is one of two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves being the other) that have expressed interest in trading for San Antonio Spurs veteran Thaddeus Young.
2. Golden State Warriors (41-13) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
It appears Klay Thompson is finding his groove, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. Klay has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games and is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.6 made treys (while shooting 42.9% from downtown) over his last five contests. &nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (38-18) &harr;️ Last Week: 3
The Grizz just keep on winning. They've won 6 of their last 7 games and 19 of their previous 23. Memphis has not lost consecutive contests since before Christmas. Over their last 20 games, Ja Morant is averaging 29.9 points (while shooting over 51% from the floor), 6.7 dimes, 6.3 assists, 1.6 made triples and 1.1 steals. Those are jaw-dropping numbers for any player, let alone a 22-year-old kid in just his third pro season.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 9
Interesting statistical factoid from the Bucks 137-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. In that game, Milwaukee became the first team in NBA history to have each member of its starting lineup score at least 15 points, grab at least 5 rebounds and knock down at least 2 three-pointers.
5. Miami Heat (35-20) &harr;️ Last Week: 5
When the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, Miami clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through the end of last week, which means Erik Spoelstra and his staff will head to Cleveland later this month to coach Team Durant in the All-Star Game.
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6. Chicago Bulls (33-21) &harr;️ Last Week: 6
The Bulls, playing without two of their best perimeter defenders in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, have lost 3 of their last 4. However, after playing Wednesday in Charlotte, Chicago begins a six-game homestand that wraps around All-Star weekend. Following the matchup with the Hornets, the Bulls don't play on the road again until Feb. 28.&nbsp;
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
The Cavs acquired Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for injured point guard Ricky Rubio and three draft picks over the weekend. "Very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience," Cleveland president Koby Altman told reporters. "LeVert fits uniquely into our culture, and his Ohio roots bring an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster." It's an excellent addition for the Cavs to supply them with the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/reaction-caris-levert-fills-blended-need-for-cavs-as-pacers-reset" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scoring wing they were looking for</a>, making Cleveland that much scarier come playoff time. LeVert is expected to be active for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
8. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 4
The Sixers are 10 games over .500 and Joel Embiid is doing much of the heavy lifting. Over his last 10 games, the big man is averaging 36.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the process, he may have established himself as the odds-on favorite to take home the MVP award entering the All-Star break. &nbsp;
9. Dallas Mavericks (32-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Reggie Bullock tallied 22 points (on 8 of 14 shooting with 6 made three-pointers), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. He's been a big part of the Mavs success of late. Over Dallas' past seven games, Bullock is averaging 17.9 points (while shooting 50.0% from the floor), 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 treys, 1.3 steals and just 0.6 turnovers.
10. Utah Jazz (33-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 11
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Donovan Mitchell sealed the win for the <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> with 3 fourth-quarter steals, after GOING OFF for 21 points in the first half! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeNote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TakeNote</a> 🕷 <a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spidadmitchell</a>: 32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL <a href="https://t.co/IiPsFfYDIu">pic.twitter.com/IiPsFfYDIu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490927965319970816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Donovan Mitchell racked up 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in Utah's victory over the Knicks on Monday night. Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) did not play in the win, but the Jazz are hoping he is cleared to return to the action later this week. They also just acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a three-team deal</a> to add some youth (and depth) to their backcourt.
11. Denver Nuggets (30-24) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
Nikola Jokic was at it again Sunday, registering another triple-double in Denver's 124-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Joker finished with 27 points (on 12 of 15 shooting), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and just 2 turnovers in only 30 minutes. This one (his NBA-leading 14th triple-double) was notable because it was the second time in Jokic's career he's recorded a 25-point triple-double while also shooting above 80% from the floor. Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history with more than one such game.
12. Toronto Raptors (29-23) ⬆️ Last Week: 14
The Raptors, who are currently riding a six-game winning streak, have discussed a trade that would send Goran Dragic (and his $18 million expiring contract) to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>.
13. Boston Celtics (31-25)&nbsp;⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Celtics have posted a 13-4 record dating back to New Year's Eve, and it's their defense that has turned Boston's season around. Over this 17-game stretch, the C's are allowing just 101.5 points per 100 possessions. To put that number in context: No team in the NBA other than Boston is allowing fewer than 106.5 points per 100 possessions over the past six weeks. Boston ranks first in Net Rating in 2022 as well. As usual, Marcus Smart has led the charge (pun intended) on the defensive front. He leads his team in pass deflections (64 more than any other Celtic) and charges drawn.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-25) ⬆️ Last Week: 17
In the 18 games this season in which Minnesota has been able to roll out its preferred starting five of D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley, the Wolves are 13-5.
15. Brooklyn Nets (29-25) ⬇️ Last Week: 12
The Nets have lost nine straight games. They are 12 games under .500 dating back to late December. Kevin Durant is still weeks away from returning to action after spraining the medial collateral in his left knee last month. James Harden looks puffy and is nursing a hamstring injury. Joe Harris suffered a setback in his recovery from left ankle surgery in late January and reportedly could need a second surgery. Of the 27 games remaining on the Nets schedule, 14 of them are on the road. However, four of those contests are against either the New York Knicks or Raptors, which means Irving will only be able to suit up for (at most) 10 games. But, yeah, other than that, everything is all good in Brooklyn.&nbsp;
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16. Charlotte Hornets (28-27) ⬇️ Last Week: 13
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2953236-nba-trade-intel-cj-mccollum-has-become-best-player-likely-dealt-at-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> this week that the Hornets are one of several teams that have expressed interest in Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl. The Bulls and Raps have also been rumored to be interested in Poeltl.
17. Atlanta Hawks (26-28) ⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Hawks were just 1-3 in their previous four games prior to Tuesday (although that one win was impressive &mdash; a victory at home over the Suns last Thursday, which snapped their 11-game winning streak). Atlanta took advantage of a reeling Indiana Pacers squad Tuesday night, beating them 133-112.
18. Los Angeles Lakers (26-29) &harr;️ Last Week: 18
Over the Lakers' last four games, Russell Westbrook is shooting a putrid 27.5% from the floor, 15.4% from downtown and 55.0% from the charity stripe. Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Knicks, when Westbrook was alone with the ball in the corner, the home crowd shouted at him not to shoot. When New York forced overtime, head coach Frank Vogel benched Russ for Talen Horton-Tucker. Westbrook was also benched for the final 14 minutes in Tuesday&rsquo;s loss to the Bucks. Will the Lakers admit they made a mistake before the deadline and reroute Russ out of Los Angeles?
19. New Orleans Pelicans (22-32) ⬆️ Last Week: 23
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔥 Brandon Ingram WENT OFF for 17 points in the 3rd quarter on his way to 33 points and the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> win! <a href="https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B_Ingram13</a>: 33 PTS, 12 AST, 3 STL <a href="https://t.co/3uT1ocPpgg">pic.twitter.com/3uT1ocPpgg</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1490683017949552641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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New Orleans, who won just one of their first 13 games this season, is now riding a four-game winning streak and has jumped up into 10th place in the Western Conference. And on Tuesday, the team <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-the-pelicans-pushing-chips-in-on-cj-mccollum-was-a-wise-investment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added a stud scorer to its roster</a>. The Pels acquired CJ McCollum along with Larry Nance and Tony Snell from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jason Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada and draft compensation. I love this deal for New Orleans.&nbsp;
20. Los Angeles Clippers (27-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 19
Last week, the Clippers made a shrewd trade, sending Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick to the Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. It will help not only help them make a playoff push this year, but will also <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/breaking-down-why-the-blazersclippers-deal-works-for-both-sides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">round out their roster next season</a> when they can count on both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George returning to full strength. Powell looked great in his Clippers' debut on Sunday, tallying 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting in just 24 minutes. He followed that up with a 16-point night in a lopsided loss to the Grizz.
21. Washington Wizards (24-29) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
After the 2021-22 season started with plenty of promise, the Wiz have lost 8 of 9 heading into Thursday's matchup with the Nets. They will likely look to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-trade-destinations-for-spencer-dinwiddie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade the struggling Spencer Dinwiddie</a> before the deadline arrives.&nbsp;
22. New York Knicks (24-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 21
New York has lost 10 of its last 12 games, but Mitchell Robinson had been playing some of the best basketball of his career before sitting out Tuesday's loss due to a back injury. Over the last month, Mitch Rob is averaging 11.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. During this stretch, the only other players in the NBA also averaging double-digit points and rebounds to go along with at least 1.4 blocks are Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
23. San Antonio Spurs (20-34) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
Spurs fans learned Monday that Dejounte Murray will make his NBA All-Star Game debut after being named an injury replacement by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Murray is averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season, and has a chance to become just the third player ever to average at least 8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per game over an entire season.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (20-36) ⬆️ Last Week: 26
The Kings shook up the league Tuesday afternoon, trading Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick. It is stunning that Sacaremto would part ways with Haliburton. The 21-year-old has exceeded all expectations since being drafted in 2020. He is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 5 assists and 2 made three-pointers per game while shooting over 40% from downtown in each of his first two pro seasons. (The only player to have accomplished this feat is Stephen Curry.)
25. Portland Trail Blazers (21-34) ⬇️ Last Week: 22
The Blazers made waves on Tuesday, trading away former franchise cornerstone CJ McCollum. It continued on Wednesday afternoon, as Portland rerouted Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Utah for Joe Ingles' expiring $14 million deal in a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nickel-alexanderwalker-on-the-move-again-as-blazers-jazz-spurs-complete-threeteam-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three-team trade</a>. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that "Portland plans to fully reshape the roster around Damian Lillard now... the plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat." The team's also created a ton of cap space in the process and has a $21 million trade exception at its disposal.
26. Indiana Pacers (19-37) ⬇️ Last Week: 25
The Pacers, who are just 5-18 since Christmas, began breaking down their roster by trading Caris LeVert to the Cavs on Sunday, and then <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-exit-blockbuster-trade-with-kings-as-huge-winners-thanks-to-tyrese-haliburton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shipped off Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento</a>, as noted above. As our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bucks-interested-in-trading-for-myles-turner-pacers-may-keep-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy reported</a>, Myles Turner is "a big fan of Tyrese Haliburton's game and is excited about the possibility of playing with the young guard." It appears Turner may stay in Indiana.
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27. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-36) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
The Thunder lost to the Warriors on Monday night, but Luguentz Dort had another strong outing, tallying 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. In the three games OKC has played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort is averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 three-balls.
28. Houston Rockets (15-39) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Rockets would love to join this week's wheeling and dealing by exchanging veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon for draft capital. We'll see if they find a willing trade partner.&nbsp;
29. Orlando Magic (13-43) ⬆️ Last Week: 30
We know the Magic hope to flip Terrence Ross and Gary Harris in exchange for draft picks before Thursday's deadline. The question is whether they will also look to deal big man Mo Bamba. After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Bamba is posting career-highs across the board this season. However, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October. The Magic are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Bamba, who has a $10.1 million qualifying offer for 2022-23 and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
30. Detroit Pistons (12-42) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
Killian Hayes has played a bit better of late, but he has failed to live up to expectations since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, Hayes is one of only two players in the NBA logging more than 20 minutes per game yet shooting below 38% from the floor and averaging fewer than 10 points per contest. For his career, he is just 50-of-179 from downtown (27.9%)... The Pistons have lost 9 of their last 10 contests.
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Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Bucks back into top tier, Mavs vault into top-10

After a dismal 1-16 start followed by a 9-4 stretch&nbsp; &mdash; sandwiched with rumors of cutting loose head coach Stephen Silas midseason &mdash; the Rockets have gone awry yet again. They're sporting a 2-10 mark since then. Houston is young, they're certainly imperfect, and they're in store for significant change during the season if they maintain their current trajectory.
To stop and take stock of the youth movement during the first full rebuilding year post-James Harden, <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mat Issa</a> and I teamed up to gauge the development and future of the young players on the roster.&nbsp;
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Jae'Sean Tate
There are few players in the NBA I enjoy watching more than Tate. At 26, it's hard to necessarily consider him part of the young core and rebuild, but complementary role players are an absolute must in developing high usage players.&nbsp;
Tate possesses stellar defensive versatility and efficacy &mdash; many players can do a lot of things, but doing a lot of things well is where Tate manifests his value on both ends, whether it be:
Playing the passing lanes.
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Holding his own in isolation.
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Rotating in help.
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Or hounding ball-handlers at the point of attack.
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Tate is on the shortlist of players who are in a "when" not "if" category when looking to future All-Defensive team ballots. He can still clean up his off-ball defense, and he overshoots at times on switches, but many of these issues can be linked to communication &mdash; which this Houston team strongly lacks.
His offense requires more digging, as his box score doesn't leap off the page and understates his impact. He's one of only four Houston players that rates as a positive in Offensive Estimated Plus Minus, and the only Rocket who rates positive in both offensive and defensive EPM.&nbsp;
Tate is a solid finisher, but a poor shooter on low volume. He derives the majority of his positive play on offense through his decision-making and court vision. The Rockets at times take advantage of his frame and ability to bully smaller guards in the post, in order to create passing opportunities or easy scoring looks if he doesn't draw a double team.
He's excellent when grabbing and going, with timely kick-ahead passes and pacing to jumpstart the break. He's a really solid screener, which opens up intriguing small-small ball-screen actions that allow him to operate as a dribble-handoff facilitator and occasional roll man.
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Was going back through my notes and realized I forgot to clip this. One of my favorite little plays from the week Jae'Sean Tate's been awesome <a href="https://t.co/FIdwDa28US">pic.twitter.com/FIdwDa28US</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1474041808363655171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2021</a></blockquote>

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He just does everything to an extent.
His lack of shooting does hold him back from becoming one of the truly elite role-players in the league, but make no mistake, finding Tate last season has proven a vital building block for the Rockets.&nbsp;
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Kenyon Martin Jr.
KJ Martin was another pleasant surprise for the Rockets last year, far outplaying his draft value and contributing at a relatively high level much earlier than expected as a professional. That's what made his start to the season all the more perplexing. He started the year mostly out of the rotation and accruing a DNP before being reinserted to the regular rotation, albeit in a smaller role than last season (non-coincidentally, that fact can be linked with Houston's first losing streak). Fortunately, his minutes have evened back out (23 minutes per game in January) and he's played productively.
KJ has shown the foundation to become an elite play-finisher, part of what makes him so tantalizing alongside the burgeoning high usage creators on the team. He's 6'6, but one of the best leapers in the NBA &mdash; his verticality has&nbsp;boosted his gravity as a roller and cutter.&nbsp;
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He has solid counters already around the rim, with some touch on his hook shots. He's a quality passer on the roll already and makes quality decisions, although I'd even like to see him attempt some more risky passes.
To make the most of himself as a margins-based prospect, he'll need to improve as a screener and get a little stronger, but that describes almost any young player.
He's still coming along as a shooter (34.9% on threes for his career) and that's perhaps the biggest area for his improvement. If he was more willing to take his open shots, and some contested ones as well, he'd be able to flex with more opportunities as a ball-handler from the perimeter. He's not yet comfortable coming off of screens or operating with much movement, and has room to improve his footwork and shot preparation overall.
Part of what's so difficult in evaluating KJ is trying to perceive the upside he has. He's had some bright flashes as a ball-handler, primarily off of cuts where he gets room to gather himself, or attacking close-outs, but the results have been fairly mixed. His handle is quite clunky right now, but if he's able to make some real improvement there &mdash; along with his shot &mdash; he'll be cooking with grease.
KJ has some creases to work out defensively, but offers legit weakside rim protection and makes quality vertical plays at the rim &mdash; he's already a solid rotational defender with room for improvement that would be bolstered by additional strength and reps. I love his game and can't wait to see what the future holds for him, he just does good things on court!
Alperen Sengun
I cannot say enough positive things about Alperen Sengun's rookie season. I saw it with him offensively during the draft cycle, but I have been quite impressed with how he's adapted to the NBA game defensively already &mdash; and in a way I wasn't sure he'd be able to.
He's shown himself capable of playing more aggressive coverages, utilizing his wingspan and solid lateral quickness in ICE coverages to prevent drives, and using quick hands to stifle them altogether and force steals. His hands around the rim are extremely active, and in spite of some of his back-foot leaping limitations, he has a knack for tips and deflections in the paint. I absolutely love his ability to use his hips to force defenders into his contests as well. He certainly has limitations, but his ability to toe the line and expand on the margins has been tremendous to see.
Playing straight-up drop pick-and-roll defense or more in centerfield has given him some issues, if he's not able to force the defender to gather or hesitate. Straight-line bursts can hurt him due to his hip fluidity. However, that just doesn't matter very much to me. He's already shown some coverage versatility and his offensive abilities make playing a more aggressive defense worth trying.
Where do I even begin with Sengun as an offensive player, man.
Quite frankly, I've felt that Sengun is underutilized by the Rockets. I need him to start expeditiously! He's currently out with an ankle injury, so just getting back to playing at all will be a win, but the point remains: start Alperen Sengun, I beg of you.
The Rockets lack a true primary ball-handler. Kevin Porter Jr., Starting Point Guard, has been rough. Jalen Green is ideally an off-ball creator who flows into actions with his movement skills (more on that later). Sengun is pretty easily the best passer on the Houston Rockets who isn't currently sidelined by the organization (I just want to see John Wall play somewhere please).
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Like I wrote about with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/trevion-williams-thinking-outside-the-box" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevion Williams recently</a>, playing five-out doesn't really mean that you are getting guarded five-out. So often, Sengun is spaced to the slot or above the break, and while he has shown flashes as a shooter and has indicators to hint at future growth there, he is not guarded like a floor-spacer the majority of the time he's tasked with being one in Houston's offense.
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I'm not saying those need to be cut out entirely, as he's intrigued me with his loping drives off the catch.
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Sengun is so fun man. He's had some really impressive moments this season <a href="https://t.co/WiCAG1KbAl">pic.twitter.com/WiCAG1KbAlf</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1460384809964953612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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What he could be if he opens up his game as a shooter and from the perimeter is part of his intrigue. However, he could be better optimized if used more often in the middle of the floor, or more regularly being tasked with running dribble-handoffs.&nbsp;
He's shown dynamic ability as a stout screener and as a roller. Affording him more opportunities where the offense flows through him could open up even easier scoring avenues for Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Screening and handoffs are a form of creation, even if they're not often considered as such, due to the levels one has to hit as a screener and passer to actually make them viable forms of self-creation. Sengun surpasses the marks required to create in those areas, and making him a larger part of the offense is something I really hope to see once he returns from injury.
Sengun does have limitations as a finisher that currently hinder his upside as a scorer &mdash; and therefore his gravity &mdash; but his craft shown in the post and on touch shots in the paint but outside the restricted area are encouraging. I'm not sure what the ceiling is for him, but his improvements as a finisher and eventually a shooter are essential to maximizing his potential.
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Jalen Green
Jalen Green had a very rough start to his rookie season, understandable given his environment and the woes of the Rockets early on. However, his efficiency from the floor has greatly improved after a 14-game absence due to a hamstring injury: 49.8% True Shooting in his first 18 games, compared to 58.2% across his last 10, a remarkable uptick.
He's starting to get a better grasp on the finer aspects of becoming a higher usage offensive player, going through the growing pains of on-ball development. I particularly have enjoyed some of the subtleties he's started to develop in pick-and-roll.
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Green stares down the oncoming screen from Christian Wood and rejects it as soon as Russ shifts ever so slightly onto his right foot in anticipation. Jalen's downhill burst and first step were second to none in the 2021 draft class, and this play is a showcase.&nbsp;
He hasn't yet consistently unearthed some of the low hanging fruit, like using his handle in conjunction with the screen to lull his man into it, or to set up a dribble-drive that opens him an even wider lane. He uses slight screen set-up and devastating power to draw a quick foul here (4.9 FTA per game over his last 10, that's good folks!). Imagining what he'll be able to do to the rim and opposing defenses as he starts to develop more on-ball counters and craft is ridiculous to think about.
Finding easier buckets as he develops counters at the rim and on drives would be beneficial as well. Green has the essential tools that allow him to get there, but his frame and relative lack of craft around the rim has been an issue thus far. While he's shooting pretty well at the rim this season (60% per Cleaning the Glass), he's only shooting 34.8% on layups per InStat, and has really struggled when tasked with converting against good rim protectors &mdash; and against contact and length in general.
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That's partially why I want to see even more with Jalen flowing off the ball. His gravity largely comes from his athleticism and ability to leverage it. Optimizing him more in a Bradley Beal mold (think from prior years before the mid-30s usage you see today), coming off pindowns, floppy actions, staggered screens, Iversons, etc. to get the most out of his quickness, and then work his way into easier isolations or secondary pick-and-rolls, would do him wonders. Especially for younger ball-handlers, making things easier &mdash; to simplify reads and what's required of them to create offense &mdash; is ideal.
Working in tandem with Sengun's gravity from the middle of the floor could get the most out of Green as a cutter and allow the gravitational pull between the two to warp defenses. He still has a great deal to learn as a passer &mdash; honing his vision, his progressions through reads, as well as ball placement.&nbsp;
The Rockets aren't in a great place this season, but their outlook moving forward is full of intrigue due to the young talent on the roster. I'm not sure how it all fits together yet, or if it does at all. Nevertheless I'm greatly encouraged by the individual players who comprise their core and what their development has looked like even in a sub-optimal situation. I'm cautiously optimistic about the future in South Texas and what it could hold for Rockets fans moving forward.
Read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rocket-revival-evaluating-houston-rockets-young-core-part-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 1</a> of Rocket Revival, where Mat Issa broke down the rest of Houston&rsquo;s young core.

Mark Schindler breaks down four of Houston's brightest talents in Part II of his Rocket Revival series with Mat Issa.

Rocket Revival: Evaluating Houston's promising young core — Part II

If this summer taught Damian Lillard anything, it&rsquo;s that he's dedicated.
The Trail Blazers guard married his longtime girlfriend and the mother of this three kids, played in the Olympics despite withdrawing his name from consideration from the national team a few years ago, and worked on his second career in music.
He said the busy offseason centered him, because he acted on his convictions.
"All of those things that I stuck with is what has me here," Lillard said Monday at the team's media day. &ldquo;What keeps me so invested here is I want to see it through. I want to see it happen. I mean what I say.&rdquo;
There was speculation at the end of last season that Lillard might be looking to move on from the Blazers.
Lillard fueled rumors about his future in Portland following the team's first-round elimination from the playoffs. He posted a photo of himself in street clothes at the Moda Center, and quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
&ldquo;How long should I stay dedicated?&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;How long til opportunity meet preparation?&rdquo;
But in the offseason the Blazers dismissed longtime coach Terry Stotts and hired Chauncey Billups to take over. The team also added players including forward Larry Nance Jr., center Cody Zeller and Ben McLemore.
While Portland didn't end up making making a blockbuster deal that some fans wanted, the Blazers have solid depth.
&ldquo;We've established so much as a team and as an organization, we don't want to just go do something to just to say, 'I made a change.' You want it to be in line with something that could actually make us better, something that could send us to the level that we're trying to get to," Lillard said. &ldquo;We've done some things that I like. I didn't expect us to go out there and get Kevin Durant all of the sudden.&rdquo;
Portland finished the regular season 42-30 and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The team was riding momentum, having won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games. But the playoffs were brief as Portland was eliminated in the opening round by Denver.
Lillard averaged 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during the regular season.
&ldquo;Everybody knows the affinity he has for the city, for the fan base. He's really excited,&rdquo; Billups said. &ldquo;At the end of the day, Dame wants exactly what we all want, and that's to be successful and win. I think he's happy with what's happened this summer, with our roster being a lot deeper. A little less pressure for him to be absolutely amazing every single night.&rdquo;
The Blazers announced Monday that the team is 100% vaccinated.
Lillard said the decision to get the vaccination was an easy one.
&ldquo;I have a lot of people in my family who I'm tight with and spend a lot of time around, and I'm just not going to put their health or their lives in danger because I have to go do research,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;As a kid, I had to get shots my whole life, before I went to college, I had to get shots. And I couldn't tell you one thing about any of them.&rdquo;
Lillard is entering his 10th NBA season. The closest he&rsquo;s come to a title was a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2019.
Perhaps this is the season the Blazers take the next step.
&ldquo;I think over the years we&rsquo;ve always had a competitive team, I think we&rsquo;ll be competitive again,&rdquo; Lillard said. &ldquo;Obviously, at the end of last season I wanted to see our roster improve. I wanted us to have a better chance to win. And we had our conversations throughout the summer about what that looked like, and how we could take steps in that direction. I come into this season with faith that that&rsquo;s going to happen.&rdquo;

Lillard: “What keeps me so invested here is I want to see it through. I want to see it happen. I mean what I say.”

Damian Lillard has faith Blazers will be better this season

In terms of player acquisition, there are a few important dates in the NBA calendar. The NBA Draft and free-agency period kick off the new league year, while the trade deadline is a key benchmark for teams to decide if they are buyers or sellers.
However, there's one more stretch with plenty of player movement and it always seems to fly under the radar: buyout season.
Every year following the trade deadline, bought-out players are signed by teams with playoff aspirations. Teams compete in a pseudo-bidding war for veterans who want a fresh start in a winning environment.
For this upcoming season, there&rsquo;s potential for the buyout market to coalesce before the regular season even tips off. With that being said, let&rsquo;s dive into the realistic buyout candidates who could potentially help energize a playoff contender.
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KEVIN LOVE
What happens next for Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers? They just drafted Evan Mobley at No. 3 overall to be their new franchise power forward. Jarrett Allen re-signed on a five-year, $100 million deal in free agency. Larry Nance Jr. is still around as one of the best backup bigs in the Association. The opportunities for Love in Cleveland are rapidly dwindling away. And it seems like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-something-has-got-to-give-with-kevin-love-cleveland-cavaliers-koby-altman-discipline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this marriage has been on the rocks for a few years</a> now anyways.
Love&rsquo;s effort in certain situations has been poor for a team leader, and he would be wise to maneuver a buyout with the Cavaliers&rsquo; front office during the 2021-22 season.
In the meantime, is Love really going to accept a bench role for a rebuilding team? (He admitted he'd probably have a reduced role publicly when he was with Team USA, but what's that look like when it actually happens?) Also, are the Cavaliers willing to block much-needed on-court development time for Mobley by putting Love ahead of him on the depth chart?
The answer to both of these should be no, but the biggest roadblock is Love&rsquo;s remaining $60.2 million salary through the end of the 2022-23 season. Similar to what happened with Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons, a mutually agreed-upon buyout should be the next move. The question is: when will that occur and how much money is Love willing to sacrifice &mdash; if any &mdash; to join a win-now squad?&nbsp;
RAJON RONDO
Recently traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Eric Bledsoe swap alongside Patrick Beverley (who was re-routed to Minnesota) and Daniel Oturu, Rondo seems destined for an early-season buyout. He might not even report to camp for Memphis, just like what happened with Andre Iguodala before he was traded to Miami.
Currently, the Grizzlies have 18 players on their roster. Movement needs to occur, and a Rondo buyout is one of the most logical first steps. Although the 35-year-old would be a great mentor for ascending star point guard Ja Morant, a disgruntled Rondo who would rather be on a title contender might not provide much help.
Rondo ending back up with the Los Angeles Lakers, or even another win-now Finals contender like the Brooklyn Nets or Miami Heat, seems like the best bet to place at the moment. Rondo and the Grizzlies are not a perfect match, and it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising if the veteran has already made this clear to Memphis' decision-makers.
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THADDEUS YOUNG
Young was involved in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade that sent him to a rebuilding San Antonio Spurs squad earlier this month. With the Spurs looking <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/with-veterans-moving-on-san-antonio-spurs-would-be-wise-to-hit-the-reset-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more like a potential tanking team than realistic playoff contender</a>, Young would be wise to get out of the Alamo City as soon as possible.
There have already been rumors of the Spurs dangling Young in trades to contenders like the Phoenix Suns, who are in need of one more piece to fortify an already strong second unit. Whether it&rsquo;s eventually in Phoenix or elsewhere, Young&rsquo;s leadership, defensive versatility and all-around offensive game allow him to be a snug fit on any roster. Honestly, knowing Young&rsquo;s value, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a shock to see San Antonio trade him for a young prospect or a future pick at some point.
However, if the Spurs decide to keep Young until the middle of the season &mdash; a realistic possibility with San Antonio seemingly believing that the team can make a playoff push with an extremely inexperienced roster &mdash; he instantly becomes one of the best buyout options to keep an eye on.
TRISTAN THOMPSON
Is Thompson really going to play an entire season with the Sacramento Kings? I don&rsquo;t think so. I would imagine Thompson doesn&rsquo;t want to either.
The Boston Celtics traded Thompson to the Kings in a three-team deal that netted them Kris Dunn, Bruno Fernando and a future second-round pick. Now in Sacramento as the backup to Richaun Holmes, Thompson is another expiring-contract player who could change the fortunes of another organization on the buyout market. Thompson&rsquo;s strong rebounding ability would help bolster weaker frontcourt rotations.
Looking around the league for potential Thompson destinations via buyout, a few immediately stand out: the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. As you can see, a lot of teams that are determined to make a deep playoff run could use a big like Thompson off their bench.
Thompson won&rsquo;t be an early-season buyout, but he certainly could top the list for realistic options when we get towards March.
DERRICK FAVORS
Favors was salary-dumped to the Oklahoma City Thunder right after the 2021 NBA Draft so that the Utah Jazz could re-sign Mike Conley without much consequence in the luxury tax. Now, Favors is stuck on a Thunder roster that was constructed with sole intention of tanking for lottery balls. Oklahoma City owns 35 draft picks over the next five years, so their rebuilding stage is still in its infancy.
With two years remaining on his current deal, which includes a $10.2 million player option for 2022-23, Favors may be wise to play the Al Horford role as a veteran leader in Oklahoma City. However, if he would rather forego the money and chase a championship, he instantly becomes an intriguing buyout candidate down the road.
Like Thompson, Favors&rsquo; rebounding and defensive versatility would be welcome on any contending roster as a reserve big.
Although the buyout market usually doesn&rsquo;t pick up steam for another six-plus months, these names are already standing out among the rest as contenders circle rebuilding teams like vultures, waiting for the right opportunity to pry away their win-now pieces.

The 2021-22 buyout market has strong potential to help fortify contenders. Keep an eye on these players as buyout possibilities.

5 names to watch in a potentially fruitful NBA buyout market

Let's start here: The NBA is a superstar league.&nbsp;
If history has taught us anything, it's that an NBA franchise needs a superstar if they want to have a legitimate chance to capture a championship.&nbsp;
While the New York Knicks' 2020-21 season was undeniably encouraging, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-knicks-are-finally-winning-but-theyre-positioned-for-longterm-success-too">their future is bright</a>, they don't currently have a player capable of pushing them over the top.&nbsp;
Which is why, if the opportunity presents itself, New York should push all their chips into the middle of the table and go all-out to obtain Damian Lillard.&nbsp;
As you have undoubtedly heard, Lillard may be running out of patience in Portland. After being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets earlier this month, Dame quoted lyrics from rapper Nipsey Hussle in an Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPr8Btxgyzk/?utm_medium=copy_link">post</a>: "How long should I stay dedicated? How long til opportunity meets preparation?"&nbsp;
Make no mistake, Lillard is a bonafide superstar &mdash; a rare, precious commodity in today's NBA. And, despite the fact that he will celebrate his 31st birthday next month, he is still squarely in the heart of his prime and clearly playing at an elite level.&nbsp;
In this year's first-round playoff series against Denver, Lillard averaged 34.3 points (on a 66% True Shooting percentage), 10.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds. He knocked down 35 three-pointers in the six-game series, the most threes in any playoff series in NBA history.&nbsp;
During the 2019-20 regular season, Lillard averaged a career-high 30.0 points to go along with 8.0 assists, 4.3 boards and 4.1 made three-pointers. The only other players in league history to average at least 30/8/4 over an entire season are Oscar Roberston, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Michael Jordan.&nbsp;
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During a five-game stretch last February, Dame averaged 48.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 8.0 made three-pointers, while shooting 54% from the floor, 56.3% from downtown and 91% from the free-throw stripe. In the bubble last August, Portland needed to win its final three games to qualify for the playoffs; Dame averaged 51.3 points and 9.0 dimes over those three contests. And, yes, Portland won all three.&nbsp;
His recent success certainly isn't a fluke. Lillard has been named either First- or Second-Team All-NBA in each of the past four seasons (and in six of the past eight). Lillard is one of only two players in NBA history to record at least 1,500 points and 400 assists in each of their first nine seasons; Oscar Robertson is the other.
It's also important to note that these aren't empty-calorie stats Lillard is compiling. They have resulted directly in team success. The Blazers have advanced to the playoffs in each of the past eight seasons. That's the longest active streak in the NBA.&nbsp;
Lillard has single-handedly carried his team to victory by knocking down big shot after big shot throughout his career. And this past season was no different. Lillard led the NBA in clutch scoring, pouring in 162 points while shooting 51.1% from the field, 39.1% from deep and 94.7% from the free-throw line in clutch situations.&nbsp;
Over the course of his career, Lillard has made 35 go-ahead buckets in the final minute of a game, including the playoffs. That's the most in the NBA since the start of the 2012-13 season.&nbsp;
Some pundits knock Lillard for his inability to carry Portland to a championship. However, as noted above, his production in the postseason has been top-notch. His supporting cast, on the other hand, has often failed to carry their weight. Pinning defeats on Lillard is misguided, at best. Consider Game 5 vs. Denver earlier this month, which the Blazers lost despite Lillard scoring 55 points. Dame scored 20 of the Blazers' final 22 points in that contest. Over the last 10 minutes, he shot 7-of-9. His teammates combined to score two points on 1-of-14 shooting.&nbsp;
It's also imperative to point out that the Blazers have run into some elite teams in the playoffs. In 2014, Portland lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round, and the Spurs would go on to win the championship. Portland was eliminated by the dynastic Golden State Warriors in 2016 and 2017 and, most recently, in the 2019 Western Conference Finals. Last year, Portland lost to the Los Angeles Lakers team that took home the title.&nbsp;
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Imagine <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dame_Lillard</a> balling at the Mecca 👀 <a href="https://t.co/VKsA6K9KUX">pic.twitter.com/VKsA6K9KUX</a>
&mdash; DraftKings (@DraftKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftKings/status/1409529573709058052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Surprisingly, many Knicks fans have voiced strong opposition to pulling the trigger on a trade for Lillard. Some argue that Lillard is too old. Or that he's not worth the hefty price New York would have to pay to pry him from Portland.&nbsp;
Let's address the age issue first. As highlighted above, Lillard has shown no signs of wearing down. In fact, he's only gotten better and more efficient over the past few years. Furthermore, Lillard has never been overly dependent on his quickness or athleticism. His skillset is perfectly suited to excel in today's NBA, which places an astonishingly high premium on long-range marksmanship. It's not hyperbole to assert that Lillard is one of the best shooters the sport has ever seen.&nbsp;
So, this isn't Allen Iverson breaking down on the wrong side of 30. Dame's game is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-damian-lillard-stephen-curry-are-exception-to-rule-bad-shot-trae-young-three-pointers">more akin to Stephen Curry</a>. And, if you noticed, Curry, who celebrated his 33rd birthday this year, is still able to dominate defenses. In 2020-21, Curry averaged career-highs in scoring (32.0), rebounds (5.5), three-pointers (5.3) and free-throws (5.7). Lillard won't turn 33 until the summer after the 2022-23 season.
In addition, Lillard has proven to be exceptionally durable. Over the first three-plus seasons of his career, he played in 275 consecutive contests. Over the past three seasons, he's played in 213 of a possible 223 games (95.5%).&nbsp;
The reluctance among Knicks fans to part with precious assets is understandable. Fans fall in love with homegrown talent and teams that exceed expectations. However, successful executives don't let emotions get in the way of savvy business decisions. The Knicks shocked the basketball world with their success in 2020-21. While the franchise is appropriately positioned to continue its push toward consistent contention, there&rsquo;s no guarantee that New York won't stumble and take a step back next season.&nbsp;
To enter the league's upper-echelon, the Knicks need to import a superstar.&nbsp;
To acquire a player on Lillard's level, New York will need to pony up. Ideally, the Knicks could acquire Lillard without having to give up RJ Barrett. Suppose Dame demanded a trade and made it clear he wanted to play in New York, thus limiting the Blazers' leverage. In that case, New York could conceivably snag Lillard in exchange for a bevy of future first-round picks and a combination of Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox and Obi Toppin.&nbsp;
However, if push comes to shove, and refusing to include Barrett would be a deal-breaker, the Knicks would be wise to pull the trigger. When trading for a future Hall of Famer in his prime, no player on the current Knicks roster should be considered off-limits.&nbsp;
Knicks fans on Twitter are quick to claim a trade for Lillard would gut the roster, leaving New York incapable of putting a quality, well-balanced team on the floor. This is not the case.&nbsp;
Remember, New York will enter this offseason with more cap space than any team in the league. If the Knicks are forced to trade away Barrett and include Knox in the deal, New York would be sending out more than $14 million in salary between just those two players. Thus, even after they take back Lillard's $39.3 million pact, New York would still have plenty of cap space.&nbsp;
Speaking of Lillard's contract, next season is the first year of the four-year extension he signed in 2019. That means Dame is under contract through at least 2023-24, with a $48.8 million player option for 2024-25. So, it's not as if New York would be trading for a stud and hoping they'd be able to convince him to stay.&nbsp;
The Knicks have rightly received plenty of praise for protecting their assets, including their future first-round picks. (New York owns seven first-rounders over the next five years; the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets are the only teams with more.) However, if we are to believe the Knicks have turned the corner, the importance of those picks is diminished. Selections in the late teens and early 20s don't have nearly the same value as lottery picks.
Regarding Barrett specifically, I have detailed how impressive he was as a sophomore in 2021. But the odds of him developing into one of the 10-best players in the NBA, as Lillard is right now, are slim. And it could be argued that New York might be selling high on RJ if they traded him away since he&rsquo;s coming off his stellar season. Think back to this past November, when James Harden told the Rockets that his three preferred destinations were Brooklyn, Miami and Philly. The Sixers reportedly refused to part with Ben Simmons in a potential deal, and the Heat were rumored to be unwilling to include Tyler Herro in a swap. Think about how far the value of those two players plummeted in the six months that followed.&nbsp;
If they don't trade for Lillard, how will the Knicks add the franchise-defining superstar they've coveted since Patrick Ewing left town? Teams carve out cap space in the hopes of signing a stud in free agency, but that's always a crapshoot. Knicks fans were hoping LeBron James would relocate to NYC in 2010; we know how that panned out. Kevin Durant was the apple of the city's eye in 2019, and he ended up across the river.&nbsp;
The other avenue to top-tier status is utilizing hard-earned cap space and draft picks to facilitate a trade for a disgruntled superstar.&nbsp;
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As far as what a post-trade Knicks lineup might look like, the two cornerstones would be Lillard and Julius Randle. Both players made the All-NBA Second Team in 2020-21, which would give the Knicks one of the more dynamic duos in the league. Over the last decade, the only squads to boast two First- or Second-Team All-NBA players in the same season are the Lakers (LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who carried L.A. to a title in 2020) and the Warriors (Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who won two rings together).&nbsp;
For all his regular-season success last year, Randle fizzled out in the playoffs. Even at his peak, Randle is best suited to be the second-banana on a good team. Randle would be arguably the best teammate Lillard has played with in his career. If the Knicks could also keep Barrett, a trio of Dame, Randle and RJ would be a dream scenario for New Yorkers.&nbsp;
Regarding the rest of the roster, if New York was able to enter free agency with north of $30 million in cap room, and Lillard and Randle as the two foundational pieces, plenty of talented players would likely be enticed by the prospect of joining a talented, New York-based team capable of making a deep playoff run.&nbsp;
Kawhi Leonard is the gem of the summer's free-agent class. It was rumored that there was mutual interest between the Knicks and Kawhi when he last hit the open market in 2019. Even if they weren&rsquo;t able to land Leonard, there are plenty of players to pursue.&nbsp;
For instance, DeMar DeRozan is the second-best wing on the market. At 31 and an assassin in the mid-range, he'd fit in very nicely alongside Lillard and Randle. Other free-agent options include Lonzo Ball (restricted), Norman Powell, Duncan Robinson (restricted), Evan Fournier, Lauri Markkanen (restricted), Montrezl Harrell, Gary Trent Jr. (restricted), Otto Porter, Spencer Dinwiddie, Victor Oladipo, Josh Hart and Justise Winslow, to name a few.
It's also entirely possible Portland would be willing to include center Jusuf Nurkic in a potential Dame deal. Earlier this week, Nurk said he would bolt from the Blazers if Lillard leaves. "If [Lillard] goes, then I leave Portland as well," Nurkic declared.&nbsp;
Fleshing out the roster with quality veterans would be far easier with Dame as a drawing card. Year after year, we've seen vets willing to accept minimum contracts to play for a contender. It&rsquo;s safe to assume Carmelo Anthony would relish a role off the bench in New York to cap off his career. Players such as Serge Ibaka, JJ Redick, Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, PJ Tucker, Nicolas Batum, Paul Millsap, and Andre Iguodala are respected, free-agent vets who would potentially be willing to prioritize the right situation over the highest offer.&nbsp;
Players who excelled last season in New York, such as Reggie Bullock, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, would also be welcomed back to the Big Apple at the right price. And playing behind Lillard would be ideal for Derrick Rose at this stage of his career.&nbsp;
Ultimately, it all comes down to Dame. If he doesn't demand a trade, he won't be traded. If he does, he'll let the Portland front office know which team(s) he wants to go to. If New York is one of his desired landing spots, the Knicks should absolutely go all in.

New York should do everything in their power to try to acquire Damian Lillard, and no current Knick should be considered off-limits.

The Knicks should prepare to go all-in for Damian Lillard

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; The Portland Trail Blazers are compiling a list of possible candidates to replace coach Terry Stotts and general manager Neil Olshey said Monday that he hopes to start conducting a first round of virtual interviews this week.
Rumors swirled this weekend about possible candidates after Stotts was fired Friday, a day after the Blazers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, but Olshey said the team is still preparing the list to give to team owner Jody Allen.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re running a very expansive, diverse search. We&rsquo;ll probably have anywhere from 20 to 25 candidates in there with biographical data, background, intel, impact studies, coaching records, playing records, etc., so that we all are speaking the same language as we vet these candidates,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have not reached out to any teams or agents to request permission to conduct formal interviews until we&rsquo;ve had a chance to review all those materials.&rdquo;
Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd withdrew his name from consideration during an interview with ESPN after it was reported that Damian Lillard had endorsed him for the job. The names of other possible candidates also were bandied about over the weekend.
&ldquo;Rumors move fast but process moves slow,&rdquo; Olshey said.
Stotts coached the Blazers for nine seasons, taking them to the playoffs in the last eight. But Portland has failed to advance past the first round in four of the last five years.
The 63-year-old Stotts was the NBA&rsquo;s fourth-longest tenured coach in his current job behind only San Antonio&rsquo;s Gregg Popovich, Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra and Dallas&rsquo; Rick Carlisle. He went 402-318 in his nine regular seasons in Portland, with the eight playoff berths, and led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2019 &mdash; where the Blazers were swept by Golden State.
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He wrote a letter Saturday to fans thanking them, as well as everyone connected to the team, for his time in Portland.
&ldquo;Being the head coach of the Trail Blazers has been a life-changing experience,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;There have been so many special memories that my wife, Jan, and I will always cherish; memories involving wonderful people and lasting friendships.&rdquo;
Olshey said one of the glaring issues for the Blazers has been defense. The team's defensive rating was 29th in the league.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not acceptable," he said. "At 29th, you are finishing below teams that are literally in rebuild.&rdquo;
The new coach will certainly be lured by the chance to work with one of the game&rsquo;s dynamic scorers in Lillard. Olshey said Lillard will have input in the decision.
Lillard fueled speculation about his own future in Portland following the elimination loss to the Nuggets. He posted a photo of himself in street clothes at the Moda Center. The caption that he added quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
&ldquo;How long should I stay dedicated?&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;How long til opportunity meet preparation?&rdquo;
Lillard averaged a league-best 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in the playoffs, after averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during the regular season.
A six-time All-Star, Lillard just wrapped up his ninth NBA season. The closest he&rsquo;s come to a title was that quick trip to the West finals in 2019.
Olshey responded to a question about his own job security, given his hand in building the team.
&ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;m running the coaching search. I have multiple years left on my contract. I think the feeling is that in this instance, while in the past there might have been questions, the first-round loss and the defensive rating at 29 was not a product of the roster,&rdquo; Olshey said. &ldquo;I will tell you that all of us, myself included, serve at the pleasure of Jody Allen and we will all be here for as long as she sees value in our contribution.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

General manager Neil Olshey said on Monday that he hopes to start conducting a first round of virtual interviews this week.

Blazers hope to begin coach candidate interviews this week

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; No team in the NBA has a longer active streak of postseason appearances than the Portland Trail Blazers, who have gotten there in each of the last eight seasons.
That wasn&rsquo;t enough to save Terry Stotts, and Portland will have a new coach next season.
The Trail Blazers and Stotts parted ways Friday, ending a nine-year run that saw the team good enough to get to the playoffs &mdash; but not good enough to get past the first round in four of the last five seasons.
&ldquo;I have the utmost respect for Terry and what he has accomplished these past nine seasons,&rdquo; Blazers President Neil Olshey said. &ldquo;This was a difficult decision on both a personal and professional level but it&rsquo;s in the best interest of the franchise to move in another direction.
&ldquo;Terry will always hold a special place in the Trail Blazer family and the Portland community. We relied on the integrity, professionalism and consistency he brought to the job every day and we wish he and Jan nothing but the best.&rdquo;
It was being termed as a mutual decision. The move was made one day after Portland&rsquo;s season ended with a six-game, first-round ouster at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, a defeat that had Blazers guard Damian Lillard taking to social media after the game to indicate his frustration.
&ldquo;Just like at the end of every year, we are all evaluated,&rdquo; Stotts said after the season finale against Denver and as speculation about his status immediately started to grow. &ldquo;We will see what happens.&rdquo;
It didn't take long to get an answer.
Stotts, 63, was the NBA's fourth longest-tenured coach in his current job behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Dallas' Rick Carlisle. He went 402-318 in his nine regular seasons in Portland, with the eight playoff berths, and led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2019 &mdash; where the Blazers were swept by Golden State.
Well-liked throughout the league, Stotts was an assistant under Carlisle with the Mavericks for four years before taking over the Blazers. One of his most memorable seasons in Portland came in 2015-16, when the Blazers overachieved and went to the conference semifinals &mdash; despite losing starters LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez in the offseason.
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Rumors about Stotts' future with the Blazers began swirling last month, but the team's elimination by Denver sealed his fate. He had one year left on his contract in Portland.
Among the possible candidates that Portland may consider: Los Angeles Lakers assistant (and former Brooklyn and Milwaukee head coach) Jason Kidd, and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy &mdash; whose last NBA coaching gig was with Houston in 2007.
&ldquo;He should (be at) the top of everybody&rsquo;s list who has an opening in the NBA," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Kidd earlier Friday, hours before Stotts' fate became known.
The new coach, whoever it is, will certainly be lured by the chance to work with one of the game's dynamic scorers in Lillard.
But Lillard fueled speculation about his own future in Portland following the elimination loss to the Nuggets. He posted a photo of himself in street clothes at the Moda Center. The caption that he added quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
&ldquo;How long should I stay dedicated?&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;How long til opportunity meet preparation?&rdquo;
If he stays, Lillard will no doubt have input into who the Blazers choose to be their new coach.
Portland finished the regular season 42-30 and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The team was riding momentum, having won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games.
The Blazers were also healthy, with both big man Jusuf Nurkic and guard CJ McCollum back from extended absences because of injuries.
But once again, the playoff trip was brief.
Lillard averaged a league-best 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in the playoffs, after averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during the regular season.
He had 55 points, including a playoff record 12 3-pointers and 10 assists in Game 5 against the Nuggets, but Portland still lost, 147-140 in double overtime.
&ldquo;We've got to keep fighting, keep working and keep coming back to battle,&rdquo; Lillard said. "Regardless of how it ended, we are always going to have our heads held high, have class. They won, congratulations to them, but it&rsquo;s back to the drawing board to us."
A four-time All-Star, Lillard just wrapped up his ninth NBA season. The closest he's come to a title was that quick trip to the West finals in 2019.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t win a championship, so obviously where we are now isn&rsquo;t good enough,&rdquo; he said.
Nurkic, who averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds but missed time with a fractured right wrist, has one year left on his contract &mdash; but only $4 million is guaranteed. He didn't sound committed to returning next season, explaining it had to be the &ldquo;right situation.&rdquo;
But when asked what the right situation would be, Nurkic replied: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. But it&rsquo;s not this.&rdquo;
McCollum, Lillard's backcourt teammate, averaged 21.3 points this season, his best since joining the league in 2013. But he missed games with a fractured foot.
Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who filled a key role off the bench for Portland this season, will be an unrestricted free agent, along with Enes Kanter. Norman Powell has a player option for next season.
Stotts said he was proud of what Portland was able to accomplish, given the injuries and disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
&ldquo;What we did with CJ and Nurk missing games, I was proud of that,&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;At the end of the season, to do what we did was pretty impressive."
In the end, it just wasn't impressive enough.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts parted ways on Friday, ending a nine-year run.

Neil Olshey discusses 'difficult decision' to part ways with Terry Stotts

Ethan Fuller breaks down the biggest takeaways from the NBA preseason.

NBA Sour Rankings: Preseason Overreactions

The NBA and ESPN have officially unveiled the star-studded rosters for the 2026 Ruffles&reg; NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, set to take place on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET (Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 a.m. PHT) and will be exclusively available on Disney+ in the Philippines.
As part of All-Star Weekend festivities, the annual showcase once again blends basketball with pop culture, bringing together celebrities from music, film, television, sports and digital media for a night of entertainment on the hardwood.
<h3>Star-Studded Lineup</h3>
This year&rsquo;s roster features a diverse mix of talent, headlined by actor and producer Keegan-Michael Key, multi-platinum rapper Badshah, DJ and producer Mustard, and rapper GloRilla. NBA champion Jeremy Lin and 7-foot-6 fan favorite Tacko Fall add legitimate basketball credentials, while ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania is set to swap breaking news for jump shots.
From the NFL, Los Angeles-native and All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen will take the floor. Brazilian soccer legend and two-time FIFA World Cup champion Cafu also joins the lineup, further emphasizing the global flavor of the event.
Social media and entertainment personalities will also be well represented, including Dude Perfect co-founder Cody Jones, basketball content creator Jenna Bandy, singer-songwriter Adrien Nu&ntilde;ez, &ldquo;Love Island&rdquo; standout Nicolas Vansteenberghe and reality TV personality Taylor Frankie Paul. Phoenix Suns Chairman Mat Ishbia and Charlotte Hornets Co-Chairman Rick Schnall round out the roster, bringing team ownership into the mix.
Several familiar faces return to the Celebrity Game spotlight. Reigning MVP Rome Flynn is back for his second appearance, along with actor Simu Liu and Olympic medalist sprinter Andre De Grasse. Chinese actor and singer Dylan Wang and NBA legend Jason &ldquo;White Chocolate&rdquo; Williams will each make their third Celebrity Game appearances.
<h3>Coaches and Broadcast Team</h3>
The sidelines will feature just as much star power. Two-time NBA MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo will serve as a coach alongside his brothers Thanasis and Alex. Former MVP and four-time World Series champion Mookie Betts, NBA shooting coach Lethal Shooter, actor and comedian Anthony Anderson and renowned trainer Chris Brickley will also take on coaching duties.
ESPN&rsquo;s Monica McNutt will host the broadcast and conduct special interviews throughout the night, including the presentation of the MVP trophy. Veteran play-by-play announcer Mark Jones will call the action, joined by analyst Richard Jefferson.
Ahead of tipoff, ESPN&rsquo;s digital pregame show Hoop Streams will stream at 6:30 p.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PHT) on ESPN&rsquo;s YouTube and Facebook platforms. Hosted by Vanessa Richardson with analyst Iman Shumpert, the show will provide pregame analysis, celebrity interviews and live coverage leading into the game.
<h3>K-Pop Halftime and Fan Activations</h3>
Adding to the entertainment, five-member K-pop group CORTIS will headline the halftime show, marking the first-ever Celebrity Game halftime performance by a K-pop act. Recently named part of the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Friends of the NBA&rdquo; program in Asia, CORTIS&rsquo; performance underscores the league&rsquo;s continued global expansion and cultural reach.
Fans can also look forward to the return of popular in-game elements such as the Ruffles&reg; 4-Point Ridgeline and Ruffles&reg; Crunch Time. The Green Carpet presented by Wingstop will precede the game, with coverage across NBA and ESPN social platforms.
For fans in the Philippines, the exclusive Disney+ broadcast provides front-row access to one of All-Star Weekend&rsquo;s most entertaining traditions. More information, including ticket details and the full NBA on Disney+ schedule, is available on the NBA and Disney+ Philippines websites.

The NBA and ESPN have officially unveiled the star-studded rosters for the 2026 Ruffles® NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

2026 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Rosters unveiled

<div>Every February, LeBron James has been wondering why he didn't participate in the Slam Dunk Contest for more than two decades, one of the NBA's great what-ifs. Fans have debated the topic in barbershops, on sports radio, and across social media.</div>
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<div>Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson's recent interview with former <a href="https://bookmaker-ratings.ru/tip/sport-types/tip-nba-tips/">NBA </a>forward and 1992 dunk champion Cedric Ceballos has given new life to the conversation, even though some parts of the past need to be addressed.</div>
<div>Ceballos didn't just suggest that LeBron skipped the contest because he wasn't interested.</div>
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<div>He defined it as something deeper: the preservation of the brand.</div>
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<div>&ldquo;He had a chance his rookie year and he didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; <a href="https://scoopb.com/2026/02/cedric-ceballos-talks-vince-carters-springs-anthony-edwards-rise-and-why-lebron-james-skipped-the-dunk-contest/">Ceballos told Robinson</a>. &ldquo;After that rookie year, anything after that would damage his credibility and his career. It&rsquo;s not really if he wins it &mdash; because he&rsquo;s supposed to win it &mdash; it&rsquo;s that if he loses it.&rdquo;</div>
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<div>According to Ceballos, the risk outweighed the reward. LeBron had already become too big, too famous, and too accustomed to dominating. Winning would be the standard operating procedure.</div>
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<div>Losing would be a headline that would follow him forever.</div>
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<div>To reinforce his point, Ceballos referenced LeBron's high school years.</div>
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&ldquo;He lost in the McDonald&rsquo;s All-American Game,&rdquo; Ceballos said, claiming that a then lesser-known Shannon Brown outshined LeBron in the dunk contest. &ldquo;Shannon Brown beat him, but he was a little bit not as famous as LeBron and they gave it to LeBron.&rdquo;
The story fits neatly into Ceballos&rsquo; narrative: LeBron experiencing early proof that even one loss could dent his aura.
The problem? It didn&rsquo;t quite happen that way.
&nbsp;
<h2 data-start="1601" data-end="1646">What Ceballos Was Really Arguing</h2>
Ceballos' fundamental basketball critique was evident, even though his memory was spotty. According to him, LeBron is a powerful power dunker - one of the best in live action - but not a specialist in dunk contests.
&ldquo;LeBron dunks on a lot of people,&rdquo; Ceballos implied, &ldquo;but trickery, suaveness &mdash; no.&rdquo;
<div>LeBron's remarkable abilities are attributed to his speed, strength, timing, and rim violence, not to his choreographed creativity. In the past, the Dunk Contest has awarded both flair and force equally.</div>
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<div>The basketball argument is fair. Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, and Zach LaVine were legends of the contest, blending athleticism and innovation.</div>
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<div>Windmills, free-throw line glides, props, timing, and theatrical moments all play significant roles.LeBron's game has always been about efficiency and dominance, not pre-planned artistry.</div>
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<h2>The McDonald&rsquo;s Contest Reality</h2>
Officially, LeBron James won the 2003 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American Slam Dunk Contest in Cleveland. The other finalists were Shannon Brown and J.R. Giddens.
However, the nuance matters.
Many recaps from that night noted that LeBron&rsquo;s dunks were solid but relatively basic &mdash; powerful, clean, but not jaw-dropping. Brown, on the other hand, pulled off one of the most impressive single dunks of the event but missed multiple attempts afterward, hurting his overall score.
LeBron benefitted from consistency, hometown energy, and others&rsquo; miscues.
So while Ceballos is wrong that LeBron &ldquo;lost,&rdquo; he&rsquo;s not wrong that the perception afterward was more complicated than a dominant victory.
Even as a teenager, LeBron was learning something crucial: when you&rsquo;re the most famous player in the building, expectations distort everything.
<h2 data-start="3213" data-end="3356">The Real Risk for Superstars</h2>
This is where Ceballos&rsquo; brand argument actually lines up with reality.
For a player like LeBron James, the Dunk Contest was always a high-risk, low-reward proposition.
If he won? Fans would shrug and say he was supposed to.
If he lost &mdash; especially to a smaller, less famous, more creative dunker like Nate Robinson, Gerald Green, or Zach LaVine &mdash; it would instantly become a meme, a punchline, a permanent footnote.
History backs this up. Dwight Howard&rsquo;s loss to Nate Robinson still gets referenced. Aaron Gordon losing twice despite incredible dunks became a running joke about being &ldquo;robbed.&rdquo; The contest doesn&rsquo;t forget.
And LeBron has essentially acknowledged this dynamic himself over the years.
He&rsquo;s said repeatedly that if he ever did the Dunk Contest, he&rsquo;d &ldquo;have to win&rdquo; &mdash; otherwise it wouldn&rsquo;t be worth it. That mindset alone shows how much pressure and perception factored into the decision.
<h2 data-start="4098" data-end="4298">LeBron&rsquo;s Own Explanation</h2>
Publicly, LeBron has always framed his absence in basketball terms rather than branding ones.
He&rsquo;s emphasized that his goals <a href="https://x.com/ScoopB/status/1668247108309118977">were championships</a>, MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year awards &mdash; not dunk trophies.
He&rsquo;s also consistently called himself an &ldquo;in-game dunker,&rdquo; explaining that he doesn&rsquo;t enjoy planning or practicing set-piece dunks. For him, dunking is about reacting in real time, attacking defenders, and finishing with force &mdash; not choreography.
That explanation fits his personality and play style perfectly.
But it doesn&rsquo;t exclude the brand reality either.
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<h2 data-start="5066" data-end="5370">So Was Ceballos Right?</h2>
Factually, no &mdash; LeBron didn&rsquo;t lose that high-school contest to Shannon Brown.
Conceptually? He was tapping into something very real.
From the moment LeBron entered the league as &ldquo;<a href="https://rg.org/news/basketball/phil-handy-jordan-kobe-lebron-goat-debate">The Chosen One</a>,&rdquo; every appearance became a referendum on greatness. The Dunk Contest, meant to be fun and experimental, would&rsquo;ve placed him in a situation where creativity mattered more than dominance &mdash; and where a single off night could live forever online.
For a generational superstar with nothing to gain and everything to lose, skipping it made strategic sense.
In that light, LeBron&rsquo;s absence doesn&rsquo;t look like fear or lack of interest alone. It looks like a calculated understanding of modern sports culture, expectations, and reputation.
<h2 data-start="5481" data-end="5659">The Middle Ground</h2>
<div>LeBron James' Dunk Contest absence was not only framed as a branding decision by Cedric Ceballos, but also by an associate of James' <a href="https://landonbuford-com-488060.hostingersite.com/lakers-lebron-james-associate-reveals-real-reason-he-skipped-dunk-contest/">Rob MC in the Walklikeus room</a> a few years back.</div>
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<div>They said it did not fit LeBron's image at the time and pointed out that the contest was less exciting after the best players stopped participating in the early 2000s.</div>
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<div>He answered those who questioned LeBron's drive by citing his famous 3-1 Finals comeback, and also reminded everyone that many great players skipped the contest.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>LeBron stayed out of the Dunk Contest, not because he was scared, but because he thought it could hurt his reputation more than it could help, choosing his long-term legacy over a show, according to their comments.</div>
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Cedric Ceballos explains how branding, risk, and legacy factored into LeBron James's decision not to enter the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Ex-Laker Cedric Ceballos Weighs-In on Why LeBron Skipped the Dunk Contest

The NBA has unveiled the full list of reserves for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, complementing the previously announced starters and completing the league&rsquo;s midseason showcase rosters. With the All-Star Game set for Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., the 14 reserves were selected by votes from NBA head coaches and join the 10 fan and media-selected starters for this year&rsquo;s event.&nbsp;
Western Conference Reserves:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anthony Edwards &ndash; Minnesota Timberwolves</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kevin Durant &ndash; Houston Rockets</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Devin Booker &ndash; Phoenix Suns</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deni Avdija &ndash; Portland Trail Blazers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chet Holmgren &ndash; Oklahoma City Thunder</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">LeBron James &ndash; Los Angeles Lakers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jamal Murray &ndash; Denver Nuggets</li>
</ul>
Eastern Conference Reserves:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Donovan Mitchell &ndash; Cleveland Cavaliers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Karl-Anthony Towns &ndash; New York Knicks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pascal Siakam &ndash; Indiana Pacers</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Scottie Barnes &ndash; Toronto Raptors</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jalen Duren &ndash; Detroit Pistons</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jalen Johnson &ndash; Atlanta Hawks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Norman Powell &ndash; Miami Heat&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The reserves round out the 24-player All-Star pool, joining the 10 starters including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama from the West, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, and Jalen Brunson from the East.
<h3>Some notable storylines for this year include:</h3>
LeBron James Extends Historic Streak: Despite not being voted a starter this year, James was still selected as a reserve, giving him a record-extending 22nd All-Star Game appearance &ndash; a remarkable testament to his longevity and sustained performance deep into his 20th-plus NBA season.&nbsp;
Fresh Faces &amp; First-Time Selections: Six players &ndash; Avdija, Holmgren, Johnson, Murray, Powell and Duren &ndash; are earning their first career All-Star selections as reserves, highlighting a wave of ascending talent across the league.&nbsp;
<h3>&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;</h3>
This season&rsquo;s All-Star Game will feature a new &ldquo;USA vs. World&rdquo; format &ndash; a three-team round-robin tournament with two U.S. rosters and one international squad &ndash; making this year&rsquo;s festivities one of the most innovative in All-Star history.&nbsp;
With starters and reserves now set, fans can look forward to the full slate of All-Star Weekend events, including the Rising Stars Game and the Draft, before the 2026 All-Star Game tips off on Feb. 15.

The NBA has unveiled the full list of reserves for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves announced

The New York Knicks have been active lately, making moves in free agency aimed at bolstering their second unit, as first reported by ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.&nbsp;
Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon has agreed to a one-year deal, and Landry Shamet is returning on another one-year contract &ndash; moves designed to give incoming new head coach Mike Brown more reliable backcourt options off the bench to take some pressure of star Jalen Brunson.
Brogdon: A steady hand off the bench
Malcolm Brogdon arrives in New York after a turbulent couple of seasons that included injuries and limited availability. Last year with the Washington Wizards, he played in just 24 games, averaging 12.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds.&nbsp;
Despite recent dips in shooting &ndash; particularly from three-point range &ndash; Brogdon&rsquo;s proven track record (Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year) makes him an interesting high-upside gamble. His versatility, able to play both guard spots, manage the second unit, create shots, and facilitate is precisely what the Knicks have lacked in past seasons.
Shamet: Shooting + Familiarity
Landry Shamet is back for a second season in New York on a one-year deal. The sharpshooting guard appeared in 50 games last season for the Knicks, mostly off the bench, averaging around 5.7 points per game.&nbsp;
Known for his three-point shooting, Shamet offers spacing for the offense and can be counted on to hit timely shots. His familiarity with the team and role should allow him to slide in without much role confusion, especially in tight minutes.
ANALYSIS: New York&rsquo;s backcourt depth has now drastically improved with Brogdon and Shamet both under contract. The Knicks have added experienced guards who can handle scoring, spacing, and occasional creation &ndash; easing pressure off starters like Jalen Brunson. Together they will be backing up alongside Deuce McBride and fellow free agent signing Jordan Clarkson.&nbsp;
All deals are non-guaranteed, that means Brogdon and Shamet will need to earn their minutes in training camp, and younger players like Tyler Kolek may find themselves under pressure.&nbsp;
With Mike Brown coming in, there&rsquo;s been promise of more adaptive lineups and better usage of bench players. Brogdon&rsquo;s playmaking and Shamet&rsquo;s shooting could mesh well in a system emphasizing spacing and pace.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
The Knicks&rsquo; signings of Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are low-risk, potentially high-reward additions to a team looking to make a deeper postseason run. If both veterans can provide steady bench production and stay healthy, they could be key difference-makers down the stretch.

The New York Knicks have made moves in free agency againm signing Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet to 1-year deals.

Knicks get deeper, sign Brogdon & Shamet to bolster bench further

The field for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is officially locked, with eight teams ready to compete for the championship under an updated postseason format.&nbsp;
The opening round tips off Sunday, September 14, and for the first time, the finals will expand to a best-of-seven series. Teams are seeded strictly by overall record, with no conference separation, and the first round will now follow a 1-1-1 format.
This year&rsquo;s postseason includes a mix of proven contenders and fresh faces &mdash; headlined by the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who capped their inaugural season with a historic playoff berth. The stage is set for an unpredictable run to the WNBA title.
The Matchups
(1) Minnesota Lynx vs (8) Golden State Valkyries The Lynx finished with the league&rsquo;s best record at 34-10, dominating the regular season with balance on both ends. They&rsquo;ll face the expansion Valkyries, who clinched the final playoff spot at 23-21 and became the first new franchise in league history to reach the postseason in year one. Minnesota will be heavy favorites, but Golden State has already exceeded expectations and enters with nothing to lose.
(2) Las Vegas Aces vs (7) Seattle Storm The defending champion Aces surged late in the season, winning consistently behind A&rsquo;ja Wilson&rsquo;s MVP-level play. Seattle, led by Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, will try to slow down Las Vegas&rsquo; rhythm and pull off the upset. The Aces are seeking another title, while the Storm are looking to play spoiler as a lower seed.
(3) Atlanta Dream vs (6) Indiana Fever Atlanta and Indiana square off in a matchup of two resurgent franchises. The Dream finished 30-14, leaning on Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. The Fever, powered by Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, will try to upend the dream even without star guard Caitlin Clark.
(4) Phoenix Mercury vs (5) New York Liberty On paper, this is the tightest series of the opening round. Both Phoenix and New York finished 27-17, with the Mercury edging the Liberty for home-court advantage. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally anchor a Phoenix squad with playoff pedigree, while Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu lead New York&rsquo;s hopes of going back-to-back. This battle of heavyweights may come down to depth and execution in late-game situations, and this could be one of the most entertaining series of the first round.
<h2>&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;</h2>
The first round will be a best-of-three series with a 1-1-1 format, meaning higher seeds host Game 1 and, if necessary, Game 3. The semifinals will expand to best-of-five, while the finals move to best-of-seven for the first time in league history.
With parity at the top and plenty of star power spread across the bracket, the 2025 postseason promises to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.&nbsp;
Will the top-seeded Lynx validate their dominance? Can the Aces work its way back to the top? Or will a newcomer like Golden State shock the league?
The answers begin Sunday when the chase for the WNBA championship tips off.

The field for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is officially locked, with eight teams ready to compete for the championship.

2025 WNBA Playoffs bracket ready to go as eight teams begin title chase

The stage is set for one of international basketball&rsquo;s premier events. The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tips off today, and a long list of NBA players will be trading their club jerseys for their national colors for this summer.
This year&rsquo;s competition features a loaded field of European stars, including MVPs, All-Stars, and young prospects eager to prove themselves on the continental stage. From Nikola Jokic anchoring Serbia to Giannis Antetokounmpo powering Greece and Luka Doncic leading Slovenia, some of the NBA&rsquo;s brightest names will headline what promises to be a thrilling tournament.
Here&rsquo;s a breakdown of the NBA talent set to suit up for EuroBasket 2025, followed by a guide on everything you need to know about the competition.
<h2>NBA players on EuroBasket rosters</h2>
Czechia &ndash; Vit Krejci (Hawks) Krejci gives Czechia size and versatility in the backcourt and frontcourt positions. While not a high-usage player in the NBA, he&rsquo;s expected to play a larger role as a two-way player for his national team.
Latvia &ndash; Kristaps Porzingis (Hawks) Porzingis remains the cornerstone for Latvia. His ability to stretch the floor as a big man will be critical in a team that thrives on perimeter shooting.
Portugal &ndash; Neemias Queta (Celtics) Queta will carry the banner for Portugal as their first true NBA-level player. His rim protection and rebounding presence as well as his inside scoring make him central to Portugal&rsquo;s chances of competing in a tough field.
Serbia &ndash; Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), Nikola Jovic (Heat), Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards) Serbia looks like a powerhouse. Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, is the ultimate centerpiece who can dominate games with scoring, passing, and rebounding. Bogdanovic adds elite shooting and experience, while Jovic and Vukcevic provide youth and depth to keep Serbia dangerous across all positions.
Turkey &ndash; Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Adem Bona (76ers) Sengun, one of the NBA&rsquo;s brightest young centers, will be Turkey&rsquo;s go-to option on offense. Bona, fresh off his rookie NBA campaign, brings athleticism and defensive intensity in the paint.
Finland &ndash; Lauri Markkanen (Jazz) Markkanen is Finland&rsquo;s unquestioned leader and most reliable scorer. After an All-Star leap in the NBA, he&rsquo;ll be expected to carry the Finnish offense against the continent&rsquo;s top teams.
Germany &ndash; Dennis Schroder (Kings), Franz Wagner (Magic), Tristan da Silva (Magic) The reigning World Cup champions return with Schroder orchestrating the offense and Wagner providing wing scoring and star power. Da Silva, fresh from his rookie year, adds another versatile forward to the mix for Germany.
Lithuania &ndash; Jonas Valanciunas (Nuggets) Valanciunas anchors Lithuania&rsquo;s traditional inside-out game. His physicality and rebounding remain vital, particularly against Europe&rsquo;s other elite big men.
Montenegro &ndash; Nikola Vucevic (Bulls) Vucevic is Montenegro&rsquo;s main offensive hub. His inside-out skill set gives them a consistent scoring option in a balanced lineup.
Sweden &ndash; Pelle Larsson (Heat) Larsson, fresh off his rookie season in the NBA, offers Sweden perimeter shooting and length on the wing. He&rsquo;ll have to play above his experience level to make a real impact.
Bosnia and Herzegovina &ndash; Jusuf Nurkic (Jazz) Nurkic provides size, toughness, and leadership. His interior presence will be Bosnia&rsquo;s best weapon against stronger rosters.
Georgia &ndash; Goga Bitadze (Magic), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Raptors) Georgia has two NBA frontcourt players in Bitadze and Mamukelashvili. Both bring size, energy, and interior defense, giving Georgia a physical edge.
Greece &ndash; Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) The two-time NBA MVP returns as Greece&rsquo;s undisputed leader. Giannis&rsquo; all-around dominance makes Greece a perennial threat when he&rsquo;s on the floor.
Italy &ndash; Simone Fontecchio (Heat) Fontecchio, a reliable floor spacer and shooter, will take on a heavy scoring load for Italy.
Spain &ndash; Santi Aldama (Grizzlies) Aldama&rsquo;s versatility fits perfectly into Spain&rsquo;s balanced style of play. He can stretch defenses with his shooting while also rebounding effectively.
France &ndash; Guerschon Yabusele (Knicks), Bilal Coulibaly (Wizards), Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), Alex Sarr (Wizards) France boasts one of the deepest NBA contingents. Yabusele provides veteran stability, while Coulibaly, Risacher, and Sarr bring an injection of youth and athleticism. This blend of talent makes France a legitimate title contender.
Israel &ndash; Deni Avdija (Blazers) Avdija has steadily improved as a two-way forward in the NBA, and he&rsquo;ll now be Israel&rsquo;s top playmaker and scorer.
Slovenia &ndash; Luka Doncic (Lakers) Doncic headlines Slovenia as one of the most electrifying players in the world. He&rsquo;s capable of single-handedly carrying his country deep into the tournament, just as he has in previous years.
These eighteen NBA franchises will see their players in action. The Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards lead the way with three representatives each. The Nuggets, Jazz, and the Wizards have multiple players in the field, while even smaller-market teams like the Raptors and Trail Blazers will be represented.
<h2>Everything you need to know about EuroBasket 2025</h2>
The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket will feature 24 teams split into four groups of six. Each group will play a single round-robin, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stages.
The knockout phase includes the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, a Third-Place Game, and the Final, ensuring plenty of high-stakes basketball.
Beyond continental bragging rights, EuroBasket also serves as a crucial stepping stone toward the 2027 FIBA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and global rankings. The competition has long been a proving ground where NBA players elevate their national teams while rising European prospects showcase their skills on a world stage.
With superstars like Jokic, Giannis, and Doncic leading the way, and promising youngsters like Risacher, Sarr, and Jovic making their mark, EuroBasket 2025 has the talent and storylines to deliver one of the most memorable editions in recent history.

The stage is set for one of international basketball’s premier events. The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tips off today

NBA players set for action at 2025 FIBA EuroBasket

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier have been named the captains for the 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All‑Star Game, scheduled for July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.&nbsp;
Their leadership roles stem from a historic surge in fan voting &ndash; Clark tallied 1,293,526 votes, the most ever cast for a WNBA player, while Collier followed closely with 1,176,020 votes.
This marks Clark&rsquo;s second consecutive All‑Star selection and her first time as captain, while Collier earns her fifth All‑Star nod and first appearance as a captain. Their dominance in fan voting underscores their massive appeal:
Clark&rsquo;s vote total surpassed the entire 2023 All‑Star roster combined &ndash; 1.29 million vs. 1.17 million &ndash;&nbsp; which is a testament to her meteoric rise in the league.
Collier continues to solidify her superstar status, leading the WNBA in scoring (24.5 PPG) and anchoring Minnesota to the league&rsquo;s best record.
What&rsquo;s Next?
On July 8, Team Clark and Team Collier will draft their rosters on ESPN&rsquo;s WNBA Countdown, selecting from eight All‑Star starters and 12 reserves. On July 19, the All‑Star Game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET, airing on ABC, Disney+, and ESPN+.
The event kicks off a weekend of festivities, with Skills Challenge and 3‑Point Contest on July 18 &ndash; celebrating two of the sport&rsquo;s brightest talents and acknowledging the tremendous fan engagement they've driven this season.&nbsp;
ANALYSIS: Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier&rsquo;s captaincies highlight the WNBA&rsquo;s growing cultural imprint. Clark&rsquo;s unprecedented fan support and Collier&rsquo;s elite performance underscore both players&rsquo; influence on and off the court. Their pairing as captains for this year's All‑Star Game truly reflects the evolving landscape of women&rsquo;s basketball.

Caitlin Clark of the Fever and Lynx forward Napheesa Collier have been named the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game captains.

Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier named 2025 WNBA All‑Star captains

Indiana overcomes 15-point deficit behind late-game brilliance to steal series opener
In their playoffs full of improbable comebacks, the Indiana Pacers added their most dramatic one yet &ndash; stealing Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-110.
For the 43 minutes and 59.7 seconds of game time, the Pacers never once led. But as they&rsquo;ve done all playoffs long, they clawed their way back from a daunting double-digit deficit and delivered a perfectly-timed knockout punch when it mattered most.
How did the Pacers do it? The shift began in the third quarter, when Indiana initiated a pair of offensive sets to get Benedict Mathurin involved. First, they ran simultaneous actions: a high pick-and-roll between Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam at the top of the key, while Thomas Bryant set a pindown for Mathurin on the wing. Mathurin caught the pass, drove middle, and dropped it off to Bryant for a thunderous one-handed jam.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Mathurin drop pass to Bryant <a href="https://t.co/mZAm4rIbJn">pic.twitter.com/mZAm4rIbJn</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021125523501159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
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On the ensuing sideline out-of-bounds play, the Pacers simplified things &ndash; Mathurin ran a high pick-and-roll with Bryant at the top. He got downhill quickly and drew a foul on Isaiah Hartenstein. Though OKC challenged the call, the review was unsuccessful &ndash; costing the Thunder their last challenge and later proving costly. Mathurin knocked down both free throws, trimming the lead to single digits at 70-79 for the first time since the first quarter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Mathurin straight line drive, fouled <a href="https://t.co/zV7a8jB8da">pic.twitter.com/zV7a8jB8da</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021129893978546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
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After an OKC three, Indiana immediately countered by Indiana as TJ McConnell pushed the ball on the other side right after the make. Using his quickness, McConnell blew past SGA on an empty corner downhill drive and got a paint touch off of it. Hartenstein left his man Bryant on the left corner to challenge the drive, then McConnell delivered a no-look pass to Bryant who then knocked down a three to answer, bringing the lead back to single digits again.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Bryant corner three <a href="https://t.co/nDmbPRjklx">pic.twitter.com/nDmbPRjklx</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021133664645510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Those two Mathurin plays were important as OKC shifted their focus to him. With OKC now devoting more defensive attention, the Pacers continued manipulating matchups. On the final Indiana possession of the quarter, McConnell motioned for Mathurin to set a screen. The Thunder attempted a pre-switch between Caruso and SGA, trying to neutralize the threat. But the slight miscommunication allowed McConnell to zip a pass to Siakam, who was left alone in the right corner. Siakam calmly buried the three, bringing Indiana within six at 76-82. SGA answered with a buzzer-beater triple, but the Pacers had already shifted the tide.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Siakam corner three <a href="https://t.co/HuZStoN4Ps">pic.twitter.com/HuZStoN4Ps</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021139733783030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Still, that was all Indiana needed &ndash; to cut the lead down to single digits before the start of the 4th quarter to make it a manageable deficit, as they try to conjure their signature end game runs that they have been doing all playoffs long.
OKC even pushed the lead to as high as 15 points, 94-79, after a turnover by the Pacers that led to a Jalen Williams breakaway jam &ndash; but Indiana never panicked.
The Pacers just would not quit and as they have been doing in these playoffs, fought and crawled back into the game.
A series of scores for the Pacers ensued: Mathurin attacked Caruso for a strong layup. Then, Andrew Nembhard blew by Caruso for a tough and-one. Myles Turner hit a corner three. Obi Toppin knocked down his fifth three of the game. In just a matter of minutes, the lead had evaporated to 91-98.
Indiana got even closer with yet another beautiful sideline out of bounds play: Nembhard got the ball to the middle off the screen from Myles Turner, then he turned around to set yet another screen for Haliburton (who inbounded the ball), but instead it turned to a flare screen and Turner popped out. He got Chet Holmgren off his feet and proceeded to drill a tough stepback three off the glass from the left corner to cut the lead to 4, 94-98, marking a 12-2 over the last three minutes for the Pacers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Turner stepback three <a href="https://t.co/eMowGKcsju">pic.twitter.com/eMowGKcsju</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021144095936685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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Next time down, Indiana went to Turner again as Nembhard found him again off the pick and pop action for a right elbow jumper. 96-100 OKC
Off another OKC miss, Haliburton grabbed the rebound, ran the length of the floor, surveyed it for potential passing options, before doing a hesitation dribble that confused SGA. It allowed Haliburton to blow past him and earn a layup on the break &ndash; something the Pacers had not had much of this game.
Oklahoma City responded with a tough SGA finish and four free throws to stretch the margin back to nine, 105-96. But Indiana came right back, with Aaron Nesmith burying a left-corner three off a broken play to make it 102-108.
Next play down, Indiana survived once again after Jalen Williams missed a wide-open three-point attempt. Nembhard brought the ball the other way and did a series of dribble moves on SGA before drilling the impressive stepback three from the left wing. The Pacers have now come all the way from 15 down to cut the lead to just 3, 105-108 with 2 minutes left in the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Nembhard stepback three <a href="https://t.co/8WGH4gHHR5">pic.twitter.com/8WGH4gHHR5</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021149242364050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
The Thunder briefly steadied themselves with a Lu Dort block and an SGA layup to go up 110-105, but that would be their last field goal of the night.
Nembhard calmly sank two free throws, and Siakam followed a crucial block on SGA with a hustle play on the other end &ndash; putting back a missed three to make it 109-110 with under a minute to play.
After forcing two stops &ndash; one on Williams, another on SGA &ndash; the Pacers got the ball back off a rebound with the game on the line. Rick Carlisle trusted his team to find the right shot. It was when Haliburton delivered: an off-balance 18-foot jumper from the right wing that rattled in to give the Pacers their first &ndash; and only &ndash; lead of the game with 0.3 seconds remaining.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Haliburton for the win <a href="https://t.co/mWrlgNpFJf">pic.twitter.com/mWrlgNpFJf</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/1931021156833984600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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OKC was not able to get a shot off for the final possession of the game and thus completed another wild Pacers comeback.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;&nbsp;
In the end, OKC missed their shots on offense as they had a hard time protecting the lead, while Indiana got to their offense more with flow and rhythm in the 4th.
The Thunder shot 5-of-17 in the final frame and they were not able to make shots as Indiana chipped away possession by possession. Meanwhile, the Pacers executed with precision and confidence. Whether through elaborate sideline plays or simple two-man actions, they kept creating looks &ndash; and more importantly, they kept converting them.
Game 1 was a microcosm of Indiana&rsquo;s identity in these playoffs: resilient, relentless, and fearless in the face of deficits. With the win, they&rsquo;ve now stolen home court and placed all the pressure on Oklahoma City to respond in Game 2.

Take a deep dive on how the Pacers came back once again this time against the Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

Comeback kings strike again: How Indiana stole Game 1 vs OKC

The 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has solidified its Round of 32 teams, with traditional powerhouses Duke and the University of Connecticut (UConn) advancing after their first-round victories.​
Duke University, led by standout freshman Cooper Flagg, showcased their dominance with a commanding 93-49 win over Mount Saint Mary's. Flagg's impressive performance, contributing significantly on both ends of the court, underscores his pivotal role in Duke's championship aspirations. The projected no.1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft had 14 points on 6/12 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just 22 minutes of play.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the defending national champions, UConn Huskies, continued their quest for a third consecutive title by defeating Oklahoma 67-59. Their experience and resilience were evident as they navigated a challenging matchup to secure their spot in the next round.
Notably, for the first time since 1975, only one ACC team, Duke, has advanced to the Round of 32. This development highlights the evolving landscape of college basketball and the increasing competitiveness across all conferences.
Here's a comprehensive rundown of the teams that advanced to the Round of 32:​
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Michigan State overcame Bryant 87-62​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kentucky beat Troy 76-57</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Arizona triumphed over Akron 93-65​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Oregon won against Liberty 81-52​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Ole Miss edged out North Carolina 71-64​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Illinois secured a victory over Xavier 86-73​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New Mexico upset Marquette 75-66​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">UConn defeated Oklahoma 67-59​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Maryland dominated Grand Canyon 81-49​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Baylor narrowly beat Mississippi State 75-72​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Alabama overcame Robert Morris 90-81</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Iowa State routed Lipscomb 82-55</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Colorado State upset Memphis 78-70</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Duke dominated Mount Saint Mary's 93-49​</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Saint Mary's edged Vanderbilt 59-55​</li>
</ul>
These results set the stage for an exciting Round of 32, with matchups that promise thrilling basketball action as teams vie for a coveted spot in the Sweet 16.​
As March Madness progresses, fans eagerly anticipate the upcoming matchups, with both Duke and UConn poised to make deep runs in the tournament.​

The 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has solidified its Round of 32 teams with Duke and UConn leading the way.

March Madness 2025: Round of 32 set as Flagg’s Duke, defending champs UConn lead the way

The New York Knicks have high hopes for the 2024-25 season after a series of offseason moves to bolster their roster. Boasting a revamped starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns, Coach Tom Thibodeau has leaned heavily on this five-man unit by relying on their defensive versatility and scoring prowess to carry the team night after night. Yet this dependency raises questions about sustainability, with risks of fatigue, injuries, and late-game breakdowns looming over a long NBA season.&nbsp;
The Knicks&rsquo; starting five are logging heavy minutes early in the season. Jalen Brunson, in particular, is averaging over 35 minutes per game as the team&rsquo;s primary playmaker and scorer. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are also averaging significant playing time, tasked with balancing offensive responsibilities while handling tough defensive assignments on opposing wings. Towns, who is crucial on both ends by providing floor spacing on offense and size on defense, is also averaging close to 35 minutes per game. These players are giving their all each night, but the mileage can add up as the season moves along.
NBA history shows that overextending starters early in the season can lead to burnout, and Thibodeau is no stranger to this trend. In his previous coaching stints, especially with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, Thibodeau&rsquo;s teams experienced both early success and, ultimately, the cost of fatigue and injuries. During those stints, key players who logged high minutes often missed time later due to injuries or wore down in critical playoff moments.
The Knicks&rsquo; reliance on their starters has led to noticeable fatigue in the fourth quarter. The high-minute load impacts shooting accuracy, defensive effectiveness, and overall energy levels down the stretch. In recent games, the Knicks&rsquo; fourth-quarter stats reflect a slight decline in scoring efficiency, with players missing more shots and committing more fouls late in the game. This is particularly concerning in close matchups, where even minor drops in performance can shift the game&rsquo;s outcome. Opposing teams, with fresher players, often capitalize on the Knicks&rsquo; tired legs, exploiting gaps on defense and taking control in the final minutes.
If the Knicks are to reach their potential, Thibodeau may need to expand his rotation to preserve the health and effectiveness of his starters.
A balanced rotation could alleviate these issues. However, it doesn&rsquo;t help that starting center Mitchell Robinson is still yet to come back from an injury, as well as regular contributor Precious Achiuwa. The Knicks&rsquo; bench is shallow as of the moment with only Cameron Payne, Miles McBride, and at times Jericho Sims as players who can step in to relieve starters and bring fresh energy. Rookies Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti have had good summer league performances and showed something interesting in the preseason, but Coach Thibs has yet to commit to trusting rookies during the regular season. However, by giving a little bit more minutes on their reserves, the Knicks would have the flexibility to keep their starters fresh, reducing the risk of late-game lapses and helping maintain energy throughout the season.
High minutes also correlate with an increased risk of injury, a risk that only compounds as the season progresses. For players like Brunson and Anunoby, who play physically demanding roles, the toll of heavy minutes can lead to strains and nagging injuries. Towns and Bridges, though durable, have histories of minor injuries, and prolonged wear could increase their risk as well. If any starter were to miss time, it could disrupt the team&rsquo;s chemistry and potentially derail their season.
The Knicks have already invested heavily in this core, both financially and strategically, so ensuring their health and longevity is critical. Coach Thibodeau&rsquo;s emphasis on conditioning may help, but even the best-conditioned athletes can fall prey to injuries when overworked.
One solution lies staggering the starters with the bench guys. An expanded rotation would also provide versatility and unpredictability, as the Knicks could mix lineups to create favorable matchups and keep opponents off-balance.
Last season, teams with deep rotations generally fared better in the later months and into the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets, for example, leaned on a nine-man rotation that kept players fresh and ready for postseason intensity. The Knicks have the personnel to replicate this approach, but it requires a willingness to let the bench play through mistakes and grow into their roles.
The Knicks&rsquo; high-minute starters have impressive stats, but the numbers suggest potential pitfalls. Brunson and Towns lead the team in points, yet their fourth-quarter shooting percentage has dropped as games wear on. Hart, Bridges, and Anunoby rank among the league leaders in defensive metrics, but all three have seen dips in effectiveness late in games. These stats underline the wear on the Knicks&rsquo; starting five, and without adjustments, the team could face challenges maintaining performance over the long haul.
Thibodeau&rsquo;s strategy has yielded early success, but balance is the key to a sustainable season. By trusting his bench and managing his starters&rsquo; minutes, he can preserve the team&rsquo;s health and performance for the playoffs. The Knicks have the depth to make this adjustment, and doing so would likely pay dividends as they aim for a deep postseason run. In a grueling 82-game season, longevity and resilience are paramount, and a balanced rotation could be the key to the Knicks realizing their potential.

Heavy minutes for the Knicks’ starting five could lead to fatigue, injuries, and late-game struggles.

Knicks’ Overreliance on Starting 5 a Double-Edged Sword

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

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

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

The NBA&nbsp;today unveiled the official courts that teams will play on throughout the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, which tips off on Friday, Nov. 3 with a doubleheader on ESPN as the Knicks visit the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Denver Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks at 10 p.m. ET.&nbsp;
The courts, which will be used for Group Play and the Quarterfinals, showcase a bold and distinctive design scheme leaguewide, making it instantly clear to fans when a game carries NBA In-Season Tournament implications.&nbsp;
The unified look represents the first time that the league has implemented an alternate court for all 30 teams and the first time that any NBA team has played on a fully painted court with no woodgrain details.&nbsp; This will also mark the first time that the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers will play on an alternate court in the history of the franchises.&nbsp;
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NBA DEBUTS IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT COURTS FOR ALL 30 TEAMS <a href="https://t.co/OHmOA8LYGL">pic.twitter.com/OHmOA8LYGL</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1719020363252629808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The courts, featuring vibrant and bold colors, share the following design details:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>A fully painted court, edge-to-edge</li>
<li>A larger-than-life NBA Cup at center court, prominently displaying to players and fans the new trophy that will be awarded to the champion</li>
<li>A contrasting wash of color from lane-to-lane, creating a 16-foot wide &ldquo;runway&rdquo; across the court</li>
<li>NBA Cup silhouettes in the lanes</li>
<li>Team logos across the NBA Cup at center court and on the baselines</li>
</ul>
The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament will tip off with Group Play on Friday, Nov. 3 in NBA team markets. The single-elimination Knockout Rounds begin with the Quarterfinals (Dec. 4 and 5), also played in team markets, before the tournament culminates at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with the Semifinals (Dec. 7) and Championship (Dec. 9).&nbsp; Broadcast partners ESPN and TNT will combine to air 14 games during Group Play.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The NBA unveiled the official courts that teams will play on throughout the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

NBA debuts custom in-season tournament courts for all 30 teams

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

NBA free agency has died down and the 2023-24 NBA season is nearly three months away. This is why August is known as the dog days of the NBA calendar.
However, NBA fans will be able to watch some of their favorite players in action very soon, as the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow.
From Nov. 2021 through Feb. 2023, 80 countries battled for a spot in the World Cup but only 32 national teams qualified. There are a ton of NBA players participating, as Team USA has a talented young roster and they'll be facing stars such as Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gobert.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
WHEN IS IT?
World Cup games will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10. There have been a number of warm-up games in recent weeks, but the real action tips off tomorrow.
First Round (Group Phase): Aug. 25-30 Second Round (Group Phase): Aug. 31 - Sept. 4 Quarterfinals: Sept. 5-6 Semifinals: Sept. 8 Final: Sept. 10 Third-Place Game: Sept. 10
The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full schedule of games can be found here</a>.
WHERE IS IT?&nbsp;
For the first time ever, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will feature three host countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED?
These are the 32 countries that will be participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup: Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, United States and Venezuela.
These are the groups for the first round:
Group A:&nbsp;Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Italy
Group B:&nbsp;&nbsp;South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
(Groups A and B will play their games at Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines)
Group C:&nbsp;Team USA, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Group D:&nbsp;Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
(Groups C and D will play their games at Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines)
Group E:&nbsp;Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F:&nbsp;Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
(Groups E and F will play their games at Okinawa Arena in Japan)
Group G:&nbsp;Iran, Spain, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Brazil
Group H:&nbsp;Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
(Groups G and H will play their games at Jakarta Arena in Indonesia)
WHICH NBA PLAYERS ARE COMPETING?
There are quite a few NBA players participating in this tournament. The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-world-cup-roster-tracker-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full list can be found here</a>, but below are the national teams that feature notable NBA players:
Group A
Dominican Republic: Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lester Quinones (Golden State Warriors)
Philippines: Jordan Clarkson&nbsp;(Utah Jazz)
Group B
China: Kyle Anderson&nbsp;(Minnesota Timberwolves)
Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
Group C
Greece: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gettyimages-1608113478-2.jpg" alt="" width="736" height="414" />
United States: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Josh Hart (New York Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers)

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Group D
Lithuania: Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans)
Montenegro: Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls)
Group E
Australia: Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder), Patty Mills (Atlanta Hawks), Matisse Thybulle (Portland Trail Blazers) Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans), Dante Exum (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Houston Rockets), Xavier Cooks (Washington Wizards)
Finland: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
Germany: Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Dennis Schroder (Toronto Raptors), Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Daniel Theis (Indiana Pacers),&nbsp;
Japan: Yuta Watanabe (Phoenix Suns)
Group F
Georgia: Goga Bitadze (Orlando Magic), Sandro Mamukelashvili (San Antonio Spurs)
Slovenia: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Group G
Brazil: Raul Neto (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Spain: Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Usman Garuba (Atlanta Hawks)
Group H
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets), Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)
France: Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks), Frank Ntilikina (Charlotte Hornets)
Latvia: Davis Bertans (Oklahoma City Thunder)
HOW TO WATCH
FIBA recently announced that all 92 World Cup games will be available across ESPN's platforms. Six games will air on ESPN2 (including Team USA's three first-round games), while the other 86 games will be available on ESPN+.
FIBA&rsquo;s official streaming service, <a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtside 1891</a>, will also air the games live and on-demand. If you're interested in Courtside 1891, FIBA is offering our readers 20% off their World Cup bundle. Follow the instructions below if you'd like to use the 20% discount:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li><a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/choose-a-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click this link</a> and you&rsquo;ll get a prompt to register</li>
<li>You&rsquo;ll then be redirected to the choose-a-package page</li>
<li>Select the &lsquo;Max &ndash; World Cup Bundle&rsquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Use the discount code FIBAWCAK to get 20% off</li>
</ul>
Enjoy the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and hopefully the dog days of summer will fly by quickly!

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

On Saturday, the Enemies and Triplets will battle for the BIG3 championship at The O2 Arena in London.
The Enemies feature Nick Young (the team's captain), Isaiah Austin (co-captain), Elijah Stewart (co-captain), Quincy Miller and Jordan Crawford, with Gilbert Arenas serving as the team's coach.
The Triplets have many familar faces, including Joe Johnson (the team's captain), Jeremy Pargo (co-captain), Larry Sanders, Jamario Moon, Damien Wilkins and Mo Charlo, with Lisa Leslie as their coach.
The Enemies earned a spot in the championship game by defeating three-time champions Trilogy, 50-37. All-Star standout Jordan Crawford led the way with 27 points. This is the Enemies' first-ever championship appearance.
The Triplets won the BIG3 championship back in 2019 and hope to earn their second title this weekend. They advanced to the title game after beating the Ghost Ballers, 50-45. The driving force behind their deep postseason run is back-to-back MVP Joe Johnson (who has a shot at winning a third-straight MVP award).
Prior to the championship matchup, the BIG3 All-Star game will also take place this weekend at The O2 Arena. The game will feature the following All-Stars: Michael Beasley, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Crawford, Mike Taylor, Donte Green, Glen Rice, Earl Clark, Ryan Carter, Joe Johnson, Jeremy Pargo, Leandro Barbosa, Gerald Green, Elijah Stewart, Royce White, Frank Nitty and Jason Richardson.
Both the All-Star game and championship game will be broadcast live on CBS. The All-Star game tips off at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the championship game at 2 p.m. ET.&nbsp;
This is the sixth season of Ice Cube's three-on-three league, and the BIG3 has experienced significant growth in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/big3-basketball-viewership-keeps-growing-as-sixth-season-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">viewership</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/big3-sees-surge-in-tv-ratings-attendance-to-start-sixth-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attendance</a> numbers this year.

On Saturday at The O2 Arena in London, the Enemies will battle the Triplets for the BIG3 title.

Enemies to face Triplets in BIG3 championship at London's O2 Arena

The NBA today released its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?cal=all&amp;pd=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3UKMdLdmCgRuwOVnoqJhZk">complete game schedule</a>&nbsp;and broadcast schedules for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=TNT&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DTNT%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dl47ggg01xhI9Slh8akFg">TNT</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=ESPN&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DESPN%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Zq8KLI6FwgBYxw8RssYGU">ESPN</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=ABC&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DABC%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0XDRAL9gESfsLL555jZVej">ABC</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc=NBA%20TV&amp;cal=all&amp;pd=false" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule?bc%3DNBA%2520TV%26cal%3Dall%26pd%3Dfalse&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3u39ptiXTP6ec6QWyexVit">NBA TV</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-ESPN-Radio-Schedule.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-ESPN-Radio-Schedule.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3uOxPbew4nRhWTgpaioXEZ">ESPN Radio</a> for the 2023-24 regular season. The day-by-day and team-by-team schedules are available at <a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/schedule&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kVm4DNQD4gQCT4klGOgI7">NBA.com/schedule</a>.
The 78th NBA regular season will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, and conclude on Sunday, April 14, 2024. The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, April 16 &ndash; Friday, April 19, followed by the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel on Saturday, April 20.&nbsp; Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV is set for Thursday, June 6.&nbsp;
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team&rsquo;s 82 games, along with two games designated as TBD dates and opponents.&nbsp; Those two games for each team, to be played the week of Dec. 4, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.&nbsp; The Group Play game schedule (Nov. 3-28)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-announces-group-play-schedule-for-inaugural-inseason-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/2023-nba-in-season-tournament-schedule&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Wy3gv1TGdjjW8ITK3MXNW">was announced</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 15.&nbsp;
Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023
The first five days of the 2023-24 NBA regular season (Oct. 24-28) will feature 10 national television games as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2023, with two doubleheaders each on TNT and ESPN and one on NBA TV.&nbsp; Those games will showcase 14 different teams, three rematches from the 2023 NBA Playoffs and rosters that currently include 17 NBA All-Star selections from last season and seven recipients of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.&nbsp;
The regular season will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 24 with a doubleheader on TNT, marking Warner Bros. Discovery Sports&rsquo; 40th&nbsp;consecutive year of NBA coverage.&nbsp; In the first game, the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets will receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch of last season&rsquo;s Western Conference Finals (7:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; In the second game, the Phoenix Suns will visit the Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET) as three-time NBA All-Star Bradley Beal of Phoenix and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul of Golden State make regular-season debuts with new teams and Paul faces the team for whom he played the previous three seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;
ESPN will tip off its 22nd&nbsp;straight season of NBA telecasts on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with a doubleheader, which begins with the Boston Celtics visiting the New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET) in a matchup of teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Semifinals, respectively, last season.&nbsp; The San Antonio Spurs will host the Dallas Mavericks in the second game (9:30 p.m. ET), marking the NBA regular-season debut of 2023 first overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio.&nbsp;
On Thursday, Oct. 26, intraconference rivalries will highlight TNT&rsquo;s doubleheader as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Suns take on the Lakers in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp; ESPN&rsquo;s doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 27 will have the Miami Heat meeting the Celtics in Boston (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Warriors visiting the Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET) &ndash; rematches from seven-game playoff series in last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference First Round, respectively.
NBA TV will begin its live game coverage of the new season on Saturday, Oct. 28 as the Knicks visit the New Orleans Pelicans (7 p.m. ET) and the Suns host the Utah Jazz (10 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Monday, Dec. 25) for the 16th year in a row, with ABC or ESPN televising each matchup.&nbsp; The 76th&nbsp;edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will tip off on ESPN as the Bucks face the Knicks in New York (noon ET).
The next two games will air on both ABC and ESPN.&nbsp; The two most recent recipients of the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy will go head-to-head when the 2022 NBA champion Warriors visit the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets (2:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; Next, the Lakers will host the Celtics (5 p.m. ET) as the longtime rivals meet on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years.&nbsp;
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with two more games on ESPN, with the 76ers taking on the Heat in Miami (8 p.m. ET) and the Mavericks playing the Suns in Phoenix (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 15, the NBA family will celebrate one of its most important traditions by honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.&nbsp;
The celebration will include four nationally televised games.&nbsp; In a TNT doubleheader, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Spurs (3:30 p.m. ET) and the Grizzlies will meet the Warriors (6 p.m. ET) as Atlanta and Memphis continue their traditions of hosting games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.&nbsp; NBA TV will also air two games: Houston Rockets at 76ers (1 p.m. ET) and Oklahoma City Thunder at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp;
NBA Rivals Week
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will take center stage for the second annual NBA Rivals Week in January.&nbsp; Rivalries will be the focus of all 11 nationally televised games across four networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV) over five days from Tuesday, Jan. 23 &ndash; Saturday, Jan. 27.&nbsp;
NBA Rivals Week will culminate with an ABC tripleheader on Jan. 27, including 2023 Conference Semifinals rematches between the Heat and Knicks in New York (3 p.m. ET) and the Lakers and Warriors in San Francisco (8:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; In between those two games, reigning Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid and the 76ers will visit two-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets (5:30 p.m. ET) in a matchup of centers who have been the top two finishers in MVP voting in each of the last three seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The complete game and broadcast schedule for NBA Rivals Week is available&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-NBA-Rivals-Week-Schedule.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/2023-24-NBA-Rivals-Week-Schedule.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34hW93kiZuMlb7GIJyI3uH">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Election Day
For the second consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7) as the league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process.&nbsp; As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season (Sunday, April 14).&nbsp; In an effort to maximize competitive fairness, the seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference game will start at 3:30 p.m. ET.&nbsp;&nbsp;ESPN will televise a doubleheader, with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
NBA Global Games
NBA TV will televise both Global Games on the 2023-24 regular-season schedule.&nbsp; As previously announced, the Hawks will meet the Orlando Magic in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/hawks-magic-mexico-city-game-on-nov-9" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/hawks-magic-mexico-city-game-on-nov-9&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3b23BLw0qM8P4gkW7YsOFM">The NBA Mexico City Game 2023</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City (9:30 p.m. ET), and the Brooklyn Nets will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/nets-cavaliers-regular-season-game-paris-2024" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/nets-cavaliers-regular-season-game-paris-2024&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495539000&amp;usg=AOvVaw03nCIevQ5K0lMxDJpqcSdX">The NBA Paris Game 2024</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the Accor Arena in Paris (2 p.m. ET).
NBA In-Season Tournament
NBA-In-Season Tournament Group Play games for all 30 teams will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with TNT, ESPN and NBA TV&nbsp;<a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/08/NBA-In-Season-Tournament-National-TV-Schedule-as-of-8-15-23.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3hCducKp9wMT86T8Fxi6kF">combining to televise 16 games</a>.&nbsp; Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7) and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).&nbsp; The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced at a later date.&nbsp;&nbsp;
More National Television Matchups
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2023 NBA Finals rematches between the Nuggets and Heat will take place on Thursday, Feb. 29 in Denver on TNT (10 p.m. ET) and on Wednesday, March 13 in Miami on ESPN (7:30 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The top two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft &ndash; No. 1 pick Wembanyama of the Spurs and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets &ndash; are scheduled to meet for the first time in the regular season when San Antonio hosts Charlotte on Friday, Jan. 12 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Also on Jan. 12, ESPN will present the first nationally televised matchup between twin brothers and NBA rookies Amen Thompson of the Rockets and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons &ndash; the fourth and fifth picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, respectively &ndash; when Houston visits Detroit (7:30 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Three-time NBA Hustle Award recipient and 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Grizzlies, who played the previous nine seasons with the Celtics, will play his first game in Boston as a visitor on Sunday, Feb. 4 on ESPN (6 p.m. ET).&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The first national television matchup between the top two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft &ndash; No. 1 pick and 2022-23 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero of the Magic and No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren of the Thunder &ndash; is set for Tuesday, Feb. 13 in Orlando on TNT (7:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Leading into NBA All-Star 2024, TNT will feature a single game on Thursday, Feb. 15, with the Bucks visiting the Grizzlies (8:30 p.m. ET).&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Additional Schedule Highlights
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2023-24 regular season.&nbsp;The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The team average for back-to-backs involving travel between games has been reduced to a record-low 9.0.&nbsp; The previous low was 9.6 last season. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will again be played at 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET except for one instance during the first week of the season. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">ABC will televise 16 games as part of its two weekend series,NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC(which tips off with the Jan. 27 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and&nbsp;NBA Sunday Showcase&nbsp;(which begins with Celtics at Heat on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET). </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA TV will featureCenter Courtthroughout the season, the network&rsquo;s marquee night of programming, which incorporates enhanced viewing options into an originally produced telecast.&nbsp; In the season debut of the franchise, the Warriors will visit the Pelicans on Monday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET).&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">ESPN Radio will broadcast 25 games in the regular season, including Nuggets-Lakers on opening night, Knicks-Bucks and Nuggets-Warriors on Christmas Day, and Hawks-Spurs on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA League Pass will offer live, out-of-market games all season through the NBA App, NBA.com, connected televisions and TV providers.&nbsp; Fans can unlock direct access to stream matchups featuring their favorite teams and players with NBA League Pass (blackout restrictions apply).&nbsp; For more information, visit<a href="https://nba.com/leaguepass" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nba.com/leaguepass&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692389495540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Q2AbUj62xoWwlMkvv_tP5">NBA.com/leaguepass</a>. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The regular season will feature 39 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as part of &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23.&rdquo;&nbsp; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV and the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively.&nbsp; TNT will exclusively televise the 2024 Western Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">NBA games and programming are available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages.</li>
</ul>

The NBA released the complete schedule for the 2023-24 regular season.

NBA releases schedule for 2023-24 regular season

The NBA App will stream the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 on Saturday, Aug. 19, adding to the growing list of elite basketball programming available year-round on the new platform.&nbsp; 
The fifth annual basketball showcase at Rucker Park in New York City will feature 28 of the top high-school-age players in the U.S. Headlined by Jaloni Cambridge, Aaliyah Chavez and Kennedy Smith, the girls game tips off at 5 p.m. ET followed by the boys &ndash; featuring top high-school prospects Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Tre Johnson &ndash; streaming at 7 p.m. ET.&nbsp; Additionally, several members of the <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/jr-nba-court-of-leaders-mentorship-program-provides-youth-with-voice" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/jr-nba-court-of-leaders-mentorship-program-provides-youth-with-voice&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692371005985000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1FeYuKToXVUf2-KpS_2bVH">Jr. NBA Court of Leaders</a>&nbsp;will participate in the event.
The addition of the SLAM Summer Classic is part of the NBA&rsquo;s larger commitment to make the NBA App an all-in-one destination for global basketball programming. Over the past year, premier basketball content available on the app has included select WNBA, Basketball Africa League and NBA G League Ignite games, as well as Nike Elite Youth Basketball League&rsquo;s (EYBL) Peach Jam, Jr. NBA Showcase, LNB Betclic ELITE, top pro-am leagues such as the Drew League, Miami Pro League and AEBL, and more.
The NBA will produce and distribute the SLAM Summer Classic games on the free-to-download&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id=811567537499273278&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9UH0kAxAF91y5sfAAAA__;!!KLCbKzk!n3wSjvNMSkYR4lKoKVgXircttWOLy-0rXgpTSo-D1MmKcmHzay-SwIoaQ0lokaPc1PDUxBHGW6sN$" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?_branch_match_id%3D811567537499273278%26_branch_referrer%3DH4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0MvJzMvWy0tK1EvOz9UH0kAxAF91y5sfAAAA__;!!KLCbKzk!n3wSjvNMSkYR4lKoKVgXircttWOLy-0rXgpTSo-D1MmKcmHzay-SwIoaQ0lokaPc1PDUxBHGW6sN$&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1692371005985000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2emDiwi7_0lf1Yxd60aUby">NBA App</a>&nbsp;and on NBA.com. Below are the full team rosters.&nbsp;
BOYS ROSTER
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Name
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Ace Bailey (Powder Springs, Ga.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Jalil Bethea (Philadelphia, Pa.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*AJ Dybantsa (Brockton, Mass.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
VJ Edgecombe (Brookville, N.Y.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*Isaiah Evans (Huntersville, N.C.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Cooper Flagg (Newport, Maine)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Dylan Harper (Ramsey, N.J.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Jahki Howard (Atlanta, Ga.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Ian Jackson (Bronx, N.Y.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Tre Johnson (Dallas, Texas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Tahaad Pettiford (Jersey City, N.J.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*Jase Richardson (Las Vegas, Nev.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Meleek Thomas (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Robert Wright III&nbsp;(Philadelphia, Pa.)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Member of the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders
&nbsp;
&nbsp;GIRLS ROSTER
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Name
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Izela Arenas (Chatsworth, Calif.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Mikayla Blakes (Somerset, N.J.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*Jaloni Cambridge (Nashville, Tenn.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Aaliyah Chavez (Lubbock, Texas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*Kendall Dudley (Centreville, Va.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
*Leah Harmon (Washington D.C.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Ariel Little (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Maddy McDaniel (Upper Marlboro, Md.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Me'arah O'Neal (Houston, Texas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Mackenly Randolph (Chatsworth, Calif.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Kennedy Smith (Etiwanda, Calif.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Chloe Spreen (Bedford, Ind.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Kennedy Umeh (Owings Mills, Md.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="354">
Allie Ziebell (Neenah, Wis.)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
* Member of the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders

The NBA App will stream the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 on Saturday, Aug. 19.

NBA App to stream the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5

The word got out about the most recent Mal Mundy Hoops Fest Tour Statement Session.
Over 30 college coaches came down to South Side High in Youngsville, LA, to scout over 40 prospects on the last Sunday before school starts up. South Coast scout Chris Dodson was in the gym and came away impressed with a few players still looking for offers.
Most Impressive:&nbsp;I've got&nbsp;Jaylen Peters (Liberty) as the best player in the gym for long stretches, and it wasn't particularly close at times. The two-man game with&nbsp;Chris Birden (Newman) was clicking, but Peters was the player who made folks stop taking notes and just watch. It helps that it seemed the rest of the team started deferring to his leadership pretty quickly, and that the other teams seemed to want to avoid Peters. Yet he still erased mistakes, could correct actions on the fly, and made some impressive instinctual plays on pure athleticism.
You'll hear if Peters is on the court. A defensive leader, smart with instant energy; anyone recruiting on winning attitude alone should offer Peters immediately. He called plays for others and was a step ahead on both ends. Peters disrupted almost every action on defense and found ways to score without the ball on offense. Peters said his favorite part of the game is playing in transition because of all that can happen on a fast break.
&ldquo;When I&rsquo;m alone on the court, I like to work on tougher shots," Peters said. "I'm not the quickest with the ball so shooting, finishing over or through a defender is a big part of my game.&rdquo;
Self-aware and credited teammates without prompting, Peters says he is ready to run as senior, &ldquo;especially at Liberty where I have great guards who can find me at the rim.&rdquo; Social media is full of highlights. Now, I need to see a full game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Some highlights from AAU this summer <a href="https://t.co/gLXzsCkJV1">pic.twitter.com/gLXzsCkJV1</a>
&mdash; Jaylen Peters (@JaylenJaylen0) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaylenJaylen0/status/1686481786631569409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Most Overlooked:&nbsp;Clayton Blackledge (St. Louis Catholic) bossed in the first game, just a solid performance knowing the situation. Not going to get a lot of shots early and was the only available big man; no one else on team above 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6.
I talked to him about cardio afterwards. Somewhat stiff, he needs to take some yoga classes to get more speed and flexibility in the hips. Get him a new desk in class or stretching bands with a mat in the back for plyometrics. It would also help his second jump on the boards. He missed a few rebounds trying to reload and get balance. However, when he is fresh, there is some dominate tape.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Big fella has been extremely efficient and effective today. Great opportunity for Clayton Blackledge! <a href="https://twitter.com/LHSBCANOW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LHSBCANOW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RecruitLouisiana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RecruitLouisiana</a> <a href="https://t.co/EoOkflDDvP">pic.twitter.com/EoOkflDDvP</a>
&mdash; St. Louis Catholic Boys Basketball (@slchsboysbball) <a href="https://twitter.com/slchsboysbball/status/1673027017774710784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2023</a></blockquote>

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He moved opposing bigs completely out of the paint, then won the race back down the floor more than a few times. He held positions on offense, giving the perimeter-heavy roster room to work. Blackledge understands and enjoys the dirty work of basketball. He smiled after setting a solid screen, the same as he did after a short jumper.
Blackledge rolls to the rim well, with purpose. He sealed defenders with force and finished second chances on the first try with no trouble. He&rsquo;d be a winning culture staple in low D1 practice and could become a starter. He finished with both hands and hit a 14-footer after tossing something off the court. He wasn&rsquo;t fazed, just came back into focus for a pass and hit the shot in rhythm.
He had another pick and short-roll floater off glass that looked on purpose. If it was a fluke, the kid might have a career in poker if hoops doesn't work out. He talked more on defense when tired. No big man subs were available. but he was still doing work. He seemed to get a lot out of the run, but still wanted more when interviewed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ok #130 - we 👀 you! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RecruitLouisiana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RecruitLouisiana</a> <a href="https://t.co/RCbqi9nPt3">pic.twitter.com/RCbqi9nPt3</a>
&mdash; St. Louis Catholic Boys Basketball (@slchsboysbball) <a href="https://twitter.com/slchsboysbball/status/1672659460337147908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Notables Needing Longer Looks:
Jordan Comanche (Wossman) works back on defense. Helps cover mistakes and runs the floor. Beats his man to spots, gets space. Shot-form consistency seems off but making me a believer with every made shot. The jumper form fluctuates, but he hits the open shots. A contested floater was wildly off the mark. Need to see more, but there are plenty of reasons to be more curious about Comanche.
Chris Shiflett Jr. (Evangel) has hands slower than head, but the talent to catch up. Sees passes but sometimes telegraphs because he sees that play so early. Needs a bit more deception to pull off the flashy stuff at 5-foot-9 or it seems more like trying to force plays even in traffic. Talent is there though. Can finish crafty layups. Nice touch on high-arcing floaters.
Javon Johnson (Bossier)&nbsp;will go chest-to-chest with anyone. Gets downhill, tough handles with someone on the hip. Attacks lazy defense, gets to the rim, stays in rhythm. Seemed a solid shooter.&nbsp;
Jeremiah Lucas (Bonnabel)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Gavin Lucas (Bonnabel) are similar to Johnson in that both play like they are comfortable on concrete courts outside in the heat. Handles, passing vision, anticipation and can shoot. Bonnabel's two-guard tandem will be a pair to watch.

On Sunday, over 30 college coaches came to Youngsville, LA, to scout over 40 prospects. Chris Dodson shares his scouting report.

Statements Made: LA Hoops Fest Scouting Report

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The Denver Nuggets had all the ingredients for an NBA Finals run this season &mdash; Nikola Jokic&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-mvp-lebron-lakers-8e668572f9f43942175ded63e7a61832">all-around greatness</a>, Jamal Murray&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nuggets-jamal-murray-nikola-jokic-playoffs-lakers-e98c7ca3678569b768dd97f1373c1282">sweet ball handling</a>, Michael Porter Jr.&rsquo;s board crashing and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/JoelRushNBA/status/1647818068469645313?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arc accuracy</a>, Aaron Gordon&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1607256906279559168?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">above-the-rim brilliance</a>.
The only thing missing was big-game experience.
Enter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers inside the NBA bubble in 2020.
The Nuggets acquired the sharp-shooting swingman along with veteran guard Ish Smith from the Washington Wizards last July in exchange for Monte Morris and Will Barton.
KCP, the quiet-until-he-needs-to-be player with a lethal outside shot, has been the calming presence on this squad that has sent Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis and LeBron James on early vacations and has designs on adding either Jimmy Butler or Jayson Tatum to that mix when the NBA Finals finally get here June 1.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just the ultimate leader, ultimate professional, comes in every day and works extremely hard, holds everyone accountable,&rdquo; said fellow 2022-23 addition Bruce Brown Jr. &ldquo;But he is the only one on this team who has won a championship. He knows what it takes and what we need to do. So, we gotta listen to that guy.&rdquo;
Teammates and coaches say KCP isn&rsquo;t so much in your face as he&rsquo;s in your ear, dispensing advice, tips, guidance, encouragement and caution along the way as the Nuggets navigate a championship road they&rsquo;ve never been down.
&ldquo;I do it vocally, just talking, bringing that championship mentality that I have to my team now,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope said, &ldquo;and just tell them in moments like if they go on a run, it&rsquo;s not the end of the day. Let&rsquo;s just get back to doing what we do. Like I say, it&rsquo;s all about being patient, being ready and defending.&rdquo;
The Nuggets&rsquo;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-nuggets-2d7cb4bafca0a88ec802f0db48a58c8a">four-game sweep of the Lakers</a>&nbsp;secured the franchise&rsquo;s first Western Conference title and sent the Nuggets to their first NBA Finals appearance in their history and to their first championship series since they lost to Julius Erving and the New York Nets 4-2 in the ABA&rsquo;s last season in 1976.
Those two teams, along with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, joined the NBA in 1976-77 when the ABA disbanded. All the others reached the NBA Finals long before the Nuggets, who are appearing in their first league championship in their 47-year history.
They might not have made it without KCP, whose on-the-court contributions are what Nuggets superstar Jokic appreciates the most.
Caldwell-Pope was an integral part of the Lakers&rsquo; championship run in 2020, averaging 10.7 points and starting in all of LA&rsquo;s 21 playoff games. He helped the Lakers beat the Nuggets in five games for the Western Conference title in the bubble.
What he&rsquo;s brought the Nuggets isn&rsquo;t just that championship pedigree but performance, Jokic said Saturday.
&ldquo;Yes, he won a championship, but the best thing about KCP is he knows exactly what to do and where to be,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s doing that in the first game, the 70th game, the playoff game, Finals game, whatever game, he always does what he&rsquo;s supposed to do and I think that&rsquo;s the best way to describe him.&rdquo;
Whether he&rsquo;s doling out tips or quietly going about his business, KCP has been a big part of the Nuggets&rsquo; longest playoff drive in their history.
He&rsquo;s averaged 11.7 points a game, up from 10.8 in the regular season, and 3.2 rebounds, up from 2.7, while reducing his turnovers from 1.1 to 0.7.
He&rsquo;s turned in some of his best work these playoffs on defense.
&ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;m always on a tough matchup,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope said. &ldquo;I pride myself on my defense. I look forward to being able to just get stops.&rdquo;
Which is why he said when the Nuggets opened the playoffs after a week&rsquo;s rest &mdash; two days shorter than their layoff before the NBA Finals begin Thursday night &mdash; that defense would be the primary driver to hoisting the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy.
The Nuggets sent James and the Lakers packing when Murray tied up the Lakers star on a drive to the basket and Gordon blocked the shot, securing Denver&rsquo;s 113-111 win in Game 4 for the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff series sweep in its history.
After their 25-point blowout of the Suns in Phoenix in Round 2, Jokic said the Nuggets were so focused they looked like a championship team. Then he caught himself: &ldquo;Well, I guess I don&rsquo;t know how a championship team looks. But I think that was how it&rsquo;s supposed to look.&rdquo;
Caldwell-Pope is the only Nugget who knows what winning an NBA ring feels like.
&ldquo;Everybody wants one,&rdquo; Caldwell-Pope said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the goal, to become a champion in this league. It&rsquo;s one of the hardest things to do.&rdquo;
He&rsquo;s told his teammates that not only will it forever define them, it&rsquo;ll forever change them.
&ldquo;It changed me a lot, just as far as me being that leader that I am now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And just being able to be focused in the moments as a professional and as a leader, you know, get my teammates focused and ready to play.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a feeling he wants them all to experience in the coming days.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers, is playing a key role in the Denver Nuggets' NBA Finals run.

Caldwell-Pope's championship experience helping Nuggets in Finals run

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a triple-double after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nikola-jokic-suns-owner-ishbia-nuggets-68825fb1632f87930fe30ec72ae5c94f">making up</a>&nbsp;with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. sank five 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.
Joker had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a center in NBA history.
&ldquo;To be honest, I just like to win the game, so whatever it takes,&rdquo; said Jokic, who was coming off a career-best 53-point performance in Game 4.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Phoenix.
&ldquo;If we play the way we did today,&rdquo; Jokic said, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re going to have a chance&rdquo; to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the NBA bubble in 2020.
The Suns are confident they can shake this one off just like they did in bouncing back from two losses in Denver last week.
&ldquo;Yeah. I&rsquo;ve been in here a couple of times now,&rdquo; Phoenix star Devin Booker said. &ldquo;I love it. Every game has is its own character. Every game is its own movie, its own different preparation and everything to go with it. We&rsquo;re going watch over film, see how we can be better for Game 6.&rdquo;
The home team has won every game in the series. If that holds true again, the decisive winner-take-all clash will come Sunday back in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets own the NBA&rsquo;s best home record at 40-7, including 6-0 in the playoffs.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone devised a five-point plan for the Nuggets to regain control of the series after losing two in Phoenix: patch up their transition defense, slow down Booker, get more from his bench, unleash MPJ and knock down open 3s.
Check, check, check, check and check.
Porter bounced back from a quiet night in Game 4 with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range. Denver outscored Phoenix 31-23 in fast-break points; Booker scored 28 points but missed 11 of 19 shots; Bruce Brown boosted the Nuggets&rsquo; bench with 25 points and the Nuggets sank 13 of 27 from long range.
Jamal Murray added 19 points for Denver, and Kevin Durant chipped in 26 points for Phoenix but also had an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
The Nuggets turned a three-point halftime lead into a 91-74 cushion with a domiinant third quarter in which Jokic made seven of eight shots for 17 points and Booker was just 1-for-8 for 3 points.
The chippiness of the series reached a new level in the final minute of the third quarter when Nuggets swingman Brown antagonized the Suns as they huddled up on the court and Durant gave Jokic a forearm shiver. A double technical was assessed on Durant and Brown.
&ldquo;Just to see what they were drawing up,&rdquo; Jokic said when asked why he and Brown were spying on the Suns.
Durant called the dust-up &ldquo;absolutely nothing, it wasn&rsquo;t anything serious. They were excited, they were up big and we were trying to draw up some stuff. So, it was nothing.&rdquo;
So, no need for a hug and a handshake next time they play.
Before this game, Jokic shared a warm pregame embrace &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MichelleTuckner/status/1656099830685663232?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">and the basketball</a>&nbsp;&mdash; with Ishbia 48 hours after their kerfuffle over a loose ball in Phoenix in Game 4 resulted in a technical foul and a $25,000 fine for the Nuggets big man.
&ldquo;I was hoping he was going to pay my fine,&rdquo; Jokic cracked after the game.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s just making light of a situation that was way overblown,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;The NBA handled it the right way and I give their owner, Mat Ishbia, a lot of credit when he came out after the game and said, &lsquo;Listen, I don&rsquo;t want anyone to be suspended. Let&rsquo;s let the players decide this on the court.&rsquo; So, kudos to him for that.
&ldquo;But yeah, I think it just speaks to Nikola&rsquo;s personality and him being a little bit of a smart (aleck).&rdquo;
The NBA had stickers placed on the first several rows of seats &mdash; including Ishbia&rsquo;s &mdash; reminding spectators, especially those close to the action, of its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/arniestapleton/status/1656074725368668162?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fan code of conduct policy</a>&nbsp;and a reminder that violations could result in ejection and revocation of tickets.
TIP-INS
Suns: Seated courtside alongside Ishbia was Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker, derisively known in much of Colorado as &ldquo;Midnight Mel&rdquo; for his departure from the Buffaloes job only hours after telling boosters he was in Boulder to stay.
Nuggets: This marked the first game in the series that the leader after one quarter held on to win the game. ... Among the VIPs in attendance was Broncos new head coach Sean Payton, his quarterback Russell Wilson and John Calipari, who coached Booker and Murray at Kentucky.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.

Nuggets beat Suns 118-102 in Game 5 to regain series lead

In their latest effort to invest resources, raise awareness and build a safe space for the wellness of the professional athlete community, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), NHL Players&rsquo; Association (NHLPA), MLB Players Association (MLBPA), MLS Players Association (MLSPA) and Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) announced a collaborative campaign on Monday for May&rsquo;s Mental Health Awareness Month. &nbsp; The emotional well-being and mental challenges of athletes have often been ignored or swept under the competitive fabric of sports. By coming together in the name of mental health and wellness, these six professional sports unions are demonstrating their ongoing, unified commitment to prioritize this important issue among their players while empowering the broader community to do the same. The month-long initiative aims to normalize mental health as a vital component to our general, physical health that touches people in all walks of life, including athletes. Through player quotes from members of the various sports unions as well as tips and resources shared by wellness experts, several themes will thread together the social media-driven campaign: mental health is a driver of performance; mental health is a team game; mental health is about recovery and resilience; and how to be a mental health advocate. &nbsp; Along with championing inspirational stories of hope from athletes, these sports unions will also highlight the various mental-health undertakings led by them and their player members. This demonstration of shared support for mental health will not only reinforce the human side of sports but also further the push to provide both athletes and their communities with the necessary wellness resources.
&ldquo;In the spirit of solidarity, the National Football League Players Association, National Basketball Players Association, National Hockey League Players&rsquo; Association, Major League Baseball Players Association, Major League Soccer Players Association and Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Players Association have come together for the first time in collaboration to recognize the importance of our players&rsquo; mental health and wellness,&rdquo; the six sports unions said in a joint statement.&nbsp;
&ldquo;&lsquo;MentalHealthisMAYnstream&rsquo; will advance the national and global conversation around mental health and wellness and relate it to the experiences of athletes at every level of competition.&rdquo;

The NBPA, NFLPA, NHLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA and WNBPA are collaborating on a campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month.

NBPA and 5 other sports unions team up for mental-health awareness

After 16 years without a postseason appearance &ndash; the longest drought in NBA history &ndash; Sacramento Kings fans can't wait to watch their team compete in the playoffs again.
There's a ton of excitement surrounding the Kings' first-round matchup against the Golden State Warriors, and the ticket prices reflect this.
According to <a href="https://www.tickpick.com/nba/sacramento-kings-tickets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tickpick.com/nba/sacramento-kings-tickets/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1681487323645000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2BrmJncAwRWGYqj-RT59zs">TickPick</a>, tickets for Game 1 of Kings-Warriors are selling for an average of $668, which is the most expensive first-round game on record. In fact, it's the most expensive non-Finals game on record.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2023-04-12-at-11-04-49-am.png" alt="" width="738" height="164" />
The average price for a Game 1 ticket is 603% more expensive than the average ticket price for a Kings' home game this past season ($95). One fan purchased two Game 1 tickets in Section 118, Row F for $1,248 each (or $2,496 total).
Below is the average purchase price of each Kings-Warriors game (as of April 13). Notice that the games in Sacramento cost significantly more:
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 23.6623%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 1</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$668</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 2</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$480</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 3</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$339</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 4</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$327</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 5</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$486</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 6.91326%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Game 6</td>
<td style="width: 4.80769%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">$334</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Game 1 between the Kings and Warriors tips off on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET at Golden 1 Center. For those who would prefer to watch from home, the game will be broadcast on ABC.
Sacramento is the third seed in the Western Conference, with a 48-34 record. The Kings boast the league's top-ranked offense, scoring an NBA-record 117 points per 100 possessions. However, they rank No. 25 in defense, allowing 114.2 points per 100 possessions.
Golden State is the sixth seed in the Western Conference, with a 44-38 record. The defending-champion Warriors boast the NBA's ninth-ranked offense (scoring 113.5 points per 100 possessions) and 17th-ranked defense (allowing 111.7 points per 100 possessions).

tickets for Game 1 of Kings-Warriors are selling for an average of $668, which is the most expensive first-round game on record.

Kings-Warriors breaks record for most expensive first-round tickets

The following is a press release from the NBA:
NEW YORK &ndash; The NBA set records for total attendance, average attendance, percentage of capacity and sellouts in the 2022-23 regular season. &nbsp;A record 791 sellouts shattered the previous mark of 760 set during the 2018-19 season, and arenas were filled to an all-time-high 97 percent capacity.
The league&rsquo;s total attendance mark of 22,234,502 broke the previous record of 22,124,559 set in the 2017-18 season. &nbsp;This season marks only the second time in NBA history that total attendance exceeded 22 million. &nbsp;For the first time, teams averaged more than 18,000 fans (18,077). &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Highest NBA Regular-Season Total Attendance
&nbsp; &nbsp; 2022-23 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 22,234,502 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2017-18 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 22,124,559 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2016-17 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 21,997,412 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2015-16 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 21,972,129 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2018-19 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 21,964,447
Highest NBA Regular-Season Average Attendance
&nbsp; &nbsp; 2022-23 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 18,077 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2017-18 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 17,987 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2016-17 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 17,884 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2015-16 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 17,864 &nbsp; &nbsp; 2018-19 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 17,857
The 2023 NBA postseason tips off with the AT&amp;T NBA Play-In Tournament from Tuesday, April 11 through Friday, April 14. &nbsp;The NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel begin on Saturday, April 15 and culminate with the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV in June.

A record 791 sellouts shattered the previous mark of 760 in 2018-19, and arenas were filled to an all-time-high 97% capacity.

NBA sets all-time records for attendance, sellouts in 2022-23 season

Here's the list of NCAA players who have as of April 6 filed for consideration as a candidate for the 2023 WNBA Draft

2023 WNBA Draft: Full list of prospects who have entered

Isaac Mourier is the director of performance nutrition and sports science at Impact Basketball, one of the most prestigious independent training organizations for elite pro basketball players. He's spent time as a consultant for the Sacramento Kings and as a nutritionist for Georgia athletics, and he played pro basketball in Germany.
So while Mourier cannot speak for everyone in the NBA, his next statement carries weight:
"I've never met a player that doesn't want to play," Mourier told Basketball News. "Never, in my career as a player, as a practitioner, have I ever met a player that does not want to play. So that's a myth."
The NBA's perceived "load management crisis" has only sparked louder outrage this season from fans, some media and even former players. Charles Barkley has <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/charles-barkley-load-management-steel-mill-first-take.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called the trend</a> "disrespectful to the game."&nbsp;Kendrick Perkins has <a href="https://fadeawayworld.net/kendrick-perkins-rips-load-management-its-starting-to-get-beyond-disrespectful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labeled the mental toughness of today's players</a> as "softer than funeral music." While these two are certainly controversial voices at the very least, they are significant influences in the sport's discourse.
Barkley and Perkins, among many others, are also warping the true hows and whys of load management.&nbsp;
Today's NBA game is more physically taxing than ever, and among those in the league, it's barely a debate.&nbsp;
"I was part of the physical era, where you could hand-check and grind, post up and all that," Mike Conley told <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/load-management-draymond-green-warriors-kevon-looney-technology-mike-conley-jerami-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox Sports in January.</a> "We were a physical team. It&rsquo;s who we were. That was taxing in a whole other way. You played through injuries, but it was more bumps and bruises because you were being physically assaulted.
"Now it&rsquo;s like, imagine running as fast as you can for 48 minutes and having to do that every night. There are more possessions, more opportunities to get these non-contact injuries. Guys are having more calf strains, more hamstrings and stuff like that. We weren&rsquo;t getting those as much (before)."
Kevon Looney backs Conley up in <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/load-management-draymond-green-warriors-kevon-looney-technology-mike-conley-jerami-grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that article</a>, and Mourier supports them both. He says that the "physicality" of the old-school, post-centric game is much different from today's fast pace that wears out the body with more muscle contractions.
"What may look less physically taxing to the eye, in terms of less bumps and bruises and people getting knocked over &mdash; I think you're actually having the opposite effect on the body, where these distances covered, the speed at which they're covered and the changes of directions are far more taxing on the body," Mourier said.
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Today, teams can quantify those stresses. Mourier explains that players often jump on force plates and see how their power generated will change with fatigue throughout a season. Hormones and proteins found in blood testing can signal muscle damage or inflammation. Teams use GPS tracking and camera systems to monitor players' wear and tear even in practices. The data paints a collective picture of an athlete's overall load during the season.
Importantly, this data isn't hidden by doctors &mdash; it typically is part of an ongoing conversation throughout the year. Building trust between players and medical staffers is crucial to injury management. That way, players can trust the data and doctors can respect the athlete's motivations.
"There's a number of data points that you will track until it gets to the point where we have to stop," Mourier said. "It's not like, 'Hey, we've just noticed something and you're not gonna play tonight.' It will be something that's been in the works &mdash; overall wellness scores, looking at that force plate data &mdash; it will be a trend, which is happening over time, and it's got to a point where it's like, 'Okay, we really have to do this.'
"It's not taken lightly because, ultimately, everybody's job there is to make sure that people can play every night."
Fans often want to ask: Who's in control? And the difficult answer is that the power dynamics change in different organizations.
Mourier says that superstars' voices will naturally have more influence, but that college staffs have more control over player rest than NBA teams. Others in the NBA have observed that teams do hold serious decision-making power.
"I do know on occasion that it&rsquo;s not the player&rsquo;s choice [to rest]," New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. told Basketball News.
"On the whole, I think people are on the same page, especially when it comes to our [Impact Basketball] guys on [NBA] teams," Mourier said. "I've never come across someone saying, 'They made me sit down; I wanted to play and I couldn't.'"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_20114521.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="444" />
Seth Partnow works for StatsBomb and writes for The Athletic, and was formerly the Milwaukee Bucks' director of basketball research, working adjacent to the sports scientists within the organization. He said in his general experience, trust in both data and relationships is a huge part of reaching decisions to rest.&nbsp;
"I think that the impetus for resting overwhelmingly comes from the medical and front-office side," Partnow told Basketball News. "I think that part of the increased comfort players have with revealing that information is maybe an increased willingness to take that advice."
Partnow explained that teams often boil down decision-making for rest to a "risk versus reward" scale. Does Player X need to play this specific game for the sake of the team, and is it worth the risk of a potential injury that could threaten playoff availability?&nbsp;
"We're going to be judged on how well we do in the playoffs," Partnow said. "And more of a bigger factor than a regular-season win or two is, 'Are my good players able to play?'"
That balance does not include the weight of the fan experience &mdash; a valid criticism within the conversation. Mourier, originally from England, remembers attending his first NBA game in person between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards and being disappointed when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade didn't suit up. NBA tickets can be a significant investment for fans and families; understandably, they would be bummed when a star rests.
But "risk vs. reward" applies to the league's approach too, as evidenced by its lack of action on anything surrounding load management. Others, including <a href="https://theathletic.com/4272209/2023/03/03/load-management-nba-injuries/?source=user_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a recent conversation between The Athletic's staff members</a>, have clamored for more transparency around injuries as at least a starting point.
&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a new issue. There&rsquo;s nothing particularly happening this season that we haven&rsquo;t seen happening over the last several seasons," Adam Silver <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/25/sports/sunday-basketball-notes/?p1=BGSearch_Overlay_Results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in February</a>. "I understand it from a fan standpoint that if you are particularly buying tickets to a particular game and that player isn&rsquo;t playing. I don&rsquo;t have a good answer for that other than this is a deep league with incredible competition."
One motivator gaining traction is the idea of minimum-games-played requirements for season awards. Shams Charania has reported that <a href="https://theathletic.com/4302514/2023/03/13/the-bounce-lakers-cba-games-played-minimum-shams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">both the league and the National Basketball Players Association like the idea</a>. But many do not, including Mourier.
"I think that opens up a pretty dangerous can of worms, because if you have somebody that's really not in a position where they're ready to play &mdash; we have to start looking at them as humans as opposed to just athletes," Mourier said. "If they're in a position where they are really not ready to play, they're feeling sore or there's an injury, and they're creeping up on that cut-off for games and they're about to play, and it's gonna mean that they're not going to get home, they can't put food on the table for their family or can't support the the different needs that they have, then we have a human issue."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr explains his position of protecting his players on the second night of a back-to-back, empathizes with the fans who are affected by load management and shares how a 72-game NBA season would be equally as rewarding as it&rsquo;d be safe. <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/osTyhqxNyd">pic.twitter.com/osTyhqxNyd</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1616581456658108416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Another common suggestion is to simply shorten the schedule, be it to 70 games, 65 games or whatever makes sense. It would lighten the workload for players and possibly address some of the concerns about the value of the regular season along the way. But Silver didn't seem excited.
&ldquo;If we thought it made sense to reduce the number of games, we would. But there&rsquo;s no data right now that suggests, as I said, based on some prior experiments or even as we look at the data over the course of the season and when players get injured, it isn&rsquo;t... You would think that it would be the case that injuries would increase as the season goes on, and that&rsquo;s not necessarily it either," Silver said.
Partnow echoes Silver's stance as a reason for the league shrugging its shoulders. There just isn't hard proof that the change wouldn't lead to an obvious loss of revenue from dropping 200-plus contests.
"Measuring how that sort of loss of &mdash; I don't know, if you want to call it loss of trust &mdash; might longer-term affect the per-game revenue, that's tough math to do, but I think that's the concern," Partnow added.
And even if the league did shrink the schedule, games are not the only way athletes are physically taxed during the year.
&ldquo;I think the biggest thing [fans don't notice] would just be trying to manage injuries and inflammation while traveling via airplane," Nance Jr. said. "That always seems to exacerbate most problems.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Fans can&rsquo;t imagine playing 82 games in different cities all across the country and the physical toll it takes on your body, even without injuries," added NBA veteran Etan Thomas. "It&rsquo;s difficult for most fans to really understand.&rdquo;
Mourier says that pros need at least 48-to-72 hours between high-level competition for their bodies to replenish with proper nutrients. That's not consistently happening under the current schedule, and travel doesn't help.
"All of the factors which are not directly related to after the ball is thrown up at the tip-off &mdash; so sleep, travel, all of that other stuff &mdash; how can we influence those things to put the players in a more favorable spot to be able to go and perform every night? I think that's where we start," Mourier suggested.
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Load management is the best strategy NBA teams have to contain injuries, but it isn't stopping them from happening. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263354" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studies are showing</a> that NBA players get hurt more than ever. Partnow warns not to assume rest every time a star is out briefly; many of the smaller cases are still legitimate injuries.&nbsp;
The findings hint at a scarier truth: What if the NBA can't do anything about it? As <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27125793/these-kids-ticking-bombs-threat-youth-basketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Baxter Holmes uncovered</a>, AAU and youth sports are taking major tolls on players' bodies before they even reach the pro level. Current pros are torn on if the grind of year-round youth basketball was worth it.
"I agree that kids are being overworked at a young age,&rdquo; <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2019/11/08/does-aau-lead-to-load-management-in-nba-kids-are-being-overworked/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic told HoopsHype in 2019</a>. &ldquo;Parents push kids too hard to succeed and hire all these fake basketball coaches who don&rsquo;t teach them how to play the game the right way. Kids have to have fun first while they play, and not [have someone] make it a business for them right away."
The NBA doesn't supervise the entirety of American youth hoops, which means it can't stop one of the root problems.
"Yes, absolutely [it's worrisome]," Partnow said. "I mean, on some level, it's not just that youth sports are out of our control. Youth sports are out of control."
So, NBA teams and players have more data than ever to manage a sport that is more physcially demanding than ever. But the league doesn't have the data to comfortably make a big change, and the frustration only grows.
At what point does the NBA stop waiting for numeric proof to force change, and take the risk for the sake of its players and fans?
"That's a political question. I don't know," Partnow said. "The longer [load management] becomes front and center of the conversation, the shorter that timespan is. But if something intervening happens that takes the focus off, and now we're talking about this other thing, then it loses salience and it kind of subsides...
"It seems like this [conversation] has been pretty continuous for the last couple months, which is probably the longest I can remember it being sort of a constant."

Ethan Fuller talks to figures around basketball to understand why load management happens and what can be done about it.

Here's the reality of the NBA's perceived 'load management crisis'

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

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

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

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese dismantled Michigan on both ends of the court with 25 points, 24 rebounds, six blocks and three steals to help third-seeded LSU beat the No. 6 seed Wolverines 66-42 Sunday night in the second round of the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament.
Reese, a 6-foot-3 All-America forward, did most of her damage with gauze wedged under her upper lip after a shot to her mouth drew blood in the opening minutes of the game.
Alexis Morris scored 11 and LaDazhia Williams had 10 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (30-2), which never trailed and held Michigan (23-10) to its lowest point total of the season.
In just their second season under coach Kim Mulkey, the Tigers advanced past the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2014 and will meet second seed Utah in the Greenville 2 regional semifinal.
Laila Phelia scored 20 points for Michigan, which opened the second half with a 7-0 run to pull as close as eight points, but quickly went back down by double-digits for good after Reese&rsquo;s layup and Kateri Poole&rsquo;s 3.
Reese played with relentless determination, three times chasing driving Michigan players down the lane to swat their shots away from behind.
She was a menace to Michigan rebounders on both ends of the court. She grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. And after one, Emily Kiser was called for an intentional foul when she knocked Reese to the floor on a putback attempt.
LSU had 18 second-chance points to Michigan&rsquo;s 2, and although both teams shot 35%, LSU got off 68 shots to Michigan&rsquo;s 46.
Leading by only a few points early on, the Tigers took over in the second quarter. Jasmine Carson hit three 3s for LSU, which had missed its first eight from deep. Her third put LSU up 23-9, prompting Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico to call timeout.
That stunted LSU&rsquo;s momentum only briefly before Reese scored LSU&rsquo;s next seven points on a short jumper, a putback, an explosive drive to the hoop and a free throw to put the Tigers up 30-15 at halftime.
ROUGH START
The first quarter was a defensive struggle in which both teams looked prepared to exert as much physical force as official would permit. Reese took an inadvertent shot to the mouth under the basket. She continued intermittently rubbing her lip and looking at her finger tips to check for blood for much the quarter. Later, she lost one of her eyelash extensions while tangled up inside with Kiser and Leigha Brown.
Reese delivered punishment, too, flattening Kiser on a drive down the lane. Kiser drew the charge, but stayed down for several moments, placing her hand on the part of her upper body that apparently took the blow, before teammates helped her up.
BIG PICTURE
Michigan: After reaching the regional finals last season and and the regional semifinals in 2021, Michigan&rsquo;s tournament ended in the second round for the first time since 2019. The Wolverines&rsquo; previous scoring low this season was 52 in a loss at Indiana on Feb. 16. They finished
LSU: Mulkey is now 3-0 against Barnes Arico in the NCAA Tournament, with each meeting coming since 2018 and two while Mulkey was at Baylor, where she won three national titles. Outrebounded Michigan 46-26.&nbsp;

Angel Reese dismantled Michigan on both ends of the court with 25 points, 24 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals to lead LSU.

Angel Reese posts 25-point, 24-rebound, 6-block night as LSU beats UM

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Oscar Tshiebwe kept battling for position, pushing his way to daylight and grabbing seemingly every loose rebound with a rugged relentlessness.
No one was going to stop him, either.
When it was over, the two-time Associated Press All-American had turned in the best rebounding performance in the NCAA Tournament in nearly a half-century &mdash; and Kentucky was free to move past last year&rsquo;s one-and-done showing.
Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds and Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, helping the Wildcats beat Providence 61-53 in Friday night&rsquo;s first round.
Tshiebwe&rsquo;s rebounding output represented the most in any tournament game since 1977. Eleven of his rebounds came on the offensive glass &mdash; a big factor in the sixth-seeded Wildcats (22-11) staying in control as both offenses grinded to a halt after halftime.
&ldquo;I told (my teammates), I said, &lsquo;This year we come in and fight, last year doesn&rsquo;t matter anymore,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Tshiebwe, who entered as the nation&rsquo;s leading rebounder at 13.1 per game.
The &ldquo;last year,&rdquo; of course, was the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-saint-peters-upsets-kentucky-b0fdd8fbd0ea432a9b6150f0cd8e6b22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shocking first-round exit against 15th-seeded Saint Peter&rsquo;s</a> that had hung over the program all season. Now the Wildcats are moving on to face the Montana State-Kansas State winner Sunday in the East Region.
&ldquo;Yeah, it was a big relief obviously,&rdquo; forward Jacob Toppin said.
When the horn sounded, guard Cason Wallace let out a scream before giving a chest bump to Reaves. And Tshiebwe soon emerged from a postgame TV interview by gleefully skipping his way off toward the locker room.
His rebounding total was the most in the tournament since Michigan&rsquo;s Phil Hubbard had 26 boards against Detroit Mercy in 1977.
Behind Tshiebwe, Kentucky finished with a 48-31 rebounding advantage, controlling the offensive glass (plus-10) and dominating in second-chance points for an 18-2 edge.
That was vital considering shots weren&rsquo;t falling; Kentucky shot 36.5% overall but just 7 of 28 (25%) after halftime.
Reeves hit five 3-pointers to lead the offense, while Toppin had his own big game with 18 points. Tshiebwe managed eight points, but he was still an indomitable force that the 11th-seeded Friars (21-12) just couldn&rsquo;t manage.
&ldquo;Sometimes you just have an &lsquo;it,&rsquo; a la Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace,&rdquo; Providence coach Ed Cooley said. &ldquo;Those guys just have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; for it. Some guys have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; to score. Some people have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; to pass. He has an incredible &lsquo;it,&rsquo; an elite &lsquo;it&rsquo; to rebound.&rdquo;
Ed Croswell scored 16 points for Providence, which shot just 36.2% while making 5 of 24 3-pointers. The Friars matched the Wildcats&rsquo; second-half troubles, making just 8 of 27 shots (29.6%).
&ldquo;You can say you wish you could win this game and all that,&rdquo; Friars guard Jared Bynum said, &ldquo;but you have to embrace the moment at the end of it.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Providence: The Friars have been to the NCAAs seven times in the past nine seasons under Cooley, including last year&rsquo;s Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion Kansas. But they entered this game just 3-6 in NCAA games under Cooley.
Kentucky: The Wildcats got off to a successful though grinding start to March Madness &mdash; and that was good enough for coach John Calipari.
&ldquo;If in this tournament, winning is a relief, what the heck are you doing here?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is joy.&rdquo;
KEY STRETCH
Tshiebwe came through in a tight game, starting with &mdash; what else? &mdash; his rebounding.
With Kentucky leading 50-46, he leapt to dunk home Wallace&rsquo;s missed drive. Minutes later, he came up with a steal, then an offensive rebound off his own miss before feeding Chris Livingston on the other side of the paint for the layup and a 54-46 lead with 2:43 left.
BUMPY REUNION
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-transfers-blake-hinson-bryce-hopkins-5bafaa08f771c7cb8e389f9fbe750213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The game marked a reunion</a>&nbsp;between Providence star Bryce Hopkins and the Kentucky program he left behind. Hopkins came in averaging 16.1 points, but finished with just seven on 2-for-9 shooting in a tough night while being chased primarily by Toppin.
Hopkins fought back tears as he made his way through the postgame handshake line with Calipari and former teammates.
FULL STOP
The game&rsquo;s oddest moment&nbsp;came at the foul line.
With 8:36 left before halftime, Providence&rsquo;s Clifton Moore launched a free throw that hit the rim on the left side and rolled all the way around the inside of the rim before popping out and sitting on the back of the goal.
And then, it just stopped and stayed there.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
What are the odds? 😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/XGCiyy9pVd">pic.twitter.com/XGCiyy9pVd</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1636875109322612738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The 6-foot-9 Toppin stood next to an official under the net looking up at the ball, his hands on his hips, before jumping to tap it loose.
It went down as a miss. Moore made the second.
LOOK-INS
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-16-fairleigh-dickinson-stuns-no-1-seed-purdue-in-march-madness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The upset by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson against No. 1 seed Purdue</a>&nbsp;in Columbus, Ohio, drew a captivated audience in Greensboro Coliseum for live look-ins being shown on the scoreboard.
During one timeout, with Fairleigh Dickinson up five in the final seconds, fans in Greensboro began chanting &ldquo;FDU! FDU!&rdquo; and booing whenever the game was taken off the scoreboard even when Providence-Kentucky had resumed on the court below.

Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds, helping the Kentucky Wildcats beat Providence 61-53 in Friday night’s first round.

Tshiebwe’s 25 boards helps Kentucky top Providence in NCAA opener

The women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament field is set and now the fun begins with 68 teams vying for the national championship and cutting down the nets in Dallas.
There&rsquo;s a new format to March Madness, with two regionals in Seattle and Greenville, South Carolina, instead of the usual four. Here&rsquo;s a look at what could happen over the next few weeks. This guidance will be 100% accurate &mdash; until the first round tips off on Friday.
CHALK RULES
A No. 1 seed has won the national championship the past 10 tournaments and 14 of 15. The only time that didn&rsquo;t happen was in 2011 when coach Gary Blair led Texas A&amp;M to the title as a No. 2 seed. Since 2005, at least two of the No. 1s have made the Final Four every year except for 2016. This year&rsquo;s overwhelming betting favorite is top-ranked and defending national champion South Carolina, the only undefeated team in the tourney.
LACK OF MAJOR UPSETS
There is a feeling that parity continues to find its way into women&rsquo;s basketball with 19 losses by top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 poll to unranked schools. Still, it&rsquo;s hard to pick against the top teams in the tournament as no 14 or 15 seed has ever won a game (the women&rsquo;s tournament was the first to see a 16 seed upset a top seed when Harvard beat Stanford 71-67 in 1998). Two came close last season with Jackson State falling late to LSU and UT Arlington hanging tough with Iowa State.&nbsp;
BEWARE THE 12
No. 12 seeds have had success, just like in the men&rsquo;s bracket the last few seasons, beating some of the 5s. At least one 12 has made it out of the first round in four of the last five tournaments, including two last season.
And now the picks:
GREENVILLE REGION 1
Analysis: South Carolina won&rsquo;t have to leave the state to reach the Final Four if it wins, playing its first two games at home and then traveling 90 minutes to Greenville for the regional. The Gamecocks (32-0) have been tested this season and still found a way to win every game. Dawn Staley&rsquo;s squad is looking to be the 10th team to finish a season unbeaten by winning a national championship. Second-seeded Maryland and No. 4 UCLA both played South Carolina during the season, giving them familiarity if there&rsquo;s a rematch.
Players to watch: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina; Cherita Daugherty, Southern Utah; Diamond Miller, Maryland; Charisma Osborne, UCLA.
Bracket Buster: Sixth-seed Creighton is the team most likely to spoil brackets. Last season as a 10-seed the team made the regional final before falling to South Carolina. Host Notre Dame is missing star Olivia Miles and the third-seeded Irish could fall to the Bluejays.
First-round picks: South Carolina, South Florida, Oklahoma, UCLA, Creighton, Notre Dame, Arizona, Maryland.
Second-round picks: South Carolina, UCLA, Creighton, Maryland.
Regional semifinal picks: South Carolina, Maryland.
Regional champion pick: South Carolina.
GREENVILLE REGION 2
Analysis: Indiana has been the second-best team most of the season behind South Carolina and earned the first No. 1 seed in school history. Led by Mackenzie Holmes in the middle and a dominant defense, the Hoosiers will be looking to reach their first Final Four. There&rsquo;s a lot of star power in the region including Villanova&rsquo;s Maddy Siegrist, LSU&rsquo;s Angel Reese and Utah&rsquo;s Alissa Pili.
Other players to watch: Leigha Brown, Michigan; Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton; Charlisse Leger-Walker, Washington State.
Bracket Buster: UNLV is one of three 30-win teams in the country, yet the Lady Rebels haven&rsquo;t faced many teams as good as Michigan this year. Florida Gulf Coast knocked off Virginia Tech as a 12 seed last season and could do it again this time if they beat Washington State.
First-round picks: Indiana, Oklahoma State, Florida Gulf Coast, Villanova, Michigan, LSU, Princeton, Utah.
Second-round picks: Indiana, Villanova, Michigan, Utah.
Regional semifinal picks: Indiana, Utah.
Regional champion pick: Indiana.
SEATTLE REGION 3
Analysis: No one had a worse string of injuries than UConn this season and yet Geno Auriemma has the Huskies playing their best basketball heading into the tournament. They&rsquo;ve made every Final Four since 2008 and there&rsquo;s no reason to think that streak can&rsquo;t continue if star guard Azzi Fudd keeps getting healthier. Virginia Tech is the one seed and has had a stellar year behind Elizabeth Kitley.
Other players to watch: Ashley Joens, Iowa State; Myah Selland, South Dakota State; Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State.
Bracket Buster: No. 9 seed South Dakota State ran through the Summit League and also beat Louisville and Kansas State this season. The Jackrabbits have enough talent to put a scare into the Hokies in the second round. No. 12 seed Toledo beat Michigan earlier this season and has won its last 16 games. Iowa State could be victim No. 17.
First-round picks: Virginia Tech, South Dakota State, Iowa State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio State, Baylor, UConn.
Second-round picks: Virginia Tech, Iowa State, North Carolina, UConn.
Regional semifinal picks: Virginia Tech, UConn..
Regional champion pick: UConn.
SEATTLE REGION 4
Analysis: Stanford is in its usual spot as a No. 1 seed but has looked vulnerable this season, struggling on offense at times. The second-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes have had no problem scoring and are one of the hottest teams after winning the Big Ten Tournament behind star Caitlin Clark. No. 4 Texas was picked in the preseason top five before struggling with injuries and fitting transfers in. Vic Schaefer has had a lot of success in March and this could be another one of his great coaching jobs.
Other players to watch: Cameron Brink, Stanford; Rori Harmon, Texas; Ta&rsquo;Niya Latson, Florida State; Hailey Van Lith, Louisville.
Bracket Buster: No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee has won 10 straight games and had an early season victory over Louisville so Colorado should beware. Drake has been playing well lately, sweeping its way to a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. Louisville has been playing better lately, but needs to be sharp against the 12th-seeded Bulldogs.
First-round picks: Stanford, Gonzaga, Louisville, Texas, Middle Tennessee, Duke, Florida State, Iowa.
Second-round picks: Stanford, Texas, Duke, Iowa.
Regional final picks: Stanford, Iowa.
Regional champion pick: Stanford.
THE FINAL FOUR
Analysis: There should be some familiarity in the Final Four, which will likely see three teams from last season&rsquo;s national semifinals returning. South Carolina will likely face Stanford in a rematch of a November game that the Gamecocks won in overtime while UConn will likely face Indiana.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Pick: South Carolina and UConn will meet again and the Gamecocks will win back-to-back titles.
Analysis: The teams played in February and the Huskies gave the Gamecocks one of their stiffest tests of the season. UConn didn&rsquo;t have Fudd for that game (knee injury). Fudd is back, but she won&rsquo;t be enough for the Huskies to stop the Gamecocks from becoming only the fourth different school to win consecutive titles (USC, UConn and Tennessee).

Here’s a look at what could happen over the next few weeks in the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament.

Chalk rules in women’s March Madness bracket picks

In a battle of Maryland high school powerhouses this past weekend, the DeMatha Stags dominated Bishop McNamara with an 89-58 win in the 2023 Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament championship game.
With an array of three-pointers by their talented trio of senior guards Jaden Winston, Mason So and Isaiah Arnold &mdash; and thunderous dunks by the sole junior in the starting lineup, Malcolm Thomas &mdash; the Stags ran away with the victory in front of a stunned crowd. Nobody had predicted this outcome by that large of a margin.&nbsp;
The win marks DeMatha&rsquo;s fourth straight ACIT crown and its 27th overall.
I caught up with Malcolm Thomas after the game to discuss the team&rsquo;s championship win, an up-and-down season, adjusting to a new coach, his recruiting and much more.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/malcolmthomas3.png" alt="" width="471" height="618" />
(Photo Credit: <a href="https://twitter.com/JaySpinks12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Spinks</a>)
Etan Thomas: So your junior season has come to a close. It was your first season under new head coach Mike Jones. You all avenged regular-season losses against St. John&rsquo;s and Bishop McNamara, and now, you won the ACIT championship. How does it feel?&nbsp;
Malcolm Thomas: "It feels good. We&rsquo;ve spent all season trying to put everything together. We had a tough two-point loss in the [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference] tournament to [St. Paul VI], but we had one more tournament to go. The final four was all WCAC teams, and it feels good to end the season on a good note."
Etan: Everyone was talking about your matchup with Donnie Freeman in the semifinals. College coaches kept talking about it to me, fans were asking about it all weekend. This was the head-to-head matchup everyone wanted to see. It was a great overtime win &mdash; you had 18 points to his 15 &mdash; but talk to me about that game and that matchup in particular.
Malcolm: "The DMV as a whole is very competitive, and me and Donnie will be matching up again over the summer during AAU and will match up again next season. I think it&rsquo;s great, and it&rsquo;s fun to go back and forth with someone like that and for people to be excited to see the matchup. We push each other and that&rsquo;s how it&rsquo;s supposed to be."
Etan: There has been a lot of criticism of new coach Mike Jones in his first year. It&rsquo;s been an adjustment period. I mean, this is your third coach in three years, so I don&rsquo;t see how anyone could expect there not to be an adjustment period. But everything came together at the end with a decisive 30-point blowout of Bishop McNamara. The entire gymnasium was shocked, especially since they played so well against Gonzaga [DC] the game before. But talk about that process of going through the ups and downs of the season and the adjustment period and how you all grew as a team.
Malcolm: "One of the biggest things Coach Jones preached all year is that no matter what happens, make sure we are always growing and always learning and getting better, and that&rsquo;s what we did. We started off well at the beginning of the year, took a few dips as the season went on and we ended well. So we were able to withstand the adversity and not crumble when things weren&rsquo;t going right, and that&rsquo;s a credit to the leadership of our coaches."
Etan: You have a lot of talented guys coming back, some that people may not know about. What can DeMatha fans look forward to seeing next season?
Malcolm: "We have a lot of talent like you said. And we had a lot of seniors on this team, so many of [our players] had to take a back seat and wait and be patient, but you&rsquo;re going to see next year. Coach did this thing in practice toward the end where he put underclassmen against upperclassmen, and we won our fair share of games against the seniors. But yes, we have a lot of talent coming back and they&rsquo;re going to make a big impact next year."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: So let&rsquo;s talk about you a little bit and your growth this season. You won a lot of MVPs at different tournaments the entire year. You&rsquo;ve shown your ability to score inside and out and your athleticism. You block shots with the best in the nation. You led the team in rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage. You almost led the team in scoring &mdash; I believe you and J-Win (Jaden Winston) were neck and neck.
But what are the things you want to keep adding to your game this offseason? Coach Jones said that you are &ldquo;one of the most athletic players in the country." He emphasized that's not just in the DMV, but in the entire country, and he said this was something that shocked him and his coaching staff about you from Day 1.
Malcolm: "Well, I want to become the best player I can in all aspects of the game both offensively and defensively. I want to extend my game further out to the perimeter, improve my ball-handling. (I want to) improve on being able to guard 1-through-5 consistently no matter the lineup; coach has utilized me in that way all season and I want to keep improving on it, especially guarding smaller, faster guards on the perimeter like JQ (Jeremiah Quigley) for Bishop McNamara, who is very good at what he does &mdash; and that&rsquo;s what I want to keep challenging myself to do."
Etan: So we&rsquo;re in this new hybrid, positionless-players era that you seem to fall under. You&rsquo;re 6-foot-8. You can play the 5, but you&rsquo;re not an old-school, traditional 5. You can stretch the floor at the 4, and you can drive from the three-point line and knock down the mid-rangers at the 3. And like you said, you&rsquo;ve guarded 2s and point guards at times. What do you attribute that ability to?&nbsp;
Malcolm: "I think me playing with guys two years older than me with the <a href="https://t.co/EzdYmhuUcl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dynamic Disciples</a> my whole life helped my growth. I was tall, but I never played center. I was always guarding the perimeter. Also, I grew up playing soccer, until I got too tall for it, so moving my feet was what I always did."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
From one generation to the next🤝 Tonight after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WizPistons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WizPistons</a> on Postgame Live: Following In My Father's Footsteps<a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@etanthomas36</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMathaHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMathaHoops</a> <a href="https://t.co/auZd65xc9t">pic.twitter.com/auZd65xc9t</a>
&mdash; NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWizards/status/1635645708433752066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Etan: Let&rsquo;s talk about recruiting. What is it that you&rsquo;re looking for in a school? Schools all make promises and give their sales pitches as we&rsquo;ve seen since recruiting started, but what is Malcolm Thomas looking for in a school? Also, a lot of people have assumed that you're definitely going to Syracuse. Five people said that to me this weekend actually.
Malcolm: "I&rsquo;m looking for a school that best fits me and I would fit the best in. Of course, I grew up going up to Syracuse since I can remember, watching games at the [Carrier] Dome, seeing all the love you get when you go back there, so naturally I grew up loving the school. I mean, both my parents went there. But there are a lot of factors that come into play: My personal connection with the coaches, with the players, the environment, the school itself. I&rsquo;m doing my homework. I&rsquo;m not going to go to a school because of an NIL deal or because my parents went there. It has to be the right situation for me."
Etan: It&rsquo;s easy to get caught up in the flattery of recruiting. Everyone tells you how great you are because they want you to come there, but I see so many kids going to schools for the wrong reasons and they end up transferring because it&rsquo;s not the best place for them, which they quickly find out.&nbsp;
Malcolm: "Well, I&rsquo;m thankful that both of my parents have gone through the process and have prepared me for what to expect and what to look for and what not to be flattered by. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s important for me to take my time and find the best situation for me. So now that regular high school season is over and AAU season is about to start, I&rsquo;ll continue working on all of the things I want to improve on with my game and research schools and players who have played there and who are playing there, as these different schools reach out to me as I have been doing. It&rsquo;s a process."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: It&rsquo;s interesting. You mentioned that you wouldn&rsquo;t go to a school because of an NIL deal, but that&rsquo;s exactly what is happening in this day and age. And of course, an NIL deal doesn&rsquo;t mean that&rsquo;s the best place for you, and I think that&rsquo;s one of the reasons why you have so many kids in the transfer portal now.&nbsp;
Malcolm: "But also, you have to keep in mind that a lot of kids are coming from situations where they need that money right now. I&rsquo;m blessed not to be in that situation, but everyone&rsquo;s situation is different, so I can&rsquo;t knock them for it being important to them. But for me, yes, NIL deals are nice, but that&rsquo;s not the determining factor for me personally."
Etan: That definitely makes sense. So here's my last question: Who is your favorite player to watch? Who is someone you would want to play like?&nbsp;
Malcolm: "That&rsquo;s easy: Giannis. The way he attacks the rim, people move out of the way when he drives to the hole. He dunks everything around the basket, and powers in and uses his length and strength. The way he has built up his body over the last few years is exactly how I&rsquo;m going to build up mine. His three-point and outside shot is improving, and he is relentless on defense. He can guard anyone on the court, whether they are a point guard at the top of the key, the team's leading scoring 2-guard on the perimeter or the team&rsquo;s biggest strongest big man in the paint. And he can bring the ball up the floor and initiate the offense."
Etan:&nbsp;Does that sound a little familiar? (Laughing)&nbsp;
Malcolm: "Well, all of those are situations that Coach Jones has put me in this past season and has reiterated that he did that because he had the confidence that I can do all of that. So yeah, that&rsquo;s what I am going to keep working toward. To be able to do all of that on a Giannis level. That&rsquo;s my goal."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/malcolmthomas1-3.png" alt="" width="471" height="587" />
(Photo Credit: Jonathan Spinks)

Etan Thomas chats with his son Malcolm Thomas about DeMatha's fourth straight ACIT crown, his season, recruitment and more.

Malcolm Thomas Q&A: DeMatha’s season, ACIT Championship, recruiting

On Wednesday, the WNBA and ESPN announced that 25 national broadcasts will occur during the regular season across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The star-studded New York Liberty lead all teams with nine national broadcasts, with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces not far behind with seven.&nbsp;
The two super teams will face off Aug. 6 on ABC.&nbsp;
You can read the full release below:
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023&nbsp;&ndash; The WNBA and ESPN today announced that the league&rsquo;s 27th&nbsp;regular season, set to tip off on Friday, May 19, will be highlighted by 25&nbsp;national broadcasts during the regular season across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
During the upcoming season, the WNBA will collaborate with ESPN to present up to 52 possible games beginning with the WNBA Regular Season presented by Google and extending through the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google, which will feature up to 27 games, including the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV. In addition,&nbsp;history will be made on Saturday, July 15 when the 2023 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas airs for the first time in primetime on ABC (8:30 p.m. ET).
Added coverage will be provided by&nbsp;WNBA Countdown presented by Google&nbsp;&ndash; ESPN&rsquo;s pregame show introduced during the 2022 WNBA postseason &ndash; which will now be available throughout the regular season with at least 10 editions immediately preceding game broadcasts.
The complete television and streaming schedule, including games on CBS Television Network, Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, NBA TV, Meta Horizon Worlds, and Twitter will be announced at a later date.
&ldquo;As we get set to tip off our 27th&nbsp;season, ESPN is once again stepping up as an incredibly engaged broadcast partner for the WNBA,&rdquo; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. &ldquo;We are grateful that ESPN will provide significant opportunities to tell the stories of the incredible players across the league in 2023. From tip-off weekend through the highly anticipated postseason, ESPN and Google will continue to serve our growing fan base and deliver a robust national platform for WNBA players with game broadcasts and new, regular-season pregame shows.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;As ESPN enters its 27th season with the WNBA, we continue to elevate our coverage of this exceptional league with premier broadcast windows, expanded studio programming and best-in-class storytelling,&rdquo; said Matt Kenny, vice president of programming and acquisitions, ESPN. &ldquo;Our ongoing collaboration with the WNBA resulted in unprecedented growth and success last year and we have a marquee schedule that will once again showcase the league&rsquo;s best players and teams across ESPN platforms.&rdquo;
The ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 broadcast schedule gets underway on Friday, May 19, as part of&nbsp;WNBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax&nbsp;when Brittney Griner, an eight-time WNBA All-Star selection and two-time Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Diana Taurasi, the WNBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader and a three-time league champion now entering her 19th&nbsp;season, lead the Phoenix Mercury against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks&rsquo;&nbsp;revamped roster includes&nbsp;2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike and veteran acquisitions&nbsp;Azur&aacute;&nbsp;Stevens and Jasmine Thomas. That game will air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET), marking the first time a WNBA game will be available on the ESPN streaming service.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been refreshing to see women&rsquo;s sports getting more of the attention it deserves over the past year and a half,&rdquo; said Kate Johnson, Director of Global Sports &amp; Entertainment Marketing Partnerships, Content and Media at Google. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re passionate about elevating coverage of women athletes and as we enter our third year as a WNBA Changemaker, continuing to work side by side with the WNBA and EPSN to air more nationally televised games is something we&rsquo;re extremely proud of. We&rsquo;ll continue to challenge ourselves and others to raise the bar for representing women&rsquo;s sports equitably.
WNBA Tip-Off Presented by CarMax&nbsp;also includes a star-studded ABC doubleheader on Saturday, May 20. Action tips off when the Atlanta Dream, led by newly acquired Allisha Gray and reigning Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard, visit Gray&rsquo;s former team, the Dallas Wings, with newly acquired WNBA All-Stars Diamond DeShields and Natasha Howard alongside Arike Ogunbowale, one of the league&rsquo;s top scorers in each of the past four seasons (1 p.m. ET).
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Seattle Storm and four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time champion Jewell Loyd host&nbsp;the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces (3 p.m. ET). The Aces&rsquo; roster includes 2022 award winners Chelsea Gray (WNBA Finals MVP and Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup Championship Game MVP), Kelsey Plum (All-WNBA First Team and All-Star Game MVP), A&rsquo;ja Wilson (Kia WNBA MVP and Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year) and Jackie Young (Kia WNBA Most Improved Player), along with free agent acquisition Candace Parker, a two-time MVP and two-time league champion.
&mdash;
The opening weekend of WNBA Tip-Off Presented by CarMax concludes on Sunday, May 21, when Griner, Taurasi and the Mercury host 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and the Chicago Sky in a rematch of the 2021 WNBA Finals on ESPN and ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.
The New York Liberty, which added 2021 Kia WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart and six-time league assists leader Courtney Vandersloot to a roster that already included 2022 All-WNBA selection and 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu, will play nine games across&nbsp;ESPN platforms. The 2022 champion Aces&nbsp;will appear seven times. The two teams, which feature a combined eight 2022 WNBA All-Stars, will meet four times in the regular season and go head-to-head on ABC on Sunday, Aug. 6 from New York (3 p.m. ET).
Additional Highlights of the ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 Broadcast Schedule:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Six teams will each be showcased four times, including the Connecticut Sun, led by 2022 WNBA All-Star Brionna Jones and fellow All-Star Alyssa Thomas, who posted a WNBA-record four triple-doubles across the 2022 regular season and postseason. Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington will also appear four times each. </li>
<li>In addition to the opening weekend broadcasts featuring Griner and Taurasi, coverage of the Mercury is set for Tuesday, July 25, when Phoenix visits Rhyne Howard and the Dream (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET) and on Sunday, Sept. 10 &ndash; the final day of the regular season &ndash; when Phoenix travels to Las Vegas to face the All-Star quintet of Gray, Parker, Plum, Wilson and Young (ESPN2, 3 p.m. ET). </li>
<li>Stewart, who starred with Seattle for six seasons from 2016-22, will face her former team in a pair of national telecasts &ndash; first when the Liberty visits the Storm on Tuesday, May 30 (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET), and on Saturday, July 8, when the Storm travels to New York (ESPN, 1:30 p.m. ET). </li>
<li>New York&rsquo;s Courtney Vandersloot, who helped Chicago to two appearances in the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, including a WNBA championship in 2021, will square off against her former team when the Liberty visits the Sky on Sunday, Sept. 3 (ESPN2, 3 p.m. ET). </li>
<li>ABC will air star-studded doubleheaders across two weekends in June beginning on Sunday, June 11, when the Liberty host the Wings (1 p.m. ET) and the Storm host two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne, two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins and the Washington Mystics (3 p.m. ET). On Sunday, June 25, New York hosts Washington (1 p.m. ET) and the Sparks welcome the Wings (3 p.m. ET) to Los Angeles. </li>
<li>Connecticut and Las Vegas, which met in the 2022 WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, will play on Saturday, July 1 (ABC, 3 p.m. ET). </li>
<li>In advance of the 2023 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game on July 15, the WNBA&rsquo;s Skills Challenge and the Starry Three-Point Contest will air on ESPN on Friday, July 14 at 4 p.m. ET. </li>
<li>All games across ESPN platforms during the regular season and postseason will stream live on the ESPN App.</li>
</ul>
The 2023 regular season will include a record-high 40 games per team, providing fans with more opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level. The third year of the Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup presented by Coinbase also brings added excitement and intrigue to the first half of the season for players, teams and fans.&nbsp;
Following the conclusion of the 2023 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10, ESPN will once again collaborate with the WNBA to broadcast all playoff games. Wall-to-wall coverage of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google and the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV will feature up to 27 nationally televised playoff games across ESPN platforms.&nbsp;
With the tip-off of the WNBA season set for May 19, ESPN Fantasy Women's Basketball is back and now open for the season. Fans can&nbsp;<a href="https://fantasy.espn.com/womens-basketball/welcome?addata=digital_gameopen_wnba" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://fantasy.espn.com/womens-basketball/welcome?addata%3Ddigital_gameopen_wnba&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1678467569267000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0q8LjBe7Mah1dS2mGg4w9c">lock in their spot</a>&nbsp;for free today and get ready to dominate with their favorite WNBA stars in May.&nbsp;Go to&nbsp;<a href="http://espn.com/fantasywomensbasketball" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://espn.com/fantasywomensbasketball&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1678467569267000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0TaJVvZNTg1SCNS6_knO07">espn.com/fantasywomensbasketball</a>&nbsp;or download the ESPN Fantasy App to get started.

The star-studded Liberty will have nine national appearances, with the reigning champion Aces not far behind with seven.

WNBA, ESPN announce 2023 national broadcast schedule

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Jamal Shead scored 16 points, including the winning basket as time ran out, and top-ranked Houston won its 11th straight game, escaping a second-half rally to beat Memphis 67-65 in the teams&rsquo; regular-season finale.
Shead beat the buzzer with his jumper from just inside the 3-point line. Nine seconds earlier, Memphis&rsquo; Kendric Davis drove to the basket and tied the game at 65. Houston chose not to call timeout, and Shead gave the Cougars (29-2, 17-1 American Athletic Conference) the win.
Tramon Mark matched Shead&rsquo;s 16 points, while Marcus Sasser finished with 13 for Houston.
Davis led Memphis (23-8, 13-5) with 26 points, while Chandler Lawson added 10.
NO. 5 PURDUE 76, ILLINOIS 71
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Newman scored 19 points, Zach Edey added 17 and Purdue held on to beat Illinois and become the first team to win the Big Ten title by three or more games since 2014.
Braden Smith added 15 points for the Boilermakers (26-5, 15-5), who led by 24 early in the second half before the Illini rallied.
Matthew Mayer led the Illini (20-11, 11-9) with 16 points, followed by Terrence Shannon Jr. with 13, Sencire Harris with 11 and Luke Goode with 10.
The Boilermakers shot 62% for a 47-26 lead at halftime, but cooled to 29% in the second half. Mayer tied the game at 67 with 1:17 to go, but Edey&rsquo;s layup gave Purdue a 69-67 edge.
NO. 15 INDIANA 75, MICHIGAN 73, OT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his final home game, and Indiana forced a steal on Michigan&rsquo;s final possession of overtime.
The Hoosiers (21-10, 12-8) clinched a double bye in Friday&rsquo;s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals by rebounding from their most lopsided home loss since 2017.
Hunter Dickinson had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Michigan (17-14, 11-9). Kobe Bufkin added 19 points and six rebounds, but the Wolverines wound up getting swept in the season series. It was the second straight overtime loss for Michigan.
Seniors Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Miller Kopp scored all six Indiana points in overtime.
PENN STATE 65, NO. 21 MARYLAND 64
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Camren Wynter made a layup with less than a second remaining to lift Penn State over Maryland.
Jalen Pickett scored 16 points, Andrew Funk had 14 and Myles Dread had 11 for the Nittany Lions (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten), who trailed by as many as 16 late in the first half.
Jahmir Young scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half for the Terps (20-11, 11-9), who entered the afternoon looking to earn the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Julian Reese had 12 points for the Terps, while Don Carey and Ian Martinez added 11 each.

A recap of three games in top-25 men's action Sunday includes a game-winner from the top team in the country.

No. 1 Houston nips Memphis 67-65 for 11th straight win

You know, I always find it ironically amusing how much the general NBA public gets upset over who does and doesn&rsquo;t deserve to be an All-Star. Because when the weekend comes itself, the incredible competitive spirit that each player performs with to earn that rare honor is completely absent by the time the ball tips on Sunday night.
This isn&rsquo;t going to be an old-man-yells-at-a-cloud hit piece of "here's how the All-Star Game needs to be changed" or how this current generation of stars doesn&rsquo;t carry the same gritty mentality as the rough-and-tough decades. Those tropes are tired by my estimation to be quite honest. However, isn't it just a wee bit concerning that we have this exact conversation year after year after year after year?
Let&rsquo;s Keep it 94 (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keepin-it-94/id1545629382" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free plug!</a>): The three-day spectacle is meant to be a celebration of the greatness that this league has to offer and a pat on the back to the players who make it so. It&rsquo;s a show, a reason to take a break and not take things so seriously. Guys are laughing, and spending time with family and friends and co-workers that have a sensational gift of talent.
(No matter how good or bad All-Star Saturday turns out to be, I will always crack a smile watching these guys dressed to the nines huddled on the sidelines just having a blast.)
With that being said, I cannot truly feel the All-Star Game right now. There just isn&rsquo;t that &ldquo;must watch&rdquo; factor that could absolutely destroy every other professional sport&rsquo;s marquee weekend if it wanted to, and it&rsquo;s head-scratching as to why.
Our Nekias Duncan &mdash; who was on the ground for Basketball News this weekend in Salt Lake City, shout out to him for that and his amazing work all the time &mdash; tweeted something out that really got me thinking.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
To clarify, I mean in general with the All-Star Game. Not just tonight. There&rsquo;s a spectrum between giving playoff effort and risking injury (they shouldn&rsquo;t do that) and what the first three quarters are. Like, 60-70% would be cool. It doesn&rsquo;t have to be 5% lol
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1627489292602998785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t have to be 5%.&rdquo;
Nekias is on point with that message, and five percent may be generous. There has to be a balance in this thing. You don&rsquo;t want these guys to sustain any type of injuries, and you certainly don&rsquo;t want a potential setback to cost their respective teams. But can&rsquo;t there be just a smidgen more &ldquo;give an F&rdquo; about the game? You don&rsquo;t have to compete on every possession. How about once every 10 instead of every 30? Is that a fair compromise?
I was watching the game with a friend of mine at home, and I feel like the biggest fans that support this event can&rsquo;t even argue with the typical NBA haters when you&rsquo;re essentially watching a game of HORSE for two hours. It just gives those detractors more fuel.
I&rsquo;m all for a good parking lot shot &mdash; Damian Lillard, a tip of the cap to you because... holy hell &mdash; but when deep threes, mostly uncontested and many bricked, make up the shot chart the entire way, it becomes old hat. By the way, some of these lanes were more wide open than pregame shootaround layup lines before actual games.
It just seems as if that aura we&rsquo;ve been searching for continues to be missing.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Again don&rsquo;t get me wrong, it has its moments still. Like, I highly enjoy when All-Stars decide to have their own dunk contest in the early-going to pump the crowd up. LeBron James started it off, and Ja Morant electrified with his as per usual. Kyrie Irving attempting to get Nikola Jokic to dunk on alley-oop attempts was rich, as was Luka Doncic being mic&rsquo;d up for the second quarter saying essentially nothing. At least LeBron &nbsp;put a body on some dudes and attempted some blocks at the rim.
People got on their feet when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown iso&rsquo;d each other for the final moments of the third quarter in a clash of the Boston Celtics&rsquo; best. That was cool to watch unfold, and it just shows even the best of friends and teammates want to one-up each other on the floor. It&rsquo;s why they play the sport. We need more of those types of interactions, 1-on-1 matchups and a game within the game, so to speak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his infectious personality were made for this kind of event. He legitimately loves what he does, and has a ton of fun with the experience.
Having the Elam Ending in the fourth with all the marbles is an innovative addition. Bringing charities into the mix is brilliant as well. Hell, the first-ever live game day All-Star draft was a creative move.
But when you have players and coaches talking down about the quality of basketball being played in postgame interviews, that&rsquo;s problematic.
When you have media talking down about the quality of basketball being played in different mediums, that&rsquo;s problematic.
When you have an arena full of people that see that quality of basketball being played on such a stage, that&rsquo;s problematic.
While there&rsquo;s obviously some looking inward for the players to do considering that&rsquo;s in their control, it&rsquo;s also telling that no matter how many tweaks have been made, nothing can really be done to incentivize them more.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not basketball,&rdquo; Jaylen Brown said. Called the game a glorified &ldquo;layup line&rdquo; and said he hoped there was a way to make the game more competitive. Obviously no real defense played tonight
&mdash; Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/1627521703441211394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a></blockquote>

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I don&rsquo;t have the answers. I don&rsquo;t think anybody does. I also wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if anybody reading this gives a damn what a 30-year-old reporter who types and talks for a living thinks.
I am a hoops fanatic. This sport is literally my life. Watching these talented individuals grow the NBA the way it has on a global scale is a privilege.
There just has to be a way to put on a show while also trying just a little bit harder. This is arguably the biggest annual weekend of the NBA's calendar year. It&rsquo;s an offensively-driven night, I get it. It&rsquo;s a meaningless game for all intents and purposes.
We're not going to care about this for another 365 days. I'll be over it by the time tomorrow comes quite frankly.
But a 184-175 final? That has to be where we draw the line... right?

Spencer Davies spills his candid thoughts on the 2023 NBA All-Star Game following the weekend in Salt Lake City.

Davies: I love NBA All-Star weekend, but I just can't feel the game

Unless they&rsquo;ve played in the NBA, there aren&rsquo;t too many people on this planet who can say they&rsquo;ve had the opportunity to competitively share the floor with the one and only LeBron James in the prime of his career. Overseas professional Quincy Diggs is one of the few who has.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Made him travel that's how good the defense was <a href="http://t.co/BI5cM24vFY">pic.twitter.com/BI5cM24vFY</a>
&mdash; Qdiggs (@Qdiggs13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Qdiggs13/status/637042674906869760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2015</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;That shot he made on me was a travel. I'mma live with that until I'm dead,&rdquo; Diggs told Basketball News over the phone of his pinned Twitter post. &ldquo;That was a travel. I played great defense. I played great defense on the GOAT. I&rsquo;ll never forget that video."
Diggs remembers how this moment came about. Going into his second season at the University of Akron in 2011, then-head coach Keith Dambrot invited his former Saint Vincent-Saint Mary star to practice with the team and stay conditioned, as the NBA was trying to come up with a solution with the NBPA to end the league&rsquo;s lockout. LeBron practiced with the Zips for two weeks that summer, and on that particular day, bought Subway for the whole squad and hung out with the guys on campus.
&ldquo;That was a pretty dope experience. We got to see how he'd take care of his body &mdash; and to me, it makes sense why he's still playing these days because we've seen how he takes care of his body; after he practices, he's in the ice baths and then he stretches for an hour, so it definitely makes sense for me why he's still playing,&rdquo; Diggs said of LeBron, who is in his 20th NBA season and recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
&ldquo;For him to be giving it back to us as well, teaching us the game and giving his little tips and pointers on how to stay aggressive, read the offense and take your time, that was really a truly amazing experience.&rdquo;
Twelve years later, living in Austria, Diggs proudly represents the United States as <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/1616424615898669058?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIBA&rsquo;s top American men&rsquo;s 3x3 player</a> on Team Vienna, the runner-up of the 2022 World Tour Finals. Impressively enough, it was his first season playing in this format professionally, and it all came about randomly. What started as a way to stay in shape over the summer worked out more positively in his favor than he could&rsquo;ve imagined.
&ldquo;I didn't know anything about it, 3x3. I was new to it. I said, 'Might as well try it out,' because I couldn't get a job at the time. A friend (Nico Kaltenbrunner) invited me, I tried it out and then, that led to becoming into a season. I didn't know 3x3 has a season. So I did good in the (Eubone Challenger) tournament. I ended up going to Paris. And then, the team actually wanted me to stay on their team permanently. So I said, 'I got nothing else to do, I'm down to play,'" Diggs said.
&ldquo;And so, we started racking in tournaments from all across the world. We started getting points 'cause we were winning and sometimes coming in second. Eventually, I didn't know anything about points being ranked, and then, I got a message randomly from a guy. It said, 'Hey man, you're the No. 1 player in the USA.' And there's a lot of people that play from the USA in these tournaments. Because we were winning and placing so high in tournaments, I racked up so many points so quickly that I became the No. 1. So that was pretty cool to see and notice. I didn't know anything about it, so it's pretty dope to be No. 1 in the United States (laughs)."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2023-02-02-at-15-56-04-0f846cd1-a6ca-4bfe-aebf-ddccbded93f2-jpg-avif-image-1280-853-pixels-scaled-98_.png" alt="" width="685" height="343" />
According to <a href="https://worldtour.fiba3x3.com/2022/teams/891a3dd0-bcdf-4d82-bbee-0e7fcbf2eb22/players/af211ded-8450-4d0e-97b6-e2c5c99fa973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIBA&rsquo;s website</a>, Diggs registered 539,036 ranking points in 41 games played and is the 23rd-best player in the world overall. On the World Tour, he led Team Vienna with 61 defensive rebounds and shot 67% on one-pointers.
None of this would&rsquo;ve happened if it weren&rsquo;t for Kaltenbrunner&rsquo;s offer, and now, he&rsquo;s reunited with former foes from his days playing in Oberwart with the Redwell Gunners in his first professional season &mdash; Filip Kramer, Matthias Lenortner and Martin &ldquo;Marmak&rdquo; Trmal. Former No. 1 player in the 3x3 world Stefan Stojacic, known as &ldquo;Mr. Robot,&rdquo; came back from a serious knee injury and was in peak condition as well. Altogether, the five made up a well-oiled machine.
With his guys flanking him, Diggs was able to pick up a half-court, three-on-three environment. However, it didn&rsquo;t happen overnight.
&ldquo;The 3-v-3 is far different from 5-v-5. The first thing I learned is you've gotta be in great shape because the ball is nonstop. You're nonstop defense. You're nonstop offense. The only time you get a break is when somebody calls a timeout,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;Me being a 5-v-5 player... You definitely get your rest basically, but it's nonstop. [With] 5-v-5, I'm more of a transition player. I love to get out and run. So it was hard for me to adjust at first, but then I started to get the hang of it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;My teammates were helping me out &mdash; knowing the tricks, the stuff to do. Communication's important. It's three guys out there trying to compete and you've gotta have a lot of communication out there. So it's definitely an adjustment.&rdquo;
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Whatever changes Diggs made most definitely worked. Not only can he boast his status at the top of the mountain representing America, he also has <a href="https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/status/1602092917941846016?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">garnered the attention</a> of Team USA&rsquo;s 3x3 decision-makers. With his success during the season and those tournaments, he received an email from the program.
&ldquo;That drew interest for the (Paris) Olympics, and my jaw just dropped when I heard that because it's always been a dream to try to play in the Olympics for like 5-v-5. But obviously, you have to be in the NBA, so they're not gonna take somebody off the streets,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;But just to hear that I can represent the country with a jersey with Team USA on the front is something I really want to accomplish and is a goal, and they're very interested in me right now.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So I talked to the director (Jay Demings), and it's been pretty dope. Now, it's the second chance in 2024 for 3x3 and everyone's trying to get points to qualify. I think since I had so many points is why they drew interest in me.&rdquo;
Latvia won gold in the inaugural 3x3 men&rsquo;s basketball tournament in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Team USA didn&rsquo;t qualify. That said, the popularity of FIBA&rsquo;s 3x3 league has skyrocketed.
It started in 2010 with the Youth Olympic Games, turned into a full-blown tour in 2012 and officially became an Olympic sport in 2017. Its social engagement increase is astounding, with nearly 2 million followers on Facebook, 452,000 YouTube subscribers and a whopping 362,000 followers on Instagram to name a few. Diggs is thankful he gets to play on such a stage.
&ldquo;It's becoming worldwide and it's growing tremendously each and every year. So it's pretty crazy,&rdquo; Diggs said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Quincy Diggs is TOO strong! 💪 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3ChSacheon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3x3ChSacheon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3x3Challenger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3x3Challenger</a> <a href="https://t.co/5QF12lR385">pic.twitter.com/5QF12lR385</a>
&mdash; FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA3x3/status/1581610906521174017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Diggs doesn&rsquo;t take how he got to this point for granted. During his senior season with the Zips in 2013-14, Dambrot was positive he would get some looks from NBA teams and be invited to a few team workouts, and Diggs was eager to fulfill a lifelong dream when he heard that. However, it didn&rsquo;t work out that way. Once that realization kicked in, stress followed. Diggs didn&rsquo;t have an agent, and the summer approached quickly. While he was working his tail off, his phone remained silent.&nbsp;
Staying ready and working out, jobless, Diggs sat out for a whole year before the tide turned.
&ldquo;In 2015, I got my first call from a pro team from Austria (the Redwell Gunners),&rdquo; Diggs recalled. &ldquo;So they asked me, they said, 'Hey, we're interested in you. We saw your highlights from your college career and we'd like to give you a shot.' And then, that's when my career started for me and it's been a hell of a journey for sure."
It didn&rsquo;t take long for Diggs to put himself on the map with the Gunners. In his first year as a pro, he was instrumental in leading Redwell to an Austrian Bundesliga championship. Averaging 19.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per contest on 47.7% from the field, Diggs took home both the ABL Rookie of the Year and ABL Most Valuable Player awards in 2015-16.
&ldquo;I was hungry. I was dedicated. I wanted to come compete,&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;And then, I won the MVP, I won the championship and I won the Cup in that season. And then, I got a big offer from Germany and then, that's when my career started to elevate a little bit more and more each year. And now, I'm playing 3x3 and it's starting to elevate as well.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gepa_full_1837_gepa-26051688020-scaled.png" alt="" width="684" height="342" />
Diggs has been all over the globe. He was born in Wichita, KS, played high school ball in Plano, TX, began his college career in New Orleans, LA and ended it in Akron, OH. As a competitor, he's played in all sorts of environments, including The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a popular midsummer hoops event with $1 million on the line for the winning team.
As a pro, he&rsquo;s played for teams in Austria, Germany, France, Greece and the Czech Republic, and now he&rsquo;s back to where it all started with Redwell.&nbsp;
Currently, he&rsquo;s awaiting the 3x3 season to begin in May with Team Vienna (and the Gunners' season follows in August). To pass the time, Diggs is an avid gamer and loves to host Fortnite tournaments for money on his <a href="twitch.tv/qdiggs/hom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitch channel</a>. He plays a lot of NBA 2K as well, and was recently asked by the game&rsquo;s developers to come back to the states to help with their motion-sensor process regarding signature moves. He&rsquo;ll be back this month to do that.
&ldquo;They said they see my videos and all that from my seasons and said, 'Hey we're interested. You can come to try to perform some stuff for us.' So I was like, 'Ay, of course I would.&rsquo; I never did anything like this, so this is why I'm saying it's pretty crazy. Probably because they heard of me after I put that stuff out with No. 1 player in America then. That's when they got interested. So I said, 'Hey, why not?&rsquo;&rdquo; Diggs said. &ldquo;First thing, the restaurant I'm going to is Chipotle (laughs).&rdquo;
If it&rsquo;s not obvious, Diggs is also quite the joker, oftentimes posting <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYByWl2g-b_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedic skits on his social channels</a>. He even admitted that he took acting classes at Akron and regrets not majoring in drama because post-career he&rsquo;d &ldquo;like to be in front of a camera after it&rsquo;s all said and done.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I like making people laugh. I'm seeing TikTok now and I'm just like, 'Man, I was doing this stuff way before TikTok,'&rdquo; Diggs quipped. &ldquo;I'm still trying to build it up and still send out some funny videos from time-to-time. But I enjoy doing stuff like that."
Soon turning 33, Diggs is proud of what he&rsquo;s been able to accomplish, and he&rsquo;s still processing being the No. 1 American player in 3x3. It&rsquo;s been a long, bumpy, oftentimes uncertain road for Diggs, but the fruits of his labor have paid off.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just living that Europe life, playing basketball and doing something I love,&rdquo; Diggs said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Can't complain."
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I enjoy giving back 💯 <a href="https://t.co/CdrsPA2acc">pic.twitter.com/CdrsPA2acc</a>
&mdash; Qdiggs (@Qdiggs13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Qdiggs13/status/1615837317847187456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Spencer Davies chats with FIBA's No. 1 American player in 3x3 competition Quincy Diggs about his basketball journey.

Meet Quincy Diggs: FIBA's top-ranked American 3x3 player

For the vast majority of his career, Caris LeVert has been a high-usage player. With the ball in his hands, he puts pressure on defenses primarily as a downhill scorer and distributor. His unorthodox methods and pull-up abilities make him one of the most efficient isolation threats in the NBA.
This season, however, the Cleveland Cavaliers have asked much more of LeVert, who&rsquo;s bringing a different kind of value that can&rsquo;t be quantified: sacrifice and adaptability.
&ldquo;The biggest challenge would probably be trying to adjust game-by-game depending on who's playing, matchups on the other side. Sometimes I've played the 4, I've never done that in life before,&rdquo; LeVert told Basketball News following the Cavs&rsquo; win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. &ldquo;So just playing different positions, just staying ready for different roles.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's been pretty tough, but I think on the flip side, we're a super talented team. We're obviously on the winning side of things more times than not, so it's definitely fun to be on that side of it 'cause I've been on the other side of it too, where guys aren't necessarily playing to win and playing for stats. Here, it's completely different, so I think that's definitely been a plus."
Instead of moving him at the trade deadline as some expected due to his expiring $18.8 million contract, Cavs president Koby Altman and his front office held onto LeVert. Altman made it known publicly how much he appreciates the 28-year-old&rsquo;s contributions and dedication to the team&rsquo;s vision, even going as far as sharing the franchise&rsquo;s interest in a potential contract extension this summer.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The thing that really speaks to me is, and I'm a softy for this, but guys that really want to be here,&rdquo; Altman said last week. &ldquo;Guys that show up every day to work, that have a great attitude, that whatever their role is &mdash; and he had to take a substantial step back, be a sixth-man type when he could be starting in the NBA on a lot of different teams &mdash; and being like, 'I want to make this work. I want to be here.' That's meaningful to me, that's meaningful to this organization and it's a big reason why he's here."
Asked about sticking around after the 3 p.m. buzzer sounded, LeVert was just glad not to be on the move for the third straight deadline.
&ldquo;It's cool to, I guess, have a home for the rest of the season, not have to pack up and go somewhere else,&rdquo; LeVert admitted. &ldquo;I've done that the past two seasons. It's very stressful to do that and hectic, so it's cool to be with this group and finish the season out and see how far we can go.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The vibes are pretty high. Winning does that. You know, you win a lot of games... we're around each other, sh**, more than we are with our families. So obviously, you're gonna get really close to a group when you win a lot of games.&rdquo;
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Since his arrival a year ago, multiple members of the Cavs told Basketball News that LeVert has bought in with the organization, so much that he changed his diet and "was in the best shape of his life."
"Especially with his role changing so much, last year and this year, he's the same person every day," said one Cavs source.
On the current campaign, LeVert&rsquo;s usage rate has dipped to 20.6% overall, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; his lowest since he was a rookie with the Brooklyn Nets. According <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/touches?TeamID=1610612739&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=TOUCHES" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to NBA.com</a>, he is fourth on the team in touches per game (49.9) and fifth in average dribbles per touch (3.07). In previous stops in Indiana and Brooklyn, those numbers were higher on average &mdash; especially before the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era.
Even with that fact, he is one of four Cavs creating ~10 points per game off assists and third on the squad with <a href="https://go.nba.com/3mts8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6.9 potential assists per game</a>, which is one of the many reasons Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has spoken so highly of LeVert&rsquo;s willingness to put the team first over everything else since he came into the fold.
&ldquo;The first conversation we had when we traded for him, he told me, &lsquo;Do whatever you need to do with me because I'm very adaptable,&rsquo;&rdquo; Bickerstaff said in early November. &ldquo;And understanding himself, and not having an unrealistic picture of who he is allows him to do that and do it comfortably because a lot of people can&rsquo;t. If you ask a guy to be different on a night-by-night basis, that's extremely difficult. And I think Caris, again, has showed that he can do it and I think he's only gonna get better at it.&rdquo;
In addition to making the right plays on offense while Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell (and now, a returned Ricky Rubio) operate in the half-court, the Cavs have tasked the 28-year-old with more defensive responsibility as well.
&ldquo;I knew as soon as we made the trade for Donovan, it was gonna be a different type of role for me. But I've always kinda been a player to do it all,&rdquo; LeVert explained. &ldquo;I think just this year, it's been a lot different just because I'm not necessarily on the ball as much. So the other parts of my game are gonna show a little bit more.
&ldquo;It's something that is definitely uncomfortable at times just because I've always kinda just been that (go-to scoring option). That's been my role on a lot of teams. So I just try to put it all on the defensive end of the ball, make the effort plays, make the energy plays and try to win. Make winning plays.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
Caris LeVert digging down &amp; making BI work <a href="https://t.co/0ltjwrllts">pic.twitter.com/0ltjwrllts</a>
&mdash; Siddharth (@SiddharthNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SiddharthNBA/status/1624294956579065856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Specifically, Bickerstaff has pointed out how LeVert&rsquo;s ability to get through screens allows Cleveland to avoid putting two on the ball. He&rsquo;s deflecting passes, staying in front of his man near the perimeter and keeping the Cavs&rsquo; towering duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley closer to the basket.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s huge, because although you have those big guys back there to support you, you don't want to put those big guys under duress all the time,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said of LeVert&rsquo;s impact on that end. &ldquo;That (contribution), you know, allows the rest of your defense to just be in place. So, when shots go up, now you're in rebounding position and you can be better at finishing possessions.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I've always played defense, but I think when you're asked to do more on the offensive side of the ball, you kind of slack on that end sometimes,&rdquo; LeVert added. &ldquo;I think, with here, my role's not necessarily to score. It's more so to be a Swiss Army knife, do it all. It's more onus on my defense, so naturally, I'm just more locked in on that end.&rdquo;
At the beginning of the season, he was a starter for the first 14 games of the campaign &mdash; first at small forward, then at shooting guard and even once as a point guard before eventually moving back to the 3.&nbsp;
Then, it was ultimately determined that LeVert could do his best work off the bench, and he&rsquo;s been a fixture of the second unit ever since (as long as the Cavs have been healthy).
&ldquo;It was an easy conversation because Caris is easy to talk to and because of his willingness to do whatever to help the team. He reiterated to me that he was just all in. That literally came out of his mouth,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said in late November when the change was made. &ldquo;It was like, &lsquo;Whatever you need me to do to help the team win and be better, that&rsquo;s what I want to do.&rsquo; He is more comfortable with the ball in his hand. He was sacrificing a ton playing that kind of third position with those two guards and then obviously we throw it to Evan and JA, so his strength needs to be a rhythm that happens through the game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unfair to him to not allow him to catch a rhythm and then be on the floor at the end of games when we need him, and now, he has no rhythm and when the ball does find him, he&rsquo;s disjointed. It&rsquo;s a combination of doing what&rsquo;s best for him but then when that&rsquo;s our finishing lineup, he&rsquo;s got a rhythm, he feels comfortable and he&rsquo;s touched the ball and has had an impact. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re looking for. Will it happen overnight? No. But we will continue to work at it and think it will work.&rdquo;
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Fast-forward from Nov. 18 to mid-February and the All-Star break, and LeVert&rsquo;s numbers have been steadily similar to his season-long averages. He&rsquo;s produced 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 41 games, making 42.0% of his overall field goals including a 34.9% clip from deep.
Even wilder, LeVert has attempted just 11 shots total over his last three contests heading into the All-Star break. That's the least volume he's seen in literally five years over a three-game stretch.
&ldquo;I think for me, it's all about rhythm. When you take one a game, the percentages are gonna look a little off, same with your threes,&rdquo; LeVert said. &ldquo;When I play starter minutes, the attempts are there. Coming off the bench, it's a little bit different. If you make your first one, then the percentages look good. If you miss your first one, you may miss one each half, you're 0-for-2. If you go 0-for-2 for three straight games, the percentages look a little different. So, I try not to think too much about that and just go out there and hoop.&rdquo;
There will come a time when the Cavs are going to need LeVert to revert to his ball-dominant self in certain situations. Altman believes having him as a ready-to-go spot starter is a luxury, and noted that in the postseason, there has to be someone who's able to break down his man one-on-one when Garland and/or Mitchell need to breathe a bit.&nbsp;
"He can step right in and we won't miss a beat," said another member of the franchise.
LeVert's also able to catch the ball with momentum and make things happen when all three are on the floor together.
&ldquo;Really lethal,&rdquo; Garland said of LeVert earlier this season. &ldquo;Because when me and Donovan are up top, there's not a lot that you can do with us, I believe. And then you've got to help a lot, which means Caris is open a lot more. We have a lot more opportunities for catch-and-shoots, attacking on closeouts &ndash; which he does best &ndash; getting to the rim, getting to that floater.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I consider him like Jordan Clarkson because he can get going at any time,&rdquo; Mitchell said after a Dec. 2 win over Orlando.&nbsp;
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That&rsquo;s the type of play Caris LeVert was kept for. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetEmKnow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetEmKnow</a> <a href="https://t.co/D9ur9pTakm">pic.twitter.com/D9ur9pTakm</a>
&mdash; Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevaronPerry/status/1625297368529731586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Once a point guard at Pickerington Central High School in the Columbus area before hitting a growth spurt, LeVert has always been able to deliver an on-target pocket pass, as well as a crafty wraparound after a drive to the bucket.
&ldquo;I've always kinda had that. I've always been pretty good at reading the floor on drives. And I have great chemistry with JA playing three, four years together in Brooklyn. We used to do that a lot,&rdquo; LeVert said with a laugh.
He&rsquo;s picked up where he left off with his former Nets teammate in Allen, who's the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627747/passes-dash?PerMode=Totals&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=AST&amp;OpponentTeamID=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only player to receive at least 50 assists from LeVert</a>. Next on the list is Mobley, whom LeVert has dimed to 43 times.
LeVert hasn&rsquo;t been perfect. There have been moments of ill-advised decisions on offense with turnovers in traffic and on defense such as fouling three-point shooters at inopportune times, for example.
Yet, there will be moments like a near-comeback effort in Philadelphia that unfairly get glossed over, where LeVert gets his hand on a ball or pressures his man to the point where a teammate gets a steal, or he slides to help on a defensive rotation when somebody needs it, or he makes a pass leading to a pass that leads to an assist, or he tips a loose ball up to himself and lobs it up for a teammate in transition.
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LeVert ➡️ Stevens ⬆️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetEmKnow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetEmKnow</a> <a href="https://t.co/np3xhmhQBX">pic.twitter.com/np3xhmhQBX</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsCLE/status/1626030403730477056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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When you look at the entire body of work and LeVert's activity, Cleveland would not be a top-four team in the East without him.
What's asked of him may differ every game, but he always makes sure to bring his best.
"I think just coming in and providing a spark,&rdquo; LeVert said when asked how he can best help the Cavs the rest of the way. &ldquo;That may be offensively, that may be defensively, that may be loose balls, that may be moving the ball and making sure we get a good shot every time. But I think that's been made clear, that's pretty much my role on this team. So just team-[first].&rdquo;
&ldquo;[There&rsquo;s] just a resiliency. Things always haven't gone his way and things haven't been easy or perfect for him. But he's never once tucked his tail, he's never put his head down and had bad body language or been disruptive to his teammates or any of those things,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;He's just continued to work and continue to try to help the team. And we appreciate that. As a coach, you appreciate a guy who doesn't let his own problems or successes get in the way of the team and that's who Caris is.
"All he cares about is trying to do what's right for the team and help as much he can.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies speaks with Cavs swingman Caris LeVert about staying in Cleveland past the trade deadline and how he's adapted.

Despite fluid role, Caris LeVert stays bought in with Cavaliers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyrin Lawrence knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer as the Vanderbilt Commodores snapped an 11-game skid against its in-state rival by upsetting sixth-ranked Tennessee 66-65 on Wednesday night.
Students rushed the court and joined the Commodores (12-12, 5-6) in celebrating easily the biggest win in coach Jerry Stackhouse&rsquo;s fourth season.
Tennessee (19-5, 8-2) had a chance to finish off the win after Olivier Nkamhoua knocked down a 15-foot jumper with 50 seconds left for a 65-63 lead. Liam Robbins missed a turnaround jumper with 27 seconds for Vanderbilt, and Zakai Zeigler grabbed the rebound.
Lawrence finished with a team-high 19 points. Robbins added 14 and nine rebounds, and Jordan Wright had 12.
Santiago Vescovi and Tyreke Key each had 14 to lead Tennessee. Nkamhoua and Julian Phillips added 10 apiece.
NO. 2 HOUSTON 80, TULSA 42
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 25 points and had five 3-pointers, Emanuel Sharp added 13 points and Houston earned its fifth straight win.
Sasser scored 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting in the first half as the Cougars (23-2, 11-1 American Athletic Conference) built a 46-18 halftime lead. The senior guard had the first 12 points in a 24-2 run that gave Houston a 31-12 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.
Tim Dalger scored 13 points, and Sam Griffin added 11 points for Tulsa (5-18, 1-11).
NO. 3 ALABAMA 97, FLORIDA 69
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 24 points and made 4 of 8 3-pointers to lead No. 3 Alabama over Florida.
The Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 29-point halftime lead against the Gators (13-11, 6-5), who had knocked off then-No. 2 Tennessee a week earlier.
Miller added nine rebounds and three assists for the Tide. Mark Sears made 4 of 6 3s and scored 19 for Alabama, which buried 15 shots from long range. Jahvon Quinerly had 11 points.
Colin Castleton led Florida with 29 points and 10 rebounds. He accounted for 13 of his team&rsquo;s 23 in the first half and made 11 of 14 free throws. Riley Kugel added 15 points and Will Richard scored 11.
WEST VIRGINIA 76, NO. 11 IOWA STATE 71
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Kedrian Johnson tied a career high with 22 points, and West Virginia held off Iowa State.
Emmitt Mathews added a season-high 20 points for the Mountaineers (15-9, 4-7 Big 12), who have won five of seven to get their season moving in the right direction after they dropped five in a row during one stretch.
Jaren Holmes led the Cyclones (16-7, 7-4) with 18 points. Freshman Tamin Lipsey had a season-high 16 points and Caleb Grill added 13.
NO. 14 BAYLOR 82, OKLAHOMA 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George had 23 points, Adam Flagler scored 20 and big man Johnathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua made a couple of key 3-pointers as Baylor held on to beat Oklahoma.
Langston Love added 19 points for Baylor (18-6, 7-4 Big 12), which has won eight of nine overall since losing its first three league games.
The Sooners (12-12, 2-9) lost their sixth consecutive conference game, the last three since a still-hard-to-explain 93-69 win over then-No. 2 Alabama in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Grant Sherfield had 15 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Sooners, and Milos Uzan added 11 points. Otega Oweh and Joe Bamisile both scored 10.
NO. 20 PROVIDENCE 74, GEORGETOWN 62
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Bryce Hopkins scored 17 points and Providence won for the fourth time in five games.
Devin Carter and Ed Croswell had 12 points apiece as the Friars (18-6, 10-3 Big East). Noah Locke added 11 points, shooting 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Bradley Ezewiro paced last-place Georgetown (6-19, 1-13) with 19 points and Primo Spears added 18. Brandon Murray scored 16 as the Hoyas dropped their fourth straight.
NO. 23 CREIGHTON 75, SETON HALL 62
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman had 19 points and nine rebounds, Ryan Nembhard added 15 on 6-of-7 shooting and dished out four assists, and Creighton fended off a feisty Seton Hall.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 13 points and Arthur Kaluma had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (16-8, 10-3 Big East).
Seton Hall (15-10, 8-6) opened up the second half with an Al-Amir Dawes 3-pointer to take the lead before Kalkbrenner quickly tied things up at 42. Tyrese Samuel drilled a 3-pointer in the corner to give Seton Hall a 49-43 lead &ndash; its largest of the game &ndash; with 16:49 left.
Dawes had 19 points, Samuel had 11 points and Kadary Richmond added 10 points for Seton Hall.
NO. 25 SAN DIEGO STATE 63, UTAH STATE 61
LOGAN, Utah (AP) &mdash; Matt Bradley scored 18 points and San Diego State held on to beat Utah State.
Bradley made his first seven shots and went 7 of 9 from the field overall to help keep the Aztecs (19-5, 10-2 Mountain West Conference) atop the conference standings. Jaedon LeDee had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Micah Parrish added 12 points for San Diego State. The Aztecs&rsquo; top three scorers grabbed a combined 22 rebounds.
Steven Ashworth had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for Utah State (19-6, 8-4). Taylor Funk added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Aggies, who lost at home for just the second time this season.&nbsp;

A recap of Wednesday night's action in men's college hoops includes two top-15 upsets, most notably the Commodores downing the Vols.

Vanderbilt’s late three-pointer stuns No. 6 Tennessee 66-65

The NBA sphere, in many respects, drives its conversations with numbers. They can range from the simple eye-popping box score to the intricate advanced data that power decisions and add context about the evolution of the game.
However, we often lose sight of just how those statistics get noted and validated. As evidenced by this weekend's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-what-happens-if-you-dont-believe-the-stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">buzzing Jaren Jackson Jr. Reddit conspiracy</a>, most fans and even insiders don't fully grasp how complicated the league's record-keeping process can be. The NBA is far removed from the days of one-person, hand-tracked stacking; technology and checks and balances help keep the league on top of its array of tracked data points.
Neema Djavadzadeh spent the 2021-22 season working as a stats auditor for the NBA and G League. He worked over 400 G League contests and approximately 20-30 NBA games as part of the gameday statskeeping crew. The G League's process is a bit more straightforward, but it still requires a team of auditors.
"With the G League, it involved watching game film and making sure stats were correct," Djavadzadeh told Basketball News. "We had an audit-review system that involved one person on the team auditing the stats, and then another reviewing the audits and making changes accordingly. Then, someone higher up would comb through all the edits to make final confirmation. In total, it was six people working on this for the G League."
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At the highest level, the tracking process has several layers. Here's how Djavadzadeh describes the repetition of recording stats throughout an NBA game:
<ol>
<li class="iw">A play/tracked event occurs on the court.</li>
<li class="iw">A courtside "caller" alerts a "primary" person who inputs basic stats.</li>
<li class="iw">The primary logs a basic stat, while a "secondary" notes descriptive characteristics, such as location on the floor.</li>
<li class="iw">One or two "tertiaries" then watch a slightly delayed recording of the play to confirm or correct the stats entered.</li>
<li class="iw">After that, a crew in the league's Seacaucus, NJ, headquarters double-checks and corrects stats. They can discuss corrections with the courtside team. If both teams agree on a correction, it is made, and if they disagree, no change is made at first. Either way, those communications are logged and then again checked by a "Kirk" (another auditor).&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
"Everything is basically confirmed 4-5 times," Djavadzadeh said. "The Kirks are also normally watching the game on their own and following along with the stats, but they have multiple game responsibilities, versus the auditor having one. There&rsquo;s normally about two people per game, so on a big night there was about 30 in the [league] office, or on a slow night, about 6-7. There's also technical support from Genius Sport in house as well, in case anything goes wrong courtside or in the office."
So how much can one statskeeper influence a single stat? Djavadzadeh says barely.&nbsp;
"Maybe straightforward plays like a field-goal attempt and rebound," he said. "I&rsquo;d normally watch those at max three times, normally to just confirm shot location or play descriptor. Most plays are combed over at least 3-4 times if it&rsquo;s not just a shot and rebound."
Technology also plays a huge role in providing accurate perspective on a play, particularly at the NBA level. The league has player-tracking capabilities and 12 camera angles for any given event, whereas the G League just uses one angle. Auditors can also look at a check-box system that confirms which stats have and have not yet been locked in.&nbsp;
With that being said, there is still room for interpretation. Djavadzadeh said that in his experience, recording blocks and steals specifically at the G League level was a challenge with one camera angle.&nbsp;
"It was kind of a universal thing of, 'Well, we don&rsquo;t have the tech to make it perfect right now, but we can spend the time and effort to make it as close as possible,'" he explained.
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🧵: Gonna go ahead and answer all of these if I can and give my input as someone who was a stat checker for the NBA. JJJ probably gets a hand on the ball here with Zion in an upward motion. These get started as blocks. <a href="https://t.co/0hLuLTNjC7">https://t.co/0hLuLTNjC7</a>
&mdash; Neema (@findingneema23) <a href="https://twitter.com/findingneema23/status/1619365149902798848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Different challenges arise in the NBA, where assists are actually more subjective than in the G League. The G League has a strict rule on assists: A scorer must use two or fewer dribbles, and three or fewer seconds between catch and shot attempt, to qualify as receiving an assist. That guideline does not exist in the NBA.
"I&rsquo;d get into one or two arguments a game with courtside starters over assists, but eventually you realize some crews just see them a little differently," Djavadzadeh said.&nbsp;
"Steals are a bit tough too with the NBA, but once you understand the variety of steals it becomes easier," he added. "Like, saving a ball from going out of bounds and a controlled pass back in bounds is technically a steal. A tipped pass that your teammate recovers is a steal for the person who tips it. If another offensive player tries to control the ball after it&rsquo;s been tipped, then whoever recovers the ball after the second offensive player touched it gets the steal. Little rules like that. Each possession is different, so there&rsquo;s some interpretation that has to happen, but for the most part, six-plus people are agreeing on the outcome of an event."
Where can the NBA improve its process? Djavadzadeh believes the league could better utilize its tracking abilities to more accurately portray shot location data by automating that part of a process versus relying on human judgement. While such automation is harder to achieve with most box-score stats, he says, shot location tracking tech already exists and is more plain to understand.
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One of the key "motives" in the alleged Jackson blocks conspiracy was the idea that statskeepers who have a financial stake in the game could help make themselves some money by rigging the numbers. To Djavadzadeh &mdash; who does support legal and federally-regulated sports betting &mdash; that's just an unrealistic take.
"The NBA&rsquo;s no-gambling rules are extremely strict, and knowing sports politics, something like that isn&rsquo;t something you can come back from," he said. "Any kind of conspiracy that statskeepers have money on it or something is crazy, because that&rsquo;s their career in hand.
"I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s an issue with gambling... I think, if anything, it puts an emphasis on getting things more accurate because there&rsquo;s so much money at stake. And also, if you&rsquo;re bad at your job, you&rsquo;ll get fired in an industry like this, and nobody wants to get fired."

Neema Djavadzadeh described his experience working as a stats auditor for the NBA/G League in a conversation with Ethan Fuller.

Detailing the NBA's stat-tracking process with Neema Djavadzadeh

Springfield, Massachusetts has been offering glimpses into the future of basketball since James Naismith put some peach baskets on a YMCA wall in 1891. Every MLK weekend, the town gives us another in the form of the HoopHall Classic, where dozens of the best high-school players in the country descend on Blake Arena.
The HoopHall Classic is also one of three high-school showcases this season that was given the green light for NBA scouts to attend. It's a prime opportunity for the elite talents to separate themselves from the pack &mdash; or for less heralded names to put themselves on the map.
I checked into the arena at 10 a.m. and caught all eight contests. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
DeMatha Catholic (MD) 66, Bishop Loughlin (NY) 55
Mason So, Bishop Loughlin &mdash;&nbsp;So wasn't the leading scorer of the game or the team MVP, but he really impressed with the little things he did to help the Stags keep control. The UNC Greensboro commit finished with 14 points and operated as a secondary ball-handler and spaced the floor well.
So hit 2-of-5 three-point attempts, but his best play came when he initiated the offense, passed the ball away, snuck behind the Bishop Loughlin zone to the low block and got it back for an easy layup. The senior also hustled on the glass impressively for a 6-foot-2 guard and grabbed 7 total boards.
Mount St. Joseph's (MD) 54, North Laurel (KY) 48
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Mount St. Joseph wins by 6 over North Laurel! 😤 🏀 Mount St. Joseph - 54 North Laurel - 48 🏆 MVP - Tyonne Farrell 19 PTS - 4 REB - 5 AST - 🏟️ - Hoophall Classic 2023 cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Spalding?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Spalding</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSJ_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSJ_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/943lF8n6bW">pic.twitter.com/943lF8n6bW</a>
&mdash; Legit Sport Stats (@LegitSportStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegitSportStats/status/1614685273568288768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyonne Farrell, Mt. St. Joseph's &mdash;&nbsp;Farrell logged an awesome statement game in front of the college recruiters and NBA scouts: 19 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds. The forward (listed at 6-foot-6, though he seems taller) was a monster protecting the rim. Both squads talked trash back-and-forth throughout and Farrell's rejections made quite the statement.
"Scrappy game; they were talking a lot of smack," Farrell told Basketball News. "It was good to block shots and talk back."
He also nearly brought the hoop down with an emphatic designed alley-oop slam. But Farrell, a junior, was more than a rim-runner and cutter. He made 1-of-2 triples and was not afraid to power-drive from the perimeter. Farrell grew up playing guard but has grown and built out his frame. He lists Paul George and Jayson Tatum among his favorite pros to watch because of the way they can handle the ball and use their strength fluidly.
Farrell and Illinois-bound senior teammate Amani Hansberry teamed up for 5 assists apiece; each took turns dissecting North Laurel's zone from the middle of the half-court. Hansberry had a strong afternoon of his own with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.&nbsp;
"Me and Amani, we go well together because we both can pass," Farrell said. "So he'll catch the ball, I'll backdoor slip and he'll find me. And then, we'll set screens for each other, [and] we both can handle the ball pretty well for bigger people. So it's lovely playing with Amani. He's a great player."
Farrell didn't dive into his college situation, but he has publicly posted an offer from Rhode Island and said he's confident in the direction of his recruitment. He didn't even know NBA personnel could attend this year's Classic &mdash; but it added another boost of confidence when he learned afterwards.
"That makes me feel great; I didn't know that," he said with a laugh. "That's amazing... gotta get my name out there."
Reed Sheppard, North Laurel &mdash;&nbsp;Sheppard, a four-star senior bound for Kentucky, simply didn't have his shot falling (5-for-21 from the field, 3-for-14 from three-point range). But he still ended up with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals by impacting the game just about everywhere else. He played at a rapid pace that really worked in transition, but even his drive-and-kick passes occurred at blazing speeds. Sheppard follows in the footsteps on his father, Kentucky legend Jeff Sheppard, but the younger ballplayer looks more than capable of carving out his own path.
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Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti (PA) 55, Vashon (MO) 45
Robert Wright III, Neumann-Goretti &mdash;&nbsp;Alright, another smaller guard with a big day! Wright, a 6-foot junior, has already committed to Baylor and he posted 17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for Neumann-Goretti in the victory. He displayed some impressive passing reads and decision-making in the open floor. Wright didn't shoot all that well and did struggle in the half-court with some of the opposing size. But he's crafty and creative, and his 5-foot-10 teammate Khaafiq Myers helps form one of the most fun backcourts seen this weekend.
Simeon Career Academy (IL) 52, Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 39
Miles Rubin, Simeon &mdash;&nbsp;Rubin is a 6-foot-9, 3-star big man en route to Loyola Chicago. He finished with an efficient 17 points (8-for-10 from the field) plus 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and was the beneficiary of some timely interior passing. His frontcourt partner and twin brother Wesley (7 assists) frequently caught the basketball around the elbow and threw it inside as Rubin cut to the basket.
The senior also added two blocks, one being an impressive help-defense rejection on 5-star guard Boogie Fland. Simeon tasked Rubin early with showing hard in pick-and-roll defense and it led to two fouls, so there's room to improve with his mobility on the perimeter. Still, Rubin was rock-solid inside and a safe bet as a decision-maker.
Also, I have to shout out Simeon guards Michael Ratliff and Rashard McKinnie. They took turns tracking Fland and neutralized his downhill speed and strength. Fland can get low and slide right by most defenders, but not these two.
AZ Compass Prep (AZ) 55, Oak Hill Academy (VA) 35
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Zayden High shot 100% from the field in AZ Compass&rsquo;s win over Oak Hill 55-35 🐉 <a href="https://t.co/oEPuA4L7hC">pic.twitter.com/oEPuA4L7hC</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614756786053218304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Zayden High, Compass Prep &mdash; &nbsp;Most of this high-caliber clash was pretty ugly, but High helped Compass Prep pull away late with some timely two-way moments. The 6-foot-10 power forward went a perfect 5-for-5 with 15 points, including a three, a one-dribble pull-up two and some interior scores. His one block was a monster rejection at the rim on Oak Hill big man Drayton Jones.
"I like to think of myself as a shot-blocker," High said postgame. "I'm really good at timing the ball before it goes to the rim. It's all about timing for me &mdash; timed it, blocked it, right point at the right time."
High took instruction from his coaches late in the game regarding screening angles on both sides of the ball. In his first year at AZ Compass Prep, the UNC-bound big man says he's learning a lot about the ins-and-outs of screening.
"Coming to AZ Compass, I've learned a lot about setting screens, shifting my hips and being able to re-screen," he said. "It's helped me out because I'm a pick-and-pop guy; I'm a pick-and-roll guy. So it's lethal to the defense."
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Paul VI Catholic (VA) 72, Roselle Catholic (NJ) 59
DeShawn Harris-Smith, Paul VI &mdash;&nbsp;The Maryland-bound senior absolutely rocked in a huge win for the Panthers. Harris-Smith compiled 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. He's quite strong for a wing listed at 6-foot-4 and used that strength to surge past defenders on his drives. Harris-Smith also showed some foresight as a vertical cutter and held his own defensively. He seems physically prepared and experienced enough to make the leap to college ball as a dynamic 4-star talent.
Simeon Wilcher, Roselle &mdash;&nbsp;Wilcher, with 21 points and 5 assists, was Roselle Catholic's scoring spark to keep this game competitive. The senior guard has all sorts of tricks in his bag, including one crab-dribble-type move that split two defenders and ended in a layup. Wilcher had a lot on his plate with 5-star teammate Mackenzie Mgbako struggling, so the 6 turnovers are understandable with the load he had to carry as a creator. He'll be the next top-notch guard to watch at North Carolina next season.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep (CA) 71, Westtown (PA) 33
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Top freshman Tyran Stokes and <a href="https://twitter.com/ProlificPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProlificPrep</a> lead Westtown 29-16 at halftime of their <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> matchup ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tyran_stokes</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wds1Plac2V">pic.twitter.com/Wds1Plac2V</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1614787207159504899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyran Stokes, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;There was one moment late in the second half of Prolific Prep's blowout victory where Stokes caught his breath during a pause in action. A young fan exclaimed, "He's just a freshman!" from the bleachers and Stokes tossed a sly wink back.
"My game, I just come with a swag," Stokes told Basketball News. "My teammates come with it [too], so it's just a group thing."
Stokes will assuredly be among the top freshmen in the country whenever 2026 rankings drop, and he backed up his confidence with an easy 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The 6-foot-7 wing threw down two alley-oop dunks from senior Aden Holloway and lobbed up one of his own to Zion Sensley.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep has several more experienced playmakers, so Stokes can get comfortable spacing the floor and cutting for the most part. He says his coaches and teammates have helped advance his overall processing speed as a cutter.
"[In] middle school it was a lot slower, but once I got to high school, it just became way faster. The game was faster, so I had to step my game up," he said.
Stokes already has swarms of colleges after him (just check his <a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>), and HoopHall was a big test for his maturity under the eyes of college and pro scouts. He says his mother, Kee, is his biggest source of support and helps relieve some of the stress of his impending rise.
"Me and my mom, we just work as a team to block all the noise out," Stokes said. "People come at me, people come at her, and we just stick together and don't let nobody get to us."
Zion Sensley, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;Beyond throwing down that alley-oop from Stokes, Sensley earned his game's Most Valuable Player robe with with 18 points, canning 7-of-10 shots. He knocked down threes from the corner, ran the floor for layups and even added in some mid-range self-creation. Sensley has more game off the dribble than he got the chance to show in a dominant win, and his offensive versatility at 6-foot-8 is intriguing. He's a 4-star junior worth keeping an eye on.
Imhotep (PA) 62, Cardinal Hayes (NY) 59
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Justin Edwards puts the first points on the board for Imhotep. <a href="https://t.co/z6dhGBzqYJ">pic.twitter.com/z6dhGBzqYJ</a>
&mdash; Bella DiAmore (@belladiamore) <a href="https://twitter.com/belladiamore/status/1614805998539100160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Justin Edwards, Imhotep &mdash; Edwards made his case for the top billing in the 2023 high-school class with a dominant effort in a thrilling Sunday nightcap. The 6-foot-7 wing amassed 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists.&nbsp;
The defense particularly impressed me. Edwards took on Ian Jackson (11 points, 4-of-10 from the field, 5 assists), one of the best juniors in the country, and stuck with him throughout the matchup. He sprawled out on the floor for one steal and used some quick-twitch hands to poach other passes and get running. Edwards includes a defensive emphasis whenever he tries to cultivate a well-rounded performance.
"When I have an all-around game, it's me locking in defensively and getting my teammates going, so that was just the main thing," he said postgame.
Of course, the scoring was pretty remarkable too &mdash; a combination of emphatic driving slams and lefty mid-range pull-ups. He even snuck in an impressive entry bounce pass that turned into a layup assist. If you want to call Edwards the best senior in the country, you'll get no complaints from me.
Steven Solano, Cardinal Hayes &mdash;&nbsp;Solano's final stat line (4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks) might not pop off the page, but his impact far transcended the box score. The lanky 6-foot-11 center was an impactful rim protector even beyond his swats and consistently thwarted Imhotep with his length and timely rotations. He only got on the scoreboard twice, but one bucket was a nifty layup spinning out of the post, suggesting he has a bit more of a bag than we saw. Solano's a 3-star center with a host of high-major offers and he could be an underrated find wherever he ends up.

Ethan Fuller recaps his standout stars from Sunday's HoopHall Classic games in Springfield, MA.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Sunday's action

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be played in Las Vegas at the Michelob Ultra Arena, home of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, on July 15, the league announced today. In addition to the All-Star Game, there will be two full days packed with WNBA activities.
The WNBA will also host its &ldquo;WNBA Live&rdquo; fan festival, which is now in its second year. An exciting, interactive event that's open to the public, &ldquo;WNBA Live&rdquo; will provide fans with an opportunity to experience the intersection of the WNBA, entertainment and culture leading up to the WNBA All-Star Game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The WNBA is thrilled to bring AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star 2023, to Las Vegas, a city that showed such incredible support for the Aces and the WNBA throughout last season, especially during the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV when the Aces brought the city its first professional sports championship,&rdquo; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
&ldquo;This will be the third AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game to take place in Las Vegas, where we had memorable experiences in 2019 and 2021. And I can&rsquo;t think of a better location for us to host our second annual &ldquo;WNBA Live&rdquo; interactive fan event that will give WNBA fans two days of incredible opportunities to engage with our brand and partners who have stepped up to support the WNBA.&rdquo;
On July 14, some of the league&rsquo;s biggest and brightest stars will display their talents at the 2023 edition of the WNBA 3-Point Contest&nbsp;and WNBA Skills Challenge.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited to once again host the league&rsquo;s signature showcase event in the sports and entertainment capital of the world,&rdquo; said Aces president Nikki Fargas. &ldquo;Las Vegas has showed up and showed out for the Aces and the WNBA since our first season, and we are looking forward to welcoming fans from around the world back to Michelob ULTRA Arena for another incredible celebration of the best that women&rsquo;s basketball has to offer.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Tickets for the 2023 All-Star Game, 3-Point Contest and WNBA Skills Challenge will go on sale to the public on January 19 at 10 am PT. Tickets may be purchased by visiting <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.axs.com/series/17038/2023-wnba-all-star-weekend-tickets?skin=michelobultra__;!!PMETyfE!IXrorpecX7mxqVaILV9qvduUenTiKu4FK3-idmFAxgw5V4EP-piLDB1skZ1OUeRljS5lIzvxMyKQOcM8Zg$" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.axs.com/series/17038/2023-wnba-all-star-weekend-tickets?skin%3Dmichelobultra__;!!PMETyfE!IXrorpecX7mxqVaILV9qvduUenTiKu4FK3-idmFAxgw5V4EP-piLDB1skZ1OUeRljS5lIzvxMyKQOcM8Zg$&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1673646801589000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2bc70IOFL_UEIxza4JMxYO">axs.com</a>.
The 2023 WNBA regular season tips off on Friday, May 19 and features a record-high 40 games per team. All 12 teams will be in action during the opening weekend of the league&rsquo;s 27th regular season as part of WNBA Tip-Off 2023.
The regular season will conclude on Sept. 10, followed by the WNBA Playoffs.

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be played in Las Vegas at the Michelob Ultra Arena on July 15.

Las Vegas to host the 2023 WNBA All-Star Weekend on July 14-15

A reporter who typically despises hot takes actually has one begging to be written: Jarrett Allen is the straw that stirs the Cleveland Cavaliers' drink, and he is their most important player.
Somewhat buried beneath Tuesday's nationally-televised marquee showdown between Donovan Mitchell and a returning LeBron James was Allen&rsquo;s comeback to the Cavs. He&rsquo;d been missing for the last five games with a bothered back. In his first game since Nov. 25, the talented center made his first 10 shots, recording a 24-point, 11-rebound, 3-steal stat line in over 38 minutes of action.
Although Evan Mobley gets valuable reps as a ball-handling, jump-shooting, screen-slipping 5-man during his absences &mdash; and what a whale of a job he&rsquo;s done showing off his toolkit &mdash; Allen has a certain presence about him that makes him just as important on the offensive end of the floor as the defensive end.
Prior to Cleveland&rsquo;s road trip that started in Milwaukee, Basketball News <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1595651027667124225?s=20&amp;t=O06c1WaqkEdZPiNWTGSLGw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff about Allen&rsquo;s smarts and knowing opponents&rsquo; tendencies</a> on both sides of the floor. Revisiting that concept before Jarrett&rsquo;s eventual return to the court, Bickerstaff added to his previous response to illustrate what he does to open things up for his teammates.
&ldquo;He plays with the vertical spacing that changes the game for everybody. Teams have to make decisions on who's going to stop him at the rim,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said before the Cavs' 116-102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. &ldquo;Typically the only guy who's out there that can do that is the big, so now, that clears a lane for your guards who are penetrating, who are attacking. And if you want to bring in a third guy and try to stop him early, that creates room for shooters on the perimeter. So teams have to make adjustments and they have to make decisions when Jarrett is on the floor, because that's going to create opportunities for the other guys that are around him.&rdquo;
Vertical spacing. You don&rsquo;t hear that term too often. So many people look for big men to spread the floor in the modern NBA, expanding their shooting range and forcing defenders to have to pay attention on the outside to free-up space to attack. That isn&rsquo;t Allen&rsquo;s version. His is quite the opposite, in fact, as he draws defenders in, leaving Cleveland&rsquo;s perimeter players with good looks or blow-bys for better ones.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a thing just in terms in lobs if my man steps up, then he can throw the lob to me and finish it,&rdquo; Allen said after the victory over L.A. &ldquo;A lot of guys can jump in the league but being down there, ready for the lob, I don&rsquo;t even know how to explain it honestly, I&rsquo;m trying to make something up (laughs). Just a thing in the league with lobs and being able to be there whenever your man helps off you."
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Keeping this going, I finally got around to asking Jarrett Allen himself about this concept. Of course in typical JA fashion, it ended with a laugh: "I'm trying to make something up." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/vbfglkayGm">https://t.co/vbfglkayGm</a> <a href="https://t.co/EW45xj6uSo">pic.twitter.com/EW45xj6uSo</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1600354444851322880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Just try to find the open area," Allen followed up regarding his offensive approach. "D.G. (Darius Garland) has the amazing floater and Donovan has his pull-up game. My man is going to help and try to contest it. I&rsquo;m just trying to get into the open window where they can find me and dish it to me at the last second.&rdquo;
What Allen is known for is his screen-setting abilities, spearheading a pick-and-roll dynamite duo with both Mitchell and Garland. So when opposing teams send doubles at whichever ball-handler is operating the offense, it leaves just Allen and the basket. Again, an opportunity to cram it or spray it to the corners.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really know where to start. I think the biggest thing is he can do it all,&rdquo; Mitchell said after a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 23. &ldquo;He can set hard screens. He can slip out of screens. You can hit him on a half-roll and a lob. You can pass to him and he&rsquo;s able to make a post move and finish. There&rsquo;s just so much to his game that adds onto mine&hellip; There&rsquo;s so much we can do &ndash; him and I together.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I mean, he's huge. He's a big guy. I mean, when he makes contact, he's making real contact,&rdquo; Garland stated at a preseason shootaround on Oct. 12. &ldquo;So I have a lot of room coming downhill and can get to any of my spots. And then he's just right on the rim. A lot of bigs don&rsquo;t want to have their man score, so a lot of bigs like going back to JA on the roll, so that leaves a lot of wide-open layups. When they do help, it leaves the easy lob, it&rsquo;s two points for sure.&rdquo;
Considering both of the Cavs guards are in the NBA&rsquo;s top-15 in getting doubled, it&rsquo;s always helpful to have that kind of option in the middle of the floor to make something happen. And sometimes, you&rsquo;ll see Allen and Mobley execute a high-low to bend the floor.
&ldquo;It goes both ways. Sometimes he's passing it to me, and sometimes I'm passing it to him. We just look out for each other,&rdquo; Mobley said after the Portland win. &ldquo;I feel like we're building that chemistry as well and getting better at it in on a game-to-game basis.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s super cool to see, been saying it for years now,&rdquo; Garland said following a Nov. 18 victory against the Charlotte Hornets. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s super cool that they have that connection on the floor. The lobs from the 5-man to the 4-man is kind of crazy and it&rsquo;s super cool to see. A lot of teams don&rsquo;t really do that. We feel comfortable when they have the ball in their hands. When our backcourt is getting trapped, we know we can hit them and they can make the right play.&rdquo;
Mitchell has the &ldquo;ultimate confidence&rdquo; in those scenarios.
&ldquo;Teams might resort to blitzing us in certain situations and when you have an outlet, not only just have the outlet, but be able to make plays for himself, for others in pass and certain things. It's kind of like pick your poison, you know?&rdquo; Mitchell added recently. &ldquo;You have us two, then you have those two on top of that who are able to get in there and make plays for everybody."
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There just seems to be a more natural feel to Cleveland&rsquo;s half-court offense when Allen is there &mdash; just going by the eye test. Referring to advanced stats, the Cavs&rsquo; effective field goal percentage and free-throw rate <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4337/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drops by 3.8% and 2.1% respectively</a>. That ranks in the 89th and 69th percentiles among his peers, per Cleaning the Glass.
Lineup data via PBP Stats helps show his effect on those around him. In the 176 minutes that Garland, Mitchell and Mobley have shared without Allen on the floor, their <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612739&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1628386,1628378,1629636,1630596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Offensive Rating as a trio dips by nearly 6 points per 100 possessions</a>. (Ironically, their Net Rating is better &mdash; Mobley is an incredibly versatile defender, and Lamar Stevens has done an admirable job as the team&rsquo;s starting 3).&nbsp;
According to <a href="https://nbacourtoptix.nba.com/en/metrics/ball-screens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com&rsquo;s Optix figures</a>, the Cavs are scoring a whopping 1.47 points per possession when Allen sets a screen for Mitchell (9.7 times per game) and 1.13 PPP when he does it for Garland (11.0).&nbsp;
&ldquo;I mean, it, by the numbers, is elite pairings. It's not just as easy as it may look. It's more scientific than we give it credit for,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said Tuesday. &ldquo;Understanding angles, understanding timing, understanding defenses and rotations &mdash; it's calculated. I think from both standpoints, Jarrett has the calculations down, the guards have the calculations down. It's just more so about them playing more together and the more they play together, the more lethal it's gonna be.&rdquo;
&ldquo;With Donovan, I like to flip the screens more,&rdquo; Allen said a couple of weeks ago at a morning practice. &ldquo;He likes getting downhill. I&rsquo;m not going to give away all the secrets, but he likes getting downhill and going a certain way. So instead of setting it how I would for Darius, I might flip the screen for Donovan.&rdquo;
Allen is cerebral, physical and, most impressively, a presence that elevates his Cavs teammates to the incredible performances we&rsquo;ve seen on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;I mean, he's in the right place the majority of the time. It's a simple concept, but he always goes where the defense isn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said after the Cavs' win over Portland. &ldquo;And a lot of guys have a hard time figuring that out. But it's one of the things that he does, like for a big guy who's not a three-point threat, how do you create space for your teammates, in small spaces? And I think Jarrett does a great job of just finding those gaps and where to position himself where he creates enough space where big guys have to make tough decisions. Do you stop the ball, or do you give up a dunk? A lot of times you look out there and big guys are just in the way and it ruins the spacing for everybody else. But he does a great job of creating room for those guys to operate.&rdquo;
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At this point, we all know about his abilities as an anchor on defense, and his coach and teammates continue to demand recognition as a DPOY candidate. It's not just about the blocked and altered shots, but more significantly, the freedom it gives his teammates to put more pressure on the ball and roam around.
&ldquo;When he's in there, he usually protects rim and I just help him. So I have a lot of more freelance ability to really move around and help where I see fit, and I feel like I play that role really well,&rdquo; Mobley said last month after the Charlotte game.
Mitchell and Garland have highlighted this time and time again throughout the season.
&ldquo;You know, when you've got guards who are dynamic like Trae [Young], Dejounte [Murray] getting downhill, all you've gotta do as a guard is kinda just stay in space and kinda funnel them down there to both Ev and JA. But you noticed it when JA was out, things weren't too great, and it's tough just to be down there when it's Ev and say, a Lamar. Lamar is not... we know we're not 7 feet,&rdquo; Mitchell said on Nov. 21 after beating the Atlanta Hawks. &ldquo;So being able to have two of those guys down there [is] the foundations of our defense. But definitely with JA back blocking shots, deterring shots and even forcing guys to travel because they don't wanna go up there for a shot &mdash; I think that's something that, you don't notice it on the stat sheet, but you see it when you're watching the game, and they bring it every night.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Everybody says that he's the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-caliber player and our team thinks the same of him. Just having like an agility 7-footer like that, it helps a lot,&rdquo; Garland said after defeating the Blazers. &ldquo;I mean, JA is super smart. He sees everything early, he just knows everything, like really early. So, he sees it and just reacts really quickly so it's good to see.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It amazes me how Jarrett Allen knows what teams are going to do before they do it on both ends of the floor. I wanted Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to provide their perspective. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/87FN2jSN2e">pic.twitter.com/87FN2jSN2e</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1595626743691644928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Allen keeps defenders from getting second chances too, which is a part of defense that might not be appreciated as much. But the defensive metrics in general match what his teammates say about him.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland allows 7.8 points more per 100 possessions when he&rsquo;s not on the floor. And when he is on the court, the Cavs&rsquo; Defensive Rating as a team is just 104.4. That puts him in <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4337/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 98th percentile in the NBA</a>, and it shows what leading by example truly means.
&ldquo;That's what Jarrett does. We go through our expectations of guys, like, that's his way of leading is a willing to do all the things that most people aren't willing to do. And that forces everybody else around him to do the same,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said following an Oct. 23 win over the Washington Wizards. &ldquo;But it's, I mean, what he's capable of and the impact that he can have on that end of the floor, at that size, the versatility. I mean, like he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate every single year. And I think it's time that we acknowledge that.&rdquo;
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Go back to last season when Allen broke his finger. Cleveland&rsquo;s defense suffered, which made its offense suffer, which made the team suffer. The Cavs were 35-21 in the games that Allen played in. They went 7-11 after that point, and were 9-17 overall without Jarrett. Even in the previous season when he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets, this kind of impact was obvious to the naked eye.
With the roster turnover since then, it could be interpeted as foolish to compare that to the present day. Not in this writer&rsquo;s eyes, as the Cavs are 2-4 in games without Allen this season, and the trend continues. (Mobley has gotten better and the team has started to learn how to operate on defense with Allen the middle, to be fair. However, it just doesn't seem the same.)
On a nightly basis, we&rsquo;ve marveled over a number of sensational performances. With Mitchell, Garland and Mobley, you&rsquo;re going to see that more often than not.
While that may be the case, Allen is the ingredient that blends the Cavs together and makes that group's individual talent thrive alongside one another in a team setting. He cannot be viewed as an unsung hero any longer.
Jarrett Allen is literally an All-Star in his role &mdash; one that appears to be the most crucial for Cleveland to succeed.
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Two things: 1) I love watching Marcus Smart compete. Dude is built and knows how to use his muscle. 2) At some point, Jarrett Allen needs recognition from everybody as more than an unsung hero for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He shows up every night and consistently is one of the best at his job.
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1587995991852154881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Spencer Davies dives into Jarrett Allen's meaning to the Cavs, and why he is crucial to their success.

Not just an unsung hero: Jarrett Allen, an All-Star in his Cavs role

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Zach Edey scored 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting as No. 5 Purdue fought off Florida State 79-69 on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Edey recorded his sixth straight game scoring 20 or more for the Boilermakers (7-0).
The 7-foot-4 center helped Purdue keep pace with 15 first-half points as the Boilermakers looked jet-lagged early following weekend wins over Duke and Gonzaga in Portland, Oregon.
Darin Green Jr. scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half for Florida State (1-8), which lost its fourth straight.
NO. 10 INDIANA 77, NO. 18 NORTH CAROLINA 65
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Xavier Johnson scored 20 points and Indiana beat North Carolina.
The Hoosiers (7-0) produced their most impressive win of the season two days after cracking the top 10 for the first time since 2017.
Pete Nance had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead North Carolina (5-3), the preseason No. 1 that has lost three straight for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Caleb Love scored 13 points.
The Tar Heels were not themselves after playing three games in four days last weekend in Portland, Oregon, and losing Sunday to No. 18 Alabama in quadruple overtime.
NO. 13 TENNESSEE 76, MCNEESE STATE 40
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Santiago Vescovi scored 16 points to lead Tennessee past McNeese State.
The Volunteers (6-1) won their fifth straight game and their first since winning the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Julian Phillips scored 12 points and Olivier Nkamhoua had 11. Jonas Aidoo had five blocks and six rebounds.
The Cowboys (2-6) were led by Christian Shumate and Trae English with eight points each.
NO. 17 DUKE 81, NO. 25 OHIO STATE 72
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Kyle Filipowski had 16 points, including a key three-point play with 2:37 left, and Duke beat Ohio State.
Jeremy Roach added 13 points for the Blue Devils (7-2), who had a strong stretch late in the first half to take a 10-point lead into the break. Duke held its lead even as the Buckeyes (5-2) stayed within reach and repeatedly made multiple pushes to climb closer.
Ohio State&rsquo;s Zed Key posted his second straight big game against Duke. After finishing with 20 points in last year&rsquo;s home win against the then-No. 1 Blue Devils, he had 17 of his 21 points after halftime in this one to go with eight rebounds.
NOTRE DAME 70, NO. 20 MICHIGAN STATE 52
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Cormac Ryan scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half as Notre Dame cruised past Michigan State.
Ryan went 6 of 7 on 3-pointers, helping the Fighting Irish (6-1) jump out to a 42-24 halftime lead.
JJ Starling added 14 points and Dane Goodwin 12 for the Irish.
The Spartans (5-3) were paced by A.J. Hoggard with 15 points. Joey Hauser and Tyson Walker added 12 apiece.
NO. 23 IOWA STATE 63, NORTH DAKOTA 44
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Caleb Grill scored 16 points as Iowa State beat North Dakota.
Grill connected on 4 of 5 3-point tries for the Cyclones (6-1). Tamin Lipsey added 11 points for Iowa State, which used a 15-3 run early in the second half to pull away.
Matt Norman led North Dakota (5-4) with nine points.

A recap of Wednesday night's action in men's college hoops highlights many games in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Edey dominant again, No. 5 Purdue beats Florida State 79-69

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Mark Sears had 24 points, five rebounds and five assists, and No. 18 Alabama sent top-ranked North Carolina to a second straight loss with a 103-101 victory in a quadruple-overtime thriller on Sunday in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.
Jahvon Quinerly scored 21 points for the Crimson Tide (6-1), who knocked off the top-ranked team for the first time since upsetting Stanford in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Charles Bediako had 14 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
North Carolina (5-2) wasted a big game for Caleb Love, who had 34 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Armando Bacot finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and R.J. Davis had 19 points and nine rebounds in the second four-overtime game in North Carolina history. The other was a victory over Tulane in 1976.
Alabama forward Noah Clowney took a hard fall on a dunk attempt four minutes into the first half and had to be helped off the court. He did not return.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 88, XAVIER 84
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther scored 23 points, including 10 in the final 4:07, and Gonzaga beat Xavier in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Legacy men&rsquo;s tournament.
Each of Gonzaga&rsquo;s starters scored in double figures. Drew Timme and Anton Watson had 16 points apiece. Nolan Hickman finished with 14, and Rasir Bolton had 13 points and six assists.&nbsp;
Jack Nunge scored a game-high 25 points for Xavier (4-3), and Colby Jones had 22.
Strawther&rsquo;s 3 put Gonzaga (5-2) back in front at 76-75 with 3:18 to go. Watson then converted a floater, and Strawther made another 3 to make it 81-75 with 1:39 left.
NO. 24 PURDUE 75, NO. 8 DUKE 56
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach Edey had 21 points and 12 rebounds, helping Purdue beat Duke in the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy men&rsquo;s tournament.
Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points for Purdue (6-0), and reserve Caleb Furst finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The 7-foot-4 Edey was 7 for 13 from the field and 7 for 8 at the line. He was named tournament MVP.
Duke (6-2) shot 36.2% (21 for 58) from the field. Tyres Proctor scored 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach each had 14.
Ethan Morton had a steal and a dunk to help Purdue open a 58-41 lead with 15:37 left in the second half.
NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 78, PORTLAND 77
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Tyson Walker scored 15 points, and Michigan State topped Portland in the fifth-place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.
Pierre Brooks made all four of his 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Spartans (5-2). Joey Hauser added 14 points and seven rebounds. A.J. Hoggard had 12 points and nine assists.
After outscoring Michigan State 13-2 in the last three minutes and getting eight points in less than 30 seconds to make it 78-77 with 40.5 seconds to play, Portland rebounded a Spartans miss with 8.1 seconds to go. The Pilots got the ball inside to Tyler Robertson and his shot rolled off the rim, and a desperation putback by Juan Sebastian Gorosito wasn&rsquo;t close.
Robertson had 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals for the Pilots (5-4).
NO. 13 AUBURN 65, SAINT LOUIS 60
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 22 points, and Auburn reeled off 11 straight in the closing minutes.
The Tigers (7-0) rallied from a five-point deficit over the final five minutes, starting with back-to-back drives by K.D. Johnson and ending with Green&rsquo;s scoop shot in traffic.
The Billikens (5-2) missed six straight shots before Yuri Collins&rsquo; drive with 20 seconds left. Then Jaylin Williams turned it over with an errant inbounds pass.
But Gibson Jimerson missed a long jumper for Saint Louis and Green went 1 for 2 at the line.
Auburn closed the game on a 12-2 run.
NO. 19 UCLA 81, BELLARMINE 60
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a season-high 27 points, and UCLA got the win while playing without leading scorer Jaylen Clark.
Clark sat out for the first time this season because of a non-COVID-19 illness. The junior is averaging 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Freshman Adem Bona added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in his highest scoring game so far.
Bellarmine freshman Ben Johnson led the Knights (2-5) with 20 points. Curt Hopf added 16 points.
The Bruins (5-2) stretched their lead to 20 points in the second half.
NO. 20 UCONN 71, IOWA STATE 53
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Donovan Clingan had 15 points and 10 rebounds, powering UConn to the Phil Knight Invitational championship.
Tristen Newton scored 13 points for the Huskies (8-0), who went 20 for 25 at the free-throw line. Alex Karaban and Andre Jackson, Jr. each had 10 points.
Osun Osunniyi led Iowa State (5-1) with 14 points. Tamin Lipsey had 12 points and Jaren Holmes finished with 11.
Iowa State closed to 53-48 on Holmes&rsquo; 3-pointer midway through the second half. But Karaban made a 3 and a dunk, and Newton&rsquo;s jumper made it 60-48 with 7:13 remaining.

A recap of a busy Sunday for men's college basketball highlights a thriller in Portland for third place in the Phil Knight Invitational.

Sears, No. 18 Alabama top No. 1 North Carolina in 4 OTs

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jalen Green scored 30 points, Kenyon Martin Jr. and rookie Jabari Smith Jr. added 21 each and the Houston Rockets overcame a 15-point second half deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-122 on Friday night.
The Rockets (4-14) got a rare win in this tough season despite huge nights from Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Young had a season-high 44 and Murray set career highs with 39 points and eight 3-pointers in a game where big man Clint Capela didn&rsquo;t play.
Green made four quick points to put the Rockets up 118-117 with about two minutes to go. Garrison Mathews grabbed a steal after that and made two free throws after he was fouled on the other end.
Young made 1 of 2 free throws for Atlanta before Smith made it 122-118 on a put-back layup with just over a minute remaining.
Green fouled out just after that and Young made 1 of 2 free throws again. An off-balance layup by Mathews pushed Houston&rsquo;s lead to 124-119.
Daishen Nix made a free throw with about 30 seconds left to add to Houston&rsquo;s lead and Mathews added two free throws to make it 127-119 with 13.3 seconds to go.
The Rockets scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, with 3s by Smith and Mathews, to get to 104-102 with about 10 minutes to go.
Murray gave Atlanta its first points of the quarter with two free throws to start a 6-2 run that made it 110-104.
Houston then used an 8-2 spurt, capped by a 3 from Green, to tie it at 112-all with about five minutes to go.
Murray hit a 3-pointer seconds later to give Atlanta the lead and put his finger to his lips to hush the crowd as he ran down the court.
The Hawks led by 3 at halftime and scored the first nine points of the third, with a 3 from Murray, to make it 81-69 with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.
Green made three free throws before Atlanta went on a 9-2 run, with two 3s from Murray, to push it to 90-74 with about seven minutes left in the third.
The teams got into a scuffle after that with Murray and Smith pushing each other and jawing. Young and Green then ran over and began pushing each other and arguing while Murray and Smith were separated. All four players were given technical fouls after a review.
The Rockets trailed by 11 later in the third when coach Stephen Silas got a technical foul for yelling at the referees when he thought Martin was fouled.
Two free throws by Young made it 104-92 late in the third but Porter made a basket near the buzzer to get Houston within 10 entering the fourth.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Capela missed the game with dental pain. &hellip; Bogdan Bogdanovic sat out as part of recovery from a right knee injury. &hellip; Jarrett Culver was out with a bruised hip. &hellip; Atlanta made 15 of 39 3-pointers.
Rockets: Eric Gordon missed the game with a groin injury. &hellip; Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate was out for an 11th straight game with a sore right ankle. ... Mathews had 20 points off the bench.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Miami on Sunday.
Rockets: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.

Jalen Green scored 30 points and the Rockets overcame a 15-point second half deficit to beat the Hawks 128-122 on Friday night.

Jalen Green has 30 points, Rockets rally to beat Hawks 128-122

HENDERSON, Nev. &ndash; NBA Academy graduate Babacar Sane of Senegal has signed with NBA G League Ignite, General Manager Anthony McClish announced today.
The 19-year-old guard becomes the fifth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite, joining fellow 2022-23 Ignite players Efe Abogidi of Nigeria and Mojave King of Australia and Ignite alums Dyson Daniels of Australia and Princepal Singh of India.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Our newest NBA Academy graduate joins the team! Welcome to the squad, Babacar! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShockTheSystem?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShockTheSystem</a> ✍️: <a href="https://t.co/OejcPPnQ3u">https://t.co/OejcPPnQ3u</a> <a href="https://t.co/L3AZgj0ojw">pic.twitter.com/L3AZgj0ojw</a>
&mdash; NBA G League Ignite (@gleagueignite) <a href="https://twitter.com/gleagueignite/status/1585279414434160640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Sane also joins Abogidi as the two players to sign with Ignite after participating in NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal, for top high school-age prospects from across Africa. &nbsp;A native of Bignona, Senegal, Sane started with NBA Academy Africa in 2019.
Sane was one of the 12 prospects from NBA Academy Africa selected to play in the 2022 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season through the BAL Elevate program, competing for Dakar Universit&eacute; Club.
In international competition, Sane has played with the Senegalese National Team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers. &nbsp;He has appeared in five games as the youngest member of the team. &nbsp;Sane also represented Senegal at the 2020 FIBA U18 African Championship, where he averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in five games and helped the team reach the final.
Sane becomes the seventh player on the 2022-23 Ignite roster who has not gone through the NBA Draft process yet, joining Abogidi, King, Sidy Cissoko, Scoot Henderson, London Johnson and Leonard Miller. Both Sane and Johnson will be eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft and have signed with Ignite for two seasons.
Ignite tips off its 2022-23 NBA G League season against the Oklahoma City Blue on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.

The 19-year-old guard becomes the fifth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite.

NBA Academy graduate Babacar Sane signs with Ignite

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

NEW YORK &ndash; The NBA debuted its new 2022-23 season tip-off spots, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bcZhEytR8&amp;ab_channel=NBA">The Nonstop NBA</a>&rdquo; for its brand campaign and &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Z0gm8K1uI">This is HAPPENING</a>&rdquo; for the new NBA App. Both are now streaming across all <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA">@NBA</a> social platforms and on the <a href="https://pr.nba.com/nba-launches-reimagined-app-the-all-in-one-destination-for-nba-fans-of-every-team/">new reimagined NBA App</a>.
2022-23 Brand Campaign &ndash; &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo;:
Told through the lens of the ultimate NBA superfan, nicknamed &ldquo;Non-Stop&rdquo;, and featuring an All-Star lineup of NBA players, coaches and legends, the spot celebrates the return of the NBA, showcasing how the game and its culture is constantly evolving.
&ldquo;We got sneaks-on-the-ground on four coasts&hellip;
From a Serbian Serpent moving like Mamba&hellip;
To A Greek-Nigerian-Milwaukeean changing the face of the game&hellip;
to an ice-cold Trae in the heart of Hotlanta&hellip;
To a couple brothers in the Bay with wet jays splashing their way back to try to go back-to-back&hellip;&rdquo;
Reigning NBA Champion Stephen Curry headlines an illustrious cast of NBA talent starring Jayson Tatum, Tyler Herro, Paul George and Joel Embiid, who remind fans about all the exciting on-court elements that they can look forward to this season. From a potential Warriors repeat for Curry to another shot at the Celtics claiming a league record 18th title orchestrated by Tatum, the drama known as the NBA is about to begin its next act.
&ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; also features a fan debate at an outdoor basketball court on whose team will be this year&rsquo;s champ, with Embiid proclaiming that it&rsquo;s the 76ers&rsquo; year.&nbsp; From exciting matchups and captivating crossovers to breathtaking buzzer beaters, the nonstop energy of the league extends far beyond the baseline to culture, fashion, music, the metaverse and more &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s Damian Lillard recording in the studio, DeMar DeRozan showing off his impressive sneaker collection or Luka Dončić coming to life in NBA 2K23.
Finally, &ldquo;Non-Stop&rdquo; makes one thing clear &ndash; the NBA has something for everyone, and fans better keep up because &ldquo;in the NBA, what&rsquo;s happening next is happening now.&rdquo;
Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bcZhEytR8&amp;ab_channel=NBA">HERE</a> to view the full campaign video, &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; 
Full cast includes:
<ul>
<li>NBA Players: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Paul George (LA Clippers), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)</li>
<li>NBA Legends: Tim Hardaway Sr., Bill Walton</li>
<li>Coaches: Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers)</li>
<li>Influencers: Crissa Jackson</li>
<li>Non-Stop: Actor Keyon Bowman</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;Created in conjunction with independent creative agency <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.translationllc.com/__;!!PMETyfE!OjCxd7kYYWMkE8rEg5x37IScA9s0eCuMCphhqiO_2s6vv2xXlqzc9MuGTeKdwcXvc35DQRP8iUZZ33Ew1KYRjrg$">Translation</a>, the spot was directed by Calmatic (&ldquo;House Party&rdquo;, &ldquo;Entrepreneur&rdquo; by Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z and &ldquo;Old Town Road&rdquo; by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus).&nbsp; &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; is currently airing on television networks, with additional :30, :15 and :10-second versions running on social and digital channels.&nbsp; The spot will also be translated in 14 additional languages to reach fans globally.
Check out action from behind-the-scenes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwBjdHqXRcs&amp;ab_channel=NBA">HERE</a>, detailing the making of &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo;, featuring soundbites from DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Tyler Herro, Damian Lillard, Tyronn Lue, Jayson Tatum, Bill Walton and &ldquo;The Nonstop NBA&rdquo; director Calmatic.
&nbsp;2022-23 NBA App Campaign: &ldquo;This is HAPPENING&rdquo;:
Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the league launched the new reimagined <a href="https://global.nba.com/nba-apps/index.html?showNav=false&amp;showFooter=false&amp;adobe_mc=TS%3D1602716228447%7CMCMID%3D02995697633469209167976945683217902546%7CMCORGID%3D248F210755B762187F000101%40AdobeOrg">NBA App</a> to be an all-in-one destination for fans of every team. To celebrate the new app, the league released its campaign, &ldquo;This is HAPPENING,&rdquo; to get fans excited about all the NBA App has to offer.
In the spot, LaMelo Ball and Jordan Poole take fans on a journey through the NBA App, showcasing its capabilities and all it has to offer, from every play on the court with real-time highlights, behind-the-scenes access, press conferences, and all-access shows, because &ldquo;If it&rsquo;s HAPPENING, it&rsquo;s HAPPENING in the NBA App.&rdquo;
Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Z0gm8K1uI">HERE</a> to view the full spot, &ldquo;This is HAPPENING&rdquo; 
Full cast includes:
<ul>
<li>NBA Players: LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors)</li>
</ul>
Created in conjunction with full-service creative agency, Mekanism, the spot will air across TV networks and stream on NBA social and digital platforms throughout the season. Download the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nba-live-games-scores/id484672289">NBA App</a> and Sign Up for NBA ID today.
The 2022-23 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT.&nbsp; The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) before the NBA champion Golden State Warriors receive their championship rings and host the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).&nbsp; A full schedule of the season&rsquo;s game is available on <a href="https://www.nba.com/schedule">NBA.com</a> and the NBA App.

Both are now streaming across all @NBA social platforms and on the new reimagined NBA App.

NBA debuts tip-off spots: 'The Nonstop NBA' & 'This is HAPPENING'

NBA basketball in 2022 is centered around the ability to create advantages on offense and minimize advantages on defense. Players and teams can space the floor, collapse it and warp it at myriad levels with the freedom to drive &mdash; and dish and shake and cut &mdash; all over the place. It's part of the reason guys like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jokic-antetokounmpo-doncic-explain-why-europe-is-harder-than-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic think EuroBasket is a harder environment.</a>&nbsp;
The modern game all but requires NBA offenses to have at least one (and probably more than one) player on the court who can collapse an opposing defense with a 1-on-1 drive. Defenders who can snuff out those advantages, meanwhile, earn high esteem; just look at how players like Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Marcus Smart and Derrick White helped get their teams to the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Guys rarely excel in both dimensions of the fire-and-ice combination, spark offense and freezing foes on defense. Sacramento Kings point guard Davion Mitchell was one of those rarities as a rookie:
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Two important avenues to player impact are advantage creation on offense and prevention on defense. Here are where players stacked up last season in these two on-ball measures: <a href="https://t.co/Jp5yVdWMnn">pic.twitter.com/Jp5yVdWMnn</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1570455340566646785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
Mitchell didn't make an All-Rookie team last season and feels somewhat lost in the crowd of an exciting 2021 draft class. But the former No. 9 overall pick, even at 24 years old, should be considered just as poised for a second-year surge as any of his competitors. He's smack-dab in the middle of the above graphic from SIS Hoops, sitting near dynamic two-way catalysts like Smart, White, Justin Holiday and Fred VanVleet.
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The Kings got shellacked last night, but Davion Mitchell really stood out early. Thought he bothered Trae a good deal in the first quarter, tracked him well off-ball and in screen navigation Got his shot off and was aggressive early. Good stretch for him <a href="https://t.co/JIv534iqcM">pic.twitter.com/JIv534iqcM</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) <a href="https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1486687309076512768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Mitchell has earned the "Off Night" moniker for his hounding individual defense, and new Kings coach Mike Brown is already a witness.
"I can honestly say at this point in his career he is one of the best on-ball defenders I&rsquo;ve been around," Brown told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3625126/2022/09/26/sacramento-kings-season-preview/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Slater of The Athletic</a>. "Some of the things I&rsquo;ve seen in the summertime remind me of a Gary Payton II type of on-ball defender.&rdquo;
The offensive end took a bit more time to flash. Mitchell averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game with a lackluster 48.9% True Shooting percentage in 2021-22, but those cumulative numbers don't tell the whole story.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
After the All-Star break, the rookie put up 14.1 points and 5.9 assists per game across 19 contests. Eleven were starts, in which he averaged 18.8 points and 9.3 assists per game. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis dropped out of the season due to injuries after March 20, leaving Mitchell to run the show as the Kings trudged along, out of the playoff picture.&nbsp;
Those who stuck it out with Sacramento saw Mitchell settle in as an advantage-finder on the ball. Check out how his aggression increased post-All-Star, after the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton and amidst injury struggles amongst their stars.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.5964%;">Category</td>
<td style="width: 13.5075%;">Pre-All-Star</td>
<td style="width: 14.291%;">Post-All-Star</td>
<td style="width: 18.0636%;">Post-ASB NBA Rank</td>
<td style="width: 19.6302%;">Post-ASB Rookie Rank</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.5964%;">Drives/Game</td>
<td style="width: 13.5075%;">8.7</td>
<td style="width: 14.291%;">12.1</td>
<td style="width: 18.0636%;">17th</td>
<td style="width: 19.6302%;">2nd</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.5964%;">FG% on Drives</td>
<td style="width: 13.5075%;">49.2%</td>
<td style="width: 14.291%;">52.0%</td>
<td style="width: 18.0636%;">35th</td>
<td style="width: 19.6302%;">4th</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.5964%;">AST% on Drives</td>
<td style="width: 13.5075%;">14.2%</td>
<td style="width: 14.291%;">16.1%</td>
<td style="width: 18.0636%;">5th</td>
<td style="width: 19.6302%;">1st</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 15.5964%;">TOV% on Drives</td>
<td style="width: 13.5075%;">6.0%</td>
<td style="width: 14.291%;">5.2%</td>
<td style="width: 18.0636%;">t-26th</td>
<td style="width: 19.6302%;">4th</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile. Stats courtesy of NBA Stats/Second Spectrum)
Mitchell already posted decent numbers as a driver early in the season, but with more on his plate without Haliburton and an intermittent Fox, he impressively boosted both his volume and efficiency.
As a passer, Mitchell formed an interesting tandem with Damian Jones... who is now a Laker. The two were the fourth-most frequent assist combo on the Kings last season. By spring, Jones was Mitchell's favorite target; he passed to the play-finishing center seven times per game.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wi10qu" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
We see how Mitchell is growing past straight-line drives. He dipped into his bag of herky-jerky crossovers and hesitation moves a bit more, exploded off of those plays, and then, zipped passes into Jones for finishes. The second clip against the Los Angeles Clippers particularly impressed me. Mitchell probed and engaged Ivica Zubac long enough to create a window for Jones, saw Reggie Jackson was backing out of the paint to cover Trey Lyles, and then, hit Jones for the easy dunk.
Of course, Mitchell won't be syncing up with the 7-footer next season. He might have Neemias Queta as a big-bodied dunker, but Davion will most likely be in tandem with either Sabonis or Richaun Holmes at center. Mitchell still flashed potential for a promising connection with those two based on his rookie work.
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This trio of assists all came to Jones in the same April contest against the Suns. Mitchell hit him on a beautiful high-low feed in the first clip, and then broke two aggressive screen coverages later on. This type of success is exciting if you imagine Sabonis feasting as an interior hub, fed by Mitchell through aggressive defenses &mdash; or Holmes sealing down low and getting rewarded with a Davion dime.
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Domantas Sabonis talks about working with Davion Mitchell, the next level of his &amp; De'Aaron Fox's partnership, and Mike Brown. <a href="https://t.co/svedS5LtWL">pic.twitter.com/svedS5LtWL</a>
&mdash; Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattGeorgeSAC/status/1574517940048695296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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On the flip side, these bigs could also keep defenses from sending two at Mitchell &mdash; giving him more breathing room to create advantages. His mix of burst and patience allows him to explore more space, even in Steve Nash dribble-esque situations like these:
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/9nmfkq" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Mitchell slinks around the baseline and hits Harrison Barnes twice in this reel, once on a well-timed cut and another after drawing in Barnes' defender from the corner. These are two more examples of an NBA rookie maximizing his advantage and creating an advantageous setup for his teammate.
To truly unlock all of the driving and passing lanes, Mitchell needs to take a step forward as an efficient finisher and scorer.&nbsp;
Mark Schindler <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/davion-mitchell-is-finding-balance-and-thriving-on-the-margins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">checked in on Mitchell's scoring progress</a> for Basketball News last February, and I highly recommend the read since many of his observations still apply and are worth remembering as a starting point for this season. Since the article, Mitchell stayed in the ballpark as an overall shot-maker. He finished 60% of his shots at the rim on the season (about league average), but concluded as a 30.8% shooter from deep (not very good).&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
However, there's an intriguing silver lining in the weeds of his shooting splits.
Mitchell made only 40.0% of his pull-up shots all season and struggled mightily behind the arc (28.4%). But rookies typically struggle as individual pull-up scorers. This rookie, however, found a rhythm in the mid-range later on in the season.
According to Cleaning the Glass, a quarter of Mitchell's shots after the All-Star break came in the "long mid-range" area between 14 feet from the basket and the three-point arc. That put him in the 96th percentile for frequency at his position. Mitchell canned an impressive 47% of those shots (86th percentile), which were mostly pull-up attempts.&nbsp;
It's almost an old-school flashback to how teams used to generate mid-range looks. Mitchell often took screens at the elbow like these and, knowing the bigs would sag off because of his reputation as a shooter, he could easily settle into a more comfortable shot.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/szc85b" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Mitchell also can stop on a dime like a madman. That already helped him to change speed and direction when driving; it also means he needs less time to jack up a rhythm mid-range shot.&nbsp;
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No, this is not the most desirable shot from a game-planning perspective. But as dozens of players around the NBA can show, having a rhythm mid-range look is valuable and threatening. It also marks a starting point for long-range shooting potential, something Mitchell will obviously look to improve.
The former Baylor guard has past indicators of plus-shooting too. Mitchell built himself up to a 44.7% three-point clip in his final year of college. Per InStat Scouting, that included shooting 38% on pull-ups and 46% in catch-and-shoot situations. Sure, that was with a shorter arc, and Mitchell was probably due for some regression anyway. But let's not toss that year away as an outlier when he's still young and growing.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Davion Mitchell is getting in some work with Sacramento Kings assistant coach Doug Christie. <a href="https://t.co/rfZvTwilxi">pic.twitter.com/rfZvTwilxi</a>
&mdash; Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) <a href="https://twitter.com/cameronsalerno1/status/1574858190700748801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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We don't know how the Kings' rotation will shake out under Brown yet, but from reports I've read, it seems Mitchell will at least begin the year as a third guard behind Fox and trade acquisition Kevin Huerter. Kings assistant coach Doug Christie told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic&nbsp;that <a href="https://theathletic.com/3627997/2022/09/26/davion-mitchell-kings-offseason-trust/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his goal for Mitchell is to be Sixth Man of the Year.</a>&nbsp;
If Mitchell were to ride the bench all season, that award is absolutely within reach. But I think the second-year guard could certainly challenge for a starting spot. "Off Night" is too valuable to what the Kings are trying to build on defense, and his budding talent as a creator will only help Sacramento ignite its offense.
Don't forget about Mitchell in the sea of 2022-23 breakout candidates.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Go look at this thread from Synergy's Todd Whitehead, who continues to be a data visualization artist:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Tinkering with a 🚨new chart🚨 to show 1-on-1 tendencies. From 3 iso zones outside &ndash; is the player more likely to take a quick shot or drive right or left? In the post &ndash; are they more likely to turn over the left shoulder or the right? Some 2022 NCAA examples in the 🧵 <a href="https://t.co/8xf91Ng18V">pic.twitter.com/8xf91Ng18V</a>
&mdash; Todd Whitehead (@CrumpledJumper) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrumpledJumper/status/1575575231946596352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Nekias Duncan is back with division previews! In his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-atlantic-division-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breakdown of the Atlantic</a>, he gave us a gem on Marcus Smart's ball-screen impact last season that I will be using in a future article:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">The Celtics generated 0.992 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Smart-led ball-screen &mdash; a mark that ranked 22nd among 62 high-volume pick-and-roll players (min. 1,000 picks), and one that placed him ahead of names like Darius Garland (0.987), Damian Lillard (0.978) and Ja Morant (0.972). Those ball-screens were more dangerous when Smart set the pick (1.04 PPP), a top-10 mark in the NBA.</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Another neat set of visuals from Dom Samangy:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🧵 Analytics 🤝 Player Development 🧵 Showcasing this part of the game is one passion of mine &amp; is an area where I see there is still much room to grow in both application &amp; acceptance! So here&rsquo;s a thread on ways I visualize strengths &amp; weaknesses of a player&rsquo;s game ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/DEP9Amx7da">pic.twitter.com/DEP9Amx7da</a>
&mdash; Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) <a href="https://twitter.com/DSamangy/status/1572264237052952577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ethan Fuller breaks down how Davion Mitchell is creating advantages as a driver and passer to pair with his lockdown defense.

NBA Stats Notebook: Why Davion Mitchell could make a big step in Year 2

A jury convicted a 25-year-old man of capital murder Friday in <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/9b04ff9794a442bb86b2402c64c6b468" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the killing of former Texas Tech basketball star</a>&nbsp;Andre Emmett, who had brief stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets after college.
The Dallas County jury deliberated about four hours before finding Larry Daquan Jenkins guilty of the September 2019 slaying. Jenkins was then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, since prosecutors weren&rsquo;t seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors say Jenkins and two other men followed Emmett, who was 35, from a nightclub to his Dallas home. After he parked in his garage, they confronted him and demanded two chains and a watch he was wearing. A witness told police that Jenkins, whom police had placed at the crime scene, was the one who fatally shot Emmett before the three fled.
Police released home surveillance video footage of the crime to obtain tips on the thieves&rsquo; identities. Keith Johnson and Michael Lucky&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/936e427ff65f4105888cd58e4d17d8ec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were arrested a month after the slaying</a> and await trial on capital murder charges. Authorities say cellphone data also placed Jenkins at the nightclub and Emmett&rsquo;s home, and he was arrested a year later.
Emmett was a guard for the Texas Tech Red Raiders for four years, three under head coach Bob Knight, and set a team career scoring record by the time his collegiate run ended in 2004.
In the NBA, he played eight games with the Memphis Grizzlies and six with the New Jersey Nets. He also played two professional seasons in the NBA Development League &mdash; now called the G League &mdash; three seasons in Europe and two in China before attaining stardom in the BIG3, a three-on-three basketball league founded by actor and rapper Ice Cube. The league retired Emmett&rsquo;s jersey last month.

A jury convicted a 25-year-old man of capital murder Friday in the killing of Andre Emmett. He was then sentenced to life in prison.

Akron Zips